(A/N:OK Please read, enjoy, review. Even the smallest of reviews warms my day & pushes me to write more. A/N from Ch 1 applies.)
John returned to his room as Edge & Christian were packing up.
"Good I was worried we would need to leave without you." Edge told him.
"I am sorry I didn't realize we had to hit the road so early."
"It's ok John. Everything good?"
"Yes & no."
"Why no?"
"Randy hoped you seeing I was fine would permit us more time together. Of course with my roster change that won't be possible."
"Well that is just work."
"I am scared there is more going on."
"Like what?"
"Just how defeated he looked when I got to his room. Edge, Randy is a broken being."
"Not much I can do about that. I can not invite him in…Grel exiled him with what he feels is good cause."
"I know…but…"
"There is no but in this case, he has already attacked me."
"I think there may be more but I am not sure."
"Like what?"
"Not sure…he had a small padded bag in the room. I accidentally stepped on it this morning & something broke in it. It gave off an odd scent, blood…but not pure, there was something off with it. It was almost putrid to me, like it went bad."
John saw Edge & Christian exchange looks. "What is it?"
"Not sure John…unless one of us can actually smell it…" Christian told him as he lifted his bags up.
"Well even a guess?" John grabs his things.
"The closest thing we have to compare it to you would understand is a drug. It is even more potent then if we were to feed from a drunk or drugged up person."
"There is such a thing?"
"Yeah…but it can become addictive & dangerous. Some will space out, others will freak out on it, you know black out but still be doing shit, then when they snap out of it they don't remember it."
"Yo-you really think that might be what I smelled in Randy's room."
"Who knows we'll talk to Hunter & Ric at the next stop."
"OK…" John tried not to be worried as they headed out for the long drive.
Hunter & Ric hated to admit they were clueless about the situation. Randy seemed fine at work & that was the only time they really dealt with him anymore. They said they would try to be more on guard. John hated needing to be on guard around Randy…that was when he even could be around him. For now nothing was said to Grel because for all they knew that could make Randy seem more of a threat. Edge & Christian had sadly dealt with other vampires that were juiced up on altered blood before.
A few weeks had passed & Randy was still slipping off on his own to track down his fixes. Any he carried with him he learned to be more careful of. He was excited for the next pay per view only to find John was not on the card & would be away. After the show & a hard fought match as they were working on building him up to become the champion he slipped off to a hide-out he found out about. He walked in & headed for the door all of them had.
The caretaker looked him over. "What your poison?"
"Normally C-12...I want something stronger tonight."
"You sure?"
"Yep…"
"Fine…your normal fee for tonight." Randy pulled out the $50 & he was handed an unmarked tube as normal. He moved to a single over stuffed chair & sat down as he opened the vial downing the contents. As normal his head leaned back as a thick fog entered him mind sweeping him off to the normal void.
Next he knew he was standing in a hotel suite. The smell of blood hung heavy in the air. He looked one way then the other, blood splattered the walls, looking down he saw blood coating his hands like a second skin, his nails were long & pointed like claws. Also a body laid in a heap as his feet. The body was that of Edge, he was unsure how he felt seeing it…him. He began to move around the large room. Christian laid on the couch his neck & chest torn open, the look of pain etched on his face.
Moving into a different part of the large suite he saw Hunter's body draped over Ric's as if trying to protect the elder member. The side is Hunters neck torn open.
"Edge?!….What happened…Edge talk to me…" John's voice was heard from the room he just left. He turned towards the door heading back out. He saw John standing up from the floor next to where Edge's body was left. "Randy?! Wh-what is going on? What did you do?"
He spoke no words but moved towards John. The larger man backed away & moved to defend himself. "Snap out of it…talk to me…what happened…try to explain to me." His eyes shined of fear & disbelief.
He lunged for John pinning him to a wall. Without thought he was soon treated as the others. Randy felt nothing the whole time, just emptiness he fought to fill. As John's blood flooded his body his world came crashing back down into darkness.
When Randy's head cleared he was back in the room at the bar. He looked around full of fear. He moved to get up, feeling shaky on his feet he had to leave. He had to figure out what caused him to snap…was it the blood…was it depression…he needed an answer. His feelings & visions were normally right…would he being about the death of the nest…everyone of the nest…including John?