Vampires were brought into headquarters and interrogated for any information on what had just occurred. H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. wanted to know what all Wakefield had done and how. Many said nothing and it was those who didn't get any consideration to be exempt from the firing squad. A few others did talk after some coaxing.
They sat there in that cramped room for hours before being sent back to their cell in the dungeon of the estate. For several nights, vampires were marched out and tied to a long, steel pole protruding from the ground so that they couldn't move. They were offered blindfolds. Some refused, but most didn't. Then, several soldiers with rifles lined up and took aim, killing them instantly. The bodies were then untied and thrown into a large pile to be burned.
Several escaped this fate and were allowed to flee, however. Some went to stay with friends in Gehenna, while others went to Phantom House in London until they could find their own housing. Others stayed outside in tents within Ghenna's walls, as they felt as though they had nowhere else to go.
One person who escaped was a woman named "Crystal", who was shockingly supposed to be Thaddeus Wakefield's most loyal bride. The woman told H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. everything she knew about him. She told them about how he was a killer from the very beginning. At one time, she too was human. She was a maid at the Wakefield household when it was in its prime. She claimed to have stayed out of some twisted sense of loyalty to the family, despite the true heirs being murdered long ago.
Thaddeus was not the original heir. He was the middle child of the Wakefield household with two brothers. Crystral told about how the master of the household became ill, so to ensure that he would inherit everything, Thaddeus killed the older brother, but that was not the end of it. No, as it turns out, he was not the true heir. That title befell to the younger brother. Shocked and appalled, Thaddeus was told the truth of his birth. He was a bastard. His mother had an affair with one of the male servants, giving him impure blood. That was the beginning of Thaddeus' obsession with blood. There was never any bewilderment on Crystal's part when he became a vampire.
She was also not surprised when the younger brother mysteriously fell into a well and drowned, nor was she in the slightest shocked that his father's "illness" was actually poison. No one ever knew except Thaddeus and Crystal. It was her lack of ratting him out that impressed him in the first place and prompted him to make her his concubine. What a fool she was, for not outing this killer when she had the chance.
But, she was free now and able to do as she pleased. She was free from killing humans and draining them into vats beneath meathooks, free from crime and turmoil, and free from the Wakefield house. For the first time, she was able to walk the streets on her own without orders or escort. The only thing was, she wasn't certain as to what to do with it all. Crystal had never lived on her own before. She had never acted without following orders before either. She was born a servant and that was how she was supposed to die. Yet, she rebelled against Wakefield by exposing his secrets in the end. What was she supposed to do now? Find a new master?
All of this was swirling in her head along with the curiosity as to what Blackwood was doing at that moment. She knew he called H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. and told them of their hiding out in that hotel room, there was no doubt in her mind. He took off just before they arrived, claiming to step outside for a cigarette, despite her never recalling him to smoke in the short time that they knew one another. Now she knew better than to ignore her own suspicions.
Meanwhile, a somewhat scruffy-looking blonde man wearing an eyepatch drove down the street regardless of only having one eye. It was hard for him to stay on the road, but it was dark and no one could see him taking the back way. The man was making his way out of the city in search of an old friend of his, but Blackwood had no good intentions whatsoever.
He drove and he drove before arriving at his destination in the dead of night. His shoes scuffled as he stepped out of the car, looking at the house before him. He was sure that this was the correct address. Still, he needed to make sure, so he peeked in the window before knocking on the door. Sure enough his old coworker, a bespectacled man in his thirties, despite his thinning hairline, watching television alone, despite there being more than one car in the driveway other than Blackwood's.
The man inside immediately turned his attention to the door, confused as to who might be knocking at this hour. Reluctantly, he stood up and slowly wandered over to answer it without the slightest clue as to who it might be. When the door swung open, he audibly gasped at the sight of the man before him, jumping. It was the natural response to seeing someone with Blackwood's appearance, especially considering who this "friend" of the former Scarlet Order was.
"Hello, Stuart." Blackwood smiled, leaning against the doorframe. "I hope I didn't startle you."
Squinting, the other man examined Paul's face closer upon hearing his voice. It was familiar. He knew it. He also knew that face. It took Stuart a moment longer to recognise him, but when he did, his eyes widened.
"Paul!?" he gasped, dumbfounded as to how the man he once knew and this man could be one in the same. "What on earth happened to you!?"
"I would love to tell you, but it's quite the long story. If you had a moment, I'd tell you right now." answered Blackwood, putting his hands in his pockets. "What I really need from you, though, is to know where I can find your brother."
"Don?! What do you need Don for?!"
"First of all, to tell him one of his associates is dead, and secondly, to ask for his help."
"Why would he help you?" questioned the balding man.
"It's all part of my story."
Looking back over his shoulder Stuart quickly checked to see if his wife was still in bed before waving Blackwood outside. He followed after, closing the door behind him, before offering his friend a seat on the front porch. After that, their conversation began.
Both Stuart and Paul worked under Matthew Westley while the man was still alive. Both hated him, but Stuart was unhappy that he lost his job when their employer died. His wife was especially unhappy and Blackwood could tell just by looking at the man. The fact that he was supposed to be sleeping on the couch instead of his bed was evidence enough. Paul knew of his friend's relationship with his wife at home and didn't understand how Stuart went on living this way. Even now, as Blackwood told his story.
The eyepatch-wearing man told of how his plans to get his revenge on Westley went about, omitting a few details, but keeping the part in where he met the demonic duo. He also told about how they were responsible for Westley's death and how that led him to flee the country, only to end up running into the group known as "The Scarlet Order". It took him a long time, but he was able to tell his friend everything, including why he needed to talk to the man's brother.
"According to Wakefield, your brother is still up to no good, huh?" Blackwood asked, only to receive a delayed sigh.
"Yes… I haven't spoken to him in years, but… Last I heard, he was still in Manchester."
"Thanks." Blackwood replied. "You're always free to join me."
"Join you in what?" questioned Stuart. "What is it that you want to do?" With that very inquiry, the man was met with a smile that rattled his bones.
"I see things that ordinary people can't." he said, pointing to his visible eye. "I know things that ordinary people can't. All I want is to make people see."
Dumbstruck, the older man's mouth was agape as Blackwood offered his hand. "If you come with me, I can show you the world as it is."
"No!" barked Stuart. It was sudden and awkward. Pausing for a moment, the man stood up and cleared his throat. "I mean… I can't… I have a family…. A wife and a son… I can't go..."
After a moment, Blackwood stood up as well. "Oh, well." he said. "I guess you won't be free from the world as you know it. Good luck dodging the flying pans of the Missus, mister Thwaite. I'll see you around, maybe."
All Stuart could do is stand and watch his friend descend the steps and walk to his car in silence. There was nothing he could think of to say. There was nothing he could do. There was nothing at all but to wonder about the life that Blackwood had lived. If it were true or not was a question the lingered, but if he was looking for his brother, then chances are that there was a thread of it. The car drove away, leaving Mister Thwaite to his evening on the couch, worried of what was to come next.
A/N: Whelp. This is complicated. Everybody keeping up alright?
Stuart worked with Blackwood, who stayed with Wakefield, who worked with this "Don" guys, who is Stuart's brother. That's the gist of it.
This is setting up for something waaaaaaaaaay longterm, but we're probably going to leave it alone for a while...
Who should we touch on next? Personally, I want more of the duo. Needs more fluff. I crave the fluff.
And drama.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
