Tag: drugs

#Lore24 – Entry #295 – Sentinel City by Night #21 – Ghouls of War

From the Journal of Sheba O’Rourke, Private Investigator

“What’s that old saying?  When you’re getting flak, you know you’re over the target? 

Took me a few more nights, but I got myself a lead on someone selling Vamp-Out.  Wasn’t one of the regular dealers I’d been hitting up, though, was someone new in town, just opened up shop after they took down one of the other pushers.  Don’t usually pay too much attention to gang wars and fights between dope dealers, but this one piqued my interests.  Came onto the scene out of nowhere, established himself practically overnight, and had muscle to enforce his will.  Word was starting to spread that the “Pillbilly” was in town and would soon open for business, the new hotness from down South. 

Word was that he was taking up shop in an old brewery somewhere on the southeast side of the city, run down slum area, known gang territory.  Must’ve been pretty bold to come in and casually wipe out a gang and not fear the blowback. 

Should’ve known something was up when I kept getting that feeling that I was being watched as I headed out to track down exactly where this guy was setting up shop.  Those usually didn’t start till much later in the night, after I’d snooped around the really bad parts of town for a while.  Kinda got used to them lately, was starting to think it was just me.  Mistake on my part.

I’d parked a good way off, hit the alleys and side streets to get a feel for the area.  Seemed like another gang-infested slum in the bad part of town, but there was definitely something in the air here.  Didn’t feel quite right, was too much tension, not enough people out and about; seemed almost like the gangbangers had taken the night off or had better things to do.  Should’ve trusted my gut and cleared out, but I kept pushing deeper, looking for that brewery.

I was getting close to an old industrial area when the lights went out.  Literally.  Shadows surged all around me, poured out of every nook and cranny like crude oil from burst barrels.  Before I could begin to get a grasp on what was going on, two huge forms came at me from both ends of the alley.  Must’ve been seven feet tall, muscles for days, mess of bone spikes coming out of all angles.  Tzimisce war ghouls. 

At least I knew I was onto something to rate so highly as to call the big boys in.  Of course, my little revolver seemed awfully puny all of a sudden.  Realizing that my future unlife may we be measured in seconds rather than centuries, I somehow managed not to panic.  Calling on my heightened senses, I only somewhat managed to penetrate the shadows that surrounded me, enough to give me a vague idea of the buildings that were hidden by them. 

It was enough.  I dove into the cold, thick blackness, somehow managed to push through them and dove through a window.  If anything gets a girl’s blood pumping, it’s the roar of a pair of monstrous ghouls chasing her.  The shadows continued to shift and chase me, but I managed to navigate through them in the partially burnt out and collapsed building I’d found myself in.  The ground shook as the ghouls came after me, ripping though the brick walls like they were nothing. 

Something big flew past my head, crashed into the darkness ahead of me; it was a chunk of the outer wall, damn near took my head off.  I stumbled through some rubble, tumbled down over a pile of old bricks and hit the ground running, desperate to find a manhole.  If I could get to the sewers, I might have a chance.

Next moment I was flying wild, something massive slamming into my back.  Vision went all starry, body was screaming in agony.  Came crashing through the building opposite the old warehouse.  Right and both legs weren’t supposed to bend that way; pretty sure my spine wasn’t either. 

Then the two ghouls were on me, the first one snatching me up in its huge, misshaped claws, threatening to crush the life out of me.  More bones snapped.  Feeling a growing fear inside me, through the pain, some neurons fired.  I had a chance, if only it worked.  I began to speak through the pain, calling on my clan’s blood, of the madness that ran through all of us. 

Not sure what I said.  Not real sure what happened after that if I’m being honest.  Got a vague memory of that fear inside me amplifying itself, spreading from my voice and into the ghouls.  Blind terror took over all of us then.  Think the one crushing me threw me away like it was afraid I might explode, think I might’ve crashed through another wall.

Can’t remember much else.  Just know that when I came back to my senses, I was crawling through sewage, somehow having pieced back enough of myself to actually move, though I still couldn’t walk, couldn’t feel my legs, in fact.  Wasn’t sure even what part of town I was even in.  Was starving, too.  Usually try not to feed on rats, but sometimes you don’t have much choice; couldn’t risk losing myself further down in the dark.  Managed to heal up enough to get feeling back into my legs, could walk.  Sort of.  Every step was agony, spine was bent at an odd angle, arms weren’t much better.  At least it got me somewhere mostly safe, old monitoring station, maybe part of the old subway system, not used for ages.  Had a door I managed to block with some old shelving, seemed secure enough for now. 

Had to rest, had to try to heal up with dawn coming fast.”

#Lore24 – Entry #293 – Sentinel City by Night #19 – Swirling Shadows

From the Journal of Sheba O’Rourke, Private Investigator

“The chemical analysis of the drug wasn’t anything too surprising given what we’d seen; mostly methamphetamine and a handful of hallucinogens for good measure.  Nothing that should have necessarily caused someone to go crazy enough to tear other people apart…not without the extra spicy Tzimisce blood magic, anyway.  Didn’t give Blumenthal all the details on that one, though, just told him what my specialist said whatever else had been in there would amplify that effect, only it faded real fast.  He bought it, good enough for now. 

He had his feelers out for a source, and I got on it as well, hitting the dealers I’d learned about since coming to Sentinel City, but all I could get was word that something new and exciting was on the way, no actual samples or a lead on where it might be coming from.  That implied that whoever had handed the stuff over might’ve been close to the source somehow.  I hit up the PD again, asked Blumenthal to track the killers’ movements before tonight.  Something told me this stuff might’ve been from out of town, at least for now.

Was tempted to ask Becky and her people for some info, but didn’t feel like owing another favor to the Sewer Rats so soon.  If it came to it, sure, but for now, I’d rely on the usual methods. 

Finally got some whispers a couple nights later; word was starting to spread at last.  Stuff was going by “Vamp-Out”, only the bleeding-edge types had access to it so far, but as word spread, so too would demand.  Couldn’t get any of my dealers to tell me who might’ve had some, bad for business; I get it.  Business is business. 

Blumenthal’s people had finally tracked down the killers, too.  Guys were holed up in a flophouse near the RLD, out of their minds on a mix of stuff I’d say they were using to try and emulate the high they’d gotten off the Vamp-Out.  Would be a while before they could tell us anything useful, assuming their brains weren’t completely fried.  PD managed to get some records of their travel at least, though.  They’d spent a couple weeks down in Atlanta before coming home to Sentinel City.  That got the old paranoia stirring in all the wrong ways. 

Or maybe the right ways. 

Was probably why I got the distinct impression of being watched later that night.  Felt the eyes on me, like I was being stalked as I made my rounds looking for a dealer that sold the drug.  Don’t know why, but felt like it was a big, predatory cat creeping around just out of sight.  Didn’t figure it being one of the Gangrel I knew of; they seemed a lot more direct than that.  Recalled that Ramos had mentioned Lasombra blood in the ghouls she and Winters had ran out of town a few weeks back. 

Shadows sure seemed awfully thick tonight.  Wasn’t sure if it was the fog swirling or the shadows themselves.  Might’ve not noticed were it not for my heightened senses.  Getting the idea that I’ve landed right in the middle of something a lot bigger than me, lot bigger than I can handle on my own.  Got in my Taurus real quick and headed downtown, toward Sokolova’s place, drove around a while till the paranoia faded.  Didn’t have a scheduled meeting, but figured I’d better clue her in on what I had so far before I got swallowed up by whatever was lurking out there.  Team play and all that.”