7 Interlude: Hailey Finnegan

Guard duty is never fun, but I suppose that's fine, because at least it's safe, and I get paid either way.

Still, the company could at least be better, Quinten is the only one here that's any good at poker, and he spends all his time in the back counting the cash and doing accounting or whatever.

Numbers confuse me.

However, apparently I tempted fate because my nice, quiet night of scamming these idiots out of all their cash is rudely interrupted by the crashing sound of glass shattering.

My chair clatters to the ground as I spring to my feet but I ignore it as I focus on the source of the noise, idly noting the others standing with me.

Whatever I expected to see, from the CPD's tear gas to a Hero or even a rival cape, I did not expect to see a girl crashing into the ground like she was just thrown uncontrollably through the window.

Before anyone can say anything, the girl jumps to her feet in a single bound that I am fairly certain no normal human would be capable of doing, and if that wasn't enough to confirm that this girl is a cape, then what I see next is.

With her back on her feet, we could actually get a good look at who we are dealing with.

Most of her 'costume', if it can even be called such, is just black clothes you can buy in any military surplus store. From the black cargo pants to the black pullover and cargo jacket.

I can respect that much at least, god knows we can never have enough pockets, but it's the last bit of the ensemble that really puts my hairs on ends.

Her mask is that of a smiling clown with black teeth and crying a single pink tear, but that is nothing to really call home about, no, it's her eyes that send shivers down my spine.

An almost instinctual feeling of fear overcomes me as I stare into those pools of blood she wears as eyes. A feeling like I'm being stared down by my natural predator suffuses my bones as I peer into those crimson orbs and I feel a madness emanating from them, trying to take hold of me.

I've stood in front of some pretty scary capes before, but none of them gave me a feeling like this, like I am prey, food to be hunted and devoured.

Then the monster speaks.

"Aaand she sticks the landing!~" It says with the voice of a child seeking praise.

I almost don't catch Frank responding to the thing in front of us so stunned was I, and I almost wanted scream at the idiot for getting it's attention, even if that ship has clearly already sailed, but before I can even turn to him, the monster speaks again.

"Hey hey! Don't be mean~ it's my first time." It says as if it is not some evil creature but a shy schoolgirl instead.

Then, as I finally turn to my fellows, hoping to convey with my eyes the danger we are in, I don't get to speak before the monster blurs from the corner of my eye to being in front of Frank with it's arm buried 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 of his ribcage.

As Frank gets sent flying with a sickening 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 that makes me think that he will most likely never to rise again, I find myself taking an involuntary step backwards even as Markus takes a swing with his bat, hitting the thing on the back of the head but I know it won't stick.

No. We need something stronger.

With that in mind I turn to run for the back room where Quinten should still be counting the cash, as well as where we keep our guns.

By the time I'm busting through the door, I hear a thud behind me and a cry of pain that I do my best to ignore, focusing instead on Quinten who is already on his feet, Glock in hand and held ready.

"What the fuck is going on Hailey? What's with the noise?" His voice brings me a measure of calm and I do my best to emulate his confidence, but I still find it hard to get my words out through panting breaths.

Taking a quick breath to steady myself, my words come out in a rush, "m-monster. There's a c-ape, a monster, we need g-guns."

I don't wait for him to respond, instead just rushing to the other side of the room where we have a few Mac11's on hand of which I take a pair, making sure to throw an AR-15 at Quinten which he catches.

I don't bother with anything else, there is no time, nothing else matters right now than killing that thing as fast as possible.

With that thought driving me, I rush back into the main room, hoping beyond all hope that I am fast enough to save the idiots from the monster.

Unfortunately, when I make it back, I am greeted with the price of my failure in the form of a disgusting 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘩.

Frank is still where I last saw him and just as still, Karl is also on the ground and he doesn't seem to be moving, and then, right in front of me is the monster, it's back to us as it straddles Markus.

The monster gets up and I am able to guess where the sound came from when I see Markus' face, or more like what's left of his face.

I think I gape in horror for a moment as the image of Markus' entire head being replaced by a pile of disgusting red and grey mush, not a single feature of his face remaining.

Then comes the rage, which I guess is enough to overcome my fear as I level both of my guns at the thing's back and open fire, barely noticing Quinten beside me emptying the AR at the same time.

I don't stop shooting even when it falls to the ground. I don't stop shooting even when my magazines click empty.

I think I might be in shock. The thought comes so randomly that I lose focus for a moment.

I may not have liked the idiots too much, but they were my friends damnit!

But even if I talk a big game, the fear comes back even stronger once the Monster starts to stir from it's place on the ground.

I can't help but watch in horror as the Monster slowly, 𝘰𝘩 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, get's to it's feet, swaying side to side as it does so, it's limp and blooded, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘶𝘴' 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, arms swinging with it's movement until it stills facing away from us, it's back hunched like it's about to fall forward.

Then the thing turns it's shoulders slightly, stretching it's neck to look at us over it's shoulder.

The Monsters face nearly sends me to my knees as it's smiling visage suddenly seems far more terrifying as it is splattered all over with blood, the formally white face becoming more red than anything else and I swear I see it's grin stretch just a bit wider when I focus on it.

It's red eyes bore into us, not even slightly bothered by the hail of bullets it just endured, in fact, it's eyes seem.. amused? But also with the promise of death. Like the cat playing with the mouse, knowing that once it stops being fun, the mouse dies.

I don't like that I'm the feeling of being the mouse.

"Heyyy~ that wasn't very nice~" It all but 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘴 at us and it's all I can do to stay on my feet, as it is I just freeze, hoping that if I simply don't move a muscle it might leave me alone.

After a moment that felt like a lifetime of just staring at us, it finally turns around, standing at it's full height that suddenly seems so much taller than when it first got here.

It stares at us for a moment longer, it's head tilting to the side in a way that reminds me far to uncomfortably of a cat, my earlier thoughts coming back before it takes a single step forward and before I can even really think about it I am already on the ground.

I don't take my eyes off of the Monster, trying my best to not even blink even as I frantically crawl backwards, jumping slightly when my back hits a wall and all I can do is watch.

I see the Monster leap for Quinten in a blur of movement reminiscent of when she first moved against Frank, only Quinten manages to dodge the first, sloppy swing and even retaliate, however, what does it matter?

So what if the Monster doesn't know how to fight?

What does it matter? Knowing how to fight can't help you against Monsters.

I'm proven right when all that It does in response to Quinten's strike is to choke out a laugh.

It then twists itself, obviously going for a kick, taunting him by all but telling him what it's next move will be.

But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you know how the Monster is going to attack. Because it is still the Monster, and there is nothing you can do.

It's hopeless.

The kick lands and I wince at the sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing as Quinten is sent flying and impacts the wall with a splat, falling to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut.

I think I piss myself a little when the Monster turns it's attention to me, it's eyes alight with humour as it starts stalking up to me and all I can do is whimper as the creature bends down until it's face if only an inch above mine.

I feel phantom breaths brush across my neck as the thing speaks to me with a whisper so low I felt it vibrate my bones as blood drips down it's face to land on mine.

"And then there were two.~"

I can hardly even focus on the Monsters words, instead my mind flashes to what my mother used to tell me.

She told me stories once upon a time, stories of the fae.

The fae can't be understood, she would say, not by us humans.

She'd say how they were contradictions.

"Say~ how about we make a deal~?"

The most beautiful thing you will ever see, offering nothing but kindness and assistance and all they would ask in return, would be for a name.

She would tell me how you must never tell them your name, because the fae are cruel and callous.

They will abide their deals, but they will never stop their attempts to devour you.

"You get to live, in return, all you have to do is keep me informed.~"

Monsters in the guise of civility.

They can't be trusted, but neither can they be denied.

All you can do is your best to appease them in the hope that they will leave you be.

"Do we have a deal?~"

Resigned to my fate, I bring my shaking hand forward to accept the evil things blood slicked hand, a chill of dread going through my body when the skin of our hands connect.

"Wonderful!~" It cheers, jumping into the air and pumping it's fist, as if all the death and violence that just happened was but a mere game.

Then, it turns to leave, finally, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 heading for the door, picking up Quinten's phone on the way.

Right when it get's to the door, I almost breath a sigh of relief, however the air gets caught in my throat as the being stops in the open door.

It turns to me.

It speaks.

"What's your name?"

I whimper.

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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

I hope this chapter does what I intend it to do, which is to show just how crazy Lusia is, because most of this story will be from her perspective and she doesn't really think she's crazy so things will seem like they aren't that bad, but from the perspective of others it shows just how mad she is.

Advanced chapters with the links below!

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