Chapter Four
Sleep didn't come quickly. In fact Wesley and Angel were starting to nod off themselves when suddenly Susan sat up. The quick motion made both men straighten up in a startled manner. Susan reached over and planted a deep and intrusive kiss on Angel. He pulled back, but her strength was unbelievable. She leaned back letting herself slide to the couch. Sure enough, the eyes told the tale, for there were those black voids once again.
"So what is this? The little hussy. I must have been so good that she is wanting more! Bitch!" An invisible backhand sent Susan flying off of the couch.
"Wait, I need to talk to you, Solcapprodee!" Angel shouted.
"My aren't you a smart lad, my congratulations! But I'm not Rumplestiltskin ... you don't get the baby back for naming me!"
"What are you doing this for?"
"You've got the information ... I am sure off of the Internet. I have surfed the web myself. Pretty good article, if I do say so!"
"Eed or cap los"
"Come in here and say that big boy!" She said in a very sexually enticing manner, "But you know how dangerous that is." The look of Susan's face was that of complete satisfaction. "I'm not ready yet. Everything isn't quite complete, but another couple of days and I can set up residence for a decade or more. She's not quite as young as I like 'em, but she has influenced a lot of people, and she was ripe for the picking." If anyone was full of himself Solcapprodee was certainly showing it now.
Wesley was going to try to stop Angel's reaction but was a step too late. "You're going down you bastard!" The vampire in him showing a little as his eyes turned a hint of yellow. This really made him angry. He grabbed Susan's shoulders looking into those voids for eyes. She looked from shoulder to shoulder then back to Angel.
"What are you anyway?" she questioned. "You are certainly not human. Thanks for the warning!" Suddenly she let fly with a strong right fist across his jaw, which sent Angel flying a good ten feet. "Sorry I can't stay for the party."
Wesley took a couple of steps toward her but stopped when she looked at him. "You next honey?"
Cordy swung open the door in time for Susan to rush past stopping only long enough to place a hand on the assistant's cheek. "Sorry you're not my type, sweetie."
A small pile of freshly dried and folded clothes sat on the small couch. "Oh good, I don't have to look for this," she said grabbing the red nightgown, "it's kind of important." Without stopping she walked straight out the main door. Angel got there almost as fast, but it was as if she vanished into the night.
"This is bad, very bad", Wesley sighed.
The next two hours were spent driving the streets in Angel's black convertible but they had no luck finding their client. "This is getting us no where," Angel stated, "We better go back to the office... Cordelia may have some news."
"Hopefully Susan will wake up and get back to the office," Wesley nodded, "Solcapprodee did say that he needed more time ... two days."
"Susy could be beaten beyond repair by then. We have got to find her now!"
Back at the office Cordelia was listening to the recording that Wes had made during their conversation with Susan.
"Heard anything?" Angel asked as they both came in through the main door.
"She's not with you?" Cordy looked up from the notes she was making. "Maybe this will help. Susan said that Sol set up the place they went to before hand. It must be a special place, maybe he would take her back there."
"Well, that's more than we've had to go on," Angel said eagerly. "What did she say about this place?"
"It is on a quiet area on the bay, walking distance from "The Red Tie Restaurant." The Red Otter Bay is close by and what do you want to bet she is wearing the red gown on the red blanket on some beach called the red something or other!"
Wesley in an instant had a map of the area on the desk. "You're right, here is Red Rock Beach."
"Let's get going!" Angel said on his was out the door.
It took almost three quarters of an hour to get to the bay. There was a lot of rock to get from the road to the water so that explained the quiet location. "You have any cloven-hoofed friends who could help us look?" Cordy asked trying to lighten the mood a little.
Wesley looked ever the area. "We better split up from here. The area isn't really that big so a shout should be heard from almost anywhere."
The shout came about twenty minutes later. Cordelia happened along a path winding its way through the rocks. Obviously in the past it had been used a lot, but with the amount of uncrushed leaves and twigs lining the path it would have been observed by an experienced person to be almost unused. To Cordy it meant a much easier route to travel on. The path was taking her further away from the beach. She was starting to think it would be better to turn around when she put out her hand on a rock that felt wet and sticky. Cordy shone the flashlight on her fingers which were marked with what appeared to be blood, She turned the light to try and look further ahead. It seemed to be just more and more rock until the light shone on something that glimmered back. What ever it was, it certainly didn't belong with the rocks. The object drew Cordy closer although she hesitated not knowing what she would find. Should she say something so she wouldn't surprise what was ahead, or should she try to sneak up on it. After a second of thought she decided that maybe making sound was better. She started to hum "Amazing Grace," a little louder than to herself. She walked slower than before. For some unknown reason this place felt very uncomfortable. As she walked closer Cordy realized that the thing that appeared shiny in the light was a red candle melted down into just a hard pool of wax. The flashlight followed along the rock to another melted candle. Cordy put her hand on the rock beside her and almost screamed when she touched something soft and out of the ordinary. In the light she realized she had found the red blanket. It covered a large rock, but to her it looked something like an alter. This was the place where the possession had taken place and that frightened her. Suddenly she noticed Angel's black t-shirt and jeans on the rock and knew Susan had been there again. She started to shout for the others when she saw a woman's hand on the other side of the rock and heard a very faint, "It's me."
Cordelia yelled at the others as loud as possible and saw Angel making his way quickly over the rocks.
Wearing the red gown, Susan lay on the ground behind the large rock. It seemed to take almost all of her energy just to look up at Cordy and say, "Thank God you found me." She appeared to have been beaten very badly and the ground around her was marked with blood. Cordy realized that each foot was cut from toe to heel, no doubt so Susan couldn't run away. She reached to touch her ankle but Susan let out a loud moan and almost instantly a burn blister grew where Cordy's fingers had touched. Angel finally reached the alter. "She's really hurt bad," Cordy whispered.
"That son-of-a-bitch! I didn't think she could have been beaten much worse." Angel knelt down beside her and gently touched the injuries, checking how bad the damage was.
"I burnt her ankle," Cordy was almost in tears, "How can anything be so cruel?"
"Even humans can be this cruel, I've seen it before." Angel helped Susan to sit up. "I better take you home. I'll try not to hurt you when I pick you up." Other than letting her breath out in a rush Susan never uttered a sound as he rose to a standing position. "You okay?"
Avoiding the answer she replied, "I love your cologne."
They met Wesley part way up the path and were able to follow it all the way back to the parking lot. The entrance had been hidden by some shrubs, which meant that in all likelihood few people knew of it.
"Should we go to the emergency?" Wesley asked as he drove out of the parking lot.
"We'd never be able to explain this," Cordy remarked.
"A doctor wouldn't be able to touch her anyway. There is a lot we wouldn't be able to explain. We best go home." Angel continued, "I know someone who might be able to help."
By this time the sun was just starting to show a little pink in the sky. The rest of the drive was done in silence. Everyone was starting to wonder just how this was going to end. There really wasn't a lot of time left.