Conference Room Bloodbath (Janice)

My eyes are glued to his. His to mine. The room had gone deep quiet. Nobody moved a muscle. The energy in the air was stagnant. My body was hot, yet the room was blistering cold.

Basket’s moonlit eyes were now glazed. I pushed my balled fist against his chest. His breathing was calm and his heartbeat normal.

“I don’t like this,” I thought.

I didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to be in this predicament AT ALL. This isn’t supposed to be happening.

“Why now?” I thought, “why here? Why now?”

Those same questions were on repeat in my head. I searched his eyes for answers. I even tried using my succubus powers to try and read his emotions. All I got was overarching hate….. which was nothing new.

I read the other members behind me in the room. They were just as, if not more, confused than I am. All of them were scared. Why would he do that? He knows what’s at stake. He knows the cost.

“So why?” I pondered, “It makes no sense. And what did he mean earlier? What did he mean that something is coming? What did he mean by we can’t stop it?”

The pounding headache that I had was now indescribable. My vision was now splotched with reappearing black spots. Everything was blurry. I was beginning to feel queasy.

I let go of Baskets blazer and backed away. My head was cupped in my hands. I was beginning to lose balance.

“Janice?” I heard someone call my name.

I couldn’t tell anymore. Everyone was now a blur of noise. The only thing that I could hear in my head now was a growing ringing that pulsed along with the throb of my head ache.

I let out a loud moan. I stumble and caught myself on the table. The sound of something hitting the ground shook me. Pieces of solid concrete could be heard hitting the board room floor as footsteps began to click there way forward toward me.

“You don’t have to do this,” someone said.

It sounded like Jason. I could hear trembling in his voice as the words escaped his mouth. Jason knows his brother. Basket was a business man and Hell was a business. If their was an agreement that benefit him and his business in the long run he would honor that deal.

“I just don’t know what deal is better than the one we agreed upon,” I thought to myself.

Struggling, I managed to look back at Basket. His face was literally inches from mine. His eyes blank. The magic fueled eyes of his void of emotion.

“This was definitely business,” I pondered.

I attempt to stand all the way up. Basket tilted his head sideways and continued to look at me. Instinctively, I bare my fangs and accidentally hissed at him. An involuntary vampire response that I thought I got rid of. Apparently not.

His response…. A sudden deafening pain struck me right in the liver. I doubled over and was sent flying through the wall behind me with forceful speed. Heavy debris and dust crashed near my side as I slam on the ground gasping for air. The pain was damn near unendurable.

I hadn’t experienced pain like this in a LONG time. My entire figure’s frame felt like it was on fire.

“No,” I thought, “Fire would be a word used for those with limited imagination. What I’m experiencing is something different entirely.”

I hear a loud crash come from the board room. The same room that I had just been knocked out of. I look around me, I was in one of the corridors that led to the many rooms of the Savo Building. The eyes of civilians all on me as I lay there on the ground.

“This isn’t good,” I thought.

More commotion could be heard from the board room. Several yelps of extreme pain could be heard as flashes of crimson light painted the walls. Basket could be heard grunting in frustration as he seem to be struggling with something.

“Basket what the hell are you doing?” asked Jason.

Another loud thud could be heard as the struggle continued. Regaining my footing, I try to stand up. Suddenly, a random object flies through another portion of the wall. Just as I’ve completed composed myself, the object slams into me forcefully; causing me to fly through several more walls.

I didn’t know when it’s was going to stop.

*THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP*

My back was beginning to become sore as I continued to slam through the seemingly endless walls of the Savo Building. With a final thud, I finally landed ass first on the ground. Dust and debris fill the air as screams of panic followed them.

I lay on the ground dazed. I was completely disoriented. Unable to come up with a complete thought. That is until the smell filled my nostrils.

“I can smell it,” I thought, “The smell of iron in the air. The faint aroma of rust and salt. The smell of blood.”

Someone was hurt. This was getting out of hand quickly. I sat up and examined the object that had sent me flying through the walls of the Savo Building.

“Oh fuck,” I mumbled.

What lay on top of me was the remains of person. Hell, it was more of a husk than a corpse. The body had been damn near incinerated. It skin was charcoal black and extremely brittle. Just touching the body caused it to flake to ash.

I slide the remains off of me and regain my footing.

“I don’t know who that was. Nor, do I want to find out,” I thought, “at least not right now.”

I look through the several holes in the wall to try to gather my surroundings. Dust and smoke accumulated within them; clouding my vision. Various scream followed by blips of crimson light was all I can gather from the smoke.

“Damn it!” I exclaimed.

This is going completely left extremely fast, and I’m just standing here. I run forward in the chaos ahead. Along the way, I run into several others who were running in the opposite direction. Some were injured. Some maimed. Some carrying others already dead.

I stopped to help a pair helping someone trapped under some debris. With ease, I lift the piece of concrete and hold it over my shoulder. I was going to be using it shortly.

“Are you going to be ok?” I asked.

The group looked up at me. Each and everyone of them covered head to toe in soot. Their face in pure terror. All three of them just nod their heads.

I need a way to direct him away from the other civilians. Too much damage has been dealt to the building. Too many people already killed.

“Think Janice. Think!” I thought.

There is no way in hell I was taking the fight outside the building. There was an angry mob lined around the entire structure. I didn’t need anymore casualties. Besides, there were too many outcomes of it going completely sideways if I let Basket out into the city. I needed a controlled environment.

“But the same can said if I leave him in here,” I thought again.

Lo and behold; however, unlike outside this building had a specific room to prep for situations like this. Mostly, it was used for training of the new soldiers joining New Lina’s militia. It was large in size durable as hell. If I could somehow get him there. It just might work.

“The Danger Room,” I asked aloud, “Has maintenance finished with the new upgrades yet?”

One woman who had black fur covering her entire face ( a lycanthrope) shook her head no.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, “It’ll do. Get out of the building and get to safety. If you see anyone else who needs help, you help them. Do you understand?”

All three gave an audible “yes ma’am”. Then, the three of them quickly collected themselves and make their way to safety. That is until one of them stopped and looked at. It was the woman with the furry face.

“Ms. Lee,” she called, “What exactly is going on?”

Her eyes were filled with fear. Her heart riddled with confusion and grief. I hated that she felt that way. It was my fault that this happened. We should have never had been so lax. Now, it was job to make it right.

“I don’t know yet. However, I’m going to find out. This threat is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. You get to safety. I will deal with our uninvited guest,” I said.

The woman gave a small smile and nodded her head. I nodded back.

With that, we both turned and went our separate ways. I walked onward carrying the small piece of solid concrete cylinder on my shoulder.

“It’s about time I get rid an old headache.”