Nadya's Nights: Road to Vengeance (2 page)

She wasn’t.

As the two remaining men left the pub, Nadya let out yet another sigh, turning back to Strictly, who’d watched the whole altercation with bored eyes.  She walked over to the bar and reached for her wallet.  She flipped it open and tossed a decent-sized wad of bills on the counter in front of him.  “Sorry for the mess,” she said, replacing her wallet in her pocket and turning towards the exit.

Lonestar was gone, most likely having darted out the back as soon as the fight started.  He may have been a decent informant, but he was a chickenshit.  Aside from the two corpses, the drunken man that had caused the whole mess was snoring loudly on the floor.  There was still no sign of the blonde woman. 
Maybe she’s hiding in the bathroom.
  Nadya considered asking the bartender but shrugged it off.

She reached down and retrieved the dead man’s gun, ejecting the magazine and checking the number of rounds left.  Slamming the mag back into the gun, she shoved it into the waistband of her pants and zipped up her leather jacket – hiding the weapon from casual observers – then headed out of the pub and into the cold night air.

Nadya slid her hands into the pockets of her jacket briefly, pulling out her smokes and lighter.  She popped one of the cigarettes into her mouth and lit it before sliding both the pack and her lighter back into her jacket.  She left one hand in her jacket, enjoying the small degree of warmth it provided, and took the other out to grasp the cigarette between her index and middle fingers.  She took a drag and exhaled the smoke into the air, watching it drift upwards into the sky, moving past a full moon.  Nadya turned and walked down the sidewalk, hoping it wouldn’t take Lonestar long to find the information she wanted.  The pub fight had only wetted her appetite to cause some damage…

Chapter Two: Alley Encounter

The sound of Nadya’s heavy boots against the brick sidewalk created an echo off the old buildings she passed.  Her mind wandered as she walked, turning to the people that had been killed at the botched exchange.  She’d known most of them for quite a while before Vlad had let her join up with the crew.

Wolfgang, the leader of the crew, had been in his fifties, but you couldn’t tell it from looking at him.  He’d shown Nadya how to tell the difference between different grades of drugs.  Not that she ever touched the stuff for personal use and it definitely wasn’t in her job description to make pickups.  Still, it was a nice skill to have in her toolbox.

For being a career criminal, Wolfgang had actually been a pretty nice guy once you got to know him.  The others were more or less equally amicable.  There were the twins, Roderick and Constantine.  Each of them was lanky with greasy black hair and impossible to tell apart just by looking at them.  Then, inevitably, Constantine would start spewing out sex jokes and Roderick would do his best to not be noticed.

Ivana – another Russian woman – rounded out the crew.  She’d been older than Nadya.  In her early thirties.  Her red hair had been long and pulled back into a tightly knit braid that traveled down her back.  Her voice had a low rasp due to the scar on her neck where her throat had been cut years earlier.  Nadya had preferred her dry wit to Constantine’s humor.  Ivana had been one of the few people that could actually draw a laugh from her.

Nadya didn’t notice the silent tendril slithering out from the shadowy alleyway as she passed by.  The tentacle sensed the movement of the girl’s legs and struck out with blinding speed, lassoing one of her ankles and yanking back.  Nadya was caught off guard and before she knew it, was flying through the air.  What remained of her cigarette flew from her lips.  She slammed down onto the hard ground moments later and felt another sharp tug on her ankle, dragging her a couple more feet into the darkness.

Fear tried to force its way into Nadya’s mind but she forced it right back down.  Looking down the length of her body, all she could make out was a tentacle latched around her foot and some mass in the darkness, writhing and coiling.  Killing people for Vladimir Belikov, she’d run into more than a few supernatural beings.

Vampires, werewolves, warlocks… they all had their weaknesses.  But she’d never come across something like this before.  Pulling her leather jacket up, she grasped the handle of the pistol and pulled it free, suddenly thankful for the altercation she’d gotten into in the pub.  She aimed at the center of the coiling mass at the back of the alley and fired twice.

A high-pitched, inhuman cry of pain responded, making Nadya’s ears ring.  The tentacle coiled around her ankle didn’t loosen and she was tugged further into the alley.  Deciding she didn’t want to find out how many bullets it would take to kill the enigmatic monstrosity – and also that she most definitely did not want an up-close look at it – she tilted the aim of the weapon downwards, aiming just above her foot.

Firing the gun a third time, Nadya heard the monster cry out again and this time her foot came away.  The tentacle was still wrapped tightly around her, twitching slightly, but a few inches below that, it ended, leaking viscous black fluid.  Nadya scrambled to her feet and ran towards the alley’s exit.

She’d just about made it when another tentacle looped around her neck and pulled tight.  Nadya felt her airflow choked off as she was yanked backwards.  Her ass hit the ground hard, sending a shock of pain running up her spine.  She let out a strangled yelp that was cut off completely as the tentacle pulled her deeper into the alley.

Tilting her head back, Nadya could see the thing – whatever it was – drawing closer.  Reaching up, she tried to untangle the loop of tentacle from her neck.  The surface was slick with a sticky substance that only helped it to keep hold of her.  “Fuck your mother!” she choked out in Russian.

The creature, which was now only a few feet away, responded as its coils of tendrils parted and exposed a wide, round mouth.  Rows of ivory, shark-like teeth glistened in the moonlight as the thing let out a roar.  Flecks of spittle landed against Nadya’s face.  She grimaced in disgust and continued to try to get free.

An explosion of fire transformed night into day in the alleyway.  Nadya got a brief look at the screaming monster before the tentacle around her throat retracted and she rolled away from the flaming creature.  Jumping to her feet, she had her gun leveled on the thing again, watching as it burned.  She seriously doubted – whatever the fuck the thing was – that it had a tendency to spontaneously combust just before eating its dinner.

Her suspicions were confirmed as a Molotov cocktail rained down from above, nailing the creature and spraying flaming alcohol all over its writhing form.  Looking up, Nadya caught sight of a silhouetted figure standing on the rooftop above.

“Hey!” she yelled in accented English up at the figure.

The creature let out a bellow and Nadya turned back to it in time to dodge a flaming tentacle shooting out at her.  Shifting to the right, the tentacle flew past her and landed limply on the ground before pulling back fast.  She kept her eye on the thing as it pulled in on itself, becoming smaller and smaller until it blinked out with a final puff of sulfuric-scented smoke.

Nadya looked back to the rooftop and found that her savior was gone.

Turning, she headed back out of the alley, sliding the gun back into her waistband.

What the hell was that thing?  Just some random beastie out looking for a snack?  And who the hell wanders around on London rooftops carrying Molotov cocktails?

Lighting up a fresh smoke, Nadya continued on her way.

Now I definitely want something to drink.

Finding a pub she hadn’t actually caused a scene in, Nadya slipped in and headed for the bathroom.  Checking herself in the mirror, she washed off the slime left on her neck by the tendril, splashed some water on her face and then headed back out.  Sliding onto one of the vacant stools at the bar, she ordered a pint and some crisps.  It wasn’t a proper dinner, but it’d do.

Now she just had to wait for Lonestar’s call and hope that no chumps wanted to pick a fight.

Easier said than done.

Chapter Three: The Killing Ensues

A jingle came from Nadya’s pocket.  She’d been waiting in the pub for what seemed like hours.  Checking the clock on the wall, she saw it had only been about ninety minutes.  She pulled out her cell phone and placed it against her ear.  “Nadya.”

“Love of my life,” Lonestar’s voice responded.  “Mistress of my dreams.  Goddess of all things bloody gorgeous.”

“I swear to fuck, Lonestar,” Nadya snarled.  “If you’re attempting to butter me up in an attempt to avoid my causing you pain if you haven’t found me the information I want, it’s not going to work.”

“No, no…” Lonestar said quickly.  “It’s not that at all.  I’ve found the information you’re looking for.”

“Good,” Nadya took a sip of her beer.  “Spit it out.”

Lonestar hesitated.

“Hello?” Nadya asked, growing impatient.

“You should probably leave this one alone,” Lonestar told her, fear in his voice.

“Fuck that,” Nadya shot back.  “Give me the information or I’ll go find someone who will.  There are plenty of shit-heels willing to sell people out for a buck.”

“This bitch has major security around her,” Lonestar said.  “Word is, she’s a pretty major Summoner.”

“Who’s she affiliated with?”

“No one, as far as I can tell,” Lonestar replied.  “Everyone says she’s solo.   But there’s supposedly some company looking to hire her.”

Nadya lit up a smoke and took a long drag.  “So what the fuck did she kill Wolfgang’s crew for?”

“Shite, Nadya,” Lonestar said, exasperated.  “I don’t know.  Maybe it was some kind of test.  Maybe she was just having a boring day and decided to cause some mayhem.”

“Address.”

“Her place is crawling with hoods,” Lonestar said, making another attempt at discouraging her.

“Yea, soon to be dead fucking hoods,” Nadya shot back.  “Just like you’re soon to be a dead fucking informant if you don’t start spitting out an address in the next ten goddamn seconds.”

There was another pause.  Then Nadya heard him sigh.  “Alright…  But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

* * * *

The bus stopped a few blocks away from the address Nadya was looking for and she got off. 
I really need to talk to Vlad about getting some wheels
, she thought.  The front door would be too well guarded.  She didn’t even have to scout the place out to know that.  She walked casually by the place, not making any noticeable sign that she was even looking in the direction of the guarded safe house.  It was in the middle of two other similar brick houses.  All of them were three stories tall and had probably been shops with living quarters upstairs at one point.

Now the two on either side looked deserted and only the center building had activity.  They were trying to be discrete, but the fact that the power was on in the building made it obvious it was occupied and Nadya spotted silhouettes of guards passing by the windows.  Her eyes briefly glanced upwards to the rooftop.  It was dark but she couldn’t see any movement.

They might not be expecting an attack from above.

Despite the heavy firepower surrounding the woman, Nadya had actually lucked out.  This wasn’t the bitch’s private home.  For some reason, she’d taken up lodging in the vacated building for the night.  Lonestar seemed to think it might have something to do with her potential hiring by whatever company was looking to add a professional Summoner to their ranks.

Nadya didn’t much care one way or another for the reasons behind the change of venue, she was just grateful for it.  She kept walking, circling around to the back to see what the situation looked like there.

Two guards at the back door.

She moved out of their line of sight then went about preparing.

Nadya reached down and grabbed some dirt from the ground, smearing it over her face then tugged her hair ties out and let her pigtails fall messily around her face.  She reached down into herself and took hold of the briefest buzz she’d acquired from the ale she’d gotten to drink and amplified the feeling to give herself a drunken shuffle.  She ruffled her clothing and reached up to her shirt and tore the neck of it slightly, revealing half of one of her breasts.

Adding some dirty smudges to her revealed pale skin, Nadya started towards the back door.  She made a point to pass by the guards and when they moved to detain her, she stumbled right into one of them, starting a coughing fit.

The effect of her small stature and drunken hobo look was immediate.  Instead of telling her to take a hike, they were asking if they could help.  It took some effort for Nadya not to smirk.  Instead, she coughed harder, doubling over so she could shove her fingers down her throat without them seeing.  The result of her movements they did see.  Just like she wanted them to.

She retched and vomited liquid bile all over the ground, almost onto the guard she was leaning against.  He quickly moved as far out of the way without letting go of her, trying to hold the petite woman up, repeatedly asking if she was alright.

Nadya nodded slightly.  “Just want… home…” she muttered, motioning towards one of the vacant buildings beside the guarded one.

And like that, they were guiding her to the building she wanted access to.  They opened the door for her and led her inside.  Luckily for Nadya, the place was already inhabited by a few bums and there were several other makeshift beds lying about that were currently unoccupied.  She motioned to one of the dirtier ones and the men led her over, gently setting her down.

Nadya fell into the filthy pile of old clothes and torn bed sheets and curled herself up into a ball.  “Thanks…” she muttered softly to the men who were looking around the building with mixed sympathy and disgust.  They nodded to her then turned and headed towards the open door they’d come through.

As they left, she heard one of the guards tell the other, “Poor kid…”

Upon hearing it, she could no longer hide the smirk wanting to burst free from her.  She lay in the heap of tattered fabric – seemingly unconscious – until the two guards exited the building, closing the door behind them.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Nadya shot upwards, sitting straight.  The drunken, homeless act was gone, and now she had some killing to do.  She got to her feet and made for a staircase leading up.

* * * *

Reaching the top floor, Nadya searched for some sort of rooftop access and came up empty.  So instead, she made her way over to one of the windows facing away from the building her target was in.  Sliding the window open, she pushed herself halfway out, resting her butt against the windowsill and looked upwards.

The edge of the rooftop was within reach, but just barely.  Reaching upwards, she hooked her fingers along the rough edge of the roof and pulled herself the rest of the way out the window, letting her legs dangle below her.  As she did, the window slammed shut.  Nadya looked down at the window, giving it an accusing glare.  “Fuck your mother…” she muttered softly at it.

She stayed perfectly still – a hard task with her entire body weight held by her fingers – and glanced around to make sure no one came to see what the sound was.

After nearly a minute of nothing more than the usual night sounds and an increasing pressure in her fingers, she pulled herself upwards, trying to push the toes of her boots against the wall as best she could to help herself up.  She gasped – her breath catching in her throat, stuck from her heart trying to leap clean out of her mouth – as one of the bricks she was pulling against come loose.

For a terrifying moment, one of her hands slid free from the edge and she dangled in midair by about an inch and a half of the fingers on one hand.  Her fingers strained painfully and she winced, her eyes darting to the hard, brick ground underneath her.  A three-story drop onto that would at best cripple her.  The two guards at the rear entrance of the building would probably find her and wonder what a homeless girl was doing trying to climb onto the roof of a building.  If she were lucky, they’d figure she’d tried to commit suicide.

If I’m not…

Nadya didn’t want to think about any of that.  She shoved the morbid thoughts away and forced her heart back to its rightful place – taking a long breath to calm her nerves – and raised her hand upwards again, placing it on a different brick and giving it a testing tug.

It was firm.

Clenching her teeth, she pulled against gravity and her imminent demise and managed to lift her elbows up onto the ledge.  From there, it became a bit easier.  She rested for a moment then lifted one of her legs upwards to hook onto the edge of the rooftop.  From there, she pushed herself upwards and flipped her body around, rolling onto the rooftop.  Once she was safely away from the edge, she took a few moments to regulate her breathing and calm her screaming nerves.

I think I’m acrophobic now
, she thought.  Heights had never really bothered her before, but she’d also never nearly taken such a potentially fatal tumble from them, either. 
High places can just fuck right off
, she decided.

And I’m not even through with them yet.
  She still had to make the leap to the next building.  She shuddered at the thought and let herself lie on the rooftop for another minute, steeling herself.  Then she sat up, let out a final long breath of air and looked over to the adjacent rooftop to make sure no one was guarding it.

No movement, no silhouettes, nothing.

Nadya stood and approached the other building.  Glancing down off the edge of the building, she saw much the same thing as she did when she was dangling from the rooftop on the other side.

A three-story drop to the hard ground.

She also noticed a single guard leaning against the building she was after, smoking a cigarette.  He wasn’t looking upwards and she hoped he wouldn’t.  Even if he did happen to glance up when she made her leap, he probably wouldn’t see much more than a black shadow passing through an equally black sky.  Some briefly obscured stars would be all he would notice, probably not enough to raise any alarm.

Nadya backed away from the edge and turned her attention to the rooftop on the other side.  The jump wasn’t impossible, but it would be tricky.  The two buildings were the same height, which meant she’d have to totally clear the distance or not at all.  She wouldn’t be able to scramble up the side this time, not with the guard just below.  The distance looked to be about just over ten feet.

A stretch, for sure.

She looked back across the length of the rooftop she was on; it was about thirty feet. 
At least I can get a good running start first.
  Taking a final look at her destination, Nadya turned and strolled back across the rooftop to the furthest edge then spun back around.

Narrowing her eyes and setting herself to start running, she made a few controlled breaths then took off, her boots clomping down on the hard surface of the roof.  The edge grew closer and closer at an alarming speed.  Before she knew it, she was at the end of the roof and she planted her foot down hard, launching herself into the air and propelling herself forward towards the other rooftop, holding her breath.

For an eternity, it seemed, Nadya was airborne.  The rooftop she was attempting to reach grew closer and closer.  For a terrifying moment, she thought she wouldn’t make it, but she kept traveling further.  She extended one of her legs outwards, joy filling her as she saw she’d place it down on the roof.

She neglected to notice where her other leg was and as her extended foot hit the roof, her other caught against the edge and she tripped.  Nadya stumbled forward, surprised by the sudden halting of her momentum.  She raised her arms up in front of her to keep from bashing her face into the rooftop.  Her air was knocked from her as she slammed down and she skidded forward a few feet, scraping the arms and elbows of her jacket a bit.

As she came to a stop, she paused again, letting her breathing return to normal once more.  She pushed herself to her feet and looked around the vacant rooftop, glancing behind her to where she’d launched from and feeling a smirk grow on her face. 
The hard part’s over.  Killing people is easy compared to jumping across buildings.
  Part of her realized that should bother her.  A larger part didn’t give a shit.