In the Ashes

In the Ashes Chapter of Beneath Cold Boughs
Chapter 9 of Beneath Cold Boughs
Chronology
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The Fire and the Fury	Stepping Inside

The aftermath of a night's violence and Diana closes her grip on Presidents Row.

What Happened

Heading Home

(Set before the Epilogue of The Fire and the Fury)

Morris regained consciousness sore and so very hungry, balancing at the very edge of the uncontrollable ravenous need that had started all this business with the Aryan Legion. Rather than fall into that pit again, he decided to head to the hospital, because at this time of night there would certainly be someone he could unleash himself on. He tore a Pathway into the shadows of the hospital carpark, right by where the drains were backing up for the fifth time this month. Stanton General had one of the main Emergency Rooms in the south of the city, filled to bursting with the usual Saturday night mix of injured drunks, gunshot victims and addicts trying desperately to get another prescription for Vicodin. Perfect. One of the addicts, a gangly man with a straggly beard and bad teeth, was hassling a nurse a head shorter than him who looked like she had other people who really needed her help more and security were being kept busy elsewhere.

That did nicely. Morris picked the man up by the scruff of his neck, asking the nurse politely if the guy was bothering her, and, when she nodded, proceeded to carry him out of the building. Then the idiot decided to do a stupid thing and pulled a stolen scalpel on Morris, and that just gave him an excuse to properly hurt the guy. Eh, at least they can’t say he didn’t need the drugs now. With that dealt with and feeling a little bit better about cleaning up the city, Morris found his way to Diana’s room only to find her leaving and not even having the decency to talk to him. Cold shoulder the whole way down in the elevator until they were outside and away from whoever she thought was listening to them. She seemed happy the job was done, which was something, but he figured he’d have to keep the PI on the job. He might turn up some more Nazis that needed dealing with.

They killed a little time waiting for Jane to get there with the car to pick them up and get them all home. Linda was up waiting for him, worrying herself despite everything he said. He’d even got some candy for the kids on the way back but they were already in bed. Maybe it was time for a family day tomorrow, away from Nazis and vampires and weird stuff.

In the Ashes

News the next day.

The night passed uneventfully – for most – and Sunday brought relative peace. Morris spent the day with family while Diana had business to attend to. Both, though, saw the news – local news included mention of a fire in a downtown parking garage, but that was eclipsed by the lead story about a terrible conflagration that destroyed a bar in Ormwood. Handheld camera footage showed flames consuming the skeletal wreckage of Jack’s, lurid flashes of green and blue flame bursting briefly into being as something chemical was consumed, while the newsreader told the tale of a historic building destroyed in a blaze the night before. Firefighters had been able to get the blaze under control by dawn and had begun investigating the cause, with preliminary blame being laid on faulty electrical wiring and leaky gas mains. It was a sad sign of the decline in Ormwood and an indication that renovation was desperately needed in case to prevent such tragedies in future, so said the special guest, Mr Alan Coleman, local businessman and member of the Ormwood Development Group. Such handwringing and was cold comfort for the families of the four people who died in the blaze and were still being identified.

Diana's business gave her little time to consider such trivial matters. A loose thread needed to be dealt with before she could complete the Presidents Row contracts and with Price out of action she would need to find someone else to cover her back in case it went south, as so many things seemed to be doing these days. He gave her the names of some competent contacts who could provide their services but none were able to work on such short notice or were too far away to be of use, so she had to make do with a damned temp. He introduced himself as Frank McCallen and at least looked the part, perhaps that would be enough. She had arranged to meet Carter in the old neighbourhood, right in the shadow of where the tenement once stood because the stubborn bastard had literally never moved on from the old days. More fool him. He was too damned pleased with himself, thought he had got the residents ready to move out all on his own. When Diana was doubtful and suggested he had been talking about her, he just seemed confused. Worryingly so.

Closing the Deal

The next day it was time to close the book on Presidents Row and Diana arrived with contracts ready. Everyone would be signing, one way or another. As it turned out, almost all the businesses on the block were ready to sign. Only Tony Paulsen refused outright, insulted by an offer less than half the worth of his business, but the force of her Nightmarish will crushed him into a sobbing mass who signed just to make her go away.

Along the way she tried to find out what hold the vampire Peters had over these people. Most seemed to know nothing, but only most. Manny Farelli, son of the barber and intending to take business in a different direction once father sold up, seemed to know Peters but avoided the question and simply said it was something between himself and god. The baker, a lovely old dear who pushed a gluten-free muffin into Diana's hands even as she was about to sign away her livelihood, apparently knew him as Jacob and had known him for years. He had even helped her open her bakery.

The gardening supply store on Tamanack Street set her on edge. A forest of hand-carved wooden trees decorated one wall, with the likeness of the Tree in the heart of it. The proprietor, a spry older man with a bright smile and a srong handshake, saw Diana's eyes on that piece and was happy to chat about it for a while before signing the contract of sale. He apparently had pleasant memories of Willowgate from his youth, and was saddened when Diana mentioned the Tree itself had been demolished with the arcade. A loss to the world to destroy such art.

Returning the the office, Diana was greeted with the news that two detectives of Blackmouth PD were waiting for her...

People Appearing (in order of appearance)

• Morris Mayfair - Engaged in a little violence to sooth his Soul, then got to play the good husband to stay out of the dog house.
• Clare Harmon (First Appearance) - ER Nurse at Stanton General. Fresh out of training, in over her head.
• Leo Sharp (First Appearance) - Seen trying to get opioids out of Nurse Harmon, removed and given a reason to need them by Morris.
• Diana Graves - Finally closed the sales in Presidents Row, now awaiting a meeting with Blackmouth PD.
• Alan Coleman - Appeared on the news as a guest commenting on the tragic fire in Ormwood.
• Price - Recovering in Stanton General, appreciating the wonders of fentanyl.
• Frank McCallen (First Appearance) - Temporary bodyguard for Diana, hired on short notice. Too quick to pull a gun.
• Carter - Happy that things in the PR are resolved. Uneasy that someone knew he had been working there for Diana.
• Joe Halligan - Now former owner of Halligan's bar in Presidents Row.
• Clive Jackson (First Appearance) - Owner of Five Circle Cargo, happy to have made more selling than it was worth.
• Manny Farelli - Son of the (former) owner of Farelli's barber. Going to set up his own place in Harton. Avoided questions about any connection to Peters.
• Tony Paulsen (First Appearance) - Former owner of Paulsen Loans. Tried is hardest to resist Diana's will only to sign in tears.
• Lucille McGrath (First Appearance) - Former owner of Lucy's bakery. Lovely old dear, knew Peters as Jacob, has known him for years.
• Tom Samuels (First Appearance) - Former owner of T Samuels Gardens. Athletic older man, carved trees in wood and sold in his shop, including images of The Tree and Moth Park's Old Sycamore.

Locations

• Stanton General Hospital: Morris came to visit Diana and got to do a little community service.
• Presidents Row: Contracts are signed. The deals are done.

Notes

• Another primal pathway opened to Stanton General. There may be consequences.