Shaking off the notion, John quickly crossed the busy thoroughfare as it was temporarily halted by a traffic light. Once on the correct side of the road, he made his way down the sidewalk for another block before coming to his destination. The lobby inside was as uneventful as it always was. The receptionist at the desk, who was busy typing away at her keyboard, barely managed to nod at John as he passed beside her. John pressed the button on the wall to summon the elevator and was surprised at how quickly it responded. As the doors opened, Aerin nearly ran headlong into him as she stepped out without paying attention.
“John!” She blurted out as she pulled herself back, just short of bumping into him. “Didn’t expect to bump into you.”
“Didn’t figure you were back yet, either.” John said. “You and Meredith get through with whatever it was you were up to?” He asked.
“Yeah, we just got back.” Aerin answered and stepped back to give John some room. “I’m actually about to go get some lunch. Meredith told me about this great food truck a few blocks down.”
“What a coincidence.” John smiled as he stopped the elevator door with his foot. “If we’re talking about the same food truck I just came from.” He said as he lifted up the brown paper bag. “I brought you something back.”
“You did?!” Aerin’s eyes lit up as she moved closer to the bag. She leaned in close and sniffed at it, instantly recognizing the contents within. “How did you know?!” She quickly snatched the bag from John.
“I didn’t. Lazarus took me out as a thank you for the other day.” He explained as he entered into the elevator. “Come on, you’re probably starving.” He motioned Aerin to follow him inside.
John directed the elevator up to the fifth floor. Once inside the cafeteria, Aerin quickly rushed over to the nearest table and began to unwrap her food. While she was busy ogling the burger, John grabbed two drinks for them from one of the vending machines over against the wall. By the time he had made it back, the small girl had already powered her way through half of the large cheeseburger and was already starting on her second half. He watched her devour chunk after chunk as she drowned in pure bliss, savoring each and every flavor contained in each bite. Watching Aerin destroy the cheeseburger reminded John of the time they had spent in Station, and it brought a smile to his face. Suddenly, as only a few bites remained, Aerin slowed to a crawl. Why she did this was beyond John’s comprehension; whether her fast paced eating seemed ill-mannered or she simply wished to enjoy the last bits at a slower pace, John didn’t know. Regardless, she finally swallowed the last bite and leaned back with a contented sigh.
“That was delicious.” She stated with a relaxed look on her face. “Everything was fresh.” She smiled. “Some of the seasonings were different, but it all really came together in the end.” She observed with an air of professionalism. Were she not an Angel, John might have mistaken her for a food critic.
“Glad you liked it.” John said as he finished the last sip of his drink.
“So Lazarus took you out to lunch?”
“Yeah.” John responded. “Said he’d have to take you out whenever he caught you.”
“I don’t know if I could eat another one of those again though…” Aerin said with little confidence, though somehow John felt that she’d be able to find a way. “So.” Aerin’s disposition changed as she sat forward. “What do you think of it?” She asked.
“It?” John echoed, unsure of the meaning of the word.
“Here, I mean.” Aerin clarified. “The place, the people, everything. What do you think?” She asked again.
John rubbed the bottom of his chin as he though the question over. Los Angeles was a nice enough city. The people here seemed to enjoy themselves, and the atmosphere was good; but he knew that wasn’t what she was asking. Aerin wanted to know about John’s thoughts on their predicament; he could see it in her eyes. He closed his and thought over the past few days he had spent, the people he had talked to, the things he had done, everything he’d learned so far.
“Honestly.” He spoke. “I really think it’s starting to grow on me.”
“Good!” Aerin said with a bright smile.
His answer seemed to have been the correct one. What he had said was true, the place was really starting to grow on him. The people were friendly and the environment was nice; it almost seemed like something John had been missing out on. It really felt like home.
Chapter Ten
John closed his eyes and rested his head against the cushion behind him. It was soft, enveloping his head in a way that just begged him to stay. He shuffled down into the cushions a little deeper and let himself relax. Every muscle in his body ached. He rubbed his right forearm idly as he sat there in the peaceful silence of the room, thinking back on the day he’d had. Early in the morning he’d joined Samuel on the roof for a private lesson, one on one with the seasoned senior Slayer. Samuel had spent the better part of the day breaking down John’s own form, deconstructing it completely in order to build him back up as a better swordsman. John had swung his sword more times in a single day than he thought imaginable, and his body was suffering for it. His thoughts slowly began to wane as sleep came within his grasp.
Suddenly the door opened behind him, making just enough sound to pull John back to consciousness. As footsteps approached behind him, he had a sneaking suspicion of who it might be. “You sleeping there, mate?” The familiar Australian drawl echoed throughout the quiet room.
“Nah, just sitting here.” John responded as he sat up a bit. If Lazarus was here, there was a strong possibility John wouldn’t be for long.
“Like this couch, eh?” Lazarus patted the back of the seat gently as he gazed around the room slowly. “It was my favorite too, back before you two moved in. Used to come up here and lay around all the time.” The Australian man observed.
John nodded in reply before stretching slowly. He let out a small yawn and glanced to the time on his phone – 7:35, still plenty of time for another wacky adventure with Lazarus. As if prompted, the Australian spoke up. “Say,” he began. “How’s about you and me get out of here before boss man tries to get us to do something?” He mused with a smile.
“What do you mean?” John asked as he sat up slowly, raising an eyebrow in question.
“You know.” Lazarus gestured toward the door. “Out. Let’s go somewhere.”
John could slowly feel himself being pulled into an excursion of some kind. “Where to?” He questioned, hoping for more details.
“Downtown.” Lazarus responded, making it sound like John wouldn’t get any answers, but he quickly clarified. “There’s a new club that just opened up. We should go check it out.”
“A club?” John repeated the word with an eyebrow raised. “You don’t really strike me as the clubbing type, Laz.”
“That’s because I’m not.” Lazarus said with a grin. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
John could tell he wasn’t going to shake Lazarus and instead relented. “Fine, fine.” He groaned.
He stood from the couch and stretched his arms before popping his neck. Lazarus turned and made his way toward the door and John followed briefly, but paused for a moment. He turned and walked over to Aerin’s door and cracked it open. The lights inside were off and only the faintest light from the window illuminated Aerin’s figure. She was curled tightly around a pillow in the center of the bed as she slept soundly.
“Leave her be, mate.” Lazarus said softly as he patted John on the shoulder. “She’s been working real hard lately. I’m sure she’s tired.”
John silently nodded before carefully shutting her door. Lazarus wasn’t wrong; Aerin had been working hard lately. Most days John spent training with Samuel while Aerin was off with Meredith. What they were doing, John wasn’t sure, but Aerin always came back tired. They hadn’t seen much of each other lately, so John only assumed whatever she was doing was important.
As he followed Lazarus out into the hallway, the extent of his soreness was
made known. His arms and legs ached from the brutal workout Samuel had put him through. John’s energy was nearly completely spent, yet here he was on his way to some club in town. There was a sneaking suspicion in the back of his mind though, that this wasn’t another day of fun and merriment. When he climbed inside the SUV that was waiting for them downstairs his suspicions proved to be correct. Inside, John was met with the other members of Gemini who were all suited up in their urban camouflage, just as they had been the last time he had seen them. John grunted as he realized he had been roped into another job, though he figured he couldn’t complain that much due to his circumstances. He climbed inside of the middle row and took a seat next to Hatchet. Diamond slowly pulled the vehicle away from the HUNTER building and out into evening LA traffic. John watched as the dark-skinned man carefully maneuvered in and around cars of various shape and size.
“So what’s the game plan, Laz?” John asked after he had his fill of watching the traffic from the window.
“Whaddya mean?” Lazarus responded with a smile. John shifted forward in his seat and clarified.
“What’s the job?”
Before Lazarus could answer him, Hatchet piped up from the backseat. “What’s-a-matter, John?” Hatchet asked in his deep southern accent. “Think we ain’t the partying type?”
“Hatchet.” John turned toward the large man, giving him the most off put stare he could manage. “You’re wearing a bullet proof vest.”
“So I am, John.” Hatchet grinned from ear to ear as he sat back in his seat. “So I am.”
“Guess the jigs up.” Lazarus shrugged and spoke over his shoulder. “Been a string of murders Downtown recently.”
Lazarus’ words seemed to garner a bit of interest from John. He sat up straight in his seat and stared at the Australian before him, wrinkling his brow in thought. “Murders?” He repeated. “Isn’t that LAPD territory?”
“Normally, yeah.” Lazarus conceded with a nod. “Only, these are anything but normal. The life was drained out of every single body, almost nothing but skin and bones.” He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. “Sounds an awful lot like a Succubus to me.”
“Succubus?” John repeated with one eyebrow raised. He had an image in his mind of a fantasy monster with comically oversized proportions, but somehow had a feeling that wasn’t quite the case.
“Oh, you know.” Lazarus began. “Looks like a real pretty lady, draws you in so you can’t fight back. They drain life force like a vampire. Soul suckers.” He explained.
“So you think it’s gonna be at this club?” John asked.
“Well.” Lazarus gave a small laugh. “It’s a shot in the dark. We’ve no idea where she’ll hit next, but this place is as good as any.”
“We’re here.” Diamond said, interrupting them. He pulled the SUV out of traffic and into a parking lot. John looked out of the window and saw nothing but a large lot full of cars. Adjacent to the lot across the street was a two story red brick building that was covered in red neon lights out front and had a large sign on the second story. From their position, John could only make out the word “FIRE”; the rest of the building’s name was at too much of an angle to read.
“You’re up, mate.” Lazarus said. “If she’s around here, we don’t want to spook her, so we’re gonna play it safe.”
“So I’m the bait?” John mused as he stepped out onto the pavement below.
“Something like that.” Lazarus smiled and rolled his window down before holding his hand out. “Take this.”
“What is it?” John asked as he took the device from Lazarus’ hand. It was small and looked like an ear bud.
Lazarus turned his head and tapped his ear, showing John that he was wearing an identical one as well. “It’s an earpiece so we can keep in touch.”
“Right.” John slipped it into his ear. “Guess I’m off then.” He said as he turned toward the road.
“Watch yourself in there, Slayer.” Lazarus warned. “And try to keep your hands off the ladies. Remember, we’re working here.”
John shook his head at Lazarus’ statement as the vehicle sped off to the sound of the Australian’s laughter. There was a raised sidewalk built over the road that led from the parking lot to the club. John made his way over to it and quickly crossed the busy street beneath him. He encountered a few other people on the overpass and on the sidewalk down below, but none of them seemed like anything more than average person out on the town. As John rounded the corner toward the front of the building, he finally got a good look at the rest of the name. “HELLFIRE” was printed in large, red, neon letters that cast an odd glow onto the rest of the street. The name in and of itself left John with a strange feeling inside of him; one of irony, mild dread, and an odd sense of humor.
“May I see some ID, sir?” A large bouncer at the door held up his hand as John approached. John pulled out his wallet and flashed his ID briefly for the man. “Alright then, you’re good to go.” The larger man stated. “Keep an eye out in there, it’s pretty crazy tonight. Got some real devils in there, if you know what I mean.” The man said with a grin.
“Thanks.” John responded as he pushed his way through the front door. That strange feeling was only growing worse within him.
The first thing that John noticed was the music. It was loud and it reverberated all the way to his core. He couldn’t even tell what band was playing or, for that matter, what song he was hearing. It was all just deep, bass filled beats. The second thing he noticed was the temperature; it was easily twenty degrees warmer than it had been outside, and it had been rather comfortable out on the street. The third thing he noticed was the lighting. The lights on the ceiling seemed to be intentionally dim, and the rooms were mostly lit be expensive flat panel display screens on the walls that played a looping scene of digital fire for as far as you could see. The place was impressive. Whoever the owner was, they had spared no expense.
John made his way out of the entrance lobby and into the main room. The inside of the club looked much larger than it had from the outside, mostly because the main room was shaped like a bowl that extended down below ground level. The upper level was the bar; John could spot at least three inside the room. Down below them, on the slope, were the tables and chairs where people mingled around their drinks. Finally, in the very center of the room was the dance floor. Laser lights danced across the black concrete as dozens of people moved around to the beat of the music. There were a few cages and poles that girls danced in and around, respectively. The entire place gave off a vibe of sin, a place befitting of its name.
“You in?” Lazarus’ voice suddenly cracked to life in John’s ear.
“Yeah.” John responded as best he could without seeming too suspicious. “Hey, Lazarus.” He spoke. “You didn’t check into this place, did you?”
“What do you mean, mate?” Lazarus was oblivious.
“It’s… nothing.” John replied. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Right, well we’re going to circle around a few places she’s hit up before. See if anything turns up.” Lazarus stated. “Stay sharp and keep an eye out.”
“How am I supposed to tell her apart from the rest of the crowd?” John asked.
“You’re a Slayer.” Lazarus asserted. “Don’t you have some kind of sixth sense for this stuff? You’ll figure something out.”
With that, the earpiece fell silent. John made his way around the outermost ring to one of the closest bars. It was tall, made of some dark wood, or at least it looked like wood. It was flanked on all 3 sides by shiny metal barstools. Behind the counter sat a large back-lit liquor cabinet filled with more brands of alcohol than John had ever seen before. He pulled up one of the free bar stools and sat down. Across the bar, the bartender was busily shaking up drinks for a few people. John watched the man twirl glasses over and around his arms and back in a very showy way. Finally, the man finished his orders and made his way over to John.
“What can I get you, my man?”
The bartender asked as he took out a rag from his back pocket and began to wipe the bar down.
“You know.” John said as he scratched his chin. “I really have no idea. Recommend anything?”
“Well.” A smile crept up on the bartender’s face. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty great at making the house special.”
“House special?” John raised an eyebrow as he could only imagine. “What is it?”
“We call it a lava cup.” The bartender reached down and pulled a few small cups from a mini fridge that was neatly tucked away beneath the bar. “We take a few of these.” The man held up a cup filled with what appeared to be diced red peppers. “And then one of these.” He held up a cup with a few large green peppers. “Throw ‘em in with a shot of tequila, some lemon and lime juice, a splash of Tabasco, and blend it like crazy. What do you say?”
“That sounds ridiculous.” John observed. “Hook me up with one.”
“Coming right up.”
The bartender pulled out the blender and went to work. He threw in a few diced peppers, followed by a liberal amount of lemon and lime juice, then a few squirts of Tabasco sauce, and finally a hefty shot of tequila. Once all the contents were inside he closed the lid and turned the blender on. John watched as the drink was spun into a fine liquid, all of it melting into an odd red color with little green specks floating about. After a few seconds the man opened the blender and poured the whole drink into a small black cup. He then cut a jalapeno and slid it over the rim of the glass before sliding the drink to John.
John picked up the glass; even though it was cold to the touch, he could definitely tell that what it held was hot. Running the cup under his nose, he sniffed and the aroma shot through his nostrils and up into his brain like a bullet. Any sane person would have sat the glass down right there, but John was far too curious to back down. He took a sip of the drink and was promptly kicked in the throat. The flavor was incredibly hard to describe; It was spicy, that much was a given, but it also seemed oddly sweet, with a hint of tanginess he couldn’t quite put his finger on. There was a strange after taste that permeated throughout his mouth as well; just like the nightclub itself, the drink was hard to describe. The bartender stood waiting on baited breath for John to give him his assessment.
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