Carly crouched down and slightly opened the left of the double doors, her heart thumping madly in her chest.
She peered through the gap and spotted the main reception room. To the far right were the huge entrance doors, guarded by the magnificent Golden Lions. A short way from the entrances was the grand staircase, which coiled to the left and disappeared into the ceiling. The reception room was indeed extremely beautiful, with cream and golden interior, gorgeous portraits and landscapes and expensive looking furniture and marble floor.
However Carly's main intention was not an analysis of the hotel, but to find Master Harring undetected. There was no-one around much to Carly's surprise. She quietly and quickly slipped through the doors and hid behind a large exotic plant beside the doors. No-one must enter the employees corridor, Carly instantly concluded, as she looked wildly around for something to bolt the doors shut with. She spotted an unused pipe running on the skirting boards below her and tore a section of the metal off the wall. Grunting, Carly slid the pipe between the handles of the doors and pulled the ends toward her, sealing shut the employees corridor.
The Slayer looked up and down the corridor she had come out to. Two doors down the corridor to her left and two to her right. Using her enhanced hearing abilities, Carly picked up a loud disturbance in the room to her immediate left. She looked rapidly to the reception desk, the receptionist flicking idly through a gossip magazine, then flitted to the thick oak door and pressed her ear against the wood.
"...what do you mean their dead? Who's dead?" Came a deep voice, Carly concluding belonged to Master Harring.
"The Watcher, Master, the Slayer's Watcher Eddie Diaz. Jones slit his throat just moments ago. And John, he had been exposed to holy water and his face -"
"Master Harring, what is the meaning of this?" Another voice said, calmly.
"Father Rannusae Arrius here shall tell us of what is happening." Master Harring growled, sounding clearly outraged. There was a shifting of people and a sudden thunk of flesh meeting jaw.
"Master Harring, your men are loosening on their interrogating techniques." Arrius grunted, spitting something from his mouth.
"Enough. What has happened tonight? Why was the Slayer's Watcher here?" Master Harring commanded.
"Surprisingly Master Harring, I have no idea,"
"Don't play stupid with me Arrius, you were found together. Now tell me what has happened before I become truly enraged!" Master Harring warned. Carly shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't just sit there and listen to Arrius be slaughtered like Eddie, she had to do something, until the time was right.
"Yes, I shall admit that we were found together but I have no idea why he was here tonight. I was here upon grounds of meeting with a client, nothing more."
"I find it extremely strange that you appear to be here upon my meeting with Father Rannusae. The very one you proposed to me a number of weeks ago under Father Rannusae's instruction." Master Harring said.
Arrius chuckled. "I agree, it's a small world after all." Another collision of flesh. Master Harring bellowed in fury and punched Arrius forcefully in the face. Carly jolted as the informative collided into the door.
"Tell me Arrius, what is going on?" Master Harring thundered.
"I hate to repeat myself Master Harring so I shall inform you a fresh piece of information." There was a short pause, followed by a sigh from Master Harring.
"So, what is it?"
"You're going to die, Master Harring. As are your men. And that is why Eddie was here tonight. I believe you are intelligent enough to do the maths in this exceptionally sticky situation." Upon the ending of the last word, a thick sword pummelled through the door making Carly scramble backwards as blood seeped from the crack in the wood.
"Father Rannusae, please stay seated, I shall return in a short while. My men, move out. We're going to find the Slayer and slaughter her like her worthless Watcher. I want blood on my hands tonight, so move." Master Harring instructed, his voice dangerously casual.
Upon his command, Carly could hear the rustle of movement and flitted back behind the exotic plant. Immediately, BlackWing Clan members spilled from the room and ran out to the main entrance.
"Split up. You five, search the topmost floors, you and you, the middle floors and you three the lower floors. The rest of you, search the basements, kitchens and remaining conference rooms. I want her alive." Master Harring commanded. Three vamps ran past Carly into the two conference rooms right before her and she swiftly followed, entering the first.
Carly quietly closed the door and crouched behind a water cooler. A large rounded table stood in the centre of the room, the vamp searching rapidly under it. Numerous filing cabinets stood to either side of the room and a white projection screen filled the far wall to the front of the table. The vamp stood up looked wildly around, checking behind the cabinets and the projection screen. Carly stood to her feet and rounded the table, closer and closer to the vamp. As it bent over the table to check under the leather backed chair, Carly crept forward and pulled the vampire upright.
"No yelling now, we don't want a fuss." Carly hissed and, using the stake to slice across it's neck, she tore off it's head and threw it to the ground nearby its collapsed body.
"Carlton, you in here?"
Carly ducked and scrambled under the table, her eyes locked on the bottom of the opened door. Two pairs of legs were stood at the doorway, as Carly withdrew another two stakes from the interior of her jacket. She aimed with the second then threw. The stake shot through the air and sliced across one pair of the legs, mutilating it's feet. With a howl like a wounded animal the vampire fell.
Carly bolted from underneath the table and plunged a stake into the fallen vampires chest. It exploded as the second vampire screeched with delight and grabbed Carly's hair, throwing her with such brute strength she was sent flying onto the large table. The Slayer grunted as her back collided onto the thick wood, shooting up bolts of pain. The vampire, like a predatory insect, leapt onto the table and scrambled across to Carly whom grinned playfully. She backward rolled and pulled out a shining bottle of holy water. The vampire froze, it's eyes wide in shock.
"Playtime," Carly hissed and, like a grenade, she popped off the cap and threw the grenade. The bottle whipped through the air and burst over the vampire whom attempted to avoid the cascading bottle a little too late. The vamp yelled in frustration and toppled off the table, writhing in pain as the flesh upon it's head began to disintegrate. Carly leapt off the table and left the conference room, closing the doors behind her which luckily muffled the vampires screams of pain.
Instantly, Carly switched to stealth and tiptoed to the doorway into the main reception room. She leant against the wall and peered slightly into the room. Master Harring was stood in the centre, his back to Carly, talking in low voices to someone whom she couldn't see. The Slayer had a funny feeling and it wasn't just her still aching back. She felt weaker than ever, what was happening to her? In all her years of slaying she still never felt as crap as this...
Master Harring's voice intensified. "I see, and what shall I get in return Worthington?"
"You shall see if she is defeated, all in good time." Another voice spoke in a high British accent. Carly felt a chill run up her spine, they couldn't possibly be talking of her, she didn't even know the man Master Harring spoke too.
Master Harring shifted slightly allowing Carly to see her conspirator. It was a man, in a navy blue suit and matching tie. He had a round fatherly like face, but Carly felt that all fatherly qualities of this man were void upon his discussion with Master Harring.
"Good evening Master Harring. And good luck." The man named Worthington said as he nodded then turned and left the hotel. Master Harring threw back his head and laughed, which sent chills up Carly's spine. It had no trace of hilarity within it whatsoever.
Scrambling down the grand staircase came ten of his companions, panting and gasping. One stepped forward, it's face twisted to it's dominant persona.
"There is no sign of the Slayer Master upon any of the floors."
"I see, she has to be here. We have business to take care of." Master Harring grinned, making Carly suddenly shake with anger. She fought back her conscious and stepped into the reception room.
"Well, let's take care of this business then, shall we?"