Lock (Part 2) ---Warning! Violence---

Doc watched the red hot pepper woman move away in the crowd. She didn’t know he was watching her, but she did seem to be heading towards his target, Mrs. Ingram. Mr. Ingram was entirely human, but Mrs. Ingram was 100% light elf. Her clear blue eyes, pointed ears, and cornflower hair gave her identity away. Tonight she was going to die.

He scanned the room, looking for all exits just in case things went poorly. Towards the back of the room was the strange elf girl in black and gold dancing with another light elf. That was not supposed to happen either. Mrs. Ingram should have been the only light elf here. He checked the guest list before he came.

Glancing sideways towards Mrs. Ingram, Doc saw the red hot pepper woman closing in on her. He needed to make a decision now. Go for the target Mrs. Ingram, or deviate from the plan and go for the dancing pair.

Two was better than one. Let the red hot pepper woman have Mrs. Ingram. He would take down two tonight and Mrs. Ingram could wait until tomorrow.

Heading towards the back of the ballroom, Doc came up behind the pair. The girl looked up at him with desperation in her eyes, as if she was saying ‘help me.’ Was she on his side or on the light elf’s? First priority, find out what the girl is. Second priority kill the light elf, and maybe kill the girl.

“Pardon me.” He tapped the light elf on the shoulder. “Would you mind if I stole this lovely lady away from you for a dance?”

She flung herself into his arms as if being rescued by the knight in shining armor. He thought she might be crying.

“Remember what we talked about little Miss Eve Ingram. Our little secret.” Said the light elf, before booking it to the door. He knew what Doc was, and that his time on this planet was limited if he stuck around. They were enemies, and Doc would stalk the light elf until one of them was dead.

Eve Ingram? This was the child of Mr. and Mrs. Ingram? Did that explain her strange coloration? Half elf and half human? Such a thing has never happened before. Elves and humans are not compatible for children.

She was out of his arms too soon, and he felt like something important had slipped through his fingers. He could hear the choked sob as she said, “Sorry” over her shoulder and ran after the light elf. She didn’t want to leave, but went anyway.

Movement caught his eye. The red hot pepper woman was behind Mrs. Ingram heading towards the bathrooms. Now was his opportunity to catch the light elf. Looking towards the back door for the briefest moment, he decided that yes, he should kill Mrs. Ingram tonight. An opportunity had presented itself and he would take it. He could also find out what the red hot pepper woman was doing. He would track the strange elf girl and the light elf once Mrs. Ingram was taken care of.

Slipping into the women’s restroom as quietly as possible, he saw no one inside. The handicapped stall was locked. They must be in there.

Peeking under the edge he saw two pairs of feet, and then he felt it just as one of the pairs went limp and a body sunk to the ground. Death magic. He could always feel the moment of death because sparks of magic were available for the taking. It was like getting drunk on power. Sometimes it hurt, but mostly it was euphoric.

He pulled out his double swords, and waited. Whoever was still alive would be coming out soon.

The waiting took forever. There were ripping sounds and cutting sounds from the stall. Whichever elf had won was taking the other’s soul. Good. Saved him the effort later.

After five minutes of waiting, a bloody hand opened the stall door. “Who are you stranger?” Came a woman’s voice.

The door opened the rest of the way, and the red hot pepper woman stepped out. Her arms were covered in dripping blood from fingertips to elbow. Taking a soul is messy business. She glided sideways to the sink, keeping her eyes on me the whole time. My swords were aimed at her.

“Someone who was here to do what you’ve already accomplished.” I said.

She smirked and reached to turn on the faucet. “Mind not pointing those at me? Someone could get hurt.”

Before she had a chance to clean the blood off, the bathroom door opened and two laughing women walked in. Their eyes widened and they wasted no time before they started screaming and backing up. Doc cursed under his breath, sheathed his swords, and dashed towards the ladies. He grabbed one, pushed her up against the wall, and covered her nose and mouth with his hand. The red hot pepper woman had the other girl’s arm twisted unnaturally behind her back and a knife held to her throat. She was talking quietly in the girl’s ear, presumably threatening her. The blood from her hands was smeared all over the girl.

The screaming was silenced so quickly that Doc didn’t know if anyone even noticed it above the music in the ball room. He locked eyes with the red hot pepper woman. Without a word they were both saying, We have to get out of here now. I don’t know if you are a friend or not, but we will work that out later. I can kill you then if I have to.

There were no windows in the bathroom. The only way out was the way they had entered.

“Can you keep them quiet? We have to tie them up.” The red hot pepper woman said. He nodded and pulled a sword.

“First one to make a sound gets her tongue cut out.”

The red hot pepper woman brought her captive beside the other girl. Doc stepped back and pointed his sword at them. They were crying and hugging each other. The red hot pepper woman disappeared into the last stall with the dead Mrs. Ingram. Cloth could be heard ripping. When she returned she had strips of the once expensive dress held out like rope. They tied and gagged the girls to the toilette beside the dead woman, giving each other uneasy glances. Doc didn’t trust this elf woman. He had to be careful to avoid a vulnerable spot around her. She seemed to be doing the same around him.

The elf woman rinsed the blood off her arms, pulled out her opera gloves and covered up any remaining traces of the murder. If blood did get on her dress, it was still too fresh to darken to an ugly brown, and it blended in with the reds she wore. They slipped out the door and separated. Doc watched her disappear into the crowd, before he made his way to the back door where the strange elf girl and the light elf had left together.

__________________