The Warring States of NPF - View Single Post

DFM · 09-29-2008, 07:55 PM

"Hello, gorgeous. Lookin' a little prim and proper for this kind of place, aren't you? Everyone who comes in here's got to have a shot, house rules. Inhibition's the first thing to go. You look like you're going to need more than one." She pours a drink from a flurry bottles whose labels I don't have time to read and slides the concoction in front of me. "A few more of these and you'll be telling me your nastiest, dirtiest stories." She leans forward, apparently wanting me to stare at her cleavage.

"I am your beat priestess, and it's time to confess."

"I confess you look like a groupie for The Cure."

"Cute. The name is Venus, and I own this club. If you want to stick around, you're to have to come up with a real confession."

I put an, elbow on the bar and rest my head in my hands, giving her me best bored expression.

"Fine. I just killed three men and Larry said that meant you'd be interested in my services. Father forgive me."

"Oooh, so you're the... 'Ice Caping Cleopatra Jones' he was going to send over. Good, I need someone like you. See, I've got this situation that's gotten a little... out of hand and I need someone to inform someone else that they won't be getting paid this month. Intrigued yet?"

"You want me write a scathing editorial to your credit card company."

"Something like that. The parking lot next to the Empire Hotel... couple of guys, Russian accents, bit thick. I need you to tell them Venus doesn't have their money. That's it."

"That's it."

"That's it."

"And what's in it for me?"

"Drinks on the house for a week."

"I'm straight edge."

She rolls her eyes.

"You want cash? Whatever, I can do that. Question is: 'Are you worth it?'"

"There is literally no one better. At least, no one better who'd care enough about the money to do it."

"Good enough for me. Empire hotel, tell them I'm broke. You can run, right? Never mind... just don't go starting any street fights, alright? These guys are connected. Later, darling."

This is going to be so easy I'm not sure if it's even worth it.

Empire Hotel, parking lot must be around back.

And there's my Russian chums. I walk up to the leader and he snorts derisively before I can say anything.

"Bitch send you?"

"Yes, bitch send me."

"Money. Where is money."

I wonder if I can...

"MONEY. WHERE IS-"

I just gave you the money.

"Have again next month."

I'm like some kind of god.

"Hey! Venus!"

"I can't hear you, darling! Let's talk in my office!"

"Well, you certainly did better than my bouncer did; poor dear can't turn his neck to the right any more. Already had a call from Boris - wasn't too happy about tonight, son of a bitch. Say, how would you like to get into the club business, hmm?"

"What?"

"Well, to start this club, I had to take out a significant loan from a king bastard by the name of Boris, and every time I haven't been able to make the monthly, plus interest, the bastard takes what he feels is a suitable late fee."

"I've got a club to run, so I'll be blunt. I refuse to fuck that fat, misogynistic old man one more time to hold on to the club. So, I need someone to eliminate him. Do this, and I'll make you a silent partner."

"That... wouldn't happen to be Boris Demidenko, would it?"

"Yes, actually." She sighs. "I take it you're not going to do it, if you know about him."

"I... didn't say that."

She raises an eyebrow.

"Really now? Didn't think I'd meet anyone that crazy. He's at the Empire hotel. Always has a few of the fiercest bully boys standing around tryign to out-sneer each other. He's got a short temper and more than likely he's been drinking since his men turned up empty handed. Here, key to the penthouse level."

Well, this is going to be awkward.

It isn't long before I reach the end of the hall and the double doors to Boris' office. Ivan's on body guard detail, must have been promoted since last time.

"Wh... Helen?"

"Hi, Ivan. It's been awhile."

"Chk. Everyone say you are dead. Boris started buying from Irish sooka. Is not happy. Bad product, worse prices. Is going to start buying directly from army soon. Not so much mind limited stock anymore."

'I'm sorry to hear that. Can you let me in to see him, Ivan?"

"Eh. He say no visitors but I am thinking he will not mind good news."

"Boris! I bring you friend!"

"Who the hell- Helen?" He lets out a laugh. "Ha! Bullshit assholes tell me you are dead! Say you put bullet in head, but I know bullshit when I hear it. Not my Helen. My Helen would put bullet in mother's head before her own."

Well, she has already lived her life.

"Glad to see you, Boris. How's the Kamov?"

"Flies like murderous wet dream. Will be a good 'FUCK YOU' if ATF try raid again."

"Ivan says you've had to go through some Irish seller?"

"Ugh." He shakes his head and offers me a package of cigarettes. "You make me complacent, I forget how to deal with incompetent fuck heads. I am thinking I should stuff him in barrel and drop into channel but I cannot remember, has been so long. Tell me you are selling merchandise."

"Sorry, Boris. I'm actually here because... well, you know this woman, Venus?"

"Venus." He spits on the floor. "She takes half a million dollars to start that bullshit faghole. I tell her no, I say club will never make money. Not enough fags in all of LA to pay for it but no, she does not listen. She does not shut up, does not stop whining, I finally sign check because I cannot stand wheezy, spoiled girl voice of hers anymore. We set up payment plan. Starts out fine, I get money, she can pretend to be vampire or whatever she does in that abortion of a business."

He sits back down behind his desk and I take the opposite seat.

"Then she starts missing payments, missing deadlines by more and more every month. Club is failing, money is hemorrhaging. She comes to me every deadline, whining she can not pay. So I fuck her. Like prostitute." He leans back in his chair. "Is not worth it."

"She actually sent me here to kill you."

Boris laughs, sitting up in his chair again.

"Ha ha! No shit? Stupid bitch." He sighs and starts punching a number in on his phone. "I will have Dimitri and some of his friends teach her a lesson. Then tear down that stupid club." He pauses for a moment before looking at me. "Actually... I think I have better idea."

"What's that?"

"How would you like to kill her? Stupid bitch killed by own assassin, would send good message."

"Eh... I don't know."

"Ah, come on. Think about it. Spoiled bitch doesn't know who you are, thinks you are just Jane Doe come blundering off the street. She send you up here to kill me, thinks what, maybe you get a few shots off and I am killed before my guards gun you down? Spoiled bitch send you up here to die. That not piss you off?"

"Well..."

"Tell you what, I throw in a few grand spending change, get yourself some new clothes so maybe you not look like angry soccer mom. Then you kill stupid bitch who tried to kill you, is right thing. I read in bible."

I laugh. I can't help it.

"Alright first of all, you can lecture me on fashion as soon as you stop wearing your pajamas around all day."

"Is my office, I wear leather chaps if I want. You take offer?"

I sigh a little and glance out the office window at the city skyline jutting harshly into the starless sky.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"Good!" Boris claps and digs through one of his desk drawers. "Here, take this knife. Make it painful, spoiled bitch deserves no better."

I take the offered handle and stand, shaking his hand.

"Good to see you again, Boris. I'll be back pretty quick."

I hadn't thought about it before, but there's no way she could have expected a mortal to walk out of there alive. She'd been banking on the fact that maybe Boris would bite it during the gunfire.

What a bitch.

It's a short walk back to Confession, Venus is waiting in her usual place.

"Hey!"

She seems surprised to see me. Happy, though.

"What!? I can't hear you! Come to my office!"

"So, is he dead?"

I lean against her desk. "Dead as a doornail." I take the knife out of my pocket and flip it in my hand. "I got this off the body, figured you might want it as a souvenir."

She takes it and holds it up to the light, examining the blade.

"I wonder if I should mount it, like a trophy? Or maybe sell it to one of his rivals..."

"Actually..." I light one of the cigarettes Boris had given me, taking a long drag before letting the smoke out. "What you should do is take that knife-" I snap the lighter shut. "And kill yourself."

She stares at me and flips the blade inward, jabbing herself in the stomach in one prolonged, jerking motion. Her eyes go wide and she lets out a muffled cry. Her hands pull the knife out on their own accord and jab it into her stomach again. She keeps staring at me, terrified. She doesn't understand what she's doing, but she can't stop it. She's hyperventilating, trying to cry and breathe and scream all at once. She drops to her knees, her whole body shaking. I take another drag on the cigarette as she stabs herself again. She falls onto the floor, body convulsing. Blood's pooling all across the floor. Venus gives off one last desperate, strangled sob before she stops jerking.

I slip the lighter back into my pocket and catch her wide eyed stare before she slumps onto her stomach.

She'd expected me to die. She'd never had any intention of fulfilling her end of the bargain, she'd just wanted a kamikaze to sacrifice themselves for the god awful club she didn't even have the brains to manage. Fuck her. She had this coming.

But it still doesn't feel right.

"Helen! How did it go, is spoiled bitch dead?"

"Yeah." I slip down into the chair, looking at a painting on the wall. "Yeah, she's dead."

Boris furrows his brown and leans closer to me.

"What is wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, it just..." I shake my head. "I don't know. It was a little gruesome, I guess."

"Ha! If it disturb you then I hope janitor can keep his lunch. Here is money, job well done. You being in town long? We can have dinner sometime."

"No, I... thank you, Boris but... I'm probably not going to be in the city long."

"I am sorry to hear. You come visit. Let me know when you have market up and running again, I cannot take these govniuks."

"I'll do that. See you around, Boris."

Jesus.

Did I really just... I didn't just kill her, I... and I didn't even care, I don't... know what happened. I knew what I was doing, but I..."

I toss the cigarette in the ash tray near the lobby. I've got to get some fresh air.

Milligan.

The doors locked, but I manage to force it open.

"Milligan?"

I'm not feeding him to that monster.

"Simon? It's alright, I'm not... nothing's going to hurt you."

"Hello?"

"You don't have to worry, that thing isn't coming for you."

"Simon?"

"Simon..."

"You're... from the hospital! But... you went down to..."

I sit down on the carpet next to him.

"I went down to find out what was going on, and the monster and I had a talk. You're lucky to be alive, you're the only one who managed to get away."

"Oh no... my crew..."

"I'm sorry. I'm also sorry it's not over yet."

He stares at me, eyes wide with panic.

"W-w-what-"

"Because as long as you're alive, that thing is going to hunt you. You've seen too much and it's never going to let you live and risk having you tell everyone about it."

"What? N-No, I-"

I sigh, resting my back on the closet wall.

"Simon, you've spent your entire career looking for the boogie man, didn't you ever wonder what you'd do if you actually found him?"

He sinks to his seat, head cupped in his hands.

"Oh god... oh god..."

"It's alright. I'm one of the good monsters, one of the ones who fakes having a conscience. So I'm not going to kill you."

"Then..." He take his head out of his hands and looks up at me. "...what are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything, because nothing happened and I was never here. You're going to leave LA, abandon your paranormal hunts and never return to either."

He looks around, his eyes glazing over.

"I... I have... I have to get out of here."

He rushes past me out the door. I can hear is feet clomping down the stairs. I sit in the closet for a good while longer, quietly thinking in the dark.

Pretend I have a conscience.

I hope Pisha doesn't mind that Milligan isn't going to die. I take the elevator up to my room, stepping off and opening the unlocked door.

Thanks for the comments everyone, this has been pretty fun to write so far. Next update: DR. GROUT

09-29-2008, 07:55 PM	#388
DFM Om Nom Nom Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 3,850	"Hello, gorgeous. Lookin' a little prim and proper for this kind of place, aren't you? Everyone who comes in here's got to have a shot, house rules. Inhibition's the first thing to go. You look like you're going to need more than one." She pours a drink from a flurry bottles whose labels I don't have time to read and slides the concoction in front of me. "A few more of these and you'll be telling me your nastiest, dirtiest stories." She leans forward, apparently wanting me to stare at her cleavage. "I am your beat priestess, and it's time to confess." "I confess you look like a groupie for The Cure." "Cute. The name is Venus, and I own this club. If you want to stick around, you're to have to come up with a real confession." I put an, elbow on the bar and rest my head in my hands, giving her me best bored expression. "Fine. I just killed three men and Larry said that meant you'd be interested in my services. Father forgive me." "Oooh, so you're the... 'Ice Caping Cleopatra Jones' he was going to send over. Good, I need someone like you. See, I've got this situation that's gotten a little... out of hand and I need someone to inform someone else that they won't be getting paid this month. Intrigued yet?" "You want me write a scathing editorial to your credit card company." "Something like that. The parking lot next to the Empire Hotel... couple of guys, Russian accents, bit thick. I need you to tell them Venus doesn't have their money. That's it." "That's it." "That's it." "And what's in it for me?" "Drinks on the house for a week." "I'm straight edge." She rolls her eyes. "You want cash? Whatever, I can do that. Question is: 'Are you worth it?'" "There is literally no one better. At least, no one better who'd care enough about the money to do it." "Good enough for me. Empire hotel, tell them I'm broke. You can run, right? Never mind... just don't go starting any street fights, alright? These guys are connected. Later, darling." This is going to be so easy I'm not sure if it's even worth it. Empire Hotel, parking lot must be around back. And there's my Russian chums. I walk up to the leader and he snorts derisively before I can say anything. "Bitch send you?" "Yes, bitch send me." "Money. Where is money." I wonder if I can... "MONEY. WHERE IS-" I just gave you the money. "Have again next month." I'm like some kind of god. "Hey! Venus!" "I can't hear you, darling! Let's talk in my office!" "Well, you certainly did better than my bouncer did; poor dear can't turn his neck to the right any more. Already had a call from Boris - wasn't too happy about tonight, son of a bitch. Say, how would you like to get into the club business, hmm?" "What?" "Well, to start this club, I had to take out a significant loan from a king bastard by the name of Boris, and every time I haven't been able to make the monthly, plus interest, the bastard takes what he feels is a suitable late fee." "I've got a club to run, so I'll be blunt. I refuse to fuck that fat, misogynistic old man one more time to hold on to the club. So, I need someone to eliminate him. Do this, and I'll make you a silent partner." "That... wouldn't happen to be Boris Demidenko, would it?" "Yes, actually." She sighs. "I take it you're not going to do it, if you know about him." "I... didn't say that." She raises an eyebrow. "Really now? Didn't think I'd meet anyone that crazy. He's at the Empire hotel. Always has a few of the fiercest bully boys standing around tryign to out-sneer each other. He's got a short temper and more than likely he's been drinking since his men turned up empty handed. Here, key to the penthouse level." Well, this is going to be awkward. It isn't long before I reach the end of the hall and the double doors to Boris' office. Ivan's on body guard detail, must have been promoted since last time. "Wh... Helen?" "Hi, Ivan. It's been awhile." "Chk. Everyone say you are dead. Boris started buying from Irish sooka. Is not happy. Bad product, worse prices. Is going to start buying directly from army soon. Not so much mind limited stock anymore." 'I'm sorry to hear that. Can you let me in to see him, Ivan?" "Eh. He say no visitors but I am thinking he will not mind good news." "Boris! I bring you friend!" "Who the hell- Helen?" He lets out a laugh. "Ha! Bullshit assholes tell me you are dead! Say you put bullet in head, but I know bullshit when I hear it. Not my Helen. My Helen would put bullet in mother's head before her own." Well, she has already lived her life. "Glad to see you, Boris. How's the Kamov?" "Flies like murderous wet dream. Will be a good 'FUCK YOU' if ATF try raid again." "Ivan says you've had to go through some Irish seller?" "Ugh." He shakes his head and offers me a package of cigarettes. "You make me complacent, I forget how to deal with incompetent fuck heads. I am thinking I should stuff him in barrel and drop into channel but I cannot remember, has been so long. Tell me you are selling merchandise." "Sorry, Boris. I'm actually here because... well, you know this woman, Venus?" "Venus." He spits on the floor. "She takes half a million dollars to start that bullshit faghole. I tell her no, I say club will never make money. Not enough fags in all of LA to pay for it but no, she does not listen. She does not shut up, does not stop whining, I finally sign check because I cannot stand wheezy, spoiled girl voice of hers anymore. We set up payment plan. Starts out fine, I get money, she can pretend to be vampire or whatever she does in that abortion of a business." He sits back down behind his desk and I take the opposite seat. "Then she starts missing payments, missing deadlines by more and more every month. Club is failing, money is hemorrhaging. She comes to me every deadline, whining she can not pay. So I fuck her. Like prostitute." He leans back in his chair. "Is not worth it." "She actually sent me here to kill you." Boris laughs, sitting up in his chair again. "Ha ha! No shit? Stupid bitch." He sighs and starts punching a number in on his phone. "I will have Dimitri and some of his friends teach her a lesson. Then tear down that stupid club." He pauses for a moment before looking at me. "Actually... I think I have better idea." "What's that?" "How would you like to kill her? Stupid bitch killed by own assassin, would send good message." "Eh... I don't know." "Ah, come on. Think about it. Spoiled bitch doesn't know who you are, thinks you are just Jane Doe come blundering off the street. She send you up here to kill me, thinks what, maybe you get a few shots off and I am killed before my guards gun you down? Spoiled bitch send you up here to die. That not piss you off?" "Well..." "Tell you what, I throw in a few grand spending change, get yourself some new clothes so maybe you not look like angry soccer mom. Then you kill stupid bitch who tried to kill you, is right thing. I read in bible." I laugh. I can't help it. "Alright first of all, you can lecture me on fashion as soon as you stop wearing your pajamas around all day." "Is my office, I wear leather chaps if I want. You take offer?" I sigh a little and glance out the office window at the city skyline jutting harshly into the starless sky. "Yeah, I'll do it." "Good!" Boris claps and digs through one of his desk drawers. "Here, take this knife. Make it painful, spoiled bitch deserves no better." I take the offered handle and stand, shaking his hand. "Good to see you again, Boris. I'll be back pretty quick." I hadn't thought about it before, but there's no way she could have expected a mortal to walk out of there alive. She'd been banking on the fact that maybe Boris would bite it during the gunfire. What a bitch. It's a short walk back to Confession, Venus is waiting in her usual place. "Hey!" She seems surprised to see me. Happy, though. "What!? I can't hear you! Come to my office!" "So, is he dead?" I lean against her desk. "Dead as a doornail." I take the knife out of my pocket and flip it in my hand. "I got this off the body, figured you might want it as a souvenir." She takes it and holds it up to the light, examining the blade. "I wonder if I should mount it, like a trophy? Or maybe sell it to one of his rivals..." "Actually..." I light one of the cigarettes Boris had given me, taking a long drag before letting the smoke out. "What you should do is take that knife-" I snap the lighter shut. "And kill yourself." She stares at me and flips the blade inward, jabbing herself in the stomach in one prolonged, jerking motion. Her eyes go wide and she lets out a muffled cry. Her hands pull the knife out on their own accord and jab it into her stomach again. She keeps staring at me, terrified. She doesn't understand what she's doing, but she can't stop it. She's hyperventilating, trying to cry and breathe and scream all at once. She drops to her knees, her whole body shaking. I take another drag on the cigarette as she stabs herself again. She falls onto the floor, body convulsing. Blood's pooling all across the floor. Venus gives off one last desperate, strangled sob before she stops jerking. I slip the lighter back into my pocket and catch her wide eyed stare before she slumps onto her stomach. She'd expected me to die. She'd never had any intention of fulfilling her end of the bargain, she'd just wanted a kamikaze to sacrifice themselves for the god awful club she didn't even have the brains to manage. Fuck her. She had this coming. But it still doesn't feel right. "Helen! How did it go, is spoiled bitch dead?" "Yeah." I slip down into the chair, looking at a painting on the wall. "Yeah, she's dead." Boris furrows his brown and leans closer to me. "What is wrong? Did something happen?" "No, it just..." I shake my head. "I don't know. It was a little gruesome, I guess." "Ha! If it disturb you then I hope janitor can keep his lunch. Here is money, job well done. You being in town long? We can have dinner sometime." "No, I... thank you, Boris but... I'm probably not going to be in the city long." "I am sorry to hear. You come visit. Let me know when you have market up and running again, I cannot take these govniuks." "I'll do that. See you around, Boris." Jesus. Did I really just... I didn't just kill her, I... and I didn't even care, I don't... know what happened. I knew what I was doing, but I..." I toss the cigarette in the ash tray near the lobby. I've got to get some fresh air. Milligan. The doors locked, but I manage to force it open. "Milligan?" I'm not feeding him to that monster. "Simon? It's alright, I'm not... nothing's going to hurt you." "Hello?" "You don't have to worry, that thing isn't coming for you." "Simon?" "Simon..." "You're... from the hospital! But... you went down to..." I sit down on the carpet next to him. "I went down to find out what was going on, and the monster and I had a talk. You're lucky to be alive, you're the only one who managed to get away." "Oh no... my crew..." "I'm sorry. I'm also sorry it's not over yet." He stares at me, eyes wide with panic. "W-w-what-" "Because as long as you're alive, that thing is going to hunt you. You've seen too much and it's never going to let you live and risk having you tell everyone about it." "What? N-No, I-" I sigh, resting my back on the closet wall. "Simon, you've spent your entire career looking for the boogie man, didn't you ever wonder what you'd do if you actually found him?" He sinks to his seat, head cupped in his hands. "Oh god... oh god..." "It's alright. I'm one of the good monsters, one of the ones who fakes having a conscience. So I'm not going to kill you." "Then..." He take his head out of his hands and looks up at me. "...what are you going to do?" "I'm not going to do anything, because nothing happened and I was never here. You're going to leave LA, abandon your paranormal hunts and never return to either." He looks around, his eyes glazing over. "I... I have... I have to get out of here." He rushes past me out the door. I can hear is feet clomping down the stairs. I sit in the closet for a good while longer, quietly thinking in the dark. Pretend I have a conscience. I hope Pisha doesn't mind that Milligan isn't going to die. I take the elevator up to my room, stepping off and opening the unlocked door. Thanks for the comments everyone, this has been pretty fun to write so far. Next update: DR. GROUT __________________ [14:26] ManoftheRus: YOU GODDAMN SNEAKY DEE Last edited by DFM; 09-29-2008 at 10:53 PM.