by Zoe Parker
Had she missed him?
His red girly car was no longer parked at the curb. Fuck! She had missed him! She sat there for a few minutes clenching her jaw and fighting the surge of anger clawing at her insides. After several calming breaths she regained her composure and tossed the broken cigarette into the ashtray. The bent steering wheel she merely sighed at. They were keeping her deposit for sure now.
Another night wasted. Annoyed, she started the car and, after a quick look, pulled out into the empty street. The sound of really old, not her type of music filled her car; as she looked down to change the station a scream broke the silence of the night, so loud she heard it over the discordant barrage of acoustic guitar mish-mash. Frowning, she sat up straighter and practically hung her entire head out of the window to let her nose see what her eyes could not.
Urine. Dead cat. Dead person. Dead person smelling like dead cat urine. She froze as the smell of fear filled her nose. The roar of a Lupe brought her gaze around. She slammed her foot on the gas and drove towards the sound up the one way street. Pulling into a small grocery store parking lot, she threw the car into park and just stared at the group of Strix boxing in two small, more than likely Lupe children, in front of her down at the end of the alley.
She’d bet every dime she possessed that neither one of the children were older than seven. The taller of the two, a little girl, turned to look directly at her. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and pleading silently for help. A tangle of grief and anger clenched Kali’s heart tightly. She slung the door open, barely leaving it on its hinges and ran towards them, even as the deep-seated emotions that seeing those children in danger aroused, told her to run the other way.
The rhythmic kathud of her heart beating was loud enough to make her head ache. As panic’s needlelike fingers crawled up her spine, she fought to keep herself from falling on the ground, unable to breathe because it had thrown her into a full-blown panic attack.
It had been over a year since she stood in the presence of children. A deliberate avoidance on her part. Seeing them - blonde haired, blue eyed - in danger, brought forth all her inner demons with a vengeance.
Flashes of memories brought an edge of darkness to her vision.
Deep breaths in, deep breaths out. She internally coached herself as she closed the distance between her and the children.Walking around the surprised Strix with barely a look to place herself in between them and the children. Panic made her light-headed, but Kali pushed herself harder. It hadn’t stopped her from getting out of her car, but if she didn’t get it under control that was about all she was good for. If it consumed her they would all die. She just couldn’t allow that to happen. There was no one but her to help them.
To clear her thoughts, she looked away from the children. Her eyes inadvertently fell on the body of a petite blonde Lupe. She was still and silent, and there was no other evidence of life. Kali wasn’t a genius, but it didn’t take one to figure out that the dead Lupe was their mother.
A tug on her leg jerked her attention around to stare down into the bright eyes of the little boy. He hugged her leg like a lifeline. In this case, it probably was. The little girl clung to her brother’s side, her eyes holding a faint spark of something it took Kali a moment to understand.
Hope.
The little girl had hope in her. Something she herself had not felt for a long time. It had abandoned her on the day an explosion took her world away. Yet, even as she had those thoughts, a small fire lit in the darkness inside of her. Lit by this odd feeling of hope. Those faces looking up at her now reminded her so much of those lost to her. The last two strings on her heart tugged painfully. Gritting her teeth, she took a final calming breath and let it settle over her like a blanket. A slight turn of her right foot out signaled that she was ready to at least try to help them.
Margie had known her stuff after all.
She finally looked up and found several sets of hungry eyes watching the kids. Unease crawled along her spine. Her body was the only thing in between those gazes and their prey and they weren’t even seeing her. With a hand steadier than the emotions boiling inside of her, she pushed her sunglasses back up her nose.
She should make her presence known then.
“I need the two of you to crawl in that hole behind us.” Her quiet order was followed by her eyes flicking to the hole in the wall. The girl looked at her with a maturity she shouldn’t possess at such a young age. After a second of studying Kali, she pulled her brother into the hole.
Kali’s gaze returned to the Strix. Two quick looks and she had all the details she needed. The alley was small, packed too tight with Strix for her to do more than briefly contemplate grabbing the kids and running. They wouldn’t make it. Running was out of the question. That left one option. Seven Strix against one of her. The odds were not in her favor.
When have they ever been, Kali? Her inner Margie had a point.
Her nose flared and she took in all of their scents at once. Letting her brain quickly decipher all the information she needed in order to get her ass kicked a little less. Three of them were old, like senior citizen old without the wrinkles. The other four were relatively young. All of them were older than her. A small sigh escaped her. She should’ve stayed in the car.
You don’t mean that at all. Inner Margie said.
Shut up, Margie. She bit back.
The seconds passed like hours as she processed every scrap of information she gleaned. The more of it she got the less optimism she felt. Not that she had much to begin with.
“Hey, suck heads,” she taunted. At her words their full attention finally turned to her. Some of them looked slightly confused as if it were the first time she was being seen.
“Move away and your death will be quick.” The closest one ordered.
“How nice of you to offer. Quick deaths are all the rage. Unfortunately, I’ll have to decline.” Then again maybe she should be offended they passed her off so quickly as a threat. The corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk.
One of the biggest mistakes anyone made was underestimating their opponent. Margie had taught her that. Something sharp and thick pushed through the tips of her fingers. White claws, over two inches long. Sharp enough to puncture stone. A tested fact. Just as she knew she could bite through walnut shells and tennis balls.
Crazy people did weird things.
Her smirk turned into a full blown smile.
The one who had spoken looked at her more closely, but by then it was too late. She was already moving. With no real effort, she buried her hand up to her elbow in his guts before he even thought to move away from her. Digging her fingers through muscle and organs she grabbed the bones of his spine. She jerked her arm out and moved again.
He fell the ground screaming then grew silent as death claimed him.
She slung the bones to the ground where they hit with a wet crunch. She didn’t give it a second thought. Instead, she picked her next target. Her first target choice was deliberate; there were now six Strix, and only three had her truly worried. That number was now down to two. She’d lost the element of surprise but she pulled a strong contender out early. Ducking to avoid a fist, she dropped back on her hands to kick one in the balls as she managed to avoid a wicked looking knife. Displaced air warned her of movement heading in her direction but she couldn’t move fast enough to get out of its path. Grunting from the impact, she flew through the air.
Like a cat, a reflex that once saved her life, she flipped to land on her feet. Without taking a breath she moved again, pushing herself so fast that the world was a blur around her. Sliding between the legs of another Strix she came to her feet behind him. Using his belt as a hoist she pushed herself up his body by using his clothes as handholds. For a single moment in time, she looked down at the others with her hands on either side of his head.
With a sharp twist she felt and heard the bones making up his delicate neck break. As he fell, she fell with him, rolling to her side to avoid anothe
r flash of shiny metal. A speck of concrete hit her face as something moving very fast struck the space behind her head.
Fuck!
One of them had a gun and had decided to unload it at her. To avoid the wild shots, a backwards roll brought her legs over her head and her feet to the wall behind her. With inhuman ease she walked backwards up the wall like a spider. Giving a push of her legs, she flipped forward and landed behind the shooter. She looked around her and discovered that only two unmoving bodies littered the ground. She cursed under her breath; all of that effort and only two were down. That wasn’t good.
Her eyes strayed to the children peeking out from the hole. Their fear gave them pale complexions and bright eyes. Gritting her teeth, she punched the back of the dark head in front of her. After a slight resistance, her fist passed through bone and brain. She opened her hand and her sharp claws tore easily through brain tissue. She levered her foot on his lower back and pulled her hand free with a distinctive slurp noise.
Three down.
A piece of her old life, deep inside of her, shuddered at the carnage. She ignored it because it had no place in her life anymore.
Dropping to a squat she spun, catching the knee of the one trying to sneak up on her. As she straightened, fire slammed into her stomach. Compliments of a bullet. She missed the fact that more than one had a gun; it was a costly mistake. Endorphins flooded her system, momentarily taking the edge off the pain burning in her gut until the burning increased, indicating it wasn’t a regular bullet. She staggered to stand in between the Strix and the children. Shot or not, she was determined to keep them safe as long as possible.
Kali, you can do this. She frowned at her inner Margie.
There had only been the barest chance of her surviving this. The well-placed bullet took her odds straight to zero. She survived the fall from a building - twice - but those bullets were specially made. They were designed specifically to kill a Lupe and she was half. A year ago, she’d have stood there and let them shoot her. Greeted her death with open arms.
She was no longer that person and this wasn’t only about her.
Without a single glance to the wound, she flipped backwards and kicked out. Connecting with something solid, she looked over her shoulder as he fell back with his face caved in. Down but not out, this one was too old to let a boot in the face keep him down for long. She twisted to the side and landed on her hands and feet. When she spotted something shining in the headlights of her car, she crab-walked sideways to get the discarded knife. Spinning on her heels her hand jerked as the blade sliced into, and then through, skin and muscle.
Four down.
A blow to the face sent her sprawling. Kali had been training for a year to defend herself; these Strix had lived a lifetime with their abilities. She wasn’t nearly as prepared as Margie said she was. Panting, she fought her way to her feet. She shook her head trying to clear it as the world spun around her once again. There wasn’t much more left in her.
“You leave her alone!” The words, yelled in a young voice, broke the silence that had fallen on the alley.
It was the little girl. She stood in between Kali and the last four Strix, including the one whose face she planted her boot in. The face that had looked like a meaty crater was mostly healed and only looked mildly bruised.
“Wow. He really is old. Fucking awesome,” she muttered under her breath.
As as unit, the four Strix moved towards her. Taking a deep breath, pushing oxygen into her lungs and making the pain take a back seat, Kali ran and dove over the small blonde head, and plowed into them. As she climbed to her feet she chanced a look at the girl. That moment of inattention cost her a one way trip into the wall. Hard. Kali slid down it like an old piece of bologna and sat there in a heap, trying to catch her breath. Strength and speed were nice to have but lacking the healing abilities of the older Strix, hurt. Wet, warm blood soaked the entire front of her pants and shirt, clarifying exactly how bad the injury was.
Not to forget the ones that hadn’t started hurting yet.
None of this stopped her from climbing wearily to her feet with a grunt. Determination was written clearly on her face as she looked at the Strix and winked. She threw a knife ahead of her at the closest one and followed it with a drop kick. As an afterthought, she stomped on the handle of the blade protruding from his chest and felt it break through bone and into the muscle of his heart.
The air whooshed out of her as she flew backwards into the wall once again. The large body pressing her heavily to it kept her still. Something had broken inside of her on impact but it didn’t stop a bloody smile from breaking through.
Five were still dead.
Reaching deep inside of her, she found the strength to push against the wall with her feet and send her unwanted companion flying back across the alley. He landed on his feet, but it gave her time to place her body once again in between the last two Strix and the kids.
“Why are you protecting them?” One of the last two asked. The older one with the healing face. His humanity was long gone in the presence of the parasite he had become. His face looked jarring and alien to her, showing that he had fully transformed decades before.
“Why are you - “ Pant. “ - trying to take them?” She knew the reason but it never hurt to ask. Perhaps it would surprise her.
“They will be feeders or ransomed back to the dogs for profit.” Feeders? That was a short life of being a juice box for an untold amount of hungry Strix. Yeah, not happening. Her humanity may be slipping away, but these children still had full possession of theirs and that was something she would protect.
That was, if she could keep them alive.
“Don’t think so, bud.” She bit out. Every inch of her body shook from fatigue and pain. Bluster aside, she wasn’t sure that she could do too much more.
I hope I don’t fall flat on my face.
The Strix’s gaze on her turned shrewder as he stared at her. Her hand flew to her face to find it bare, her glasses were long gone. He could see her eyes.
“Well, fuck,” she cursed.
“Amazing,” he said as his nose flared to take in her scent. He was getting a good whiff considering how much blood had leaked out of her. His eyes widened when he realized specifically what she was.
“I could get a fortune for you,” he said as he stepped closer. The smile on his face was a result of him already counting his future profits. Greed gave his wicked face an even more sinister aura.
Kali reevaluated her circumstances. Head on, she couldn’t take him in her condition. She wasn’t sure she could take him toe-to-toe in any condition. She swallowed and straightened, ignoring the dizzy spell that made her sway on her feet. Planting herself more solidly, she raised her fists.
She had to try.
Chapter Two
Boredom drew him towards the sounds and smells of fighting. Something he would’ve ignored any other night. Clashes between the Strix and Lupes were as constant as the sun. But this time things sounded more interesting. A lone woman against several Strix. As he scaled down the wall at the corner of the alley, he realized it was a who, and not a what, that had captured his curiosity.
His eyes zeroed in on her with an accuracy that made his gut clench. Short, dark, messy hair stuck to her bloody face. Split by her bright, white teeth clenched in a somewhat maniacal smile. Her clothing was plain, much like his own, and worn. An obscure band t-shirt and jeans, both now covered in blood.
She moved with a fierceness that was a surprise for her age. No hesitation in a single move she made. She was like a bull going from point A to point B. There was no practiced elegance in her movements or even a strong sense of training. Pure brute force was the only thing she was using. Yet, she used it well.
The desire to know more about her pulled him closer.
The ground around her was littered with several bodies. A few Strix and a lone Lupe. The two remaining were much older than her transition age. Although, she didn’t look inhuman enou
gh to have transitioned. But her claws and teeth said otherwise. As did her strength and speed. Even freshly transitioned she wouldn’t have the abilities she has now. Carefully, he worked through the myriad of smells and completely isolated her scent. How curious. Fate had thrown him a complication. A complication he thought to never have.
With a feral smile he moved towards her. Towards his future.
“A half-breed. It’s been centuries since one has been seen.” The Strix smiled as he spoke. “Maybe, I’ll just keep you for myself. Our brats would sell for a fortune.” She tensed, ready to make a move that would either save them all or kill her. Either way it would finish this situation. A slight breeze cooled her face. The only warning of the someone - or something - that was now holding the Strix in the air.
Her breath caught as she studied the man holding the Strix at least a foot off the ground with apparent ease. He turned to look at her. Dark sunglasses covered eyes that she could feel boring into her. With effort, she managed to control the urge to take a step backwards. Her instincts screamed that this man was dangerous.
Eyes wide, and a bit unsure, she studied him as openly as he studied her. Even in the darkness she could see the features of his face perfectly. Not one wrinkle or line marred the perfect skin of his face. To her, he looked like a college kid, not someone who could stand there holding a 200 pound man a foot off the ground.
He wasn’t monstrously tall. She guessed him to be around six-feet or so. Not much more than that. He wasn’t massive either. Instead, he was slim and rather lanky in her opinion. Her eyes trailed lower taking in his relatively broad shoulders, the t-shirt stretched tightly over his super flat stomach…
God, the abs he must have.
With a mental jerk her eyes rose once again to his face.
His hair was solid white and styled rather rock band-y, touching the edges of his face with spiky, uneven tips. He turned his head slightly, facing her more onward. The light allowed her to see the various shades of blue and purples hidden in the snowy depths of his hair. Whoever he was, he was more fashionable than most Others she’d seen since waking up.
