angry men don't write the rules, and guns don't right the wrongs

[notwitty]

“This isn’t up for debate, Della.” Patrick Brighton stands tall at the head of the room, staring down the witches with a wave of his hand. His wife, Frida, sits on his right, and his daughter Bridget on his left, and while he respects Della and the work she’s done for the coven over the years, this is a line he doesn’t intend to cross. “We’re not joining Tamara Monroe.”

“Well. Playing favorites again, are we?” Della crosses her arms in front of her chest as she stares up at the stage. “You’ll let Eliza come in here and bring that beast —”

“Name calling is beneath you, Del. But then again, maybe it’s the company you’re keeping.”

“Eliza,” Patrick gives her a look. “Not helping.” Eliza holds up her hands in return. “And I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to give Isaac the opportunity to speak.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re taking the side of monsters.” Della glares at Isaac, and Isaac steps behind Eliza, almost as though she might be able to intercept the glare. He then holds up a hand.

“I’m being called a lot of names and I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“And you shouldn’t be allowed to say anything at all! You’re not one of us!”

“No, but I’m trying to help you.” Isaac’s spine straightens as he takes a step closer. “Those hunters that you want to team up with? They’re not doing it to help you. They’re doing it because you’re powerful and they want to control you.” He holds up his hands again. “Tamara Monroe doesn’t want to ally with you to save you. She’s not looking out for your best interest. She’s just making a note of who to kill last.”

Della looks furious. A gasp of silence rolls through the room, but Isaac isn’t one to sugarcoat things, and beating around the bush hasn’t really caused things to sink in. Before she can try to get the upper hand, Isaac interjects again.

“The hunters are here. They tried to kill me this morning for walking down the street. They will come after your coven and your families, and there is no time to debate this anymore. You need to keep your people safe.”

Patrick looks over at Frida, concern in his features. Della looks like she’s going to argue her case, but before she gets too far, someone stands in the back of the room, and there’s the sound of a gun slide being pulled back. Everyone turns, and a man stands in the middle of the crowd, and he has a gun pointed at Isaac.

“What are you doing?” Patrick demands, stepping forward. “Put that down!”

“I don’t have to listen to you, witch.” The man has a wild look in his eyes. Isaac can see another man looking horrified in a way that’s more personal. The hunter had a partner. “If I had a say in any of this, I’d take every one of you abominations down. But right now, I’m just here for him.”

He turns and fires. The bullet shoots through the air, and Isaac quickly steps in front of Elijah, taking two bullets to the chest. Neither of them were kill shots, but they hurt, and the werewolf stumbles backwards into the witch behind him.

“Oh, I forgot how much that hurts,” Isaac grumbles.

“There’s no wolfsbane in these bullets, but I’m sure a headshot will do the trick.” The hunter prepares to shoot again, but the metal begins to heat in his hand, burning his skin and the hunter hisses before dropping it to the ground.

Patrick is on the stage, hand on the staff that marks him the leader of the coven. “That is enough.”

That should have been the end of things. It wasn’t. Instead, the hunter pulls out another gun, extending his hand and shooting Patrick Brighton at center mass. His body jerks three times as the bullets collide and the room erupts into screams, none more than the women at the front of the room. The witches begin to run, trying to find the nearest door to escape the carnage. Another shot sounds, and Frida Brighton follows her husband, landing on the stage in front of them.

Bridget Brighton doesn’t hesitate, however. There’s a reason she’s been designated her father’s heir, and she acts quickly. She takes the staff, letting it settle into her hand before slamming the end of the staff down into the ground, chanting as she does. A shockwave echoes out through the center of the room, blowing down the walls of the building down and sending people flying.

The other hunter in the room had tried to come to his compatriot’s aid. Instead, he gets sent flying, a jagged piece of wood slicing through his chest from behind. The hunter who shot her father gets knocked to the ground, but he comes to his feet again, staring her down.

“Kill me if you want. But there’s more of us here. We’ll take our pound of flesh either way.”

“So you want to play a game, then?” There’s a dangerous edge to her voice.

“Bridget,” Eliza’s voice is calm, but there’s an undercut of fear to it. Bridget is a good girl, but she’s also a grieving one. “Bridget, we’re better than this.”

“Maybe we are. But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to defend ourselves.” The wind picks up around her and she draws her hands out in front of her. She chanted another incantation, before drawing her hands together. The world flickers, and Eliza’s eyes widen.

“What did you do?”

“I trapped them in here with us.”

The hunter’s eyes widen. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh, I can do whatever I want. You’re the one who started this.”

“We’ll find a way out. We’ll stop the spell, even if we have to kill you.”

Bridget smirks. “You’ll have to catch me first.” And with that, she disappears from sight.

The hunter tries to leave but Isaac is there before he can get far. The werewolf clotheslines him down to the ground, before shoving a hand into his chest, claws first. The man cries out in pain, before looking up at him, eyes still filled with that wild energy.

“You’re one of Scott McCall’s wolves. You won’t kill me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Isaac twists, feeling the blood start to leak through the wounds. “But you forgot two things. One, Scott’s not here right now, and you shot me. Twice.”

The hunter snarls as Eliza comes up over Isaac’s shoulder.

“And what’s the second?”

“It’s not the head of my coven you just killed.”

Comments

[slavophile]

Fine. But, I'm not running far. I run, then I help.

( In his way. But, he lets her tank all the same, taking point in front of them, heading back out into the streets. He keeps Eliza's door locked behind them. )

[onthe_rebound]

[She won't argue with him about it. Instead she'll follow his direction, keeping her eyes out for any sign of hunters. There's nothing about her that screams werewolf - she's not one of the more familiar leaders, like Isaac or Ethan.

She's tiny, and unassuming. But if they give her a reason to take one of them out, she'll take it.]

What do you know about this girl? Can you find anything on her socials?

[slavophile]

( He's not big help because he can't walk, scan, and type. But, he is good with direction. She's right, she doesn't stand out. The problem with being stuck inside is that among the witches and werewolves and hunters, there are real people here, too. If anything, they can be those real people. Not just supernatural or supernatural sympathizers.

Hold on.

Alright, he pulls out translucent glasses and puts them on, palming a device he invented. His thumb swipes along. )

Her instagram is yachts, boats - ( which are different ) and booze. She's brand name. Her family's. And - she - promotes. Or, advertises. If she's high up in this coven, you can't tell because of her socials. Probably why her parents kept her so close to them.

[onthe_rebound]

Anything more personal? If we need to talk her down, we need something that she can connect with.

[Negotiating is a delicate thing. They have to be careful, especially given everything that's already happened.]

[slavophile]

Lots of love for her brother on here. And the family. And London. She loves where she was born.

( Is there something there, he wonders, moving over to Facebook. )

But, mostly her family.

[onthe_rebound]

Makes sense. I'd say a majority of her social connections were the coven.

[She makes a face as she nods.]

Okay, if we find her, we'll stick with the family. That's our touchstone.

[slavophile]

It's - a wealthier coven.

( At least from what he scrolls. )

Convince her to bring the barrier down. Do you want me to see if I can find her brother? If we know he's inside, we can use that.

( He's already looking. )

[onthe_rebound]

Is the brother older or younger?

[Not that Bridget is that old, but if the brother is older than her, he might not be here. Younger, and he might be at the parent's house.]

[slavophile]

He's my sister's age.

( 18, shy of 19. Which doesn't... tell her anything. )

Younger. She's 21. He's 18. It makes sense she'd want to protect him. Does she want to wreak havoc, vengeance, or does she want to save her brother.

[onthe_rebound]

Good. That's a good angle. Isaac, keep an eye out. She might have family still in play.

["Got it. We're still en route to the house. We'll keep you posted, but it seems like there are hunters everywhere."

So he might get slowed down somewhere in the process.]

[slavophile]

I know I'm not - you're running this, but try not to drop any bodies. That's a trail that's not easily covered.

( Whether Isaac minds him, hopefully he appreciates where William is coming from.

As that is... )

I can't find Danny Brighton, not on the streets. I'll keep an eye out.

[onthe_rebound]

["Unfortunately they're not really up for negotiating right now," Isaac replies, dry as ever. "But I'll try to keep that in mind."

Gloria rolls her eyes before tipping for William to follow her.]

C'mon. The apartment's up this way.

[slavophile]

( Knocking someone unconscious is just as effective, Isaac. )

I'm here.

( William's trying. He gets this is bad. He gets the hunters will kill on sight. He just only has so many resources to keep Isaac above board. Will he need the family lawyer, too? )

[onthe_rebound]

[As he and Gloria round the corner, they catch sight of a redhead ducking into the building's lobby. Gloria only gets a glance but her eyes widen.]

I think that's her.

[And she starts to jog after her, not drawing any attention at first, preferring to wait until they're safely inside.]

[slavophile]

( Are they jogging? Sure, they're jogging. )

Isaac, we have eyes on her. She just went into her building. We're in pursuit.

( And then he thinks, wow, he shouldn't watch as much cop shows as he's been. )

[onthe_rebound]

[Isaac answers in the affirmative, while Gloria ducks inside. Bridget is just about to make it to the stairs before:]

Bridget, wait!

[The witch spins around, hands raised to strike, while Gloria mimics the gesture as a sign that she means no harm.]

I'm not a hunter! I'm not a hunter. I'm with Isaac.

[And she'll flash her eyes in return, showing the familiar werewolf golden irises. At this, Bridget hesitates before looking over at William. "And you?"]

[slavophile]

( William makes it inside as he's asked - just who he is. )

Not a hunter. Also with Isaac. I'm on his team. And yours.

[onthe_rebound]

[Bridget glances between the two of them, determining that William is telling the truth before her face falls a bit, looking scared. "Isaac was right. We really would have been signing up to be murdered last."]

Look, we don't want that to happen. We want as many people as possible to get out of here in one piece. But we can't do that with the barrier spell up.

[slavophile]

You trapped witches in with hunters. And while they deserve it, the innocent witches that, that live here. They're trapped, too.

( He tries not to stray too close, letting Gloria take the lead, but he can persuade, too. )

[onthe_rebound]

["I didn't mean to." She's realizing that much, now that she's gotten distance from it. But she also can't take it back. "But I couldn't let them escape, without paying for what they've done."

Gloria's face softens.]

I get it. Really, I do. But this isn't fixing the problem. We have to find another way.

[slavophile]

We can do something. We - I could set something up. Facial recognition, tracking. I could do better. Really help.

( He's been so focused on finding his sister, but, he could indeed really help. )

[onthe_rebound]

[Bridget seems uncertain, but she's wavering. Gloria can see it in her eyes.]

What about your brother, Bridget? He's out there in this mess too. This can't be safe for him.

[The witch looks defensive. "No. Someone strong is protecting him. He'll be safe."]

Maybe. But he could be safer.

[slavophile]

There was an auditorium full of strength, Bridget.

( And they're dead. )

1/2

[onthe_rebound]

[She reads what he's saying between the lines, and her face falls. Her eyes trail out over the destruction, and Gloria can see her resolve crumbling. She takes a step forward, holding out a hand to her.]

Whatever we need to do, Bridget, we can figure it out. Let us help you.

[Bridget steps forward, starting to take her hand, when the door to the lobby slaps open behind them. And as both of them go to turn ...]

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop just wanted to get off the street.

He hasn't been able to find the edge of the spell yet, or the witch. He's starting to wonder if he ever will, and at this point, just wants to ride things out. Someone will find the witch eventually, he just needs somewhere to lay low until they do.

And when he enters the room, he sees three faces staring back at him. One he doesn't recognize, one is somewhat familiar, and one he does know. He tries to school his face, hoping that Gloria Robinson doesn't happen to recognize him.

Unfortunately, the redhead's eyes narrow as she turns on the new arrival. "You. You're one of the ones who was at the meeting."]

... Fuck.