(no subject)

[onceaviking]

They arrive back at Fangtasia just in time to intercept Bill Compton on his way to the bar itself, having spent the night in one of the guest coffins.

After a bit of staring, he falls in line after Eric and Pam.

They enter the main room and interrupts a slightly awkward tête-à-tête between Sookie and Alcide Herveaux. She seems a little flustered and he is looking at her with earnest, puppy dog eyes.
Something about being a good guy?

Whatever.

Eric completely ignores whatever is going on as he strides in, saying , "Good, you're here. Your truck out front?"
He just wants to get on with this.

He wants to see Russell suffer and he wants him to acknowledge his own suffering.
Everything else is just a distraction.

Alcide affirms, while Eric slips on a pair of latex gloves and detaches the detroned King from the stripper pole. He does pay attention to the exchange between Bill and Sookie, with Bill being gentlemanly and Sookie telling him off before rescinding her intpvitation to all vampires present and stalking out the door, pony tail bopping.

He spares a quick glance at the ponytail.
And the ass.

And then he turns his attention back to flaky, charred Russel, telling him to get up.
"I do not take orders from anybody," Russell rasps and Eric tightens his hold on the chains.
"Suit yourself," he replies and pulls, dragging Russell after him across the floor, right past where Alcide and Bill are glaring daggers at each other, prompted by Sookie's departure.

Without sparing them as much as a look, he passes them, saying, "If you two are finished eye-fucking each other, can we go?" Leaving a trail of charred vampire behind him.

Comments

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam is done. No, really, she's just about done with everything.

Namely Russell, but also Sookie, and Bill, and oh look, now here's the werewolf. Goddamn, the posturing between him and Bill is laughable, except Pam is not inclined to laugh today.

Eric drags Russell toward the door by the chains wrapped tightly around his neck. He sputters and coughs and protests, as bits of him flake off and fall off along the way.

She'll get Ginger to sweep up when she comes in later.

"Eric, do not bring that thing back inside this bar," she calls after them.

Because she is done.


Thoughout all this, nobody noticed when Bill loitered behind the bar and slipped a pair of blue latex gloves into his pocket.

And now, he and Alcide follow Eric and the roasted ex-king out the door.

[onceaviking]

Eric doesn't answer that.
As far as he is concerned, everything about Russell ends in less than an hour.

He walks out the door, smiling a little at the surprised sound of pain, as Russell is dragged down the steps outside the door.
The sound of his head hitting the steps is especially pleasing.

There's a little delay as Bill and Alice circles each other before getting in the truck.
Making Eric moan and roll his eyes.

But finally they're off.

The trip takes about half an hour and when they're finally there, it is doubtful whether Alcide will ever be able to get the smell out.

The construction site is empty. And the concrete mixer is at the ready.

[dobadthings]

Bill surveys the construction site.

"Gotta give you credit, Eric," he says, as they make their way over to the concrete mixer. "This is pretty ingenious."

They stand at the edge of the empty foundations for a building. They're essentially square pits in the ground several feet deep, the perfect size and depth for burying things that you don't ever want found.

"Shall we begin?"

[onceaviking]

Alcide is demonstratively staying behind in the car.
On the last stretch of the trip Russell had begun blabbering about werewolves and it had been so easy to tell that the were hated hearing about the degradation of his fellow wolves.
Eric might have encouraged Russell.
A bit.

Eric surveys the area and nods.
"Yes," he says. "This will do nicely."

He yanks on the chain, pulling Russell close, so he can loop the long length of chain even more firmly around his neck.

Russell wheezes, his eyes bright white and blue against the blackness of his flaked skin. "I will give you -" he rasps and then Eric unceremoniously shoves him into the nearest and deepest pit.

There's already a nice, cushy layer of concrete at the bottom, and Russell hits it with a faint oomph that turns into a litany of rage and ancient insults.
But he quickly grows quiet again.


"We're done now, right?" Alcide calls out from his truck.
"My dad's out of debt, you leave him and my family alone."

Eric nods and the were drives off, presumably happy to get out of there.
Eric couldn't care less. Just like he hardly notices Bill next to him.

He'd talked with Pam about really getting a chance to rub it in, that Sookie had finally kicked his ass to the curb. But it doesn't really matter now.
And besides, she'll likely calm down and invite Bill back in.
And Eric too perhaps?
But those are thoughts for later.

For now -

He looks at Bill and nods.
Time to bury the Ex-King.

[dobadthings]

Bill observes everything quietly. Says nothing when Eric dumps Russell's charred body into the pit. Nothing as Russell starts cursing up a storm, sometimes in an ancient language he can't understand. Nothing when Alcide leaves them be.

And frankly, that's what Bill was hoping for, that it would only be him and Eric left.

Because he's staring to see what might look like a good opportunity.

Eric nods at him. And Bill passes over to him the controls to the mixer, and then he adjusts the funnel, making sure that it's positioned directly over Russell.

[onceaviking]

He pushes the button and the cement comes gushing out, hitting Russell squarely in the chest.

Grey and wet and heavy. Like the thoughts of giants.
He mentally gives himself a little shake.

Focus!

"Just kill me, Viking!" Russell yells. "Take your fucking revenge!"
Nobody's clever when they are slowly drowning in liquid stone.

Eric opens his mouth and is surprised when his voice is steady. Calm. "That was the original plan. Then I was thinking, how do I know beyond a shadow of a doubt you won't find any sort of peace afterwards?"

Then Godric puts doubts in my mind.

Russell wheezes a laugh, but Eric doesn't hear his amused comment.

All he hears is a soft voice, saying "Everyone deserves peace, Eric."
In Swedish.

He tries to drown it out by raising his own voice a little, as he says, "I can't bear the thought of you finding any redemption whatsoever," to Russell.
But he can feel the small tremble return. The one deep inside. The one that makes him feel like he is slowly coming apart.

[dobadthings]

Bill watches Russell sputter and choke under the deluge of concrete.

(It seems so easy. He just needs to wait for the right moment.)

He looks over at Eric, who seems to be relishing all of this. And Bill can't blame him.

"Wrapped in silver, encased in concrete," he says, smirking down at Russell struggling feebly in the pit. "You won't be going anywhere for at least a hundred years."

[onceaviking]

"A hundred years? That's nothing to me! That's a nap!" Russell snarls, but it is not his most convincing snarl.

The concrete is slowly beginning to cover him.

"That's one hundred years with no escape from your grief," Eric says, plunging the metaphorical knife deep. And twisting it. "No escape from knowing I took what you love most, and you will never get it back."

This is fitting. This is what they deserve, his family. Now he is doing what he should have done then. Bringing pain to the one who hurt them.

[dobadthings]

"A hundred years during which you will go mad," Bill joins in. "Madder even than you are now. And you are as mad as a fucking hatter!"

This is almost kind of fun.

[onceaviking]

Russell's comeback is a strained, "A hundred years for me to plan exactly how I'm gonna kill you both!"

Eric looks down at the dethroned King's contorted face. "Have fun," he says.
And then he looks up.

And he is there.

Godric.

On the other side of the pit.

Just standing there.


He is still dressed in white, like when he - like when Eric saw him last. And he is glowing. So pale as to be almost luminescent. So bright it hurts to look at him.

And then he speaks. And makes everything hurt worse.

You make me bleed, my child Godric says and he sounds so sad and so disappointed.
So much hatred, and it hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, and Eric says, "This is who I am, Godric," his voice increasing in volume as if sound alone could drown out both the words and how they are making him feel, till he is shouting, "This is what you made!"

Fists clenched, shoulders up around his ears.

"See, now, see?" Russell croaks from deep in the pit. "He is the one who is mad. Speaking to phantoms!"

[dobadthings]

Eric is suddenly shouting at nothing but thin air.

...Okay.

Bill eyes him with uncertainty. Is he going to go batshit on him now or what? But he quickly thinks back to the moment Eric was revived after being burned in the sun -- he said that he had seen Godric, and everyone thought he was insane. Maybe he really is.

He's seeing Godric now, right this instant. And it's distracting him. Making him crack.

Bill says nothing about it.

He looks down at Russell again.

"All I can see," he says imperiously, "is how utterly powerless you are knowing that you're about to be buried alive. And honestly, it's a thing of great beauty."

[onceaviking]

Russell's laughter is high-pitched and unhinged as it drifts up from the pit.
"You will regret this," he sputters and Eric tears his eyes away from the glowing vision and stares down at Russell instead.

"Maybe," he says, a little hollowly. "But right now, it feels fucking good."
Telling Russell.
Telling himself.

Telling Godric.

[dobadthings]

Russell gurgles as the concrete covers his face. He reaches a charred hand up through the thick gloop, fingers outstretched in vain, grabbing at nothing. And finally, finally, he is buried. The only movement in the pit comes from the last of the air bubbles bursting as the concrete settles.

There is a sense of finality. Of satisfaction.

Bill sees now how this was a very good plan indeed.

So he turns to Eric, and offers a hand to shake.

[onceaviking]

Eric seems a little taken aback by this,

He feels numb, not elated. And he is purposefully not looking across the pit. In case Godric is still there.
In case he isn't.

He takes the offered hand.

[dobadthings]

Bill firmly grasps Eric's hand in his, seemingly in solidarity.

But then with his other hand, he slaps something to the back of Eric's hand and clasps tight. It burns him.

For all this time, Bill had been using a latex glove to grasp a pair of silver handcuffs tucked into his jeans pocket.

[onceaviking]

Eric stares down as the pain courses through his skin and flesh and bones, merging with the pain already there, deep within him.

Like a soundless explosion.

He'd looked up, just before Bill offered him his hand.
He'd seen his Maker turn away. From him,


Perhaps that's why this is happening.

His lips pulls back in pain, but his fangs stay sheathed.

[dobadthings]

Bill looks almost apologetic, except not, as the silver burns away at Eric's wrist.

"When fate presents one with such a grand opportunity," he tells him pragmatically, "what else is one to do?"

He snatches Eric's cell phone out of his pocket before shoving him into the empty pit next to Russell's. Moving quickly, he drags the concrete mixer's funnel over, redirecting the flow of liquid stone into the pit -- and onto Eric.

[onceaviking]

you make me bleed, child

Perhaps, this is what happens then?
He told the tuft-haired shipbuilder that he did not believe in fate. And he does not. That he did not believe in the gods. And he does not.

But now that Russell is getting his punishment - perhaps what tied him to the world is gone?

The concrete hits his body, pushing him down.

He should launch himself at Bill Compton. Push the silver handcuff at his stupid face.
Drink him.

But he can't move.

There's nothing in the world but the growing weight of the concrete enveloping him and Godric's voice.

you make me bleed,child

[dobadthings]

As the concrete gushes over Eric's prone body, it's difficult for Bill to not stop and stare and appreciate the fact that he's finally bested him.

It's for Sookie's own good.

He scrolls through the names on Eric's phone, looking for his top assassin. He dials the number.

"This is Ruben," comes the answer.

"It's Northman," Bill replies, mimicking Eric's voice in the way only a vampire with this ability can. "I want you to find my progeny, Pam, and kill her. Now."

He hangs up.

He looks down into the pit one last time. It'll be strange not having an adversary like Eric around, but it just makes things easier now with him out of the way.

Yes. So much easier.

With vampire speed, he takes off into the night, heading for Sookie's house, and leaving the concrete mixer to empty its contents into the pit.