Hell and a Side of Meatloaf
Bat out of Hell
It was a job, plain and simple. There hadn't been too many questions asked, nor were most of the questions asked even answered. After so much time out of the picture, the thief really wasn't in any position to complain about her employer's motives. Afterall, the job itself wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Break into a simple jewelry store and steal a dusty amulet of almost no black market value. She didn't care why he wanted it, she didn't even care what it really was, she just cared that he was going to pay her for it. Pay her handsomely.
So that was how she found herself alone, dressed in black and hiding on the rooftop of Townsville's cheapest, least impressive jewelry store on a cold, windy night in November. Shivering slightly as another frigid gale hit her, she tightened her mask a little more and rubbed her arms. Best to get the job over with quickly and discreetly. If she took too long someone would notice. Someone always noticed. And if someone noticed then the girls would show up. And the girls always showed up. Of course, if the girls showed up, she would inevitably lose. She always lost.
"Time to get to work," She whispered under her breath as the lights finally shut out and the owner strolled to his car. She watched him climb in, start the engine...a few minutes passed, he was probably waiting for the car to warm up. Then with a hitch, the ratty old thing took off down the street, probably to a nice warm bed. As desperate as she was for work...right about then a nice warm bed with a giant fluffy comforter sounded just about wonderful. She shook her head and walked to the back end of the roof, sliding down the gutter and landing daintily on the only window sill in back.
"I'm almost insulted...this is going to be too easy," She muttered, attaching a claw to one of her gloves and slicing a hole just large enough for her to fit through in the window. Gently she slid the glass circle out, setting it aside and gingerly working her way into the window. She landed on the bathroom sink and slid a pair of night vision goggles into place, turning them on and observing the sea of green around her. The thief nodded and carefully climbed down, pulling open the door slowly, wincing when it uttered just a hint of a creak.
Peering outside she spotted the main room of the store. She shook her head, once again realizing just how pathetically small the scene of her crime was. The thief crawled to the edge of the small hallway leading to the bathroom and peaked around the corner. The giant glass windows had been covered by thick, gray blinds. Probably an effort to detract would-be thieves. Or in this case a certainly-is thief. She shook her head and took out a canister, thinly spraying the area around her. She had to frown and utter a slight groan. There weren't even laser detectors guarding the store. It really wasn't a place anyone would rob. It looked more like a bad yard sale than a jewelry store.
"Screw subtlety..." The thief stood up and strolled out into the center of the room, hands on her hips as she looked around. Nothing was protecting the store except the locked door itself. It was a wonder her employer didn't just snatch the amulet himself.
"Just think of the money, just about the money," The thief had been scoping out the store for several days now, and knew very well that there weren't even security cameras guarding the place. She walked up to the case holding the amulet, intentionally adding more to the sway of her hips as she went.
There it was, her prize. A moldy looking, dull copper amulet. The cheap antique was bent and dented, barely retaining its original oval shape. It had a rusted chain attached to it, and about the only thing of interest—beyond the thick coating of dirt and grime—was a single archaic symbol chiseled into the front. The thief rolled her eyes and re-equipped the claw on her finger. Her employer probably wanted it for some bogus magic spell or something. She cut a hole just large enough for her fist to fit through on the top of the case and moved the glass away gently. No alarms. She reached into the case and grabbed the amulet with just two fingers. Still no alarm. She narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, slowly lifting it off the ratty pillow it was positioned on. No alarms. The thief sighed and just jerked the amulet out, knocking over and smashing the case. No alarms sounded.
"Is this a joke? Seriously...why in the world did he need me to get this?" The thief looked down at her stolen good, walking back to the bathroom to leave. She didn't even bother shutting the door to the bathroom, though she did exit through the hole she'd cut. Once on top of the roof again she took a moment to glance at her watch. Three minutes and fifty-seven...fifty-eight seconds after getting inside. Her easiest heist of all time.
"Oh well...at least I can buy groceries now..." The thief left the building from a different side, uncovering her get away ride, a silver and black Phantom motorcycle. The thief tucked her prize away in a pouch on her leg and hopped onto her bike, looking around cautiously before starting up her ride and hurrying on her way. After she was a safe enough distance from the jewelry store, the thief finally took off her mask, stuffing it and her goggles into the pocket on the side of her bike.
"I cannot believe I was hired for such child's play! I might be in a slump right now, but I still have some pride!" Sedusa hissed, glaring as she made a sharp turn. Her employer was in Citysville, that might have been part of the reason she was hired. It didn't explain everything though. A lot of the questions she had asked, she now wished she had pressed for real answers. Sedusa saw the bridge coming into view and yawned, shaking her head.
"Stay awake Abby...the job is almost done then you can get back home," Home, a third rate apartment in the more rundown side of town that Townsville tried to ignore existing. Just a few more hours and she could be home to her nice warm bed. A single with thin sheets and two flat pillows. Her nice, wonderful bed. Sedusa shook her head and yawned again. Driving always had been a cure for insomnia. The trip was uneventful. A few times she had to dodge the occasional cop, not that they were really looking for her. And a few times she needed to swerve away from an oncoming car, but in no time she'd reached her employer's home, or at least the place where he had agreed to meet her to make the transfer.
Sedusa parked her bike around the corner, making sure it was carefully hidden as well as she could manage. Typically when she was arrested she had most of her possessions confiscated. The bike had been the one thing she'd held onto consistently. Nodding at her handiwork, and making sure she had her prize in hand, Sedusa headed around back and slipped into the conspicuously unlocked back door. The lobby was dark and deserted. Also, like most things in Citysville, it was a complete dump. Sedusa ran a hand through her hair as she headed to the elevator. As she reached out to push the down button she paused, pursing her lips. She turned on her heel and started up the stairs. He wanted to meet on the top floor in room 14B. She'd just walk it, it'd be easier to stay awake that way.
"He had better pray he's got the money he promise...my rent is due tomorrow," Sedusa whispered, her voice becoming a slight whine at the end. As evil and villainous as she was, her landlord was a thousand times worse. Some days she'd rather be a tenant for the devil than that woman. Sedusa stifled a yawn as she reached the floor and began walking down the hall. She paused as she passed by 13B. She could hear voices just ahead. She noticed the door was just slightly cracked. Glancing around and confirming that she was still alone, Sedusa crept up to the door, kneeling beneath the peep hole, and leaned as close as she dared to the crack.
"She should be here soon...are you sure we can trust this broad?" Sedusa narrowed her eyes, hearing the chuckling response. It was her employer.
"Of course not...you know how 'they' are. As soon as we have the amulet, she'll take a nice long nap," Sedusa winced and growled silently. Her hair began to writhe subconsciously. She froze when she heard a new voice, a very deep one.
"I heard an engine downstairs, should I just go get it?" Sedusa slid back a few inches, her eyes twitching. Her employer chuckled again.
"Relax everyone...you're making this woman out to be some kind of threat. She doesn't know anything, I told you to just trust me," Sedusa glanced back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She began to slowly back away until she was well away from the door. Then as quietly as she could she slipped around to the stairs, picking up her pace a little when she heard the door open just as she was out of sight. The voice she heard behind her was a low hiss, but still somehow carried in the silent building.
"I heard something out here...I'm going to check it out," Sedusa continued to hurry down the stairs, her heart pounding faster and faster as she heard the owner of the voice gaining on her. She threw caution to the wind and took off running. This time the voice was loud and clear, a booming growl shaking the staircase.
"She's getting away! She heard us, stop her!" Now Sedusa was panicking. The figure was gaining on her, moving with unreal speed. It almost sounded like...like he was running on the walls. Chancing a glance over her shoulder as she reached the back door, Sedusa saw a glistening pair of teal eyes gleaming at her in the darkness. She didn't bother too look closer, she just slammed the door and hopped on her bike starting it and taking off, just as the door smashed and the man who was pursuing her came out to the night. Sedusa didn't dare look over her shoulder, she just gunned the engine and hurried toward the Citysville bridge as fast as her bike could manage.
"What the?!" Sedusa glanced over her shoulder, gasping when she saw something gigantic tear through the side of the apartment building and hit the street. And she could see those gleaming teal eyes gaining on her, that thing was catching up to her bike! Sedusa turned around a sharp corner, her bike almost spinning out of control. As she took off down the street she felt something fly by and turned to see a previously parked car rolling across the street away from her and smashing through a store window.
"Faster, c'mon baby, you can do it! Do it for Mommy, just a little bit faster!" Sedusa could see the bridge in the distance, she was almost out of Citysville. Glancing back one more time, she shrieked and her hair shot out, smacking aside a stop sign that had been hurtling at her like a buzzsaw. She gasped, watching the teal eyed assailant begin to come around the corner. Sedusa turned back and faced down the bridge .If she could just make it to Townsville she might have a better chance of escaping. At least there these goons couldn't just smash through the streets without alerting the-
Sedusa forgot to scream when something hit the side of her bike and sent it spinning out of control, slamming into the side of the bridge, throwing her off and over the side. She weakly opened her eyes and looked up, blacking out when her back crashed into the water below. Sedusa sank deeper and deeper into the river, being quickly carried away by the current. Back on the bridge the teal-eyed creature had finally caught up with the bike and was checking it wildly. He was soon joined by five other figures, his booming voice getting louder and heavier.
"It's not here! The bitch still has it! The bitch still has it! I swear by all that's evil and unholy I'm going to rip her apart!" Sedusa's employer stepped forward, putting a hand on his companion's shoulder. The teal-eyed man calmed down, halting his regression into a less human appearance.
"Calm down, she's probably dead. They aren't terribly durable, you know?" He leaned on the side of the bridge, whistling and wiping away the trails of blood Sedusa had left behind when she was sent flying over the edge. "A very nice shot though...you almost hit her," The large man in the back snorted and crossed his arms, looking back at the chase scene. A smaller member of the crew approached him and rubbed her chin.
"We should take care of this...we don't want those three getting in on this," The employer looked back at the damage and shrugged.
"Why it doesn't really make that much a difference...and yet, that would probably be the wisest choice...no use alarming him either," The others nodded and began to walk away from the scene. The employer leaned on the railing and laced his fingers, resting his chin on them. "My dear, you really should have just given me what I commissioned you to acquire," He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He put his hands in his pockets and walked off to join the others. They had cleaning to do.
Sedusa washed up to the surface, floating down the river and heading towards Townsville Bay. As she brushed against the shore, a shadow passed overhead, a red mist following her. A claw extended from the mist and caught her by the hair, hefting her onto the shoreline. A sinister figure emerged from the mist. Stroking his goatee, he cocked his head to the side, clacking his tongue.
"Now what in the world would they want with you, my dear?" The demon looked Sedusa over, looking for any pockets or pouches on her outfit. He beamed upon noticing the pouch on her leg and popped it open, sticking a claw in. He hissed and pulled his claw back, kissing it and glaring at the pouch.
"What the? What could you possibly have that..." Him crouched down and held the pouch open, peering inside. He could make out something, but it wasn't very well lit. He stroked his goatee, then flicked his wrist causing a flashlight to appear in his claw. Clicking it on he peered inside and stared at the contents. A dusty old amulet that looked like it had definitely seen better days. Him's eyes widened and he quickly stood up, one claw behind his back while tapping his lips with his other claw.
"Oh dear, oh deary, deary, dear...if that's what I think it is..." Him blinked and grinned clasping his claws in front of his face and leering at Sedusa. "Oh my dear little vixen, you haven't a clue what you've found, do you? Oh how you have been played," He chided in a sing-song voice. Him giggled and knelt over, lifting Sedusa into his arms, leering at her. He closed the pouch, making sure to keep his claws far away from the contents.
"Let us get you somewhere nice and safe...we can discuss your little trinket when you wake up, wouldn't want you to fall into their hands now would we?" Him cackled as a red mist whipped up around him and the seductress, whisking them away to his home.