Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
As horrified as I am by the outfit she’s wearing, mostly because it is made from plastic synthetics, and because it clings in ways that makes her look devastatingly curvy to people who should not be looking at her the way they are, I have to admit she looks cute blonde. She looked cute with dark hair too.
I have many questions for her. Questions like, why did you leave me asleep in bed while the greatest monster the world has ever known sailed directly for me. But I already know the answer to that. She is on a mission. A terribly dangerous, absolutely awful mission that might tear us all apart if we are not careful, and maybe even if we are.
“Listen,” Kita says. “I really should leave you three here. It’s not safe to come with me. I know you’re all big and hairy and you think you’re scary and terrible, but I am small and terrible, and that’s worse. A lot worse.”
“We’re not afraid of you.”
“I’m not telling you to be afraid of me. I’m telling you to be afraid. Generally. Mostly because of Alexander. Hitting him with a truck is going to slow him down a little, but he’ll be back, and angrier than ever. You guys have already suffered enough.”
She looks over at me. “You especially.”
“I met someone I never imagined I would meet. I now know what it is to be tortured by the world’s greatest evil. I look forward to discovering what other experiences might be had by knowing you, Kita.”
She smirks at me. “You’re angry. And you should be. Seriously. You should stay here. I’d pay you to do so if I could, but I won’t be liquid for a while. I need to move my cargo and then there will be a lot of money. I can give you sorry-you-almost-got-killed money.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Kita. None of us are. You are stuck with us.”
She squirts more cream on the pancakes that are now almost entirely cream, then somehow manages to unhinge her jaw wide enough to swallow one. It is a feat of quite an impressive nature.
“Alright,” she says. “Then we’d best be getting back to the truck. We have a city of bigoted, er, bigots to visit. Alexander will be gaining on us even as we speak. If he catches us before we get there, none of this will matter anyway.”
Kita
I can’t get rid of them by abandoning them, and I can’t get rid of them by telling them enough of the truth that any sane guys would run away. So we all pile back in the truck and I send it on to Rock City, which happens to be the next off-ramp from the gas station.
Rock City is a desert outpost that grew over time until people mistook it for somewhere to be. It has a wall around it. Usually that would indicate an ancient city, but this time it’s because there was a recent period where people got very interested in walls and keeping undesirables out. Sort of coincided with vampires and werewolves turning out to be real.
It is made primarily from red sandstone cut from the region, so it almost blends into the landscape. Anything that isn’t red is soon covered in a sandy haze of it, including the road, and now my truck.
It’s beautiful, actually. It’s a pity everyone who lives here has decided to be a giant piece of shit.
As we roll up to the checkpoint at the south of the city, two large signs are prominent, freshly washed that day so they gleam as we approach.
No Vampires.
Trespassers Will Be Staked on Sight.
No Werewolves.
Trespassers Will Be Shot with Silver.
There are dozens of signs warning us to stay well clear of the place, but that only gives me more reason to want in. Alexander would never have the necessary strength of ego to go undercover. He likes to storm around making a big show of his ancient vampiric power. Places like this are a horror to him. He’d be shocked to realize that there’s somewhere he really can’t go. That man conquered the world once. Twice. Three times. I’m sure he’s gearing up for a fourth go, but that’s going to be complicated now that it’s not exactly a secret what or who he is.
“Hey, beautiful,” the guard says as I lower the window. “Present your hands, please.”
This part, I did not expect.
“What’s this?”
“Have to test. UV and Silver,” the guard says. “We’ve had a few unnaturals try to sneak in.”
“How disgusting,” I say. “So what do you do with the silver and the UV?”
“Silver goes in the hand for a good minute, UV’s already on. We’re pretty sure you’re not vampires, but it’s the wolves that try to sneak in. Mangy things.”
I’m glad the other two guys are in the back bed hiding out. Looks like Conroy and I are going to be suffering through this nonsense trial.