melissa
08-10-2008, 02:59 PM
Okay ladies - here is the NTS for the 10th. Enjoy!!
The air was cool enough to make me shiver as I walked down the sidewalk to my door. I could hear the phone ringing as I fumbled the key into the lock. I hit the door with my shoulder, because no one ever calls just before dawn unless it's important. For me that usually meant the police, which meant a murder scene. I kicked the door closed and ran for the phone in the kitchen. My answering machine had kicked on. My voice died on the machine and E's voice came on.
"A, it's E. If you're there pick up." Silence.
I was running full out and skidded on my high heels, grabbing the receiver as I slid into the wall and nearly dropped the phone. I yelled into the receiver as I juggled the phone, "E, E, it's me. I'm here." E was laughing softly when I could finally hear him.
"Glad I could be amusing. What's up?" I asked.
"I'm calling in my favor," he said quietly.
It was my turn for silence. Once upon a time E had come to my aid, been my back-up. He'd brought a friend, Harley, with him as more back-up. I'd ended up killing Harley. Now, Harley had tried to kill me first, and I'd just been quicker, but E had taken the killing personally. Picky, picky. E had given me a choice either he and I could draw down on each other and find out once and for all which of us was better, or I could owe him a favor. Some day he would call me up and ask for me to be his back-up like Harley. I'd agreed to the favor. I never wanted to come up against E for real. Because if I did I was pretty sure I'd end up dead.
E was a hitman. He specialized in monsters. Vampires, shapeshifters, anything and everything. There were people like me that did it legal, but E didn't sweat the legalities, or hell, the ethics. He even occasionally did a human, but only if they had some sort of dangerous reputation. Other assassins, criminals, bad men, or women. E was an equal opportunity killer, he never discriminated, not for sex, religion, race, or even species. If it was dangerous E would hunt it and kill it. It's what he lived for, what he was. He was a predator's predator.
He'd been offered a contract on my life once. He'd turned it down and had come to town as my bodyguard, bringing Harley with him. I'd asked him, why he hadn't taken the contract. His answer had been simple. If he took the contract he only got to kill me. If he protected me he thought he'd get to kill more people. Perfect E reasoning.
He's either a sociopath or so close it makes little difference. I may be one of the few friends that E has but it's like being friends with a tame leopard. It may curl on the foot of your bed and let you pet it's head, but it can still eat your throat out. It just won't do it tonight.
"A, you still there?"
"I'm here, E."
"You don't sound happy to hear from me."
I wanted to ask him, what does change? How does it feel to dead? I knew other vampires, but Willie was the first I had known before and after death. It was a peculiar feeling. "What do you want?"
"Let's just say I'm cautious," I said.
He laughed again. "Cautious, no you're not cautious, you're suspicious."
"Yeah," I said. "So what's the favor?"
"I need back up," he said.
"What could be so terrible that Death needs back-up?"
"T F needs back-up from A B, vampire executioner."
The air was cool enough to make me shiver as I walked down the sidewalk to my door. I could hear the phone ringing as I fumbled the key into the lock. I hit the door with my shoulder, because no one ever calls just before dawn unless it's important. For me that usually meant the police, which meant a murder scene. I kicked the door closed and ran for the phone in the kitchen. My answering machine had kicked on. My voice died on the machine and E's voice came on.
"A, it's E. If you're there pick up." Silence.
I was running full out and skidded on my high heels, grabbing the receiver as I slid into the wall and nearly dropped the phone. I yelled into the receiver as I juggled the phone, "E, E, it's me. I'm here." E was laughing softly when I could finally hear him.
"Glad I could be amusing. What's up?" I asked.
"I'm calling in my favor," he said quietly.
It was my turn for silence. Once upon a time E had come to my aid, been my back-up. He'd brought a friend, Harley, with him as more back-up. I'd ended up killing Harley. Now, Harley had tried to kill me first, and I'd just been quicker, but E had taken the killing personally. Picky, picky. E had given me a choice either he and I could draw down on each other and find out once and for all which of us was better, or I could owe him a favor. Some day he would call me up and ask for me to be his back-up like Harley. I'd agreed to the favor. I never wanted to come up against E for real. Because if I did I was pretty sure I'd end up dead.
E was a hitman. He specialized in monsters. Vampires, shapeshifters, anything and everything. There were people like me that did it legal, but E didn't sweat the legalities, or hell, the ethics. He even occasionally did a human, but only if they had some sort of dangerous reputation. Other assassins, criminals, bad men, or women. E was an equal opportunity killer, he never discriminated, not for sex, religion, race, or even species. If it was dangerous E would hunt it and kill it. It's what he lived for, what he was. He was a predator's predator.
He'd been offered a contract on my life once. He'd turned it down and had come to town as my bodyguard, bringing Harley with him. I'd asked him, why he hadn't taken the contract. His answer had been simple. If he took the contract he only got to kill me. If he protected me he thought he'd get to kill more people. Perfect E reasoning.
He's either a sociopath or so close it makes little difference. I may be one of the few friends that E has but it's like being friends with a tame leopard. It may curl on the foot of your bed and let you pet it's head, but it can still eat your throat out. It just won't do it tonight.
"A, you still there?"
"I'm here, E."
"You don't sound happy to hear from me."
I wanted to ask him, what does change? How does it feel to dead? I knew other vampires, but Willie was the first I had known before and after death. It was a peculiar feeling. "What do you want?"
"Let's just say I'm cautious," I said.
He laughed again. "Cautious, no you're not cautious, you're suspicious."
"Yeah," I said. "So what's the favor?"
"I need back up," he said.
"What could be so terrible that Death needs back-up?"
"T F needs back-up from A B, vampire executioner."