Chapter six – A week in Hell
Part I
"What time is it?"
Lilith had just woken and wanted to know what the hell had been going on and where she was. Sitting up she saw Liz lying next to her and on the couch lays the P.I. that had been stalking her and Liz.
He was watching them. His shirt was off and he had been bandaged up like a mummy. His entire chest and abdomen were white with bandages. There were at least 3 spots that still bled, and he was paler than she remembered him ever being. He raised his one good arm, the other in a sling and set in a cast, and told her it was 3pm.
"How long have we been here? And why are you all fucked up?"
Richard frowned at her and replied.
"That's gratitude for you, I almost get killed helping Liz there free you and you can't remember it? fuckin.. Figures."
"I remember only being freed, from … hell."
Lilith sets up and moves to the end of the bed hoping not to disturb Liz. She saw a pack of smokes on the floor next to Richard and asked to have one. With his good arm he tossed them up at her then the lighter, he then pushed the ashtray so it was still with in his reach. After she had lit a smoke for her she tossed the pack back at Richard, and then the lighter.
He followed her lead and lit one for himself. After a few puffs he looked up over at her. She was still the same person, but he knew someone else was driving and he wanted to make sure he stayed on her good side. Something about her eyes now just really unnerved him.
She was watching him, almost with a predators stare, waiting for whatever, he had no clue, and he decided to answer her questions as best he could.
"We are in Hamtramck. It's an old polish town on the fringes of Detroit. How long have we been here, 3 weeks, you've been out cold all that time. Liz there has been taking care of both of us. She's been a real trooper. Honestly if it was not for her and her brother, we'd both be dead."
Lilith looked at him and felt his mind, searched it for the signs of a lie and found none.
"So Liz has more than one brother?"
"yeah but both of them have been in and out, bringing supplies and helping her bring you… food."
"Both," Lilith wondered if the one from the slave pen was still alive, then asked, "Is one of those brothers a doctor?"
"Yeah…" he watched her get up and move to the window to look out. She saw a massive church across the street, and turned to look back at him.
"What is the name of that place over there?"
Richard tried to remember but found that he could not, and said that the name of the church was the same as the street that it was on. He then added there was a bar down the street called "Mephistos" Lilith laughed a little of the irony of that, and went back to the window and watched as the world turned outside, old couples walking hand in hand, cars turning on or off the street… children playing in the fenced in yard of the church.
"It's a school too," came Richard's voice from behind her as if answering her unasked question. With out looking back she saw a road sign that read 'Florien' and reasoned the name of the church then must be 'St. Florien'.
Everywhere she looked she saw the effects of time on this street, and the little world it created. Time had not been kind, but still there were signs that the people here, cared for this, their little corner of the world and took what ever care they could to make the place as warm as they could.
She turned from the window and went to the kitchen to look for something to drink and found to her surprise, bottles of blood. Without hesitation she took one out and returned to the room that Liz and Richard were in.
Liz was now setting up and yawning, smiling at seeing her mistress up and about. Before she could say anything though, Lilith asked her.
"Where did this come from?" holding the bottle of blood out to her, she then opened it and took a deep drink. It was cold but still it was good and comforting. She could not help but noticed that something was missing, what she could not put her finger on.
Liz smiled and said her brother had gotten a job at a local blood bank and had been collecting bottles for her when no one was looking. Liz beamed with pride over this and hopped Lilith would be proud, but instead Lilith said.
"He has to stop that now. No more, I will not feed like this." She emptied the bottle and tossed it in the trash.
"You feel up to going out tonight for a hunt darling?"
Liz's squeal of joy was a little too loud, both Lilith and Richard looked at her sideways, Lilith with a smile. Richard however was more than a little disturbed by it. He knew they were close but he had no idea it was like this, and wondered if he would live much longer. Lilith just regarded him and laughed saying, "if you're a good boy I might even let you enjoy Liz's company."
Liz looked over at him and smiled like she had that first day he saw her in the dinner. Richard felt almost at once utterly sick and passed out form the strain of his pain and the fear the thought of them playing with him brought to him.
When he woke up several hours later he was alone, the TV was still on, and all he could think of was how to get the fuck out of here. Then he remembered his boss, Stephen and looked around for a phone. He found his in the kitchen.
After sitting at the table trying not to think about what would happen if they came in while he was on the phone he decide to put his fear away, and make the call. Moving to the front of the house to watch for them from a window he waited as the phone seemed to ring for ever, then it was answered.
"Beldon speaking, how may I help you?"
"Beldon, its me Richard… fuck, its all fucked up, is the boss there?"
"The 'Boss' is resting at this time; I have been instructed to take what ever information you may have. What is wrong?"
"Look I don't know how much time I have, 'She' has me, they have stepped out but I am shot up real bad and not in a hospital. I don't know how much longer I will be kept alive. This shit is fucked up Beldon I did not sign on for this…." He is cut off by Beldon at this point.
"You were hired to follow, not get involved, if you have gotten into trouble that is your affair. Tell me where you are and I will see what can be done to get the "Bose" there as soon as possible. But until then, you're a smart man, stay alive."
Richard could not believe he was hearing this but didn't know what else to do. He knew if he tried to leave he would be hunted down by them faster than he could run. The thought of being hunted by them terrified him.
"Someplace in Hamtramck mi, I will need to do a little recon once I can get up and around to tell you exactly were. There's no mail here."
"Very well then, hope to hear from you soon. The sooner you call back the sooner we can get you out." Click.
OK, how to stay alive? Richard sat there for a while and said fuck it and got dressed, found the key he had and headed down the street to the bar called "Mephistos".