Etre en un Rever 

Author: lemonspice81@email.com 

Disclaimer: Oh great woe! Alas, they are not mine. They belong to the one they call Chris Carter and Fox. I am but a poor student, have mercy on me. 

Spoilers: Perhaps. 

Category: Doggett/Scully/Reyes POV 

Rating: Kind of clean. Watch out for some colorful metaphors. 

Summary: Each learns something about their life and the meaning of their paths and how each are connected to each other. 

Note: Since I am but a poor student, I work and study. Sentence fragments, misspellings and all sorts or poor English and horrible grammar exists. Blame that on the college gods. 

 

In the Beginning (1/6) 

 

 

SIX MONTHS EARLIER

With a backpack slung over one shoulder, he headed into the public library. Dressed in blue jeans and a sweatshirt, he looked like any other college student who came to visit, except he was much older and much more knowledgeable about the real world and what life was all about. He of course had lived one of the hardest lives imaginable. He chuckled at that thought. His life was more of an imagination than anything considered real.

The librarian was smiling as he approached the help desk. Written on a piece of paper that he handed her was a name of a book and its author. The woman smiled. She handed him the piece of paperback and headed to the back where books on hold were placed. Carefully, she carried out an old leather book. The woman set the book down and turned to the computer. She began to type.

“So, Mr. Hale, how long will you be checking the book out?” The librarian asked.

“Say three days.” He answered to his false name. He was Fox Mulder. He had left the world of Fox Mulder behind and took up a name he had used once long ago.

The librarian typed the information into the computer. “Okay, here you go. You know, you’re the first person in one hundred years to check this book out.”

Mulder looks up at the woman, taking the book and putting it into his backpack. “I know.” He says defiantly. Zipping the bag up, he left the library to do research. Research that now controlled his life as George Hale. A visit from an “elf” led him on the trail of something completely spectacular and could be the core of what he has been searching for his entire life. Only if absolutely sure would he present it to Scully. This search was for Scully. This search was for William. 

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PRESENT TIME

A young man named Kadeem, dressed in baggy vinyl purple pants and a lycra black shirt was dancing in a club. The Sugar Shack as the club was called was the newest and coolest club in Los Angeles. It took Kadeem a lot of sucking up to the bouncers to get in. And now he was dancing alongside only the most popular people in LA. It was his dream come true.

He had been dancing for about an hour straight and was getting thirsty. Kadeem understood some certain realities about clubbing. Accidentally, he had consumed some ecstasy and was really feeling the high. But a little voice in the back of his head summoned him to the bar. In a magazine or on TV he had heard that most people who take ecstasy die from dehydration. Somehow he new he was getting dehydrated and the bar was calling his name.

Kadeem dances over to the bar and plops down on one of the plush barstools. The bartender approaches him and Kadeem orders a B-52. The bartender nods and walks off to prepare the cocktail. Looking around to see what other popular people made it into the Sugar Shack. At the end of the bar, was a girl about his age, dressed all in black that caught his attention. She had dark brown hair that was part wavy and part twisted, which hung just about shoulder level. The girl was sitting there, sipping her drink, moving her tiny frame to the beat of the music. Perhaps hypnotized by the electronic trance music the DJ decided to play.

The girl slowly looked over and noticed Kadeem looking at her. She blushed and smiled, before turning her head away. Then, she grabbed her drink, quickly finished off the clear liquid in the glass and walked over to him, swaying her hips to and fro. Kadeem watched her with great interest. Seductively, she dragged her finger along his arm and shoulders. She put her lips near his ear and whispered into it. He nods. The girl grabs the waist of his pants and drags him out onto the dance floor.

Out in the middle of the dance floor, the girl begins to sway and twist her body to the music. She looks into his eyes and pulls his body closer to hers and dances against him. He returns the gesture. The girl wraps her arms around his neck and places her lips once again near his ear. She grabs his head tightly, digging her nails into the back of his neck.

“Go and you will die!” She yells into his ear.

Shock and completely terrified of what this stranger has said, he pushes her off of him, rubbing his neck where she had gripped him so tightly. He stormed away from her toward the bar, toward his drink. The girl stood in the crowd of dancers, watching him leave. She shrugs her shoulders and heads over to the bar, farthest away from Kadeem. She orders a water with lime.

Kadeem couldn’t find his drink. The bartender had taken it away. He didn’t know what to do. He then turned around, seeing the two bouncers guarding the entrance to the VIP lounge. The bouncers at the entrance stop Kadeem from entering. Kadeem reaches into his pocket and hands them a tiny business card. The two men examine it carefully. The hand the card back to him and open the doors.

Inside the VIP lounge is a dream come true. Only the best of the best can get into the lounge. This room was of a different atmosphere of the main part of the club. The lighting was red. Everything was either red or black. What struck him as odd was the no one was dancing. Everyone was just chilling. Sitting on the chairs and in booths, drinking their drinks and just looking pretty. He completely loved every minute of it.

He walked over to the bar. Kadeem felt out of place since he didn’t know anyone in here. In fact, he couldn’t remember how he got invited. But that didn’t matter much to him. He got in. At the bar, he ordered his B-52 again, hoping to be able to finish it. The bartender sat the drink on the bar and told him it was on the house. Kadeem grinned. So far, so good.

Kadeem finished his drink. It was the best B-52 he had ever tasted. It was perfect. He couldn’t have asked for a better drink. From his left and from his right approached two very attractive women. They were complete opposites of each other in looks. One blonde, the other brunette. One dressed in a red leather outfit, the other dressed in a light blue velvet outfit. They both smiled at him and he could only smile back.

The two women were all over Kadeem. Touching him, laughing, giggling and making him feel like the luckiest man alive. The brunette leaned over to him.

“Would you like to have the best experience of your life?” She asked him.

Kadeem looked over at her. She looked perfect to him. So did the blonde. He nodded his head. “Sure,” he stammered.

The two women laughed. But this wasn’t any innocent playful laugh. There was evil in it. Yet, Kadeem hadn’t noticed it. He didn’t notice a lot of things. The fact that everyone in the room had disappeared. The fact that he was drugged and couldn’t move anything expect anything above his neck. He also did not notice that the two attractive women were gone. But to him, life was just peachy. Everything was perfect.

His eyes widened and his smile faded. The only muscles he could feel tensed and his heart raced. Sweat poured down the sides of his face. And he began to whimper when he realized her could not move. Appearing out of the darkness of the room were beings he never imagined. The only word he could find in his mind to describe them was demons.

Demons with there eyes glowing red, teeth showing, nails long and sharp, on hind legs that resembled that of a goat. They were bald with no hair. Black horns, twisting around the ears, that were shiny. They were what he had imagined as a kid. Hearing stories about the devil from his grandmother. They were what kept him up at night when he was alone. And they were what killed him.

The girl still sat at the end of the bar. She finished off her water and lime, shaking her head in disappointment. Looking ahead, she spoke.

“Where are you Monica?”

Monica Reyes opens her eyes and gasps. She is all sweaty from her nightmare. And also confused. The dream seemed so real, but it wasn’t possible. She looked at the clock, it was 1:21 am. Reyes fell back into the pillows and pulled the blankets up to her neck. She closed her eyes and slowly, fell back asleep. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Monica Reyes, feeling sleep deprived walks out of the elevator toward her basement office. The door is opened. Her partner got an early start this morning. She enters, trying to put a smile on to hide her tired looks. Doggett is putting on his jacket. He looks up at her and gives her a quick welcome smile.

“Morning Agent Reyes.” Doggett says, fixing the collar of his shirt, making sure he is somewhat presentable.

“Morning.” She answers back, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk.

Doggett carefully looks at his partner. She has no energy, and she is miles away. “Are you all right?” He asks.

She snaps back to the office. Looking up at him, she smiles. “I just didn’t sleep well, that’s all.”

“Okay then. We are needed upstairs.” He tells her. That explains the jacket and the fixing of his clothing.

She stands up and heads back out of the office, with Doggett following her.

Knocking on the door, Agent Follmer calls them in. Closing the door behind them, they take their appointed positions in the chair and keep silent. They wait for the Assistant Director to speak first. It is an unspoken rule learned as an assigned agent of the X-Files.

“Morning agents.” Agent Follmer said as he sat down, holding in his hand a file. Apparently their new case. He set the file down on the desk and opened it up, looking through the papers contained inside it. “Seems that the Los Angeles Field Office is baffled by a case. They had it sent over here to have so-called experts investigate it. Guess which experts they had in mind.”

“What’s the case?” Doggett asked trying to get passed the fact that Mr. Follmer was mocking them and their being assigned to the least liked division of the FBI.

Follmer closed the file and handed it over to Reyes. She opened the file up and stopped. She couldn’t look up. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the sight she saw. It was impossible, yet she was looking at it. It was true. But it didn’t make sense.

“A young man was find clinging onto life in a dance club in Los Angeles. He was able to give a description of his attackers and the description of a potential witness. Due to the description of his attackers, you are being asked to go in.”

“Demons.” Reyes said barely audible.

Doggett couldn’t believe. Not demons again. “Demons, sir?”

“They believe that description was induced by the trauma he suffered. But when talking to the bartender and the bouncers at the club, they confirmed that they saw this woman.”

Agent Reyes searched through the papers, but knew exactly what they said without even reading it.

“This is not the first case like this. There have been three other incidents were some was attacked in a club. Go to Los Angeles, investigate, catch up and wait for the next case.” Follmer then hands the agents about a dozen more files. “These are you for. Reading material. I’d suggest you get a quick start. You have maybe two days before the next murder.”

“Wait a second. You are telling us to stand by and wait for a murder to occur?”

“What else do you suggest Mr. Doggett?” Follmer sighed. “You better go.” He said calmly. Follmer wanted to avoid an argument at all costs. Though he found it somewhat humorous, now wasn’t the time for games.

“Let’s go Monica.” Doggett said to Reyes.

She closed the file and followed Doggett leave the office. Already, there was something about this case that was affecting everybody. Reyes wasn’t interested in solving the case. She was more interested in what this had to do with her. There was a reason why she saw it last night. It was that reason that was leading her to Los Angeles. 

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The first stop was the Orange County Morgue. After spending the hours it took for them to arrive in Los Angeles reviewing the cases, they had some questions. Perhaps none that the coroner could answer, but at least they had a starting point.

Monica followed behind Doggett and the coroner. Doggett was asking the typical questions and the coroner was giving the typical answers. But to Monica, he wasn’t asking the right questions. Perhaps he was ignoring them. Perhaps he didn’t realize that there was more to this case then a pair of people being murdered. This wasn’t any typical serial killing. In her experience, targeted murders like this had intent.

They entered the examination area. The body was still on the table, covered by the usual white sheet. Doggett wasn’t that all interested in seeing the body. He saw the pictures. That was good enough for him. But not for Monica. She had to see the body. She was drawn to it.

While Doggett listened more to what the coroner had to say, Monica reached for the white sheet and slowly pulled it back, revealing the dead Kadeem. She looked at him, expecting to see his body as a pile of ashes, or just the bare bones, or something familiar to her. Something she had seen before. But not this time. He just laid there.

Carefully, she reached out to touch his cold body. She closed her eyes as her fingertips caressed Kadeem’s shoulder. It was the contact that caused what she saw next.

It was like a poorly put together film. Some still images, some short scenes. No distinguishable sounds, just fuzzy white noise. The background was like a red sky, something from a movie or painting. Objects appeared before her, symbols. Symbols she didn’t recognize. There were about seven symbols. Seven shapes that emerged from the redness of the background, glowing a bright white color. It was the last symbol she somewhat recognized. Two zigzag lines. She recognized it as an astrology sign. The sign for Aquarius.

“Monica?” She heard in the far off distance of her mind. She opened her eyes and looked over at her partner. “Are you okay?” Doggett asked.

She nodded and smiled. “I’m fine. Are we ready?” She asked, covering the body back up.

Doggett sensing that water she was thinking wasn’t up for discussion, he nodded and they exited the room. The walk down the hallway was a silent one. Reyes still in shock from her experience, and Doggett, confused about his partner. He knew her all too well.

“Did the coroner have anything interesting to say?” Reyes asked, deterring Doggett’s mind from thinking about her to thinking about the case.

“Just that the poor guy managed to survive one hell of a beating before dying of cardiac arrest. Able to get what he had to say out while still alive.”

Is that why he survived while none of the other victims could. Was there something special about Kadeem? His purpose in life was to describe demons and a woman. She opened the file on him and read his statement. “There was a woman. Young, pretty, but she had the teeth of an Englishman. Demons attack me.” Then he died. Flatlined.

“Do we know anything about who he was? Family, friends, religious background?” She asked, searching through a file that contained no information.

Doggett opened his file. The one from the locals. The one that was more complete then the preliminary report they had sent to the FBI in Washington. “Parents died when he was just a kid in an automobile accident. Dad was from Turkey, mom was Greek. He lived with his grandmother until she passed away, but by that time, he was old enough to take care of himself. Pretty wealthy kid. Says grandmother was Catholic, but that she was the only one who practiced it.”

Reyes nodded. She put her sunglasses on to shade her eyes from the hot Californian sun. There was a lot of work ahead of them. She would have to put aside the vision until a more convenient time. A time when Doggett wasn’t around to be Big Brother.  

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

All day they had spent their time going through the cases at a tiny room in the Los Angeles field office. Trying to find a motive. Trying to find some common trait they all shared. Both were restless. Doggett didn’t like having to wait for someone to die before he could make a move. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t fair. Reyes wanted to research those symbols she saw. She could still see them so clearly, so perfectly in her head. They wouldn’t even go away. The more she worked on the cases, the brighter they seemed to get. It was her clue to keep working, to not give up, and to discover what this had to do with her.

Ever since she was a little girl, she knew she was different. Strange dreams and visions inhabited her head for as long as she could remember. She could see things, sense things, and feel things that no one around her could. It made her an outcast, but it also drew people in. They were curious about her. The mystery of it all. And one day, she decided that she would spend her life trying to determine why her. Why had she been chosen to have this gift? Reyes was one of those who believed things happened for reason. There was purpose behind every action.

Reyes tore off the piece of paper she was scribbling on and crumbled it up, tossing it toward the wastebasket and making it in. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. Slowly opening her eyes, she decided to start simple. Look for the most obvious clues before trying to find the complex ones. She picked up her pen and began again.

She drew a couple of lines. Location of crime. Date of crime. Age and sex of victim. Those were the most basic traits she could think of at the moment. The first murder occurred about four months ago in New York City. Location: NYC. Date Dec 31, 2001. Age: 42. Sex: Female. The next one occurred three days later in the same location. This time it was a male, 21 years old. Celebrating his birthday. The next set of murders occurred about a month later in Miami. The first victim was a female ago 37. Again, three days later a male was murdered, this one a 25. Two months later, this time in Austin, Texas at a club. All clubs. Female, age 41 found murdered. Three days later a male only 22 years old found dead. Those sounded a lot like what happened in New York. Déjà vu. Reyes then guessed what it would be for the latest murders. It would match the same pattern as in Miami. A female would be the first victim, followed three days later by a male victim. Their age difference would be about 20 years. She looked with some excitement at the latest files. On April 10, a female aged 45 murdered. April 13, three days later, Kadeem, aged 23 was murdered. Viola!

She then wrote a note at the bottom of the page. Location: Unknown. Date: Soon. Age: 21-25, 26? Sex: Female. That was her description of the first victim. Location: same as above. Date: three days after. Age: 35-45. Sex: Male. It would extremely difficult to warn all females between the ages of 21-26 not to go clubbing in the next two months. It would be impossible. Agent Follmer was right. They would have to wait until the next murder occurred. At least now she had some idea of what would be happening next.

“Find anything?” She asked her partner who seemed to be slipping into sleep every minute or so.

Doggett looked up at Reyes. He could see that she knew something. Perhaps she had figure something out. It would be nice if she did because he was getting no where. All of the victims had high levels of alcohol in their systems. No drugs. At least none that were detectable by the tox screen. Their bodies were used at scratching posts by whoever did this. How they did this was another question. Also, they didn’t die from the wounds, but cardiac arrest. The most common cause of death. A natural death caused by something unnatural if Kadeem was right.

“Not really. They all died the same death. All were drinking and having a good time. What about you? I know you found something.” He said prying information out of her.

“Well, I think I found a pattern in the choice of victims. I think I figured out who the next victim might be. Their sex and age is what I am sure about. Location and date is something we will have to wait for.” She told him, reading off her nice little chart.

Doggett heard what she said, but didn’t pay attention to it. “IS everything all right?” He asked.

Reyes sighed. She couldn’t hide much from Doggett. “Last night I had this dream. A very disturbing dream. Like a horror movie almost.” She paused before continuing. “I know who did this.”

Doggett about fell out of his chair. “Can you say that again?”

“I saw who did this. I dreamt this last night. I saw this man in my dream. I saw the club in my dream. I saw how he went into the VIP lounge and, and I saw them at . . .” She couldn’t say that she saw him being torn and shredded apart by the teeth and nails of the demons. She couldn’t say she saw demons.

“You say what? Demons?” He asked.

Reyes looked up at him. From the scared and saddened look on her face, he knew she wasn’t lying. But just because she was telling him what she saw, didn’t mean it really happened. Besides, it was still a dream. Wasn’t it? Doggett wasn’t sure what to think.

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April 17, 2002 Seattle, Washington. The I-SPY club wasn’t as busy as it could be. It was a Wednesday. The people who were in attendance were the ones who like to start their weekends early. There were more than enough people there to make it a party. It was the perfect time for DJs to try out new music and mixes. A time when the people were already trying to escape reality.

A bouncy blonde known as Kelly hopped her way to the bar. Dressed in her usual tight leather pants and skimpy shirt covering only what needed to be covered to get in. Tonight, she opted for brown leather pants and an animal print halter-top. She didn’t have to ask the bartender what she wanted. He knew. Her usual, a Quagmire. Its sweetness hid the fact that she was consuming alcohol. The best way to drink something. It didn’t make her feel as guilty.

The bartender gave Kelly her drink. She sipped some through the straw. It was just what she needed to get the night started. A short man took the seat next to her. He was dressed all in black with a black hat on the top of his head. He smiled at her and ordered a Devil’s Kiss. Kelly leaned her back up against the bar, watching the people dance and then glancing over at the DJ. The man received his drink and chugged the entire drink. He leaned over to Kelly and whispered something to her. She smiled and nodded.

The Man in the Black Hat gave her a card. Kelly took the card, looking it over with awe. She smiled. The Man in the Black Hat pointed over to the VIP lounge and then told her some more needed information. The girl looked at her watch and nodded. The Man in the Black Hat then left toward the VIP lounge. Standing at the doors were the same two bodyguards that were in Los Angeles.

Kelly giggled as she finished her drink. She sat back down on the stool and moved her body to the beat of the hypnotizing music. Kelly put the card in her pocket. She didn’t notice the woman at the end of the bar watching her conversation with the Man in the Black Hat. The young woman who had danced with dead man walking Kadeem. The one who warned Kadeem and had now opted not to warn Kelly. She couldn’t. That wasn’t her concern. Not this time.

Kelly pushed her empty glass toward the bartender. She checked her watch again. It was time. She got off of the stool and walked over with confidence to the VIP lounge. Handing the card to the two bodyguards, they looked it over and handed it back, letting her enter the lounge. Then closing the doors after she was inside. Each took a step closer to each other. No one else would be entering the room tonight. One less person would be leaving the club tonight.

The young woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She flipped it open and searched through her phone book looking for the right number. There were lots to go through. She found the number she wanted. The woman held her finger just above the send button, making sure she was making the right decision. Looking at the LCD screen of her phone. She studied the name. FBI. It was the right thing to do. She pressed the send button and put the phone to her ear, looking around the club to make sure no one noticed her.

“Yes, I would like to report a murder. This has to do with a case that is currently being investigated by the FBI.” The woman spoke into the phone.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doggett and Reyes walk into I-SPY. Agent Jacobson greets them. The club is quite well lit and full of officers and agents collecting evidence. Agent Jacobson walks them over to the office of the owner where it is a bit more quiet and private.

“I’m Agent Jacobson, Seattle Field Office.” He says to them, showing them into the office.

“I’m Agent Doggett and this is Agent Reyes.” Doggett said, introducing himself and his partner. “What can you tell me?”

“We received a call at about midnight. By then, the crime had already taken place and whoever was in the VIP lounge were already gone, leaving the body in the middle of the room. She was dead when we arrived.”

“You say female?” Agent Reyes asked. “Young?”

Agent Jacobson nodded. “Yeah. She was a regular here. Kelly Adams. Age 22. She was here five nights a week at the most according to the bartender. She had a usual drink, they always played her favorite song. Quite popular.”

“Any witness?” Doggett asked.

“The bartender said she ordered her drink at about 11:45. That is when she usually arrived. He really wasn’t paying attention. A man sat down next to her, but a lot of men did. He couldn’t really say.”

“What about a woman? Young. Brown hair. Wore gloves on her hands. Crooked teeth.” Dogget said. That was the description of the girl who had warned Kadeem.

“You will have to ask the bouncers and bartenders that yourselves. The body has been sent to the coroner’s office. They will have a report in a couple of hours. But if this is a serial killing, then you already know what it will say.” Agent Jacobson told them

Doggett nodded. He wasn’t sure what to do next. “Okay, we’ll head down to your field office. If anything new comes up, let us know.”

Doggett started to head out. Reyes followed. They walked out of the club and into the cool Seattle air. They were about three blocks from the Seattle Federal Building. Doggett walked briskly down the street. Reyes though about what she head from Agent Jacobson and smiled. She then let out a laugh.

Doggett stopped and turned to face his partner. She had held in the laughing, but couldn’t stop from smiling. “What’s so damn funny Monica?” He demanded.

“Well, a young female was murdered.” She told him.

“And that’s funny?”

“The next victim is going to be a male between 35 and 45 years old.” She continued.

“And your point is?”

“John,” She said, only to resume her smiling and giggling. “You’re going to have to go undercover. You fit the profile.”

Doggett thought about it. She was right. If she were right, then he would have to go in. It would be the only way for them to find this witness or to find out who is doing this. Reyes couldn’t hold her giggling in any more and completely lost it.

“What?” He exclaimed.

She had to close her eyes and concentrated to get what she had to say out. “This club has a dress code. Now unless you packed you club hopping clothes, we might have to go shopping.” She though about her partner dressed in the required clothing to get in. It was a picture she could only laugh at.

Doggett didn’t appreciate her humor. He didn’t like it. But she was right. He would have to go out and get something to get it and to blend in. And going to the FBI building wasn’t where he needed to go then.  

 “Fine, if I go under, you buy the clothing.” He growled at her as she continued to laugh at this picture in her head.

“John, it isn’t that funny, really.” She said, trying to convince him it wasn’t that bad of an idea.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

April 20, 2002 I-SPY

Due to the murder, the club was extremely popular. It was the first night it had opened since the incident. It had to open if Doggett and Reyes were to solve the case. The entire place was crowded with people who didn’t even like the trance music. They had heard about the crimes in the news. They were fascinated by the fact that perhaps, one of them could be the next victim. And instead of staying home, being safe, they wanted to live on the edge. The fear made life a bit more interesting. Besides, they could always say they were there when it happened.

Reyes had helped Doggett pick out appropriate clothing for tonight. But they didn’t over do it. He didn’t want to look like an ass. He was comfortable. He could still have his gun and ID on him. Just in case. The music was too loud, the place was too crowded and the strobe lights hurt his eyes. How anyone could enjoy this was beyond him.

Doggett swam through the sea of dancers. Swaying their bodies to the music. You could tell who the regulars were by the way that they danced. They knew how to dance to the music. The people who came because of the murder were clumsy. At the edge of the dance floor was the bar. It was too crowded as the bartenders were making everyone Kelly’s usual drink.

Doggett found an empty area near the end of the bar. He squeezed in and sat down on the empty bar stool. Calmly, he waited until one of the bartenders approached him. He was tempted to order a beer. It might calm him down. But he was on the badge. He just asked for water. Doggett figured the bartender would appreciate a drink order different from the Quagmire.

He had a good position in the club. He could see most everyone at the bar and those on the dance floor closest to the bar. It would be a place where he could be without having to go out and dance or do anything embarrassing and uncomfortable. Doggett was looking at people’s hands. Checking to see if they were wearing any gloves. It could have been a one-time deal for the witness, but it was something he could do.

Doggett overheard a man order a drink other than a Quagmire. This man had ordered a Lifesaver. This stood out in Doggett’s mind. He carefully watched the guy. The bartender handed him his drink. The man drank it right there. Doggett took a drink of his water while still watching the guy. Then he saw what he needed to see.

She was dressed like one of those Goth people he had seen on the streets in Seattle. Black leather pants, tight. She wore a black tank top with some kind of elbow band on both arms. On her hands, she wore fingerless gloves. They were black as well. Her hair twisted in tiny strands, with gel and glitter slathered all over the strands. This girl sat down next to the man Doggett was watching. Doggett couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

The bartender approached her and she ordered something to drink. He came back and placed a glass in front of her. She smiled and said thanks. The bartender left and the girl turned her attention to the man she sat down next too.

Doggett waved the bartender over. He didn’t come right away. He made sure his customers were all tended to.

“Who’s that girl?” Doggett asked.

The bartender looked at the girl. “Oh, yeah. I don’t know her name, but she has been in here all week. She has this thing for older men. Any man over 30 has a chance to score. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” The bartender chuckled. Doggett could only grin.

“Was she here before your incident?” He asked. He hoped that the bartender wouldn’t catch on.

“Nope. Showed up after the killing. Just like half of the people in here. Most know they will never get into the VIP room, so they figure that they are safe.” The bartender explained to Doggett. He walked off to serve some new customers that had approach the bar.

Doggett focused his attention to the girl and the man. They were having a lively conversation. The girl was practically throwing herself onto the man. Desperate? Probably. Both of them. They stood up. She took his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. He continued to watch. Starting out, they danced with space in between them, trying to find the right rhythm to the music.

“Can’t take your eyes off her, huh?” The bartender said.

Doggett turned around. “She’s quite, uh, appealing.” He said.

“Yeah, well, she would be hotter if she got some metal for her mouth.”

Doggett looked out at the girl and then back to the bartender. “She has crooked teeth?”

The bartender nodded. “Yeah, they aren’t that bad, but these days, only the chicks with the perfect picket fence are considered hot. Good thing she doesn’t smile much.”

He could see them dancing. The woman knew her music because she seemed to know how to dance to the music. The man enjoyed watching the young girl dance. He liked knowing that a younger girl was interested in an older man.

Doggett looked at his watch. It was almost midnight. He finished his water. He had to go out there, get the man out of the club and to somehow take custody of the girl. It was going to be a challenge. He stood up and headed out to the dance floor. Doggett stood behind the man, gathering the courage to tap him on the shoulder and to tell him to bugger on out of the club. He could flash his badge, but that would make the girl disappear. His objective was the witness.

He reached up and tapped the man on the shoulder. The girl stopped dancing and watched in disappointment.

“I’m cutting in.” Doggett demanded.

The other man stopped dancing and turned around, angry. “Sorry buddy, she’s mine.”

Doggett sighed. He couldn’t believe this guy. Doggett grabbed the guy and pulled him a few feet away from the girl. He whispered something into his ear. The man looked at Doggett with a frightened statement. The man looked at the girl and then scampered off toward the exit. Doggett watched to make sure the guy got out.

The girl had resumed dancing. Swaying her tiny frame to the hypnotic trance sounds. Doggett walked up to her. She stopped. She was somewhat angry with him.

“What did you say to him?” The girl demanded.

“I told him that you charge too much.” Doggett said. It was what he said to the guy. “What to get something to drink?” Going to the bar would get him off of the dance floor. He wanted to avoid dancing at all costs.

The girl took a hold of his hand and led him over to the bar. They found a couple of empty stools at the edge of the bar where Doggett had originally been sitting. The bartender approached them. He was smiling at Doggett.

“What’ll it be?” He asked.

“Water.” The both of them said at the same time.

“I’ll have a lime in mine.” The girl said. The bartender nodded and headed off. “You know, you were right.”

“About what?” Doggett asked.

“If I were what you told him I was, I would charge too much. College is expensive these days.” She said, smiling. The bartender quickly returned with their waters. The girl picked up her glass and drank about half of the water. Doggett took a drink of his. He watched her carefully. She was fairly confident for a twenty-something. She was coolheaded. His mind now filled with all of the questions he needed to ask her for this case.

CRASH

Doggett and the girl both turned to where the sound came from. It was difficult to see anything beyond the lights of the bar. Then they saw the sparks coming from the opposite corner of the club. People began screaming and acting hysterical. The crowd was running around in circles, trying to get out. Doggett stood up. He looked around. Where was Reyes?

He walked out a couple of steps away from the bar. About thirty feet away he could see odd shaped shadows attacking people. All of the lights went out, then red emergency lights came on. Doggett quickly looked around, trying to see anything. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the girl standing there behind him.

“Come with me.” She yelled at him.

Doggett had no other choice. The attackers were getting closer. The crowd was running toward them. Chairs and tables and any item light enough were getting tossed around. When a clawed up body landed at Doggett’s feet, he decided to go with the girl.

“This way.” She said, tugging him along.

He followed her past the bar and down a dark hallway. The chaos and destruction was following them. Something was aware of their being able to escape. Running down the hallway, they had to dodge pieces of metal and plastic that was being thrown at them. The got to the door and the girl tried to open it.

“It’s lock.” She said. Jiggling the handle.

Doggett tried it and looked around for a way to get the door open. The girl reached into her shirt and pulled out slender pieces of metal. She inserted them into the locks and began to jiggle the metal around, trying to find the right location to open the lock.

“Jiggle the handle. It might pop the lock.” She yelled at him.

Amazed at her abilities, he did what she said. She acted like she had special training in this kind of stuff. He grabbed the handle and kept trying at it while she played with the lock. The door then popped open. Leaving her pieces there, she grabbed Doggett and led him out into the alley.

People flooded out after them. Doggett didn’t see the body being tossed into the air. It landed on him and he fell, toppling on top of the girl. She just lay there, with Doggett and the body on top of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her breathing down. People ran over her and on her. Doggett had been knocked out. Neither one of them could see the demon standing in the doorway. Eyes glowing red, yellow teeth, black nails and a reddish color skin tone. It disappeared back into the club, closing the door behind it.

The crowd had dispersed into the streets and they disappeared from the alley.. The girl opened her eyes and brought her breathing back up to normal. She slipped out from underneath the bodies. She grabbed the dead body and pulled it off of Doggett. The dead man’s neck was broken, his arm twisted, tossed like he was a rag doll. Focusing her attention to Doggett, she turned him over. She checked his pulse and then checked his eyes. He was still alive. She smiled and then felt his arms and legs for any broken bones. He seemed to be okay, but he wasn’t waking up any time soon.

The girl looked around, checking for any other people in the alley. She couldn’t see any. Without much of a struggle, she picked Doggett up to his feet and had him lean against her back. She wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled him along. He was not heavy to her. The girl walked along, taking the damaged Agent with her. 

To be continued . . . . Part 2