Chapter 29: Critters.
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Inuma had walked out through a back enterance, before the Kings had entered the arena. On the way out, she encountered satan on her way in. satan's Followers took up their positions in the woods behind the back enterance...... to deal with any "survivors."
"You sure she'll know I'm one of her's?" Asked satan.
"Oh yes, she'll be able to sense it...... You want that, don't you?" Replied lnuma.
"I want her to know. Why stab someone in the back, when they can see it coming."
"Like a shotgun blast to the face?" Asked Inuma.
"Aw, sis...... you know me so well." Said satan with a grin.
"You're not my sister. You died in that dumpster."
"I suppose I did......" Replied satan with a straight face before walking past Inuma.
In the basement of the Blood God's compound, satan found him..... The Destroyer King. He growled at her.
"Shhhhhhhh. It's okay. Ooooo...... But you are magnificent!" Said satan with a smile.
She had no problem picking the lock open. He stayed still while she picked the locks open on his silver chains. Once the chains clattered to the floor, satan leaped backwards out the door as the King leaped for her throat. She slammed the door shut!
"Naught, naughty. You can play...... just not with me. It'll take you a couple of minutes to bust through that door. Then just come upstairs, if you want to play. You will come for me, won't you?"
satan laughed as she headed off upstairs.
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The handkerchief landed on the floor, the Kings dropped into their fighting stances. And then......... everything stopped. Everyone stayed frozen in place as they heard the music. It came from all around them. A happy little tune. The type one hears when turning the crank handle on an old-fashioned Jack-in-the-Box. It was "Pop goes the weasel." Everyone was stunned by what they heard.
"Is this part of the ceramony?!" Shouted one of the Kings to The Omnipresence who was seated in the audience.
Then they saw them. Several small, round, metallic balls...... with a small smiley face stamped on the top of each one. One of them glided across the floor, and stopped in front of Lord Macer's feet. The King picked it up off the floor. He turned it over, it moved thanks to a set of small rubber wheels on the bottom of it. It was then that he looked up, and saw the arena was covered with hundreds of the happy critters. Then, the music stopped.......
The critter that Lord Macer held in his hand exploded in his face! Such a close-range blast would have killed him anyway, but the other Kings saw it...... a bright, shiney, liquid metal covered what was left of his face. They realized in horror that it was silver! As more critters began to explode, some of them sprang off the floor and onto the laps of several vampires seated in the audience. The wounds were horrendous! Several vampires lost limbs. Each critter was a silver-filled bomb. There would be no way to heal ANY of their injuries!
When they heard the explosions, the Queens and their Followers who were segregated in other rooms, began to rush towards the arena from all sides of the compound. Monocrom used the confusion to sneak into the room where Inuma had hidden the case. He opened it. Inside were two small remote detonators, a handful of grenades, a Ruger GP100 revolver, and a box of 50 silver-coated .357 Magnum rounds.
"Great....... How the fuck am I supposed to carry around a BOX of ammunition?"
He stood up, and saw himself in the full-length mirror. He was wearing his Bomber Jacket. Since 9/11, a lot of Retailer's had begun selling them as "Aviator" jackets. He hated the politically correct term.
"'Aviator' Man, my ass!" Said Monocrom as he stuffed the box of ammo into his jacket's front pocket, and headed out into the hallway. He found himself surrounded by critters.
"Okay you little fuckers, let's see how smart you are....."
Each critter was equipped with a thermal sensor. Since humans generate more body-heat than vampires, the critters can tell when to explode; and when not to. The critters parted, and moved on. They were getting into the compound through the sewer system. (Inuma had come through with the blue-prints to the Blood God's compound). She found her Lover had cheated on her. She stood outside with satan's sumjacks...... listening for her Lover's screams of pain and death. It took awhile, but she heard it; and smiled.
Monocrom ran down the hallway, when he looked up, he saw a horrifying sight. Jade, standing expression-less and holding Fyndir in her arms, was being surrounded by critters. He ran up to her, and stood in front of her. His quick thinking worked. The critters picked up on his warmer body-heat, instead of the reading they were getting off of Jade.
"What are you doing here, Jade?"
"I didn't want to miss the ceramony." She replied.
"You can't be here, Jade. You've got to get out of here before the critters get you."
"Why did you do it, Mono? I thought we were friends."
"Oh Jade, Sweetie...... We are. But they kidnapped me, forced me to kill some guy I never met before...... They shouldn't be surprised." He said as he hugged her.
To his surprise, she hugged him back.
"I understand...... Fyndir said that my death seemed odd to him. He thinks Tigerkitty was somehow involved. But why are you saving me? I'm a vampire."
"True..... But you hunt assholes, and human predatores. Kill the monsters Jade. As for the assholes...... You honestly think I'd choose them over you? Fuck them! I'm sick of dealing with them on the job. Make them bleed, make them suffer, they deserve it. Not all life is precious. Theirs' is cheap. Plenty of them in New York City. Go on, get out of here."
--- END OF PART I ---