“I’ll be right back,” Vaughn muttered. He got up from the chair and picked up a set of keys, then went into the back room. He got the box from the top shelf and walked back out, going down into the basement. He went to the other door, opposite of where Dylan was, and fumbled with the keys until he found the right one. He unlocked the door and went into the dimly lit room, setting the box odwnin a large metal table. He had to admit, the room seemed something like a serial killer’s. Papers from articles were hung on the walls, mostly consisting of ones about him and the murders. On a shelf, there seemed to be things that could be used for Devil worship, but that was just another misunderstanding.
Element sighed. She hated this whole situation. Why couldn't she just be back at home with her brother…. Suddenly there was a knock on the gas station door. Element pushed her glasses higher onto her nose, and peered out at the old woman. "Avery," she whispered.
Vaughn went over to the self and took up a bottle of pills that were labeled “fluoxetine”, dumping a few into his hand and dry swallowing them. He left the room, locking the door behind him.
(Sorry! I'm here for a bit!)
Avery's eyes flashed to the door, and she saw the old woman. She quickly ducked behind the nearest shelf, dragging Element with her.
"Don't. Say. Anything," she whispered, her eyes frantically searching for an escape.
Vaughn stopped in front of the door and looked at Element and Avery. “The hell are you two doing?” He seemed to not yet notice the old woman at the front door.
"Get. Down!" Avery hissed, giving him a fierce look. She nodded towards the door, hoping he would get what she was trying to silently tell him.
Vaughn glanced at the old woman before ducking down and moving over to the pair. “It’s just an old woman. Why are we hiding?” He murmured.
"Because… Why would anyone be here? This place is a dump," Avery stated, the quickly flashed him an apologetic look. "No offense."
Vaughn frowned at her comment, then glanced towards the door again. “She’s probably just confused, she’s elderly. She’ll go away soon, unless you want to go kick her out of the lot.”
Avery looked doubtful but nodded anyway, casting a glance over her shoulder at the door. I hope so, she thought.
Dylan dropped Reiseil to the floor. Blood covered the man's face, from the several times he had been punched. It hadn't really sunk in how angry Dylan had been until now. He had used his new power a few times, and though the pain of using it was gone, the effect it had on his state of mind was still very noticeable. Still, Dylan knew that he had to get back to relay the info he had. So he climbed up the stairs and stopped dead as he saw Avery, Lenny, and Vaughn crouched low. He vanished and approached Avery.
"What's going on?" He whispered, seemingly annoyed. He looked up at the old woman outside, "What's with the old hag outside?"
After a quick glance at Dylan, Avery turned back to watch the doors. "That lady's just been standing there, checking her watch every few seconds. We don't know why she'd here," she explained.
Vaughn’s frown grew at the way Dylan described the woman, but decoded not to say anything. “I’ll go check it out,” he said, getting up and going to the doors before they could protest. He opened the door, poking his head out, giving the old woman’s friendly smile. “Ma’am? This is private property. Are you lost?” He asked in a polite tone.
(Does someone want to play the woman?)
(Sure, I will.)
The woman smiled at him. "Oh, no, dear. I'm not lost. Just looking for something that was," she stated innocently.
“Oh, alright, ma’am. Is there anything I can get you? This station doesn’t provide gas anymore,” Vaughn stated, still keeping his smiley and polite composure, which looked very different on him.
"Yes, thank you. Um, you see…" she cleared her throat, and her voice was much less creaky, sounding more like that of a young woman. Standing up straight, she looked Vaughn right in the eyes. "I actually would like those people that you are hiding in there. Oh, and you, too, of course." Quick as lighting, she whipped a gun from her purse and pointed it at his head. "And, if you don't come with me, then I'll shoot you and your friends right here."
Vaughn’s eyes widened, and he went stiff. He took a deep breath, taking on his calm expression once again. “Ma’am, I’m the only one here. Please lower your gun, and we can work this out.”
The woman chuckled and smirked. "Don't think I didn't see them jump behind that shelf," she said, nodding toward it. "And, no. We really can't work this out. I've been sent to capture you. Dead or alive."
Vaughn inhaled sharply. There was nothing he could do, and his jaw tensed. “You are making a mistake, ma’am..” It was times like this when he wished that he had the strength to just shove her, but he vowed long ago that he would never hurt a woman or child.
"No. No, I'm not," she chuckled, slowly making her way forward. "And I don't think you're going to stop me, are you?"
Vaughn was forced to step back partly into the store, the gun still pressed to his head. He didn’t say a word, not liking to admit defeat. He hoped the others would see the back door and then gun. He hoped they would run, as he wasn’t fond of the idea of handing themselves over easily.
Avery heard the conversation, after shifting her ears to wolf's ears to hear better. She narrowed her eyes, watching the entire exchange from behind her shelf.
"Someone should help him," she murmured, half to herself.
Vaughn’s jaw clenched, and he decided to make the stupid decision. If he got shot, he hoped that Element would be able to heal him like she did before. “Just let me get them,” he said in a calm tone before jerking sharply away from the gun and hitting her arm away so th gun would be pointed away from him.
“Back door, now!” He shouted to the others. He grabbed the woman, pinning he arms to her sides so it would be more difficult to shoot the others.
Avery heard Vaughn's shout and muttered under her breath, "Foxdung!" She rolled her eyes, then shapeshifted into a wolf with silver fur and eyes. "You guys go! I'll help Vaughn," she declared, already making her way to the front door.
The woman still had a good grip on her gun, and she maneuvered it in her hand so that she could shoot. She aimed near Vaughn's foot, then pulled the trigger.
Vaughn flinched and cursed sharply when the bullet went into his upper foot, around his ankle area. He ripped the gun from her hand, throwing it across the lot.
