Chapter 22: The Devils Vinyl Part 6

Jasmine and Zed sit on the couch. Ian pours a glass of scotch.

"I need a drink." Mick mumbled.

Jasmine breaks the silence, "I never would've done this if I new it meant losing my family."

"I think it was brave. All of it." Zed says, tring to be encouraging.

"Wish I could believe that. If I'd known the risk..."

"You would've thought about it more?" Kendra said.

"You still would have tried. Holding onto the people you love, that's everything."

Len thought about his sister, wondering about the amount of times he sacrificed himself to protect and provide for her. Sara thought about Laurel, regret swelling in her heart for hurting her so many times and how she wished things to be different. Mick, well, kept quiet. Thpugh, one would notice some soft huffing and a look of longing in his eyes which quickly disappeared when Haircut tried to get a look. Rip looked down, thinking of Miranda and Jonas.

While the three sit together, Julilah eavesdrops on the adults talking about the "disc". Concerned and curious, she turns down the hall.

"This doesn't look good..." Ray murmured.

Julilah slides a step stool over to the top shelf, climbs, and pulls out the acetate. She comes down and removes the acetate, touching it with her bare hands. She blinks, staring at the disc like it's almost speaking to her.

"Okay... Okay..." She walks the acetate to the turntable, "I do want to hear you... I do..." She turns on the audio system and places the acetate on the turntable. The acetate begins to spin. Julilah stares at it, the spinning hypnotic, the she drops the needle.

Willie Cole begins to sing in the recording, "Sun come sinkin' low, shadows gonna rise. Reaper man come for everyone..." As Julilah leans toward the speaker, listening intently.

"Please let someone figure out what's going on." Kendra whispered.

Back in the front room, Zed hears the distant music, "What's that music?"

Jasmine turns, trying to place it, then, "Oh God, NO - Julilah -." Ian and Jasmine bolt down the hallway, Zed hot on their heels.

Various audience members let held breaths go.

They burst into the studio as Willie's voice stutters. Julilah stands riveted next to the speakers. Ian and Jasmine run to her. Zed bursts in behind them and kicks over the turntable. Ian and Jasmine cradle Julilah, snapping her out of the trance. Zed watches Ian and Jasmine hold their daughter.

We're in a derelict warehouse. It is still night. A close in on a hand holding brightly colored powder. Lips blow. The dust falls on John's face, startling him awake.

John is on his back. He is zip-tied at the wrists and ankles behind a long abandoned warehouse surrounded by urban decay. No one around for miles, except for Papa Midnite, who stands over John in the failing streetlight.

"They tell me this place used to flourish. Busy factories making things, workers scurrying. Now... It's a concrete graveyard."

John pulls at the zip-ties., "All of this, just to get me alone. I'm flattered, but you're going to need to respect my boundries - I don't do zip-ties without a safe word."

Someone choked in the background.

"That's copper covered in plastic. More than effective against your mail-order magic." Midnite fills a hypodermic needle from a small bottle, "My men are unburdening Ian Fell of his problem as we speak. Thanks to you, Constantine."

John huffed at the comment, "Mail-order magic."

"What do you want with that acetate, Midnite? You're no chaos-monger. There's no money in that."

"It's an insurance policy. A get out of hell free card. Don't tell me that's not why you're after it."

"Sounds useful."

"No."

John, suddenly uncomfortable with the subject, changes it. "I lied about Ian Fell."

"It's possible. For you, lying is easy. You've been at it so long you forgot what it's like to work hard for something." Mitnite unceremoniously jabs John in the arm with the needle.

"What's that?"

"Heparin. An anti-coagulant." Mitnite pulls out a ceremonial dagger from his bag and slices John across the upper arm. Blood begins to leak out. It hurts like a bitch, but John grits through it. "You'll have four hours, roughly. That's if you stay very still and say your prayers."

"Slow death, but not too slow, is that it?"

"If you are lying about Ian Fell, I need to be able to come back and question you more... aggressively."

"Sounds fun..." Len states sarcastically though one could see the wince.

"Always known you as a voodou priest with a flare for the dramatic. But a cold blooded killer? It's a bit common, no?"

"I do what's needed. But I don't need to darken my soul tonight. Not with the situation firmly in hand." Midnite pulls one more thing from his bag. A pill bottle. "A pharmaceutical does of vitamin K. This will stop the bleeding. If you can get to it. He places the bottle on a broken wall, well out of reach. "Consider it a show of professional respect. If you live, you'll have worked very hard indeed. If you die, it will be alone with your many, many sins." With that, Midnite turns on his heel and walks away.

CRACK! BOOM! Thunder and lightning, a good old Midwestern thunder storm. The raid starts heavy. "Right. Why not." John sighs. The water mixes with John's bleeding arm in a red puddle.

Sara turned slightly, "How often does this happen?"

End Chapter:

QOTC:

Me: Do we need to go back on the quest? *actual word is test*