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

[undermyfeet]

Okay.

[He's changed in clothes that are easy to move in, and he's got the staff stashed away in his pocket. He hasn't been contacting anyone, because all of his friends are in the hot zone and he doesn't want them not to answer.]

Where are we heading?

[moralitypolice]

( She understands. He can get to safety. They can go from there. )

The sewers. Even if the barrier made it underneath, it's weaker. My friend's a witch. With the three of us, we could get you through to safety.

[undermyfeet]

[Danny nods slowly, considering.]

Maybe we can pick up more witches on the way. Even if we can't get them through the barrier, they'll probably be safer underground.

[He can't just escape while everyone else gets killed.]

[moralitypolice]

We can try. How many witches are near enough? Because we can't go far.

( She's thankful he missed that she said, you, and not us again. But, she'll run that complication when it comes. )

[undermyfeet]

[Oh he noticed it, he's just choosing to ignore it.]

There are some up this block. We'd have to pass them all to get to the nearest sewer entrance that's big enough for a person.

["He's right." David's in the doorway. He looks like he's been through a fight to get here, and the way he glances over his shoulder says it's not over yet. "And there are packs of bad guys roaming freely."

Danny raises an eyebrow.]

That your friend?

[moralitypolice]

Yeah. He's my friend. Come on.

( She walks over to David, lowering her voice. )

There are other witches on the way to the entrance to the sewer. I know it's bad out there, but we need to save who we can. Can you deal with that?

[maleficum]

[He shrugs.]

Don't worry about me. I can find my own way out.

[And he likely will, when all is said and done.]

I'll help how I can.

[moralitypolice]

Noble.

( Man, she really doesn't like you. But, they need the help and you're powerful. )

For the record, this isn't something we're going to owe you for. This is for other witches.

[maleficum]

Did I say anything about you owing me something?

[He doesn't bother to look offended, because in some ways it's a fair callout.]

This isn't a favor. This is a we don't do something we die kind of situation. I'm in favor of doing something over dying.

[Danny just squints at the witch in front of him, before glancing back at Bonnie. "You sure you guys are friends?"]

[moralitypolice]

We go way back. I went to his wedding.

( Does Danny believe her? )

Alright, Danny. Let's help who we can. Do you have what you need?

[undermyfeet]

Yep.

[He tips his head to the side before slipping past David and heading up the street.]

C'mon this way.

[And he will proceed to sneak along the street, keeping an eye out for trouble while knocking on doors and talking to the witches inside, leaving David and Bonnie a chance to talk with him out of earshot.]

[moralitypolice]

This is the right call, bringing over who we can. You know that, right?

( She doesn't mention that it's what a coven leader would do, because she doesn't know if she should mention Danny's losses, or anything else while they're in the middle of this. )

[maleficum]

[Danny nods, but he doesn't address it more than that, trying to focus on the task at hand. David watches him go, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of trouble as they go.

He can see the damage done already, and he looks unhappy.]

You know these people are descended from druids, right? They don't write down anything. No grimmoires. If anyone here dies, all their knowledge dies with them. An entire magical community gets erased from history because some hunters got uppity.

[moralitypolice]

Then it's a great thing we're doing what we can to help.

( And ... making sure Danny is not listening. )

If this works, if we get them across, can you make sure Danny makes it safely? He's right, I can't leave anybody behind either. But, he needs to make it.

[maleficum]

No, I know.

[He swallows, before keeping his eyes on the road ahead, looking for trouble.]

I'll do what I can.

[Though he has half a mind to stick close to the Bennett witch and bail her out if needed. But maybe they'll find someone trustworthy along the way to protect the Brighton heir.]

[moralitypolice]

He's the heir. He's not saying it and god knows I'm not going to mention it, but, he's important. And he's young.

( He can't die here. )

[maleficum]

Yeah, he is.

[There's something in the way he says it, possibly a hint at a youth that was stolen from him. But it's good to know that some kids out there are being protected.]

And it's smart, not saying anything. He can be productive, but we don't need him running off to do something stupid.

[moralitypolice]

I mean - I'm not trying to remind him that he lost his parents today, or that his sister's out there. She's the reason the barrier went up.

( And she's worried about her, too. She thinks about sending her a message, but - she needs to stick with Danny. That's her priority. )

If you could guess, how many hunters do you think are trapped in here with the witches?

[maleficum]

That depends on what they actually had planned.

[Whatever this is, though, it's far more organized than he would have ever given hunters credit for. Usually hunters bumble ass-first into trouble, bent on some kind of ill-conceived justice.

These seem to be singularly focused, and that focus is exterminating witches. He's about to continue that line of thought before he spots a pair of hunters making their way towards the crowd that Danny is beginning to gather. They draw their guns, and David surges ahead, hands outstretched in front of him.

He mutters an incantation, twists his wrists, and the necks of the hunters twist in turn, two bodies dropping neatly to the pavement.]

We need to move.

[moralitypolice]

Take out the Elders.

( Seems simple. But, she would expect a bigger assault to have happened tomorrow.

Bonnie is ready for the hunters, but David dispatches of them. )

What - kind of magic is that. Danny, we have to go. Move. ( And as they keep moving, she still questions him with her eyes. ) Are you going to kill every hunter?

[maleficum]

[Danny's eyes widen as he gathers his people to retreat back closer to Bonnie. David glances over at her, "what kind of magic does it look like?" resting on the tip of his tongue, but he manages to squash it in favor of the second question.]

If they're trying to kill us, yeah. You want to get him out, things might get messy.

[moralitypolice]

They're people, too, David. They have families.

( But, they're also killing -- looking to kill witches. )

I can stop them if we come upon them again. I can.

[maleficum]

Yeah, their families are probably with them here, also trying to kill us.

[But fine. Point taken. He holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender - no more neck snapping for now - but if either the Bennett witch or the Brighton heir get into trouble, all bets are off.]

Fine. You lead then.

[moralitypolice]

Alright. The entrance is up ahead. Follow me, Danny, you're in the middle and David, you're coming up from behind. It's just another block. Stay quiet and and stay quick.

( Do the witches understand? )

[undermyfeet]

[David nods as he hangs back, lingering to the back of the group of scared witches in pajamas. Danny raises an eyebrow at Bonnie, almost as though he's confused.]

You guys still friends?

[He's really starting to suspect you're not.]