Who: Westin and Adrian When: Evening, Wednesday, December 20 Where: Out by the tunnel Status: Complete
It was a beautiful day in Point Pleasant. Gray skies, a chill in the air and not so much as a breeze to ruffle his hair. He liked walking through town after sunset, listening to his boots on the concrete, or crunching through the snow that still lingered. The town itself was quiet, at least out here near the wilderness. Not so much as a squirrel crossed his path, or rustled the trees above. Whatever remained in these woods had hunkered down somewhere, far away from his path, waiting for him to pass by. Hoping he would be gone soon.
In the car he saw ahead, Westin could hear the breathing of… well, mostly a man. But not entirely. Westin could hear his heartbeat too. Slow and steady, but the man was agitated too. And he would probably hear Westin coming, so he didn’t approach the windows, but stopped in front of the car, his fingertips hanging loosely from his front pockets. He leaned forward just a bit as if to peer into the car.
“Hey there, friend,” he called out, a smile forming on his lips. “Need a hand?”
Inside the car Adrian was having a serious lapse in faith. He'd been to the tunnel again, not hungry this time so he could stay a while but this time around he felt nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing. It was as if all traces of Mila were gone and he wondered if he could only sense her there when he was starving. It wasn't a happy thought but now he was waiting, ignoring the food in the back seat so he could go back in there to make sure. He'd pleaded and prayed but nothing had answered just like before and it was beginning to feel like he too would fail Mila.
Westin was right, he did see him coming even if his senses were mostly like a human now it was instinct to know someone else was around, especially in an area where he wasn't expecting anyone. He could hear the words though they were muffled, his crappy old vehicle was far from soundproof but he still rolled down the window a little, giving the man a suspicious one-over. He didn't know him, which was just as well since that meant the man wouldn't know Adrian either. "Nah, man. I'm all good," he told him, brows still furrowed and eyes narrowed.
"Now, we both know that's not true," Westin said. He stayed where he was, still smiling at Adrian. "You can wait here all night long, let that hunger fester, but that's not gonna bring her back. I'd say you need a hand, but you gotta want it too." Cocking a brow, Westin glanced around the area. Dark, cold and deserted, but for the two of them. It was nights like these that he could feel the town thrum beneath his feet. The others would feel it too, if they stopped for just a second and really paid attention. "I know you've been praying, waiting for an answer. Well, here I am. We should talk, Adrian."
Adrian stared dumbly at the man in front of him for a long moment as he tried to process what was happening then let his gaze trail down to the dashboard at the clock there. It blinked at him 11:11 but there was no significance there, the damn thing was always too fast and too finicky for Adrian to fix it. Still, the numbers gave him a chill, or maybe it was simply a delayed reaction to what Westin was saying. He got out of the car finally, slower than he wanted to, hesitant to expose himself. He didn't know this guy so there was no way he'd know what Adrian had been up to, unless... "What do I have to do to get her back?" Adrian asked hoarsely. He didn't need to ask who this guy was, he probably wouldn't get an answer. Right now he suspected he was that something from deep within the tunnel that so far hadn't answered his pleas.
"That depends on what you're willing to do," Westin said. "Prayers aren't going to cut it. But I can help you. She's alive, but only just." He took a step forward then paused, brows raising as he looked at Adrian expectantly. "May I?" It was common courtesy to make sure Adrian was comfortable with Westin approaching. So many people in distress were jittery, ready to dart off like a scared deer if he made too many sudden moves. But once they shook his hands they knew everything would be all right, and that's all Westin wanted for them. Adrian Moretti, included.
At this point Adrian didn't really care what would become of him except if it meant Mila would continue to suffer. He'd been willing to take her place, after all, and still was so he nodded sharply, watching Westin with mixed suspicion and desperation. "I'll do anything," he said honestly and it was possible that he was putting too much on Mila now but she was all their parents had left and he was barely even human anymore so it didn't feel wrong. "Whatever it takes to get her out." Hearing that Mila was barely hanging on just fuelled that desperation growing in his chest, made everything feel tight and constricted, even more so than it already did. Time was obviously of the essence and so he hoped this man - or whatever he was - had answers.
With that nod, Westin approached the car. He paused before the front door, turning to lean back against the car as he pulled his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket to light one. He liked the smoke, the way it curled and expanded before dissipating into the night. "I need to make something quite clear to you," Westin began, turning his face to look at Adrian more closely. His smile was gone, but his stance was a casual one, reassuring Adrian that he was safe and Westin meant no harm. "I want to help you. You and Mila. She's a good girl, and she didn't deserve what happened to her. Not like so many of them in there. That's the only reason why I'm here. But it won't be easy, and you've got some tough choices to make. I'm not going to ask for money, or anything like that. I just want your guarantee that if I need a favor in the future, you'll be here for me the same way I'm here for you now." Westin cocked a brow and brought his cigarette up to his lips. "Does that sound fair to you?"
Adrian found himself fixated on the glowing embers of Westin's cigarette, though his attention was also fully on his words. He didn't care what he had to do, what choices he had to make as long as it meant his family was safe so he nodded along even before Westin asked him directly whether he could accept the terms. Of course it sounded fair, more than fair. If Westin really did help get Mila back, Adrian would be in his debt forever but he wasn't about to divulge that information too willingly. He had done bad things for people already, people who hadn't done anything for him in turn, this wouldn't be worse than that. "Just tell me what I have to do," he muttered and he had a feeling that finding him wouldn't be a problem for Westin like it would other people.
Westin didn't need to hear the words. He knew from the look on Adrian's face that bringing his sister back would create an ally that would come in handy in this town. The nod was as good as a handshake and Westin exhaled a steady stream of smoke before squinting up at the sky. No stars visible. That was a shame. But winter was always a bitch in Point Pleasant. Dark and gray. "It'll let go of her, but only if you've got something to take her place. Someone." He brought his gaze back to Adrian's face. "In the tunnel. They've got to be bleeding. Living, but bleeding. It's not going to let you take her place," he added, since he figured that might be where Adrian's mind drifted. Being a martyr wouldn't work in this situation. "Your soul is dark. It wants someone clear. Got that? Doesn't matter who it is as long as it's not you. Take them deep into the tunnel at three in the morning. Tell them I sent you." He grinned. "It'll let her go. She won't be like you remember her, but it'll let her go just the same."
It could be worse, Adrian thought. He could have asked for someone specific, or someone with a clear conscience, a laundry list of requirements. Westin's final words made his stomach churn with anxiety and his mind fire up with all the ways Mila could come back different. Adrian had read enough parables growing up to know the sort of consequences he could be in for and while he was ready to pay the price he wasn't exactly ready to bring back a zombie sister. He had a million questions for Westin and there had been a time where he might have asked all of them at once, demanding answers and clarity. Now he sorted through them in silence and discarded the ones least likely to have answers. "I have two questions for you," he said quietly after some deliberation. "What do I call you? And will she still be Mila?"
They always had a million questions, but most settled for one or two and Adrian was no exception. It worked better that way, because Westin would only answer one or two. Clarity always came later. "You can call me Westin. And yes, she'll still be Mila. This won't be like The Monkey's Paw. Just be mindful of the fact that it might take her a while to be herself again. Where she is now... it changes people." He wasn't bringing Mila Moretti back from the dead, the way he had Pastor Ray. "But," he added, "she'll be better than she was when she disappeared. I think that's all you can really ask for at this point."
It wasn't much of a reassurance considering Mila had supposedly been possessed when she went missing but it was better than nothing and there was the hope she would be herself again, given time. It all made Adrian glad he hadn't killed Aaron Lucas, Mila might need him now if he loved her like he said he did. "I know I can't ask for shit," he muttered. "But I'll do whatever it takes, bargain anything. I don't have anything to lose." He likely wasn't telling Westin anything he didn't know already, he seemed to know everything.
Some might say that someone with nothing to lose was dangerous. To Westin, it also meant desperate. And desperation was beneficial to him. "Luckily, you won't lose a thing," Westin said. "In fact, you'll gain. And you won't need to worry about the entity that controlled her. It'll let her go completely. Now it's just up to you to bring her home." Westin pushed away from where he had been leaning against the car, slipping the cigarette between his lips and offering his hand out for Adrian in silent invitation to essentially shake on it.
Making a deal with the devil wasn't something Adrian had ever imagined doing when he was growing up but then he'd never experienced this level of desperation and he'd never predicted losing himself to this degree. He just didn't care anymore, his soul was already lost and his life was in shambles so he shook Westin's hand and felt a surge of hope that he'd thought was long lost. "I'll thank you when she's back," he said and tried to smother that little feeling because with hope came heartbreak and it was better to keep it contained. He had a little over three hours now so he was eager to get a move on but first he'd have to eat or he'd lose control.
Westin laughed, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "That's fair, friend. That's fair." He squeezed Adrian's hand and let go. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon enough, but if you need anything else, I'll be around." He turned to leave, well aware that Adrian was starting to feel antsy. Westin supposed he ought to feel sorry for whatever poor soul the man came across tonight, but everyone played their part, and some people meant to be nothing more but a means to an end. He began to hum to himself again, in no real hurry, though he had other places to be. Things were moving along nicely, but there was still work to be done.