Encounters in the dark

David’s ears were ringing from the shotgun blast. The gun had gone off almost next to him and he was trying to regain focus, to understand what had happened. When he looked at his friend the mechanic, he noticed that he was covered in blood and gray matter, breathing heavily and almost growling. This second display of Celerity must have made him hungry and the fact that he was sprayed with blood and human flesh probably didn’t help him to control his inner urges. From the door adjacent to the hallway the pit-bull emerged, slowly trotting towards the remains of his master. The animal was clearly distraught and it didn’t even notice the four dumbstruck vampires standing around in the lobby. Brunswick was still shaking and when the dog sat down next to the pile of ashes on the floor, David noticed that the Brujah looked at the dog with an unnerving stare. He licked his lips and took a step forward, still having a glance of hunger in his eyes. He bent down, picked up the dog and just as everybody was preparing to witness a gruesome scene, Ian seemed to come to his senses and put the animal back on the floor. Just as its paws hit the ground, the pit-bull scurried off to the back of the living room and hid behind the couch.

“I’ll take this,” barked the young Malkavian as he grabbed the shotgun from the floor. “Everybody, look around and stock up on equipment if you can find anything of use. Meet up, downstairs, ASAP!” He stomped off towards the bedroom and emerged from the door seconds later with a small box of shotgun shells. Ignoring the other three, he stomped off towards the front door and disappeared down the hall. The soldier personality didn’t seem to irritate the others that much anymore. They had gotten used to the fact that the boy was part of the loony clan. The Malkavian usually choose their future clan members among the psychologically damaged and so it was no wonder that David had been sired at an asylum for the mentally sick. It was much easier to sire somebody, who already was insane and would fit into their ranks, than to make them crazy yourself. Their fellow team member was however a bit different, as his insanity was split off from his normal persona. Still, it was impossible for him to live a quiet life, because his other identities were constantly battling within him to take over.

When Victor, Ruthven and Ian, who had cleaned up a bit, finally came outside, David was sitting in the front seat, next to Ranjit hanging out of the window with the shotgun wailing in the air. “Come on people! Get in, it’s time to move out!” The drive back to the Gangrel Haven was used to compare notes. The team was trying to figure out, why Mike had killed himself and came to the conclusion that his paranoia had driven him to a point where the thought that everybody was out to harm him and that suicide would be the only escape. Just as they drove onto Gangrel territory, the taxi slowed down. “What’s the matter, Ranjit?” asked Ruthven from the backseat. “The tire blew out. I’ll have to change it.” The driver got out of the vehicle and took a look at the left back tire. “Well this isn’t good,” he said with a frightened look on his face. Ian had stopped his bike just behind the cab and walked over to Ranjit with a carjack in his hand. When he came round the car he noticed it too. There was a small throwing knife sticking out of the deflated rubber. “I guess you better all get out and take a look at this,” he proposed and then took a look around to find out where the dagger had come from. Ruthven, who was not about the get his hands dirty by helping to change a tire, stayed put while Victor and David got out of the car. David stormed around the car and started yelling at the scared driver, “What’s the hold up? We can’t just stop in the middle of enemy territory! Have you never learned that you don’t stop during a war, no matter what? Come on people, let’s go!” – “Stay right where you are!” The voice had come from a small alley just across the street and when they all turned around to look who had spoken, they noticed three shadows walking towards them.