Topic: Discovering Sanctuary

Lilith DeBrough

Date: 2009-07-14 01:05 EST
Paint splatters marked the skin of Lilith?s face, beige and rose against the porcelain of her cheeks. Having just finished painting her flat, she wandered downstairs and outside to the stoop of the building. Digits combed through silver locks, pushing them from her face, inadvertently depositing more paint within their strands. A clove was plucked from the pack sticking out of her back pocket and placed between her waiting lips, poised there precariously as she stuffed the pack back down into her jeans pocket. A flicker of thought ignited the clove and she took a deep drag, starting down the street at a pace that could only be considered a saunter.

Her white t-shirt was splattered with paint spots, as well as her beloved hard-labor jeans, as she called them. They were ripped at the knees and worn through in various other spots, suitable for not much more than keeping her decent. Ragged old Chucks completed the look, but Lilith didn?t much care what others thought if they saw her. Comfort ruled all, and she?d dance a jig on the bartop at the RDI before she?d ruin a good pair of jeans painting the flat.

Exhaling a cloud of smoke from between slightly parted lips, she sighed. It was late, and the sounds of the Meandering Rave and its bass-heavy music thrummed in the distance. The ember?s reflection smoldered deep within her eyes, making them appear to be on fire as she trained them on the figure at the end of the alley. It seemed to be slumped over, perhaps even injured.

Even if she used to be a killer, she was into the whole retribution thing now, right? With a soft grumble, she started down the alley, her clove propped between two fingers like a torch as she pointed at the figure. ?Hey! You alright?? The gray-clad figure stirred slightly, groaning. Lilith took a couple more steps forwards, then stopped abruptly as she caught the figure?s scent. Shifter, definitely. And dirty. Nostrils flared slightly, she took another long drag and leaned against the wall halfway down the alley, waiting for the others to show.

Casually, she propped one tennis shoe sole against the brick wall, exhaling amidst her words. ?Very slick. I actually should have known better. I mean, the outfit gives you away.? Footsteps entering the alley drew Lilith?s attention. It was a total of four to one. Bad odds. Well, bad for most people. ?Now this is just unsporting of you. Here I am, stopping to help like a good citizen, and look what thanks I get.? Her wry smile twisted further as the four Makos closed in.

Lilith DeBrough

Date: 2009-07-14 13:08 EST
One reached out and grabbed her arm, tugging her rudely towards him. The clove went tumbling to the stone road below, flinging ash in an arc around it. Lilith?s nose wrinkled. Another shifter?eww. They always had that musk that identified them as part animal. Not a pleasant smell, in her opinion. His voice was gravelly, and contained barely restrained excitement. ?Hey there, you pretty little thing?what are you doing out on your own tonight? S?not safe.? His hand brushed her neck and he gave a soft purr, probably an involuntary part of being a feline.

Lilith didn?t waste any time with a smart-ass comment; she created the link almost instantly and narrowed her focus on his heart, eyes narrowing in concentration. Tugging mentally at the cardiac muscle, she elicited the response she was looking for. The Mako tried to pull away, but Lilith was the one holding onto his arm now, and she held him tight. Eyes glossing over, she ripped a hole in the right ventricle, and with only slightly more effort, ruptured the aorta.

The Mako was dead before he hit the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Lilith turned towards the other three, reaching out to link with the other shifter, she didn?t waste time with theatrics and simply severed his windpipe. Two down, two to go.

They faced her, one apprehensive, the other one strangely collected for having seen two of his fellow Makos dropped in a matter of moments. The frightened one bared his teeth, letting a soft growl tumble from his throat. Lilith reached out, exploring. Vampire. No heartbeat?Well that would certainly complicate things, because she was pretty sure they didn?t breathe either. Reaching towards the other, Lilith paused. He was?blank. What in the hell?

She didn?t have much time to consider it before he was on top of her, bowling her over rudely onto the street. A blade pressed at the skin of her throat, she felt the cool metal against the throb of her heartbeat. She counted three heartbeats before she felt the trickle of blood that meant he was pressing harder now. Lilith pushed back, letting the blade bury itself in a few more layers of skin. The Mako?s expression faltered into surprise, and that?s when Lilith struck.

Her hand snaked up to grab the blade from his grip, twisting it away from him. Her head slammed down against the street under the impact of his fist, and stars danced through her vision. She felt a trickle of blood running from the cut below her eye. With a loud grunt, she shoved him from her chest and quickly regained her footing. The vampire lunged at her and Lilith let the knife fly. There was a morbid squishing sound as the blade found its home, sunk deep into the fanger?s left eye socket. Not sure if it would kill him or not, Lilith didn?t stick around to find out.

Darting back down the alleyway, Lilith paused. Can?t go back to her flat. They?d only follow. Turning in the opposite direction, she heard the footsteps gaining--gaining??on her as she ran. What the hell is this thing?

Lilith DeBrough

Date: 2009-07-14 14:32 EST
Panic rose in Lilith?s throat as she heard more pairs of footsteps join in the chase, cries of bloodlust uniting them against her. Pushing the panic down, Lilith ran around the back of a warehouse and crashed her way through a boarded up window, grunting as her shoulder took the brunt of the entry. Rolling a few feet before sliding to a stop, Lilith lay silent, hearing them approach. She had but a few moments to figure something out.

There was a nudging at the back of her mind, akin to instinct, desperately scrabbling to take over. With not much else for a choice, Lilith gave in. Plummeting inward, Lilith Descended, a maelstrom rising around her. Trying to slow her fall, she hung in limbo, not all the way at the eye of the storm, not realizing its full potential. It felt?dark, ominous. Not wanting to test the limits or lack thereof, Lilith opened her eyes, twin pools of liquid mercury, and focused on the open window.

She felt them through the building, before they even entered. Their lives were like candle flames, flickering in the maelstrom she had created. There were five, and Lilith gave a gentle push outwards, snuffing four of them instantly. The fifth, the one she couldn?t reach, even from this state, reached her before she could react, his hands going to her throat. Lilith felt the bloodlust pounding in her veins, lighting her skin on fire as she flipped him over, settling easily onto his chest.

--

The first rays of the sun filtered through the boards on the windows, falling across Lilith?s blood and paint splattered face. She pushed herself up slowly, groaning at the battered state of her body. ?And why can?t I heal in my?? Words cut off as she took in what was left of the Mako beside her. A shiver ran down her spine despite the warmth of the morning. ?Oh, Darkness be merciful.? She breathed, her eyes looking away. The warehouse was huge, and her whispered words echoed off of the walls inside. Violet eyes drifted back down to the form beside her, and she sighed heavily. He attacked her. That?s all she had to remember.

More steady now on her feet, Lilith took a moment to take in her surroundings. The warehouse was three stories tall, and completely gutted. A small idea began to form in the back of her head, an idea too expensive to put into action now. Climbing back out through the boarded up window, she turned to look at the outer walls of the warehouse. It didn?t even look so much like a warehouse as like an antiquated building with a castle-like turret in the back. Mind whirling with plans that might never come to pass, Lilith headed back to the Inn, where a hot shower was awaiting her.

Her pace became more even with every step, as her body healed itself and the stiffness melted away.

?I?ll call it Sanctuary.?

http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss224/luckyduck_jax/Warehouse_2.jpg

http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss224/luckyduck_jax/Warehouse_1.jpg