Alternate Ending

Summary: In this version, Vandal finds an ID and a key to her apartment instead of the note. He decides to go there the same night.

Notes: In my opinion, this is just as bad as the original ending, just in a different way.

After telling Phil to clean the back room, Vandal left for Jane's apartment. She lived downtown, or well at least she used to. Now her home was the cold chamber in the morgue where he had left her.

His car was parked in the parking garage. He got in and checked her ID again. It wasn't all that far. Probably a 40 minute drive. He turned on the radio, typed the address into the GPS on his phone and started his little road trip.

'Hello LA, you're up way past your bedtime. I hope you slipped into something comfortable, I know I have. If you're new to town, or just new to this whole radio thing. You're listening to The Deb of Night. The only girl who will spend the night with you and leave first thing in the morning, guaranteed...'

Vandal had always wondered if Deb was in fact kindred and hired to keep the Masquerade, or if she was just a ghoul. He liked listening to her either way. Most of the time her callers were complete morons. One of the frequent callers however, a guy named Gomez, was the best of them. He called every night without fail. He always came up with conspiracy theories and he wondered where this guy got his info from.

For a while he listened, the radio show only interrupted by the occasional directions from his GPS.

'Money troubles? Need cash quick? Why not try mugging someone? These are exactly the questions the criminals are asking themselves right now! Did you know that the government requires you to wait ten days for a gun? Why in that time a criminal could kill your family fifty times over! So how does a law-abiding citizen like yourself get a theft deterrent system in their hands in the next hour? Come to Loophole Lenny's! We've got antique military weaponry, from blunderbusses to World War 1 grenades. Modern muggers may be stronger and faster than they used to be, but that doesn't mean they can take a slug fired by a civil war era pistol any better. And if you're the kind of person that can't sleep at night, knowing that serial rapists might be in your front yard. We've got German sniper rifles approved by the Kaiser himself that'll make picking them off, one by one, from the safety of your roof no problem. Buy a weapon this month and we'll throw in an ammo belt with the constitution printed on it, free of charge. Loophole Lenny's, defending your tomorrow with the weapons of yesterday, today!'

Vandal laughed out loud at the advertisement. That was hilarious. He might even go there, just for fun.

For a while after the advertisements were over, the station played some music. Some of the songs they played he actually liked and the drive felt shorter than it actually was.

Before long, he took another turn indicated by the GPS and then got the announcement that his destination was on the left side.

He got out and locked his car. As he moved to the complex and checked the door bells he took note that her apartment was on the 3rd floor. He took the stairs up to it.

He was expecting to find it filled with moving boxes, since she had said that she had just moved here. Ironically, as he had first thought she had given him a false name, she hadn't. Her full name was Mary Jane Doe.

He entered the apartment and was immediately greeted by her cat.

He closed the door and hunched down. "Hey Theodore. Your mommy won't be coming home again, you know," he smiled. "I'll make sure you get a new one." He had already made up his mind who he'd bring it to. "You'll get a lot of expensive food there, I'm sure." He petted Theodore and rubbed him behind his ear. "You're just as trusting as your owner used to be," he chuckled, before getting back up.

He had been right. The apartment was filled to the brim with moving boxes. He made his way to the living room first, just to find it almost empty safe for a TV, a sofa and unfilled book shelves.

The only sensible place to check now, was her bedroom. He didn't even know what, or if he was looking for something, other than the carrier he was sure she had for Theodore.

It turned out to be the only room without moving boxes in it. The only one that looked like she hadn't just moved here and was still unpacking. Books were placed neatly on the shelves, and she had painted one of the walls in a midnight blue shade. Or maybe that was how her predecessor had left it. The room was held simple. There were no decorations, but on her desk lay a sketchbook and a letter. To him the letter seemed off.

He went over and picked it up.

'To whomever reads this. My name is Mary Jane Doe, or well it was, since I am probably now no longer alive. I just moved here recently, but even after coming here, I still feel like nothing's ever gonna change. I'm giving it one last try. I'm going to the club in Santa Monica, and if anyone talks to me, I won't jump. If no one wants to hold my hand through this, then I know I'm not worth it after all. That the world will be better off without me. So, to the Cop who probably is reading this right now: Please if you ever find someone sitting alone, looking sad, talk to them so that they don't end up like me. I wasn't strong enough to ask for help, because it scared me… At any rate. Please somebody make sure my cat, Theodore, will get a nice new home. Everything else, I don't care about. So, I guess this is it. Goodbye world. My life is now in its people's hands. And I have a feeling they will let me down.'

He felt strange after he was done reading Jane's letter. He couldn't tell what the faint feeling was, but he felt the slightest sting in his chest. He pocketed the letter, then opened her sketchbook.

It was filled with doodles. All of them as disturbing as the things he had in his head constantly. One of them was of what was probably meant to be Jane, screaming, her head filled with text and images and next to it, she had scribbled 'Make it all stop'.

He pocketed the sketchbook as well and continued to look for Theodore's carrier and finally found it hidden behind a moving box.

After he had put him in, he wiped down everything he had touched in the apartment and then left, unseen by anyone.

Now all he had left to do as drop off Theodore at Mercurio's. He couldn't wait to see his face when he showed up.