(So with phase one complete I am starting the next big story of this mad cast. Warning by the time this section ends it's gonna get dark in here. I promise though the next sequence will be hardcore crazy.)
I woke in a darkened hotel room feeling frightfully sober. Contrary to the opinion you must have formed by now I do spend large periods of time not under the influence of anything more powerful than several cups of coffee, Claritin and nicotine.
I was woefully short of coffee so I called room service and tried to piece together how I had gotten here. Stumbling into the bathroom I found a pair of panties in the sink with a note. "Thanks for the adventure... Fiona." on them. Then parts of it came back, we had stumbled into the motel after escaping the carnage we had caused just minutes earlier. Then I kept getting "gifts" from Fiona until the sun came up.
I grinned at the black satin underwear and put them in my pocket. I'd take in thanks of a "Thank you masked man." any day.
Shit, was time was it? There was no way I was going to open the screens by the window. For all I knew the big yellow orb was out there. We'd had quite a period of time the sun and I. I had nothing against it per se, I just operated better at night like most decent people. Right now a good solid blast of sunlight would probably blow a hole right through me.
There was a knock on the door. I stumbled to it drew it open. The young man from room service pushed in a wheeled cart with a pot of coffee and a small bottle of milk on it. I tipped him handsomely then as I poured a cup, watched Kat walk in dressed to the nines as always. I meanwhile was in sweats and a black pink floyd t-shirt.
Kat held out a phone. "How did this wind up in my pocket?" She asked.
"Gremlins, clearly they're out to get you." I replied and offered her a cup which she took.
"Well your editor would like a word with you." She said handing me the offending device.
"Hi Shelby." I said into the receiver and added creme to the coffee.
"Nice column, thanks for changing names to give us plausible deniability. The lawyers are currently preparing their counter suits." She said.
"As they should, all those people are dangerous maniacs." I replied.
"Good now be ready to say that in deposition." She paused. "Hope you're not comfortable I have a new gig for you."
"Ohh dear lord. I'm still in recovery from this one."
"Suck it up, drink some Gatorade and take some aspirin, then get down to this location I got you a huge level of access if your lucky in three days you get to see someone get hung."
"Sorry repeat that?" I replied.
"I said drink some gatora..."
"Not that, the last part."
"Apparently due to issues with the inability to get drugs for executions in their state the governor has given the inmates on death row a choice between hanging and firing squad." She paused. "The next one is set in three days. I got you access to the next victim the warden the lawyers and a few others."
I took a deep breath. "There is really nothing about this that appeals to me. I always felt that killing people was a waste of perfectly good human potential."
"It's a front page exclusive and you get the mother of all bonuses. Seriously this whole thing has a huge potential for the sort of story you really roll on."
"Stop playing to my ego. Okay I'll do it. Send me all the pertinents."
"Done. Check your email." Shelby said and hung up.
Kat looked up at me. "New job?"
"Yeah we're going south to cover a hanging." I said.
She stared away absently. "I sense a whole lot of suck ahead."
"Oh good I'm not the only one." I replied. "Nothing for it, let's get packed, pull Jon from the latest pile of flesh he's created and get moving."
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