Jas yanked on the cargo pants Serenity had left in a pile by the bathroom door, and still soaked ran into the living room.
Serenity was yanking open drawers in the TV stand, and pulled out a compact, dark gray pistol. With quick efficiency she ejected the magazine, slamd it back ho, and then looked to Jas, eyes wide. What do we do?
In response he ran to the front door, caught himself, then looked around for a weapon. There was nothing good, so he snatched up the heaviest iron skillet he could see and then raced down the stairs.
They burst out into the street. Cars were still driving by as if nothing was going on, though drivers were rubbernecking with wide eyes as they passed the laundromat.
Out of which people were streaming, several badly wounded.
Jas looked in through the huge windows. A half dozen people were trapped in the back corner. He saw three gremlins stalking toward them over the washing machines, their scales gleaming in the electric lights.
Co on! he shouted hoarsely and pushed his way past an elderly man who was erging to enter the laundromat.
Machines chugged and vibrated. Canned music played over hidden speakers. The linoleum was streaked with blood, a heavy set Hispanic lady lay just inside the doorway with her throat torn out.
Hey! Jas had no idea as to what he was going. You lot! Over here!
The gremlins paused, looked back over their narrow shoulders at him. Serenity stepped inside, gun held in both hands before her, and fired.
The first shot missed. A hole appeared in the wall. But she fired again, and the bullet hit the center gremlin right in the chest, causing it to stagger back and screech in pain.
It took a second bullet to knock it down.
The other two dove off the machines. Jas crouched, skillet held in both hands like a baseball bat, gaze flicking at the avenues of approach. Soone was sobbing in the back, while the crowd outside just stood there, watching.
Ive got twelve rounds left, said Serenity, voice weirdly calm. Should be plenty. Stay back and let -
A gremlin leaped into view, doing that flea jump from the back of a huge machine that ca chest high, arms spread, maw open wide. Serenity fired, missed, and the gremlin fell upon Jas, who swung the black iron skillet like he was going for a ho run.
The skillet hit the gremlin full on. It felt like smacking a bag full of sticks. The gremlin was knocked back against the washing machine, bounced off, shook its head and then hissed at him, black blood shining on several contusions and the side of its head.
Serenity fired once, twice, three tis. Jas kept his eye on his gremlin. It ran at him, feinted a leap, then ducked low and scooted under his swing.
Shit! he yelled, back pedaling, but it was too fast.
The gremlin leaped for his face, needle fangs flashing.
Jas let go of the skillet so that he could bat it away, but as soon as the gremlin touched him a film of gray light appeared all around Jass body, encasing him an inch above his skin, and the gremlin screeched and leaped off, its hands and knees and shins burning and giving off acrid smoke.
Serenity fired her gun. The gremlins temple shattered, and it fell over to lie still.
Shit, gasped Jas again, staring at the crumpled body, his shoulders heaving as if hed sprinted a mile. He looked up to Serenity who stood there, eyes wide, glazed, pistol still held before her with two stiff arms. She blinked, scanned the laundromat, kept the gun up.
Jas straightened, looked over the machines at where the other people were cornered. There any more of them?
Thats I an - no. A young Hispanic woman stared at him with glassy eyes, her face pale. Mama? Mama! And she ran forward.
One of the others was a heavyset man who had his phone to his ear. They said wed be safe if we didnt answer the question, they said weve be safe!
Yeah, well. Jas fought the urge to drop his skillet. Welco to the new world, pal.
Serenity put up her gun, blinked again, and then seed to wake up. Shit. Wow. I need a drink.
Tell about it. Jas resisted the urge to nudge the dead gremlin. Nice shooting.
Thanks. She took her finger off the trigger and lowered the gun to her side. Dated a guy who owned a gun range out in Queens. He thought giving an unlimited pass would keep from breaking up with him.
Jas felt the adrenaline co down, his whole body starting to feel trembly and loose. It work?
Serenity smirked. For a while, yeah.
Co on! The guy with the phone pulled it away from his ear and glared at it. What is this, Detroit? Why the fuck wont 911 pick up?
Mama? The Hispanic woman was slowly kneeling beside the dead lady by the door. Mama?
Shit. Jas wanted to just walk away. What had gotten into him? Itd been years since hed been triggered to act like that. Had taken years of conscious effort to deaden those instincts. Now he was running around with a cast iron skillet like so god damn hero. He could feel it. A tidal pull. A gravitational suck that threatened to bring him back to life. To make him care again. To get involved.
He didnt want it.
But the sight of the dead gremlin and the womans rising sobs were like hooks in his soul, keeping him from sinking. There were people bleeding outside.
And he knew nobody was coming to help.
Talk to the girl, he told Serenity. Get a sheet to cover her mother.
What is this? yelled the guy in the back. xico?!
Wearily he walked out the front door to the sparse crowd. They eyed him, nervous.
I used to be an EMT. The words sounded so foreign in his mouth. If youre injured, co inside so I can look at you. Youre feeling shock, which ans you dont realize how badly youre hurt yet. Lets get you patched up. He eyed a portly man who was clutching his badly mauled gut. Anybody here got a car? Well need to get this man to the ER.
They said to stay away, said an old lady. Said no room.
Even so. Now co in. Inside if youre hurt.
* * *
An hour later Jas and Serenity climbed her stairway back to the apartnt. The badly wounded guy had called a friend to co drive him to the ER. Jas had torn up clean sheets to bandage and staunch the other lacerations, none of which were life threatening. Serenity had mostly failed to calm the bereaved woman, but a station wagon full of relatives had shown up ten minutes later and with much shouting and grief hauled her and the body away.
A single bullet hole let light stream into the stairway from the laundromat.
Jas closed the door behind them, and together they slumped down onto the couch.
Im going to need more ammo, said Serenity. Ive got several cases for my Glocks, but it won't last long if I have to shoot those fuckers more than once.
Ammos going to disappear fast, said Jas. I need a gun, too. Skillets not the best.
What was that? She turned to stare at him. When the demon leaped on you? I didnt see it right, but sothing happened.
Yeah. Jas stared down at himself. Must of been that aura. The Lead 1, whatever. Activated when the gremlin touched .
Gremlin. She snorted. This aint the Goonies.
There werent any gremlins in the Goonies.
Theyre demons. Anyway, thats great. Like a spiritual bullet proof vest, or sothing.
Or sothing, yeah. He felt numb. Hed known what to do below, how to take care of those people, give instructions, act calm. But now that they were up here, he felt overwheld. We need to stock up. Water, food. dical supplies. We should hit an army surplus store. Get so gear.
Yeah? She leaned back and eyed him sardonically. And how we paying for all this?
Jas froze. Shit. Im sorry. Just
Dont be. Im not calling you out. But I only have a hundred bucks to my na. Fifty rounds cost about twenty bucks. I was planning on buying everything I could get my hands on.
Yeah, yeah. Jas stood, smoothed down his beard, set to pacing. But if this keeps up theres a good chance well lose power and water. Food will disappear. We need camping gear. Water filtration. We need - fuck.
Serenity watched him. Weve got a hundred bucks. Maybe we should just wait for the looting to start before we go shopping.
Maybe we should get out of here. He moved to the window and stared down at the street. Manhattans going to beco a deathtrap. The tunnels and bridges will be snarled up in traffic jams. No food, no water, no power. The boroughs wont be much better. Too much population density.
Now it was Serenitys turn to stand, her alarm obvious. Leave? And go where? You heard the news. This is happening everywhere.
Go where there are less people, less of a strain on resources. Jas ran his fingers through his hair. I dont know. Upstate, maybe.
Serenity gave a hollow laugh. Youre talking like everythings going to go to literal hell. You think the governnts going to collapse? What about the - the - military? The National Guard. Theyll do what they did for Hurricane Katrina, right? Bring in food?
This will be like a hundred Katrinas all at once. Jas turned away from the window. Washington, Miami, Philly, New Orleans, LA, Chicago, Detroit - if this keeps going, theyre all going to implode.
Serenity stared at him with helpless horror. So - what? We quit town, head into the fucking boonies, and start a farm?
Jas looked down at this hands.
You know how to farm? Cause I sure dont. And you want to be out the jungle when the next Nesis shows up? Cause I dont. I want to be here, in my hotown, close to the ammo.
Jas scowled.
Serenity moved to stand before him. Or is it sothing else? Hmm? She angled her face to try and et his stare. What would we be running from, exactly? Nesis 2, or so other kind of demon?
Jas hissed and broke away, strode up to the window and stared out. He could hear sirens. Always with the sirens.
Fine. I take that back. Who doesnt have their own demons? Lord knows Ive got a stable of them. But no. Im not going to cut and run to Upstate New York. Not yet.
Jas hung his head and sighed. His thoughts roiled. He rubbed his fingers over his knuckles, one set callused and ingrained with the kind of dirt you didnt just casually wash off, the other swollen and raw and red.
He summoned the count down.
77 Hours till Nesis 2 Released
Then, curious, summoned the rest of his stats. Reread them.
You know. If this were a casual, every-day kind of end of the world scenario, I might just quit town. He turned to stare at her. But it aint. Weve got these statistics. And one of them reads Rank: ndicant 1.
ndicant, said Serenity. I looked it up. Old school word for beggar. But kind of has that sexy Saint Francis of Assisi vibe to it.
Point being, its just level 1. Sa with my aura. Lead, level 1. Weve no Benedictions, no Miracles, no Virtues, no Class.
Well, on that last one speak for yourself.
Despite himself Jas smiled. So maybe were overlooking sothing vital here. Like how that gremlin -
Demon.
- bounced off my aura. Maybe theres a way to get more free points to assign. To level up, like a video ga. Beco more powerful. Who knows what we could unlock from this bizarro situation?
Serenity narrowed her eyes. And how do we do that?
Wont be by sitting around in here. Only thing that cos to mind is killing gremlins.
We already killed gremlins. Nothing happened.
Maybe killing one or two aint enough. Maybe we have to kill a handful. Maybe ten. I dont know.
And then we get higher ranks, and more points.
Exactly. We can boost our strength, our agility, our Arete. And be that much more ready when Nesis 2 shows up.
Serenity shrugged. Beats going to Jersey. I just need more ammo.
Jas suppressed a shiver of excitent, and realized he wanted to go kill those little fuckers. That for the first ti since well, since his life fell apart, he had a legitimate way to vent his fury. And hed be saving other people in the process without having to work as an EMT.
Win-win.
Im going to need a gun.
Honey, guns cost money. Youll have to settle for your skillet for now. Its a good look for you. Really.
Ha ha. Well. Shall we?
Now?
Why not?
Why not indeed. I was going to suggest stopping by Hermans for a drink, but sure. Lets get so ammo. And kill so demons while were at it.
Jas nodded and sat to pull on his boots. Serenity pulled out her phone while she waited, then let out a low whistle. Youve gone viral!
Viral?
That video from last night. Over eight million views. Twelve thousand comnts. Wow.
Twelve thousand comnts? Jas tensed up. Do I - should I start answering them, or?
Oh, youre trending as hashtag sexylumberholessjack.
I dont know what that ans.
Serenity rolled her eyes. It ans, cave man, that in another life youd be starting a new career. But seeing as its the demon apocalypse, too late.
Well. Jas stood up, feeling awkward and stiff. Sexylumberholessjack? Thats, ah, good. Im glad we got the word out.
Serenity laughed, so of her old confidence returning. Oh, you are too darling. How co no holess babe hasnt snapped you up already?
Jas stared at her, then looked away.
Oh. Serenitys humor fled. Sorry.
No worries. He coughed into his fist, forced the pain away. It was a dull ache. Getting ornery these days was more a trained reflex than anything else. Lets get that ammo.
The sporting goods store is only four stops away. Serenity put her pistol in her purse. It barely fit. Grabbed her thick coat, then stared at him. Youre going to freeze.
Your ex leave a jacket?
No. But the only thing I have your size is perfect. Wait here.
She darted into her bedroom, and a mont later erged with a caral brown furred pimp coat.
Youre serious.
Try it on! Look, its warm. And you know what they say: sexy lumberholessjacks cant be choosers.
Jas took the full-length coat gingerly. The fur was cheap imitation, but the inner lining was in good condition. With great reluctance he pulled the coat on. It was tight across the shoulders, the sleeves were an inch too short, but otherwise it fit.
Fucking aweso, said Serenity, her tone deadpan. Ive died and gone to heaven. Can we post a video of you giving battle tips with the skillet?
Jas laughed helplessly and strode past her. Co on. Its ti to go kill so shit.
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