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Then, something unexpected happened. Just as I’d released them, they lunged upward, their eyes wild.
Confused, I’d assumed I’d been sloppy, and moved to finish the job.
But something wasn’t right.
A crushed windpipe did nothing to abate them, and the longer they remained in their after-drowning state, the more I realized they weren’t necessarily alive or dead. There’d been whispers flying around the Keep of such creatures, but that was the first time I’d ever seen one.
I wondered if perhaps I hadn’t survived the encounter, and instead of going to heaven, I was in hell. But that wasn’t the case. There was a reason Saber saved me from the pen, and that was because he knew people like me thrived in chaos.
Red light pours down from balconies to the street below. It’s no surprise that one of the first areas to rebuild would be a red-light district. Humans are base creatures, giving into darkness rather than basking in light.
I should know.
I enter a building and am immediately greeted by a woman who looks like she’s in her mid-50s. She’s dressed well, and her hair is perfectly styled in a tight bun atop her head.
I pull off my hood, because discretion is no longer necessary.
“Do I smell gasoline?” she says, taking a long pull from the fancy pipe she’s holding.
I hold up the gas can. “There’s a carton of cigarettes in my bag as well as a bottle of whisky.”
“Sounds like you want a tumble with our finest.”
“Actually, I was looking for something different.”
“How different?”
“I want to snuff out the sweetest, most innocent girl you have.”
Her eyes grow round as she regards my request.
“And if this helps my cause, it’s yours.” I lift my handgun from the bag so she can see it.
“You know a girl like that is worth and awful lot during times like these.”
“I also know she’s a liability to you. A man falls too hard in love, feels too bad for her, and he’s liable to turn into some kind of white knight, and even if that never happens, how long until you’re replaced?”
That struck a chord.
“Well, Fiona does give me hassle. Follow me.” She begins walking, but turns back around. “And by the way, my name is Madam Levy.”
She leads me up a set of stairs and into a room that’s bare except for a bed against the wall and a chair off to the side. There’s a girl sprawled out on the bed who doesn’t even bother to look at me.
She’s wearing a lacy blue cami with silk panties that are too small for her round bottom.
“The gas and booze and cigarettes?” Madam Levy holds out her hand.
I hand her the bag.
“When will you be done?”
“It won’t take long, but I do require one more thing.”
“It’ll cost you.”
I pull the chair up to the bed. “Sit.”
Her face contorts in confusion. “Excuse me?”
