Hungry Independents (Book 2) by Ted Hill

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.