Rabbit Blood

Chapter 43 - The Sin

The women in Leslie's family - according to her mother, anyway - had a strange ability in situations that demanded it. Against the odds, when they should have snapped long ago, or snapped already, they could ride the wave of crazy and do what needed to be done.

Leslie suspected it was a form of dissociation, and more universal than her mother claimed. She'd used it herself on occasion, as a waitress. On long nights at Hades, with horrid customers and too many tickets, Leslie pasted a deranged smile on her face. She addressed her tables with a too-cheerful "HoW cAn I hElP yOu?" customer-service voice, and somehow she survived another night.

Even so, she'd never had a breakdown quite like this.

After the spinning, Leslie knew there wasn't much time. She led herself and Angel Dust out through the side exit; past the area where she, Baxter and Niffty once took decon showers; and by way of a fire escape, they made it to her room unseen. When they got there, Angel asked why they took the scenic route.

"In case Charlie or Vaggie come knocking," she explained. "I'm, er... I'm going to deny that anything happened, and you're going to back me up."

"Ex-fuckin'-xcuse me?" said Angel. "A buncha demons were forced outta that room, moments 'fore you screamed bloody moida!"

"He sound-seals his rooms," Leslie said, meaning Alastor, "plus, the guests leaving is sort of suspicious, but they won't say anything. It's Bambi. They're not stupid."

"But he dropped a 500lb musical instrument on my fuckin' head! I don't even know what he did ta you, I couldn't see... 'cause he dropped a 500lb fuckin' instrument on my fuckin' head!"

Leslie pushed past him and flopped into her armchair, her right leg jiggling uncontrollably. "He didn't do much," she admitted. "Some spinning, that's all. He did the same thing to Niffty for that mummy-wrapping game; I was just in the wrong mood for it."

"Ya sound like a batt'red wife...So he wasn't makin' ya dance like a crazy dame off her tits on molly?"

She shook her head. "No. And I'm sorry he dropped a piano on you."

His expression loosened. "Well, I picked the fight with him... but still! We should fuckin' report this. Vags a'ready thinks he's up ta somethin' with ya."

"I seem to be the guest everyone has a problem with," she said bitterly. "Kain, Decider and now this. It'd be easier if I just left."

Angel fell to a crouch, holding down her leg to stop it jiggling. "No, Les, wait. What we gotta do is get ya outta this shit with Bambi. This contract... what, you're obliged ta do certain things with him before it's ova?"

Leslie stared at her dresser. It had a fascinating wood grain. She remembered staring at it when she was ill, to anchor her during the fever.

"Hey! Earth ta Les!"

"What? Yeah, it only expires after the extermination." She sighed, covering her face. "I've come this far. I'll just get what he owes me, and then it'll be like this never happened."

"Dangerous game you're playin' there. There must be... What kinda bargainin' power d'ya think ya got?"

"Well, he likes rabbit blood. But he could get that from me with or without my permiss-"

"Woah, back up. He likes what?"

She froze. "It was a joke."

"No it fuckin' wasn't. Oh my God," said Angel. "Les, I'm tryna help ya here, but..." He stopped, shifting the narrative in his head. "OK, I guess the threat is implied. Your thing ain't consensual, the amount'a power he has. It fuckin' can't be."