Obligatory Disclaimer: Dark Horse and Mr. Mignola own all, save for my own original characters. A special thank you to Guillermo del Toro for bringing this wonderful character to my attention.
Torie opened the sliding glass door to the balcony and slipped out into the darkness. She then shut the screen door behind her, allowing some of the fresh air to circulate into the room, the soft click echoing in the night air. After inhaling deeply, she released her breath slowly and folded herself into a rattan chair, clasping her arms around her bent legs and then rested her chin on the tops of her knees. The wind, warm and comforting, wrapped itself around her, petting and caressing her… like a long lost friend.
Or a caring lover.
Sam... Gads, I miss him. Torie tilted her face towards the Heavens and said a silent prayer of communion for having him in her life. But of course, right then, she was thankful for so many things… including being alive.
A silvery quarter moon hung in the clear night sky so tantalizingly close that Torie just wanted to reach up and slip it into her robe pocket. But just the mere idea of reaching upwards, stretching higher and higher, made her ache through her entire being. Her gunshot wounds were completely healed over, but had still given her twinges of pain from time to time. However, her adventures in Africa not only exacerbated her recent injuries, reminding Torie just how recently the shooting took place, but also pushed her endurance to the brink.
No rest for the wicked, eh?
In fact, just the mere thought of doing anything other than lying around – and sitting… and only as long as she was doing nothing productive – nearly caused Torie to double over in pain. Until the trip, she had no idea what people meant that they were weary right down to their bones. She thought she had many times in the past, but she had been oh so mistaken up until that point. Torie had been tired in her life, many times, but nothing like this. Blinking actually required effort when she took the time to think about it. Her sleep deprivation suddenly hit her like a baseball bat to the face.
For the last three weeks, Torie, along with Liz Sherman, Kate Corrigan and Torie's best friend, Monica London, had been trekking through Eastern Nigeria, trying to find someone – anyone – who was in attendance at the presentation ceremony of the totem to her parents, where they might be able to give insight as to why not only the totem was so important all these years later, but why murder was necessary for its recovery. I mean, I guess I was naïve, huh?
Because when she found out the truth, Torie was stunned. In fact, I still can't believe it.
Nearly at the end of their ropes after spending over two weeks in unproductive searching, the quartet finally found the daughter of the village elder who presented the Doctors James the totem. But the woman was unable to provide the group with any information pertaining to the violence surrounding the wooden figure. There was much apologizing from the woman, but Torie couldn't fault her for she had been merely a toddler when the ceremony took place. The young woman then introduced Torie, Monica, Liz and Kate to others who were in attendance. But while all remembered Torie's parents fondly, none were able to recall why the totem was the chosen object of gratitude expression.
However, everyone they came in contact with opened their homes to the travelling quartet, something that Torie – and the others – was completely moved by.
So many good people have touched our lives on this trip… despite the fact that the whole situation was an ugly one.
Glancing down at her wrist, Torie was able to see that it was nearing 5 in the morning as the moonlight illuminated her watch. It was her parting gift from Hellboy. He had told her when she got back that an inscription would be engraved on the back. Torie knew it was his way of saying that she needed to stay safe and return home soon. The watch was simple and yet sturdy, sleek and slim, but it not-so-secretly held a highly refined GPS device so that Hellboy would be able to keep tabs on her. There was also a heartbeat monitor so that when she was more stationary, like Torie was currently in their meager accommodations, Hellboy would know that she wasn't…
Dead. You can think it now. He gave me this watch so that he could have peace of mind in knowing that I'm still alive. And I am, but only through the grace of God, it would seem.
Torie pinched the bridge of her nose and bit her lip.
If only he knew how close I came to meeting my maker. Or, maybe he already does. The heartbeat monitor probably gave me away… I'm so surprised that he isn't here right now.
The quartet decided to accept the offers of some of those they met and stay in their new friends' homes. Rather than bunking down in one home and causing hardship to a single family, it was agreed by everyone that the four women would disperse and bunk down at four different homes. There was much arguing amongst the local residents over who would open up their homes, causing much amusement for Torie, Monica, Liz and Kate. After weeks of near-hopelessness as they traveled from town to town, the four women enjoyed the frenzy that they were causing.
Of course, doubling up with one of the others would have been a better idea.
For after Torie bathed for the first time in days – a washcloth dipped in a bowl of water and a bar of soap because she was too tired to do anything else – then tucked herself between clean sheets, she remembered that Monica had her pistol. The realization made Torie sit up in a panic. Cold sweat broke out on her brow and upper lip as Torie realized that she was without any kind of protection. Sam will never let me hear the end of this if he ever finds out how defenseless I left myself.
Terrified of carrying the weapon anywhere on her person because she strongly believed in peaceful negotiations rather than fighting, Torie begged her best friend to carry the gun Sam insisted on giving her. So Monica tucked into her backpack dutifully, rolling her eyes at Torie all the while. What good is a gun going to do you when you don't have it, Monica had asked at the time.
Yeah, how right she was.
But the idea that she was alone in a house of strangers made Torie feel more than just a little vulnerable, so she began to think about how to remedy the situation. However, there was nothing that could be done about retrieving the gun since it was so late. A glance at the clock read that it was nearing midnight and Torie was sure that her friend had been asleep for a good couple of hours. If it wasn't for the fact that I finally have bars on my cell phone and was talking to Sam for the better part of an hour, I'd be asleep too… and my lack of a gun wouldn't be making me paranoid. I really wish Sam would never have given it to me.
Unable to sleep because of all the thoughts tumbling around in her head, Torie slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen – her heart beating so fast that she thought it would burst from her chest – in search of a knife to slip under her pillow. But she felt like an idiot… not only for feeling like she needed the protection, but also for sneaking through the house to get a kitchen knife. Of course, if she ran into anyone, Torie would just claim that she was getting a glass of water.
Once the knife was slipped under her pillow, a sense of peace washed over Torie and she pulled the bedsheet up to her chin, then rolled onto her side so that her back was to the wall. Sam is decidedly rubbing off on me. It took Torie a surprisingly short amount of time to fall asleep, despite all of her apprehensions, her hand loosely holding the knife handle.
Then, with a suddenness that was disorienting, a cloth-clad hand was clamped over Torie's mouth, causing her to awake in terror and stiffen in panic before the world went dark once again. She struggled to see her captor, and to wield her knife, before her line of vision was swallowed by inky blackness. Her final thought before the darkness enveloped her into unconsciousness was Chloroform? Really?!
After what felt like a few minutes, but she knew was probably much, much longer, Torie woke with a start and saw at once she was no longer in her benefactors' home. Pushing herself upright, Torie was shocked that she was not tethered in any kind of way, but immediately dismissed the thought as she simultaneously tried to formulate an escape route while also trying to figure out where she was.
Her gaze then landed on a man slouching in a folding chair, his arms crossed across his chest, on the far side of the room. Her heart leapt to her throat as the blood in her veins turned to ice water. Torie's voice was barely a whisper when she asked, "Uncle Brian?" What the fuck did her favorite uncle have to do with all this?
The arms unfolded and two fingers touched his hairline in mock salute. "Victoria. How nice of you to join us," he said, his brow arching slightly. Sarcasm slithered around every word, causing Torie's skin to crawl. She involuntarily rubbed her arms in an attempt to comfort herself.
Taking a deep breath, Torie decided to push her luck and rose off the pallet she had been laying on. Her vision swam a bit from not only the headrush, but the chloroform's lingering effect on her. Rising to her feet, she looked around the room with a critical eye. There was no furniture in the room, save a card table and two folding chairs, one of which her uncle still occupied, plus the pallet she had been laying upon. Another room that looked like a makeshift kitchen and bathroom was off to her right. In her disoriented state, Torie was fairly certain that there was no other rooms to the building she was being housed in.
I am in the middle of nowhere and don't even know where to go if I escaped. Good job, James. Get out the door and then what? But until you can formulate a plan, get him talking. Just ask him what he wants. "What the fuck is going on? Why am I here?" Torie asked, anger tingeing her words. Do not show fear. Do not show fear.
Her audacity caused her uncle to lunge out of his chair, knocking it over in his wrath, and cross the room to roar into his niece's face. "How dare you presume that you have any ability to demand answers from me! Do you not realize what a vulnerable position you are in right now?" Spit landed on Torie's cheeks, but instead of wiping it off, she just raised her chin slightly.
This has got to be some bizarre dream. If it is, it doesn't matter what you say because you'll just wake up. If not, it doesn't really seem to matter because it looks like he has his heart set on vengeance, for whatever reason. So cut through the crap and get some answers. Taking a deep breath, Torie exhaled slowly, before replying, "No. Why don't you enlighten me?" Good. Her voice didn't crack or waiver.
Hatred flamed in his eyes before amusement washed over his features. His lips curved into a smile and he slowly nodded his head before turning away and crossing the room, pausing to right the upset chair. Chuckling to himself, Brian James didn't seem too concerned about his niece running off because he then stood by the window and stared at the dry land that seemed to stretch for miles in all directions. He clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his heels for an eternity before he turned back towards Torie and said, "Because there are forces involved that you cannot even begin to understand. Why do you meddle when we have warned you time and time again to stay away?"
Torie was flabbergasted. The situation was finally starting to sink in – the man before her had tried to have her killed… and probably would succeed today. Make him talk. The more he talks, the more emotionally involved he gets. And the less likely he'll achieve his goal. "Uncle Brian," Torie wanted to burst into a combination of tears and joy when she saw the man visibly wince as she called him by name. "I'm… I'm not trying to cause problems. I'm trying to fix them! That's why I came to Africa." Torie pressed her lips in fear and furrowed her brow in concern. This was not looking good.
His lip curled up in a sneer, contempt oozing out of every pore. "You? Who mate with Anung un Rama? You are trying to fix your past mistakes?" He snorted in contempt before continuing, "It seems like you are just trying to create more."
Mate? What the fuck is he talking about now?
Trying hard to be inconspicuous, Torie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then took a small step towards the only door she could see. "Now c'mon and give me some credit! This goes back so much farther than when Hellboy showed up in my life – and you know it. I'm not sure what he has to do with any of this, but cut the bullshit and tell me what this is really all about." She rolled forward slightly, a few more inches closer to the door.
He looked at her with such intensity that Torie was certain it meant sudden doom. She was completely floored when he asked, "You really have no idea, do you?" His words were soft, sad.
This cannot be a loaded question. Just answer it honestly. "No. Not really," Torie admitted, her voice strangely quiet, even to her own ears. She was suddenly very afraid. Her adrenaline stopped pumping and Torie felt the room start to spin. Do not pass out. Do not pass out! Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing you're scared shitless.
A chuckle, filled with amusement, as well as a touch of pity, rumbled out of his chest. "Ah Victoria. The daughter I never had. The daughter I should have had." The last words were spoken in a purr, with a brow arched in amusement… and a hint of wistfulness.
Torie thought it best to remain silent, for she had no idea what her uncle was talking about. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, it was difficult to keep from hyperventilating. Having a half-demon as a boyfriend was easier to wrap her head around than this. "Thank you. I think…" Now's my chance. Make a dash for it.
Shaking his head ruefully, Torie's uncle sighed before looking up at his niece, stopping her dead in her tracks. "Oh, I suppose it's a compliment, but it's more like fact. Really, I thought that there was no one else like your mother. She was the only woman to truly capture my heart. I used to dream of the pretty babies she would birth. Of the perfect life we were going to lead…"
I am so going to regret asking this. "Uncle Brian, what on earth are you talking about?"
The suddenness in which he stood caused Torie to take a step back. Dammit. But his next words were even more shocking. "We dated. Your mother and I. More than that actually, but that's neither here nor there." He sighed, then turned and looked out the window again, his hands clasped behind his back. "Your father stole her away from me. I was dumped and no sooner than I could blink, she was with my brother. Tell me, how is a man supposed to handle that? Well, I'll tell you… No man could. And if I couldn't have her, no one would. I was just biding my time." He turned back towards Torie, his gaze instantly stilling her in her slow trek towards the door.
Torie instantly stilled her migration towards the only door she could see. Crappity crap crap. Holding her breath, Torie waited to see if he had noticed that she was now nearly five feet from where she started at.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." His voice was cold and hard.
It would appear that he did notice.
Damn.