| Sometimes, the monsters hunt you.The shower had been eventful as Ellara strutted out of the tiny combination shower bath, wrapping a towel around herself before grabbing another for her hair. She full well knew it was past the half hour that her Uncle had requested she meet him in, but she didn’t particularly care. Ellara wasn’t one for socializing first thing in the morning, and she certainly wasn’t one for introducing her bedmate first thing to not only her roommate but also her roommate’s bedmate. How both she and Natalie ended up bringing home a guy on the same night was beyond Ellara’s comprehension but she was more than happy the pair wouldn’t be doing anymore introductions after their particularly steamy shower.
Cal didn’t take long to get dressed having only the one pair of clothes to choose from as he quickly toweled off, slipping back into the outfit he had been wearing the previous night. Sitting on the edge of Ellara’s mattress, she watched his eyes follow her back and forth across the room as she scrounged through the various piles of discarded clothing before finally settling on an outfit.
Opting for a cropped tank-top matched to a pair of torn high-waisted jeans, Ellara slipped her feet quickly into her biker boots before grabbing her trademark leather jacket as both she and Cal made their way towards the apartment’s exit.
“So what’s the deal with this Uncle?” Cal asked as Ellara locked the door behind them, before spinning around as she started down the hallway. “He’s driving from where again?”
“Fuckin’ Seattle.” Ellara responded jogging ahead as they started down the stairs.
“So yeah, he’s driving a hell of a long way to bring you, well whatever he’s bringing you and you’re making him wait because I’m a damn good lay?” Cal asked with a smirk as Ellara paused, turning her head to shoot him a look.
“I’m a fuckin’ damn good lay, you just had to keep it up.” Ellara replied with a quick motion towards his groin before she continued down the stairs, passing the seventh floor before speaking again. “Things between my Uncle and I are… they’re fuckin’ complicated.” She explained as Cal sped up to match her pace.
“We were never close, hell I don’t think he ever agreed to having me live with them. Pretty sure he only did it to keep my Aunt fuckin’ happy.” Ellara stated, “As he fuckin’ should’ve mind you, Aunt Diana was a saint, hell, in some ways she was given more opportunities to be a mother to me than my own. Uncle Roy and I both took it hard when she was killed, he just took it out on me.”
Cal nodded slowly as he listened, taking her words in before lifting a hand to Ellara’s shoulders only for the girl to suddenly shrug it off as she picked her pace up again.
“‘Course none of that justifies him fuckin’ kicking me out without any sort of warning.” Ellara snapped back at Cal. “He had the fuckin’ nerve to pack my room up and load it into a truck. Basically handed me the damn keys and told me to get the hell out.”
“So, yeah.” She added as the pair finally reached the exit. “He can fuckin’ wait.”
“Did you want me to go with you?” Cal asked, “Y’know maybe I could help or something…” His voice trailed off as Ellara’s icy froze the words coming out of his mouth.
“Last night was fun, this morning also fuckin’ fun.” Ellara stated. “But we aren’t a thing, so don’t make this something it fuckin’ ain’t.” Her tone was firm and left little room for argument as she spoke again before Cal could reply.
“I’ve been dealing with my own shit for quite awhile now and I don’t forsee it about to fuckin’ change.” She finished as her foot stomped down on her motorcycle’s kickstart, the engine rolling over as it roared to life.
“I’ll see you around, Cal.” Ellara called over the engine, “Don’t be a stranger, stop by the Nog anytime, your first drink is on me.”
Cal watched as the girl pulled away, her motorcycle merging into the traffic of Stoker Street before she darted in and out of the lanes, quickly disappearing. Fidgeting with an engraved ring around his middle finger, Cal slowly slipped it off as his amber eyes momentarily glowed. Breathing deeply, he inhaled, the lingering scent of Ellara filling his nostrils as he smiled quickly before sliding the ring on as the scent disappeared.
| Hate is too great a burden to bear.The traffic on the way to the bar was relatively light at this time of day, not that Ellara often worked this early but she still had made the trip once or twice when Paddy stuck her with inventory. It was late enough in the morning that the initial rush to work was well past but not late enough yet for lunch. Having little concern for her Uncle’s timeframe, Ellara instead opted to enjoy the clear sunny day as she did an extra lap around the block before reluctantly guiding her motorcycle towards the Irish pub.
Exiting the road and entering the alley beside the Tír na nÓg, Ellara slowed her back as she rounded the corner to find her Uncle frantically pacing beside the aged Dodge pickup as he kept glancing down at his watch. As the sound of the motorcycle echoed through the alley, it caught Roy’s attention, prompting him to lift his head as he sighed in relief at the sight of Ellara.
“You said you’d fuckin’ hurry!” Roy yelled as Ellara dismounted from her back taking a couple of slow steps towards her Uncle.
“I did.” She answered with a smirk as he ran a frustrated hand through his thinning hair.
“I said half a damn hour, not an hour and a fuckin’ half, girl!”
“Chill the fuck out, old man. Just be glad I came at all.”
“Chest is in the back, don’t know how you’re getting it out though, cause I sure as hell ain’t helping you.” Roy snapped as Ellara raised an eyebrow.
“Why would I expect you to fuckin’ change now.” Ellara asked as she dropped the tailgate hard, looking at the aged wooden chest before giving it a firm tug.
“Well it sure as hell ain’t empty.” She smiled only for the grin to disappear as she suddenly heard a click from behind her head.
“I wish I was more sorry about this, Ellara.” Roy’s voice said from behind her as cold metal suddenly was pressed against the base of Ellara’s skull.
“It's that damn attitude of yours, makes it almost too easy to forget that Diana herself would kill me for this.” He spat on the ground at his own mention of his late wife. “But dammit, if it ain’t your fault that she isn’t here today. You and your damned father, may his soul rot in hell.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Uncle Roy?” Ellara asked frantically, a lump forming in her throat as she instinctively raised her hands.
“Just climb in the back of the truck, Ellara.” Roy pleaded as Ellara felt the gun begin to shake. “Don’t be yourself, don’t make this any fuckin’ harder than it has to be. They’ll kill me if I don’t deliver you to them.”
“Who!” Ellara pleaded, “Who the fuck is putting you up to this?”
“Dammit, Ellara! Just move!” Roy yelled as he pulled the gun back and shot directly up into the air. The gunshot rang in Ellara’s ears as her body suddenly reacted. It was as though she was sleep walking, her arms and legs seemingly moving on their own accord, guided by a trained instinct she never knew she had before now.
Spinning around on one heel, Ellara delivered a quick kick to her Uncle’s torso, the force of the blow dislodging the weapon from his hand as Ellara quickly retrieved it mid air. Spinning the weapon around in her hand, Ellara pointed it towards her Uncle barely registering the next movement as she pulled back on the hammer and delivered one shot to the arm that had previous held the gun. Her Uncle’s screams fell on deaf ears as Ellara fired again, this time exploding his kneecap as Roy dropped to the ground in pain.
Coming back to her senses, Ellara dropped the gun in stunned horror as she looked down at her now wounded Uncle.
“Fuckfuckfuck!”
“So you are fuckin’ activated.” Roy managed to spit out between gritted teeth as he looked up at Ellara, anger and pain burning in his eyes.
“Diana explained to me how it’d work, just never figured I’d be on the receiving end.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ellara scream as she slowly backed away from her Uncle.
“She was supposed to have this talk with you, in the event your father died while out walking the Path. But they never gave her the chance, just like they didn’t allow your mother th-” Roy’s words were cut off as he exhaled sharply, the pain from his wounds causing him to wince as Ellara slowly backed away.
Suddenly the backdoor to the Tír na nÓg swung open, the sound of the heavy steel door colliding with the aged brick exterior echoing over the back parking. Standing in the open door Paddy quickly assessing the scene, a loaded shotgun held tightly in his hands over top his freshly stained apron.
“Get the hell back, Ellara!” Paddy ordered as he began to walk forward, training the weapon on Roy as the latter looked up towards the newcomer until their gazes locked.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Roy spat as Paddy quickly swung his weapon around, delivering the butt of his gun to Roy’s head. Ellara watch as her Uncle’s eyes closed as the stock of the weapon connected with his head, his chin sinking towards his collarbone before coming to rest against his chest. The subtle movement of his head rising and falling in rhythm with his chest informed Ellara that her Uncle was at least still breathing before she turned herself to face Paddy.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“I was about to ask ye the same bloody damn thing.” Paddy replied as he looked down at Roy before turning back to Ellara.
“I need to get him patched up or he’ll bleed out here, Do y’know who is he?”
“I thought he was my fuckin’ Uncle, but he tried to kidnap me, Paddy.” Ellara replied, barely holding her composure together. “He placed a gun to my head and told me to climb in the back of that fuckin’ truck.” She stated, pointing towards the large pickup.
“And you, shot him?” Paddy inquired as he looked at the discarded gun and then at Roy’s two wounds.
“I don’t know what fuckin’ happened!” Ellara replied, barely stopping herself from screaming as Paddy held up a hand.
“Help me get him to the basement, I know a guy, he runs a clinic, no questions asked, We’ll keep him here and then we find out what he wants.” Paddy stated calmly as he motioned for Ellara to grab one arm while he placed his shoulder under the other.
“Clinic? What the hell for!” Ellara exclaimed in confusion, “Let him fuckin’ bleed out for all I care!”
“Yer not thinkin’ straight, lass!” Paddy responded as the pair began to move Roy inside. “You shot a man, that’s not community service this time. You’d be lucky to get off with third degree, I can’t have you going to jail for this. No, better we save this scumbag’s life and then get a better picture on what we’re up against.”
“And what the hell are you doing to do, Paddy?” Ellara asked, her voice indignant. “You run a fuckin’ bar!”
“Let me worry about it, lass.” Paddy replied as the pair placed Roy unconscious body atop an old table in the middle of the basement. “Go clear your head, get something into you to take the edge off. The less you know from this point, the better.”
Grabbing a bottle from the reserves, Ellara looked back at Paddy one last time as he stood over her Uncle. Snapping the cap off, Ellara took a long deep swig before heading back into the parking lot. She may have been told to clear her head, but that wasn’t going to stop her from getting a good look at that chest.
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