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Authors: Tim Marquitz
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visible off to
both sides. Those to the right were a little further off and would have
required a full out sprint to get to them before we walked onto the street. If
our follower had given me the sense he was a pro, I’d have chosen the ones
further away, but this felt purely amateur so I stuck to the left side of the
street and loosened my jacket. I wanted free access to my guns in case I needed
them. My magic was roiling around inside, but I was still worn down from the
trip. If I needed to, I could pull some out, but it only took a muscle twitch
to pull a trigger.
Longinus followed me down the street in brooding
silence, trusting I knew what I was doing. We’d both find out soon enough. The
first of the alleys came up quickly, and I just kept walking. A furtive, sideways
glance told me I’d been right. An orange- ish shape
crouched low, just a few yards into the alley, mostly hidden behind a pile of
rubble. If this world hadn’t been so dull in comparison to its people, I might
have missed the freak, but it’s hard to not notice a Halloween mask amidst the
somber gray of wreckage. I kept going, making him think he was safe. As soon as
we cleared the corner and were out of sight, I tapped Longinus on the arm and
darted back into the alley at full speed. The ex-AC thundered behind me.
There was a gasp as the alien realized we’d
caught him, and he scrambled to get out of the debris. He tripped and went down
face first with a grunt. I was on him a split second later with my gun pressed
into the back of his skull. A quick flip rolled him over to face me, and I was
struck once more by my questionable ability to distinguish gender as a pair of small
boobs appeared to stand out under her shirt. He was a she, and a scrawny she at
that. Had I been fishing, I would have to throw her back.
Her face was longer than the other aliens
I’d seen, the striping less apparent, subtler amidst the soft orange. There was
a delicate, almost mousey look to her features. She couldn’t have weighed more
than eighty pounds, skin and bone layered in loose, nondescript clothing. The
alien caught her breath and glared first at the barrel of the gun, and then her
dark eyes shifted to me. She had a spine, this one.
“Who are you and why are you following us?”
“Are you here for the alien?” she countered,
her voice nasally and proper through the translator.
That got my attention. “You’re all aliens.”
“Only to you.”
“Tell us who you’re talking about, girl,”
Longinus barked at her. Spittle peppered my shoulder and I did my best to
ignore it.
“Let me up first.”
I eased back but didn’t lower my gun,
letting her move to a seated position. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Tell us.”
She nodded, the snarl on her face going
from full burn to simmer. “The stranger: the one draining Desboren of its
magic. Is that who you seek?”
That sounded as likely a candidate for
Gorath as any. “Yes, he’s who we’re after.” Longinus grunted an affirmative beside
me.
The girl crawled to her feet, dusting her
knees. A delicate smile graced her lips. “Then I have someone you must meet.”
She took a half step backward and pointed at my gun. “Now, if you don’t mind.”
I shrugged and slipped the pistol back in
its holster. The girl had stubby little legs compared to the out of proportion length
of her arms and torso. She might swing like Tarzan, but with no trees around she
damn well wasn’t gonna be outrunning anyone. “Lead the way, young lady.”
She snorked and
walked off down the alley.
“She is most likely leading us into an
ambush,” Longinus whispered as he came alongside me.
“Probably, but seeing what you were looking
to do to Jojo back there, do you really mind?”
The traces of a grin brightened his face,
and he started off after the girl without answering. I shook my head and
followed, wiping at my sleeve. As lousy as it was, we were stuck waiting on
Jesus’ boy to get the official line on where
both sides. Those to the right were a little further off and would have
required a full out sprint to get to them before we walked onto the street. If
our follower had given me the sense he was a pro, I’d have chosen the ones
further away, but this felt purely amateur so I stuck to the left side of the
street and loosened my jacket. I wanted free access to my guns in case I needed
them. My magic was roiling around inside, but I was still worn down from the
trip. If I needed to, I could pull some out, but it only took a muscle twitch
to pull a trigger.
Longinus followed me down the street in brooding
silence, trusting I knew what I was doing. We’d both find out soon enough. The
first of the alleys came up quickly, and I just kept walking. A furtive, sideways
glance told me I’d been right. An orange- ish shape
crouched low, just a few yards into the alley, mostly hidden behind a pile of
rubble. If this world hadn’t been so dull in comparison to its people, I might
have missed the freak, but it’s hard to not notice a Halloween mask amidst the
somber gray of wreckage. I kept going, making him think he was safe. As soon as
we cleared the corner and were out of sight, I tapped Longinus on the arm and
darted back into the alley at full speed. The ex-AC thundered behind me.
There was a gasp as the alien realized we’d
caught him, and he scrambled to get out of the debris. He tripped and went down
face first with a grunt. I was on him a split second later with my gun pressed
into the back of his skull. A quick flip rolled him over to face me, and I was
struck once more by my questionable ability to distinguish gender as a pair of small
boobs appeared to stand out under her shirt. He was a she, and a scrawny she at
that. Had I been fishing, I would have to throw her back.
Her face was longer than the other aliens
I’d seen, the striping less apparent, subtler amidst the soft orange. There was
a delicate, almost mousey look to her features. She couldn’t have weighed more
than eighty pounds, skin and bone layered in loose, nondescript clothing. The
alien caught her breath and glared first at the barrel of the gun, and then her
dark eyes shifted to me. She had a spine, this one.
“Who are you and why are you following us?”
“Are you here for the alien?” she countered,
her voice nasally and proper through the translator.
That got my attention. “You’re all aliens.”
“Only to you.”
“Tell us who you’re talking about, girl,”
Longinus barked at her. Spittle peppered my shoulder and I did my best to
ignore it.
“Let me up first.”
I eased back but didn’t lower my gun,
letting her move to a seated position. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Tell us.”
She nodded, the snarl on her face going
from full burn to simmer. “The stranger: the one draining Desboren of its
magic. Is that who you seek?”
That sounded as likely a candidate for
Gorath as any. “Yes, he’s who we’re after.” Longinus grunted an affirmative beside
me.
The girl crawled to her feet, dusting her
knees. A delicate smile graced her lips. “Then I have someone you must meet.”
She took a half step backward and pointed at my gun. “Now, if you don’t mind.”
I shrugged and slipped the pistol back in
its holster. The girl had stubby little legs compared to the out of proportion length
of her arms and torso. She might swing like Tarzan, but with no trees around she
damn well wasn’t gonna be outrunning anyone. “Lead the way, young lady.”
She snorked and
walked off down the alley.
“She is most likely leading us into an
ambush,” Longinus whispered as he came alongside me.
“Probably, but seeing what you were looking
to do to Jojo back there, do you really mind?”
The traces of a grin brightened his face,
and he started off after the girl without answering. I shook my head and
followed, wiping at my sleeve. As lousy as it was, we were stuck waiting on
Jesus’ boy to get the official line on where
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