Reaper-Born book 2: Ideology

Chapter 7: Change of Venue

I was knocked out by the concussion wave of the explosion, so I didn't really get to enjoy the whole, 'I feel like I'm flying' deal of getting blown up. I did, however get to enjoy the landing, which went about like you'd expect, I landed on my injured shoulder and dislocated it, badly. Combine that pain with the slight nausea you get after a big fall, oh and did I mention I was in a fucking sewer, so the smell wasn't helping. On the plus side, I landed in something soft, relatively speaking, at least it wasn't all concrete. Though, it probably used to be somebody's burger, about a week ago. That thought, mixed in with everything else that was happening, pain, motion sickness, and I fucking heaved my guts all over the ground.

You know I'd started the day peacefully enough, a few problems, a few issues, nothing I couldn't work out. Now, I had nothing but problems, nothing but issues, like who the fuck was chasing me, what the Hell did they want, and why the fuck wasn't I dead?! Seriously, that blast had just blown through what looked like six solid feet of concrete and left the buildings around it perfectly intact. It had to be like the biggest fucking shape charge in history, and besides that, why hadn't the debris turned me into, ya know, skin soup? I mean, I'd landed on top of the rocks, but that couldn't have been it. The blast would have had to knock me above the falling rocks and that could only happen if....

My musings were interrupted when I started to hear this low rumble. At first I thought that the cavern might just cave in after all, then I looked up and saw them, the mutts. They climbed down, across, around all the broken pipes and stone. Nimble little bastards, had to give 'em that. Of course having all those claws didn't hurt either, claws I couldn't help but notice cut through concrete like it was butter. I scanned my surroundings for a bit, found the one tunnel that wasn't caved in, luck or design, I couldn't help but wonder. I took a moment to utter a few choice curses, then bolted my ass down the tunnel.

At the end of the day, I decided, it didn't matter if I was getting suckered or not, long as I survived. I really should stop looking gift horses in the mouth.

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The cab driver was....confused to say the least. Women like the kind in his back seat, they usually rolled up their windows when he passed through this neighborhood, then again, certain other 'ladies' of her caliber would ask to be let off on the street corner. Well, he did have an extra twenty in his pocket, and there were plenty off alleys to hide in, ha, if only he was that lucky.

No, she hadn't asked for a street corner, she'd asked for an old rundown shit heel of a building, the old fire station. Lot of good it'd done when those crazy little fucks were burning down half the town, but it was abandoned now, so, he figured, it didn't matter much, all in all. He pulled the car up, and jotted down a quick note in his log.

"Alright," he announced, "That'll beeeeee, $37.84, uh, cash or credit please."

The girl in the back simply threw a fifty over the seat and moved out the door.

"Keep the change," she muttered in return.

Tess had heard many stories about this Black Label hang out, horror stories mostly, from other girls in her profession. She wasn't dumb enough to believe all of them, still she liked to 'err' on the side of caution. She double checked her purse, knife, lock pick, tissues, yep all in place, all accounted for, time to make her appearance.

She paused at the front door a moment only, wondering, should she knock, or should she just barge in, what would send the better message? She didn't have to wait long for the answer as the door burst open right in front of her. A young girl, obviously drunk, had stumbled out and into Tess, almost knocking them both into the street. The girl looked up at Tess, blearily.