Scott sat in the gas station next door to the restaurant. It was about three in the morning and he was bored. He preferred when he could play in front of the crowd at the bar but, Seth had told him it was his turn to man the station tonight. Scott listened to the Geckos because, honestly, he had no place else to go.
Scott wished he had thought to bring a book or a TV to install, Mexico had some weird channels but, the wrestling shows were awesome. He got up and walked over to the stacks of magazines in front of the window, resigned to finish his shift with some light reading.
As he perused through the stack he looked up. No trucks or cars had been through the station in over two hours. Nothing outside except for the yellow lamps illuminating the nothingness. Scott picked up a sports illustrated and opened it. He glanced out the window again and did a double take.
There was a girl standing underneath one of the lamps outside. Scott was shocked for she hadn't been there moments before. Was she Culebra? The girl was partially turned away from him, making her face obscured. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy braid and she wore a long white-ish dress. The dress looked as if it was extremely dirty and the girl seemed other worldly. Scott stared at her as she stared at the restaurant.
Slowly she stepped forward and Scott could feel the hair on his arms stand up. The atmosphere inside and outside seemed to shift and change as she moved towards the bar. He watched until she walked behind a van and was out of his sight. Before he could contemplate going after her the phone rang making him jump and he rushed to answer it.
Richard.
Came the voice again. Richard had been on the phone most of the night with the central Mexico cartel and now was going over next weeks ordered shipment when he heard the voice. It was closer now. Closer and more urgent.
Come to me, Richard.
He stood up fast enough to knock his chair back.
It wasn't Santanico. She was too far away and wouldn't need to tap into Richards mind to speak with him. No, this was a stronger force that seemed to penetrate his thoughts without any effort. For a brief moment Richard felt real fear. What if it was another rival that could potentially usurp him? He straightened himself and proceeded to walk out of his office and to the restaurant.
"Seth, we have a problem," he said as he passed his brothers office. Seth jumped up without question.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know but, it's strong. I can feel it getting closer," replied Richard as they entered into the restaurant. It was late in the night and many of the bars patrons were well past drunk. Richard scanned the crowd searching for any familiar face or domineering figure, his eyes darting from person to person. He found none.
"Richard what am I looking out for?" asked Seth. He was also searching the crowd but, all he saw was the drunk hillbillies gyrating to the Spanish music and the few sober people laughing at them. The crowd was thinning by the minute since the place was closing in less than an hour.
Suddenly the door opened with a gust of wind.
Seth felt his heart drop into his stomach and Richard looked as if he might vomit.
She walked in and the band stopped playing. The people stopped dancing and the room became extremely quiet. They all watched, Culebra and human alike, as she stepped into the bar towards the brothers.
Her walk was slow and graceful, as if she was floating.
When Kate saw Seth she smiled warmly at him. It made her heart sing to see actual tears in his eyes as she stopped a foot away from him. Seth had not been one to show emotion with her, except for very few instances.
"Seth," Kate whispered as she reached up to touch his face. She wiped away a lone tear that trailed down his face. He almost crumbled under her touch but, composed his face.
"How?" he whispered taking her hand in his almost as if to make sure she was real. Kate didn't answer but, instead turned her head towards Richard. Her smile instantly vanished as she remembered the reason she had been killed. He had been so selfish, so greedy for power.
"Richard," she said tersely, the venom dripping from every letter.
Richard stared at her in wonder and anger. How was this possible? Had she faked her own death? Had Scott turned her after all and she had done this to get back at him? The rage he felt towards her seemed to boil up. How dare she make a fool of him!? Make him feel sorry for what had happened to her!
Within seconds his features changed and he was no longer human Richard but, Culebra Richard.
"Richard no!" yelled Seth as Richard grabbed Kate by the throat with a roar and slammed her against the far wall. Seth tried to pry his brother's hands off of the girl but, he was no match for his supernatural sibling.
"You littleā¦.." but Richard didn't finish his thought. Kate's green eyes turned an eerie shade of red and before Richard knew it he had been thrown across the room by some invisible force. He slammed in the back of the bar knocking over thousands of dollars of liquor bottles. Richard lay among the glass and broken bottles. His wrist had been broken on impact and he winced as the bones began to reset themselves.
"You alright brother?" came Seth's voice from overhead. Richard waved an arm to signal he was fine. Slowly, he got up brushing off the broken glass. Kate's eyes were back to her regular color but, the hate emitting off of her was thick enough to cut with a knife. Some patrons had run out when they saw her throw him across the room. Others had backed away in case her ire was turned on him.
"We need to talk," she said glaring at Richard. Without another word she walked into the back hall towards Richards's office. Seth followed without a word.
"Alright folks, we are closing for the night!" shouted Richard. He was trying to show that Kate's arrival hadn't bothered him but, he was frightened to his very core. She was not a Culebra, he could tell that much but, she was different.
"Come on get out!" he shouted, "Make sure this mess is cleaned up before you lock up," he said to the bar tender. Paulo nodded his head and started to herd people out the door.
Touch me again and the next time I will throw you into a wooden stake!Came Kate's voice echoing in Richards head. He shook it as he buttoned up his jacket and briskly walked to his office.
Kate had been surprised when Richard attacked her but, not afraid. Somehow this power she had, had made her more confident. She could even feel a little smug at Richards face when he stood up from the broken glass.
"We need to talk," she had said and walked into the back where Movado's, now Richards office had been.
The office was a large rectangle room with black marble floors, walls and ceilings. The large mahogany desk sat in the far end of the room. On one side sat the big leather chair and on the other side two smaller chairs. A matching leather couch sat up against the far wall.
Kate walked up the three steps to the desk and promptly sat down in Richards's chair. She felt a real sense of power for the first time since she had reawakened.
Seth came in right behind her and he still looked stunned.
"What the hell was that Kate? How are you still alive?" he said.
"That's what I would like to know," came Richards's voice as he entered the room. He didn't stop when he saw Kate sitting in his chair nor did he acknowledge her presence.
"You told me she died!" snapped Seth accusingly at his brother.
"I saw her die! I don't know how she is here!" Richard hurled back at him. Kate waited patiently.
"So Kate, what's the deal? I thought you would be singing with the angels now," Richard said sarcastically. He glared at her and she at him.
"I was. I was resurrected by Santa Sangre. I need your help," she replied.
"Wait, wait that blood god that killed all those people years ago resurrected you? How?" asked Seth.
Kate shook her head.
"I don't know. Now I am in a bind," Kate said.
"Of course you are," snapped Richard. Kate ignored him.
"I am chosen to see the next generation of sacrifices to the blood god. The power pulled me here to you two so I am guessing that means you will show me the way to do this," Kate said. She wasn't ready to tell them that she would be dead again once she finished the sacrifice. The look on Seth's face when he first saw her was enough to convince her that it would hurt him to see her die again. The thought warmed and broke her heart.
"Why you? I mean, why a human?" snapped Richard.
"Maybe because I was the only innocent thing around for miles," Kate spat at him.
"You don't seem so innocent to me Kate. Throwing people around the room with the power of your mind isn't something I remember hearing about in the bible," chided Richard.
"Kate, we will help you," Seth said stepping between them. To be honest, he was a little afraid of the former preacher's daughter. Something about her had changed.
"Fine!" snapped Richard. He leaned in so his face was mere inches from Kate's. "But you throw me across the room like that again and I will make sure you are buried alive with those bodies," he said. Kate didn't flinch.
"You touch me again and your wrist won't be the only thing I break," she said levelly. Richard stared into her eyes and for a moment he saw a little flash of red around the irises. It was gone in seconds but he knew it was there. He had to admit he liked the bolder Kate but, that didn't mean he trusted her. Finally he chuckled and stepped away.
"Seth, she can stay in the guest room. You might want to get her baby brother here. I think he would want to know his sister, who said she had no love left for him and told him he was weak with her dying breath, is alive." Richard said as he walked towards the exit.
"Richard?" he stopped in his tracks. For the first time since he had seen her she sounded like the old Kate and it made Richard want to cry. He turned and tried to wipe the emotion off of his face. Kate stood up behind his desk, her arms at her sides and her brow furrowed.
"Thank you," she said before turning to Seth and following him out the opposite end of the room towards the private suites.
Richard needed to think and not with Kate here. He needed a clear head and once again she had clouded it.
