Nightfall:The World At Night

[3:19:08 PM] Omniance: [Sunday, May 14th 6:45 p.m.
Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Berkley Street]
[3:48:38 PM | Edited 3:50:10 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He's walking down the sidewalk, passing two large apartment buildings on his way to church. Ever since he was young, his father used to always take him to church every Sunday morning but because of his nightclub job he changed his schedule and now goes to mass at around 7pm. This is his first time walking there on foot to St. Cecilia Catholic Church, which he enjoys so far as the streets are oddly quiet, giving a serene atmosphere to what are usually the noisy streets of Los Angeles.

A sweet elderly couple pass Marcus on the sidewalk.

Marcus: He smiles, wondering if he'll ever stay with someone for that long. He can't help but to think of Fred, he still feels bad because of what she's been through this week. Neither of them know who those men in suits were and why they were after her. This feels like the best time to pray in hopes that their questions will be answered soon.

A faint light catches Marcus's eye and he looks up from the sidewalk, having been in deep thought for a few moments. He slows down to a stop as he sees what looks like a blanket of white fog blocking the entire street. He looks around to check if anyone else can see this but no one seems to be reacting to it, some people are even walking straight through it as if it wasn't there. He decides to slowly walk up to it before touching it with his hand.
It's solid, like a brick wall. He thinks to himself how this could be possible, is he going mad? A young woman and her child look up at Marcus as they pass him, giving him a strange look as they enter the fog. He lowers his arm, giving the foggy wall one more look before turning around and looking for another way.
[3:50:30 PM] Arbi: Meanwhile...
[3:59:14 PM] Omniance: Fred: She's sitting on the floor of her apartment, watching T.V. There's a movie playing, with someone speaking on-screen.

Armand: The world changes, but we do not, there lies the irony that finally kills us...

Stacy: It should be illegal to be as hot as Antonio Banderas. It's so damn poetic too.

Fred: She looks over at Stacy for a moment, then back to the movie.

Stacy: So what's your deal with all of these vampire movies anyway? She leans forwards and grabs a stack of blockbuster rentals. Interview with a Vampire, Blade, Brom Stoker's "Dracula"?

Fred: Well I never saw any of them before.

Stacy: She shrugs. I like this one. She smirks as she eats more popcorn.
[4:03:10 PM] Arbi: There's a loud knock on the door across the hallway, someone's at Marcus's door. Whoever it is tries knocking again after a moment.
[4:04:50 PM] Omniance: Fred: It catches her eye and she looks in te direction of her door. Someone's at Marcus's door.

Stacy: So? She keeps her eyes on the TV.

Fred: She looks back tot he TV for a moment, they gets up and moves over to her door, looking out the peephole across the hall.
[4:12:20 PM] Arbi: There's a young man standing in front of Marcus's door. He looks to be around twenty years old, possibly even older. He has brown hair and has a strong build, definitely someone that works out. He takes out a small envelope and looks it over, like he was double checking something before slipping it under the door and walking away back downstairs.
[4:15:51 PM] Omniance: Fred: She watches him leave.

Stacy: So who was it? She's still watching the movie.

Fred: Some guy, not sure who. She turns and looks back at Stacy.

Stacy: It's probably just one of his friends.

Fred: ...Yeah... Maybe.
[4:16:19 PM] Omniance: Ten minutes later...
[4:21:23 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He knocks on Fred's door a couple of times, it sounds a little faster than usual. Fred? It's me, Marcus. Can I come in?
[4:22:29 PM] Omniance: Fred: She calls out. It's open!

Stacy: She's in the kitchen throwing out the popcorn bag, the credits are rolling on the movie.
[4:23:58 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He opens the door and walks inside, he's still wearing his hoodie but the hood is down. Looks like he hasn't even been to his room yet. He checks out the TV, seeing they just finished watching a movie. Hey, Stacy.
[4:28:02 PM] Omniance: Stacy: Hey Marcus. She throws a empty water bottle into the trash. I have to go get ready for work, Todd called in sick so I have to bartend an hour or two. She walks passed Marcus. I'll see you guys later. She walks into the hall and down towards her room.
[4:31:42 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He waves goodbye to Stacy before walking over and sitting down at the bed. He looks over to see what Fred's doing in the kitchen.
[4:33:38 PM] Omniance: Fred: She's washing out the bowl they used for popcorn. I think this is one of the first times I've seen you miss Sunday night church. She dries the bowl out and puts it back into the cupboard.
[4:36:36 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He looks down when she brings up church, he looks a bit sad and confused.
[4:37:37 PM] Omniance: Fred: She sees his expression and looks a little concerned. ...What's wrong? She walks over to him.
[4:41:18 PM] Arbi: Marcus: I did want to go to church but... something stopped me. He looks almost frustrated as he tries to find the words to explain what happened without sounding crazy. There was this fog...
[4:42:08 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks at him strangely. ...The fog... Stopped you?
[4:44:39 PM] Arbi: Marcus: I know this sounds crazy, Fred, but there was this really white wall made out of fog out in the middle of street.
[4:45:46 PM] Omniance: Fred: She thinks a little. And no one could get through it?
[4:47:10 PM] Arbi: Marcus: Everyone was walking straight through it like it wasn't even there. I don't think any of them even noticed it.
[4:47:24 PM] Omniance: Fred: ...But you couldn't?
[4:49:00 PM] Arbi: Marcus: I tried... it felt like a solid wall. I thought it might've just been that one street but when I went another way the fog was still there.
[4:50:39 PM] Omniance: Fred: Wonder if there's anything about it on the news... She looks to her TV, it's just a blank screen now that the tape has ended.
[4:54:50 PM | Edited 4:57:08 PM] Arbi: Marcus: That's not even the weirdest part, Fred. He stands up and slowly walks up to her window. I found an alleyway I thought might get me past the fog. No luck there but I got mad and kicked a soda can into the fog just as I was about to leave. It went straight through it... He pauses for a moment. Whatever that fog is, I'm the only thing it doesn't want getting through.
[4:57:12 PM] Omniance: Fred: ...Could you take me to where you saw it? She sounds worried. I... I want to see it too... Maybe there was just some announcement earlier that we slept through or something.
[5:00:36 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He looks back at her and nods. Yeah, you can see it for yourself. I hope you can at least.
[5:01:05 PM] Omniance: Fred: She smiles a little and walks over to grab her purse and put her shoes on.
[5:05:28 PM] Arbi: Five minutes later the two of them are walking down the dark streets of Santa Monica, the lights from all the buildings keep this street from looking pitch black. There aren't that many people out right now so it's quiet besides the occasional car that passes by.
[5:08:16 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks around the city at night, a cool salty breeze from the ocean, that's only a few blocks away, softly blowing passed them as they walk. It's so much more serene walking at night... It used to scare me when I first got the nightshift at the Flagship... But now I like it so much that I don't even miss the day.
[5:17:15 PM] Arbi: Marcus: I do miss it a little. He shrugs a bit. I can't go surfing at night. He keeps his eyes on the road ahead, expecting for his path to be closed off soon.

As the two of them turn the corner, in the far distance they can see a bright fire coming from what looks like a massive barrel. It's surrounded by several bums that are using it to warm themselves up. There's a police officer nearby but he doesn't seem to care.
[5:19:51 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks at the bums in the alleyway and moves a little closer to Marcus. You ever think about what else you'd want to do? ...Besides bouncing at the Flagship, I mean.
[5:22:40 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He smiles. I've always wanted to be a martial arts instructor.
[5:23:16 PM] Omniance: Fred: She raises an eyebrow at him. Really? Can't say I expected you to say that, but I bet you'd be good at it anyway.
[5:30:02 PM] Arbi: Marcus: I don't think it would've worked out anyways. He shrugs a bit. I probably wouldn't like coming home smelling like feet every night. He laughs a bit and looks at her, feeling like he grossed her out. Sorry.
[5:31:25 PM] Omniance: Fred: She smiles and shakes her head. Guess it doesn't matter as long as you enjoy what you do. She's looking around, trying to see any hint of the fog that Marcus was talking about.
[5:34:58 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He looks ahead and stops walking, his expression quickly changing to both confusion and disappointment. The street looks as normal as ever, in the distance they can even see the church without any sign of fog nearby. There's a few small clouds up in the sky, but nothing out of the ordinary. It's gone.
[5:36:45 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks around a bit. Maybe it was just a cloudbank that rolled in from the ocean. She adjusts her purse on her shoulder. ...I bet if you hurry you can still make it for communion.
[5:42:05 PM | Edited 5:42:52 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He looks over at the church for a moment, nodding a bit and agreeing. Yeah, maybe it was a cloudbank... He looks back at her and smiles, getting an idea. Hey, the church is right there. You wanna come with?
[5:43:05 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks nervous all of the sudden. Uhh... She looks at the church, something feeling foreboding about it. I haven't been to church in a long time... Maybe I'll just wait outside.
[5:46:39 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He shrugs but keeps smiling. Was worth a try. I'll see you later, Fred. He waits for her response before turning to quickly get to church before he misses communion.
[5:50:06 PM] Omniance: Fred: Just pray for the both of us... She smiles as she watches him hurry towards church. After a moment she walks around to the side of the church and sits on a small bench. She feels strange being here for some reason, whether it's because she hasn't actually been to church in years, or if it's because she's a vampire, she's unsure.
[5:59:03 PM | Edited 5:59:25 PM] Arbi: Thirty minutes pass as Fred waits outside the church on the small bench. The cool night air and ocean smell are relaxing but the atmosphere seems to suddenly shift when she hears a commotion coming from down the street. Near one of the alleyways a few thugs walk out of the shadows together, they look like they could be part of some gang. She can't hear what they're saying from this far away.
[6:01:01 PM] Omniance: Fred: She breaks out of a thought and looks over to the group. She moves a little on the bench and clutches her purse closer as she watches them.
[6:10:09 PM] Arbi: Each of them look like they're wearing old, worn clothing. The one wearing a brown jacket takes a few steps towards a young woman that walks by them, whistling and saying something about "biting" her. The woman stops suddenly and turns to look at the thug, as if interested by his cat calling. It's strange and out of place, she even following the thugs back down the alleyway they came from after speaking to them.
[6:12:06 PM | Removed 6:12:12 PM] Omniance: This message has been removed.
[6:14:16 PM] Omniance: Fred: After a moment she looks around to see if there's anyone nearby that she can tell. She idly wonders if she should go into the church and get Marcus, but after a moment she stands up and quickly starts to make her way down the street and towards the alleyway to see what's going on.
[6:19:05 PM] Arbi: The alleyway is dark but as a vampire Fred doesn't have trouble looking around. There's an empty dumpster to her left and the ground is scattered with litter. There's no sign of the thugs or woman, they either took the left turn deeper into the alleyway or went into one of the three buildings around her.
[6:22:35 PM] Omniance: Fred: As she looks down into the alleyway, seeing that they're gone, she tries to listen for them, then something catches her attention. The smell of the woman's perfume. It's subtle at first, but then suddenly pronounced, she quickly follows after it, unthinkingly pursuing after the thugs and the woman. After a moment she follows it to the older and more run down of the two buildings. She finds a door and slowly pushes it open, looking inside.
[6:30:37 PM] Arbi: After she quietly enters the building and closes the door behind her she can suddenly hear muffled music coming from what appears to be downstairs. The small backroom she's in leads out into a hallway but it's blocked off by old furniture. The only way to go is into the dark room to her right, the door that's supposed to be there is actually one of the many objects blocking the hallway. There's a faint smell coming from somewhere in that room.
[6:34:32 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks around, thinking about how stupid this is and how she should probably turn around, but there's a curiosity in her that makes her want to keep moving, and though she's afraid, she doesn't feel like she's in danger. As the strangeness of this goes through her mind she continues moving towards the doorway to that room, towards the sound of the music and the smell of the perfume. As she reaches it she quietly peeks inside to get a glimpse of its interior.
[6:42:56 PM] Arbi: There's a bed frame in the middle of the room covered in dark residue. The actual bed mattress is off to the side.

Thug: One of the thugs from outside is laying down on the old bed mattress, he looks like he's completely out of it. Fred can smell a small hint of blood coming from his body. He doesn't notice her there, he just occasionally moans to himself quietly like he was sleeping.
[6:44:35 PM] Omniance: Fred: She narrows her eyes and looks around the room for a second longer before stepping in, trying to see where the woman and the other thugs went. After a moment she inches towards the thug on the bed to get a better look at him.
[6:50:45 PM] Arbi: As Fred gets closer, she notices the young man's sleeve is slid up. There's two tiny dots of blood on the bare arm, it's definitely a vampire bite. The man moves around suddenly, turning on his side like someone wanting to go to sleep.

This room doesn't have any other doors but the bed frame in the middle stands out, the dark residue on the frame seems to also be on the old carpet below it.
[6:52:39 PM | Edited 6:55:17 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks over to the bedframe from the young man. She pauses in thought for a moment, she still doesn't feel like she's in danger, but at the same time, she knows it's stupid to be here by herself. Despite this she moves over to the bedframe and looks under it. After a moment she pushes the bedframe slightly, and pulls the edge of the carpet up.
[7:12:10 PM | Edited 7:12:32 PM] Arbi: As Fred reaches for the carpet she suddenly hears a voice behind her. It surprises her, as there was no warning beforehand. I wouldn't do that if I were you... The voice doesn't sound threatening, it's more tired sounding.
[7:14:44 PM] Omniance: Fred: She turns to look at the source, almost jumping as she does.
[7:19:11 PM] Arbi: There's a young man sitting on the floor behind her, his back to the wall. He looks tired, almost injured looking. Despite how dark it is she can make out his appearance, he has dark brown hair, brown eyes and a five o'clock shadow. He looks rather skinny, possibly weighing the same as her. He's looking up at her, his clothes look just as worn out as some of the thugs she's seen tonight.
[7:20:05 PM] Omniance: Fred: ...What's going on here? She looks back down to the carpet for a moment, then back to the young man.
[7:30:11 PM] Arbi: Young Man: He coughs a few times before responding, sounds like he might be sick. His voice continues to sound tired. Just get out of here, lady. I'm too tired to explain anything right now... He turns his head to the side slowly and closes his eyes. It's bad... that's all you need to know.
[7:31:03 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks back to the bedframe and murmurs quietly to herself. ...Then someone should do something about it...
[7:32:02 PM] Arbi: When Fred looks back to the young man he isn't there anymore.
[7:33:04 PM] Omniance: Fred: She turns and again wonders if she should go get Marcus, but then thinks how the woman might be in trouble. She walks over to the bedframe and pulls it to the side a little more, and then lifts the carpet.
[7:35:15 PM | Edited 7:35:43 PM] Arbi: There's a trapdoor underneath that easily opens with her newly gained strength. A staircase leads downstairs into a large hallway in the basement. The music becomes louder and numerous people can be heard further down the hall in one of the rooms.
[7:37:15 PM] Omniance: Fred: She continues to follow the scent, and quicken her pace as she moves down the hallway. Her eyes constantly darting about as she tries to watch for anyone else that might try to jump her.
[7:48:31 PM | Edited 7:53:16 PM] Arbi: The first door to her left is ajar, the perfume is coming from inside. When Fred peeks inside she sees there's no one inside. There's a unmade bed inside along with worn out furniture, like an unkept hotel room. There's numerous dark stains on the side of the bed and carpet. She can hear one of the thugs in the other room talking strangely, much easier to understand as he's close to the wall on the other side.

Thug: He talks slowly, like he was just finished taking in some type of drug that's calmed him down a lot. The women in this city are so... so easy. Did she see how she just walked up to me? Dumb bitch... He pauses as he breathes something in. I want... all of them... He trails off, like he's about to fall asleep.
[7:52:12 PM] Omniance: Fred: She slowly makes her way into the room, following the scent of the perfume, she looks around for the woman, knowing that these weird thugs are definitely up to no good.
[7:54:16 PM] Arbi: The perfume seems to be coming from the closet.
[7:54:56 PM] Omniance: Fred: She quickly makes her way over to the closet, looking around the room as she does, she pulls the closet door open quietly as she can.
[7:57:29 PM] Arbi: The woman from before is inside, her hands tied up to the ceiling on what looks like a hook. The woman is awake and has her mouth duct taped closed. Her eyes widen when she sees Fred, she looks like she's been crying.
[7:58:59 PM] Omniance: Fred: I'll help you out of here, but you have to stay quiet... She grabs the duct tape on the woman's mouth. Ready?
[8:00:46 PM] Arbi: The young woman nods, hope returning to her eyes.
[8:01:48 PM] Omniance: Fred: She's starting to shake a little, trying to keep herself calm. She then quickly pulls the duct tape away from the woman's mouth and then reaches up to try and grab at the ties around the woman's hands.
[8:05:03 PM] Arbi: Thug: Aaah... I'm ready for that bite now. He can be heard getting up from the old couch. His footsteps can be heard for a second before he stops. Sit back down! You'll get your chance later...
[8:07:34 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks tot he side for a moment hearing that someone is coming. After a moment she grabs at the ties and pulls them as hard as she can, after a moment the hook in the ceiling gets torn out of the ceiling with a quiet cracking sound. Her eyes go wide, knowing that they might've heard that. C'mon! She grabs the woman's hands and pulls her after her as she moves out into the hall.
[8:12:30 PM] Arbi: Young Woman: She follows closely behind Fred, holding onto her arm in fear of what may happen if they get caught.

Thug: He walks out into the hallway and sees Fred. The blonde haired man seems to smile hungrily as he sees the two of them sneaking. You didn't tell me you had friends... His eyes lock with Fred's as he walks slowly towards her. As Fred turns to run down the other way the man from before, that was sitting on the bed is blocking her way.
[8:17:01 PM] Omniance: Fred: She gulps slightly and murmurs to herself. ...Shit... She turns to look at the Thug behind her, and then the other down the hall. ...I called the cops!
[8:20:26 PM] Arbi: Thug: As Fred looks back at the blonde haired thug, his eyes catch her attention again. As he speaks his voice seems to echo, not in the room but in her mind somehow. You didn't actually call the cops did you, babe? I wouldn't like that... He continues to walk up to her slowly. She can't help but to tell him the truth no matter how hard she tries.
[8:21:11 PM] Omniance: Fred: I... Didn't... She starts backing away from him.
[8:22:44 PM] Arbi: Thug: Don't be afraid... come over here and give me a hug. His words continue to echo throughout her mind, despite him taking out a knife from his pocket she still wants to give him a hug.

The man that was sleeping on the bed walks up to grab the kidnapped woman as Fred walks away from her.
[8:25:27 PM] Omniance: Fred: She slowly starts to move towards him. ...You're... making a mistake. She still doesn't seem to be outwardly afraid, much to even her own surprise.
[8:29:09 PM] Arbi: As Fred walks down the hallway more men begin to walk out from each of the rooms. There's about six of them in total, all looking past her at the young meat behind her with lustful hungry eyes.
[8:30:21 PM] Omniance: Fred: What are you gonna do? She continues walking towards him.
[8:33:28 PM] Arbi: Blonde Thug: He smiles as he walks up to touch her. I'm gonna cut you open and feed your entrails to the bums outside. You like how that sounds, babe?
[8:36:19 PM] Omniance: Fred: ...No. She takes a step back from him, almost defiantly so.
[8:39:22 PM] Arbi: Blonde Thug: The tone in his voice changes from relaxed to confused to angry suddenly. What was that? He reaches out to grab her arm suddenly to pull her away.
[8:42:15 PM] Omniance: Fred: She turns and runs down the hall towards the other thug from earlier, the especially weak looking one. She barrels into him with her shoulder to try and get him off of the girl.
[8:53:26 PM] Arbi: The blonde thug raises his arm towards Fred, firing a bolt of blood from his arm at her. Just before it's about to strike her back a black chain flies out from beneath the floor. It stabs itself into the ceiling and stops the blood magic from ever reaching Fred. As the other weak thug looks around to see what happened another chain flies out from the wall and wraps around him before pulling him into the wall, restraining him there. The young man from before is sitting at the staircase.

Young Man: He's sitting at the top of the staircase with his head resting on the railing beside him. He's breathing heavily like he's tired.
[8:56:07 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks up to the young man at the top of the staircase, then looks to the chains, one of them covered in blood and the other restraining one of the thugs.
[8:59:24 PM] Arbi: Young Woman: Without so much as a word she runs up the staircase past the young man in a panic, wanting to get away from this place as fast as she can.

The young man opens his eyes and looks down the staircase towards Fred. You saved her... now get out of here before someone needs to save you.

Blonde Thug: He quickly runs around the chain and raises his hand towards Fred, the rest of the guys running past him to get to her too.
[9:02:00 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks to the young man in slight confusion. Thank you... She almost literally bolts passed them all in a blur of speed, racing passed the young man and knocking one of the thugs out of the way.
[9:03:07 PM] Omniance: In only a second or two Fred's running down the alleyway, looking around as she runs out onto the sidewalk, and then turns to run back towards the church.
[9:05:24 PM] Arbi: Marcus and a couple other people are just walking outside of the church. When Fred looks back to check if any of them are following her there's no sign of them. The young man must've stopped them from getting out somehow.
[9:08:19 PM] Omniance: Fred: She slows down and calms herself down as she gets closer to Marcus. She almost seems to smirk to herself a little, despite the situation being so dangerous she feels like she accomplished something, even if she didn't do it on her own. Marcus. As she gets nearer to him she pushes her hair out of her face. Did you make it in time?
[9:12:11 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He waves goodbye to the priest as he turns and walks up to Fred, smiling brightly when he sees her again. He starts walking with her. I did, and it's all because of you, Fred. Thanks again.
[9:12:58 PM] Omniance: Fred: Thanks to me? She looks at him strangely.
[9:14:11 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He nods seriously for a second. You wanted to come check out the fog, remember? I wasn't planning on coming back today after the... cloudbank thing.
[9:15:07 PM] Omniance: Fred: She shrugs. I guess so.
[9:16:34 PM] Arbi: Marcus: He shrugs a bit afterwards too. He looks at her again after a moment. So, how was your walk?
[9:17:59 PM] Omniance: Fred: It was... I dunno. Ok I guess. It's weird the things you'll see at night... People act so differently than they do in the day... It's like a completely different world, you know?
[9:23:07 PM] Arbi: Marcus: Couldn't agree more. It's like the moon changes people at night. He smirks a bit. But hey, luckily for you I've never seen a wolf out here before. You don't need to worry about me turning into a werewolf anytime soon.
[9:24:38 PM] Omniance: Fred: She looks at him strangely, thinking what he said was really cheesey. Werewolves... Now that's ridiculous...