by Martha Woods
Iggy sat back, clearly thinking over everything that he had heard about Skylar. They had clearly been hurt by Christian just as he had, it wasn't a stretch to say that they wanted the exact same thing for the exact same reasons, and he would be a fool to refuse any chance he could get just because a hunter was involved. Especially since after what he had learned, he actually felt bad about his outburst.
"I'm... I'm sorry about before. What I said about you working with Christian I... I didn't mean it."
"Yes, you did." Cayden's tone wasn't accusatory, or even bitter, it was a statement delivered with as much conviction as one could put into a single series of words. "But you should mean it, and you should say it, because I need that reminder to say it to myself. To tell myself that I'm not going to be that weak again, that I'm not going to let blind hatred like that cloud every part of my mind anymore."
"But isn't that what you're doing? Don't get me wrong, I think you should get revenge, but isn't blind hatred the entire point of doing something like that?"
"How long did they have you locked up in there? A week? Two weeks?"
"About a month and a half, I think, they left me there for a few days about a month ago, then they came back and started up the whole process again."
"Well in the last few months, my former clan and a number of other hunter clans have been making waves at bringing peace. We've finally gotten it through our skulls that witches and shifters and whatever else aren't evil, and they want those members of their groups that do evil to be taken away as well. So we're trying to build a relationship where hunters and paranormals can work together, to build a safer world for all of us." His eyes hardened. "Christian could ruin everything, the man is an acid surrounded by a toxin covering pure uranium, and he needs to be destroyed. That's what I'll focus on, not just that I'll be avenging a very dear friend, but that I'll be helping to build a safer world for everyone else while I do it. Where young vampires don't get taken off the street and tortured for months on end, purely for being different. Anyone who would do something like that deserves death, and the world will be better for it."
"What did they do to you Iggy?" Leah's eyes were soft in the way that only mothers can make them, care swimming in those depths even as he struggled under the scrutiny. "You don't have to say anything if you really don't want to, but I think it would be best for you to be able to get it out in the open, so that you're not alone in your struggles."
Cayden passed him a soda, giving him something to focus on while he gathered his thoughts and considered what to say. He knew from his own experiences that it wasn't something you discussed lightly, it was something that marked you for the rest of your life, something that you would never forget no matter how hard you tried to do so. By the look of it, Iggy was struggling with that right now. "I only got turned a few months ago, I was at some party and some guy led me away, I thought he had beer or something like that. Next thing I know I'm waking up somewhere with two holes in my neck, blood all over my shirt and this guy crying next to me." He breathed out a laugh, smiling distantly. "Turns out he just wanted a friend. Anyway, we palled around together for a while, he was teaching me all about what we do and why we do it, you know a regular vampire history lesson. I was nineteen you know, what regular nineteen-year-old gives a fuck about history? Well, I guess I’ll just be an irregular nineteen-year-old for the rest of eternity then."
His eyes went distant again, almost seeing to lose their color. His voice lost what little mirth it had when he continued, "They snatched us out of nowhere, we didn't even realize what had happened until we woke up in that house. They started with him and god, the things they did to him... I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about that."
"It's ok, I know." Cayden grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, look at me. I know, you're not alone in this, not anymore. You're safe and those men are dead, focus on saying that and... And eventually it helps a little bit."
"Right." A deep breath. "Well after they just tossed him out like he was nothing, then they started on me. They didn't have to try much, I'm sure you've seen what happens to a vampire when it doesn't feed. They stretched it out long enough until I was just about to die, then they'd feed me and start over. They did other things sure, but that was the worst. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, I was sure that I'd gone nuts a couple times." He nodded, looking up at them. "And now they're dead. Thanks for that."
"My pleasure." Cayden looked at the rest of the group, trying to gauge how they felt about their new arrival. Seeing only small smiles and gentle nods, he turned back to Iggy. "So, what do you think? Now that you've really gotten a good look at us, what we're capable of, why we're doing things, are you sure you still want to be involved in this? I mean, really think about it, do you truly want to be a part of this?"
"A part of this? A bunch of damaged people looking to kill the cause of their suffering? Just a group of fuck ups trying to make the world better huh?" He chuckled, holding his hand out in a handshake. "Fuckin A I want to be a part of this. I might actually have a place to belong for once in my life. Just point me at who you want gone, and you can consider it done."
Hayley laughed, shoving him lightly with joy in her eyes. "I think we're gonna get along great Iggy!"
"Well, we've got a plus one now." Michael pointed over at the couch, patting Iggy on the shoulder. "Get some rest, we're gonna go hit the next place in the next few days, so we're gonna have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'm glad that you're staying with us, it's nice to know that you're not alone."
"Yeah..." He nodded, looking around at the people still staring at him with gentle smiles. "Yeah I guess it is..."
* * *
Skylar however was not feeling nearly as much mirth, her hands still shaking from the moment that had left George's apartment, his body left in the seat for the landlord to find on a random inspection. The way that her mother had not even hesitated to kill him, how she just disregarded him like he was just a piece of meat... She knew that she was ruthless, she had said as much many times, but to actually see it was something else.
It scared her.
"You didn't have to do that you know..." Skylar sank back into her chair, not able to look at Leila. "He'd told us everything we needed to know, he wasn't going to be a problem for us anymore."
"What happened to wanting to kill them all?" Leila looked up from her sandwich, staring intermittently out the window to see if the police had been called about George. "This is what we need to do Skylar, this is what the mission is. We cannot leave a single one of them to breathe a word about any of us being involved, that's just another risk that will lead back to your family. That's the entire reason we're doing this in the first place."
"But he wasn't going to say anything!"
"Why? Because he said so?" She scoffed, wiping her hand off. "Given half the chance he would have gotten on the horn to his boss and tell them all about who we are and what we are doing. And if he didn't do that then he probably would have just killed some random paranormal going about their day just for the hell of it."
Skylar shook her head, finally standing and walking over to the window. She leaned on the sill, breathing softly to herself and desperately trying to focus her thoughts for a second, but she was having no luck. "So you just decide to kill him just in case he does something?"
"Should I wait until he actually kills someone? Should I wait until another family is broken or your baby is held hostage again? Would my action be justified then if another innocent paid the price for it? This is what needs to be done, I don't care if it seems dirty, or evil, it's what we need to do. You didn't seem to have a problem with it a month ago either."
"That was different! That was self-defence!" She whirled around, stomping over to her mother and pointing her finger in her face. "What you did before was murder! You tortured him and then you murdered him! Does that make you any better than them?"
Leila's answer was snarled through gritted teeth. "I. Don't. Care. I would do the same to every member of t
hat group if it meant that they would come to an end, and I won't settle for anything less than them being completely gone, one way or another."
"I just..." Skylar collapsed back into her chair. "I thought..."
"What? You thought revenge was going to be easy? That these men would be capable of finding redemption? Did you think I was a good person?" Leila sighed, suddenly seeming almost mournful. "I haven't been a good person in a very long time Skylar, and I don't plan on starting any time soon. That's why you need me."
"Why I need you? Why would I possibly need you, so that you can go on a murder spree and be able to justify it to yourself?"
"We've already discussed this, I thought you'd accepted it..." She walked over to Skylar, frowning when her daughter flinched away from her touch. "This group is made up of true believers, even if he gave up the leader he still believed in the cause. Trust me when I say that each one of them that is left alive is a danger to everyone, not just you. I know it sounds like I'm justifying it but... It really is the best thing to do. I'll admit that I like killing them, that's enough of a motive to me, I don't need more than that. But this way we actually save lives, it just means we have to take some too."
"But it's not... It's just not fair!" Skylar threw her head into her hands, unshed tears threatening to spill at any moment. "I don't want to have to do this, I don't want to have to become a murderer!"
"I know Skylar, I know..." Leila's voice was much softer now, having made the point she wanted to. She ran a hand over Skylar's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. "With men like these... Talking won't work, because they will not listen. And you can't afford to show any mercy, because they don't even know the concept."
"I just don't know if I can do it, all the killing. It was different when my family was right there, when they were in direct danger, I don't know if I'll be able to force myself to do what you do."
"I don't think so either, because you're a good person, and I'm not." Leila placed her lips to Skylar's forehead, drawing her in for a hug. "I know I'm being harsh right now, but I think it is important to know that I think you're admirable for staying this way. It is a bad thing to murder someone, not just to kill in self-defence but to come into a situation where you know you're going to take a life. It changes you down to your deepest level, it makes you into something... Something much different than what you were once. Don't ever lose that part of yourself, don't lose that innocence. It's one of the things that I have come to love about you in our short time together."
"But I'm going to have to, aren't I?" Skylar shook her head, her voice turning to steel. "To protect my husband, to protect my daughter. To make sure my friends are safe and to improve the world for every other paranormal out there." She clenched her fist, almost shaking with barely restrained rage. "I just want to raise my daughter, to take my husband to bed. Is that too much to ask? Just because of the way I was born? These men, these monsters would take all of that away from me because of something I can't even control?"
"I know Skylar, come here." She rubbed the top of her daughter's head, mussing up her hair until she was breathing gently. "Whatever happens, however this thing goes down, I will protect you. I will make sure that you can see your family again, that you can go home and grow old and see your family spread even more. These men will not win, they will not take your future away from you, and I will fight to my last breath to keep that promise."
"Don't die for it, please." Skylar's hold tightened. "I want you to come back with me, no matter how bad you think you are I know that there's more to you than that. And I... I just want to have a mother again."
Leila was lost for words, the hand running through Sky's hair stopping in shock. "I... Alright Sky." A smile started to cross her face, growing until her face was hurting from the strain. "I'd love to come back with you, I think more than anything in a very long time."
* * *
Their conversation had been on Claire's mind the rest of the night, an insatiable need for answers driving her to walk around the corridors searching for someone that would just give her an answer. Unfortunately for her, it seemed like the rest of the members who were left thought exactly as Christian did, that she was not ready to hear the truth, that there was no possible way she would agree with their methods the way she was now.
Which only served to tell her that she was right to question everything.
The last two people she had gone too had in no uncertain terms refused to talk to her, shutting the door in her face and telling her to leave. Clearly what they had done was weighing on many their minds, they really didn't want to speak about it. Or maybe they were just dedicated enough to keep their mouths shut and not spread the word of what goes on in their operations. Knowing the people that her brother-in-law attracted, it was probably the latter.
Word of her quest for answers was clearly spreading around as well, not even meeting her eyes and not opening their doors no matter how long she stayed outside and banged her fist against the wood. When a hand clapped against her back she whirled around, fully expecting that one of the members would have finally taken issue with her questions and resorted to force, but when she looked up into her visitor's eyes she saw only an easy smile and a calm aura around him. Clearly he wasn't here to tell her to stop, but something about him felt... Off.
"Can I help you with something?" She said, fist still clenched at her side.
"Heard you been asking some questions about that thing in Boulder Junction." At her nod, he continued. "Buncha pussies the rest of these guys are, they can't even think about what we need to do. Come on, I'll fill you in."
Warily, she followed him out into the courtyard, taking a seat at an empty table far away from prying eyes. Taking out a pack of cigarettes, he offered her one before lighting up himself. With a small cloud of smoke forming around him now, he leaned back in his seat, holding out a hand and waving it in a small circle.
"Well come on now, ask your questions already."
"Right, um... What were you doing out there that night? I know that there was apparently a dangerous paranormal out there but... How did you know that?"
"Damn straight there was a dangerous paranormal out there, fuckin' thing nearly dragged me into the ground." He exhaled a small stream of smoke, closing his eyes in thought. "We found out about it 'cause some mobbed up guy came in with the freak's father, worked him over for a bit and was going to use him as a bargaining chip. Dad was pretty tough too, he didn't let anything slip, not word one. Didn't matter much anyway, we already knew where it was."
"This man... Was he human?"
He nodded without hesitation. "Yep, with the amount of shit he was taking you had to double check, but he was as human as you or me. Don't know how he ended up with a smoke monster for a kid then."
The knowledge that they had kidnapped and tortured what she was guessing was an innocent man, an innocent human man was... Not exactly something she was comfortable hearing. Though she supposed if she was uncomfortable just with the knowledge of it happening, she imagined that he had felt a hundred times worse living through it.
"What happened then?" She dreaded hearing the answers, but she knew this was something she had to do. Something was very wrong with their organization, she could feel it.
"Well after that it was just a standard snatch and grab, I know you haven't been on any of those, don't know why but whatever. What we do is we grab the people close to the target, string them up, make them come out into the light. Once we've taken care of that part it's all she wrote, bam, our job's done, we go home."
She could hardly believe what he was saying, he was saying it as if it was something that she wouldn't have even a second thought over it. "What... What happened when you tried to grab them?"
"Well we lost a few guys going after two of their group, turns out one of them was a hunter like us, even rolled with us for a couple years. Traitor was apparently still good with a gun, didn't matter though, Christian showed up, grabbed him, the mother and the kid an
d brought them to us."
She froze, her entire body locking up and her blood running cold at the utterance of one mere word. "W-What do you mean? What kid?"
"The freak. They had a kid, so we figured it'd be a good bargaining chip. Sometimes the rest of the family isn't really much of an incentive to come out, but people always jump out for their kids." He chuckled, "And sure enough they did."
"What did you do?" She lunged across the table, grabbing a fistful of his collar and almost snarling in his face. "What did you do?"
"Hey easy!" He brushed off her hand, shaking his head. "We used the kid, just like we always do, no reason to lose your shit over all of this. You know they didn't want you to know this because they didn't think you were ready, I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt but shit, maybe I was wrong."
"Who did it? Who took that child and... And held them hostage like that? What kind of monster would do something like that to something so innocent?"
He snorted, getting up and brushing off his chest. "Innocent? You'd call the offspring of one of those things innocent? That child, it was just going to end up as monstrous as it's parents, we were just nipping things in the bud before they got there." He smiled, a cruel expression of teeth and malice. "And you might want to rethink things, because the one who was holding the baby? The one who was about to pull that trigger before they got oh so tragically snuffed? That was your sister kid, and you'll never even be close to the hunter that she was."
The world dropped out from under Claire's feet, only distantly noticing the man walking away and leaving her alone at the table. Thoughts raced through her head at a mile a minute, about her sister's guilt the last time she saw her, the way everyone refused to speak to her, the way Christian refused to speak to her, even after all the things they had done...
She stood, feeling violently ill as she stumbled off to the side, leaning over a trashcan and vacating her stomach. She swiped a hand over her mouth, angry tears streaming down the side of her face as she straightened up. She had questions, and she was going to get answers.
