Other Places 3: Detours (8 page)

Zack
did something he normally wouldn't have, and tried very hard to believe what he
said next.

"Let's
do that. Can you all be waiting, at about midnight? Near a node would be good.
Or several. Are you all in the same place right now even?"

That,
helpfully, turned out
not
to be the case. It was a nice sign, but not
anything certain. After all, the Vampires were known for being tricky. It was
nearly their thing, when it got down to it. They were clever and planned things
out on levels that were nearly... Demonic. He smiled then, only feeling slightly
proud of them. It wouldn't do to underestimate his friends after all.

Bey
had the node locations for all of them at least, and it wasn't hard to find Marissa.
With a single phone call in fact, since she was sitting in the back of Yoghurt
World. He walked down, because it wasn't far and he really wanted to see
Lenore.

'You
mean you really want to
fuck
Lenore? Not that she isn't a real wild
child in the sack. I swear, this place is killing me. You're going to have to
get us some soon, or I'm taking over and doing the first piece of trim I see. I
swear it.'

Zack
nodded. It was probably harder for MH than it was for him, since he'd been
burying that sort of thing for several hours, so that he wouldn't make too many
mistakes. It was easy enough for him to manage, but without that he would have
probably slept with a lot of women that day already. Maybe all of them, if he
could manage it physically.

Which,
he
could
, he realized. It was strange, but he just wasn't the person
that he'd always thought he was. It was amazing what a little food could do.
That reminded him to try and catch another snack on the way out of the frozen
yogurt place. It was getting late enough that, while Lenore was still there and
several other Vampires had come in, no doubt on business, Edom, the assistant
Ambassador was there too. So was his little friend, Barb.

She
looked at him nervously, but managed to smile, which was better than his
greetings from her lately. Since two weeks before when she'd found out he wasn't
just a regular Human, to be specific.

"Barb!
Looking awake and healthy, I see. So, when are we getting together for that
date?" He was teasing her a little bit, since they technically had gone
out once already. He hadn't slept with her, since that was literally the day
he'd started seeing her mother. Lenore. It was hard to remember that, since the
'daughter' looked about six years older than the pale strawberry blonde woman.
Her skin wasn't dark, but she had that blush of youth still, for a Vampire. Her
dark hair offset her skin, but she didn't have that dry feeling that the oldest
of her kind got. At least if Bey was any indication.

"Hey
Zack. Yeah, I... You know, let's do that? It was pointed out to me that I've
been a bit of a ditz lately, treating you differently than before. I mean, if
you aren't the same person, or want to be treated differently, you'd just order
me to, right?" She grinned at least.

He,
for his part, rolled his eyes.

"Yeah,
sure. Or, you know, I'd gently suggest it? Still, I am going to get all
demanding right now, and ask for you to whip up some treats? Um..." He
looked at the menu, and then shrugged, he got it all for free, didn't he?
"One of everything on the menu. Try to do it well, since you
know
that Lenore will come and check your work."

That
got the other woman, who was at a booth across the room, talking in a low tone
to a man that looked huge for a Vampire, and had skin nearly as dark as Edom.
His bald head and stark black beard made him look tough too. He was younger
than the rest, clearly. Enough so that he kept raising his voice.

"I
cannot allow that! They must be removed."

What
the issue was, Zack didn't know, but he was willing to leave it alone, unless
it turned out to be about his little Vampires. The ones that were at the old
summer camp that Zack owned. Or at least Bey kept trying to give him. He didn't
have the paperwork on it, but he sort of thought that such things weren't all
that important to the very old. The words were said and that was good enough.

He
was thinking of them, naturally enough, since two of them were sitting in the
first booth, looking highly nervous. Watching him. Rowan and Roland. He nearly
smiled, seeing they were both still alive and everything. It hadn't been, and
probably still wasn't, certain at all that they would survive, but they'd
lasted months. It was a good sign.

He
didn't
wave
, since that would be a bit too cute, and he had a real
mission. Instead he headed directly to the back, as Barb gave him a dirty look
and muttered something about kiss-ups. Marissa wasn't alone in the back, sitting
in conference with the local Police Chief, who was a Vampire that looked to be
in her late forties... and was probably a whole lot older than that. Chief
Sims. The woman stood up when he walked in, which was a first. The last time
they'd met she'd barely noticed he was there, at first.

"Line
Walker! I... Meant no disrespect." She looked down and then actually got
to her knees, while Marissa hid a smile with her right hand. It was an affectation,
but she still did it pretty well.

"I
did
warn you that he was here, Althea." She seemed amused, as the
slightly older looking woman in her professional outfit, which was a dark blue,
with a stark white blouse underneath, started to beg. For her life. For the
lives of her people in the area. Including he noticed, a bit abstractly, the
police department. He just waved at her.

"That's
all right. I didn't hear you. This time. I'll be nice. Stand, please."
Then he offered his hand to her, and nearly winced as her life hit him. It had
been hard. Brutal on a level that he feared his own probably was, at least
during that year and four months that Mirror Him still kept from his conscious
mind. It was spread out more though, for this woman.

The
voice in his head spoke to him, not bothering to try and reflect in anything.

'No,
Zack... It was worse than what you think, by a lot. Still, you should punish
her somehow. Spank her, or kill some of her people. She was just saying that
you were a fool, and that they should kill you. You can't let that happen, even
as talk. You
shouldn't
let it go. One sign of weakness, and her kind
will swarm all over you. As in, taking you up the ass and then chopping your
head off. This isn't some kind of a joke or game.' There was a slightly
defeated tone to the voice, as if he thought Zack was just going to ignore him.

It
was tempting to do just that, since he
really
wanted to be nice, but
Vampires had rules about things like this.

When
she got to her feet, he sighed, and let the space in front of his moving right
hand warp incredibly, before letting himself move. It meant that, with his
natural speed, the Police Chief nearly died, blood actually spraying away from
her head a bit. It was nearly what Bey normally did to people, making their
heads explode. That was a trick though, and required more force as well as a
timed opening of the hand. Zack managed to pull the movement about a quarter of
the way through, which merely sent her crashing into the reinforced cement of
the back wall, buckling it outward a bit when she smacked into the white paint.
She made a mess, too.

Blood
was everywhere. She lived though and weakly tried to stand, not being able to
do it yet, as the elder Vampire Marissa schooled her face.

"That,
my dear, is why we do not mock Greater Demons, even when they don't seem to be
present. Remember this, for the Line Walker is a delight compared to most of
them. Are you taking her as your slave by your rules, or ours?"

The
Greater Demon way would be to lock her in as a slave by magic, using a deal.
The Vampire one would be easier, but less certain and involved beating the
woman, then raping her, probably anally, and tossing her into a corner, at
least figuratively, broken and unable to fight back. Technically, he knew, he
should at least continue the beating, if nothing else. Not as a lesson for the
Chief, but for the others there, including Marissa. It made him look weak, to
their eyes, if he did less.

Instead
he walked across the room, and turned the woman onto her stomach, forcing her
legs under her, and head down, even as Edom, Barb and Lenore came in to watch
what was going on. Barb at least, looked scared. Lenore looked rather pleased
however, as if she thought he was honestly going to rape the woman, and that it
was a good plan. He had to admit, he was making it seem a bit like that. Her
head was still half caved in though, from where he hit her, and it was sort of
gross. He killed that off, with a touch of magic, and then lifted her skirt and
ripped her panties off. The pantyhose dangled a bit.

Then
he
spanked
her, like a naughty child. While laughing. It was a credible
impersonation of an insane person, too.

"I'm
doing this to be
nice
. If you force the issue, Sims, I
will
take
your behind and make my cock the size of my arm first. Not that I know how to
do
that
yet, but I hear I'll be learning how soon. The point is, don't
push me on this, understood? The Vampires are my friends, but that means not
trying to kill me. Or us humiliating each other, more than needed. Stand up,
when you can." He dropped her, letting her face hit the ground. It made a
damp smacking sound.

Then
he turned to Marissa, and bowed a bit.

"The
rest of the Council has booked passage, coming here for a meeting with you
tonight? Midnight, if that works for you? I can change that, if you need?"

The
woman actually froze, then nodded stiffly.

"Would...
I will need to take some precautions in case they have turned against me, for
not supporting their current efforts. May I purchase such backing here, do you
think? You have Trolls and Shifters, no?" This was said to Lenore, so Zack
didn't correct the woman's language.

Calling
Trolleinkein "Trolls" was a bit like calling a black American the
n-word. Even with his screwed up home schooled education, Zack knew not to do
that. Either one of them.
Especially
if you wanted them to work with
you.

That
part was up to her and her people however, Zack gestured to Barb, and walked
out of the room as if he hadn't just backhanded a master Vampire into a wall
and then strongly implied he was going to make her his bitch, in a prison
fashion, if she didn't toe the line. The thing there was, if she didn't, he
would
.
It was creepy and not what he wanted, but he really wanted to die a lot less,
and letting her run around plotting against him was a poor plan. Really, Darla
would probably spank
him
, for not killing the woman outright.

Maybe
with some of that rape, just to show him how it was done. Not that she'd gone
there yet, but it also hadn't come up like this.

Gesturing
lightly to Barb, he moved to the table with Roland and Rowan, knowing that
their names had been something different, once upon a time, before their last
master got a hold of them. Mark and Cindy, or something. Not that he cared at
the moment. One name really was about as good as another, as far as he was
concerned. Plus they sort of matched that way.

"Hey
all. How are you doing? Getting enough to eat? Keeping busy?" What did you
ask young Vampires that had been taken as spoils of war, anyway?

Rowan
tilted her head, holding it, trying to smile shyly. It looked off still, but
she was only about forty years old, as a Vampire. So sixty or so, over all,
given her looks. He didn't touch her to find out. Barb was better at that kind
of thing, but had, he realized, a much better education. Lenore had schooled
her people well, as far as blending in had gone. It made a difference.

"We
were told to come here. That we were to be the slaves of a Greater Demon. That
or die." She didn't seem truly happy about it, and Roland grimaced, hard.

Then
he made a single soft grunting sound.

"I
think we should run. Say, what happened back there? I heard noise, some
talking, but didn't understand it all."

Zack
nodded and smiled at the man, who he used to call eighties hair. He still had a
mullet, which would have to go if he was going to be working in a book store.
Both of them would need better clothing too. That night. They were wearing
things he'd given them, still. It was probably all they owned. The things were
clean, but looked lived in, and well worn already.

He
leaned in a bit and faked a wink.

"The
Police Chief suggested killing me. Idly, I think. So I gently introduced her
head to the back wall of this place, and then threatened to do your Vampire
dominance rape thing. I spanked her instead, because I'm cute that way, but...
you get the idea?"

Rowan
was clearly the smarter of the two, since she at least went wide eyed.

"You're
the Greater Demon?"

Roland
simply looked unbelieving, but that didn't matter, as long as they worked hard.

"Right
in one. I
knew
I liked you. Okay, so, first I'm going to eat a bit, and
then, while I do that, I'll explain that you aren't really slaves at all. Employees.
You get paid and can even earn some vacation time. Have you two eaten
today?"