32

The Gangrel shoots by your position in a terrified haze, oblivious to your presence, not even bothering to turn back and gauge the distance of his pursuer. And within seconds, you know exactly why.

You were expecting one of Sheriff Qui's muscle-bound deputies was after the prisoner, but the vampire who runs past you next is a brawler of a different kind entirely, and even though you can only see his back as he races away from your hiding spot, it's hard not to recognize the Brujah who so recently threw you through a brick wall and blew up the factory. Ward. But if he rescued the prisoner, why is the Feral running from him?

Before you have a chance to go after him, Ward looks over his shoulder and bares his teeth. "Nice to see ya, Mekuztli," he grunts as he runs after his prey. "We have to stop meeting like this."

Barely slowing down, Ward hooks his hands under a dumpster filled to the brim with food scraps from a nearby restaurant and hurls it at you. You manage to roll to the side, but when you leap over the barrier to pursue, Ward and his prey have disappeared down a side street, and instead you're confronted by a very angry Italian couple who have emerged from the back door of their restaurant to bar your way. By the time you've managed to convince them that you had nothing to do with their dumpster's sudden flight to the other end of the alley, you've lost all hope of finding either Ward or the prisoner.

Nursing your wounded pride, you clear out of the alley, watching the sky as daylight threatens to break through and turn an already dangerous night into a lethal exercise. You'll manage to reach your haven, but there simply isn't enough time for any further detours.

Sleep Comes Quickly