Second Wind

Chapter 19: Escaping Brightmoor

"A toast, to your invaluable victory."

"Psh, come on. This is something we should share."

"Oh, please. You're the one that did all the work, you know."

"Yeah, but YOU'RE the one that showed me where the explosives were in the first place. Come on, just accept it. We're all in this together, and you can't really change that."

"Heh, I guess I really can't, can I?"

Although it was just the two of them in the bar yet again, the atmosphere this time was a lot different - seeing how Blake had been successful in her mission in ridding the drugs that were in heavy circulation within the neighborhood, it was the best cause for celebration. One down, three to go. She was going to be hard at work later, but for just this one night, she can use it to unwind, relax and loosen up for a change, especially after being so uptight for so long. She was finally free from the constraints of her disguise, and she was finally free of her workload, at least for the time being. With that, the two just enjoyed each other's presence, having a few drinks and talking to each other as the hours wound down faster than they would have liked. By the time it was morning, the two were completely hungover after all the alcohol they had consumed. Because of this, it meant that both Blake and the bartender remained within the building throughout the whole night.

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Fast forward to noon, and the two were still knocked out cold. The vigilante was still dozing off on her stool whilst resting her upper body against the countertop, but when she felt the light of the sun through the bar's front windows, she winced in response to the sudden warmth she felt before letting out a groan. At that moment, she finally pulled herself back upright as she wiped the drool that was coming off the side of her mouth. She took one good look around her, and admittedly, she was still experiencing double-vision, indicating that she was still reeling from her hangover. Seeing how she was far from optimal, Blake let out a frustrated groan before shaking her head side to side and dropping her head back down on the countertop. However, just moments after she rested her head against the wooden table, she began to hear murmurings which immediately caught her attention as her eyes widened a bit.

In an instant, her vigilance skyrocketed as she pulled her head back up once more before looking side to side, wondering just where the voices were coming from. She tapped her back, most likely trying to find her shotgun, but after she recalled the fact that she left her weapons back at the booth of her motorcycle, she let out a frustrated groan before finally gathering enough strength and willpower to force herself off her chair and back up to her feet. She still felt intensely shaky, but at least she was still standing, despite her current condition. Trying to get to the entrance proved to be a lot harder than she had initially anticipated, but with some determination, she eventually managed to get her hand on the door handle as she pushed it down and swung the door open.

Once she walked through the door and stepped outside, the murmurings soon became whisperings, indicating that the voices were growing louder, albeit ever so slightly. Another thing worth mentioning was that her double-vision considerably worsened as well, and of course, this meant that a headache was inevitable. She gripped onto the side of her head, letting out a pained huff as she looked on both ends of the alley in an attempt to figure out just where the noise was coming from. She gritted her teeth in an attempt to deal with the headache that proved to be a lot more irritating that she had hoped, but for the time being, she was trying to fight it off as she began walking to her left, believing that direction to be the presumed source.

It seemed as though she was going towards the right direction, since the voices were now growing louder with each step that she took. However, the increase in loudness was very miniscule, and she had to travel quite a bit for her to even notice a tangible difference. When she reached the end of the alley, she found herself staring at virtually nothing. At the end of the asphalt road, there was nothing but unending abyss that lied ahead of her. She was left completely confused, because she swore she could hear the voices calling out to her from the darkness. She stared out into the infinite void, unsure on what she must do now. Deciding that she should not risk stepping into the darkness, she turned around, believing that she could turn back. However, upon finding herself staring at pitch black when she looked behind her, she quickly realized that she was trapped with no way out.

Upon coming to this realization, she immediately began to feel a sense of panic overrun her as she clenched her fists whilst looking all around her to see if anything was going to come at her. However, nothing showed up...yet. Her paranoia involving the whole situation kept telling her that there will definitely be something that will come after her from the shadows. With what little sanity she possessed, she placed her hands over her ears, desperately trying to keep herself away from the voices that kept calling out to her as she mumbled a few words to herself.

"All of this isn't real, all of this isn't real...come on, wake up, you stupid dumbass..."

As the vigilante repeatedly muttered those words to herself, the voices were slowly, but surely, dissipating as they grew quieter and quieter. By the time she stopped repeating those words, the noise finally ceased, leaving her completely alone in the darkness as she let out a relieved sigh. However, she was unfortunately not out of the woods, because after just a few moments of silence, a singular voice spoke to her directly, causing her short-lived relief to be extinguished in an instant as she immediately looked around once again. Her inability to pinpoint the source of the voice had left her intensely frustrated. However, that was the least of her worries - as the voice spoke to her, her already irritating headache suddenly worsened into a full-on migraine, and it proved to be so debilitating that Blake could feel her strength beginning to slowly sap away from her being. It soon came to a point where she collapsed into a kneeling position while the voice addressed the vigilante.

"You cannot run from what you have done...in due time, all the blood that you have spilled will come back to haunt you..."

"What...the hell...are you talking about...?"

Despite her state of weakness and helplessness, her wit proved to be infallible as she managed to muster up enough strength to snap back at the voice, though she really could not say much due to how agonizing her migraine had become. Desperate to get away from the pain by any means, she bit into her lower lip whilst closing her eyes as she began huffing and puffing in place. Everything around her felt like it was shaking, and she was beginning to grow incredibly nauseous as well. Although she was in no position to listen properly, the voice continued speaking, completely disregarding Blake's faltering state.

"The longer you go down this path, the longer you will lose yourself in the joys of violence. The longer you keep treading down this road, the more you will lose sight yourself. And by the time you reach the end of your journey, you will become a hollow shell. A shadow of your former self."

"What...?"

"You are disillusioned by your fragmented memories. Your mind is so fixated on the now that you fail to see the ramifications that will be seen in the future should you continue. You only know that the Pathfinder must be destroyed. Nothing more."

"O-Of course I want to destroy them...they turned me into this...monster..."

"You are so bound up by your need for vengeance...you will soon become the monster you now see yourself as. The only difference is that once you're too far gone, you will embrace your loss of humanity..."

"And...what makes you...think that will happen...?"

"You will see. In due time..."

"H-Hey! Can't you at least stop the fuckin' headache...?! You'd think that's...the least...you could...do...ugh..."

Finding herself unable to maintain her strength any longer, she ultimately collapsed onto the ground as she passed out on the spot.

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"Come on, wake up..."

"Guh...wha...?"

Blake was suddenly forced awake by the constant shaking from the bartender, and when she finally opened her eyes, her double-vision finally ceased. No headache, either - thank God for that. When she stared ahead of her, the first thing she saw was the bartender himself, crouching by her side, who looked to be relieved now that she was awake. Admittedly, this did leave her with some confusion as she looked side to side for a brief moment before looking down, where she saw the floor that she was resting on. That was when it hit her - she had fallen off the stool and basically collapsed onto the floor.

"Ugh...did I just fall off the damn chair...?"

"Looks like it. That wasn't the only thing that happened, too. Thought you were possessed by a demon or something."

"The hell are you talking about...?"

"I mean, I got woken up by some thrashing noises on the floor, and when I got myself off my chair, the first thing I saw was you violently moving about like someone having a seizure."

It was safe to say that she was left rather stunned, if not absolutely confused. Did she really do all that? Upon hearing what the bartender said involving what he saw, she placed a hand to her head, letting out a huff as she shook her head side to side.

"I was, uh...I had a bad dream, I guess..."

"Damn, that bad? For you to be moving like you've got a manic episode?"

"I'm not exactly aware of what I do when I'm unconscious, you know."

"I mean, I'm sure it's the same for everybody, you know. What kinda dream did you have, anyway?"

"I...uh..."

That was when it hit her - she could not remember anything about her dream. Just seconds ago, she could recall how it went down from start to finish, but as soon as he asked her about it...her mind was completely blank. However, she did retain one small fragment of the nightmare that she had experienced.

"I...can't really remember, man. I forgot all of it...all but one thing."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"...there was this voice. I could not make out who it was, but...I definitely heard someone talk to me in that nightmare. They told me that if I continued doing what I'm doing now, then things will turn bad...like, really bad..."

"Huh..."

The bartender placed a hand to his chin, letting out a hum before standing back upright and providing his own two cents on the issue.

"I really don't know what to say to that, honestly. But frankly, you have been working yourself to the bone a lot over the past few days, you know. Maybe that might be what the voice was talking about in your dream. You can only push yourself so much before you break apart and suffer from all the torture you've put yourself through just to get stuff done faster."

"Psh, get real. The gang acts quickly, so I gotta act quickly. Pretty sensible thought process there, don't you think? Besides, haven't we had this discussion already? You already know my answer."

"I know I sound like a broken record player, but don't you think this feels like a bad sign? You haven't been sleeping well, and now look what happened. Surely you could see the problem with that."

Although Blake was keen on arguing him down, she knew that what he said was right - this was something that she just could not ignore. However, she cannot afford to just stand by idly as well. In the end, all she could do was just let out a sigh as she folded her arms before attempting to provide the bartender with some reassurance from her part.

"Look...I really don't know what to tell you. I've been doing these things with a conscious thought process. I know that I've been living a destructive lifestyle. But I can't help myself - I need to always be on the move. That's how I've always been. I don't know why that's the case, but it's just something I don't question. I'll only rest when all of this is over...what we had yesterday, it was just some short-term gratification. I just needed this feeling of victory before I throw myself back into the frying pan again."

The bartender could only stare at her blankly as he tried to process her words, and once he understood just where she was coming from, he closed his eyes and let out a huff before responding to the vigilante.

"I understand that you're a woman of action. The things you've done...no normal person would ever hope to do. But you need to realize that you're a normal person yourself, no matter how many things you've done. You have your limits, you have your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. And you must remember to not always test your limits on a daily basis, which is something that you keep doing all the damn time. Anyone would get easily worried if they saw what you've done in the timeframe you've operated in."

'You're a normal person yourself'. Falser words have never been spoken. She knew that she was no longer a 'normal person'. She was far from that now. She really wanted to tell him what really happened to her that night on the Davison Freeway, but she knew that she could never tell him of her true fate. She was forced not to disclose anything about her semi-robotic state, much to her chagrin. In the end, she could only agree with his words.

"I mean, yeah, I guess..."

"...something tells me that this conversation is growing too emotional for your liking."

"Oh, you think?"

"Alright then. In that case, let's just talk about something else. Where do you plan on going after this? Seeing how you're done here and all. And you definitely won't be staying here much longer, either."

"It's hard to say...I've already dealt with the drugs...now I have to decide whether I should deal with the weapons, the manpower, or the loansharking...pretty tough choice I have to make here."

"Well, just to put my opinion on the table - why not head to Warrendale?"

"I think that's where the weapons are being manufactured, right?"

"That has to be the place, for sure. If Osborn's where all the terror is and the Eastern Market is where everyone's at, then Warrendale must be the hotbed for weapon manufacturing."

"Right...I think I recall planning on going there way earlier."

"You did. Then you went AWOL."

"Ehehe...yeah. Alright. Warrendale it is, then. How do you even know these things, anyway? You know all the main spots where the Pathfinder operates in...it's kinda strange for you to know stuff like this."

"As a bartender, you get to meet a lot of people...this also means that I got to meet face to face with a bunch of Pathfinder mobsters myself. It is easy to get information when you entertain them, I suppose. Especially since they don't know about my links with you."

"Damn...I really gotta learn to appreciate your job more..."

"Pshhh...trust me, bartending is no easy job, let me tell ya."

"No kidding. Most of the time, I'm more focused on letting my hands do the talking instead of my...you know, mouth."

"Who knows - maybe when all this is over, you can join me in my bartending endeavors."

"Huh, really now? You really gonna consider bringing in someone like myself?"

"Provided you don't beat the crap out of my customers, of course."

In response to the bartender's remark, which indirectly mentioned Blake's generally violent tendencies, the two shared a laugh together - looks like the situation brightened up enough for their mood to be boosted considerably...

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A few hours passed since the incident - Blake had decided to take the bartender's advice into consideration, and so, she chose to remain within the building so that she could recharge her batteries. She also spent those few hours to prepare herself for the journey to Warrendale as well, with the vigilante preparing her firearms while also attempting to learn about the places of interest within this new neighborhood that she was heading to.

By the time nightfall arrived, Blake was ready to take her leave. She was fully prepared and ready to go - she had the grenades and remaining C-4s stored in the booth of her trunk, her trusty shotgun was slung behind her back and her machine pistol was holstered to her side, as always. Her attire looked rather worn out, with a few splotches of faded red evident on her clothes, but hey, it could have been worse. The vigilante was leaning against her bike, and she looked to be waiting outside of the bar - the bartender wanted to give her a parting gift, apparently. After spending a few minutes waiting in place and doing practically nothing, he finally pushed through the entrance door as he approached her. He seemed slightly winded by the time he showed up, implying that he may have spent a bit of time and effort trying to find something for him to give.

Nevertheless, he got what he was looking for, and after taking a second or two to catch his breath, he handed a box to her, which she received - in an instant, she immediately posed a question to him involving what he had given her.

"What's in the box, chum?"

"You'll see. Promise me this, though - only open it once you're done with your business in Warrendale. You got that? Treasure that damn thing with your life, it was really hard for me to find this thing..."

She took one good look at the gift-wrapped box for a brief moment before cracking a grin as she looked up at him once more, with the vigilante giving him an approving nod soon afterward

"Well, if you say so..."

Upon hearing her reply, the bartender let out a laugh as he firmly patted her on her shoulder before giving her some final words.

"In that case...go out there and kick some ass. Once all this is over, I'd love for you to come back. Not as a vigilante who's out for blood, but as a free woman who just wants another serving of Spilled Change."

Admittedly, him referencing his improvised drink did make her involuntarily snort a little - however, she managed to stop herself from laughing as she quickly regained her composure in a matter of seconds. With the conversation coming to a close, the bartender turned away from her before heading back to the bar as he walked through the door, but not before giving her a wave goodbye as a final parting gesture when he reached the entrance door. Blake returned the wave with a wave of her own, and once he was out of sight, she let out a sigh as she got herself on her motorcycle, and once she got the engine powered on, she took one last look at the bar. She had a solemn look on her face - she really was going to miss this place.

Knowing that she needed to steel herself and put her emotions aside, she quickly looked away from the building before hitting the pedal to the metal as she stormed out of the alley and back onto the streets. Not wanting to waste even a second, she quickly made her way towards the Evergreen Road - the vigilante planned on using it in order to get to Warrendale as quickly as possible.

However, the journey was not going to be easy.

One of Kata's spies had spotted her attempting to flee the neighborhood - knowing that she needed to be stopped at all costs, the order was quickly given by him as he spoke on his walkie-talkie in order to alert his associates on what he had found.

"We've found her. She's making her way towards the Evergreen Road. Have a party dispatched immediately. Make sure that she doesn't get there alive."

With the order relayed, he quickly rushed to his vehicle, which was a motorcycle. Without squandering a second, he quickly took off, planning to give chase. The other spies look to be on the move as well to put an end to her.

Blake was now in great danger...