by Al K. Line
I wasn't naive enough to believe this was the beginning of a relationship that would endure—it was early days and we'd only just met—but it was a start, and there was definitely something between us that clicked on a deep and very intimate level.
So, I admired his bum, then his home.
The place was entirely open plan, and it seemed that Pumi slept in a corner of the area zoned for the living room. The mattress we'd been using to its full was testament to that. There was the smart, functional kitchen, sleek black lines and more chrome than at a bikers' rally, and a large area for working out where some serious looking weights were used. Pumi had a rack of dumbbells, a bench, and enough machines to give a professional gym a run for its money. Half the machines looked more like torture devices than a way to keep his muscles honed.
I wandered around naked after getting freshened up, trailing my hand across the sleek furniture, splashes of color on upholstery and even cushions, incongruous as Pumi didn't seem like the kind of guy to go in for interior design.
"Is this your place?" I asked.
"Of course! Don't think I'd just slum it all the time, do you?"
"Hey, we've just met. There's a lot I don't know about you. I mean, did you move in after the owners left or did you buy it?"
Pumi turned from the stove and said, "I bought it. I'm not a poor man, Swift. I've got business interests, own a lot of property actually, and dabble in other things, too."
"Like what?" I asked, genuinely interested.
"There's a lot of stuff. All kinds of things. I got in early on several tech startups, made a killing, and it just got a little crazy after a while. This is a golden age. You?"
"Er, nope." I shrugged, wondering if I was expected to be rich, too. I've never been interested, abhor the idea of even thinking about dealing with staff or running a business.
"That's cool, most people don't have any interest in such things. And it's boring as hell. I sold off a lot of stocks and shares a long time ago, to simplify life, so I own property, other things."
"Other things? Such as?"
"This and that," he said, vaguely.
"Like?" I pushed. What was he hiding?
"Hospitals, research funding. That type of thing."
"Research into what? Hospitals, for sick people?"
"That's what hospitals are usually for," he said, giving me an odd look like I'd lost most of my brain cells.
"Um, right."
"Lunch is..." Pumi's words trailed off as he slowly placed the frying pan down on the counter top. His face darkened as he came around the counter. "Swift, go put your clothes on. Now."
I turned to see what had caught his attention. There were three guys with cricket bats leering at me and they didn't look like they'd come to ask if we wanted a game. At least not any game I'd be interested in playing.
"Look what we have here, lads. A freak and a woman that's clearly willing to give it to anyone that wants it. We want it, don't we?"
There were grunts and grins from the unwelcome guests.
"You guys don't want to do this," I said, walking casually over to a pile of clothes and sliding into my shorts after I found them. I felt their eyes boring into my flesh, but pretended it didn't bother me.
They picked the wrong people to mess with, as they were soon to find out. "Pumi, let me deal with this, okay?"
It was too late.
The screaming started.
The Trouble with Men
The men freaked and shouted and screamed at each other as Pumi's body twisted and cracked, the monster released.
His body contorted and grew in a sickening display of animal metamorphosis as the beast within came real. Huge and terrifying, he vaulted the kitchen island and was across the room in a moment.
Before I could do a thing, he grabbed one of the men and pile-drove the guy's head into the floor, cracking a tile and the man's skull before ripping open the sliding door and throwing him out like a broken piece of furniture.
The other two men were utterly terrified. What they'd thought of as an easy bit of fun, taking advantage of the chaos and the disruption caused by the Shift, turning into their worst nightmare as Pumi lost control and did what he thought was right to protect himself and me from their unwanted advances.
He turned as a bat cracked over his back and splintered. With incredible speed, he yanked it from the wide-eyed batsman, flipped it around, and thrust it deep into his stomach. Blood spurted all over the floor and as the man looked down, unbelieving, Pumi punched out hard and drove the bat clean through the guy until it fell out the other side.
He growled, focus now on the remaining intruder, but by this time I was by his side. I screamed, "Pumi, no. Stop!"
The beast grunted, wild and lost to itself, but something must have registered because the twisted face softened and the utter hate and ferocity left him.
The lone survivor took advantage and swung for Pumi's head, but I sprang at him with magic-boosted muscles and caught the bat before it was halfway to its mark. Pumi turned at that moment, saw me trying to protect him and the rage returned. Blood lust taking over the thing that was no longer him but the dark side of ourselves we all have hidden away somewhere, his actually having a way to release itself.
Pumi slammed out with a fist like an anvil, smashing into the man's face. Pounding it to an unrecognizable mess of splintered bone and tenderized flesh. Again, he lashed out, and the man's head erupted in a violent spray of gore as Pumi's fist crunched cartilage and bone, causing irreparable damage to the brain as his calloused, twisted knuckles sank deep.
The man dropped down dead.
I gasped at the violence, even though I'd killed in a similar fashion the day before. But that was different, or I thought it was. This was killing on a whole other level, without even a hint or a thought for mercy. Not giving the men an option to change their minds, a pure animal instinct to protect his life and that of his own. Meaning me.
The monster had emerged to protect its mate, and there would be no quarter given for anyone that dared come between it and its newfound companion.
Reality was skewed, everything surreal. The house still minimal, clean and tidy, apart from a mess of mangled bodies, blood, and gore by the doors.
A beast stood amongst the damage done, then back to being a man, hanging his head in shame. Naked and panting like a scared child, all too aware that monsters really do come out to play.
"I'm sorry," he said, eyes pleading. And then he was gone, out through the open door, lost to sight as the jungle swallowed him up.
"It's not your fault," I shouted, knowing he heard me, not sure if I believed it or not.
Pumi was shamed, afraid I would hate him. Be disgusted by what he'd done, by the fact he changed so quickly when presented with danger. I wasn't sure what I felt. If it was fear, admiration for him protecting me, a disgust that he had no self-control, or just plain bloody sadness for the thing he had inside and had to live with every day of his life.
All I knew was I didn't want him alone out there feeling like he'd failed me somehow. I'm no innocent, and much as his extreme reaction had shocked me, it didn't mean I didn't want to help.
Life is precious, and maybe these guys didn't deserve to die, but when I thought about what I would have done to them if they'd tried it on with me and Pumi had somehow been unable to defend me as he had, then I knew deep down inside that I would have shown no mercy either.
Maybe we were perfect for each other—two broken human beings who would kill rather than see people tried for crimes. But that isn't our way, and if you step over the line into our world, how we do things, then you better be prepared to pay the deadly consequences.
I finished getting dressed, hauled the bodies out into the garden, and watched as they were dragged away by thick creepers while I cleaned up the floor and then ate the meal Pumi had cooked.
It was nice, although for the life of me I can't remember what it was, just that I wished Pumi would come back and we c
ould talk about it. His departure made it clear he felt unworthy of my affections now he'd reacted with such violence, but honestly, all I felt was sad. For him, for myself, for a world where men would think so little of others that they would violate their homes with the worst of intentions.
Maybe it was the heat, but the Shift was bringing out something despicable in all of us. Making us base and oversexed, passions flaring as the temperature increased and the jungle ate Strangetown whole.
Dishes cleaned and put away, place sparkling like nothing had happened, I called Pumi, his phone ringing from a pile of clothes. I left a message, telling him to come to my house, that we needed to talk and that I wasn't mad.
I closed the door behind me and went to do my job.
On the Hunt
I needed to make a detour first. I wanted to get more of a feel for how the city was reacting to the sudden encroachment of a jungle, as so far all I'd witnessed were men being aggressive and thinking they could use the situation to take advantage. But I knew that wasn't the whole picture, just a few wayward souls, hopefully, not a reflection on the entire city.
What better place to get a true sense of how people are reacting than at the supermarket? Plus, I was feeling somewhat peckish—Pumi had cooked a nice lunch but it wasn't enough for this gal and her healthy appetite.
Okay, I admit it, I was stalling. But I really did want to see how things were for everyone else and shopping is one activity that is a constant no matter the circumstances.
I should have gone home and got my riot gear first.
After struggling through the streets, I eventually made it to the source of all things edible, only to discover it was in uproar. People were arguing over shopping trolleys, dashing this way and that through the car park that was only partially engulfed by the jungle, the volume of foot traffic doing a good job of halting the growth before it got out of hand.
Everywhere I looked people were acting dramatic, looking around furtively as they made their escape with as many groceries as they could carry. It was only then it hit me—we were in the throes of a seriously worrying crisis.
The Rift was bad enough, but at least the food kept on coming. With the jungle taking over the city, how would we be supplied with goods? No way would anyone go to the trouble of shipping it all in by air, it would cost a fortune. Maybe basic supplies would be delivered like that, but not the variety you take for granted in the modern world.
Wishing I'd thought of this, annoyed for having overlooked it, yet knowing there was nothing I could do, I pushed through the throngs of the angry, the bemused, the scared, and the excitable, and entered the cool interior of food heaven.
What struck me immediately was the difference the Rift would make to our lives once again. The supermarket was a reflection of the wider world, and much of our economy had changed to accommodate the new Strange, but now they'd left. All the aisles were being stripped of things only the otherworldly would eat. The tinned goods containing human flesh were mostly gone, same for the counter for fresh—although rancid, they still called it fresh—human meat that the ghouls couldn't get enough of.
The lava stall was closed down, no demons so no call for it, and on and on the list went. This would be happening all over the planet. In six months the world economy had embraced the diverse creatures that shared our lives, with numerous businesses and infrastructure set up to take advantage of a potential new source of income, and now that was gone, wiped out overnight.
Would this mean I was just about the most unpopular person on the planet? I hadn't thought about that at all, as the dark elves were intent on taking over human society so they had to go. But no good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes, and I got the awful feeling there would be those who blamed me no matter that I helped save everyone from a future of slavery, if not death, if the elves had their way.
It's odd, but I missed it. Missed the diversity, the fact the majority got along, embraced new races, took the opportunity to make new friends. Now it was mostly just us humans again. The difference was rather depressing, like we'd regressed, with everyone pretty much the same size, shape, and color. There were a few Strange from the Rift wandering around, but it wasn't the same.
I grabbed a few things for a snack, not in the mood for shopping and hauling it all home, and although the shelves were untidy and disorganized as people panic-shopped, it was clear we wouldn't be running out any time soon. As I wandered the aisles, I got a fair few nods and smiles, something I wasn't accustomed to, and had expected the opposite. Seems I wasn't out of favor with the locals at least.
The attention made me squirm. I knew a lot of people, and many Strangetown inhabitants knew me as I was a Justice so got around, but being singled out like that made me uneasy, as if my every move were being watched. I felt self-conscious, as though I were being judged as I inspected fruit, wondering if I should stock up after all, because what if we ran out of apples?
Soon it became obvious I wasn't of as much interest as I'd imagined—everyone was pretty much staring at everyone else. Why were they acting this way? As I passed two women arguing over the last loaf of sliced white bread, even though the baker was right that minute pulling a rack of fresh loaves from out the oven I could see in the back behind the counter, I understood what was happening. People were watching each other closely to see how they reacted.
With the Shift changing our city without warning, people had come to somewhere busy to see what everyone else was doing. If others were panicking and grabbing anything they could off the shelves then that's what they'd do, too. If people were going about their business like normal then that meant there was nothing to worry about, right?
It's easy to forget how society works, but this was the hive mind in action. If everyone's calm, you're calm. If they're bashing each other over the head with a tin of beans then it's time to grab a multi-pack and do some bashing yourself.
Maybe it's because we live in Strangetown, but people were mostly taking things in their stride. Yes, more people were shopping than normal, and plenty were overreacting to some degree, but they weren't going nuts. I think more than anything they were just looking for comfort, for a sign that everything would be okay. How was the rest of the world coping? I wondered. Probably taking it even better, as it was only here that we had a new problem to deal with. There's no way the military would be prioritizing Strangetown if there were similar issues in the wider world. Lucky us!
I paid for my apple and a sticky bun, the zombie at the checkout as talkative as usual, then I was out the door. Munching on my snack, I stayed alert while I tried to figure out what to do and forced myself not to worry about Pumi.
Was he okay? Of course he was. He was a big boy and certainly old enough to deal with his own issues, but I wished he hadn't run out on me. We could have talked, I could have helped, but maybe this was one change too many for him. Right when he wanted to show his human side he'd flipped out, unable to hold himself back.
How awful that must be, not just the loss of control, but the loss of humanity. The loss of your self, becoming something wild and unnameable.
Killing is bad, but so are people, and sometimes death is the best answer for society. It's a cold and brutal way to look at it, and I wish I felt different, but truth is I didn't feel bad for the guys he'd killed, or the one I'd killed who'd come at me with similar intentions. They deserved it, and it meant that a lot of other women would be safe. They were more important by a long shot.
As I finished my apple, I stilled my hammering heart as a troop of soldiers emerged from the encroaching jungle and marched across the car park. They split into smaller groups and stood guard at stations around the supermarket while others, including their boss, whatever his title was—Major, or Sargent?—went inside, probably to tell the manager not to panic. They were here now to keep the peace.
These people, they're all the same. Nobody has ever come to the realization that we can take care of ourselves. All this military presence did was
put people on edge, and it took about two minutes before the crowds began to gather and jeer at the soldiers, who, thankfully, remained professional and didn't react.
I binned my apple core, finished my pastry, wiped my hands on the paper bag, tried to think calming thoughts as I stepped away from the air that cooled the front of the building as the door opened and closed, and stepped back into the sun and the blistering heat.
Damn, but it was hotter already. At this rate the city would shut down—no way would people be coming out if it got warmer than this. Maybe that was a good thing, as I knew for a fact that if more military, or anyone else, tried to interfere with our lives the city would erupt into chaos. We aren't good at taking orders; Strangetown is full of independents. We do things different here, and being bossed about doesn't sit well.
With a sigh, I ignored the arguments and the shouts now directed at the soldiers, pushed through the dense canopy, and headed off to find a rogue witch named Bluetz Skala.
Memories
Once, when I was twelve and Robin was fourteen, our mother took us to the countryside, telling us it was a mystery outing. We were excited, chattered non-stop all the way, unable to stay still in the cart, coming up with more and more fanciful ideas about what our day out would entail.
Our mother kept quiet, wouldn't tell us a thing, but never once tried to stop us being happy and excited about the trip. We were fit to burst. She never did things like this with us. Our life was all about magic, her in charge, us being trained, learning how to call on the Pool. Immerse ourselves in it, become powerful and strong. But we were still just kids, wanted to play and have fun, do things we knew other children did even though we were mostly kept away from Normals, interacting almost exclusively with Strange children who were often much older and already deep into this world of magic.
I can picture it now. Us arriving at a farmyard of sorts, Robin and I practically exploding with excitement, thinking maybe we were going horse riding or something just as fun and just as rare.
