Viktor: Part IX
Viktor arrived at the Charbonnet-Labat about twenty minutes after he had left the Dungeon. He had seen Cassie following Scarlett until Cal met up with her, then Cassie took a direct route to the funeral home. He had run the whole way and was exhausted from all the exercise. After stopping to catch his breath he looked up and scanned the area. About three blocks down St. Phillips he saw Cal talking to his Grecian Goddess. They turned and began to walk slowly toward him.
“Damn! I better hurry” he said running around the back of the building. He found the door and pushed hoping Cassie had left it unlocked. She had. She must want to begin by trying to scare Scarlett. A long dark hallway lay before him. “Clever girl,” he said quietly, “but not clever enough.” He began jogging down the dark cold hallway without a sound. “She must be quite a woman to live in a place like this and not get the creeps” he thought. He found the place rather comforting and he bet that she did too. Two doors down on the left he saw a light on and ran towards it. He pushed open the door with one hand behind his back concealing the syringe. When he opened the door, he realized he was in the furnace room and it was running. He didn’t see Cassie hiding in the shadows.
“What are you doing here!” She screamed. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or scared.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Viktor tried to sound concerned. “I have been searching for you since I went back to the Dungeon and you weren’t there. I found a bum who said he saw you go around the back here.” He stopped. It was time for the best acting job he had ever done. “What are YOU doing here? You aren’t going to kill yourself are you?” He sounded shocked and worried.
“Of course not!” She said looking embarrassed that she had hurt him. She was still internally confused about how to feel about Viktor. “I, I, used to work here and I find solace by hanging around” she half way lied. “I’m so sorry I worried you! I thought you didn’t care!”
“Of course I care!” he yelled. “Let’s go home where I can take care of you” he said approaching her. The ruse must have shown through his eyes for when he approached, she backed away.
“You know!” She exclaimed. “You’re only here because you want to get rid of me! I knew it!” She was screaming now. “You don’t care about me! You only care about her and now that she’s back you want to ‘take care of me’ as you say it. Well bring it on! I’ll get rid of you the same way I got rid of Elijah and then I’ll take care of her!” Cassie drew a crowbar from behind her back and side stepped behind a table.
“Know what?” For once someone had the upper hand on Viktor and it concerned him. He also wasn’t ready for her to be armed. This was going to be much harder than he anticipated. “I need a miracle” he thought as they began to shadow each other’s movements across the table.
“I know you like Scarlett better than me,” Cassie began as they danced around the room keeping a safe distance from each other. “She told you didn’t she? You’re disgusted aren’t you? Can’t stand to be with someone who is like her can you?” Cassie was shrieking. Viktor looked at her in utter confusion. It was then that Viktor knew what had been bothering him about Cassie. She greatly reminded him of and resembled his mother.
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