Is this any better? [Carrion Rogue]

[Ember Madison]

Musty. Filthy. Rodent-infested. No one in thier right mind would ever live here, but it was all Ember could afford by working at the local diner and bar. Plus, it was a decent hiding spot, in her opinion.

This was one the two days a week she had off, usually, and she couldn't really go anywhere because the Asylum's tracker was hot on her trail.

She just sat in her bed, Indian-style and listened to the clock ticking away on the wall in front of her. She wore a regular black shirt, jeans, and black flats. Her long caramel hair was pulled in to a sloppy bun at the base of her neck.

Watching the floor, Ember saw many things: Lint, probably from the lack of effort on the house-cleaning's behalf; bugs, no undoubtedly from outside away from the dangerous world; and stains....God only knew where those came from. She shuddered at the thought of people having sex on this floor. Some nasty old geezer, having a pick-me-up with a disease infested hooker off the streets. People in this day and age disgusted her.

She noted that the time was 3:05 Pm. That was her usual time that she'd get off work from the diner, come home and nap for four hours, then go to work at the bar until three in the morning. Then, she'd go back to work at the diner around seven or eight in the morning. Her schedule was pretty normal and timely, but it just bothered her to have to change faces for each job.

The diner job, she portrays a delicate little blond who is bad ass at being a waitress and always has good tips, named Samantha Jay. The bar job, she portrays a hard ass brunette that get hit on by guys and dances on the bar for people, named Jaydee Simms.

But she often though to herself: Living in these conditions, is this any better than the asylum?

...

Any day of the week and twice on Sunday, yes.

[Carrion Rogue]

The Outfit

Carrion Rogue's black combat boots scuffed softly in the glass-littered gravel as he came to a stop in the parking lot of the shadiest motel in town. Red-tinted eyes scanned the area, automatically looking for threats to his mission.

Area was secure.

He tapped the toe of his left boot in the gravel, kicking up dust that almost instantly settled on the black leather. After a couple of seconds, he nodded, satisfied, and settled the sole of his shoe in the traction-spot he had created. In a moment, he would need as much speed as he could get, and that would fail greatly if the earth beneath him were to move.

He studied his surroundings for a moment, the building's sign read "Sunny Inn," but honestly he saw nothing sunny about it. It was a hellhole; rundown to the point he was surprised it wasn't closed down yet. Rats wandered around the area, squeezing under doors and dumpster diving for food. He sneered, it was absolutely disgusting and he wouldn't be caught dead in such a place.

And that was saying something being as he'd been to many sleazy places in his lifetime.

Carrion Rogue took one last drag off of his vanilla Black Clove cigarette and pinched the cherry out. He got into place, muscles tensing as he aimed and flicked the butt of the cigarette at a certain second story window: the window that his target hid behind. It hit it's mark dead center with such force that a loud thunk echoed down to him.

And at that noise he sprinted full speed around the building. He knew what they'd see: A man there one second, gone the next. It was something he relied on.

He slid around the corner of the L-shaped building, dodging a rat-infested dumpster and locating the back window to the room with no trouble. He knew the escapee would be opening the front door right about now, nervous about what had made the noise at her window.

Just as he had planned.

Rogue launched himself up onto another dumpster and jumped, his feet finding purchase on the wall, pushing him up farther. He latched onto the windowsill and jerked his knife out of his pocket. With a quick flip of his wrist, he had it open and jammed it in the window's crease, prying it open soundlessly.

With a quick scan of his surroundings, he slid into the small bathroom, making absolutely no noise. His feet landed on the back of the filthy toilet and he crouched, closing the window with ease.

Now, Carrion Rogue held perfectly still, listening for the sound of a lock sliding into place as his prey retreated back into the room. Once it came, he lowered his feet to the ground with the silent grace of a cat. Carefully, he walked over to the door and leaned against the frame of it, staring at his victim's back as she eased away from the door.

"It is good to finally meet you, Ms. Madison. My name is Carrion Rogue." He spoke slowly and quietly, his demon-like eyes trained on her, ready to strike if she made a run for it.

[Ember Madison]

After growing weary of listening to the clock on the wall, Ember groaned loudly and fell backwards onto the bed.

"Oh my God, I'm so bored, but nervous at the same time. This isn't good."She ran her fingers through her long locks and sighed.

About that moment she heard a really loud noise from her window. Her eyes widened as she jerked herself upright, frozen in fear.

'Oh shit, he found me.

She quickly, but silently moved to the side of the window and peeked out. When she saw not one soul or thing, she scooted to her left against the wall, unlocked the door, and slowly opened. She only opened it enough to where she could peer through without being noticed. After she figured the coast was clear, she gradually stepped outside and took in her surroundings.

'Nothing below, nothing above.....nothing to the either side....'
She waited calmly.

...

Ember nearly screamed when she heard that eerie soft voice from behind her.

"It is good to finally meet you, Ms. Madison. My name is Carrion Rogue."

Goddammit to hell.....This was not good at all.

[Carrion Rogue]

Her scream sent chills down Carrion Rogue's spine and a very rare smile split his lips. She stood before him, caramel hair disheveled as though she'd run her fingers through it, and eyes widened in fear like a doe in headlights.

He tilted his head to the side, a lock of hair that escaped his low ponytail falling over his tan face. "Now, now, Ms. Madison, there is no need for the screaming. I wont hurt you, though I cannot say for the others when I bring you back to the Asylum."

And that was the truth. He wasn't going to hurt a hair on her head. But only because the powers that be want her unharmed.

Probably so they can do all they want to her and not fear her death. He sighed softly. Oh well, maybe he'd get to hunt next time.

He shrugged off of the door frame and stepped forward, holding out his hand to her. "Now come, Ms. Madison. The less you fight, the less your punishment shall be."

Of course, he knew better. Who in any frame of mind would willingly go back to that place, promises or no promises?

But it never mattered to him, he had always enjoyed the thrill of the fight. Yet, for some odd reason, he didn't wish to harm the young woman in front of him. He really didn't blame her for escaping, either. Hell, if he wasn't so indebted to the Asylum, he would've been gone a long time ago.

His russet eyes fixed on hers and he waited for her to make her next move.

[Ember Madison]

"Now, now, Ms. Madison, there is no need for the screaming. I wont hurt you, though I cannot say for the others when I bring you back to the Asylum."

Scenes played by in the back of her mind, causing her heart rate to race. The time she tried to escape using the face of a doctor. That time she was taken to the third floor for punishment. The scene replayed over and over again. Haunting her very soul.

...

The rattling chains. The memory of the scratching of the metal sliding across the concrete floor. It sent chills down her spinal cord just to think about it. The only thing she could hear at this moment was her heart, violently beating in her ears.

She wanted scream, as she froze in place. Starring at the male who was going to take her back to that hellish place.

No.

That place wasn't hellish, it was Hell.

She inhaled deeply, and the air was thick with moisture.
All she could think of was leaning over that post, with her hands chained to it and resting on her knees, repeatedly telling herself.

'Breathe in...

Breathe out...

Breathe in...

Breath out...

An excruciating pain in the flesh of her back had sent her screaming for dear life as the whips peeled her skin right off her naked body. She recalled the ends of the whips being embedded with shards of glass and rusted nails.

Her mind nearly shattered just like it did then and she grabbed her head, shaking violently. Her eyes were becoming salty wet, as she harshly whispered,

"No...."

She dropped to her knees and wailed in a hectic screech,

"NO! I won't go back! I-I-I can't!"

She fell back against the wall, kicking and screaming. It almost looked as if she were throwing a fit, but she wasn't. She was really terrified for her life. Her mind had shattered once, she couldn't do it again.

Considering it took her months to grab her reality back. This time, she might not be able to.

[Carrion Rogue]

Rogue's movements were fast, faster than any normal human being's. He was immediately at Ember's side, one hand slapping over her mouth and pulling her away from the wall to prevent discovery by some noble person. Though he was almost positive that wouldn't be the case. The others of this seedy establishment would just write it off as sex. That's usually what went down here, he knew.

His eyes were lit up with his actions, making the russet color turn to a devilish red. More than likely, it would scare the girl, but at the moment he just couldn't bring himself to care. ”Be quiet, Ms. Madison otherwise I'll be forced to resort to other means of compliance.” He wasn't trying to be mean, but it would sound that way. The escaped patients would always hate him, but he was just doing his job like any other person.

And he was good at it.

With his free hand, he adjusted his fedora, securing it on his head before lifting the small woman in his arms and placing her gently on the bed, one hand still over her mouth. ”Now. Are you going to behave? If so, I'll remove my hand.” No, she wasn't going to behave. They never did. In fact, he half expected her to bite him.

Sometimes he hated his job.

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[Ember Madison]

In the midst of her sudden, frantic panic attack she caught a glimpse of Carrion moving ever so quickly to her side. At that moment, her screams were cut off by something over her mouth. He had shut her up with his hand, but that didn't stop her from thrashing about in his grasp. No, it only caused her to jerk more violently. He was whispering something in her ear about "other means of compliance" and she did not want to know what those means were.

She felt herself being lifted into the air by him and placed gently on the bed, his hand still covering her mouth. Ember eventually stopped her thrashing about and went still. She steadied her breathing.
"”Now. Are you going to behave? If so, I'll remove my hand.” She waited and then slowly nodded.

She didn't really want to, but she knew he could force her to do anything he wanted, if he wanted. She began analyzing her options in her mind and found nothing that would be successful, not in this situation at least. Her brown eyes looked back toward him as she waited for him to remove his hand.

[Carrion Rogue]

Rogue slowly removed his hand from her mouth, poised to cover it once more if she so much as looked at him wrong. He was not going to fail this mission because of some loud-mouthed female.

So far so good, though. This seemed a hell of a lot easier than it should be. Then again, she wasnn't a high risk patient. But he never took any chances. Now that his hands were free, he reached around to his back and pulled a syringe out of a pouch. He had two, one to knock her out if she didn't comply, and one to mute her powers so she wouldn't be able to use them temporarily. Though he was pretty sure her talent wouldn't affect anything. He'd read up on her.

By use of her jade necklace, she could steal another person's appearance and parade as them. It wasn't a heavy power, especially compared to others of the Asylum, but again, he was a paranoid man.

”Good. Now. We can do this one of two ways. You can come with me of your own free will, or I can take you. Which will it be?”

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