Chapter 4, Danny meets Pixie and learns more about The Guide, action, woo!
Same disclaimers, more OC's er , no shipping, no pairing, just so you all know, my OC's arent set up to pair with the main chracters.
Love the reviews, Please keep Reviewing.!
xxxxxx
She stood watching him approach, her face a mix of amusement, mild surprise and genuine curiosity. She didn't look scared of the strange man who had yelled her name across a rain soaked street at three am.
As Danny got closer, he saw the butterfly knife she held bare in her hand, the glint in her eye that promise that she would use it if she felt she needed to. "I'm a cop" Danny said, holding his badge up for her to see, already soaked through by the ceaseless ever falling rain.
"Oh" Pixie gave him a lilting smile, but she didn't put the knife away.
"I'm not here to hurt you" Danny assured her "Do you remember me from last night?"
"Sure" she nodded once, slowly "Window guy" she stated.
Her black hair was, where it wasn't hidden beneath a hood, plastered against her head, her pale skin. Up close she stood about 5'4, looked to be at least 20.
"Yeah, but I usually go by Danny" Danny ran a hand through his now damp hair, giving her a small smile.
"You want something?" Pixie's accent was as distinctly New Yorkan as Danny's "I'm not a pro" she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah I guessed that…you went by here yesterday, with a girl" Danny stated, squinting in the rain.
"Dis" Pixie told him "She called her self, Dissss" she drew out the 'S' seeming to savour the sound.
"Dis…what does that mean?" Danny asked her.
"Dis…disappointment, disappear, disused…Did" Pixie shrugged "Dis, its….a negative"
"her family called her Chelsea" Danny told her.
He was shivering and the movement made his ribs ache.
"Called…what happened?" She frowned slightly, stepping minutely closer to him.
"You tell me, near as I know you where the last person seen with her" Danny said through chattering teeth.
"Come with me?" she asked.
"Where?" Danny frowned.
She gave him a smirk and rolled her eyes, walking off in the direction she'd been heading. She flicked the blade of her knife back in and slipped her hands in her pocket, keeping them there, keeping the blade at hand.
Danny followed her, figuring her route out quickly as she approached a brightly lit 24 hour diner
"I know this joint" Danny muttered as he followed Pixie inside.
She walked over to the counter, leaning forward to talk to the bored looking kid standing behind it.
"Can I get a burger with everything and extra fries?" she asked coolly "You want anything?" She glanced back at Danny.
He knew the restaurant from his wanderings around his neighbourhood, knew their food was good food. "Can I get a chilli dog?" he smirked.
Pixie relayed the order and walked over to a booth, sliding in and pulling her knees up so she seemed huddled by the window.
Danny slid in opposite her. "So what happened to Dis?" Pixie asked.
Her eyes where a vibrant green under the bright lights, framed by smudged black mascara, eye shadow and liner.
"You bring her here?" Danny asked.
"She was veggie, they do a great veggie burger" Pix said by way of explanation.
"Did she leave here with you?" Danny asked.
"Nope, I wanted dessert, she said she had some place to be" Pixie shrugged "You can ask bean pole behind the counter, I stayed" she pointed to the lanky, sullen faced kid.
"Where did she go?" Danny asked as the teen carried their food over.
"I think she was meeting that ass wipe Guide" Pixie picked at a fry, "But like I said, what's happened to Dis?" she said the last with emphasis, indicating she wouldn't answer any more questions.
"She's dead. She was suffocated to death and her throat was cut" Danny said bluntly.
Pixie raised an eye brow as she took a bite of her burger.
Danny started in on his chilli dog as she quietly ate at least half the burger before setting it down, folding her arms on the table.
"Who did it?" she asked, seeming to have to make an effort to keep calm.
"Some people think you" Danny told her.
"I might be strong but I couldn't have suffocated Dis" Pixie stated.
"That's what we figured, so we're wondering who, hoped you might have an idea" Danny told her.
He wasn't sure why, but he trusted her. He couldn't tell if it was just the honesty he could see, in here eyes, or the confidence with which she said it. She could be faking, he knew, she could be an expert con artist. But he didn't think she was. He didn't feel she was a bad person. Odd maybe, but not bad.
"You're a cop who doesn't sleep?" Pixie asked "Surely that's damaging to how well you work"
"I manage. You sleep at all?" he asked.
She gave him a small smile and a gallic shrug.
Danny sighed "You got any idea who killed your friend? She wasn't the first"
"She wasn't my friend" Pixie stated.
Danny cocked his head to the side "Fine. Some one killed the girl you where with last night. Do you know who did it?"
"You should come to a meeting" Pixie said "Once you get over the whole wannabe vampire goth crap, they're a pretty decent bunch of people, just looking for friends" she gave a slightly sad smile, then smirked, snickering.
"They're good people but jesus that was cheesy" she laughed.
Danny smiled "Where do you live in daytime?" he continued eating his food.
"Where ever" she shrugged cryptically.
Danny sighed again "The cryptic shit's getting old" he stated.
"You want to know who I suspect killed Dis? And all the others" She said.
"You know about the others…I only said Chelsea wasn't the first, she could have been the second" Danny pulled that old cop trick, feeling a glimmer of amusment that he seemed to be referancing Dick Tracy.
"Un like the dummies at the club, I pay attention to the news, to shit that happens in the day…I also have a better idea of who at the group was who. Dis was killed by the same guy who killed at least six other people, who killed Cherry…who killed my friend two months ago" Pixie was hissing under her breath as if to keep from shouting.
"Cherry…the Drag Queen?" Danny asked.
"My friend" Pixie said sadly.
"Who?" Danny asked.
"Finish your food, and I'll take you" she stated.
Danny frowned but she ignored him, and went back to her burger.
They where walking through a narrow alley way, Danny having to duck slightly to avoid low hanging rags and sheets that had been draped across the alleyway for some reason Danny wasn't clear about.
The sodium pool from the street light ended and Danny found himself stepping into the near perfect darkness that occupied so many places in New York city, cursing as his body instinctively reacted, forcing him to slide his feet, to hunch over to avoid injury.
He felt a hand in his and closed his fingers around Pixie's as she explained "There's a route through some boxes and junk, if you don't know the way you can get hurt just go where I lead you" she told him calmly.
"Why are you guys so secretive?" Danny asked as he was carefully led left and right. He automatically memorised the route.
"I think they don't want it to become like, a trendy thing that gets ruined by...tourists or who ever" Pixie told him, "I don't know, I think it's part of the vampire thing"
"Speaking of which, whats up with your name, that real?" Danny heard the rattle of a glass bottle skittering across the floor.
"It's what I'm called" Pixie stated, "Always for now" she muttered the last.
She pulled up short and a door opened in the darkness, soft light flowing into the alley from the building.
"Some old back entrance from a theatre we think, Claudia claims she found it but she couldn't find her ass with both hands" Pixie explained.
"We had your boy Ben…ugh, Night Owl, on orders to tell us if there was a meeting" Danny frowned.
"Guess he lied" Pixie shrugged.
She walked up the small flight of stairs ahead of them, through a short corridor, emerging in what Danny agreed, seemed to be the stage of a theatre, albeit a tiny one.
There where just over half a dozen people laying, relaxing on the stage which had been decorated similarly to the den in Harry's coffee house.
The smell of weed, incense and alcohol was in the air, and rock music played softly from some where. Ben lay semi conscious on a cushion.
"Pixie" a tall girl with dyed blonde hair styled carefully into wringlets, her face painted deathly white and Danny noticed, pretty effective make up that looked like deep blue veins creeping across her skin, rose from her crouch near another man with long blonde hair and walked towards Pixie and Danny.
She wore the tight corset that seemed appropriate to a Vampire wannabe, lots of lace and velvet coloured in deep blues and purples with a pair of skin tight black jeans. She was skinny as a rail and Danny suspected an eating disorder as she pulled Pixie into a long hung. Pixie raised her eye brow at Danny over the girls shoulder and he smirked at her cynical expression.
"Have you heard? Dis was killed" the girl said, her voice void of any actually sadness or sympathy.
"Yeah Claudia, I heard. This guy told me" Pixie pointed to Danny who tried to wave but was pulled into a bony hug.
"Welcome" Claudia gave him one of those smiles that was supposed to seem, welcoming.
"Hi" Danny said.
"You're like us, you don't sleep" the girl, Claudia actually reached up and touched Danny's face, causing him to flinch back automatically.
"He's with me Claudia" Pixie said pointedly.
Claudia moved away from Danny, leaving him with a flirtatious smile.
"I want to introduce him to the doctor, is he here?" Pixie asked.
"He is…he'll be glad of a new client, he said he finished with some one last night, one of his long timers" Claudia turned away from them and walked back toward the main stage.
"Dr Constantine" she called gently, we have a new member, Pixie brought him" she stated.
The man who stood was the most unremarkable guy Danny had ever seen. He was about six feet even, average build, sandy brown hair similar to Danny's, average blue eyes, face bland and unmemorable.
"I am Doctor Constantine Guide" he said politely, holding his hand out.
"Danny" Danny stated, taking the hand and shaking it.
"Vir Vacuus" Guide cocked his head to one side as he regarded Danny.
"Scuse me?" Danny frowned as he took his hand back.
"Man Without Sleep" Pixie muttered from beside Danny.
"Pixie…I want to treat you sweetie, when will you let me guide you to sleep, I know how tired you are" Guide smiled kindly at the girl.
"I like being awake" Pixie said blankly.
"Doctor? I need to talk to you about-" Danny started, but Pixie grabbed his arm from behind himand squeezed and Danny, realising he couldn't ask about Chelsea smoothly changed tac "your methods, I hear you use herbal remedies? Is there like a tea I could buy that could help?" he asked.
"There are…commercially available teas that can relax your body but the problem lays in your mind. I use certain teas and vocal therapy to train your mind to shut itself off, let your bodies natural sleep patterns take hold" Guide explained.
"Vocal therapy?" Danny frowned.
"Hypnotism" Pixie said, sounding less than impressed.
"It's not...hypnotism in the…sense Pixie thinks. She assumes I use a pocket watch or a light to induce the trance, but what I do is…more natural than that, I cant make you do something you don't want to, I simply…help your brain slow down to the point where you naturally fall asleep as there is simply no other option…most insomniacs, though they don't always realise it, are kept awake by their mind mulling over problems they're encountering in their day to day lives" Guide led them over to one of the couches, inviting them to sit.
Danny lowered himself slowly, his ribs aching as Pixie curled up on the arm rest like a cat, balanced and poised.
"How long have you been an insomniac Danny?" Guide asked., eying Danny's injured side briefly.
"Since I was a kid I guess" Danny said truthfully.
"Has it gotten worse recently?" Guide leaned back comfortably in the seat.
"Yeah, the last few months, I used to be able to force myself to get four or five hours but then a few months back, it sort of…I just kept finding myself awake…it goes on for a few days at a time…I'll just go with out any sleep…then eventually I'll just crash, sheer exhaustion will just" Danny made a slicing motion with his hand "level me, and I'm out for…five, six hours, same happens the next night, maybe once again, then I'm wide awake again, like I used up all my tired for the month or something" Danny was not lying.
Guide nodded "The past few months, what's been your emotional state?" Guide asked him.
"Pretty erratic…a few people close to me…they got hurt recently, uh, one of em was killed" Danny wasn't faking his faltering.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Guide seemed genuinely sympathetic.
Claudia wandered off vaguely, clearly using and high.
"Your mind is stopping you from sleeping" Guide stated "it's running over and over what's happened to you recently, even if you're not aware of it, part of your brain is probably dealing with…all the guilt, or remorse or anger or…all of the above you're feeling…it keeps you awake"
"So what can I do?" Danny frowned.
"I think you should be a patient of mine…I think I can help you Danny" Guide smiled.
"That…would be great" Danny returned the grin, forcing it, "But…I've had people claim they could help me before and they've screwed me over…is there like, any way I could talk to some one you've treated?"
"I've treated almost every one here" Guide cast his hand around.
"No offence Doc but if they're here…kinda goes against you" Danny chuckled sheepishly.
"I haven't had long term therapy with everyone here" Guide smiled.
"Could I talk to some one you have had longer term sessions with? Maybe the person you finished with last night?" Danny leaned forward, seeming eager but in reality, moving into better light to see how Guide reacted to the question.
The mans face didn't change but something in his eyes flinched and Danny saw it. And he knew Danny had seen it.
"I don't keep in contact with my patients" Guide shrugged "As I'm sure you know, nobody here keeps in contact with anyone else during the day…I have the same policy" he explained "I couldn't give you a number or email address if I wanted" he seemed apologetic.
"That's okay, Claudia could send out a group email, you save all the email addresses right?" Pixie called to the skinny girl who was rolling what looked like a joint.
"Sure" Claudia smiled.
"Could you send an email to everyone asking if one of his successes, some one who's left, could come to another meeting, meet Danny…or email him at least?" Pixie glanced slyly at Guide "Once you're trained to sleep you don't break out of it right? So they couldn't come to a meeting if they wanted to" there was a faint edge in her tone and Danny noticed Guide twitch ever so slightly.
"No, Pixie, they couldn't…you'd know that if you'd just have one session with me" some how, even though his tone was friendly, there was a threat in the words.
"I'll send out the email" Claudia called, pulling a pen from somewhere and scribbling the memo on her arm.
"Thanks" Danny smiled, turning back to Guide who was staring at Pixie.
"You don't need references" Guide stated "But I understand…" he checked his watch "I have to leave" he shrugged as Claudia protested "I have to be at work tomorrow" he explained "Email me with the next meeting?" he walked over to Claudia and hugged her goodbye, waving to the remaining, stoned or drunk members. Those that wheren't mostly catatonic where talking quietly to one another, and called gentle goodbyes to Guide.
"I'll see you next time Danny?" Guide asked.
"Sure" Danny gave him the widest shit eating grin he was capable of which dropped as soon as the man walked out of sight.
"That's the guy" Pixie told him "The guy" she stressed.
"Well he's plenty creepy" Danny admitted "Was Chelsea meeting him last night?"
"Yep" Pixie nodded "I mean she didn't say anything but he was at Harry's and I saw them talking"
"Well it's a start" Danny nodded "Could we find out who he really is?" he asked her quietly.
"I could follow him if you wanted" Pixie told him.
Danny stood, guiding her out of the stage area and into the short corridor "Why are you so willing to help me?" he asked her "I don't get the feeling you're crazy about cops, but you're going out of your way to help me, a guy you met an hour ago, out"
Pixie chewed one painted nail.
"See, some one so willing to help in way that leads so easily to a potential suspect with whom I have witnessed my helper have...animosity, that makes me wonder if I should listen to a damn word you say, how do I know you aren't setting Guide up for your fall?" Danny asked.
"Look I just showed you a guy I think is odd" Pixie stated "I have reason to be suspicious of him, every one he has 'therapy' with, they don't come back"
"Maybe he fixed em" Danny pointed out.
"I know for sure that the last three people who died, from this group, including Chelsea, where seeing him" Pixie told him "I bet the others did, I could tell you if you show me pictures"
"A lot of the people from these meetings see this guy right? Why aren't their more bodies?" Danny asked.
"How the fuck do I know, maybe he only kills certain ones" Pixie shrugged.
Danny pressed his lips together, glancing back at the stage area "Why?" he asked.
"I don't know" Pixie whispered.
"Could you follow him home and not be seen?" he asked her.
"Yes" Pixie said without hesitation.
"Why are you so good at it?" Danny raised an eye brow.
She smirked, trapping the tip of her tongue between her lips, shaking her head "Just am. But I have to go soon" she told him.
"You call me" Danny strode over to Claudia and took her pen walking back and, grabbing Pixie's arm and writing his cell phone number on her fore arm "Call me with his address, don't try and confront him, at all" he stressed.
"Do I seem stupid to you?" Pixie frowned.
"You're hilarious. Can you still find him if you leave now?" Danny asked.
"I'll have to wander around a little to find him but he wont have gotten far" she took her arm back and began to walk away "I'll let you know"
She gave him a wave and turned, walking away.
Danny glanced back at the group. He walked to where Ben was sitting staring at nothing and used Claudia's pen to scribble a note on the palm of his hands. Dropping the pen, Danny followed after Pixie, emerging in the alley way and stopping, realising he would have to navigate his way out alone.
He closed his eyes, recalling the mental map he had taken when they first entered, blocking out the sound of the rain as he imaging the route as a line drawn on a map and opened his eyes again.
He pictured the line, 'laying' it over the alley way ahead and edging forward along it carefully.
Moving slowly, he found himself nearing the pool of light from the stop light when some thing struck him in the side, over his injured ribs, causing him to gasp and freeze, enabling some one to drag him back away from the light, throwing him down onto his back hard enough that his head struck the floor.
He saw a flash of white and the blackness in front of him seemed to somehow shift as he tried to roll into his side, to get to the pool of light. Something that felt very much like a boot hit his ribs again and Danny cried out, automatically curling in on himself, his arms moving to block his ribs. He opened his eyes and saw the flashing white strobe like light of a flashlight being moved around as the boot hit his arms, his legs. A hand came down and struck his face, another kick jarred his ribs, the blows raining down as Danny made himself as small as he could, trying to think past the pain in his side.
He managed to grab to foot and twisted it hard, sending his attacker staggering to one side, away from Danny.
Gasping raggedly, Danny forced himself to his hands and knees and began to crawl to ward the pool of light, feeling some how that he would be safer there.
He was half a foot away when some one latched onto his ankle and he was jerked backwards, his arms giving way sending him to his stomach.
A hand was suddenly on his head, thunking his head against the floor again and Danny felt that swim of reality as the hand slid down from his head to his mouth, the palm sliding roughly across Danny's lips as he was flipped onto his back.
Danny's mind shrieked but his body was too hurt for him to bring up his arms, take out the attacker's elbow and Danny felt the pressure behind the hand increase, the fingers close over his nose and mouth.
He could feel blood on his head, taste in his mouth. He searched the almost pitch darkness, trying to see something, anything, any detail of his attacker but there was nothing more that a moving shadow.
His lungs realised he was being smothered and began to ache for air and Danny reached up with one hand to the attackers, grabbing at his fingers, while with his other hand he reached for his pocket. He fought to bend one of the fingers back but the attacker was too strong and the ache was becoming a sharper, more insistent pain and need to breath but Danny simply could not draw air. He began to see white spots as he tried to remember how to get his hand into his pocket, the suddenly very complicated procedure of navigating the cloth to reach what was there.
He could draw air, a minute breath but he sucked it in through his nose, feeling his head begin to clear almost at once. The pressure stayed gone and Danny took as many breaths as he was able, reaching into his pocket with ease now, withdrawing his slender phone and flicking it open with one hand, hitting what he hoped where the right keys.
The hand tightened and the air was gone and Danny was terrified, he was managing to think but he was terrified. The attacker was over him, not close enough to touch but their presence was something Danny could feel in a way totally unrelated to touch, the attacker so close that Danny could almost feel the air disturbance in place of the body.
Danny pushed more keys on his phone and thought he heard the clicking sound and began to press more keys desperately.
He hit send as something about the presence above him shifted and he saw the faintest glimmer of something moving through the air.
His mind provided the word 'knife' and the response was automatic.
Danny dropped his phone and brought both hands up, using what little strength he had in them to grab at the arm. He couldn't take out the elbow by force, he was too oxygen starved, but he jabbed a finger in at a spot just below the elbow, a nerve cluster there and the attacker recoiled sharply, the presence above Danny vanishing backwards along with the hand on his mouth and the glimmer of a knife in the air.
Danny dragged in a breath even as his ribs shrieked out in agony so bad he felt himself grow dizzy but he pushed himself over onto his front and managed to scramble forwards, snatching at a broken bottle he could see as he managed to get into the pool of light, cross it and stagger out of the alley way, into the street.
He dropped to his knees just outside the alley, holding the bottle ready to slash any one who might come rushing out.
No one followed him and he forced himself to crawl painfully out into the middle of the road, sitting down in the middle of a lane.
He was out in the open, in the rain. He could feel aches, bruises, cuts, everywhere. Breathing hurt. Sitting in the rain hurt his head, the feel of the drops seeming to Danny like the constant kicks of a small but determined jack boot.
He looked around him, recognising where he was, how he had gotten there from his house. A boom of thunder crashed almost directly over head and the rain began to fall harder and Danny sat alone, waiting.
