FicWad

“Pete!” Patrick sighed in frustration. “Will you just stop for a minute! I can’t hear anything over your racket!”
“There’s nothing to hear!” Pete snapped back only to be proved wrong by sly laughter coming from the cage.
“Been left all alone have you?” Spencer chuckled. “If only you knew what happened.”
“What do you know?” Patrick cut in, willing Pete to stay quiet and leave the talking to him.
“He doesn’t know anything,” Pete growled, to Patrick’s annoyance.
“Really?” Spencer replied teasingly. “I heard everything, they arrived as dusk was approaching and I’m a very early riser. Don’t you want to know what happened to Andy.”

A sudden loud hollow thud, followed by the sound of shattering locks filling the air as the door of Pete’s cabinet flew open, slamming back on itself as he shoved it forcefully, almost ripping it from its hinges.

“Pete!” Patrick called, fearful that he would do something drastic. “Let me out!”
“Things to do, Trick,” he replied in a surly tone as he rose and headed for the cage.

Pete! Don’t do anything stupid! We have to find out what happened. I know you’ll do something…

Shut up, Patrick! Just for once, trust me!

For once! Let me out of here! Pete! Pete?

Blocked from Pete’s thoughts and unable to communicate further, Patrick’s only option was to do as Pete had done and try to escape the cabinet. Blocking out the sound of Patrick trying desperately to break the locks, Pete headed for the cage. Stopping in the doorway, Pete scowled at the occupant, grinning back at him from inside.

“I heard everything,” Spencer announced gleefully. “I know what happened to Andy and I’m the only one that does.”
“And you’re going to tell me,” Pete growled, staring intently at the caged vampire.
“Oh, no,” Spencer laughed, shaking his head slowly. “You don’t get something for nothing.”

Pete narrowed his eyes and parted his lips, baring his fangs almost without thinking about it, as the pair stared at each other for a few moments.

“Well, come on, Wentz,” Spencer goaded. “What’s it to be? Do you want to know what happened to your naive little friend, or not?”
“Pete!” Patrick yelled, still desperate for him to make no rash decisions.
“What do you want?” Pete asked carefully.
“Let me out of here,” Spencer replied.
“You agreed to go in there, what’s the problem?” Pete raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t know you intended to leave me to rot in here!” he snapped in reply, before continuing with a sly grin. “Besides, the way you’re going, there’ll be none of you left to let me out before long.”

Pete took an unnecessary deep breath and nodded. Somehow, Spencer had witnessed whatever had befallen Andy, now it seemed that he had the upper hand.

“Are you Andy?” came a quiet, unassuming voice.
“Who’s there?” Pete turned his head, surprise by the voice.
“The door was open, I’m bringing…” as the priest entered the room, he stopped mid-sentence as he saw Spencer locked inside the cage.
“What?” Spencer scowled at the priest. “Never seen a vampire in a cage before?”
“I…”
“Why are you looking for Andy? What do you know?” Pete growled, suspicious of his sudden arrival.
“I… I’m just bringing the Holy Water he asked for,” the priest replied. “I’m Father Nichols. Is… is he safe in there. I mean… am I safe?”
“You’re safe from me,” Spencer smirked in reply. “Not from him though.”
“You’re not Andy?”
“Him? He’s not Andy, he’s not even human,” Spencer laughed at the look of fear in the priest’s eyes.

Pete’s eyes widened as he saw the priest hurriedly removing the cap from the large bottle of water.

“No!” Pete cried, stepping back, amid peels of laughter from Spencer.
“What’s going on in here?” Joe’s sleepy voice called. “No! Don’t do it!” he cried, rushing forward to take the hit of Holy Water instead of Pete.
“You’re human?” Father Nichols gasped, allowing his eyes to flit back and forth between Joe and Pete.
“Yeah,” Joe breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Pete was unhurt.
“He’s a vampire? But you hunt them… don’t you?” Nichols asked with uncertainty in his tone, casting a confused glance at Spencer.
“He does too,” Joe confirmed. “He’s one of the good guys.”

Pete found a brief smile crossing his lips as he headed out of the room to free Patrick from his cabinet.

“Aren’t you risking a lot to come here now?” Joe asked with a frown. “It’s after dusk; the curfew?”
“Vampires won’t attack a priest,” he replied confidently.
“Really?” Pete frowned as he walked back in followed by Patrick. “You seemed pretty convinced that I was going to attack you!”

Nichols lowered his head and sighed.

“I… I’m sorry about that. I’m late, I was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago, but there have been so many deaths lately. The vampires don’t fear any reprisals now that William Beckett is Governor. I’ve been a lot busier.”
Joe nodded sadly. “I know.”
Patting Joe’s arm, Nichols nodded his sympathies. “I’m sorry about the water. I do have more, it’s by the door, I didn’t…”
“Thank you,” Joe forced a smile. “It’s okay.”
“I better go,” Nichols nodded again. “As you say, it’s late.”
“Did you see Andy?” Pete cut in before he left. “Brownish-red hair, tattoos, glasses.”
“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything, just the door left open.”
“Thank you,” Patrick replied, stepping forward to see the priest to the door.
“Open the cage, Wentz,” Spencer smirked. “Or you’ll never know what happened to him.”

*

Beckett led Brendon into the Mayor’s office, the younger vampire wondering what it could possibly be that Beckett wanted him to see, a faint smile of anticipation playing across his lips. As they entered the room, Brendon’s smile broadened immeasurably. Before them stood Master Saporta and Andrea - both of the hunters’ new tormentors come to give their report.

“Master Saporta, Miss Logan,” Brendon greeted them respectfully.
“Brendon,” Saporta nodded in return.
“Master Brendon,” Beckett corrected.

Saporta raised an eyebrow and smirked, partly in disbelief and partly in amusement, at the statement.

“Congratulations on your elevated status, Master Brendon,” Saporta replied. “I hope you live long enough to enjoy it.”

Brendon lost his smile and narrowed his eyes, deeply annoyed by the comment.

“Is that a threat?” he spat. “Because if…”
“No, no,” Saporta interrupted smoothly with almost a chuckle. Glancing meaningfully at Beckett, he turned his eyes back to the younger vampire. “Just an observation, that’s all.”
“You have a report, Gabriel?” Beckett asked, his voice clipped and angry.
“Yes, William, I have a report, and I think you’re going to like it. The word on the vampire underground is that Andy has been taken by a group of human vigilantes in your name.”

Beckett’s eyes widened with delight, but immediately he tempered his response with disappointment.

“Only Andrew?” he asked. “Not Joseph?”
“No, apparently they were too afraid to enter the warehouse. It was approaching dusk anyway, the curfew.”
“Don’t worry about Joe, Master William,” Andrea commented. “I intend to bring him to his knees. By the time I’m finished with him, he’ll probably kill himself. I’ve already convinced him that my death was his fault.”
“Oh, this is too good to be true!” Beckett sighed happily. “All this and Peter believing that he can beat his addiction by killing Patrick. If only I’d realised before just how easy it would be to destroy them! All this time, fighting fire with fire when should have been using water. Go back,” Beckett continued, clasping his hands together in sheer delight. “Gabriel, see if you can plot with Peter to kill Patrick, then when he does and it makes no difference, bring him to me. Nobody kills Peter but me! And you, my dear Andrea, continue exactly what you’re doing. Break Joseph. Shatter his fragile heart and if he doesn’t kill himself, you do it. And Brendon, find out why those humans haven’t brought Andrew to me yet. And when you find them, kill them for insubordination.”
“What about Andy?”
“Whatever you wish,” Beckett replied dismissively. “Eat him, turn him, torture him; I don’t mind.”
“Yes, William!” Brendon grinned, already considering methods of torture for the captured hunter.

*

Securely bound and gagged, it didn’t seem to Andy that he was going anywhere in a hurry. He had been out cold for over two hours and when he had finally come to, he had woken to such tremendous pain that he feared he might actually be sick, which, given the gag pulled deep into his mouth, would probably cause him to choke. Lying still for at least another hour, he mentally willed away the discomfort and nausea as slowly the pain eased. He had no idea where he was, but it appeared to be the basement of somebody’s home. It certainly didn’t look like any room in the Mayor’s offices, having not long ago been there, Andy felt reasonably certain that he would recognise it. As he considered the possibilities, the door opened and he looked up, only now realising that his glasses had been taken.

“So, you’re awake then?” the fuzzy shape said as it neared the bound hunter. Kneeling the now almost in focus figure removed the gag.
“Where are my glasses?” Andy demanded after a moment’s pause to readjust to having the cloth pulled from his mouth. “Why don’t you want me to see you?”
“Oh, yeah, I wear glasses myself, I took them off you. I didn’t want them to get damaged.”
“You’re worried about damage?” Andy replied, confused, as the man rose and moved to what he could hear was a drawer in a cabinet. “Who are you?”
“Just a guy,” the man replied as he bent down to return Andy’s glasses to their rightful position.
“You’re not working for Beckett?” Andy asked as he looked up at the man in his late fifties.
“No… Well, I guess, technically.”
“You’re claiming the bounty?” Andy sighed with realisation.
“Well, that’s a lot of money son and it’s because of you there’s a curfew now. We always got by with the vampires before, but…”
“Got by!” Andy cried in surprise. “They were killing people!”
“They never got anyone I knew,” the man replied by way of a defence.
“No? Well you’re lucky!”
“That’s as maybe, but they can’t be beaten, son. We gotta do what we can to survive.”
“So you’re willing to hand me over to them, even knowing they’ll kill me?”
“No,” the man shook his head. “Governor Beckett said…”
“William Beckett is a vampire! A real bastard too! He’s the worst of them all. You trust him? You think he’ll pay you? He’ll kill you too!”
“Jack, there’s someone…” a voice called as the door opened again. “Hell! I knew you’d do this! You haven’t untied him too have you?”
“Cory,” Jack replied standing. “The boy here’s saying…”
“Anything to get you to let him go?”
“Hey!” Andy called. “I’m not your enemy! Beckett’s the one. He’ll kill you, he’ll kill me… Anyone who gets in his way. Do you really think all this will stop if he kills us? We’re the last hunter group in this town! This town is safe because of us, not in spite of us!” Andy paused, waiting for a response but getting none. “If you let him kill me, things will only get worse.”
“Someone from the Mayor’s office is coming over,” Cory ignored Andy’s impassioned plea and spoke to Jack once more. “Some dude called Brendon Urie.”
“Beckett’s right hand,” Andy tried to enlighten them. “Cruel, vicious, ambitious. If anyone’s going to kill you, just for fun, it’ll be him!”
“I’ve had enough of your yap!” Cory knelt at Andy’s side and, despite his struggles, forced the gag back into his mouth, tying it tightly at the nape of his neck. “Come on, let’s go.”

Jack paused, uncertain if the decision Cory had made was the right one.

“I said, come on!” he yelled again.

Andy did his best to scream his anger and frustration from behind the gag but it was useless. Brendon was on his way and he was in no position to stop what he knew would happen.