Read Online Last Rites by Kim Paffenroth - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kim Paffenroth
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Lucy saw a gate in a tall fence that stretched across the shore at the end of the dock. Another man with a gun was there.
“Whatcha got, CJ?” the new guy asked.
“Coupla dead fucks,” CJ replied. “Two hill people back on the boat. There’ll be an ambulance here for them soon. The girl’s sick, but she’s not bitten. I checked her.”
“Okay,” the guard said as he looked Lucy over. “These things good for anything, or is it time to pop ‘em?”
“Oh, this one’s a pistol.” CJ laughed as he slapped the back of Lucy’s head, then grabbed a handful of hair and yanked. It didn’t really hurt, but it pulled the kerchief back. Lucy didn’t like that at all.
She roared and whipped herself around so violently the man holding the pole couldn’t keep her still. She batted at CJ’s hand with her manacled arms and lunged for him. He stepped back, still laughing, and the man holding her tried to plant his feet and get enough leverage to wrestle her away from him.
The guard from the gate shoved a black rod with two metal prongs into her stomach and she felt something bad through her whole body. Her muscles didn’t obey and she fell to her knees, twitching, her jaws clenched so tightly she thought her teeth would shatter. She spasmed for a few seconds before she could hear and understand what was going on around her again. All the men were howling with laughter, and it filled her with such fury she was able to force herself back to her feet. Lucy straightened the kerchief as she glared at CJ.
“See?” CJ said. “Gal’s a piece of work! Look at that! Eight-thousand volts and she’s right back on her damn feet! She’s one for the patrols, for sure. Keep our city safe, this one will!” They laughed some more.
“The other one?” the guard from the gate asked.
“Don’t know. Their owner said they were smart. He looks kinda scrawny.” Pause. “What do you think?”
Lucy kept her eye on CJ, but at the edge of her vision she saw the guard move toward Truman. “I know a guy over at the Dead End,” he said. “He’s always asking me to send him some more smart ones, if we find any. You know how kids like that shit.”
“Oh yeah, my kids love that—dead people doing tricks and shit. He pay you for that?”
“Sure, CJ. You’ll get some. Don’t worry. Just look for Doctor Jack.”
“Good. Terry—you and Bart take him over there. We’ll haul gorgeous here over to the City Patrol camp.”
Lucy heard Truman wail. This time she could hear the zapping sound as the guard hit him with the same thing he’d used on her. Lucy tried to turn and lunge at him, but her limbs were stiff and unresponsive, and she immediately felt CJ kicking her legs out from under her. He followed up with a savage kick to her kidneys, as he and the man holding the pole shoved her face into the ground. CJ dropped his knee onto her spine.
The cold metal of the automatic jabbed into the back of her skull. CJ leaned down till he was panting in her ear. “You just don’t know when to stop, do you, you fucking cunt?” he whispered. “Now darlin’, I think you know what I’m saying. So I’m gonna do you a favor I’ve never done for a dead fucker before. I’m gonna explain things to you. City Patrol loves tough, smart things like you. Pays good money for ‘em. So I’ll have second thoughts before I put your brains all over the fucking ground here. But your boyfriend? You two seem kinda fond of each other, as sick as that sounds. So some carnies wanna pay something for him, and I got to split it with these other guys? That’s not so much money. So Terry or Bart aren’t gonna feel so bad if they have to shoot him. You think about that before you act up again.”
She scraped her nose and cheek across the pavement as she turned her head to see Truman. They were hauling him back to his feet. He looked limp, but his gaze was on Lucy, his hands stretched toward her.
CJ sat up, the gun barrel still pressed against Lucy’s
“Whatcha got, CJ?” the new guy asked.
“Coupla dead fucks,” CJ replied. “Two hill people back on the boat. There’ll be an ambulance here for them soon. The girl’s sick, but she’s not bitten. I checked her.”
“Okay,” the guard said as he looked Lucy over. “These things good for anything, or is it time to pop ‘em?”
“Oh, this one’s a pistol.” CJ laughed as he slapped the back of Lucy’s head, then grabbed a handful of hair and yanked. It didn’t really hurt, but it pulled the kerchief back. Lucy didn’t like that at all.
She roared and whipped herself around so violently the man holding the pole couldn’t keep her still. She batted at CJ’s hand with her manacled arms and lunged for him. He stepped back, still laughing, and the man holding her tried to plant his feet and get enough leverage to wrestle her away from him.
The guard from the gate shoved a black rod with two metal prongs into her stomach and she felt something bad through her whole body. Her muscles didn’t obey and she fell to her knees, twitching, her jaws clenched so tightly she thought her teeth would shatter. She spasmed for a few seconds before she could hear and understand what was going on around her again. All the men were howling with laughter, and it filled her with such fury she was able to force herself back to her feet. Lucy straightened the kerchief as she glared at CJ.
“See?” CJ said. “Gal’s a piece of work! Look at that! Eight-thousand volts and she’s right back on her damn feet! She’s one for the patrols, for sure. Keep our city safe, this one will!” They laughed some more.
“The other one?” the guard from the gate asked.
“Don’t know. Their owner said they were smart. He looks kinda scrawny.” Pause. “What do you think?”
Lucy kept her eye on CJ, but at the edge of her vision she saw the guard move toward Truman. “I know a guy over at the Dead End,” he said. “He’s always asking me to send him some more smart ones, if we find any. You know how kids like that shit.”
“Oh yeah, my kids love that—dead people doing tricks and shit. He pay you for that?”
“Sure, CJ. You’ll get some. Don’t worry. Just look for Doctor Jack.”
“Good. Terry—you and Bart take him over there. We’ll haul gorgeous here over to the City Patrol camp.”
Lucy heard Truman wail. This time she could hear the zapping sound as the guard hit him with the same thing he’d used on her. Lucy tried to turn and lunge at him, but her limbs were stiff and unresponsive, and she immediately felt CJ kicking her legs out from under her. He followed up with a savage kick to her kidneys, as he and the man holding the pole shoved her face into the ground. CJ dropped his knee onto her spine.
The cold metal of the automatic jabbed into the back of her skull. CJ leaned down till he was panting in her ear. “You just don’t know when to stop, do you, you fucking cunt?” he whispered. “Now darlin’, I think you know what I’m saying. So I’m gonna do you a favor I’ve never done for a dead fucker before. I’m gonna explain things to you. City Patrol loves tough, smart things like you. Pays good money for ‘em. So I’ll have second thoughts before I put your brains all over the fucking ground here. But your boyfriend? You two seem kinda fond of each other, as sick as that sounds. So some carnies wanna pay something for him, and I got to split it with these other guys? That’s not so much money. So Terry or Bart aren’t gonna feel so bad if they have to shoot him. You think about that before you act up again.”
She scraped her nose and cheek across the pavement as she turned her head to see Truman. They were hauling him back to his feet. He looked limp, but his gaze was on Lucy, his hands stretched toward her.
CJ sat up, the gun barrel still pressed against Lucy’s
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