The grim satisfaction of another dead Camarilla slowly began to creep over Los's body as he left the rooftop via the stairwell. He smiled to himself once more as the thunder rolled across the sky like a jet plane. Tossing the door open he started on his way down the long trek to the bottom of the abandoned building. The elevator service was long since rendered inoperative.
He let out a scoff as he mused over how easily dealt with the Childe of Sorenti had been to kill. At least Sorenti had put up some semblance of a fight, his Childe had not even resisted, merely accepted his fate. Perhaps he was wiser than he looked. Los's thoughts turned to the recently returned Ventrue. He had left him for dead....and now he was back...although he seemed to remember nothing of his past, including Los himself. That was to his advantage, that meant Los would be able to get close to him.
He smiled slightly and strode down the identical stairwells, taking them two or three steps at a time. The shadows played tricks on his ancient eyes, but it was of no consequence, he had been around long enough to recognize what was real and what wasn't.
Los stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes and straining his ears. Far below, several flights down, a footstep clanged out. A grimace flashed across his face, who could know he was here? Sorenti had no idea he was here, the Sheriff was never in town, the Prince wouldn't make an appearance. Besides, it couldn't be a trap, Los had staked out the building nearly all day, without a trace of Kindred presence.
It couldn't be a trap...could it be merely a coincidence? Los had lived too long to accept that. He shrugged it off, they would die in due time. Throwing back his pea green rain poncho, Los drew a large curved sword and resumed his pace. Ahead of him his silhouette stretched out along the wall.
He nearly let a chuckle out as he rounded the transition from one flight of stairs to the next. Whoever was below was in for a big surprise....likely their very last. The sword twirled effortlessly in his hand and he quickened his steps now, nearly leaping down the stairs in anticipation.
Los stood silently at the top of the final stairway. One floor below, he could still hear the footsteps. They were actually in the stairwell, pacing back and forth, directly below him. Requis's green poncho dripped the final remnants of the nights storm, the plastic hood obscuring the features of his face. Large boots protruded from the bottom, standing among a quickly growing pool of water.
He savored the moment, remembering every detail. The shadows, the light, the sounds of rats behind the wall. The gentle grumble of storm clouds outside, and the damp, musty air. Los smiled and leapt down the stairwell, landing silently and instantaneously turning around to meet his opponent.
Los peered through the veil of darkness, his eyes searching for a sign of life. The stairwell was empty, the exit door on the left wall slowly closing, the sound of slow footsteps from behind it. No matter, they wouldn't get away. From above, a metallic clang sounded out. What?? Two of them? How had once managed to get above him? There was only one stairwell and he was on it...
Los Requis growled and gripped the jeweled hilt of his sword tightly. He ran down the final set of stairs and to the exit. Throwing the door open he stepped inside, examining his surroundings.
The office space had been long abandoned, only the labyrinth of cardboard cubicles remaining. The soft glow of the moon floated through the windows, bathing the entire room in a pale liquid blue. Los smiled to himself and stepped forward, willing himself out of sight.
He heard another footstep in the far left corner. He shot his gaze towards the area but saw only cubicle walls blocking his view. Arching his neck he strained for a better look, but saw only a fleeting shadow.
Taking slow deliberate steps, he proceeded down the center aisle of the room towards the back wall. His ears picked up a click from behind him and he whirled around on his heels, blade held high.
The exit door he had arrived through was completely blocked off by stacked cubicle walls. How?? He had heard NOTHING!! Los roared in defiance at the mockery. How could they have moved so quickly? He turned around and stormed down the aisle towards the t section.
When he reached the split he turned left towards the corner where he had heard the noise. Only a blank wall stared back at him. Los roared once more, turning back the way he came.
In front of him, two figures stood, one slightly behind the other. A pair of icy blue eyes stared through the darkness at him. The owner of the eyes stand in front, his strong features guarded closely by the shadows. His built was slight, but it contained a certain quality of strength. The one behind him owned a mane of gray hair, glinting marvelously in the moonlight.
"Los Requis I presume..." the one in front said. His voice was deep and commanding, and held some sort of Mediterranean accent.
Los Requis raised his sword high above his head, a hiss flying through his lips. The man did not move.
"As I thought." the man said. A hand launched from his shadowed figure and gripped Los tightly around the neck. Los froze in shock, it had been so fast he had no time to react. The sword fell from his fingers as the grip tightened. Los could feel the veins and bone crack under the pressure. As his larynx burst and blood came cascading from his mouth and nose, Los lost consciousness.

+++++++++++++++++

His eyes flickered softly, finally snapping open. Los lay in a pool of sticky black vitae, which had all dried. The office loomed over him but he could feel no other presence.
He got to his feet slowly, healing as he did so. The pounding in his head refused to go away, who had that been? Why had they attacked him? And more so, why had they not killed him when they had the chance?
Los pondered the questions as he walked weakly down the remaining stairs, exiting the building and disappearing into the midnight shroud of Cascadia.....

[ This Message was edited by: Los Requis on 2002-01-19 22:25 ]

((Errr...

(( HuH?
:(

((sorry fellas, i had written this long post and then it managed to get erased when i hit submit..until now i haven't had the heart to rewrite it. so now i'm starting...the post will up shortly.

The rusty screwdriver slipped from the tin can's top, slicing Joe's finger open effectively.
"AH SHIT!" he cried out, dropping the can and screwdriver to the ground and clamping his dirty fingers in pain. He danced around the back alley in pain, blood dripping from his clenched fist. "Aw damn it..."
The life of a street urchin was never easy it seemed. Three years out on the streets now, three years since he had lost his job at CAPs. Ah well...fuck it. He was making due. He glanced around at the shadow filled alley around him and shrugged it off.
The crackle of lightning exploded overhead, sending a wave of pulsating white light through the alley, illuminated all the dirty little nooks and crannies. Joe smiled for the first time in a long time. Thank God he at least had a roof over his head. Ever since they had decided to demolish the building he had had the run of the place.
It was completely abandoned inside, he had found it several weeks back. It had been a simple move, consisting of moving one cardboard box of his posessions. But now he was living rather happily alone.
Another crackle rang out across the stormy sky, sending a jolt up Joe's spine. Even more nerve shattering was the crash that rang out immediantly after. The dumpster to his left spewed garbage as a large black mass fell from the sky, landing directly in the pile of trash within.
Joe gulped and picked up his screwdriver, edging his way around the corner towards the dumpster. He held in a gasp as he saw a blank face staring at him, eyes drawn wide in pain. A man's head protruded over the side, twisted at a disturbing angle to the rest of his body. Broken neck.
What was worse was the large pole protruding from his chest, blood slinking down the length of it. Joe bit his lip and glanced upward, where it had come from.
"Jesus H. Christ...." he moaned, daring to take another step towards the corpse. "What in the hell happened to you."
A silhouette stretched along the sidewalk outside the alleyway, followed closely by another. Joe scurried for safety in the far shadows, clenching his yellow screwdriver desperately. The men stopped at the entrance of the alley, glancing around.
"There..." the man in back said, raising a large hand to the dumpster. The other one nodded silently and approached the body. Joe watched in horror as he grasped the dead man's jaw and pulled his face close to his own. The man inhaled deeply, Joe struggled to keep his lunch.
"This is him. Bring him." the man said, releasing the corpses head, letting it nod back and clang against the metal wall of the dumpster. The larger figure grabbed the victim from the dumpster and slung him over his shoulder.
The two walked back towards the streets, the shorter man following this time. Just as his associate rounded the corner the short man stopped, turning around and pinpointing Joe easily in the shadows. Joe froze in terror as their eyes met. The man put a single finger to his lips.
"Shhhhhhhhh...."

:smile:

((Was that Gabe being picked up? Where those two those strong fellas whose names I forgot?? Are Britney's Boobs Real?? Has Los Requis Really found someone that can stop him?? Will I pass the Algebra Test I took today??
Sheesh, too many questions...