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Geoffry had been flush with success after his fight with Rogers, but things had gone rapidly downhill since then. I should have known things were going too well. I wasn't even feeling guilty because I saw enough of his crimes while I was inside his head to know he was as deserving of execution as any of them.
Now if I could just find Gothic.
Venice had left a note in Geoffry's new apartment reluctantly congratulating him on succeeding. Apparently word had gotten around regarding the unorthodox nature of the hit on Rogers, and as a result vampire society was more unsettled than would normally be explained by a random murder.
She wasn't kidding when she said that these things are done in a certain way. Apparently firearms are usually just used in fights between vampires in their first few decades. Popular opinion appears to be split on whether some neonate just got incredibly lucky, or whether there's a much more powerful vampire who is either trying to lay some kind of false trail, or is unwilling to play by the rules everyone else has grown accustomed to.
The note had also included a time and meeting place with strict instructions to make sure he wasn't followed. And so, rather than being able to be out hunting this last creep, I'm wasting time jumping from one subway to another in an attempt to make sure one of Eculdes' other goons doesn't follow me back and endanger Venice's lovely skin.
Realizing how bitter he sounded, Geoffry tried to run through some of the relaxation exercises Venice had taught him. It isn't so much that you resent her summoning you. It's that you know you have absolutely no chance to taking Gothic down even if you do find him.
Geoffry left the subway and headed towards Central Park certain that there was no way one or even two people could have followed him, but unable to escape the feeling that he was once again being watched.
Walking along a path he'd taken the last time he'd gone running, Geoffry wondered if the leaves on the trees were still as vibrantly green as he'd imagined them, or if they'd started to change colors as fall approached. It's funny how you can't really see color in the dark.
A few minutes later the vampire came around a curve in the path and saw Venice standing uneasily before him.
“Are you positive you weren't followed?”
Geoffry nodded, “why the sudden concern?”
Venice slowly turned around in a circle scanning their surroundings. “I'm not sure. It doesn't make any sense, but up until a few seconds ago I felt like someone was watching me.”
Turning to complete a similar sweep of the park, Geoffry saw an entire block go dark as it lost power for some reason before flickering back on a few seconds later. What could make a single block go down like that? And for such a short time?
Geoffry shivered as he realized that he was trying to distract himself from the creepy sense that they were indeed being watched. The vampire thought about saying something to Venice, but knew admitting to the same feeling after having been told to make sure he wasn't followed would result in trouble.
When no response was forthcoming Venice shrugged and gestured for Geoffry to follow her. “Imastious is already here and waiting.”
The shiver from a second before was nothing in comparison to what moved down Geoffry's back now. A hundred questions flashed through his head, but he didn't bother asking any of them. She won't betray the slightest hint of what's about to happen. She doesn't want Imastious any more suspicious of her than he already is.
Venice led Geoffry down a little-used path that ended at one of the maintenance buildings. Inside, the pair found Imastious impatiently standing in a corner.
Geoffry felt a feather-light touch bush against his defenses, but before he could steel himself for the attack he thought was imminent, Imastious' probe moved on.
“It appears you were both successful in ensuring that you weren't followed, I detect no human or vampire minds in close proximity.” Imastious broke off for a second and for the first time Geoffry was able to recall, looked unsettled. “There was something unusual out there though. It almost seemed to pull my thoughts towards it, but it is gone now.”
Shaking himself slightly, Imastious turned his dead eyes on Geoffry. “You are indeed full of surprises aren't you?”
Remembering Imastious' proclivity towards violence, and still unsure whether he'd been brought here to be executed, Geoffry licked his lips, trying to buy himself time before answering. “Master, I'm not sure that I understand your question.”
Imastious' face took on an expression that was if anything even less pleased than the one he'd worn when Geoffry entered the building. “Stupid child, of course you know what I mean. Your attack on Eculdes' pawn did not go unanswered, but instead of whining about how it wasn't your fault, you actually worked with Venice to avoid that fate which would have otherwise been yours. I still expected you to be trying to avoid adding to the blood already on your hands, instead you've actually gone after Eculdes' minions in a proactive manner.”
Geoffry bowed his head appearing to acknowledge Imastious' comments while trying to sort out the implications of what had just been said.
Luckily, true to form Imastious didn't appear to want much if any response from his subordinates once he got started. “I should have said that you worked with Venice to try and avoid the fate you fear, because it is by no means certain that I won't still be forced to have you killed before this is over.”
“In fact, had things been allowed to continue on as you had started, that would have been the most likely fruit of your labor. However, Venice is much wiser than you and she appropriately felt your efforts should be brought to my attention sooner rather than latter.”
Was she really trying to help me? More likely she was trying to protect herself if I failed.
“I believe that the information you fear has been passed on to Gothic, and as a result one of you must be disposed of.”
I've been prepared for a statement like that for days now, but somehow it's still terrifying to hear him say it with such cool indifference.
Imastious seemed pleased that Geoffry didn't respond to the acknowledgment that he was under a sentence of death, and continued. “The worst possible result of all of this would be for you to kill Gothic after he's had a chance to pass what he knows on to Eculdes. I've taken steps to ensure Eculdes' attention will be directed elsewhere for the next few days. Gothic's allegiance is well known, and Eculdes has accrued enough powerful enemies over the years that he must be very careful in arranging any communication between the two of them, so relatively little effort or risk was involved.”
Imastious paused, maybe just for dramatic effect, but if so his aim was accomplished, because his next words sent a third and final chill down Geoffry's spine. “You have three days.”
**
Exhaustion pulled at Geoffry, but he refused to give way to the despair that loomed larger and larger inside him with every passing hour. There still hasn't been any sign of Gothic, and I'm down to my last twenty-four hours of purchased time.
Everything Venice had told Geoffry indicated that Gothic very much enjoyed being out and about in vampire society, but from the time Burnout was killed, there hadn't been a single sighting of the mentalist that Venice had been able to track down. Obviously there's a limit to the kinds of questions she can ask without getting pegged as belonging to the faction that killed Rogers. Even so, to hear her tell it, he usually tried to make such a big splash it would be all but impossible for her not to hear about his activities if he wasn't laying extremely low right now.
The sense of being followed hadn't gone away, but Geoffry had finally decided his paranoia was just taking on a life of its own and begun to discount the feeling. I double-checked anyways though before coming here. Can't let some murderous vampire track me to Melody's.
Looking up at Melody's building, highlighted as it was by the first rays of the sun, Geoffry considered his options, and then just decided to knock on the door like a normal person.
Melody sleepily answered the door in one of the faded tank top and shorts combination it seemed she always wore to bed, and then threw herself at Geoffry barely suppressing a squeal of delight. “Where have you been, I've been so worried.”
Geoffry wrapped Melody up in a hug and then half carried her back into her apartment. “Sorry, I just don't want your neighbors to talk.”
Releasing Geoffry for a second Melody grimaced. “Almost everyone here has nothing better to do than gossip. For all that they'd never bother to get to know us, they wouldn't be above telling Anna something to get me in trouble.”
Geoffry hesitantly returned Melody's hug once again as she latched onto him for a second time. “I missed you too. I'm not a very safe person to be around right now though, so I thought I'd better stay away as much as possible.”
“What's going on?”
Geoffry shrugged uncomfortably as he tried to decide how much to tell Melody. “Friends of the vampire that stabbed me may know enough to track me down.”
“So they'll try to kill you too?”
“Maybe, depends on a lot of things, but if they find me, they'll at least torture me, or invade my mind so they can find out who I've been working for. Imastious, my master, doesn't want that to happen. If I can't find the friends and kill them before they report back to their master, Imastious will probably kill me himself.”
Melody's eyes suddenly got very big, and Geoffry feared for a moment that she was going to faint. “What are you going to do?”
“I'm not sure, I'm trying to kill the last friend, but I can't find him. Even if I do, he's much stronger than me. If Venice was willing to help we might have a chance, but Imastious seems to be treating this as a test that I have to pass on my own, so she won't really get involved.”
Geoffry watched as Melody's eyes became ever so slightly guarded, and felt like something inside him was tearing. “You killed some of the friends already then?”
The vampire nodded. “Just one, he was really bad. I was inside his mind, and he'd done terrible things to so many people.”
Melody gave Geoffry a tremulous smile, looking all the while like she might break into tears. “I'm glad he wasn't an innocent, but what would you have done if he had been? Killed him anyways?”
The tearing inside was worse now. The exhaustion of the last two days combined with the level of emotion in the room to almost have Geoffry in tears too. “What do you want me to do? I've thought about letting them just kill me, but there's more than just me involved now. These people can get inside my mind and find out about you. If that happens they'll kill you, your mom, and maybe Anna too, all just because you were important to me.”
Melody pulled Geoffry down onto the threadbare couch next to her. “I don't want that. More than anything I don't want you to die, I'm just worried about what all of this killing will do to you.”
Geoffry wanted to tell Melody he was worried too, wanted to say any number of things, but there was a distance between them that hadn't been there when they'd shared her bed in the darkness. He just couldn't bring himself to say any of the things that needed to be said. “I came to try and convince you to leave the city. That's the only way to make sure that no matter what happens they won't be able to find you. I can give you money, I have about ten thousand dollars.”
Melody smiled again, but this time it was touched with a sadness that didn't seem fair on someone so young. “Geoffry, if they can read your mind, how is our moving going to help? They can still track us down. The only way that would work is if we just leave without telling you where we are going, and I won't do that. You need me too much and I won't abandon you. Besides, I've talked about moving a little with Anna, and ten thousand dollars won't be enough, not to move mom. Even if it was, Anna wouldn't be there to help me take care of her. The welfare people would give us someone else, but Anna is here much more than she's paid to be.”
Geoffry closed his eyes for a second trying to come up with an argument that would compel Melody to leave, tried to find a way that it would all be possible, but he'd somehow known all along he wouldn't be able to convince her to leave.
There isn't anything else to do but to kill this guy, or try and make sure that Imastious kills me before he has a chance to invade my mind.
The vampire rose to leave, but Melody grabbed his hand. “Geoffry, you could leave. That would be plenty of money to get you out of the city and to somewhere safe.”
Geoffry shook his head shivering as he remembered his one attempt at running away. “I tried to leave once before and it didn't work. Somehow Imastious knew where I went. He let me stew for a couple of days and then came and collected me. You can't imagine the things he did to punish me.”
As Geoffry departed Melody pulled his head down so she could whisper into his ear. “I'll pray for you, I still have faith that you'll do the right thing.”
It wasn't until the vampire had made it back down to the street that he started wondering about that last comment.
There are so many people who've suffered so much less than her, and yet don't believe in God. With all of the things she's been through, how can she still believe?