Ep3 The Road to Destruction.
Blitzo had an opportunity to talk to Octavia. Respecting her father's wishes, she will allow him to remain with the book for the time being until her father's return. She personally went to IMP's office to clarify the new conditions of the loaning and to take the book for some commitments she needed to attend, but she promised he could come and pick it up in 2 weeks' time. That did not really sit well with I.M.P, it will mean solid weeks without work.
They all had a conversation rather amicable that day, which threw Blitzo off completely. Octavia was not at all upset or at least as destroyed as he hoped her to be.
- She seems fine! – He shouted when she left – Does she even care? - demanded Blitzo.
-Sir Please! Everybody deals with loss differently- responded Moxxie quietly.
-You heard her, she will allow us to keep the book until her father returns, sir- continue Millie
-She should be outside tracking that miserably son of a…bastard Striker! He knows what happened! He surely has Stolas! - blasted Blitzo
-Police have been on his track ever since the M&Ms testified, he was Stolas' kidnapper- noted Loona resting her feet over the desk and looking lazily at the window. She was also a little rattled after Octavia's visit, there was something unsettling in the whole thing. It was a very distinctive change from the video shown on the third day after Stolas disappearance. She was so upset back then, what changed?
-Yes! And they haven't found squat in 5 days. 5 DAYS! Meanwhile, his whole family is acting like it does not matter- Blitzo throws the papers on his desk and banged his hands over pulling Loona out of her thoughts. Blitzo was so stressed over this guy but nobody dared to say anything.
-Then, we should look for him, sir! - suggested Moxxie. Millie and Loona looked at each other and agree with the idea. 2 weeks without a job might as well fill them with some detective work.
Blitzo seems to react favorably as well.
– Yes! We search for Stolas ourselves; we do the work and ask his dumb family to hire us to do so. Is a win-win situation! –
And so, they did. They asked for an audience with Octavia (which at the moment looked the most accessible) Everybody knew Stella was in the process of divorcing him and his father, King Paimos, turned them down out cold.
Octavia's answer left them dumbfounded.
-NO! What did she mean NO? - argued Blitzo when they left the place. The group was discouraged.
-I don't understand, one could have thought she will be thrilled to have the people his father called upon several times for his protection to lend a helping hand in this investigation – reflected Millie – Sir! I think there is something more here she did not tell us…- Blitzo, Millie, and Moxie when off down the corridor discussing among themselves. Loona stood behind and gave Millie a surprised look, she was very perceptive! Loona had a moment just a moment before they left the room to talk to Octavia in private.
-Are you sure? I know we do not look like much but…- Loona negotiated.
-No! Loona, please leave this to the police, I beg you! – Loona gave her an utterly disappointed look – I do not doubt all of you will find father…that is the problem…- Octavia looked like she wanted to say something more to Loona but the place crowded rather quickly now with other people waiting for the audience with Princess Octavia so, she dismisses I.M.P as quickly as she could.
-It's fine! - she mouthed at Loona as the door closed. That is when Loona heard Millie's words. Yes! thought Loona, there was definitively something else going on. Loona looked back at the closed door and off she went to join the others.
2 weeks had gone now, the media was finally moving on to something else, but not at I.M.P
Blitzo entered slamming the door, he rushed to his desk and put on a bunch of files he has gathered. He has not slept in days, nor taken a shower. He looked like a crazy mess. He was living solely on coffee now.
-Fa…Father! - came Loona, she looked behind her at the 2 imps that quickly encourage her to press on. Loona lost the draw and was forced to use a name she would never have in order to get as much of Blitzo's attention as she could.
-Not now Loona- was his response, very short, very dry. Blitzo did not even pay attention to the great effort his daughter did to call him that name out loud. She turned to the imps not knowing what else to do.
The office was a mess, Blitzo has occupied it with his research. There was a mural now with all connections to Stolas and the super evasive Striker. The two photos were pin side by side, both of them pinned with a bunch of red threats going to other individuals' photos.
All this time the police were still clueless about Stolas whereabouts. Blitzo lost his cool and was chasing after Striker madly. Moxxie, Millie, and Loona have been all dragged into the madness, conducting interviews, monitoring suspects, long surveillance nights, and even longer working on the field hours. the 3 of them had had it by now.
-Sir, please! - came Moxxie rather demanding -Maybe…maybe is time to give it up…- Moxxie finally throw out and everybody hold their breath.
-Give it up? GIVE IT UP! When I am this close? - he stood up pointing at the massive wall of bastards, as he was referring to the wall with the connections between Stolas and Striker.
Blitzo had already established the connection between Stella, Striker, and Stolas. She was a dead end. Blitzo tried to confront her but he just ended up a few days in jail for causing disturbances.
-YOU WITCH! You killed him, didn't you? - Blitzo shouted at Stella as the police dragged him out.
-Do you have any proof? you cheap little imp! – she laughed. And that was the end of that lead. Loona bailed him out. They rendezvous with the M&Ms who informed them they had been unsuccessful to find any clues in Stella's house while Blitzo created the distraction.
Blitzo was trying really hard to gather evidence against Stella, find Striker, and find Stolas. The whole thing was driving him mad.
After he was released from jail and gathered the information from the M&Ms, he stayed in the office for 2 days straights. He kept stubbornly looking at the wall of bastards for hours. He was so close he could feel it, he just needed to do that one connection to solve the puzzle. He stopped eating or sleeping.
This is the hardest everybody has ever seemed Blitzo at work. Also, the most inconvenient, the office smelled rancid and trash was piling up to the ceiling.
Down on the wall of bastards, there was this tiny section right at the bottom. The old photo of a girl was hanging at the very end of a thread connected to Stolas. To her side, there were the words: Back rooms? With an interrogation mark. FAIRY TALE! Was scratched over the words.
-Sorry Dad- murmured Loona, Blitzo turned around just in time to see a bat coming his way. Lights were out.
The constant dripping of water awakes Blitzo. He looked around, he was in his bathtub back home. The lights were off for some reason. There was an eerie look about the bathroom. Some white light was filtering through the blinds. He notice right in front of him was the wall of bastards for some reason. How did they manage to move the whole wall into his bathroom? thought Blitzo looking at it puzzled. Why the bathroom?
The old photo of that girl fell from the wall landing on the floor, Blitzo did not give it any importance his mind was lost on Stolas' photo. Stolas was smiling in this photo, or maybe half smiling? He look quite the part of a prince, all dignified and grandeur.
Blitzo then looked at himself. The bathtub was filled with water, it seems he was thrown there with his clothes on. Most likely, they were letting him soak first, after all, it has been several days.
-Why Blitzo- he heard a woman's voice but could not see anybody. The bathroom was so dark, but since it was a woman´s voice he gathered it was Loona. He said nothing and continued looking boringly at the wall, at Stolas.
- Why are you looking for him now? All this time you ignored him, you avoided him. What is it now? - the voice continued.
-I just felt like it…- he finally answers in such a tired voice.
-Felt like it! What a hypocritical answer…You have it all now! He is gone, no more attending force meetings with each other or having to answer his annoying phone calls – Blitzo flinched.
-The book is practically yours now, you heard Octavia, she was going to respect her father's wishes…until he returns that is…Would he ever return? - the voice hissed right beside Blitzo.
-HE IS NOT DEAD! - exploded Blitzo sitting in the tub. He looked around but there was nobody there.
-What if he is dead? Is a win–win situation...- the voice laughs and Blitzo was pushed down in the water, he battles to come up to the surface again, and he managed to do so. He looked around wildly but again, there was nobody there. He coughed and was about to leave the tub when he was pushed back again.
-NO! – he struggled -I am almost there, I can get him back! - cried Blitzo.
- To what end? What do you have to gain if he comes back? – this time, it was not a woman's voice, it was his own, it spoke to him so calmly.
-Nothing! - replied Blitzo fighting to surface.
-Nothing? That is lame- the voice laughs and hissed. Was he hearing himself or Striker? Blitzo panicked and fought desperately.
-Yes! Yes, it is. He is a prick and a pain in the arse…but he always…Always- Blitzo stopped fighting, he was so tired, he let himself be submerged completely and he saw Stolas, back when they were kids and met for the first time, how he believed him and played along robbing his own house. Even when Stolas caught up with him, he came to save him from those wacky humans dressed in black. Stolas trusted him enough to call him to protect him…even though he was never in real danger, or so he thought, not at least until that one day, when he DID really need him…but he was so busy…if only…- Blitzo let go his last breath.
-Oh, that's rich! – the voice mocked and Blitzo was pulled back up to the surface, he coughed his lungs out. -Do you even love him? – scorned the voice
-LOVE? Ha- dismissed Blitzo trying to laugh but was just coughing instead.
- Right! You hate his guts, that pretentious royal, all he wanted in life served on a silver platter, not a real cry in his life, no real suffering or struggle, everything came so easily…- Blitzo was breathing heavily supporting himself on the side of the tub as he listens something like his voice, something like Striker. -And yet, he destroyed all his perfect life for a sad and insignificant little circus clown…an imp...-
-Yes…that was right- thought Blitzo – his majesty stepped down his high horse to wallow with some imp he had not seen in 2 decades or so. He could just move on and forget about that one-night stand but for some reason, Stolas kept insisting on calling upon him, with that weird pushy way but, he persisted…- Blitzo looked at the wall once more. There was Stolas side by side with Striker, both surrounded by all that red thread. -What was the connection he was still missing? -
-Don't you think you are looking at this all wrong? - came the woman's voice again. Blitzo then looked at Striker. None of the threads seem to connect Striker and Stolas directly, except the one going to Stella and the one going to himself, to I.M.P. Blitzo stood up in the bathtub.
-He is an imp, an imp like me – paused Blitzo
-Not many imps start businesses on their own- Blitzo hear Striker's voice, he remembered that time they met. -That's pretty impressive sir…- said Striker.
-I guess…I guess it is, isn't it? - repeated Blitzo his answer, feeling rather flattered, from back at that time. Blitzo answered to the nothingness as he climbed out of the tub and walked to the wall.
-So, you even conned that ditzy blue blood into getting you to the surface? - continued Striker.
-Well, it is long and complicated but the short answer is yes – Blitzo answered the question again. -But it is a transactional fuc*- Blitzo stood right in front of the wall looking at Stolas, then back at Striker.
-You are an imp like me, a killer like me pushed into this life because of your life situations... - despited Blitzo.
Blitzo remembered how they were head-to-head in the moon festival games, they both won first place. He really liked the guy, even offered him a position within the company, regardless of Moxxie's feelings - hehehe- Blitzo chuckled and put out a gun at Striker's photo -Excuse me…- he called at the photo.
-Oh! Blitz, I thought you were still at the ceremony- Striker faked surprise while he was holding that holy weapon through the window. Stolas on the other side, was unsuspect on the stage directing the corn festival with his subjects expectantly.
-Like if I wanted to stand around with a bunch of hillbillies excited about corn and shi*... with a thirsty owl on stage- kept Blitzo his aim steady.
-Oh! Now you seem disappointed in me- Striker stood up with a smile.
-Yeah! Well, I am not a fan of someone I offered a job to off my easiest lanky ticket to earth behind my back-
-Blitz, come on! You know the two of us are superior to most of our kind and you were so above sucking on a disgusting rich pompous Goetia, only to sneak topside for scraps and work for better sinners who could care less who you are when you could be slaying overlords. Why struggle to run a business that is rigged against you? When you could partner up with me and kill the unkillable…-
-KILLING THE UNKILLABLE?- shouted Blitzo at Striker's photo – WHY ARE YOU STILL GETTING ON MY WAY? I warned you! You blabbered about being partners and what do you do? You betray me! and for what? How are you killing the unkillable if you work for that witch? YOU WORK FOR THAT TRASH! You are a coward! Just hiding behind some puny blue blood to do their bidding. FACE THEM! Face them straight on…I would have backed you up! - Blitzo dropped to his knees - you are exactly like me, only you grew the balls to try to go after them. Me…I am just hiding behind those lesser sinners with pitiful revenge. You are going after Gods…I'm just going after dust…- Blitzo's eyes filled with tears.
A shadow walked behind Blitzo and smiled.
-I just need to find you- Blitzo hit the wall, then took a second breather and observed carefully Striker's photo – If I were you, where would I go? Where would I hide when the whole hell is after my neck and I have no one soul to give a fu* about me? –
Another bunch of connections appeared, from Blitzo's photo. His own connections, the ones that told him where a wanted for the dead imp could disappear forever if necessary, a place so dreadful not even the police would go there, no royals, no law. A no man's land called the Marshes. It was a crazy maze filled with lost souls, dangerous filthy creatures, nobody wanted to deal with, the scum of the scum. You will become a lost soul yourself If you stayed there for too long. The place for desperados.
Blitzo's eyes sparked. He found it! and suddenly noticed he was having problems breathing.
-Congratulations! - came the shadow and kneeled next to him. Blitzo was on his knees gasping for air. He saw the shadow right next to him and felt his body shudder. he could not see a face, there was nothing there.
– You have a purpose now but, I am afraid you fell asleep in a bathtub and you are drowning. Oh, dear! I wonder if there is even enough time to find Striker since he is dying as well- the shadow smiled at him. A smile, no real body behind
Blitzo turned around and saw himself sitting in the bathtub with his head submerged. He tried to run back but fell, everything was getting black, he was quickly losing consciousness.
Loona came in through the wide-open door of the bathroom. She had put Blitzo in the bathtub but she never opened the faucet. She went to gather some towels first.
-What that! - she jumped as the water flowed out of the bathtub, and Blitzo was completely submerged. She dropped the towels and pulled him out of the tub throwing him to the floor and then turning around to turn the water off.
- What are you doing? - she shouted at Blitzo. He started coughing.
-Called the M&Ms we need to go-
2 weeks has been Stella taking ¨care¨ of Octavia, not that she has ever done it, not that she was actually doing it. Most of the time her daughter would be doing her own stuff, and now, her father's stuff as well. Stella could not be bothered to ask about her daughter's life, she has her own life to live. But now, there was something that was really bugging her about her daughter and it was getting really creepy by the minute.
It all started one day she was passing by late in front of Octavia's room. She just came from a party and was a little tipsy. The lights were still on. She heard her daughter laugh so Stella paused in front of her room. -maybe she finally got a boyfriend- Stella thought and laugh.
-Really father? And what did you do? –Stella heard and froze in place.
Octavia heard the sound of glass breaking right outside her door. -Wait a moment- Octavia asked her father on the phone and went to open the door. Her mother was there picking up the pieces of a broken champagne glass she has been carrying all this time. Stella was as pale as a white peacock could go.
-Sorry my dear…- struggled Stella as she kneeled to pick up the broken glass– Did I wake you? She asked nervously. At that moment Stella cut her fingers. She was bleeding profusely. Octavia looked down at her with worry but considered keeping herself composed as much as possible. How much would her mother have heard?
– I'll call later- Octavia quickly said and hung up the call. -Come Mother! We need to clean that- Octavia helped her mother up.
Stella woke up the next day with a bandaged hand. Suddenly she remembered why and her mind could not shake the memory the whole day.
Finally, Stella was noticing her daughter. She was not sad or upset at all. Her father has been missing for days now and she did not even see concern. Her daughter seems ok! That was when Stella felt her skin crawl for the first time. Something was up and she was not part of it.
In the next days, Stella started to brew a conspiracy theory. Her former husband and daughter were laughing at her expenses and so, she will not stand for this!
Octavia was not only under police surveillance but her grandfather's and now her mother's.
Stella started to wonder late at night hoping to catch Octavia again somehow. But Octavia was no dumb child she started to notice her mother's newfound interest in her so, she would lie about her hours, where she was going to be, and with whom.
Her mother then tightened the leash. Octavia found herself in curfews and being watched constantly. She would lock herself in her personal bathroom late at night as her last resource and call her father. Never once she mentioned to her father what was happening. Octavia became a prisoner in her mother's house.
1 week of this game of cat and mouse and Stella was fed up. Stolas was hunting her house somehow, she was feeling unsafe but she was no coward, it was high time to take arms in the matter and exorcised that spirit once and for all.
It was passed midnight. Octavia was in her bathroom as she had taken lately; Stella was aware that she would close herself there at certain times. That night was the night, Stella used her imps and broke the doors from Octavia's room and bathroom.
-What are you doing? - Octavia protested with the phone in her hand, but before she could hang up her mother took it by force.
-STOLAS? I know is you! - shouted Stella on the phone.
- MOM STOP! - demanded Octavia trying to retrieve her phone. Her mother pushed her down and snapped her fingers. The imps restrained Octavia.
-STOLAS! You talk to me right now, where are you? - demanded Stella, but…nothing. Stella listens intently, there was a quiet buzz on the back like when the television is on but there is no signal- Stolas? - asked Stella feeling unnerved. She looked at her daughter utterly confused.
Octavia looked back at her very upset but, the bewildered expression on her mother's face confuses Ocatvia completely.
-What are the two of you playing at? - confronted Stella.
-What are you talking about? - deviated Octavia.
-I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING TO YOUR FATHER! - Stella was so mad at this point that cracked the phone screen on her hand -Don't act like I don't know any better you heartless child! - her voice kind of broke at this point. Octavia's heart shrugged, she saw in her mother's eyes tears, she thought maybe her mother did care for her father after all and was tempted to come forward with the whole story for a second, but she waited expectantly, she knew better, there was always about her mother and just looked sadly back at her.
Stella finally lost her cool and dropped the act. -Nor you or your father are going to make a fool of me!- she throws the phone at Octavia and walked out. Octavia did not see her mother for the rest of the week.
Octavia took the phone from the floor, the screen was broken, she held it to her ear, no sound.
Octavia received a new phone shortly after with a short note that read I am sorry. She thought it was her mother's, but Octavia became very wary of her, she accepted the gift, it was the last model in hell, very sought out by teenagers those days. Octavia moved her conversations with her father to public places. It all seems to go alright until that one last night.
Her mother came into her room, her eyes were distorted. Octavia felt her skin crawl, something was so horribly wrong. Her grandfather came after her mother. Octavia stood up from her desk where she has been quietly studying. She noticed there were two men standing by the door in white uniforms.
-What is going on? - she asked feeling for the first time truly scared of her own family. Her mother was looking at her with harsh eyes, her grandfather was giving her a pitiful look.
-My dear, is best if you accompany these men quietly – said her grandfather calmly.
-What is this? - Octavia shields herself with her chair.
-There is nobody there- jumped Stella impatiently.
-What? - replied Octavia perplexed.
-Stella! - called Paymon annoyed.
-She has been talking to static…ALL THIS TIME! I thought they were both mocking me but no, she had just gone mad!- defended Stella her actions.
-What are the 2 of you talking about? - OCtavia replied nervously.
-Octavia, your mother…- Started Paymon.
-I tapped your phone… WE NEEDED TO KNOW WHERE YOUR GOOD-FOR-NOTHING FATHER IS HIDING…It turned out YOU ARE TALKING TO NO ONE. I don't know what are YOU child playing at but the game is UP!- Stella could barely contain herself, she was so disgusted and utterly creeped out with her daughter. She voiced those words remembering her spies handling the recordings. Stella went through all of them, hours and hours of her daughter's voice talking to static over the phone.
-I don't understand what you are saying - cried Octavia. She was so confused, her own mother was spying on her!
Her mother and grandfather were looking now at her like she was a crazy person. Octavia was hoping all to be fine nevertheless since her conversations with her father did not center on where he was but mostly on what he was doing. But hearing from her own mother that those conversations were nothing more of her talking to the air...It was just her own voice there. Could they not hear her father's voice at all?
Even Octavia was creeped out by the news. She grabbed her phone not knowing exactly what she wanted to do, she looked at it for a few seconds with trembling hands. Paymon nodded and the two men came into the room.
-NO! - cried Octavia -I can prove it! - she finally broke – I'll call him now- her hands were trembling so much but she was able to dial the number. Paymon and Stella observed her intently. Octavia waited as the phone rang and put it on speaker. After a few rings, it clicked but it was quiet on the other side – Father? - came Octavia's voice quivering. Nothing was heard.
Stella and Paymon looked at each other. Paymon gave another nod and the men walked to Octavia. She backed to the window turning the speaker off and put her phone to her ear – Father! - she called desperate.
-Octavia? - She finally hears – Father! - sighted Octavia in relief – Mother and grandfather are here…Can you please talk to them? - she pleaded.
-Octavia, run!- she heard his father in such a monotone voice as the phone was taken from her; Stella snatched the phone and listened to it. She then looked at Paymon with arrogance – Stop playing Stolas- she demanded in such a lower tone and waited.
-There is nobody there- Stella turned around at her perplexed daughter, her eyes were ice cold.
-NO! - jumped Octavia at her mother taking the phone back – Please father! Talk to mother...-
-Enough! There is nobody there1- Octavia and Stella struggled for the phone – And you know why there is nobody there…because your father is dead, you heard me? and you are mad! - continued Stella.
-NO! FATHER; FATHER! - called Octavia holding onto the phone while her mother used her nails to take it away. Paymon stepped in and took it from both of them. He listened, his eyes went big, he breathed in terror, the phone fell to the floor and he kicked at the door. The 2 men looked at it not knowing what to make of this.
-YOU! - he grabbed his granddaughter by her shoulders and shake her violently -you do not call that thing again! - he shouted at her. She could feel his grasp so thigh, it was hurting her. This was the first time ever she saw her grandfather lose his composure.
- What are you doing? - he then shouted at the 2 men – Destroy that thing NOW! – Paymon ordered.
The two men went for the phone.
There was no time, Octavia knew the game was up, only she could never had foresee this end. A rush of adrenaline pumps through her. She just learned it and most likely her grandfather will catch up to her very quickly, but it was something she had to try.
She had the clear mind to push his grandfather away, take her father's grimoire from the desk shelves and throw herself at the phone, as she picks it up, she opens a portal and went through as she rolled out and disappeared.
-STOP HER! - shouted Stella at Paymon. Paymon was on the floor furious. He burned in rage as he stood up. Stella backed up.
-Take her! - ordered Paymon. The 2 men in white took Stella.
-Wait…What? -
-Shut up you wrench! - Paymon ordered. Stella has never heard Paymon express himself so despitefully. She was stunned. – You knew about this and you still allow MY GRANDDAUGHTER to form a bond with that thing! - continued Paymon.
-I did not know, I swear…I don't even know what that is! - she implored. – I called you…I called you, didn't I? I asked for your help because I did not know…-
-Silence! Take her away until she calms down – said Paymon and the two men dragged her out of her own house. Stella called him pleading, and off she went screaming Paymon's name at the top of her lungs.
Paymon kneeled and started to feel the portal her granddaughter opened.
Octavia managed to escape. She rolled into a dark street, stood up, and was blinded by lights. A horn immediately blew her ears out, but it was too late, she could not see the van coming her way. She could not move. The car violently turned around and managed to avoid her at the last minute.
-What is your problem you freak? - shouted Blitzo from the van.
-Octavia! - called Loona and came out to meet her. Octavia was breathing heavily. -No time! - she urged Loona– Take me…Take me with you! - Octavia dragged Loona to the van and jumped in. -GO QUICK! - she shouted desperate.
-Yes…your majesty- muttered Blitzo. The van moved and immediately turned the corner.
As the van disappeared from the corner a portal opens and Paymon steps in. He looked around.
There is no one around. The place was empty. The sunrise was upon.