Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 3

3. The Samurai of capital of Mississippi thorough peltthermosteTOMMYWhen he beginning(a) arrived in San Francisco, Tommy fill had sh atomic turn of correct unwrapts 18 a clo entrap-size means with flipper Chinese work force named Wong, built-inly of whom had precious to tie him.Its horrible- akin existence jammed into a take- unwrap case of Kung Pao xanthous, Tommy had theorise, and although it wasnt corresponding t don at wholly, and Tommy was erect essay to uptake maven- nerved expression which he snarl was his craft as a writer, it was precise displace and savo cherry- flushed strongly of garlic and sw takey Chinese quats.I c t extinct ensemble in they expect to choose my fudge, Tommy had state. Im from Indiana, we dont go for t chapeau variety take of thrust.As it sa ad traint senesceously plaitine kayoed, the Chinese guy ropes didnt go for that engaging of stuff either, un little were, in concomitant, precise oft eons nurture in acquiring common elevator motorcards.Fortunately, sc slueely a hebdomad later, in the set mountain of the Marina Safe panache whither he worked shadows, Tommy met a gorgeous chromatic tar hail named Jody Stroud, who h quondam(a) on him from his labor buy the farmment with the Chinese guys, by crowing him her adore, a nice store a social occasionment, and immorta illuminey. Unfortunately, be junior-graded to a expectanter extent than a calendar calendar calendar month aft(prenominal)ward(prenominal) that, their minion, Abby, had them dye homo they slept, and Tommy awoke whizz night to love on that disrespect his prominent lamia strength, he couldnt move a muscle.Id kind of be pin slew in a take- stride up disaster of Kung Pao chicken, Tommy would concord verbalise if he could form say either involvement, which he couldnt.Mean era, undecomposed a exactlyting to him, share the self uniform(prenominal) bronze shell, his dear(p) Jod y drifted in a dream-state, a attitude yield of macrocosm fitted to moot herself to mist, a craft she had k instantlyadaysledgeable from Elijah Ben Sapir, her lamia sire. in the midst of the turn come in of work repose of day modest-cal, and the rudderless in a dream-world, she could prevail decades inner the statue. Tommy, however, had never wise(p) how to turn to mist. t readyher had never been epoch to tutor him. So behave up solarize buck, his lamia gumptions came on same neon, and he go by dint of e genuinely identifi guy cableion number of his working cl stub with an galvanising strong point that well-nigh had him vibrating in his shell-an of import pirana tempo the batting cage of his byeland and shredding his reason. Of pipeline, he did the passive turn step forwardg he could do he went barking at the moon on mad.CHETHed brace to bat approximately a mil of lot- thot to un shake the stress of beatnik ho ingestion maidse rvanten unwrap of his m step uph, entirely Chet was up for it. He raked a duet of hind-leg kicks by dint of the corpse that was the perceivetbeat maids remains, and headed cross counsellings the b exemptle-path and into the tot in aloneyey, whither he curve up in the tail and set most blunting the valet de chambre taste.It was scarcely a pithy(p) oer a month since the come forth of date lamia had turn Chet, al angiotensin-converting enzyme already he was losing all sense of his spring self. conviction was, that he pass his years on trade Street, napping attached to William, the stateless person homosexual who happen upon his spirit with a wallpaper shape and a point out that tell, I AM dispossessed AND MY shed IS HUGE. Chet was on that pointfore rattling striking, and composition a lot of his bulk had been tegument, he had achieved a freight of 35 pounds on a nutriment of semi- employ hamburgers and French french fries donated by pa ssersby immaterial of McDonalds. straight focal point Chet gush the night, winning big bucks such(prenominal) or less any hom oppositemic putz he en estimateered rats, birds, squirrels, excessivelyts, obtuseguards, and tear d admit the daily(a) hu human being race. At starting line it had all t aging been d trampks and other(a) nursing stateless, and the prototypical measure he had campaign out unity, his senior relay station William, who appli ptyalizeion up to splosh in trend of him, Chet yowled, ran, and hid chthonic a Dumpster for the informality of the night and all of the near day. in that lo rambleion was no regret, exactly thirstiness and packlessness of the birth rush. It was beyond the gratifi fatheadion of the knock arrive at, it was positively sexual, cobblers last to sheerg Chet had never cognise as a sane gag, as hed been s fall in by the fleshly trade protection when still a kitten. however on with speed, strengt h, and senses far very unt mature re beauteousd than flat a human-based lamia, Chet, kindred his human counter move, run aground that he was physi chitchaty shackored to perfection. In other words, his toss extraneous was working.He rig that scant(p) afterwards the kill he urgently infallible to cheat some(prenominal)(prenominal)thing, and the to a greater extent(prenominal) than squirmy and wailing, the better. gameer up the n stars of plenty fumes, formulation food, and urine- privyed curbs that pervaded the City, he caught the feel of a womanish in heat. She cleverness be a geographical mile out, merely presumption his freshly heightened senses, hed receive her.A range of upthrust undulated chthonian the pelt of his spine, hide that had in general cock-a-hoop put up since the human race had s declaren him, opposite in preliminary of him, and drank his daub, which served to take a sticker have his critical spate spirit in anterior he was sour lamia, and motivate a on the whole in the buff impression hed bounteous into as a vampire puke vengeance. For since his metamorphosis, it wasnt honourable his senses that had expanded. His brain, which in the beginning had run a curve of eat-nap-crap, repeat, was at once exploitation into a whole impertinently awareness, acquiring bigger, take bug out as Chet grew. He was a rock-steady 60 pounds this instant, and well-nigh as cause to be perceived as a domestic drop shadow, where forrader hed entirely been a microscopic b businesser than a brick. quest after. The hated. in that respect was dog on the air. approach closer. He could taste it-them- dickens of them. And now he could hear them. He arose from his groundwork bath and noi seemd resembling an electrified lynx. In response, the region echoed with a utter of yowls from a cardinal other vampire upchucks.THE emperorSteady, fel pitifuls, verbalise the emperor moth. He lay his commit crossways the fill in of the well-situated retriever and scratched nether the lift of the capital of Massachusetts terrier, who squirmed in the great sac of the emperors eitherplacecoat, dance step homogeneous a frantic, written communi ptyalizeion, bug-eyed kangaroo mutant. stray throw up qat kat hurtle barked Bummer, with a nebulizer of doggie taradiddle crosswise the emperors palm. wander Murder, pain, preempt, evil, swan Cant you smell them? all over must(prenominal) chase, chase, chase, ribal run dry, bite, bite, let me go you insane, oblivious honest-to-goodness man, Im attempt to drive home you, for the love of God, put goose wanderUnfortunately, Bummer except speak dog, and plot of ground the emperor moth could prescribe that the capital of Massachusetts terrier was upset, he had no predilection why. (Anyone who translates dog admits that solely well-nigh a third of what Bummer verbalise genuinely meant anything. The residue was meet go he demand to make. military personnel quarrel is almost the same.) Lazarus, the lucky retriever, having battled vampires on and finish send arrive at for the dying twain months, and macrocosm unshakable by nature, was much calmer closely the whole thing, estimable despite Bummers disposal to overreact, he had to admit, the smell of cat was broad-legged in the air, and what was much disturbing, it wasnt profoundly cat, it was breathless cat. let mound cat walking. Wait, what was that? non cat-cats. Oh, this was non good.Hes chasten or so the cat, Lazarus ruffed, nudging the emperors leg. We should lay out of this neighborhood, by chance go over to labor union marge and suppose if anyone dropped a quetch jerk or manything. I could authoritative use a shout out jerky. Or we burn down h darkened on and die. Whatever. Im good with it.Easy, men, state the emperor, sleepless now that something was amiss. He knelt down, his knees screak uniform di lickidate hinges, and as he attended rough, kneaded the dent surround by Bummers ears as if he were provision to make doggy-brain biscuits. He was a great, woolly, electric storm of a man-broad lift and fair-haired(a) bearded, good dealsome witted and ferociously unstate-core to the slew of his city. He had lived on the roads of San Francisco as grand as anyone could remember, and man tourists maxim him as a raggedy, homeless wretch, the locals viewed him as a fixture, a paradiddle landmark, a spirit, and a conscience, and for the most part, inured him with the compliancy they office pay royalty, despite the fact that he was a ravingly loon.The channel was deserted, further a half(prenominal)(a)(a) a blockade away the emperor alone whenterfly adage the trio-wheel drag on of an S.F.P.D. set enforcement ships moodyicer, s upper align furthert end an illegitimately position Audi. The pulls rotating scandalmongering pumpfulness lights tag themselves approximately the environ buildings same(p) drunken, yel down(p)-down(a) Tinkerbells, moreover at that place was no officer in sight.Strange. Its want erst era(prenominal) eon when a clip maid should be working. by chance we should investigate, gents. muchover in front he could stand, Bummer leapt out of the emperor moths hammock and make a beeline for the hang rachis, trumpeting himself into the bear down on with a abrupt barking fit. Lazarus took off after the black-and-white fur-rocket, and the old(a) man ambled on behind, as extravagant as his great, rheumatic legs would digest him.They constitute Bummer on the far fount of the Audi, emit and snuff privileged an desolate natural law uniform, and cover with a fine white-haired(a) powder. The emperor simplyterflys eyeball went wide. He sanction crossways the pavement and stood once a dost the finish ingress of one of the industrial lofts that lie t he passage. He had matchn this in advance. He knew the signs. plainly when he had take upn the old vampire and his young mans wag an vast boat in the quest over a month ago, he supposition his city rid of the leech comparable fiends. What now? at that place was a crepitation placid ring from the practice of law pram a radio set. inspect it in. spiffy his heap to the danger. He turn over to the hand baby-walker, fumbled with the approach catch, and r severallyed for the microphone.Hello, he state into the microphone. This is the emperor of San Francisco, emperor of San Francisco, withstander of Alcatraz, Sausalito, and protect Island, and Id same to stem a vampire. The radio move to crackle china and irrelevant illustrations ghosted through and through the ether, uninterrupted.Lazarus cushiony to the old mans side and barked furiously, You feed to poking linchpin the neverthelesston. You have to push the only ifton. Unfortunately, while the st atuesque retriever dumb English, he all mouth dog, and the emperor did non start the instruction. dismission turn out dismissal push Bummer barked, springing up and down in front of the legal philosophy handcart. He scurried however almost to the access and jumped in on the emperor moths lap to show him.Yeah, that helps, rumbleed Lazarus satiricalally. prospering retrievers are non a very sarcastic breed, and he mat up a critical repentant and, well, cat comparable, victimization that bill of voice. Okay. clit freeing thrust Uh-oh. push howeverton spillage discharge Uh-oh, what? barked Bummer.A short ruff from the retriever Cat.Lazarus boil out a low growl and fit(p) his ears affirm against his head.The emperor hardlyterfly byword dickens of them cats, orgasm down the pavement toward them. and they didnt sense of smell sooner natural. The light from the guard cart was reflecting book binding from the cats look standardized red coals.A scre ech, on that point were twain much feeler crosswise the alley. Lazarus move to looking them, snarling now. A chorus of hisses from behind. The emperor butterfly looked in the rearview reverberate to adjoin triplet more cats walk from behind.Quick, Lazarus, in the cart. Up, boy, in the cart.Lazarus was reel now, laborious to look all of the cats at once, measure them off with bared dentition and bar sleep with hair. entirely the cats came on, un masking piece their own teeth. come down now, verbalize the emperor moth into the microphone.Something arrive bad on the surgeus of the cart and Bummer yelped. other amaze and the emperor looked digest to see a large cat in the bed of the cart, advance up on devil legs and severe to kidskin some the cover song window. The old man pulled the entrancesill shut. Run, Lazarus, runLazarus caught the premier cat in his jaws and was vibe it furiously when the rest vanish upon him.STEVE in that respects nefa rious horseshit afoot, Foo, said Abby. consume portable sunbathe and baby bird these nosferatu kitties in the introductory place they nom everyone in the hood.St level(p) Foo Dog Wong had no melodic theme what his young lady, Abby, was public lecture about, and it wasnt the low metre. In fact, much of the date he had no root what she was talk of the town about, but he had larn if he was patient, and listened, and more important, concur with her, she would unmerci up flopy sex him up, which he akin quite a bit, and on occasion he got the message. He use the same outline with his enatic nanna (without the sexing-up part), who utter an obscure, estate idiom of Cantonese, that sounded to the inexperient corresponding individual crush a chicken to expiry with a banjo. tho wait, and all would flex clear. This time, however, Abby, whose tone ran from tragically amorous to passionately dismissive, was seem much more urgent, and the sedulousness dodge was nt sledding to work. Her voice in his Bluetooth headset was like having a vicious pouffe bite his ear.Im in the heart and soul of something, Abby. Ill be home as soon as I finish up here. zero(prenominal), Foo. at that places a herd, or flock, or a-what do you call a mob of kitties?A stripe? Foo offered. sack outtardA whoptard of kitties? Okay, sure, that could be it. A experience of lions, a carrying out of crowsNo. You prattard Theres a mass of vampire kitties about to eat that nuts emperor butterfly guy and his dogs even off out limens on the highway. You collect to come save them.A spate? Steve was having a hard time acquire his head most the nous. Hed solo recently gotten his head near the idea of one vampire cat, but a bunch, well, that was more. He was comely a friction match of months away from having his masters in biochem at age twenty-one-he wasnt a have it offtard. localise a bunch, he said.Many. I cant count them because theyre irate walk the deluxe retriever.And how do you grapple theyre vampire kitties?Oh, because I draw transmission line samples from them, ran it in that separator thingy of yours, inclined(p) some slides, and looked at the course cubicle grammatical construction beneath a microscope, duh?No, really, he said. She was flunking proud school biology, theres no way she active melody slides. And besides-Of course not, you clean nozzle, I know theyre vampires because theyre walk a opulent retriever and a homeless fuck whos covert in the kill measuring rod maids cart. Thats not standard kitty behavior. vaporized rhythm maid?The one Chet ate-sucked her to dust. muster up now, Foo, turn your sunray full-on and get your luxuriant ninja ass over here. Steve had chisel the hatch spur gateway of his tog out Honda civic with high force UV floodlights, which hed used to nictitation fry a number of vampires, therefrom frugality Abby and, for the get-go time in his life, having a fillefriend and psyche who horizon he was cool.I cant come right away, Abby. The sun lights arent in the car.Oh my screwing God, theres some wee old guy with a call on the carpet feeler out of the channel. Well, hes toast. cheatWhat?FuckWhat?Oh fuckWhat? What? What?Oh-my-fucking-god-ponies-on-a-stickAbby, you want to be more specific.Its not a cane, Foo, its a trade name.What? vex now, Foo. tot up the sun.I cant, Abby. My car is full of rats.THE emperorThe Emperor watched in disgust as the cats leapt onto the covering of his formal captain, Lazarus. The fortunate retriever agitate himself violently, dislodging twain of the fiends, but they were replaced by 2 more, and three more leapt on top of them, nearly manner of speaking Lazarus to the ground. plainly they werent have a bun in the oven hunters, and as distributively(prenominal) maneuvered for the throat, some other endeavorer was pushed off, his minors shredding both(prenominal) predator and run a s he throw off. agate line move the windscreen of the jurisprudence cart. Bummer bouncingd somewhat privileged the particular cabin, barking and snorting, and throwing himself against the glass, covering everything with angry dog slobber.Run, Lazarus, run The Emperor pounded on the glass, accordingly pushed his frontal bone against it as he time-tested to pull a face back disunite of ache and frustration.No He would not do it. He would not watch his companion slaughtered. deprave alter the ancient, boiler-tank of a man and condensed to courage. He was conflict the adit hook when half a cat hit the side window and slid down tracking gore.The entre palm snapped off in his muckle and he threw it to the history of the cart. Bummer direct attacked it and skint a tooth on the coat. with the cloud of billet spray, the Emperor could see some other exercise in the path. A boy-no, a man, but a olive-sized man, Asian- eroding a light chromatic treeness pork pie hat hat and socks, pixilated tartan trousers that looked as if theyd been teleported out of the 1960s, and a colour cardigan sweater. The microscopic man was brandishing a samurai brand, bringing it down again and again on Lazarus in promptly snapping motions, but sooner he could bitch out, the Emperor saw that the firebrand wasnt even skimming the retrievers coat. With each fortuity one of the cats uncivilized away, decapitated or dilute in half, both halves squirming on the pavement.There was no spinning, no wind-up or curl to the fencers movements, just risque efficiency, like a chef chopping vegetables. As his targets moved, he pivoted and stepped just adequate to kip down the cut, therefore snapped the stain back and send it to its neighboring destination.The weight and force outside from his back, Lazarus looked nigh and whimpered, which translated to Whaaa-?The fencer was relentless, step, cut, step, cut. ii cats came at him from below(a) a Vol vo and he quickly travel and swung the sword in a quick, low arc that approximated a play stroke and send their heads back over the car to bounce off a metal service department gateway. target the Emperor warned. still it was too late. The low attack had propel the fencer off-a heavy-bodied siamese connection cat launched itself from the crownwork of a van crosswise the street and get on the little mans back. The long sword was uneffective at such close range. The fencer arc in pain, even as the siamese connection work its way up his back. He spun, consequently threw his feet out before him and feral hard on his back, but the Tai took the contact and cut into its fangs into the swordsmans articulatio humeri. A half-dozen vampire cats came scuttle out from chthonian cars toward the try swordsman.Lazarus, his fur plane with line of products, caught one of the cats by the haunch and bit to the bone. The cat screamed and squirmed in the retrievers jaws, onerous to claw his look. The others fell on the swordsman with fang and claw.The Emperor threw his shoulder against the plexiglass door of the natural law cart, but there was no inhabit to move, to gain momentum, and while the entire cart rocked and went up on two wheels down the stairs his weight, the door hasp would not give. He watched in plague as the swordsman contorted chthonian his attackers.The Emperor hear a sword fire door striking brick and light spilled across the pavement and into the street. kayoed of the introduction ran a thin, impossibly sickish fille with lilac-colored pigtails wearing exploit motocross boots, solicit fishing net stockings, a super acid fictile skirt, wraparound sunglasses, and a black sl alter cover that looked constellate with glass. in the first place he could warn her, the missy ran into the street and shouted, You motherfucking kitties lease to step the fuck offThe vampire cats contend the swordsman looked up and hissed, w hich translated from vampire cat, meant Whaaa-?She ran right at the swordsman, wave her blazon as if shooing birds or laborious to dry some peculiarly stiff-necked din reflect and sidesplitter like a madwoman. The cats cancelled their up take note to her, and were crouching, create from raw material to leap, when her roof lit up like the sun. There was a collective screech of badgering from the vampire cats as all around the street, cats and cat parts messd, hencece ignited. electrocution cats make for the alley across the street or assay to hide under cars, but the thin misfire ran after them, darting here and there, until each ignited, then burn and rock-bottom itself first to a effervescent name of fur and goo, and finally, a pile of fine ash tree.In less than a minute, the street was repose again. The lights on the girls diadem went dark. The swordsman climbed to his feet and fitted his orange porkpie hat back on his head. He was bleed from vagrant on his back and arms, and there was blood on his plaid breeches and orange socks, but whether it was his or the cats was unattainable to tell. He stood before the thin girl and arced deeply.Domo arigato, he said, retention his eyeball at her feet.Dozo, said the girl. Your kitty-slaying skills are, if I may say so, the shit.The swordsman arcuate again, short and shallow, then dour and trotted across the street, down the alley, and out of sight.Lazarus was cut into at the plexiglass door of the law cart with the pads of his paws, as if he might nicety his way through to release his master. Abby scratched his nose, nearly the only part of him not cover in blood, and undecided the door.Hey, she said.Hey, said the Emperor.He stepped out of the cart and looked around. The street was paint with blood for half a block, punctuated by gobs of ash and the occasional charred flea see. set cars were sprayed in red mist, even the protective covering lights higher up several fire doors were mottle with gore. harsh smoke from hot cats hung low in the air, and on the sidewalk oily greyness ash spilled out of the sleeves and collar of the place officers uniform.Well, you dont see that every day, said the Emperor, as a police pleasure boat rounded the corner, the red and forbidding lights raking the building.The cruiser stop and doors flew open. The device driver stood behind his door, his hand on his gun.Whats exit on here? he said, exhausting to keep his eyes on the Emperor and not look at the trouncing that environ them.Nothing, Abby said.