by Matt Rogers
Chapter 29
Austin has the State Capitol, it has Sixth Street, it has the Greatest University in the Universe and it also has the most rooting-tooting, country-western bar west of the Mississippi; the Lumberyard. Okay, it’s not technically in Austin, it’s in a little town just north of Austin called Round Rock but it’s not pertinent to the story so just forget I brought it up. By the way, why name a town Round Rock?
WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?
Don’t we inherently think round when we hear rock?
OKAY, I’VE GOT YOU AND, YES, I DO THINK ROUND WHEN I HEAR ROCK.
Why the emphasis on shape?
MAYBE THEY’RE GEOMETRICALLY INTERESTED?
They should shorten it. Think of it as a better conversation starter…
“Hey buddy, where you from?”
“Rock, Texas!”
“Wow! Cool name.”
“Thanks; where you from?”
“Waxahachie.”
“Oh... sorry.”
“Yeah.”
Country-western nightclubs are a strange mixture of modern morays and past culture. They bring young people together in a high-tech environment with sound systems which would put most rock concerts to shame but have an unwritten dress-code based on what cowboys wore in the days of yore. Go into a country-western nightclub at night and you’ll find the iconic cowboy hat and boots worn on many of the lads in attendance. Both hat and boots were necessary tools of the trade for the grizzly ancestors of the open range because they were needed to stay upright in the stirrups and sheltered from both heat and rain. Go outside and walk around the neighborhood of those nightclubs and you’ll find nary a hat nor boot covering anyone for they are no longer necessary in our air-conditioned, sheltered lives.
“George?”
“Yes, Johnny?”
“Do you need to follow so close to the car in front of you?”
“No, if the car in front of us would speed up I wouldn’t.”
“But we’re in rush-hour traffic; that car can’t go any faster.”
“If that car would emphasize the point to the car in front of it and then every other car did the same we’d all go faster.”
“But it’s rush-hour traffic, there’s just too many cars on the freeway.”
“Doesn’t mean we should all slow down.”
“What? Yes it does, that’s exactly what it means.”
“No it doesn’t, it means people who are exiting should’ve already gotten over so those of us not exiting wouldn’t have to slow down.”
“But…? What if they can’t get over?”
“They should’ve thought of it before they started driving.”
Have you ever been the passenger in a vehicle driven by a tailgater?
NO.
It’s a horrifying experience; you sit there trying to be polite and not scream in terror as you hug the bumper of the poor unfortunate soul who happened to pick the same lane as the impatient moron you’re driving with. You stare at your feet because looking up invariably brings even more terror as you go on the involuntary roller-coaster ride from hell with the person you had no idea was such a complete, selfish, arrogant jerk they would put not only their life at risk but yours and every other person’s in the immediate vicinity.
“Trudy?”
“Yes, Johnny?”
“If I look up…?”
“Yes, if you look up what?”
“If I look up, will George still be two inches from the car in front of us?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
Why is there so much road rage?
THE ROADS ARE ANGRY?
Sigh.
Because everyone believes they’re a good driver and everyone else isn’t. It’s probably due to the inherent selfishness we all possess. We get into enormously powerful machines with the ability to do what we could never think of; travel to grandma’s house at the speed of lickety-split and woe be upon anyone who dares get in our way. After all, we know we’re a good driver, we’ve been doing it since we were sixteen after all. How could we not be?
MAYBE YOU WERE NEVER ANY GOOD.
Surely the fool in front of us didn’t receive the implied memo stating speed limits are only suggestions; maybe they need a little encouragement?
THAT’S PROBABLY NOT THE WISEST IDEA.
Maybe they’re not paying attention?
YOU REALLY SHOULD SEE A PSYCHOLOGIST.
Let’s just get right up on their bumper and see if we can help them… That’s it…. Just a little faster nice little lady… Oops, watch out for the car in front… oh… Oh My!... That’s got to hurt… Well, let’s just keep on driving… Nothing to see here, people!... Yep, just keep driving along… la-de-da-de-da… Hey, what’s that?... Oh, another driver who didn’t get the memo… Well, let’s just help them out…
“Trudy?”
“Yes, Johnny?”
“How did Yin, Yang and Merri Li get out of their little predicament?”
“They went underground.”
“What?”
“They knew Yin couldn’t win against all the Werewolves of both clans. Oh, he probably could’ve holed up in the castle and fought them to a standstill with the help of Yang but he couldn’t have actually defeated the number of Wolves who stood against him so he, Yang and Merri Li went underground and began plotting how to reclaim the Eldership.”
“How’d they do that?”
“Merri Li began beheading Vampires.”
“She…? I can’t say I’m surprised but I am a little shocked.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t think she was the beheading kind.”
“We’re all the beheading kind, it’s only matters if the circumstances allow for it or not.”
“And their circumstances allowed for it?”
“Well, it was a little extreme, but effective and it did serve its purpose.”
“Which was?”
“After Merri Li took the heads of one hundred Vampires the Wolves asked for a meeting with Yin to discuss how to resolve their differences.”
“Seriously? Resolve their differences?”
“Yes. Why do you ask it that way?”
“Because you said Merri Li was removing body parts.”
“So?”
“She was cutting the heads off people, Trudy, don’t you think that’s a little more than a difference of opinion?”
“Well, it might be at the very end of the difference spectrum but it’s still the most effective way to win your side of the argument.”
“By cutting your opponent’s head off?”
“Uh-huh, stops the bickering right away.”
“Didn’t you say they got into trouble because they killed a Vampire? Why would killing more Vampires get them out of trouble?”
“The Wolves weren’t revolting because they killed a Vampire, they were revolting because Yang killed a Vampire.”
“So it’s okay for a Vampire to kill another Vampire but not for a Wolf to do so?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But isn’t that’s discrimination?”
“Yes, I guess it is. Not allowing one group of individuals to kill another group is a form of discrimination but it’s a pretty slippery foundation if you’re going to argue we should allow for it.”
“Why?”
“You’re going to argue not allowing Wolves to kill Vampires denies them equal rights?”
“Yes, yes I am.”
“Who are you going to argue it to?”
“I don’t know, don’t you have a Supreme Court or something?”
“Yes, we have the Clan Elders.”
“Then someone should argue it to them.”
“Someone should argue Wolves should be allowed the same rights to kill Vampires as other Vampires?”
“Yes.”
“And they should argue it before the Clan Elders?”
“Yes.”
“The Clan Elders who are headed by the leading Matriarch
s of the most powerful families?”
“Um… yes?”
“The Matriarchs who are, themselves, Vampires?”
“Well. When you put it that way….”
“Vampires who’d be ruling their murderous mates should be afforded the right to rip their heads off if they so desired?”
“Okay, I see your point, my argument has a few flaws but…”
“But what?”
“I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right, you know? I mean those poor Wolves seem to getting the short end of the stick here.”
“Yes, they are, but it’s for their own good.”
“How’s that?”
“Wolves are bred to kill. They might be good at other things like accounting or salesmanship, for example, but they excel at killing. Vamps, on the other hand are bred to breed. We are the safe-keepers for the continuation of our species so giving those born to destroy the power to end those who give life would be a rather shortsighted victory.”
“You think the Wolves would kill the Vampires?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t feel love, at least not in the way Human’s do. We feel euphoria at all times so we don’t have the emotion of love since we love everything equally.”
“Huh?”
“Wolves do not have the emotional ability to overcome their innate need to conquer. They cannot put the welfare of others above their own because they don’t retain the ability to love something greater than themselves.”
“They sound pretty narcissistic.”
“Narcissistic?”
“Yeah, giant ego-maniacs.”
“Oh, yes, that would describe them pretty well.”
“But Vampires aren’t?”
“We are too, we just don’t have the ability to do anything about it.”
“But if you could…?”
“We would eat those Wolves for lunch.”
The freeway system in Austin is a much simpler version than the one in Dallas, probably because the city is much smaller and therefore doesn’t have the need for multiple freeways merging at one focal point. The city of Dallas has one such focal point dubbed “The Mix Master”; that’s right, like a mixing bowl, and it’s a testament to freeway-designing genius in the way it befuddles even the most dedicated commuter. But Austin doesn’t have a Mix Master so the freeway designers needed to come up with something different.
“Hey, Joe, what’re you working on?”
“Oh, hey Stan, I’m looking at the freeway in Austin and something just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“What’s that, Joe?”
“Well, it just seems a little too easy, Stan.”
“Hey! I know. Why don’t you remove the service lanes?”
“Ooh, good one. Why didn’t I think of it?”
“Hey. You know what else you could do?”
“What, Stan?”
“You could make the on-ramp, like, ten-feet long!”
“Ooh, I like where you’re going there, yeah, ten-feet sounds good and, hmm, you know what else?”
“What, Joe?”
“I’m going to put the on-ramp about ten-feet past the stop lights they’ll be sitting at.”
“Excellent idea! They’ll have to go from zero to sixty in twenty feet.”
“Uh-huh, and without the service lane they’ll need to pray the cars on the freeway will let them enter. What do you think, Stan?”
“I think we’ve got ourselves a winner, Joe.”
Freeways have a huge flaw and it’s not actually their fault; it’s businesses fault. You see, businesses need customers to survive and freeways have plenty of potential buyers of everything product-related so businesses locate next to freeways. People work in those businesses so they build communities near them which eventually grow into cities which sit on either side of the freeways because why would someone only offer their wares to people travelling south after all?
THAT WOULD BE STUPID.
So freeways essentially run through cities, not by them. Think of a city as a house. Would you run your street through the center of your house?
YES?
No, you’d be a moron to do so.
I MIS-SPOKE. I REALLY MEANT NO.
You’d run your street by your house so you could exit onto your driveway and glide easily into your garage where you could relax and enjoy the calmness and serenity of your abode. But cities aren’t houses are they?
NO?
No, they’re tens of thousands of houses containing hundreds of thousands of individuals all located in a defined area which a freeway is cutting a swath through in order to get to other cities where it can do the same. Cities are located apart from each other so between them are vast stretches of land not populated by the teeming masses so people drive relaxed and effortlessly on them until they arrive at the next city where they are greeted with thousands of cars and trucks trying to enter the same hundred-foot patch of mortar and sand which are the foundations for those pathways of Human confusion, misery and rage.
“How did they resolve their differences, Trudy?”
“Huh?”
“Yin and the Wolves; how did they resolve their differences?”
“The Wolves asked for a meeting with Yin and he granted them one. Once there the Wolves offered Yin the Eldership of Second Clan again but he had to promise them one thing.”
“What?”
“He would not rule with Yang at his side.”
“What? What right did they have to even make the offer? It sounds to me like Yin, Yang and Merri Li were whipping up on them.”
“They were at the beginning but after the one-hundredth Vampire lost her head the Wolves began placing themselves in protective circles around their Vamps in order to thwart Yin, Yang and Merri Li which gave them a chance of striking a lucky blow to end the three.”
“Huh?”
“At the beginning of the rebellion Yin, Yang and Merri Li would use Yang’s cloaking abilities to sneak up on an unsuspecting family. Once there Yin would kill the Werewolves by surprise while Merri Li would do the same to the Vampires. Now, this went on for months but eventually their little ploy was up because the flaw in their scheme was unveiled.”
“What flaw?”
“Without Yang; Yin and Merri Li were vulnerable.”
“Huh?”
“When the three attacked their final time Yang got too close to the action, was wounded and barely survived. Once the Wolves figured out instead of fighting Yin with all three Wolves they would fight him with only two and let the third take on Yang, Yin knew the game was up. Yang was no match for a Vampire let alone a Wolf and Yin figured, rightfully so I believe, his game of rule by assassination was over because sooner or later Yang was going to lose his head. So, he agreed to meet with the Wolves, pondered their proposal and after several hours came back with a surprising announcement.”
“What?”
“He agreed.”
“He what?”
“He agreed with their proposal but he brought up something else the Wolves of First and Second Clan hadn’t thought of.”
“What?”
“Technically he was still Alpha and Merri Li was still Matriarch of both clans.”
“They were?”
“Uh-huh. Technically the Wolves of First and Second Clan were still subject to Merri Li’s authority as Matriarch.”
“So? They were obviously ignoring it.”
“Yes, but they were doing so under the guise that Yin’s forgiveness of Yang for the murder of a Vampire was a violation of Clan Law so they could therefore revolt without violating the same Clan Law.”
“So?”
“So, Yin rescinded his judgment.”
“He what?”
“He ruled he was wrong. He ruled Yang did indeed violate Clan Law and was to be punished accordingly.”
“Oh my God! What a traitorous little…”
“Yang got away, Johnny.”
&
nbsp; “Oh! Oh, that’s a much better ending.”
“I know.”
“How did Yang get away?”
“He walked.”
“What? He just walked away?” I asked.
“Yes, he just walked away” Trudy responded.
“How?”
“Remember his talent; he had the ability of sedation, well, I guess acceptance is a better word for it. When he was within the vicinity of other Superiors they not only didn’t see him as a threat, their subconscious didn’t view him as much of anything. Now, when Yin issued his reversal saying Yang was, indeed, guilty of committing a Catastrophe the Wolves surrounding the meeting weren’t paying much attention because, well, the only threat to them was in a meeting with their own representatives so Yang just walked right through them and was lost to time.”
“Yin tipped off Yang, didn’t he, Trudy?”
“That’s one view, the other is Merri Li told him. Either way Yang got the head start he needed to escape.”
“So Yin and Merri Li ruled both clans?”
“In a way, yes.”
“What do you mean ‘in a way’?”
“Well, do you remember Merri Li refused to sire a Superior with Yin?”
“Yes, she was scared Yin’s children would eventually destroy the Superiors because of their own superiority.”
“That’s true. Why do you think she would assume it to be so?”
“Um, because he had super-blood?”
“Also true. But where did the super-blood originate?”
“I don’t know?”
“In his DNA; in the very make-up of his genetic code.”
“Okay.”
“Where do we get our genetic make-up?”
“From cheap beauty salons?”
“No, not from cheap beauty salons. We get our make-up from our Sires, or parents as Humans call them. One half of our code comes from Vampire the other from Wolf.”
“So?”
“So, why was Merri Li so sure an offspring of her and Yin would produce a superior Superior?”
“Because Yin had super genes?”
“He did have superior DNA but remember your genes are made up of both Wolf and Vampire. If a Wolf has more superior genes than another Wolf and he were able to copy himself exactly then, yes, his offspring would also have superior genes but it’s not how it happens. Half the genes come from the Wolf and half come from the Vampire. So there would be a dilution of the gene if the Vampire were not as superior, correct?”
“I guess so, but…”
“But what?”
“But I’m totally confused now.”
“Johnny, why did Merri Li duck?”
“Huh?”
“When the Vampire assassin snuck up behind to take her head, why did she duck?”
“Because Yang told her to?”
“In a way that’s correct.”
“Why are you being so mysterious with your answers, Trudy?”
“Because it’s fun and I’m hoping you’ll guess the truth.”
“Okay, Merri Li ducked because Yang told her to right?”
“In a way.”
“Okay, good enough. So, let’s see, Yang and Merri Li, Yang and Merri Li…”
And then I got it. It must have been evident because Trudy nodded her head and said…
“Yes, Johnny.”
“You mean?”
“Yes, Merri Li could detect Superiors in the presence of Yang.”
“How? Did she blood-bond with him like we did?”
“’No, not like we did.”
“Then how?”
“Their bond ran deeper.”
“Huh?”
“They shared half the same genes.”
“Huh?”
“Merri Li was one the twin illegitimate daughters of Joan of Arc.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Merri Li’s Sire was spurned by her other Sire.”
“Huh?”
“Merri Li’s other Sire was also the Sire of the Matriarch of Satan.”
“And…?”
“Merri Li was the half-sibling to Yang.”
“What?”
“Yin, Yang and Merri Li were of the same blood.”
“What?”
“The Wolf of Satan, Lucifer, begot all three of them.”
