'Till Death Do Us Part || A Skulduggery Pleasant Fanfiction

Chapter 3: A Less Than Pleasant Night

Corpses decorated the hallways. Most were criminals who hadn't complied, and the rest were sanctuary agents said criminals had managed to take down. Gunshots rang out in the distance as Vera made her way down the grim corridor. She grabbed a gun off the body of a sanctuary agent as she walked past, loading it as she walked. She sneaked through the hallways, glancing over her shoulder every once in a while.

She rounded a corner and spotted an agent stationed at the other end of the passage. She watched the agent straighten his pants as she approached, silently withdrawing her dagger as she crept onwards. When she was close enough, she positioned her dagger at the base of his skull and slammed it upwards at an angle. She yanked it out as he dropped to the ground, and stepped over his body.

She had encountered five more agents before reaching the exit, three of whom had been in a group. She had been required to use her last smoke grenade for that. Just as she was about to cross to the door, she heard footsteps approaching from the adjacent hallway and fell back. She listened, only hearing one pair of them. She flattened herself against the wall and waited until they neared. Just as they reached the corner, she sprung out at them. She immediately realised that she had not heard one pair of footsteps, but two in unison. A potentially lethal mistake, but she was a good fighter.

She slammed into the one closest, he collided with the other, and they both went stumbling. She dodged a punch from the second one and used her leg to sweep the feet from under the first one. He fell to the ground and the second one pulled out his gun. She batted his arm away and ducked behind him. He was fast to turn, but she was faster. She had already pulled out her gun and shot him in the head by the time the other one stood up. He ran at her and she was slammed into the wall. He pulled out his gun but she wrenched it from his grip and threw it away, ducking under his arm and throwing a punch. He dodged and with a flick of his wrist, her gun flew from her hand.

She kicked him away with her foot and he grunted. They both pulled out their knives and he lunged first, swiping at her throat. She dodged back and slashed low but he stumbled back, narrowly avoiding her blade. He threw a clumsy punch and she grabbed his arm, pulling him to her and plunging her knife into his throat. He gargled and thrashed, and she pulled out her knife, letting him fall to the ground. She continued towards the exit before anyone could come to investigate the noise, picking her gun back up on the way.

She finally left the building, briskly making her way down a dark alleyway, not having any particular destination in mind. When she finally slowed to a walk, she noticed a sharp, warm pain in her stomach. She looked down and lifted her shirt. Damn, he had cut her. Growling in irritation, she made sure she was alone before she sat down, leaning against a wall, and held her hand over her wound. She fished her phone out of her pocket and wiped the blood off of it. Before she could make a call, she heard a voice approaching.

"I'll get them, I'll make them pay. How dare they foil my plans! I'm going to be an idol! People will tremble in fear at the mention of the name... the killer supreme!"

She watched the man as he walked up and he saw her and stopped, a blush replacing the fury on his face.

"I... was- I was on a phone call," he said.

She looked at his empty hands, and then at the phone that sat in his back pocket. She stood up, a hand at her abdomen.

"Do you have any money?" She asked.

"What? Money? Not for you. Word of advice, stop being a beggar, and go get a job. That's the problem with homeless people, they sit on their arses all day and wonder why they've got no money." He shook his head and looked at her for a moment. His eyes grazed over her wound, lighting up for a moment. She thought she heard him mutter "This is my moment." under his breath before he lunged at her. She sidestepped and he cracked against the wall. She held him there, twisting his arm behind his back. He cried out.

"I'm sorry! Take my money! Please don't hurt me!"

"Where is the nearest pharmacy?"

"E-Elmond Avenue," he sniffled.

"Where is that?"

"A couple blocks away. I-I can show you the way."

"That won't be necessary."

She let him go and limped toward the end of the alley. He watched her for a moment before hurrying after her.

"I insist. You seem like someone who can appreciate a good killer, which I am."

"I can find it on my own."

"But you need money. I have coins."

She looked back down at her phone while he fished around in his pocket. Damn, it was dead. He pulled out two coins along with an anti-diarrhea pill packet. His face dropped and he looked between her and the pill.

"That... that's my dad's..."

She ignored him and began walking down the road. He followed.

"They call me The Killer Supreme, but you can call me Vaurien. Vaurien Scapgrace."

She ignored him.

"I'll be useful if you let me come. You see... these guys are after me because I was committing too many devious crimes. I need some backup, you know? If I show you where the place is, you can protect me in return."

She sighed. He was annoying, but he was right about one thing—she didn't have any money, nor were there any doctors available for someone like her. At least any nearby. She followed behind him as he walked, glancing over her shoulder from time to time and keeping her head down.

"I once had a wound like that. I was approaching my victim when it happened."

"And they stabbed you?"

"No, I tripped on a pipe and fell on my knife," he explained. "They got away, but not before I let them know I would find them."

"And did you?"

He hesitated. "I haven't gotten around to it yet."

When they reached the pharmacy, she was beginning to feel light-headed. She leaned against the shelf, focusing on her breathing as she scanned through the items. She took a handful of things and lumbered over to the counter. Some blood had gotten on a box of bandages, and the pharmacist gave her a hesitant look, but she just turned to Scapegrace. He tried to subtly put a box of laxatives face down on the counter and then paid for everything, nearly walking away without his laxatives. They left and she leaned against the side of the building as she tended to her wound.

"Do sorcerers even carry around money these days?" She asked him, trying to distract herself from the sting.

He looked at her. "Most do. We still need mortal appliances, no matter who we are."

She bandaged her wound.

"Uh... why were you stabbed?"

"Ambush." She finished bandaging her wound.

"Right... yeah..."

She pushed off of the wall. "Right. I'm off."

"Wait, what about you protecting me??"

"I did. I protected you for twenty-two minutes."

"But that's not-"

"Goodbye." She began to walk away. He rushed up to her side and grabbed her shoulder. She took his arm, twisted, and slammed his face against a wall. He whimpered.

"Can I at least have your number? For protection purposes? Please?"

He looked like he was about to cry. She felt a pang of pity, so she let him go and typed her number into his phone. She walked away before he could stall her any longer. It was time to find Sinner.