Categories > Celebrities > Panic! At The Disco > Ballad of Mona Lisa
But She'd Have Nothing Left to Sell Them
2 reviewsHe frowned in distaste at what he had to now do. But Blanche needed... deserved to know about this betrayal.
1Exciting
Blanche looked in surprise at Crackitus and tried to look into the coffin. He moved the lid closed before she could see anything and she started to protest. "No Blanche... Not here," he paid the workers to load the body onto the wagon he had with him. "Too many people around," he whispered. She looked back in confusion at Brennan and all he did was shrug in reply. She shrugged back and climbed up onto the wagon next to Crackitus, an action far easier for her now that she did not have a bustle on.
They pulled up outside the old barn that served as the League's workshop and JR and old Jasper Mooney came out. JR helped Blanche down from the wagon seat with a small smile and Blanche blushed at the contact. She heard a snort behind her as she stepped to the ground and looked back at Brennan. He frowned at her and rolled his eyes when she returned the frown. "Something wrong?" JR looked at her in confusion. She turned back to him, "Oh! Nothing's wrong! Just thought I heard some mangy old tom cat or something." JR thought nothing of it and went to help Crackitus unload the coffin and take it into the barn.
They carried the long box in and placed it on the table. As they removed the lid Blanche looked back nervously at Brennan. They had decided it would be best not to tell the League about Mary yet, they would look crazy attacking Mary when the whole town would be on the side of the seemingly innocent and grieving woman. They needed undeniable proof for the whole town that Mary was the murderer. What this proof was, Blanche still hadn't figured out. But she suspected Brennan was coming up with a few ideas of his own.
"Blanche, come take a look," Crackitus called her over. She walked up to the coffin and felt, rather than saw, Brennan next to her looking in. She gasped a little when she saw the body before her. Yes, it was certainly Brennan, but his body looked different somehow from his ghost. The skin was pale and flawless but there was a look of peace on his face that she didn't recognize on the ghost. The ever-present scowl was gone and the hair was nicely combed instead of poofing out in every direction. His face looked far younger and free of pain and worry. Her hand tentatively reached out to touch the stitched up cut that ran across his throat. Strange...
She frowned as she moved closer to get a better look. The cut was jagged and uneven on one side whereas the rest of the cut was clean and straight. Not only that but it just looked far less gruesome than it should, and small amounts of blood had dried along the stitch line and almost looked like scabbing. "Crackitus, look!" She pointed at the wound.
Crackitus pulled on a pair of glasses and peered closely at the body's throat. "The cut looks strange on the left side," she pointed out to him. Crackitus nodded his head in thought and continued observing. Blanche looked back at Brennan and he moved to her other side so he too could also see.
JR looked up from the canon-like gun he was working on at the next table. "What's going on?" Crackitus didn't reply but instead grabbed opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a thin knife. He proceeded to cut the threads away from the corpse's throat. He finally looked up at JR. "Come here and have a look," he said as he finished pulling out the last thread.
JR took a look as well and glanced back up at Crackitus in confusion, "It's scabbing?" Crackitus nodded his head, his beard wagging from the motion. "Yes, and the body doesn't smell either. The coroner's note told me and I saw it for myself before I brought the body here." He reached in and prodded gently at the cut. "He isn't decaying at all... in fact... the body's healing," he said.
Mooney walked up to the coffin and looked in as well, "Hmmm... scabbing, dead bodies for sure don't do that where I'm from."
Blanche looked at each of the present members of the League, they all seemed deep in thought and had a shared understanding that she was not a party of. "Could someone please tell me what is going on?" She asked.
"What I am about to tell you, Blanche," Crackitus began, "must not be shared with anyone. Not even Mary," Brennan let out a bark of laughter that only Blanche heard. "There have been cases similar to Brennan's in the past, but they are few and far between. I'm sure you've heard of vampires, correct?" Blanche nodded her head. "Well, they kill their victims by draining out the blood. Now sometimes instead of killing the victim, they can choose to change the poor soul into one of their own... that is, if they drink slow enough for the body to change before death."
He paused to see if Blanche understood and from her wrinkled expression of disgust, he could see she did. "Now... judging from the lack of blood that was on him when he was found and from what looks like a covered up bite mark, my guess is what probably happened is whoever killed Brennan, didn't kill him fast enough. It seems he started changing but died before the process was complete. That's the theory that Professor Van Helsing came up with when he did research on the very phenomenon; bodies had been found in vampire populated areas that weren't decaying but were still without any life," he paused briefly and twirled his mustache in thought. "That used to only happen in Europe, but Chicago is a big enough town now. I wouldn't be surprised to find any beasties on the prowl there."
He headed for the door to the barn and paused on the threshold, "Jr, move the body to the parlor and send for Mary so they can start prepping the body for tomorrow. Mooney, why don't you send for Sir Conrad, he should be hunting close by. And Blanche remember not to tell Mary anything about this, it will just upset her more. I have to go talk to Phil about something, he was pretty drunk when I left him at the saloon last night, I want to make sure he got home alright." He stepped out of the barn and was gone.
Blanche turned to look back at Brennan but didn't see him anywhere. She hoped he was alright as she followed Jr who was now carrying the body into the house next to the barn.
-
Brennan stood in the dim hotel room and looked at the two figures asleep in the bed before him. He frowned in distaste at what he had to now do. But Blanche needed... deserved to know about this betrayal.
A/N: Wooooo caffeine high! Yayayaya, I'm a bit hyper. Which is good because I am on a writing spree. I cranked this sucker out in about an hour. AND I finally finished outlining this story... AND I outlined a sequel. Yeah, that's right. A sequel.
They pulled up outside the old barn that served as the League's workshop and JR and old Jasper Mooney came out. JR helped Blanche down from the wagon seat with a small smile and Blanche blushed at the contact. She heard a snort behind her as she stepped to the ground and looked back at Brennan. He frowned at her and rolled his eyes when she returned the frown. "Something wrong?" JR looked at her in confusion. She turned back to him, "Oh! Nothing's wrong! Just thought I heard some mangy old tom cat or something." JR thought nothing of it and went to help Crackitus unload the coffin and take it into the barn.
They carried the long box in and placed it on the table. As they removed the lid Blanche looked back nervously at Brennan. They had decided it would be best not to tell the League about Mary yet, they would look crazy attacking Mary when the whole town would be on the side of the seemingly innocent and grieving woman. They needed undeniable proof for the whole town that Mary was the murderer. What this proof was, Blanche still hadn't figured out. But she suspected Brennan was coming up with a few ideas of his own.
"Blanche, come take a look," Crackitus called her over. She walked up to the coffin and felt, rather than saw, Brennan next to her looking in. She gasped a little when she saw the body before her. Yes, it was certainly Brennan, but his body looked different somehow from his ghost. The skin was pale and flawless but there was a look of peace on his face that she didn't recognize on the ghost. The ever-present scowl was gone and the hair was nicely combed instead of poofing out in every direction. His face looked far younger and free of pain and worry. Her hand tentatively reached out to touch the stitched up cut that ran across his throat. Strange...
She frowned as she moved closer to get a better look. The cut was jagged and uneven on one side whereas the rest of the cut was clean and straight. Not only that but it just looked far less gruesome than it should, and small amounts of blood had dried along the stitch line and almost looked like scabbing. "Crackitus, look!" She pointed at the wound.
Crackitus pulled on a pair of glasses and peered closely at the body's throat. "The cut looks strange on the left side," she pointed out to him. Crackitus nodded his head in thought and continued observing. Blanche looked back at Brennan and he moved to her other side so he too could also see.
JR looked up from the canon-like gun he was working on at the next table. "What's going on?" Crackitus didn't reply but instead grabbed opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a thin knife. He proceeded to cut the threads away from the corpse's throat. He finally looked up at JR. "Come here and have a look," he said as he finished pulling out the last thread.
JR took a look as well and glanced back up at Crackitus in confusion, "It's scabbing?" Crackitus nodded his head, his beard wagging from the motion. "Yes, and the body doesn't smell either. The coroner's note told me and I saw it for myself before I brought the body here." He reached in and prodded gently at the cut. "He isn't decaying at all... in fact... the body's healing," he said.
Mooney walked up to the coffin and looked in as well, "Hmmm... scabbing, dead bodies for sure don't do that where I'm from."
Blanche looked at each of the present members of the League, they all seemed deep in thought and had a shared understanding that she was not a party of. "Could someone please tell me what is going on?" She asked.
"What I am about to tell you, Blanche," Crackitus began, "must not be shared with anyone. Not even Mary," Brennan let out a bark of laughter that only Blanche heard. "There have been cases similar to Brennan's in the past, but they are few and far between. I'm sure you've heard of vampires, correct?" Blanche nodded her head. "Well, they kill their victims by draining out the blood. Now sometimes instead of killing the victim, they can choose to change the poor soul into one of their own... that is, if they drink slow enough for the body to change before death."
He paused to see if Blanche understood and from her wrinkled expression of disgust, he could see she did. "Now... judging from the lack of blood that was on him when he was found and from what looks like a covered up bite mark, my guess is what probably happened is whoever killed Brennan, didn't kill him fast enough. It seems he started changing but died before the process was complete. That's the theory that Professor Van Helsing came up with when he did research on the very phenomenon; bodies had been found in vampire populated areas that weren't decaying but were still without any life," he paused briefly and twirled his mustache in thought. "That used to only happen in Europe, but Chicago is a big enough town now. I wouldn't be surprised to find any beasties on the prowl there."
He headed for the door to the barn and paused on the threshold, "Jr, move the body to the parlor and send for Mary so they can start prepping the body for tomorrow. Mooney, why don't you send for Sir Conrad, he should be hunting close by. And Blanche remember not to tell Mary anything about this, it will just upset her more. I have to go talk to Phil about something, he was pretty drunk when I left him at the saloon last night, I want to make sure he got home alright." He stepped out of the barn and was gone.
Blanche turned to look back at Brennan but didn't see him anywhere. She hoped he was alright as she followed Jr who was now carrying the body into the house next to the barn.
-
Brennan stood in the dim hotel room and looked at the two figures asleep in the bed before him. He frowned in distaste at what he had to now do. But Blanche needed... deserved to know about this betrayal.
A/N: Wooooo caffeine high! Yayayaya, I'm a bit hyper. Which is good because I am on a writing spree. I cranked this sucker out in about an hour. AND I finally finished outlining this story... AND I outlined a sequel. Yeah, that's right. A sequel.
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