Order 38: Skey's Family of Friends
Apartment Building Hallway. 9:05 A.M.
Frou led Skey into the red brick apartment complex. No one dared to live in these rooms but the whores themselves. The landlord of the place made the whores pay a monthly fee for them to use the apartment rooms for their business and living. Skey remembered this place so well. Nothing had changed about the ruddy place. The stairs still wailed and cried with dying creaks, the walls were stained with blotches of who knew what anymore and there was the occasional rat and mouse that would scurry across the floor, themselves afraid of getting stuck in the sticky unknown substances of the floors. Commotion echoed from upstairs, fake throes of depressed ecstasy. The three headed up the dying stairs. The lights were dim of course, no one ever bothering to clean the glass light covers of the dust and dead insects. The hallways felt narrower than before... closing in. Frou went past a few closed rooms, moans of the harlot reverberating from the enclosed pockets of hell. Skey wished to never venture into those pockets ever again.
" So...what's been going on without me?"
" (Frou leads them all into her 'room'.) Well, nothing much...the same shit as always. We thought someone kidnapped you that night. Well, technically, we're right in a way (laughs) But it doesn't seem like it was so bad!"
" No...no it doesn't."
No it wasn't at all. What they viewed as kidnapping, Skey viewed as being saved. The girls all settled down into their chosen spot to stay. Just then, two girls came into the room, carrying their haughty stride and boasting smirks. They hadn't seen the new person in the room yet. Katrina and Frou stood up with wide smiles and jumped up and down in their ridiculously high heels. Skey recognized the women too and smiled.
" Did anyone notice the priest outside this apartment building?"
" Genie! Tyra! Look who's here! Skey's back!"
Tyra's head jerked around, her eyes becoming drawn to the presence of a stronger, more prominent Skey. The one woman that most customers requested for and the one most young ones looked up to...was back! It was thought she had died. For a whole year there had been no record of her death or disappearance. It was as if a strange wind had come and picked her up without anyone's knowledge. Genie rushed over and gathered Skey up into her fair colored arms.Both hugged and it drew the other three to come and all give a group hug. The girls giggled like school girls, all happy to know they were united once again. To the five girls, this was like a family reunion. Even Skey had forgot about the Vatican, the necessity to hunt vampires and follow God because of this tear jerking reunion. But...it settled back into her once she realized that this family of girls, the ones who took her in and was there for her...that these were the girls she served in protecting from the demons of hell. Though she may not be with them everyday and night, she still served themand protected them but from far away.
" Skey! My God! Look at you!"
The girls stepped away from Skey as Tyra looked her over in admiration. Before, Skey had been a bit lanky yet still sensual to mens' sight. Now...she was a full figure with perfectly shaped thighs, busty chest and a golden tint of skin. She had become a trimmed and stronger woman than before. Skey herself was vibrant. The clothes didn't make her the vivid color as they did for Tyra. Then Tyra saw the silver cross and it came together...
" Ah, I'm taking it that priest out there is your guardian now or something? The Vatican took you in?"
Skey scratched the back of her head in nervousness. Skey knew good and well Tyra had a thing against Catholics. When she was a little girl, a priest had molested her and the depression shook her...making her run away. Her family hadn't believed her. That was how she ended up working the streets.
" Uh, yeah. But they're taking good care of me. They got me off the heroin, gave me a lot of nutrition and exercise to recover my body. The one that rescued me is the same priest out there. He's accompanying me...see, I'm going to go visit my foster parents."
A silence reigned the four girls. They were aware of her foster parents and what they had did to her. After all the stuff they had put Skey through, they all wondered why she would even return to them. There had to be a reason.
" Why you going to them?"
" That's my own affair..."
Outside, Anderson waited patiently. People did give him an eye or two, wondering what a priest would be doing in this part of the city. He had the idea to walk into the building and get Skey to remind her what her priority was, but for him to walk into a whore's apartment...well, it wouldn't look good at all. Laughter could be heard from an open window and distinctly he could hear Skey's voice. Anderson glanced around the sidewalk, looking for something that was small. A small broken piece of concrete laid in the drenched gutter. He crouched down and picked up the wet rock, stood and turned to the building. He aimed and threw the rock inside the window perfectly. Apparently he hit someone, a mellow yell shouted from inside. A girl poked her head out the window. She was a thin looking black girl with a mean look on her face.
" Don't throw rocks!"
" Aye, Ah'm sorry! Tell Skey tae hurry up!"
Tyra retreated back into the room and looked to Skey. The girls heard the priest and whined. They didn't want Skey to leave so soon. Skey stood and gave them all hugs and promises of a return.
" I will not be around tomorrow and I got some other things to take care of today. But I promise, I will come back for you all. We'll meet, get caught up on everything and then we can go out to eat. "
The other girls said their goodbyes and Skey started out of the room and down the rickety, rotten staircase that groaned. Tyra followed, running after her. Skey only had come halfway down the stairs when Tyra met up with her. Skey turned to see a distraught look on her face. A whore and her john passed them up silently and to one of the pockets of hell upstairs. Tyra whispered to her quietly, not wanting anyone around to hear what she had to say. What caught Tyra's eye when she saw Skey was the trench coat she was wearing and the cross. An obvious sign she worked for the Vatican but only a few ever wore those coats and brandished swords or any kind of weapon. Tyra had once seen a monster with horrible fangs and a man in the same fashion of coat obliterate it, turning it to dust with the shot of a bullet. Did the Vatican hold or practice some kind of 'holy' witchery?
" Skey...why do you wear that coat?"
" Well, it was given to me by-"
" Skey...I've seen priests and sisters run around in these coats before. You hardly see them if ever. They only come out at night to brandish their weapons against some kind of night monster...vampires. I've seen one before, Skey. I've seen a priest before chase one and kill it with silver bullets. Skey...who are they and why are you associated with them?"
Skey couldn't believe what she was hearing from Tyra. The woman sought for an explanation, one which was deemed to always be kept as secret as possible from civilians. Whores talked too. Skey knew how gossipy they got, how news spread but all her life she's known Tyra, the woman had never lied and barked a secret before. God willing, maybe she could keep this secret until she entered her grave.
" Tyra...they're really part of the Vatican. They work to kill demons, vampires, pagans and anyone who would dare to question Catholicism. We work to keep Vatican City and Italy free of vampires and their cursed existence. That is my purpose to live now as it is for all the members of Section XIII. We live to kill vampires, then to die and go to hell in Cabal and do battle with the demons there. Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. All I have said is truth, but you cannot tell anyone that these creatures we dream of really exist in our plane of reality, in our precious world. Tyra, turn to God whenever you feel vulnerable against the darkness...You may be a whore, but remember our lord and savior, Jesus, had forgiven one before. Don't let your past interfere with your faith in God."
Tears were welling up in Tyra's eyes. The woman hugged Skey and cried on her shoulder. Skey hugged her close and whispered a prayer just for her.
" But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." †
Skey left the building and Tyra who stood by the door to see her off. Anderson stood up from sitting on the cold steps. the two walked down the streets with the clouds still hanging over the country. Skey smiled as she realized how far she had come. The day she was sent on her first assignment alone and showed the courage of being able to handle the vampire there. The immortal insecurity she had felt since she came to the Vatican. Meeting Malakai in London. Becoming so obsessed with getting stronger and caving in to do the regenerating experiment...and now here she was in a short summary. Now, she stood stronger than before, was finding confidence with ease and starting to get the hang of life. Faith in God had been renewed and she looked to the sky, smiling with the placidity of an angel. for most of her life, she scorned his name, swore it every chance she got but now she begged forgiveness from Him for ever doubting his intentions for her.
" I have come to know that you are able to do all things, and there is no idea that is unattainable for you." ²
Maxwell's Office. 9:30 A.M.
Maxwell was anticipating tomorrow night. He didn't need Integra to nag him on about the security and necessity to be prepared for anything. Everything was now getting done and in swell time. News was reporting that by tomorrow night the storm's main force will hit Vatican City and Rome. Maxwell laughed at the irony. While nature would rain upon them nutrience for the soil, so would the blood of darkness being slain. God's fury would rain down full force upon the vampires and obliterate them all in holy justice. Maxwell, fearful at first what may happen, begun to liken to the idea of finally exercising his organization's true and full power. He could see it now...flames of war, the clashing of swords, the cries of the dying. Never having been in a real war or battle himself, he could imagine it quite well to what it would be like.
" They will be judged and found guilty of working against God. Those damn blasphemous creatures of the night...we've worked for centuries to rid this planet of their scum. And now, the majority of covens around the world come now to us, flock to the slaughter! How fortunate for us...that we do not have to hunt across the world."
Maxwell stood and left his roomy office to walk the hallways. Agents of Helling and of Iscariot were standing in their places. Knowing the vampires' speed and knowledge it was best to keep the best on the inside of the Vatican. The ones who would stand guard outside were not the best in the agencies, but they were still fierce agents who were good at their jobs. Maxwell walked confidentally through the hallways as he went to go into the gardens himself and enjoy the cool, crisp air of the creeping storm.
† - Hebrews 11:6
² - Job 42:2
