There’s a loud growl. A glow. Then the thing blows up from the inside. The humans it had been holding are released, and Zhang is left kneeling in the center where its body was with his sword point resting on the ground. He’s covered in rusty brown goo. So am I, for that matter.
Whatever sip of soul was taken is returned to me. Other bright lights float back to their owners who don’t waste time bolting when they open their eyes. I’ve been dropped to the ground without the tentacle to hold me in midair. Groaning, I slam my head back. I think I would have rather had my soul sucked into oblivion. Zhang is never going to let me live this down.
Also, we are so going to pay for this unless we lie in our report, which is a bad idea. We fucked up because we stood outside bickering for who knows how long. It serves command right. They should know never to mix a Centaurus with an Orion. We either fuck or fight.
I spend several moments trying to will the shadow monster back to life so it can take me with it. Maybe answering my phone would have been the better way to go. Humans would be dead, but my pride wouldn’t have so many bruises. Gods, at least if I could have lasted longer than five minutes with the thing, and I’m pretty sure I’m being generous with five minutes.
Eventually, I force myself to sit up. Zhang is above me and has the audacity to extend a hand my way. I push him off me. “I don’t need your help.”
“That you’re alive enough to throw a tantrum says that you do.” His brows are tight and his nostrils flare.
Oh, here we go. It begins. No.No.I will not hear another word. I came here to kill something tonight. Once I’m on my feet, I take a stab at him, spinning around to jab my blade right through his heart. His sword swings upward to knock the blade from my hand. In another swift maneuver, my other blade sails across the debris. Fine. I pound on his chest with my fists, and it does nothing. He doesn’t stop me and that makes it worse. He doesn’t have to try.
I hate it. I hate being weaker than him. If I hadn’t fallen, I’d be a match for him. As it stands, I’m an ant trying to wrestle a shark. I’m forced to face reality, which I won’t do tonight either. I need a drink. I cease punching him and head over to what’s left of the bar well. Ah, Jim Beam. Good enough for me. I take a swig from the bottle.
“Stars shouldn’t drink.”
“Lucky for me, I’m not a star anymore, and you’re not my father, so fuck off.”
“You don’t stop being a star, Treyu. A fallen star is still a star.”
Not from where I sit. Stars can go home. At least I get to be part of the hunting sector. We take care of demons, and monsters, and other things that arrive uninvited from other planets. I love the work I do on Earth, but I miss my family and our nebula.
“The assignment is over. Congratulations, you kept me alive. Now go back to where the fuck you came from.”
Keeping the bottle, I storm out of the decimated bar and locate my bike. It’s not going to be my night, though, because a familiar car rolls up. It’s an old Volkswagen bug. You don’t see too many of those nowadays. His is painted a metallic silver, which I tried to tell him was stupid because the human brain doesn’t see silver fast enough—silver cars have the most accidents—but he doesn’t listen to a Godsdamn thing I say.
Timothy races out of the car and is on me like a rabid chihuahua. “Treyu Orion, I knew it. I knew you’d be with him. Every time I find you, you’re with him.”
He points behind me to Zhang, who’s enjoying this way too much. He crosses his arms over his chest again, smirking, happy to leave me to my own nightmare.
“How did you find me at all?”
“Your phone. I have you added to my tracking app because I was stupid enough to care about you.”
My mouth moves, but it doesn’t say anything. How did I not notice that? “Care” is an interesting word for “invasion of privacy”. “C’mon, Tim. Let’s go back to my place and?—”
“Your place? You live with your brother and your uncle. It’s notyourplace. Maybe that’s the problem, I’m dating a child.”
Can’t argue with him there—I can be a child—but doesn’t he notice that I’m covered in goo? He probably thinks we came out here to do freaky sex shit. He’s caught us in a lot of compromising positions that weren’t sexy and just us trying to murder one another.
Fine line between passion and murder I suppose.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I say even though that line never works, but there’s nothing else to say. “Tell him, Zhang. There was this fucking shadow demon thing and?—”
“Oh my Gods. Enough with the shadows and the demons and the monsters. It was cute the last few times, but, ugh! This is what I get for dating someone just because they’re good in bed.”
Iamgood in bed. That’s a silver lining, I guess. I’ve had several centuries of practice, though, and it would be a crime if I wasn’t.
“We’re done, Trey bear. I’m sorry. Can’t do this. I have self-loveandself-respect.”
“Babe, c’mon. Don’t do this.” Tim drives me up the fucking wall, but I adore him. Isn’t that what relationships are all about? Driving each other insane until he dies of old age?
“He was also going to drink and drive,” Zhang contributes, unhelpfully.
“Again? You’re a piece of work, Trey. Give me that.” He yanks at the bottle with his weak hands, and I let him. There goes the one good thing this night brought me. “I’ll be taking this because I still care about you enough that I don’t want you to die, but we’re over. You hear me? O-V-E-R,over.”
Gods, he’s such a fucking adorable dork spelling out “over”, but that’s why I liked him. “I can make it up to you, Tim. Just don’t … not right now.”
