Perverse Thirst: A Ghost Walkers Prelude

Chapter 5

The Counsel had seduced their way into the Mayor's mansion that overlooked the city. Learning his perversions, they systematically made him dependent on their powers. Often, the Mayor would beg to be turned, but they kept him at a distance with empty promises. The grounds were gated, and protected from all outsiders. With the cursed lurking about, it had been recently overly fortified. The mansion had always given Pilo the creeps. Now, his involvement became part of the reason. On the outside, the building was completely white. The inside of the building was mostly white and gold, with a red trim. Large artwork covered the walls not hidden behind long red curtains. Dark wood lined the walls base, and rails. Large arching ceilings carried echoes throughout the halls. Uncomfortable furniture, acquired only for its looks, furnished most of the seating areas. Large carpets covered the wooden floors. Electricity was a fairly new concept, and the Mayor's mansion was one of the few buildings connected to the grid.

Below the mansion, a hotel, built into side of the hill, held secrets. The hotel didn't have vacancies for the public. Privately, the city used this hotel to take care of people of importance, visiting the city. When the rooms weren't filled with guests, local politicians used it for their own pleasures. It had an eccentric clientele, and a doorman had to grant you access. A specific room inside disguised Pilo's destination. Room thirteen, hid a secret behind its doors. A secret passageway led all the way up to the mansion above them. When the Mayor had guests he didn't want seen walking through the front doors, they used room thirteen.

Demini was waiting for Pilo in the lobby bar when he arrived. Her long black curls dangled across her smooth, pale shoulders. A blue dress, dark as the ocean's bottom, hugged her gorgeous curves like glistening waves. He hated seeing her hanging out with the local politicians. In an effort for discretion, he walked past her without acknowledging her. She would excuse herself, and meet Pilo outside room thirteen. From there, they would walk together to the mansion. They didn't talk until the door closed behind them.

"How'd it go," she asked.

"I can still feel his filth on me, and my tongue feels gritty just for having talked to him."

"I can take care of him. Just say the word."

"Not yet. Believe me, I'd love to."

"So, you give him the location so that they can get practice killing our kind?"

"Don't start...I'm doing the will of the Counsel. Like it or not, this is the order we have to follow."

"Do we? Are we stuck serving these men."

"We're not stuck, and we're not serving. I'm just doing my part."

"These guys are freaks, and we're not getting anything in return."

"Not too many people have a key to room thirteen...I'm an original. If I wanted to, we could live here, but I like my space. They're growing weak up there. I have the real power. I protect them. I make myself valuable, and I control information."

"I hear a lot of 'I's coming from you. Before we go up there. Tell me about us. What is our end game?"

"To survive. And that's what I'm securing for us, with your help. You make me stronger. You keep my head on straight. You are all I care about. They are the only ones that we can learn from. We're all in this together. But you and I are in this, above all."

"I don't trust them, and I'm afraid that they'll give us up one day just to save their own ass."

"I can't argue with that. That's just another reason I want to learn what I can from Chloria."