Death Don't Have No Mercy (IC)

[quotemyname]

Date: October 12th, 2009

Breakdown sat on top of a building looking down at the streets below. He hadn't been giving his full attention to the job at hand though. Patrol was kind of a bummer when you were trying to get a homework assignment done at the same time. There had been a purse snatcher earlier, but the cops had been able to handle that just fine.

"What a bummer!" He said out loud as he shut his math notebook. He had finally finished all of the problems. "The city's pretty boring tonight. I hope SOMETHING happens soon."

[Heritage]

Monday nights tended to be a drag; most of the bad guys were hung over from the weekend, and the vibe was almost mellow. Normally Grimalkin used Monday nights as an excuse to explore the city and get in a little cardio, but this time she actually had a mission of sorts, or at least she did if her tip was any good, and it brought her up to Lantern Hill, still largely unknown territory to her.

"What a bummer!""The city's pretty boring tonight. I hope SOMETHING happens soon."

Hark, a peevish teenaged voice upon the wind! And something else as well; Grim sniffed a few times and grinned evilly.

This time I'll be nice, and avoid the ears.

Invisible as thought, Grim easily scaled the building and crept up behind the likable sound manipulator. At least, that's what she thought he did; she actually got knocked out of the fight kinda early the last time they met. She perched on the roof right next to him, and then suddenly dropped her glamour.

"Man, Monday nights are Dullsville, huh?"

[quotemyname]

"Ah!" Breakdown nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. Then he settled down again, once he saw who it was. "Oh, hey, Grim. How are ya? Still sneaking around I see."

Breakdown stood up off the edge of the building and turned to face the shape shifter. Shape shifter? Yea, I guess so. Didn't really see much of her after that fight started. I wonder if that's all she can do? He thought to himself.

"And yea, tonight sucks. Nothing's going on." He waved his hand dismissively down at the streets.

[Heritage]

"Oh, hey, Grim. How are ya? Still sneaking around I see."

Grim laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, apparently I'm like twelve. I'm good, how 'bout you?"

"And yea, tonight sucks. Nothing's going on."

Here she held up a slender finger. "Oh contraire, mein freund! I have a hot tip...or maybe just a lukewarm tip; I dunno, this source is new. But anyway-"

She jumped to her feet and grabbed the teen hero's shoulders.

"How would you like to join me...on a trip to the graveyard?" The young faeling grinned like an idiot as her skin slowly turned pale white and she sprouted cute little anime fangs. "C'mon, 'tis the season to be spooky! Ghosts, goblins and ghouls, all that cool Castlevania stuff! It'll be awesome, as long as we don't die horribly!" :twisted:

[quotemyname]

"Haha!" Breakdown laughed in spite of himself as he was shaken by Grim. Grim's impishness was practically infectious. The fact that Breakdown was really just a kid at heart didn't make things any better...

"Sounds spooky! Lets do it!" Maybe tonight wouldn't be a total loss after all...

[Dr Archeville]

Meanwhile....

Dead Head had been in Freedom for about three weeks, and -- generally speaking -- liked what he saw. He'd had some unpleasant experiences, sure, but in the end those worked out, and he met some nice folks during those events. Why, even before arriving in Freedom City proper, he met some nice folks in the forest to the west. Freedom just seemed a nice place to be. Yeah, it was the center of superhuman activity in the world, but it's probably because the people here have seen and been through so much that they were so friendly, so willing to reach out to help.

Well, the superheroes were, at least.

From his perch high in the yew tree next to the tall & narrow St. Stephen's Church, Dead Head was pleasantly surprised at how incredibly peaceful the place was. Something had called him here, but at the moment, he had absolutely no idea what it could have been.

"I'm probably gonna get struck by lightning or attacked by somethin' for sayin' this, but... this is really, really nice."

[Heritage]

"Sounds spooky! Lets do it!"

Grim flashes a pair of Ozzy-style devil horns as her skin tone returns to normal. "Oh yeah, we got the fever!" She laughs, and then peers over the edge to the street below.

"So, um, how exactly do you get around again? I seem to remember you flying during our quest for Nazis and canned peaches."

She screws up her face in embarrassment as she scuffs a toe on the tarpaper roof. "I ask because...well, I don't fly so much anymore, so I might need a lift. I mean, I can still fly, but it takes a lot out of me, and if there's like a zombie fight or something, I want to be at my best, y'know?"

She holds out her hands and a cricket bat appears, which she spins expertly.

"How's that for a slice of fried gold? Whatever that means." ;)

[quotemyname]

Eddie cracked up at the comment about fried gold. "Heh, yea. I do fly. It'll be slow going, carrying you, but it beats walking." He smiled at her. "And I have gotten faster since the 'peaches incident'."

Breakdown prepared to receive his impish little payload and asked, "Where exactly are we headed?"

[Heritage]

"Where exactly are we headed?"

"Actually we are headed to the Lantern Hill Cemetary by St. Stephen's, possibly the spookiest place on the East Coast. Should be pretty cool, right?"

Once she sees that Breakdown is almost ready, she jumps up into his arms; despite being tiny, there are some fairly impressive muscles hidden beneath the surface of her well-toned little bod.

"There we go, ridin' in style! This tip better play out, or I'm gonna kick this guy's head in." :roll:

She points dramatically towards the top of the Hill.

"Onward, Pastrami, my gallant steed! Onward to glory!"

[quotemyname]

"Oh so I'm a steed now, am I?" Grim had Breakdown griping all the way to the grave yard about his new "steed status".

---

Once at the cemetery, Breakdown landed outside the gates and set Grim on her feet. "Now don't you go trying to give me a feed bag or anything!" He wagged his finger at her in a reprimanding fashion.

[Heritage]

A girl can tell a lot about a guy by the way he holds her while flying, and what Breakdown silently told Grim was I'm seeing someone; where he held her, the amount of pressure, it all spoke volumes. Which was fine; he was a too young for her anyway, and when you know you're an emotional basket case, it's not fair to mess with a rookie. So, a pleasant ride with light kibitzing suited her fine.

At the edge of the cemetery proper, the night truly offered a bounty of ghoulishness; tall brick walls, a wrought iron gate (yikes, no touch!) and a seemingly endless landscape of gravestones beyond, at all kinds of kooky angles, with the lonely steeple of St. Stephen's standing forlornly in the distance. And mist...plenty of mist.

The weird thing is, Jewish cemeteries never freaked her out; they always just seemed peaceful and serene. But put a few goyim in the ground, and hoo doggie, get a shotgun and a crucifix, 'cause you're gonna need 'em.

Grim turned to her partner in crimefighting for the evening, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"Okay, certain details of your mission could not be revealed to you until this time; this is a fact-finding mission only, at least I hope to God it is. We are hoping to view vampirus americanus in its normal habitat."

The tiny shapeshifter swallowed visibly.

"Tonight, we're going vampire hunting."

[Dr Archeville]

Dead Head could just make out two figures arriving, via air. "Yeah, I knew all this serenity was too good to last. Well, might as well see who it is. If it's some heroes, meet & greet; if it's some crooks, meet & beat."

From his perch in the yew tree, he looked left, then right, then left again. Finding no easy way to climb down, he simply tipped over and fell to the ground.

After pulling himself up, dusting himself off, and popping his shoulder back into place, Dead Head set off towards the two newcomers, whistling as he went.

[quotemyname]

"Tonight, we're going vampire hunting."

"And you couldn't tell me this earlier why?" Breakdown gulped as well. "At least then I might be been able to put garlic on my pastrami sandw --"

*WHUMP*

"What was that?!" Breakdown jumped, and turned towards the sound. Which was followed by something that sound like grinding two stones together

pulling himself up, dusting himself off, and popping his shoulder back into place,

Breakdown's face screwed up in obvious disgust as he stared off into the thick fog.

Then the whistling began..."Grim? You know earlier when I said, 'Sounds spooky'? I was being SARCASTIC!"

[Heritage]

"And you couldn't tell me this earlier why?" Breakdown gulped as well. "At least then I might be been able to put garlic on my pastrami sandw --"

“Because I was afraid you’d be a little chickensh#* like your being now, dude! Man up, BD, this is just a scouting mission, no contact with the enemy.â€Â

*WHUMP*

Unless the enemy contacts you?

"Grim? You know earlier when I said, 'Sounds spooky'? I was being SARCASTIC!"

Grim couldn’t bring herself to respond; her heart was pounding and her mind was racing as she rode the razor’s edge between excitement and panic. At last she could stand it no more, and bellowed out as loud as she could.

"Olly olly oxen free!"

[Dr Archeville]

The whistling suddenly stopped.

"Marco....?" a gravelly voice called out, echoing off the tombstones. "Mmm... Marco....?"

A short cough barked through the fog, then the voice continued, though it was still as gravelly. "Who's there? If you come to pay yer respects, you'll need to come back tomorrow, we're closed." The voice was not local, having far more of a Southern drawl than typical for Freedom City. The voice was also accompanied by the sound of something being roughly slid out of a holster; too big to be a gun, unless maybe a shotgun in an over-the-back holster. A sword, perhaps? And what was that faint green glow in the distance?

If they're just punk kids, that might've scared 'em off. If they're here for worse, well, they should be attacking me soon....

[quotemyname]

“Because I was afraid you’d be a little chickensh#* like your being now, dude! Man up, BD, this is just a scouting mission, no contact with the enemy.â€Â

"Your right, sorry!" Breakdown shook his head, trying to clear away the jittery feelings. "Look we're just here looking for some information." He called out into the fog. Breakdown had no weapon to draw. He was going to have to rely on his reaction time and his music in order to get him out of this one. "We really don't mean any harm."

[Heritage]

Grim screwed up the last of her courage and cleared her throat as she stepped closer to the gate.

"Uh, sir? This might be the dumbest question you've ever heard, but have you had any vampire problems recently? And if you are a vampire, uh...prepare for battle! Or something."

She sniffed the air and peered into the darkness, trying to suss out more about their accoster.

[Dr Archeville]

"No, can't say as I've seen any vampires," the gravelly Southern voice responded, "at least, not here. I think I saw one in... Lincoln? a few nights ago. Sorry, I'm still new, only been here about two weeks, so I don't really know my way around the city."

Grim's inhumanly keen nose picked up mist, and earth, and stone -- all the normal smells of a graveyard. Focusing more on the voice, she picked up leather and cotton, and grim (he'd been wearing those clothes for a while), and steel, and freshly dug earth. That gave her a bit of pause -- there've been no new graves dug in Lantern Hill since 1934.

But under all that was another scent, one familiar but not exactly the same as something she'd smelled before. It was the smell of death, or rather undeath, but not the same as she'd picked up from Avenger. On him, the scent of undeath was tied to the smell of the blood he fed on, but with this guy, there was no linked blood scent, so it wasn't a vampire. Or, at least, not a vampire that had fed anytime recently... but if that was the case, shouldn't it be pouncing on them in bloodthirsting frenzy, rather than chatting amicably?

"I didn't see him feed on anyone," the voice continued, "but he was all in black. Except for a hockey mask. Quiet, too; moved like a cat, and weren't much for talkin'."

"So is that what you two are -- Hunters?," he asked.

The two would-be vampire trackers may have noticed that the fog-hidden speaker never actually answered the question of whether or not he himself was a vampire.

[quotemyname]

"Hunters today, helpers tomorrow. Every day a hero." Breakdown paused, he was still a little skeptical. He didn't have super sense like Grim, but he had been listening carefully (His hearing was quite good). He did in fact note the convenient lack of explanation in the speaker's words.

Behind his visor, Breakdown's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why don't you come a little closer so we can get a better look at you."

[Heritage]

This was getting them nowhere; Grim put her hands on her hips and stared down at her shoes like a state trooper.

"Sir, I have reason to believe you might be undead yourself; not a vampire, mind you, but I'm getting a definite Crypt Keeper vibe off of you. Would you be kind enough to step out of the shadows and reveal yourself?"

She turned to Breakdown and winked, then lowered her voice and leaned in to speak.

"By the way, 'Hunters today, helpers tomorrow, every day a hero'?"

She gives him the 'okay' sign and nods.

"Kickass."

[Dr Archeville]

"Weeellllll...," the gravelly Southern voice drawled, "if you insist...."

A shuffling sound was heard, and the faint green glow grew in intensity, though it never truly became bright. At first you could make out a humanoid figure, tall, a bit on the lanky side, swaying a bit as it walked forward. The green glow came from something near the figure's head... a lantern? A chemical glow-stick around its neck? No, it was its eyes, glowing like tiny green stars!

The figure continued forward, dragging its feet. The light from its eyes momentarily obscured its face, so until your eyes adjusted you could only focus on the rest of it. Whoever or whatever it was, it was dressed like a biker -- worn black boots, torn blue jeans, a torn white t-shirt, and a well-worn leather jacket. In addition to their old and worn condition, all were also dirty, mostly with dirt but here and there with... other stains. Its silhouette indicated something was strapped to its back -- a shotgun? No, too thin. A sword? No, the handle didn't match.

Now your eyes had adjusted to the light from its eyes, and you could make out its face... and you wish you hadn't. A tiny upturned nose peeked out from under its sunken eyes, and its mouth was pulled open into a hideous rictus grin, exposing yellowed teeth set in blue-black gums. A purplish tongue sporadically flopped out, causing droll to dribble down the front of it shirt. The whole head was framed in a wild mass of gray-white hair, like a ghostly shroud clinging to it. And... were those maggots crawling on its shoulders?

"So, y'all plannin' to use yer brains to track these bloodsuckers?"

[ Be sure to check the OOC thread ]

[quotemyname]

Breakdown gulped when he heard Grim mention the undead again. I'm not scared per se. I'm just really creeped out by those things.

Thats when the zombie stumbled into his field of vision. Okay... No... I'm scared!!!

"Ahh!" Breakdown nearly jumped out of his skin! He quickly dashed behind Grim and grabbed her shoulders, shaking. He poked his head out from behind her left shoulder, "What IS that?!"

Grim was comically reminded of Shaggy from Scooby Doo...

[Heritage]

The first thing that hit her was the smell; Grim got a lungfull of damp grave rot that instantly made her want to hurl, and the more the creature revealed of itself, the stronger that urge became.

Oh my god... :shock:

She was frozen to the spot, legs locked, fingers trembling, but she was almost able to keep it together as the frickin' zombie approached them. But then her eye caught the tiniest flap of skin dangling from the thing's throat; it wiggled with every step like a happy little hand, but when the thing spoke, it wobbled and danced and writhed...

And she pushed it all down, closed her eyes, then glared back at the hideous creature what came from the tomb, arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"So! You lurk around this place all the time? You think it's cool to scare the piss out of guys like Breakdown here? I don't think so!"

God, I can't believe I'm not puking right now...

[quotemyname]

Breakdown was more astonished than scared, "Soooo...You're NOT going to kill us and do horrible unspeakable things to our souls after we're dead?" He asked, hopeful.

He summoned up his courage to stand there for another few seconds, managing to switch to Rock form. The music flowed through him and offered its support. Suddenly he was no longer afraid of the zombie.

"So then, how come you ARE here?" Whenever he was in rock form, he found his tone had the littlest hint of belligerence even if he didn't intend it too.

[Dr Archeville]

The Zombie held its hands up, "Hey, hey, relax, folks! Though it doesn't look like either of you are really keyed up, anyway... "

"To answer th'lady first: no, I don't always hang around this place, like I said I've only been here about two weeks. And yer boyfriend here don't look like he's had anythin' scared outta him... and besides, yer both in a fog-shrouded cemetery, lookin' for vampires, so if lil' ol' me can put y'all off that badly, how d'ya think y'all'll do against a real bloodsucker?"