STIGMA 1.5
Long Hard Road Out of Hell
Chapter 4 Alex – Wandering In the Sunlight
It was just before dawn that I set off on my bike to Redgrave. The road was empty and if the weather forecasts were anything to go by it was going to be a nice morning for a ride.
I zipped up my black leather jacket and put my helmet on. It was time to ride.
My thoughts cast back to my practice session with Vergil last night; him practically pinning me against the wall and always getting far closer than I was prepared to let him. It was strange. He always kept himself so distant but occasionally he seemed to want to be close to me. Stranger still I think I may have enjoyed it.
"Don't be absurd, Alex." I muttered to myself. "This is Vergil we're talking about here."
The sound of the engine was loud enough to distract me from my thoughts and I took off. First through the gates of STIGMA and then onto the open road. The feeling of absolute freedom overtook me and I sped up. The engine black and red Ducati Monster 796 was opening up and taking me away from the mental clutter.
It was about nine when I arrived in Redgrave. I rode through the backstreets as I always did, now knowing each of them by heart. This town had seemed to get inside my head and now it felt like home.
To the average person this town just seemed like a haven for drifters, bounty hunters and criminals. But for those who saw beneath the surface, those whose lives had been affected by the supernatural this was home. It was a reminder of a very harsh lesson that all STIGMA field staff learned; once you were a part of this world you couldn't ever go back. You were a part of something that was bigger than the shiny clean human world.
For us this was where we fitted in the most. In here we weren't the weird kids.
I approached Devil May Cry. The shop entrance had been replaced since the last time I had been there. The sign on top was the same as always.
I parked the bike and opened the door.
"Don't you ever knock?"
I grinned. "Don't you have locks?"
Dante was sitting behind the desk; a usual position for him. He didn't even look at me. His eyes were closed.
"Is there anything I need to lock my door for?"
"Good point." I sat down on the red leather lounge. "What do you know about fairies?"
"Pesky, untrustworthy but easy to kill if you have the right tools for the job."
I nodded. "Iron should do the trick but that's not what I'm intending. I've heard there's an inn not far from here. We've had intel there's a fairy there. We're not sure what he's doing here or why. I've been ordered to observe and document."
"Standard STIGMA bullshit then."
"Yeah well that's life." I stood up. "Do you know anything about this?"
Dante walked to the window. "It's not a job I've been involved with but word of anything new surrounding us does travel fast around here." He then sat down across from me. "He goes by the name Terrence but I would guess that's just an alias. He's a jazz musician. Plays in the local bar. Keeps to himself. But even the lowest of the low will take notice when a fae walks into town."
"I see." I stood up. "I'll organize payment when I get back to STIGMA. Usual rates okay?"
Dante nodded. I walked to the door and pulled the door.
"Be careful, Alex. The fae are more dangerous than they seem." I smiled.
"You too."
