Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
It was my turn to gasp as the wind was knocked from my lungs. I kicked backwards but Jerx must have dodged because my foot didn’t connect with anything.
“I’ll…have you…yet,” he panted and began dragging me towards him. “Just…hold still…and it’ll be over…soon!”
“No!” I shouted, and kicked again. “No, leave me alone! Leave me—”
My words were drowned out by a deafening roar and then a scream. Twisting my head around, I saw a sight that froze my heart.
The spiker that had been chained up outside the whorehouse was now on the loose and it was right on top of Jerx. It was huge—a mountain of angry beast— and it was digging its claws into his back and growling.
“Oh my Goddess!” I gasped. Jerx had let go of my ankle so I could have crawled away or even gotten up to run, but I felt frozen to the spot, watching as the horror in front of me unfolded.
Jerx wasn’t frozen. He was screaming and writhing under the massive beast, trying to get away. But he was pinned down—he might as well have tried to get out from under a stone wall that had fallen on him. The massive creature had him and wasn’t letting go.
“That’s right—get him!” I heard someone shouting. “Bite him—tear him! Do it, Fluffers!”
Looking up, I saw the sex worker that Jerx had stiffed (in more than one way) cheering the spiker on. She must have let it off its chain to attack him, I thought dimly. And had she really named it “Fluffers?”
These were the thoughts that were going through my head as the giant spiker opened its jaws and bit off Jerx’s head. There was a ripping, crunching sound and then blood spurted everywhere.
“Oh my Goddess,” I breathed in horror.
Finally, my paralysis broke and I was able to scramble up on my hands and knees. But my actions drew the spiker’s attention. Still crunching on Jerx’s head, like a kid with an extra-large piece of candy in his mouth, it turned its orange gaze on me.
I froze again. Oh Goddess, was I going to be next? Was I going to die here, like Jerx had?
Suddenly I heard a familiar voice say,
“Jessina—don’t move!”
I couldn’t have moved if I had wanted to. I was trapped now—caught in a staring contest with the enormous spiker and unsure of how to extract myself from the situation.
“Hey, don’t point that blaster at my Fluffers!” I heard the sex worker saying.
“Get him away from my crew member then,” the deep voice demanded. “He’s already killed one of them!”
“Only ‘cause he wouldn’t pay,” the sex worker shot back. “Used both my twats, he did and didn’t give me so much as a trimblub for my trouble.”
I didn’t know what a “trimblub” was—maybe one of those weird square coins they used here? But I was sure that the deep voice belonged to Turk.
“Get him away from my crew member,” he insisted again.
“Can’t. He’s eatin’. Won’t leave until he’s finished,” she said sullenly.
“I need his body to take back to his family!” Turk protested.
“Too bad. He’s hungry. Ain’t nobody can stop Fluffers from eatin’ once he starts. Less maybe you want to try?” she demanded.
“No.” Turk sounded frustrated. “Jessina, listen to me,” he said. “I want you to back away—slowly. Stay on your hands and knees and don’t make any sudden moves.”
“I…I’ll try,” I breathed. “But what if…if he goes after me?” I was still staring into the bright orange eyes of the huge spiker and my heart felt like a lump of ice in my chest. My hands were cold and sweaty too. I was right on the edge of death and I knew it.
“I have my blaster on him. If he comes for you, I’ll shoot him,” Turk promised. “But try not to give him a reason to come for you—move slow!”
I did as he said. Still looking into those orange eyes, I began to back slowly away. Fluffers growled menacingly at me but he didn’t move to pounce. Instead, he looked down and took another bite of Jerx—crunching into the dead man’s shoulder with his long incisors.
I felt my stomach do a slow forward roll and wondered if I was going to be sick. But I couldn’t afford any sudden moves and puking would definitely involve said moves. Grimly, I swallowed to keep down my gorge and continued backing away.
At last I felt Turk’s hand on my elbow, helping me to stand. Never taking my eyes from the spiker, I rose with his help.
“Good,” he murmured. “Now we’re both going to just back away slowly.”
We did as he said, stumbling a little on the road since we couldn’t see where we were going. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that sight. The dead, headless body with the enormous cat-like spiker sitting on it, ripping off chunks in the bloody light of the setting sun. And standing beside it, the half-naked sex worker, glaring at us defiantly as she stood over the gory scene with absolutely no regrets.