Dog Day

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

In an empty room, Yegor woke. His eyes crept open. He found himself lying on a bed. The room was foreign to him; the furniture was decrepid, the woodwork was damp and the wallpaper was snot green. A small television flickered in the corner of the room, providing the only source of light. A Japanese gameshow was on: it involved worm eating.

Still weary, he yawned and tried to recall how he'd ended up in this strange place. He recalled a bar, the sound of shouting and glass breaking. He had been in a fight and remembered being struck with a chair. He started and touched his face, checking for cuts or bruises. His hand was damp; it was covered in blood. And the other hand, too.

Alarmed, he sat upright and checked himself for wounds. He was shirtless and his entire upper torso was caked in dry blood. Yet his hands were still wet and he wondered why. A hazy blur of images swam in his mind: a room key, a broken vodka bottle, and a beautiful blonde-haired girl. He bolted out of the bed and the floorboards creaked under his feet.

To his horror, the bed in which he'd slept was drenched. He became aware of the overpowering stale stench which filled the room and wretched. He fell to his knees and his mind raced. When he vomited, thick crimson gore issued forth from his lips. Repulsed, he scrambled away from the bed and pressed his back against a dressing table. He curled up with his knees against his chest and stared at the walls. They seemed to move. He closed his eyes and thumped his head.

"What's happened to me?" he cried.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

"You are dead."

The cold, regal voice came from a dark corner across from the television. A brief talon of light scraped across the figure sitting majestically in a stained armchair. Dark ash patches lay on the padded armrests. The figure sitting in the dark clutched a gentlemans cane in one arm But, despite his demeanor and appearance, that figure was no gentleman by any stretch of the imagination. He sat cross-legged and laying back slightly, resting his chin against his fist.

"Dead..."

The figure rose out of his seat gracefully, like water flowing upward out of some unseen crevasse. He approached the quivering form against the dressing table, bringing his cane in step with his right leg on the grimy carpeted floor. The darkness about the room faded as the pallid, sickly ceiling light glared, illuminating the room just enough to banish the tenebrous surroundings. The cloak of mystery shrouding the figure disappeared, revealing Dimitri in a formal-yet-elegant black suit attire, with a top hat crowning his chiselled brow. A heartless pair of eyes looked down upon the neonate.

"...does that frighten you, whelp?"

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

For a moment, Yegor was paralyzed with shock. He stared at the man in his seat and tried to work out just how he hadn't seen him sitting there before. He was strange looking and had a bizarre dress sense. His skin was ghostly pale. As he approached him, towering over him, Yegor clambered to his feet and retreated to the corner of the room. From his bedside, he snatched a heavy alarm clock. Poised ready to strike, the clock ticked steadily in his hand.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done here?"

[Dimitri Vojslav]

"Patience..."

Dimitri swept his eyes over the face of the clock. It suddenly stopped ticking.

"...we have plenty of time. You're not going anywhere."

The fiend sat down on the corner of the bed in a dry patch, resting his cane next to him on the matress.

"And as for your question - I am Dimitri. And I haven't done anything."

The Tzimisce elder pulled his lips back slightly, briefly baring his fangs for the neonate to see.

"Yet."

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

As he stood, gawking at the stranger, his survival instincts were screaming at him. One voice told him to clock the lanky beast across the face and run for it. The other voice told him that if he tried anything, this Dimitri character would turn him into minced meat. Fear stayed his hand and fury boiled his blood.

"I'll go wherever I want," he said, steeling himself. He stared at his teeth; his fangs.

"What kind of freak are you?"

[Dimitri Vojslav]

"Freak?"

Dimitri gave a ghastly, uncanny laugh; the kind of laugh that made angels shudder.

"Well that's certainly a new one - I'll have to write that one down."

He stood up abruptly, summoning his cane to his hand once again. Stepping forward, the cainite held his cane out in front of him, balancing it horizontally on his index finger. His pupils contracted slightly as the entire length of the cane combusted into flame. Though ignited, the flames were well controlled, flickering only a few inches from the black rod. The fiend's hand was seemingly immune to the burning effects of the arcane flames. He began to twirl the cane in a spectacular light show; streaks of orange swiping across the sorcerers face, illuminating his pale visage in a horrific manner.

Without warning, he cast the cane towards the bed; a liquified jet of flame leapt from the infernal object and engulfed the matress. As the flames licked high up towards the ceiling, the dirty glass of the light burst into a glass shower onto the crimson matress. The decadent green wallpaper was already burnt black and peeling away from the poorly-administered plaster hidden behind it, revealing cracks and bare brick. Dimitri turned back to the fledgling and inhaled - the rebellious scent of the Brujah invigorated his senses so much that the clock shattered in the cainites hand.

"If this power and these fangs and my desire for sweet vitae makes me a freak.."

Turning his head quickly, Dimitri raised his free hand up as if grasping some invisible object. The flames grew into a raging bonfire, swirling upwards and igniting the ceiling.

"...so be it!"

Dimitri grabbed the Brujah by his neck and swung him towards the door.

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

An overwhelming, uncharacteristic surge of obedience overcame Yegor, and he bolted for the door. There had always been things he had assumed about the world; certain laws existed, possibilities and impossibilities were taken for granted, and noone would ever give him orders. He had stood dumbfounded by Dimitri's mind-boggling display and everything he knew was turned on its head in an instant. Yet in the moment, his mind was blank, and the only thing he felt was the searing heat from the flames behind him and the desire to be out of the room as quickly as possible.

He opened the door and stumbled into the hall. He didn't stop, he looked over his shoulder and saw Dimitri's immense frame looming close behind. He broke off into a run and focused all of his attention on the staircase at the end of the hall.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

Dimitri stepped out into the squalid corridor just as a ceiling beam crashed through and added to the inferno that engulfed the charred, flakey frame of the bed. The embers and whisps of ash whirled around in a windless torrent that swept out behind the Tzimisce. He watched as the newly-embraced childe ran towards the stairs. In no rush whatsoever, Dimitr made his way over to the elevator.

Not wishing to wait around, he motioned across the slight alcove, causing the outer doors to part, revealing a dimly-lit shaft of brick. Walking beyond the precipice, Dimitri stepped out onto the air. He inspected the taut cable that disappeared in both directions. With a final glance down the hall, Dimitri spied his insatiable fugitive as he reached the door leading to the stairwell. His eyes then flicked downwards and with an almost angelic quality the monstrous creature descended.

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

The door leading onto the stairwell swung open and crashed against the wall, cracking the pane of glass within. Yegor sprinted down the concrete stairs, his hand squeaked as it slid down the steel banister, leaving a red trail behind. There were no windows and the pale lights overhead flickered. Somewhere above he heard the creaking and cracking of burning wood. His speed increased.

He heard laughter. A young couple were climbing the next flight of stairs, merry from a night of drinking. He hurtled towards them.

"Get out of my way!" he barked.

The man looked up, shocked. His girlfriend tried to pull him back but Yegor was already on top of them. His free arm lashed out and shoved the drunk, who was propelled into the unforgiving stone behind him and collasped unconcious. The girl screamed. Yegor was already a flight of stairs away.

He clung to the bannister with desperation, if he let go he feared his entire body would hurtle out of control and crash through a wall. There was a loud groaning within the building. He started clearing each flight of stairs in single bounds until finally, he came upon an exit: a green fire door. He lurched forward, heaving down upon the metal bar. The door fell open and he fell through it, out into an alley. His unrelenting momentum threw him across to the other side of the narrow passage where he collided with a brick wall and fell to ground.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

An old lady was astounded when the elevator doors parted to reveal Dimitri standing in the empty, dark shaft. He scowled at her disapproving look and passed her by. The young man at the sorry excuse for a reception desk dared not look at him. He simply stared idly over his comic book from a marijuana haze of smothered bliss.

"The guests on the eleventh floor are complaining that it's far too warm."

The eyes did not re-focus on the koldun, but the lips gave a hint of acknowledgement before the young man slid out of view through a side door. As Dimitri left the grimy hotel, he reappeared from another door with a spanner. Dimitri smirked.

Outside, the snow was lighter than usual for this time of year. A distant sound rang out loud and clear to Dimitri's kindred ears. The Tzimisce ventured around the corner and arrived in a narrow alley where his quarry lay scattered on the ground near the fire exit. He stood, towering above the stupified form beneath him.

"Yegor, this is pointless. Where will you go? Who will take you in?"

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

The freezing snow tingled against his bare back but after falling, he felt no pain. Overhead, a light illuminating the fire exit glared in his field of vision but he stared beyond that. He stared at the sky. The full moon appeared silver as it hung majestically amongst the winking stars. In the silence, he felt it speak to him and for a second, he found peace. Then he heard a voice.

He sat up and looked at Dimitri, anger etched into every line on his face. He pulled his hands from the blood-stained snow and glimpsed down at them. He saw them as though for the first time. Then he glared at the lanky stranger.

"What the hell have you done to me?"

[Dimitri Vojslav]

A black van pulled up by the side of the road just beyond the alley. Dimitri cast a momentary glance to see the hulking men climb out of the rear doors. As he turned back he produced a wooden stake, seemingly out of thin air or within the cinfines of his garments. He grasped the sharp object in one hand, while holding his othe rhand out in front of him, as if restraining an unseen figure. The Brujah on the ground tensed up somewhat, unable to move.

"As I said upstairs - I haven't done anything..."

The stake leapt from Dimitri's hand, darting down and burying itself in Yegor's chest. The youthful cainite went limp as his head cracked against the floor. The ghouls flanked Dimitri and hoisted the body into their arms. The russian monarch led them into the back of the van.

The doors slammed shut and the jet-black vehicle stormed off into the thickening snow.

...yet.

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

Yegor opened his eyes, startled. He was slumped on the floor of a dark room. A large man stood over him with a sharp wooden stake in his hand. A flood of images filled Yegor's head; he remembered this man from the alley, and then he recalled feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to find his chest without any signs of wounding or scarring.

He tried to touch his chest, there was a clang and he reeled backwards. His hands were bound by the wrists, handcuffed to a thick metal pipe which disappeared into the ceiling. Incensed, he pulled away, and struggled violently to break loose from the handcuffs or the pipe itself. The man standing over him laughed then cried out as the captive booted him in the shin.

"Let me go!"

[Dimitri Vojslav]

The ghoul kicked him back, in the face, snapping his head back. The drone-like subhuman then left via the only door in the room. A few seconds later, he re-entered with a young girl, about sizteen years old. She was dirty and scared witless. The ghoul carried another pair of handcuffs with him.

He led the girl over to the opposite corner of the filthy cesspit room, where there was a similar set of pipes to the ones Yegor was chained to. As the lithe man moved to secure her, the girl lashed out, pulling away from him as best she could. But the ghoul gave her one hefty backhanded smack across the face, stunning her. He quickly cuffed her to the pipes, then left as silently as he had entered.

The sound of a large lock, as well as several bolts sliding could be heard on the other side. The bare bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered slightly.

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

Day One


They sat in silence awhile. Yegor heard the fading footsteps of the departing lackey. He also heard the miserable sobs of the girl on the other side of the room but he paid her no mind. He pulled at his restraints and jerked the handcuffs to test how much give there was in the pipe. There was none. He grunted and heaved with all of his strength; the chain clanged and scratched against the pipe. The cuffs hurt his wrists. He tried again and cried out. His restraints broke the skin.

"Will you stop?" said the girl, her voice trembling, "That won't work."

Yegor slumped down on the floor and frowned. He glanced up and saw the girl's feet illuminated on the floor. She wore tattered old trainers and a dirty pair of jeans. He couldn't see past her knees in the dark. He scowled.

"What do you know?"

"They took me three nights ago and brought me to him: the tall man. They kept me chained up like this and you can't get away, so don't bother."

"We'll see..."

From the dark there came a series of grunts and clangs followed by a desperate cry and some scraping. He hissed.

"What do they want?" he asked.

"I don't know. They don't tell me anything. Why did they take you?"

"I..." He hesitated, and thought about all that had transpired. He closed his eyes tight and rubbed his sore head. "I don't know. I woke up and there was... he was in the room with me. He set fire to the place and chased me out into the snow. The others were waiting for me there."

"He was in my room, too. I fell asleep after soccer practice. I play for my school's team. Anyway, I don't know what he did but I couldn't shout or run away. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a room like this."

"All alone?"

"Yeah. But not anymore. I'm Mariya, by the way."

"Yegor," he uttered.

Somewhere far away, he heard her youthful voice speaking to him. He couldn't make out what she was saying, his vision blurred and the room spun. No longer could he keep his eyes open any longer, the muscles in his neck gave up and his chin fell upon his chest.

"Yegor?" she whispered, "Yegor?"



Day Two


When he woke up, Yegor groaned in pain. His head ached. He clasped his head between his hands and closed his eyes. The room stunk of something rancid. It was warm and clammy but the pipes were cold. He pressed his face against the metal. Across the room, he heard Mariya stir on the floor.

“Yegor?” she said wearily, “Are you awake?”

“Yes. How long was I asleep?”

“Too long. You left me alone.”

She yawned and stretched. He opened his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, then the pain returned like a blinding white light.

“Yegor? Are you alright?”

“My head!” he said through clenched teeth.

“You have a headache?”

“It feels like someone has buried razorblades in my brain! Argh!”

He cried out and collapsed in a heap.

“Calm down! Take deep breaths. You’re probably just hungry.”

“I’m starving!” he shouted.

There was a shuffle in the dark followed by a series of loud bangs. Yegor howled in pain as he wrestled violently with the restrains, and in frustration, he head butted the pipe in a vain attempt to force the pain out. His mind raced and he felt a fury swell within him. He cried out again and propped his foot against the damp stone wall to give himself some leverage. He pulled away, the metal cut into his wrists and he slipped forward, cracking his chin on the floor.

“Yegor, stop it! You’re scaring me!”

As his mind cleared, he heard Mariya, sobbing thickly into her woollen jumper. A wave of guilt washed over him, and he calmed down. He turned over onto his back and looked up at the silhouette of his restrained hands overhead. His wrists stung.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to get out of here.”

“Me too, but getting angry won’t help. You’re like my brother.”

“You have a brother?” he asked, wincing. His restraints were wet from his cuts.

“Yeah, he’s five years older than me. He looks out for me but he has a terrible temper.”

“I’m not always bad tempered.”

“Neither is he,” she said, “I wish he was here now.”

“I’ll look after you.”

On his lips, Yegor felt something wet. He licked it off. It had a familiar copper taste. It was a droplet of blood from his wrists. It seemed to explode in his mouth.

“You promise?”

He shook his arms and more drops of blood landed on his face. He sucked on his lower lip and closed his eyes tight. In his head, he heard a loud thumping, a steady rhythmic beat. It was like the beating of a heart. He grunted and moaned, lashing out with his feet, kicking thin air.

“Yegor?”

The thumping grew louder and faster. It enticed him and drove him to his feet. Again he started yanking against his restrains, this time with no regard for his own personal safety. The sharp pain in his wrists faded until all that existed was him and the pipe. He kicked it, and head butted it and charged it. He howled in pain.

Far away, he heard a soft voice but it was drowned out by the thumping sound. It came from across the room, it beckoned to him and he couldn’t reach it. It was maddening. He cried out again but this time he did not recognise the sound of his own voice. It was a guttural unearthly roar that issued forth from his lips. He tore at the chains and the pipe. His eyes burned. His skin felt as if it was on fire. The chains snapped.

Slowly, he turned around. The racing, thumping beat pounded in his ears. All that was left was him and the girl. She screamed when she saw his bloody visage scramble across the floor towards her.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

The door glided open ominously. The glaring light from the subterranean corridor invaded the stagnant cell-like space. A stark column of light fell through the doorway onto the floor, with the surrounding shadow remaining absolute in it's dark contrast. A silhouette appeared in the frame of light, it's shadow lying on the damp, blood-smeared concrete floor.

A freight train roared overhead, rocking the basement-level to it's foundations. A layer of dust roused up from its slumber, while a loose slab of plaster crashed onto the floor somewhere down the corridor. The fluorescent light's electrics gave way to the disturbed dust and went out.

In that darkness, a beam of fire errupted, casting a surreal, malevolent glow around the dank, dark room. The imposing figure holding the burning staff loomed over a blood stain, following the crimson streaks to the near corner, where lay a ghastly, macabre sight; a tattered assortment of clothes clinging to a flayed, frayed marionette of blood and shredded skin. A set of calculating eyes pierced a set of lifeless ones that stared back up at the brooding shadow.

Dimitri turned his smiling face away from the leftovers in the corner, and followed the trail of exhausted vitae to the opposite corner, where he found a trembling mass of limbs. He held the burning cane aloft, to provide a better glimpse of his companion.

"Get up Yegor."

The young, bloodshot eyes of a damned soul glared at the Tzimisce.

"Welcome to the Long Night."

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

The room reeked of the sickly sweet stench of stale blood. In the dark recesses of the basement, he saw the small rotten trainers and the crimson soaked jeans, flickering in the orange glow of the fire. He tasted it on his lips and in that moment something changed within him: he heard her screams and he felt nothing. Resolved, he met Dimitri's stare.

"Tell me everything."

[Sonya Tvarivich]

It was early evening, and She was shivering in the cool March weather.

Clutching Her... clothes... to Her body, She stumbled along the sidewalks of the city, staring wide-eyed at the buildings and people around Her. Everything smelled.

Tottering around on two legs, Her feet hurt. She tired easily, as well, unused to so much exercise. Leaning against a building that smelled like Her old cell, She stared at the ground.

Find him. Her instructions were clear, though She didn't know exactly how She'd accomplish what the Cardinal wanted. There was a person in Moscow he wanted located, and She could do it. He'd gone on and on about abilities She had that She didn't know about, but She was unconvinced.

She would try, of course. Once She'd accomplished the mission, the Cardinal had promised a new place to live. Somewhere nice, with green fields and trees.

Sonya Tvarivich lurched forward once more, heading to the nearest bridge over the river.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

The pale-skinned mortals piled out of the black van and dispersed quickly. The limosine was parked several hundred yards up the street. The driver, another ghoul, walked round to open the rear passenger doors. Yegor stepped out, followed closely by Dimitri. The elder grabbed the chauffer, pulling him in close.

The whispers went unnoticed by Yegor, who seemed to be taking in his surroundings like blotting paper. The limosine suddenly drove off around a corner, bringing Yegor to his senses.

"I told you you'd see things a lot clearer, didn't I?"

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

He stood in silence a moment longer, enamoured by all he beheld. Everything seemed so bold and vibrant; he saw colours in brick walls that he'd never seen before, he saw the falling snowflakes waltz in the air, and there was a buzz in the air like they were engulfed with activity and life yet they were the only people on the street.

"It's like I'm seeing everything for the first time," he said, and grinned, "Everything seems so sexy."

[Sonya Tvarivich]

The other people on the bridge walkway gave Her a wide berth, and She tried to avoid bumping into anyone. The smells were bad enough and She didn't think that She could handle actual contact with the others.

Check the rivers, he'd said. Feel the Umbra. Look in the cracks of reality.

She reached the high point of the bridge and clutched the heavy stone balustrade, leaning against it and looking out on the dark water underneath. Closing Her eyes and letting the late March snow kiss Her cheeks, She tried to do as asked by the man.

There was a faint ripple in her thoughts, and She swayed, Her hands gripping the opposite side of the railing as She investigated it mentally. Almost a soft spot, though She didn't know how to describe it. Perhaps a way to look into the Umbra, as he'd put it.

Eyes snapping open, She felt a flash of intuition, and climbed up onto the stone railing, feet on a lower bit of decorative carving as She peered down.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

Yegor's description of his new sight caused a smile to creep into the corner of the Fiends mouth as they walked around a corner. They turned onto the street and headed for the bridge that crossed the river. And as they walked, Dimitri's auspex-enhanced eyes picked up an elegant figure standing high up on the bridge; a woman surrounded by a bright, vibrant aura.

"You're not the only one seeing things for the first time."

Dimitri quickened his pace, and Yegor along with him.

"Tell me Yegor, what do you know about the creatures of the night?"

[Yegor Gorodetsky]

"What are you talking about?"

Yegor gave Dimitri an incredulous sneer and hurried to keep up with him. He got the impression that this would be the type of conversation he had to look forward to for the rest of his unlife: Dimitri never making any sense. They approached the bridge and he noticed a young woman stood upon its precipice overlooking the river. He felt a sudden thrill of excitement.

"Looks like we've got a jumper."

[Sonya Tvarivich]

She was balanced perfectly, leaning far out over the water, but the approach of two pairs of feet caused Her concentration to wobble. They smelled strongly, much like he smelled. Was Her time out at an end already?

Jumping off the balustrade backwards, She landed with knees slightly bent, blonde hair blowing wild in the breeze. The more time She spent out, the more She felt comfortable in the great open spaces. But as the two males approached Her, She longed for the comfort of Her cell, and the close walls that spelled security.

[Dimitri Vojslav]

As he focused on the girl, Dimitri's eyes pierced the space between. His gaze penetrated the veil of physicality as he peered into her very psyche.

"How very interesting..."

To Dimitri's eyes, the girl was surrounded by a bright, white, vibrant aura.

"She must be a Garou."

Dimitri turned to his somewhat adopted childe.

"Stay alert."

They approached the girl, who suddenly seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

"Good evening, my dear." said the koldun with a modest nod, as opposed to lowering his status with a bow.