makeshift bar and slid both weapons into a cubby under the counter, next to the Uzi he kept there. He would inspect them later.
The shotgun being drawn beneath the table was not missed by Hey You. She was practiced at noting small nuances. Hey You didn’t realize how unusually perceptive she was, because she had no frame of reference. However, growing up in fear had trained her to be conscious of little things generally missed by others. She knew that the man who preferred sitting in the shadows might have arrived with the others but was not a comrade in arms. She knew the woman, Toshi, was fully aware of playing a dangerous game and was enjoying it. She knew the two men at Toshi’s table were more dangerous than Toshi and Hal realized and that the shadow man knew it, too.
Growing up in the company of a sociopath had stunted Hey You’s social skills. She had learned a tremendous amount from her days locked in the nursery. By setting the video system on random, she was exposed to more than child-oriented programs. She saw everything on file. She learned to read and found the hospital library. As a result she acquired a vast knowledge of human anatomy and pathology, as well as a full knowledge of general education. Learning the way normal people acted and reacted from watching the videos and reading psychology tomes led her to diagnose Hal as a sociopath by the time she was eight.
Hal’s behavior confirmed the diagnosis when he captured two older children within a year, and after allowing Hey You to play with them, he slaughtered them like rabbits. She also knew he did things to them. The children told her.
When Hal looked at her one day in a way that made her uncomfortable, she had already recognized the danger she was in. That was the day her plan solidified. She knew from her studies that scent was a great motivator in sexuality and that it could act as a deterrent. The over-large, fuzzy coat doused in various unpleasant odors became a part of her wardrobe. She became so used to wearing it when she knew Hal would be around, that she even wore it when he wasn’t. As she grew into it, she used rags fastened with safety pins to add bulk to hide her developing body. Hal never managed to see past the coat, or the odors.
The evening was winding down. Cotton stumbled to his feet, clearly unsteady. He slowly focused on Hal.
“Hey, barkeep, you got any place to sleep around here?”
Hal had furnished several rooms just down the hall with large bedroom sets from the luxury hotel across the freeway.
“Sure, sure, follow me,” he said.
There was no reason to put them in a room that had no escape. Hal showed them an attractive room close to the hall entry, once an office space, with two king-size beds and a full complement of hotel furnishings. It was a little dusty from lack of use, but otherwise presentable.
Zip said, “This’ll do,” in a quiet, foggy voice.
Toshi gave Cotton, and then Zip, a predatory look as she stepped between them into the room. She undulated to the first bed and pulled the covers back, sneezing as the dust clouded around her.
As the door closed, the last thing Hal heard was Toshi.
“So, Zip, is that your name because you don’t last very long?”
The lobby of the hospital was empty. The older man in dark leather was gone. He was contemplating his options when Hal led the others down the hall to the right of the bar. The bundle of rags on the balcony rose and, coming close to the rail, beckoned him to the winding stairs that hugged the curved wall. He didn’t hesitate.
He did not trust Hal. It seemed odd that only one man and a bundle of rags occupied this large facility after so many years on a main highway. Somehow the bundle of rags seemed like the better option. As he approached, the smell became strong, but the rags didn’t allow him to get close. Opening a door in the upstairs hall and retreating to a distance, the figure invited him to inspect a small, comfortable room with an
The shotgun being drawn beneath the table was not missed by Hey You. She was practiced at noting small nuances. Hey You didn’t realize how unusually perceptive she was, because she had no frame of reference. However, growing up in fear had trained her to be conscious of little things generally missed by others. She knew that the man who preferred sitting in the shadows might have arrived with the others but was not a comrade in arms. She knew the woman, Toshi, was fully aware of playing a dangerous game and was enjoying it. She knew the two men at Toshi’s table were more dangerous than Toshi and Hal realized and that the shadow man knew it, too.
Growing up in the company of a sociopath had stunted Hey You’s social skills. She had learned a tremendous amount from her days locked in the nursery. By setting the video system on random, she was exposed to more than child-oriented programs. She saw everything on file. She learned to read and found the hospital library. As a result she acquired a vast knowledge of human anatomy and pathology, as well as a full knowledge of general education. Learning the way normal people acted and reacted from watching the videos and reading psychology tomes led her to diagnose Hal as a sociopath by the time she was eight.
Hal’s behavior confirmed the diagnosis when he captured two older children within a year, and after allowing Hey You to play with them, he slaughtered them like rabbits. She also knew he did things to them. The children told her.
When Hal looked at her one day in a way that made her uncomfortable, she had already recognized the danger she was in. That was the day her plan solidified. She knew from her studies that scent was a great motivator in sexuality and that it could act as a deterrent. The over-large, fuzzy coat doused in various unpleasant odors became a part of her wardrobe. She became so used to wearing it when she knew Hal would be around, that she even wore it when he wasn’t. As she grew into it, she used rags fastened with safety pins to add bulk to hide her developing body. Hal never managed to see past the coat, or the odors.
The evening was winding down. Cotton stumbled to his feet, clearly unsteady. He slowly focused on Hal.
“Hey, barkeep, you got any place to sleep around here?”
Hal had furnished several rooms just down the hall with large bedroom sets from the luxury hotel across the freeway.
“Sure, sure, follow me,” he said.
There was no reason to put them in a room that had no escape. Hal showed them an attractive room close to the hall entry, once an office space, with two king-size beds and a full complement of hotel furnishings. It was a little dusty from lack of use, but otherwise presentable.
Zip said, “This’ll do,” in a quiet, foggy voice.
Toshi gave Cotton, and then Zip, a predatory look as she stepped between them into the room. She undulated to the first bed and pulled the covers back, sneezing as the dust clouded around her.
As the door closed, the last thing Hal heard was Toshi.
“So, Zip, is that your name because you don’t last very long?”
The lobby of the hospital was empty. The older man in dark leather was gone. He was contemplating his options when Hal led the others down the hall to the right of the bar. The bundle of rags on the balcony rose and, coming close to the rail, beckoned him to the winding stairs that hugged the curved wall. He didn’t hesitate.
He did not trust Hal. It seemed odd that only one man and a bundle of rags occupied this large facility after so many years on a main highway. Somehow the bundle of rags seemed like the better option. As he approached, the smell became strong, but the rags didn’t allow him to get close. Opening a door in the upstairs hall and retreating to a distance, the figure invited him to inspect a small, comfortable room with an
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