Prison of Blood and Lies

Twelve

“So this guy works for Tucker?” I wiped a droplet of blood off the corner of my lip and looked to Gemba who looked on, approvingly. “But you knew that already.”

Max lay still in the chair, slumped to the side. My bloodletting had left him unconscious.

“Exactly. You did extremely well. You’re a natural predator, my dear.”

His praise filled me with joy. Yet, a predator? I was a vegetarian before I was forced into this life. Is that what I wanted to be? Guilt crept in. I shook it off. No, I wouldn’t allow myself to feel guilty for making the most of the life I’d been thrust into.

“Do you see?”

“See what?” I asked.

“Just how powerful and persuasive you are. Get in close, bring them in, and knock them unconscious.” The inclined his head toward the interrogation chair. “You don’t need to be a great fighter or be stronger than your opponent. You only need to know how to get close and then subdue them. You’re smart, Alice. Use it to your advantage.”

He made a great point. It really didn’t matter how strong or fast they were if I could get in close and keep their attention.

“Right. Now I’m going after Tucker again. He’s going to pay.”

“I need Tucker but you aren’t quite ready. Max here was weakened and restrained. Your next assignment is a small-time criminal. He’s not as strong or as smart as Tucker.”

“I thought you said that I only needed to get in close—”

“You think that Tucker will let you just walk up to him again? No, we’re going to have to make a concrete strategy before you go after him again.”

He was right, of course. It had been only by a stroke of pure luck that I’d survived the incident with Tucker. Best to hone my skills with easier targets.

“What’s the deal with my next assignment? How is he connected to all of this?”

“He’s not. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. He’s just making waves and he’s going to bring the wrong attention down on us. I need him off the streets to cool down for a while.”

Back in the office, Gemba handed me a folder like the one he’d given me for Tucker. I flipped through the pages. “Selling drugs?” I couldn’t fathom why that would warrant his attention.

“Not just any drug. This one is more potent than any human drug. Void is responsible for many deaths. For us, it produces a nice, gentle hypnotic high. It’s a death sentence for most humans.”

“So, he’s selling it to humans?”

“Do you know of any discerning drug dealers?”

I shook my head. I mean, I didn’t know any drug dealers, but I got his point.

“Have you heard of it?”

I’d lived a pretty sheltered human life and my introduction to my eternal life had been pretty rough, but I didn’t come into contact with any drugs except for what was forced into me.

“No. I haven’t.”

“Void’s name is descriptive of it’s purpose. Apparently, depending on how its dosed, you can get the hypnotic high like I mentioned before or a void-like slumber. There’s no dreams. It’s like you cease to exist for a time.”

I thought back on my time with the traffickers. They’d kept me drugged, compliant. I had large holes in my memory. All thing considered, that was probably a blessing in disguise. I wondered if that was what they’d been giving me. I pushed it from my mind again. I wasn’t ready to face the horrors they put me through.

Whatever Tucker had injected into me knocked me out pretty quickly, too.

“Do you think that’s what Tucker gave me? I was gone just a few moments after the injected me.”

Gemba gave a half-hearted shrug. “It’s possible. There aren’t many drugs that work that effectively on us.”

“How many humans has he killed?”

“I don’t know. My source in the police departments says that the police are starting to look into the source of this new drug. We need to get to him before the police catch up to him.”

He handed me a smart phone. “Here. Keep this in your pocket. I programmed my number into it. Call me when you’re ready for the pick up.”

I prowled the downtown district, like Gemba had instructed. On a Saturday night, the sidewalks were crowded with drunk humans, stumbling from one bar to the next. Naturally, there would be some idiots looking to buy something a little different than their alcohol.

I walked up and down the sidewalks, looking for anything out of place.

Around midnight, I grew bored of pacing the sidewalks and dodging obnoxious come-ons from drunk men. I stepped into the entrance line of a busy bar. When I reached the bouncer, he held his hand out for my ID and my cover fee. I gave him a shy smile and pursed my painted crimson lips at him.

“Are you sure there isn’t something we can work out?” I purred and touched his shoulder with my hand.

“Listen lady, either you pay the cover and show me some ID or you get out of line.” He thrust out his hand again.

I responded with a wink and pushed just a hint of energy his way. His stance relaxed.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just buy me a drink later?”

He nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll find you on my break.”

I blew him a kiss and strutted inside. I felt his gaze on me as I walked into the crowd.

Dance music blared through the speakers and bodies writhed together on the floor. Neon lights strobed along with the beat of the music. I’d barely made it inside when a man came up behind me and started dancing against my ass. Not a chance. I spun to face him and threw a glare at him.

“Oh, come on, honey. Don’t be a prude,” he shouted over the music and some of his drink slopped over the edge of the plastic cup he held. I pushed him away from me and carried on toward the bar.

I nudged my way into a stool at the modern bar. The polished petal and mirrored bar area reflected the neon lights back into the crowd. I caught the eye of a bartender. She handed a beer to a patron and came to stand in front of where I sat. She wiped her hands on her apron and fixed her ponytail.

She leaned over the bar and put her face inches from mine. “What ya having?” She shouted.

“Red wine, sweet.” I shouted back.

She pointed at the wine bottles in the clear fridge behind the bar. “Which one?”

“Surprise me.”

She returned with a plastic cup of wine. “Sorry, we stop giving glass out at midnight. Too many clumsy drunks.”

“Thank you,” I said.

I sipped the wine and scrunched up my face. It didn’t taste anything like I’d remembered from before. A glass of sweet red wine was my favorite way to unwind after work. I took a second sip that wasn’t as bad as the first. Maybe I just needed to retrain my taste buds.

I finished the cup and set it on the bar. I looked out into the crowd and watched couples and groups dance together. A few people paired off in the lounge area or in dark corners.

The bartender came back. “Want another?”

“No, I have a question. Maybe you can help.”

“I’ll try,” she smiled.

“I’m looking for something other than alcohol tonight. I heard there’s a guy around who has really good stuff. Any ideas where I might be able to find him?”

She shook her head and put her hands up. “No, sorry. I can’t help with that.”

She walked away before I could ask any more questions of her.

The man seated on the stool next to me leaned over. The bar’s lights left long shadows on his gaunt face. “You lookin’ for something?”

“More like someone. I’m looking for a little pick me up, if you catch my drift.”

“I do. What are you looking for?”

“Something strong. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

“Perhaps,” he said mysteriously.

“Void.”

He leaned away from me and looked me up and down. In my leather jacket and dark jeans, I was a little under-dressed for the party scene. I hoped I didn’t look like a cop.

“I know a guy.”

“Where?”

“He hangs out a few blocks down. In the alleyway. Be careful, though. Jessie don’t play around.”

I thanked him and stood. Jessie wasn’t the name that Gemba had given me. If he wasn’t my man, maybe he could lead me to him.

The bartender touched my arm, “Want to settle your tab?”

I shook my head. “The bouncer said he’d buy me a drink. He’s covering it.” I walked away before she could ask me any more questions.

I had to go find Jessie.