that had Hunter
calculating the run to his hidden motorbike.
Beads of sweat ran down his back and each
step felt like he dragged a pair of concrete shoes. Hunter stopped
twenty feet away and Barbie pulled up beside him. He wished the sky
was filled with clouds, maybe a giant thunderhead, so Barbie could
work some serious magic and end this quick with one bolt of
lightning, but all he saw was pure blue. It would have been a
beautiful day if not for the six drooling kids and the perv.
Tommy cocked his head. “I know you.”
“We met once, back in Denver. You were
putting your hands on my brother’s girl.”
Tommy’s chuckle rang hollow in the space
between the store fronts on Main Street, Cozad. “I’ve done that to
lots of girls.” He sounded like he was talking through a pipe.
“What made your brother’s girl so special?”
“She was the last one in Denver before
Patrick kicked you out.” Hunter hefted the broomstick to his
shoulder. “I beat your ass right before that.”
Tommy wiped the corner of his mouth with a
solitary finger. “She was your sister?”
“That was a cover story.”
Tommy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes,
moving them sideways to stare at Barbie. “You will not stop us,
little sister.”
“I’m not your sister.”
“I wasn’t referring to our relationship, only
to your higher calling. It will satisfy me greatly to savor your
flesh, in more ways than you can imagine.”
“All right, dude. Number one, gross, and
number two, she’s not your type.”
“Everyone is my type.” Tommy looked at the
two little boys and a girl on his left. They returned his gaze with
eager anticipation. Tommy closed his eyes and nodded. They sprang
from their spots and rushed Hunter and Barbie, howling, with tiny
hands stretched out like claws.
Hunter stepped back and gripped the broom
handle tightly, trying to figure out who to stick first and whether
he should even do it.
Barbie stepped forward, hands sizzling at her
sides with white balls of hot fire. The light show did not deter
the kids from the tempting meal. Barbie shot low and thin
electrical bolts struck their knees. The current climbed their
bodies, turning their eyes into white orbs. Realization struck
their faces that dinner plans had changed. They dropped to the
ground in spasms.
Hunter gagged and tried hard to keep from
screaming and throwing up at the same time. Those poor kids didn’t
deserve to be roasted either.
Barbie looked back at all the noise Hunter
was making, sensing the reason for his discomfort. “They’re just
unconscious,” she told him. “But they will wake up. You better
finish this quick.”
Hunter wiped his forehead and pointed. The
other three kids had been unleashed and were almost upon Barbie.
She sidestepped the closest and the girl flew into Hunter, bowling
him over, snapping her teeth at his throat. The stick clattered out
of his hands and across the pavement as he fought to keep the girl
from biting him. He grabbed both sides of her head. Her fingernails
raked his arms, searching for his face, while her knees pummeled
him down below.
Hunter rolled and carried the girl over onto
her back. Quickly he pushed up, but the moment he released her head
she bit into his wrist. Hunter screamed and tried to yank free. The
girl reached up and slapped his face, raking her fingernails across
his cheek. Hunter pushed his free hand against her face. She took
the bait and bit his other hand.
Then Barbie knelt beside him and touched the
crazy cannibal’s small head. An electric pulse rippled through her,
causing the unfortunate reaction of chomping on Hunter’s hand
before she fell unconscious.
Hunter backed away and tripped over one of
the other five kids sprawled on the street. He scrambled away in
panic as pain burned his hands. He regained his feet and inspected
his wounds as they started to heal.
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