Hounding - Act 4
Four years earlier...
Niki sank sullenly into the chair at the kitchen table. No one could deny... that was wicked. Well — almost no one. She said as much.
“Wicked?” Addison nearly bellowed. “You endangered countless innocent lives, not to mention your own, and exposed this operation to the public eye!”
“But, did you see when I dusted him with the drumstick?” She smirked inwardly. “That was so totally awesome.”
Her Watcher fumed. Naturally, he wouldn’t see the absolute poetry of slaying vamps while performing on stage. Not that she had planned it, but when the stage crashers had jumped up to enjoy themselves, some of the undead had joined them. Luckily they could put their disappearance down as faulty pyrotechnics. It was also lucky that Niki sharpened the ends of her drumsticks.
“If we were in London, you would be under house arrest,” the Brit said angrily. “But that won’t work here, will it?”
“This isn’t a mansion, Colonel Addison, you can’t lock me up for three weeks like some wayward princess.” She stood and strolled to the fridge which she opened. There was a carton of two week old milk and a plate of something fuzzy and three cans of beer. “A slayer’s gotta eat.”
“I realize that,” Addison grumbled. “So I’ve decided on a better method of punishing you.”
“Public flogging?” Niki raised an eyebrow. “Thumbscrews?”
“I’ve canceled your band’s contracts with all their future sponsors. Toe Tag City is finished.” Addison crossed his arms and let the satisfaction show on his face.
Niki’s eyes grew wider. “You’ve canceled our gigs?” she demanded. “What– You don’t have the power to do that!”
Addison shrugged, his white eyebrows knitting together. “The Council has significant influence, even in such... menial matters as lowbrow entertainment.” He sat down tiredly on the chair Niki had vacated. “I can and I have ended your musical carrier. It has obviously been detracting from your duty as a Slayer. Now you’re free to concentrate on what really matters.”
Niki’s fists were balled tight, her knuckles white. She had visions of pounding his head into the floor... of sending him in a body bag across the Atlantic to the meddling Council. He just wasn’t working out... Then she sighed, closed her eyes and counted to three in her head. Upon opening her eyes, she found the annoying man was still sitting in the chair, looking very self-satisfied.
Niki tossed her head to get the hair from her face and turned briskly for the door. “I will never forget this,” she said articulately. “Never,” and she opened the door, grabbing her jacket.
“That is the primary role of punitive action,” Addison agreed smugly. “Let us hope your skills as a Slayer improve. Meanwhile, stay away from the band members. They may not be too happy with you any longer.”
Niki ground her teeth and slammed the door as hard as she could. Like hell she’d stay away. He couldn’t keep her from hammering away her anger with some pointed sticks – in that way vampires were much like snare drums, though the drums seldom fought back.
Niki Valtaine moved across the wet pavement in the sunlight of the early morning. Where was Toe Tag City now, she wondered. Permanent residents of the Where Are They Now file. They had stayed with her after her parents had died. That had been more than she had expected. They had been as friendly as she had let them. She had lost her virginity to the lead guitarist. She smiled. Such fond memories. But they had never forgiven her for getting their band blacklisted.
She splashed through a shallow puddle as the shrill keen of a jet engine turned into a roar as it took off not far away. Coming to the old chain link fence, she leapt over and found herself in the small, paved yard outside of the freight storage warehouse. Any incoming coffins would end up here. Any vampire with any sense would nest here: dark, seldom used, occasional walk-in snacks...
With the sound of stressed steel, the door gave way to her boot and she entered the darkness. She kept low, keeping to one wall so as not to lose her bearings while her eyes adjusted. Finally, as the forms of crates and skids began to solidify before her eyes, she was able to begin searching for what she knew she might not even find.
She passed row after row of skids and stacks of crates and plastic-wrapped, red-tagged baggage before she finally neared the exit which led to the terminal, at the far end of the warehouse. Near the door were the recent additions to the dusty collection, including a long wooden box.
Niki slowed her pace as she approached it, knowing immediately it was the object of her search. The wooden box sat crooked with respect to the rows and the walls, as indeed someone had climbed out of it. The lid for the box was laying in several splintered pieces across the floor and the packing paper was scattered about as well.
Fully knowing the silliness of what she was doing, Niki reached down and took hold of a long, pointed splinter of wood, quieting her footsteps as she neared the box. Inside was more packing paper surrounding a dull, steel coffin. Chains were strewn about the packing paper and the lid of the coffin lay across the opening, partially obscuring its interior.
Niki shook her head. This is ridiculous, she mused. Then cocked her head. Still... She reached out, her stake raised, and slid aside the lid with one good shove. Of course, the coffin was empty.
Niki let out a yelp of surprise as the terminal door flew open, artificial light pouring in. She pressed a hand to her chest to calm her breathing, shaking her head in amusement. Since when was she so jumpy?
“He’s not here,” Pearce said matter-of-factly.
“I can see that,” Niki answered with irritation, born partly from her effort to slow her racing heart. Stuff had been having that effect on her recently. Coming around the coffin, she frowned. “Were you following me?”
Pearce shrugged. “I was just about to call it a day and find a nice damp sewer to sleep in, when I thought I’d stop by the airport and see if I could dig anything up.”
Niki looked at him for a long moment. “It’s a twenty five minute drive from my apartment. You just thought you’d stop by?”
Pearce looked uncomfortable. “He’s not here. You should go home and I’ll sleep here today... you know. To keep an eye on things in case he comes back.”
Niki thought for a moment, considering his uneasy silhouette. “Do what you like,” she finally shrugged and moved back through the warehouse the way she had come.
The vampire entered and, finding the coffin suitable, if perhaps a little kinky, settled himself inside it for the day. As her footsteps began to recede, he sat up and called out into the darkness. “I’ll keep an eye out, you can count on it,” he said encouragingly. Her footsteps stopped for an instant, then continued on. Pearce lay back into the coffin and slid the lid into place. “It’s what I do,” he said quietly.
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