Susan was in the comfort of her room, filing her nails when Jake left for the city with one of her cars. He had gone to find himself a job, and she knew today, he won't be so lucky because she had wished it so. She needed him to return, at least, for his own safety.
Beatrice on the other hand was supposed to be out by now, but the death of her manager and the incident of yesterday at Els Street came rushing back to her, making her eyes blurry with tears, and she considered not going to work today.
In a flash, Susan was before her door, she knocked.
Beatrice looked at the door and hastily wiped her eyes. "Just a second."
"The lightning leaves its mark," Hannah said as she cleaned the wound on a lady. "She could die if not attended to.""How many of them are wounded?" Susan asked."A lot.""Bring them all here."Hannah passed the order, and they brought all the wounded, and bleeding, and dying ladies who had been subject to the scattered flash of the lightning of death before Susan."The beauty of life," Susan said. "Being able to kill, and make alive. Heal."Everyone was awestruck as their wounded comrades healed, and those dying returned to life.Susan turned to Hannah. "Now, take me to him.""Who would ta
"Our tribe is known for hunting," Susan told Vivian over breakfast the next day at a diner named B's Place. "I had to throw mother off our scent. Although, I'm sure she did ask where we went.""And knowing the Hex Sisters," Vivian said, "they would die rather than talk.""Hence, the perfect distraction.""How did you manage it?""Easy. I knew mother had her gaze on me, so to throw her off my scent, I presented her with the immediate problem. I left a bit of me in one of the Hex Sisters, and that's how she discovered their location. If I had met the Chief priest without doing that, it wouldn't take anything for her to discover me. I don't want her knowing what I'm up to.""And that's the problem, dear sister. Mother knows."Susan sighed, and leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. "What works?"Vivian shrugged."Does she know you're here?" Susan asked."Mother always knows where we are," Vivian said. "A word of advice, sis
"How did yesterday go?" Susan asked Jake over breakfast the next day.Jake shook his head. "Not so good.""What happened?""No one wanted to go through my application. They kept saying there was no vacancy." He sighed. "I fear that soon, I'll be a burden to you. When a man like me lives with someone and is unable to make a contribution, he feels it, and..." He couldn't finish his words.Susan and Beatrice had their gaze on him."I just—I'll do anything to prove I'm not a failure," he said. "However difficult, I'm teachable, so I'm willing to learn."Susan didn't want to say it, but today, he would get the opportunity he wished for. He would get a job."Well, try again," Susan said. "Hope you don't think of quitting?""No." He shook his head."Good. Life can be frustrating. Even with certain privileges, it sure tends to throw the monsters our way. You're resilient enough. I'm sure what you want, you'll get.""Thanks."
Susan, Beatrice, and Jake met at B's Place to celebrate Jake's new job, for as Susan had silently predicted, so had it been for Jake. She couldn't tell anyone the number of people that had to die for him to secure the job he now had. She had promised a celebration, and that's why they were here."You were so optimistic," Beatrice said to Susan. "I for one wasn't certain knowing how this world works and all."They were all seated around a circular table between them under night skies and the cold air gently caressing their skin."No one really knows how the world works," Susan said. "Sometimes, you can either sit in hopes not to offend anyone, or you can step out and get what you wa
The only time the world was at peace to Susan, was when she was asleep. She was an idol to herself, a being not meant to be worshipped, but one who death brought a semblance of peace to her whenever she was awake. In this state of rest, she could avoid all that and not think of anyone, not even herself. She was one with the world at this time, but when she was up, she was against it.She would have laid still this way, facing the ceiling, and enjoying the silence of the room, but then her eyes opened, and with it came the hunger to kill.Ray, the guy from last night's celebration who had sent her the note through the waiter was next to her on the bed in a hotel room, Susan noted his body was beginning to stir.Only if he was still asleep, Susan thought. But she knew what came next. At least, after an amazing night o
Susan knew the rules of High Town city all too well. There were hidden laws that governed feeding, daily lives, especially that of businesses, and the peace in the city, and now she had made Beatrice the owner of B’s place, trouble unknown to Beatrice was meant to happen.After Susan had killed Ray that morning, she appeared in a bar unnoticed, and sat by an empty table. There were men speaking among themselves behind her, and she listened.“Where are you going? We’ll all be at the Grim to drink our fill and you wish to just go, like be somewhere else.”“B’s Place has a new owner.”“Oh.”“Yes. And I guess the last owner didn’t do the filling in.”
“I have a criminal record, so I sure was scared when I saw the police officer,” Beatrice said to Susan over breakfast the next morning. “Those with criminal records aren’t really allowed to have businesses in High Town city, which makes me wonder if you thought this through before you gave me B’s Place. Not that I don’t like it. I’m just scared of meeting superior opposition. One I may not be able to handle.”Susan suppressed her smile. If there was any superior opposition, Susan knew it had to be her very self.“I heard tales yesterday from old workers, you know,” Beatrice went on. “Some said scary tales of how the managers were treated and all. It sure gave me the fright. It made me want to reconsider. But really, Susan, I’m grateful. I’m just scared.”
Her heart could rob a man of desire, as it could instill it quickly in him. She didn't like him, but she was willing to risk it. The sofa was drenched in the blood of more than one person. The bodies lying around had their eyes gouged out, their souls ripped from them even before she tore them into irredeemable shreds. No hearts here. No souls here. No redemption here. Only death stays here.Susan looked down at her blood-stained hands and frowned. The blood on her hands felt the heat of her stare and vanished for it couldn’t cry to the heavens for vengeance. Not for this lady. She took a glance around the room and the bodies of the men within, sprawled in different ways on the floor, a smile graced her face, and then she vanished.Elvis, the man whose life Susan had spared in the bar was sitting by a table with papers in front of him, locked up in a shadowy bunker with armed men positioned around, Susan appeared right across him, everyone in the room jerked.The s