INVISIBLE DARKNESS: An Elena Duran Story 2/4
Vi Moreau (vmoreau@ADELPHIA.NET)
Mon, 17 Dec 2001 08:24:23 -0500
INVISIBLE DARKNESS: An Elena Duran Story
by Vi Moreau and Janeen Grohsmeyer
=20
Elena almost shrugged. She was used to being threatened, and to being =
thought=20
of as a monster by some mortals--especially Hunters. She could hardly =
deny=20
being a murderer. As for being a torturer--dammit, she had done that =
too. So=20
she did not even bother to deny the accusations. They were, after all, =
true. =20
Elena moved on to the next phase of her attack: finding out why they =
were here. =20
"I didn't think Hunters needed any reason to destroy us 'unnatural' =
creatures=20
from hell,'" Elena goaded. She pulled some more at the pipe; it felt =
looser.
=20
"Hunters?" Pamela repeated in bewilderment. "I don't know what you're =
talking=20
about. This is about you, Duran, not any Hunters."
=20
"No?" Elena asked skeptically. Hell, of course it was Hunters! she =
thought. =20
Who else could it be? But ... if Pamela was not a Hunter--and yet why =
deny it,=20
because, in Elena's experience Hunters were very proud of their =
killings--then=20
why did Pamela want Elena dead? It must be personal; Elena had probably =
killed=20
someone Pamela loved. But Elena had never "tortured" any Immortals, not =
like=20
Bethel had tortured her. Played a bit with one or two of them during a =
fight,=20
perhaps, cruelly, like a cat with a mouse, but that was just part of the =
Game. =20
She shook her head to clear it of those memories, and then continued =
with the=20
duel. Time to undermine the opposition's anger, time to make nice. =
"May I call=20
you Pamela? Am I supposed to know you? Johnson?"
=20
"My husband was Kevin Johnson," Pamela said, her voice still trembling, =
but with=20
anger now. Definitely anger. Perhaps even rage.
=20
So much for the idea of making "friends," Elena thought resignedly.
=20
"You took him from our home in San Diego," Pamela continued, reciting a =
litany=20
of vendetta. "You took him from our *bed* in the middle of the night, =
on the=20
seventeenth of February in 1995. You took my husband away, and you tied =
him to=20
a chair. Then you broke his leg, hurt him, tortured him--I don't know =
for how=20
long. And then you murdered him by running him through with your sword. =
This=20
sword," she said, pointing to Elena's blade on the floor.
=20
But it couldn't have been that sword, Elena thought in confusion. She =
had lost=20
her original sword, the one her father had made for her. Bethel had =
broken it,=20
like he'd broken her.
=20
Pamela stepped closer and pointed the gun straight at Elena's forehead, =
right=20
between the eyes. "Do you remember the name Johnson now?" Pamela =
demanded. "Do=20
you remember *him*? Or do you even bother to remember who you kill?"
=20
/!Madre de Dios!/ Elena suddenly had trouble catching her breath again, =
but it=20
wasn't from being threatened with a gun or from any wound. All the =
calming=20
techniques in the world wouldn't help her now, and there could be no =
escape,=20
because Elena remembered that night. She remembered Kevin Johnson, too.
=20
"What, no more comebacks, Senorita Know-it-all?" Pamela asked =
venomously, but=20
before Elena could even begin to answer, Pamela demanded, "Why?" Tears =
of rage=20
and wild grief gathered in the corners of her eyes, and her voice was =
hoarse=20
with rage. "I want to know why, Duran."
=20
And *that* was why they were here. Elena forced herself to meet =
Pamela's eyes=20
and took a deep breath, wondering how to begin, searching for words of=20
explanation instead of words of attack, but Pamela spoke first, slowly, =
as if=20
she were piecing a puzzle together, "For thirteen years, I never knew =
your name.=20
I had no idea how to find you. But I recognized you tonight after you =
beheaded=20
Gavin Stuart. And it was you, wasn't it, Duran? You were killing =
Watchers all=20
up the West Coast, hunting us like you hunt each other--"
=20
"Yes," Elena replied, wanting--needing--to explain.
=20
But there was more to it than that, dammit! "But you have it the wrong =
way=20
around. It was you Watchers, your Hunters, who were killing Immortals. =
And=20
anyone who got near us. Anyone that we cared about."
=20
Pamela shook her head in denial then said, "All right, let's say these =
Hunters=20
did exist. There were some stories about Hunters, yes, at one time, =
back in the=20
'90s," she admitted.
=20
"What?" Elena interrupted incredulously, furious enough to forget all =
about=20
choosing her words with care. "Are you ignorant or just plain stupid? =
They=20
weren't just stories, and the Hunters sure the hell existed!" Elena =
cried out,=20
heedless of the consequences, straining against her bonds, jerking her =
whole=20
body towards Pamela so suddenly that the Watcher jumped back.
=20
"They were real," Elena snarled, "and they shot at me, and later on they =
shot me=20
and captured me. They stripped me, chained me, and broke my bones. =
With a=20
sledgehammer! They tried to lure a friend of mine to his death by using =
me as=20
bait. And worse--Hunters murdered my friend, a sweet girl who--"
=20
"There was never any killing of Immortals or their 'friends' by any =
Watchers!"=20
Pamela shouted back, furious in her own right, her blue eyes blazing. =
"If there=20
had been any Hunters killing Immortals, we Watchers would have taken =
care of it=20
ourselves, internally. And I would have known about it!"
=20
Elena forced herself to back off, back down. "Well, the Watchers =
*didn't* take=20
care of it. And maybe they didn't tell you what was happening, Pamela. =
They=20
didn't tell you who killed your husband, did they?" She watched =
Pamela's=20
reaction, tried to gauge what the other woman was thinking, then added, =
"Hunters=20
machine-gunned my friend Maria, who was pregnant, and obviously not an=20
Immortal!"
=20
"That's a lie," Pamela said, her hot rage gone into a much more =
dangerous cold=20
certainty. The gun was once again pointed straight at Elena's head. =
Light=20
glimmered off the barrel; the hole of the muzzle was a pit of empty =
black. =20
"You're a liar, on top of everything else. I know you can't die this =
way, but I=20
can hurt you. And if you lie again, I will shoot you."
=20
For a long moment the two women stared at each other. Elena knew Pamela =
wasn't=20
a torturer, but she'd already shot Elena several times, and Elena was =
damn sure=20
Pamela could do it again. Elena didn't think it was a bluff, not this =
time. =20
"Yes, you can hurt me, Pamela," she admitted, staying calm, staying =
cool, trying=20
to take back control. "You even know how to kill me."
=20
And *that* didn't make it easy to stay cool, either. But Elena needed =
Pamela=20
to understand. Elena summoned all of her sincerity and let her grief at =
Maria's=20
death show through. "But I'm not lying. I didn't lie to you about your =
husband. I have not lied to you at all, Pamela Johnson. My pregnant =
friend=20
Maria was hunted down and murdered by Hunters in Argentina on the eighth =
of=20
November, 1993. It was after midnight, and they burst into my house. =
We tried=20
to run, but they hunted us down like animals. They could see she was =
pregnant--
eight months pregnant, Pamela!--but they shot her, and they tried really =
hard to=20
shoot me. That is how I found out about Watchers, and that is why I =
hunted=20
them."
=20
"Watchers don't kill Immortals!" Pamela repeated, practically shouting, =
but=20
Elena could tell that the volume was just Pamela's way of trying to =
convince=20
herself. "And even if some did," Pamela added in a rush, "even if these =
Hunters=20
really exist, my husband Kevin was not one of them. Didn't you find =
that out=20
when you tortured him?"
=20
Elena was out of words, defenseless now. It was true, she'd tortured =
him. It=20
was true, she'd found out he wasn't a Hunter. It was true--and she'd =
killed him=20
anyway. The silence stretched between them, until Elena finally =
admitted it,=20
finally faced what she had done. "Yes."
=20
Now Pamela was speechless. She opened and closed her mouth several =
times, so=20
flabbergasted that she forgot about the automatic and lowered her hand =
to her=20
side. "You knew--" She shook her head slowly, her breath catching in =
her=20
throat, and when she finally spoke, her words came through choked tears, =
"You=20
knew he was innocent, and you killed him anyway?"
=20
Elena closed her eye, opened it again. She had to face this, dammit. =
She owed=20
Pamela Johnson the damn truth, no excuses. It was a matter of honor. =
And right=20
now, Elena needed all the honor she could get.
=20
"I knew he was innocent of being a Hunter," Elena said, but she couldn't =
help=20
adding in her own defense, "You're a Watcher, but I didn't kill you. I =
promised=20
him if he cooperated I wouldn't hurt his family, and I didn't--"
=20
"Wouldn't hurt--?" Pamela interrupted. "Wouldn't hurt his family?" she=20
repeated, furious and incredulous again. "Did you think that making his =
children orphans and his wife a widow wouldn't *hurt* his family?"
=20
To this Elena said nothing.
=20
Pamela stood there, shaking her head, the whirling confusion in her mind =
reflected on her face. Then Pamela asked her original question all over =
again,=20
a simple heartfelt plea, "Why him? Why my Kevin?"
=20
Elena tried not to shrug. Because he was the next one in line. Because =
he was=20
there. No good reason, but Pamela deserved an answer. "I wanted to =
kill them=20
all, all the Watchers and all the Hunters," Elena explained. "I got his =
name=20
from another Watcher."
=20
"From Claire?" Pamela asked sharply. "Claire Carruthers?"
=20
"I think so, yes," Elena answered after a moment, because there'd been =
so many,=20
and she tried not to remember those days. "I was ... on a rampage, out =
for=20
blood. I was out of control."
=20
Pamela sucked air. "You were out of control," she echoed, unbelieving, =
and the=20
flatness of those words stripped away the pretense of any possible =
excuse, any=20
possible forgiveness. "You had an Immortal tantrum," Pamela continued. =
"And=20
you murdered--" She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, then went =
on in a=20
light, controlled voice, "They adored their father, you know. Our two =
little=20
girls. Caitlyn and Emily thought he was the most wonderful daddy ... =
But it's=20
been thirteen years, and Emily was only seven. She barely remembers him =
now,=20
and I--" Her voice broke, and she turned away, but not before Elena saw =
the=20
bright tears dimming Pamela's eyes.
=20
Elena's eyes filled in sympathy. And empathy. And sorrow. And not a =
little=20
guilt. Oh, God. She remembered Kevin Johnson, and she remembered his =
children,=20
too.=20
=20
=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
18 February 1995, 2:00 a.m.
San Diego, California
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
=20
The front bedroom, lit by a Winnie-the-Pooh nitelite, has two sleeping =
children,=20
both blondes. One child is about ten, the other younger, and Elena is =
acutely=20
aware that they will wake up to tragedy. Only one of the couple, then. =
The=20
man, not the woman. Elena will not leave these little girls =
orphans--she knows=20
what that feels like.
=20
In the back bedroom, Elena can see by the moonlight filtering in through =
the=20
blinds that the man and woman lie intertwined in a large, four-poster =
bed. =20
Across from it is an entertainment center, with a TV, stereo, CD player, =
and=20
large speakers. The screensaver for their computer is little toasters =
with=20
wings, flying through the air. "Looks like killing Immortals pays well," =
she=20
mutters angrily to herself.
=20
As Elena moves closer to the bed, the man shifts away from his wife, and =
Elena=20
pulls out her sap and hits him once, expertly, behind the ear. He sags=20
completely, and this is probably what alerts the wife.
=20
"Kevin?" the wife asks sleepily, quickly pulling herself up on one arm,=20
immediately looking up at Elena. There is a flash of wonderment in the =
female=20
Watcher's eyes, and before she can even register fear, Elena reaches =
across the=20
bed and knocks the woman out with a closed fist.
=20
Elena doesn't need much time. This back bedroom looks onto the alley. =
Elena=20
pulls the man towards the window, opens it, and drops him out feet =
first, then=20
walks out the kitchen door again and joins him. He's landed on the =
pavement=20
near her car, and his right leg is stuck out at a grotesque angle. She =
levers=20
him into her trunk and drives to her prearranged site, an abandoned =
railway=20
station.
=20
When Kevin Johnson wakes up, Elena has already propped him up on a =
chair, his=20
hands fastened behind him with plastic police handcuffs and his mouth =
gagged. =20
Her sword is in her hand, and she sees in his frightened eyes his =
recognition of=20
who she is.
=20
"Good," she says. "What I want from you is the address of the next =
Hunter--or=20
Watcher, if you prefer. And don't bother to tell me how you just watch =
and=20
don't interfere. I've heard it all. And I don't want to hear it again. =
So=20
..."
=20
She watches his eyes follow the path of her blade as she taps the flat =
of it=20
against his broken leg. He screams into his gag, a wailing moan. Elena =
says=20
coldly, "You can see how it is. You are a strong young man, but you're =
hurt and=20
caught. In fact, you're done. Give me the name of the next Hunter or =
Watcher=20
in line, and I won't hurt you anymore."
=20
She waits for the pain to recede, and for the reality of his situation =
to=20
register in his eyes. After a moment he nods, and she removes the gag.
=20
"You're going to kill me," he states, his voice quavering a little.
=20
"Yes," she answers.
=20
"My wife ... she was there, in bed with me--"
=20
"She's fine," Elena rushes to assure him. "I know she's one of you, but =
I also=20
saw your children, your two little girls. For their sake," she adds =
seriously,=20
"your wife lives."
=20
"Then you won't--"
=20
"No," Elena interrupts him again. She puts the sword down as she kneels =
in=20
front of him and looks him in the eyes. The concrete floor feels rough =
right=20
through her jeans. "Listen to me. Whatever happens between you and me =
stays=20
here. No matter what you say or do, I will not hurt your family. You =
have my=20
word." He nods in relief, but Elena continues, "But I will hurt you, =
Kevin. =20
You have my word on that as well."
=20
He is silent for a moment, then says, swallowing thickly, "I can't just =
betray=20
my friends."
=20
"Yes, you can, and you will. Now or later. The choice is yours." She =
stands,=20
then lifts her sword again and swings the flat of it against his broken =
leg. =20
His cry of pain fills the entire room. She only needs to do it once =
more before=20
he nods, terrified, dull sweat covering his face, spent and resigned. =
He gives=20
her a name, then a second name. And as soon as she gets what she wants, =
she=20
nods and, without hesitation, runs him through the chest with her sword. =
Then=20
she leaves him still tied to the chair, and she starts hunting again.