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There’s something else, though. A darkness beneath the shadow of his scowl. His skin is so pale against his brown hair that Paimon can see the blue veins running at his temples. The rain does little to dampen his presence.
“Do you have IDs, gentleman?” Well, at least this beefcake ispoliteenough to call them gentlemen. The giant rifle and permanent scowl are a little much, though. “I don’t recall being notified of a new vehicle incoming.”
“We passed the security gate,” Lauren?iu supplies, curt.
“Yes, obviously, but whoever let you in didn’t give you the proper decal, did they? Or you’ve neglected to put it on.”
Lauren?iu starts, and then stops. “I...”
“ID. Proof of right of passage. Now.” The man secures his hold on his gun.
Paimon sighs and rubs his temple. Humans can be sooo tedious. And then they bring guns into it. Guns! Not even a sexy pistol sword. Why did swords go out of style again? He’s a sucker for a lavishly decorated hilt.
Again, leaning over the console, Paimon tells the soldier, “Look, we—”
The wrong action. Apparently. Humans are so capricious. The man points the rifle at him and barks, “Don’t move!I have the authority to take you in if you don’t comply, or worse if you escalate.”
Daisy starts raucously barking and snapping her teeth, both sound having a preternatural echo.
Paimon really can’t help himself. “Sorry, honey, you’re not my type. A little too much of a performative top. I really prefer a nice tea and courtyard stroll before I go anywhere with anyone.”
The man’s nose flares, and Lauren?iu glares at Paimon before he softens and assumes a new mask as he tries to placate the man with the big rifle.
In the rearview mirror, Daisy’s eyes flare bright red.
“Smart off to me again,” the soldier says, “and I’ll shoot your fucking dog if it doesn’t shut up.”
That’s it, then.
Paimon checks the street. For a brief moment, they’re alone besides the more relentless beat of rain.
The vampire starts to try to explain, “Well, we—”
Bored already, Paimon raises his finger and snaps, and the militia man’s head twists the other way with a loud, sickening crack.
Chapter 6
Paimon
Be careful. Right.
Whoops.
Well, not like he hasn’t killed someone in the middle of the street before.
And they were the only people on the street. He and Lauren?iu made sure to tear out the front dash camera in the car, so they should be okay. Lauren?iu talked him out of just blowing up the soldier’s car, which admittedly, was a bit of a buzzkill.
A little anticlimactic, if you will. Discretion can be fun when you’re sneaking into a place you’re not supposed to go, but otherwise, it’s boring.
The rain has done wonders with cleaning both them and the car of any suspicious scents, though now they are soaking wet, and so is the inside of the car.
All in all, so far, their quest has been a smashing success. He feels pretty good about it. Only one death is better than the last time he was on Earth. Lauren?iu is really a good influence on him.
Night descends in relative silence, and they cruise through the remains of this part of Terminus, AKA Atlanta, as if they didn’t kill a man in a heavily watched surveillance state.
Paimon starts whistling.
Lauren?iu interrupts, “Why did you choose to snap his neck, exactly?”
