“So- does he beat people up?” asked Hallem.
“I don’t think so.” said Faisand. “He’s talked so much about controlling situations…”
“Yeah, by beating people up, right?”
“I think it’s more about preventing things from getting out of hand.” said Faisand disapprovingly. “Apparently a lot of times, the cops need to slow down a lot and things get less violent.”
“Like slow down in high speed chases?” asked Aine.
“He doesn’t want his cops doing high speed chases. He banned them.”
“You’re kidding.” said Hallem. “What if the person they want to catch gets away?”
“Then they get away. They go find them later. What do you think usually happens after high speed chases?”
“Beating up!” said Hallem.
“Or use of deadly force.” said Faisand. “Anzy doesn’t like it. He found that the cops would get too excited by high speed chases and that was where most of the abuses were happening, so he ordered everyone to automatically break off pursuit. They don’t chase anymore.”
“That’s really weird.” said Hallem. “Who ever heard of a cop that won’t chase?”
“Anzy says that if a cop isn’t respected enough that the perpetrator will pull over for him, he isn’t a cop at all, just another thug on the opposite side.”
“Really?” said Hallem.
“Really.”
“How many cops still chase bad guys?” asked Hallem shrewdly.
Faisand winced. “Probably about two-thirds of them…”
“Ha!” said Hallem. “I knew it. Did you ever see him beat up a guy?”
“Not exactly, dear.”
“What’s ‘not exactly’?” asked Aine.
“We were out walking, he was out of uniform… which almost never happens, I can tell you…”
Hallem snickered. “You mean he keeps it on when he…”
“No. Behave. We were walking, and I was carrying a purse, not that carefully because I felt safe with him… and another passing Runge suddenly shoved me into Anzy and grabbed the purse. I guess he expected that Anzy would grab for me and give him a chance to run away, which he certainly tried to do.”
“What happened?” asked Aine.
“I stumbled across the sidewalk because Anzy lunged for the guy immediately and tackled him.”
“And beat him up?” said Hallem, expectantly.
Faisand hesitated, then said “On the whole, child, I would have liked it if he had. I was terribly frustrated with him. He tackled the guy, got the purse back…”
“Did he pull a gun on him?”
“Anzy doesn’t carry a gun.”
“What the heck did he do, then?”
“Just what I said. He tackled the guy, grabbed the purse, and then he rolled away and jumped up to his feet and walked back to me as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t believe it. For that matter, the guy he’d tackled couldn’t believe it. He just stared and stared, and then he jumped up and ran off.”
“You wanted Anzy to beat him up?” said Hallem.
“I suppose I did, child. It was my best purse, and I felt quite violated.”
Hallem perked up, his small wolf ears coming fully alert. “So you wouldn’t mind if he grabbed one of your other purses, that you didn’t like as much, huh?”
Faisand’s ears, by contrast, flattened a bit. “I only had t.. three. I earned a lot then- this was some time ago, dear. But of course I would mind, though perhaps not as much. It’s hard to say how much, the upsetting part is really the getting mugged. I was glad Anzy was there.”
“But you would be happier if Anzy beat up the guy for trying to take your third purse?”
“You shouldn’t call him that, child. It’s more of a pet name I have for him, though I believe Voustrets also picked it up. That’s proper, Voustrets and Anzende are almost like lovers themselves, but not in a sexual manner. Or, you might say they are like a squabbling old married couple…”
Hallem wouldn’t be distracted. “So you would be happier if Anzende beat up the guy for taking your third purse?”
“What’re you driving at, child?”
“I’m just trying to see how you think. What if it was your thirtieth purse?”
Faisand narrowed her eyes. “If I am carrying it, it is my first purse, not my thirtieth, dear. I could afford to get a new one if I saw one that appealed to me. By practicing my skills, which I shan’t describe to you, I could easily have got three hundred purses. In fact, I had three.”
“Three at once?” said Hallem.
“Three at once, yes.”
“Did you carry three at once, or did two just sit around?”
Faisand was not a fool. “What do you think I did with them, child?”
“I have no idea.” said Hallem grandly, like a tiny prosecutor. “I’m just trying to find out how you think.”
Faisand’s ear flicked- whether in vexation, or amusement, was unclear. “I made a fire of them, and danced merrily around it, and went out and bought another six purses which I never used. Dear me, what was I thinking?”
Hallem wasn’t a fool either. “All right, all right… what did you really do?”
“I gave the second favorite one to Demarle shortly after I met her, because she was fond of it, and the year after, I realized I hadn’t worn the third favorite for years, and I tossed it in one of those large clothes-for-the-homeless bins you see around. This satisfied me, partly because it was the correct thing to do, and partly because I suspected my third best purse was by far the finest thing in there.”
Hallem blinked. “When did you start doing that?”
“What, donating purses?”
“No.” said Hallem. “You’ve just mentioned several motivations for what you did, and one of them isn’t flattering. I thought nobody did that sort of thing outside Ungovernment. We learn it because you can’t maintain an anarchist society unless people are able to communicate their motivations…”
“Such as you trying to draw out moral failings on my part so you can claim superiority?” purred Faisand.
“She’s on to you, Hallem.” said Aine.
“People mostly don’t even analyze their shallowest level.” said Hallem, whose ears were laid slightly back defensively.
“For most of my life I have lived in an alien society, child.” said Faisand. “I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t left Ause very young, and I wouldn’t have done that unthinkingly either. From an early age, I’ve questioned my motivations. You shan’t catch me out that way.”
“New new mommie.” said Aine to Hallem.
“Oh, no, child. New roommate. Let’s be clear on that.”
“Don’t mind Aine.” said Hallem placatingly. “She’s kind of naive.”
Faisand and Aine glanced at each other, shrewd feline gaze bouncing off a very expert yearning childish gaze.
“Uh-huh.” said Faisand.
“Faisand!” came Demarle’s voice from outside. “That Voustrets guy is here!”
It wasn’t just Voustrets, either- Rai and Boodins were there as well. Before he’d left, Voustrets had arranged that everyone was to meet back at the Cathouse the following morning, for he had an elaborate plan that he refused to adequately explain.
Faisand looked for Anzy, but as usual, he wasn’t there- he was back at work in Kiesens.
“But where is the wolf lady?” said Voustrets. “This Dene, this Denenke Tieschtet, where is she? She was to play lookout, with these children as cover.”
Hallem chimed in. “I think we can spy better from the inside!”
“Very well,” said Voustrets, “what grounds will you have for being permitted inside a working chemicals company that may be committing terrible crimes?”
“I’ve seen the boxes the vistalrechar was being shipped in, and I’ve smelled it.” said Hallem.
The vulpine detective had meant his remark as a scold, but this stopped him. “How is it that you’ve smelled the poison? You were perhaps playing with it?”
“We dropped a box. One of the vials fell out and cracked. Dad had everybody smell it. He said it’s always good to learn new information, especially when you couldn’t know it through normal means. I’m sure I remember how it smelled.”
Voustrets was nonplussed. “You mean we have to concoct a logical excuse for a child to go into the chemical plant?”
“That’s hardly a child.” observed Faisand. “He’s eight going on eighteen. I’d worry more about the chemical plant.”
“But we’d agreed that Rairate and Boodins could go in, on the pretext that they were inspecting the plant, and Dene could be a lookout…”
Faisand glanced sharply at the vulpine detective. “Why do you think those two are suitable? Rairate is certainly capable, but Boodins? He’s eighteen going on eight.”
“Hey!” yelped Boodins.
“Can’t get by on a big teenage dick forever, dear.” said Faisand. “I’ve not seen you be very useful or thoughtful.”
“I can be helpful!” protested Boodins, greatly hurt. “I helped Daucery, really well!”
“Helping someone to do things they ought not to be doing, while getting what you want in the most direct way possible, is not as useful as you imagine. I know Daucery. She very likely goaded you on until you ravaged her, and we’ve tried to break her of that.”
Boodins was silent. He knew he’d been cleverer about it than that, but the old cat was a little too close to the truth, and he’d certainly given the rangy butterscotch Nerre what she demanded without asking if it was good for her. He’d been bouncing in and out of a lot of situations like a ping-pong ball, just reacting to them, and Faisand seemed to be suggesting that this wasn’t adequate.
Voustrets, however, had an answer for her.
“I understand your concern, Faisand, but it is of the great importance that the boy go into the chemical plant- because he is a Resten.”
“You mean I can smell the problem out?”
“I smelled the vistalrechar,” said Hallem, “he hasn’t. I should be the one.”
“No.” said Voustrets. “The boy should accompany Rairate simply because he is a Resten- though I don’t know what pretext could be used to bring the child. But far from being an impediment, Boodins will be Rairate’s key to entering the building.”
“Explain, ‘aons.” said Rai firmly.
“Very well.” said Voustrets. “But I must ask you all to protect the secrecy of this theory- I had hoped I could have your cooperation without revealing it.”
“Now I want to know what it is.” said Boodins.
“I wished to conceal it from you most of all.” said Voustrets.
“What?”
“Your fellow Resten, who is not simply a compatriot but who is royalty on your world- has been doing something terrible, and I have been trying to work out the specifics for over a year now.”
“He means Elistary.” said Faisand with satisfaction. “I always knew she was up to no good.”
“She is deeply involved with Dinsam Industrial Fabrication. She’s had Ungovernment ship them deadly biochemical poison, she’s taken steps to destroy Ungovernment to protect Dinsam, and she is so involved in Dinsam that I suspect any Resten showing up would be assumed to be in league with her. I am hoping this is the case. It may permit you access for long enough that you can figure out what she’s trying to do with so much poison….”
“Why would you be hiding that from me?” said Boodins.
Voustrets gave Boodins a look. “Tell me, would a Relf of your world commit crimes?”
“Of course not! We’re trying to rescue her! Or… um, it’s kind of weird if she’s come to Verss herself to have a lot of sex…”
“Why not?” said Faisand. “I did.”
“They don’t… they wouldn’t do that. Are you sure it’s her?”
“And this,” said Voustrets, “is why I did not wish to tell you. You do not believe a Relf can do certain things. Were you to encounter Elistary, your innocence might serve as a shield.”
“Huh?” said Boodins.
“Not for your safety, for our intentions.”
“I don’t think he gets it.” said Faisand.
“Why are you being so mean?” protested Boodins, and Rai added, “Yes, ‘aons. I do not wish you to distress him any longer.”
Faisand sighed. “I’m getting old and cranky…”
“No, you already are old and cranky.” pointed out Boodins.
Faisand arched an eyebrow. “Thank you for that… my point being, I’m old enough to sense trouble, and I’m concerned this boy will bring us trouble. He’s possibly endangered Daucery, he’s liable to end up with Demarle, and I’m seriously alarmed that Alonifi may trick him into mating her, which could be very dangerous. He’s paid us nothing and eaten our food and before Jennis turned up, he seemed quite happy to stay in a room here without any particular date to leave…”
Rai had had enough. “We have already left! You must understand that, ‘aons. We shall leave again, now. Come, Boodins…”
“Just a moment- ‘aons.” said Faisand.
At this, Rai froze, prey to the training of his culture, and he listened to what Faisand had to say, albeit unwillingly.
“You have done that. It was through pressure from Jennis, the boy had no intention of going anywhere, had he?”
“I suppose not.” admitted Rai. “It’s a little awkward, but we’ve done all right so far.”
Faisand said, “Nothing I’ve said is untoward. He asked why I was being mean. I am not being mean, I’m being practical. This Voustrets seems to want our visitors to engage in spying and schemes. I’m not sure it’s to our benefit to have them underfoot.”
“What about us?” said Hallem. “We’re underfoot too, and we haven’t got anyplace to go.”
“I think you’d best avoid being underfoot.” said Faisand.
Jennis passed by, provoking a hunted look from Boodins and a remark of, “Good morning, Jennis” from Faisand, which went unanswered.
“Ah!” said Voustrets. “Have you spoken to your friend who is working at Mistress Elistary?”
“That’s what I’m worried about…”
Elsewhere, Allie was worried too- not panicking, not yet, but definitely worried. The guy was named Gerrd, and he was loud and confident, but he’d come in alone, not with friends. There was something ‘off’ about him, like he was laughing at a joke he was making which nobody was going to get… he was slightly athletic, not as much as Wern, but his bravado was incredible.
It really was just like he was the big-man pack-leader most popular guy in his crew, the one that everyone deferred to, but where the hell was the crew? Those types of guys always ran in packs and came in in groups. Usually they’d split up and each take girls, but Allie had seen one situation the previous night where the whole group went off with one girl, and an enforcer pointedly stationed himself outside the door, listening.
It was startling, what kinds of sounds he was prepared to stand there listening to- but the girl did come out again, on her own paws, several hours later, leaning on some of the guys. Allie tried to remember if Jennis had said anything about the legality of that stuff, then winced, remembering she’d apparently really blown it with Jennis.
And here was Gerrd, bold as a pack leader, yet he’d come in alone.
Well… she was apparently about to learn what that meant.
“So- ya real hard to impress, huh?” he said.
Allie blinked. “I’m not sure I’d say that. Impress? I would hope you’d enjoy our time together…”
“Oh, I will, baby, trust me, I’m gonna enjoy this. I should ask you to close your eyes for the full effect.”
“I should ask you for double scale, for that.” snapped Allie.
“Hey, hey! Easy, baby! Little less attitude, alright? You know what they say about double scale, right?” said Gerrd, taking off his pants.
“No- what?”
“Bitch ain’t worth two bitches, ‘cos with two bitches you can have one for each nut,” said Gerrd, and guffawed. “How do you like that?”
Allie dutifully laughed, a little awkwardly, feeling very off balance. “Well, I’m glad you’re going to enjoy it- you ought to!”
“Fuck does that mean?”
Allie stammered, as his tone had changed suddenly. “I- I- Just that I’m going to do my best with you, I hope you do enjoy it!”
Gerrd relaxed again, just as abruptly, hand on his sheath and working on it. “That’s right, baby. I’m gonna do my magic- you’ll be howlin’ in no time, baby.”
“Um… I don’t tend to be noisy, exactly.”
“I got the cure right here.”
What he had was a growing hard-on, one that swelled out of his unkempt sheath with a vengeance, apparently all the more aroused by her nervousness. Allie decided to test that, and bit her lip gently, feigning worry.
“Um… does it get a lot bigger?”
“Of course. You want it lay-down, or tail in the air? Yer gettin’ it in about ten seconds, baby, decide or be decided.”
“That quick?” she said. She saw the way he got an extra lift out of her worry. Ah. One of those.
“It’s doing you a favor, baby, that knot don’t go in easy. Let’s go let’s go…”
Allie bit her lip again. From what she could see, she wasn’t feigning worry any more. Gerrd was a monster, and he wasn’t talking gentle. She made a quick decision.
“Belly to belly.” she said. “You can play with my tits better.” And, thought Allie, I can bite, punch and kick better if this gets out of hand.
“Lay down.” said Gerrd. Allie flowed over to rub up against him.
“Fuckin’ lay down!” barked Gerrd. “The man does the fuckin’!”
Startled, Allie cringed away- and, seeing that he wasn’t coming after her or making threatening moves, she backed carefully towards the shabby bed, reclining onto it. At the last moment, she surreptitiously licked her fingers, as drooly as she could manage with a dry, nervous mouth, and anointed her lupine pussy, hoping the guy wouldn’t spot or object to this move.
Gerrd moved in with a swagger, almost walking bowlegged. Allie privately thought that his nuts did not justify that posture- they were actually fairly small- but Gerrd’s cock made up for them. She lay back, wide-eyed and spread-legged, grateful that she’d snuck a bit of lube and trying to get erotic in her head so she could handle it.
Gerrd’s cock loomed at her. It had fairly impressive length, but the alarming part was the swollen, blunt bulk of it- he was a fat, fat boy, and it looked like he was going to come out with a really serious knot while he was at it. Allie wasn’t at all sure she could manage the tie-breaking trick on a guy that was too huge, and as Gerrd climbed up onto the bed, she quickly decided she was going to try and jolly him along any way she could, rather than get into physical conflict and possibly be unable to get away. She wasn’t sure quite what he needed, but the important thing was figuring it out quick, satisfying him, and getting him out.
“And the bitch says…” said Gerrd, not harshly, but in almost a dreamy, incantory way…
With a rough thrust, Gerrd’s cock jabbed at her, tucking into her saliva-wettened vulva and prying her open with the harshness his voice didn’t have. Allie bared her teeth from the sharpness of the sensation, the wedged searing hard bulk of it… and then, suddenly, it was gone, and Gerrd’s eyes were a little less friendly.
“I get it… they weren’t lying, you really are hard to impress. That can be arranged…”
He reached down, while Allie panted and stared, and he stroked her mons, massaging it as if squeezing her pussy together, stroked his sheath and rubbed his hand against the head of his cock, making a little snarl.
No sooner had Allie realized that he’d done that to make his erection even harder, stiffer and bulkier…
“Bitch says.”
Gerrd bucked forward with even more aggression, and Allie let out a yelp as he plunged into her. It was like taking on Rencer in full climax- a searing burst of intimate sensation shocking her body. She barely felt lubricated enough to take him, and this time he wasn’t stopping and pulling out. He shoved his way through all tightnesses, not waiting for her to melt around him- it seemed like he didn’t even want that, he was working his cock in her like she was a blow-up doll.
Allie yowled through her teeth, keening at the overwhelming sensations, her ears laid back.
“Yes she does.”
Gerrd’s hips heaved and thrusted. Then, barely pausing, he reached for her legs and lifted, curling her under him, tilting her hips up to more closely align with his thrusting angle- and, having done this, Gerrd put his back into it, and Allie’s wolf pussy, barely keeping up with the aggression of Gerrd’s swollen, frenetically plunging cock, got presented with the next stage- Gerrd had got an angle where he could pull almost completely out with each thrust, and then slam down, jabbing himself to the hilt in her. And this he did, and did, and Allie reeled and began to howl and yelp.
“Yes she DOES!”
Vaguely, Allie realized that her usual routine, her usual responses, were out the window. She wasn’t quite at the point of biting and kicking, but her sense of not wanting to make noise was totally irrelevant to this- if it was in any other context, she’d call it getting beat up. Only a few previous clients’ seed kept her from being dry and scraped raw- her body wasn’t helping one bit, and had decided it was done for the day, thanks. As one of Gerrd’s thrusts jabbed extra forcefully, Allie let out a shrill yipe.
“Oh yes she DOES! Bitch speaks! We gonna pop it in and out?”
His knot was swelling in his excitement, even as he continued to thrust. It added an extra level of “oh hell no” to the sensations ransacking Allie, and was rapidly becoming screamingly bulky.
“Gonna… pop it? I.. can! Say… when!”
Allie let out a wail, and grabbed onto Gerrd with arms and legs, desperately trying to cling to him and stop him pulling that knot out. She felt her body, tired of the churning, lock onto his cockbase in a tie- just clamp down like her pussy was trying to sprain itself on him.
“Oh yeah. OH yeah. Oh YEAH…”
Allie clung to him, tears leaking from her eyes, feeling his body shudder as he began to orgasm- and she let out piteous keening noises as Gerrd’s knot ballooned inside her already brutalized wolfpussy, and just hung on as the pressure built and built and built, shards of pain flashing sporadically from her insides. Blessedly, he had finally stopped moving.
“Ohhhhh, yeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh…”
Allie didn’t trust his not moving- she clung hard to him, waiting as long as she had to for him to subside. She knew sometimes the huge ones didn’t last. The guys presumably just couldn’t maintain the blood pressure.
“Oh, baby, that feels so good…”
Allie wiped her eye with her hand, and set her jaw- if nothing else happened, she’d ridden out the worst of it.
“I could tell, baby, I was your best, made to impress.”
Allie sniffled, and didn’t argue. If it got him out of here without incident, she wouldn’t argue. She knew that not only had she not come, but she’d gone as far from erotic feelings as she’d ever been, but to this clown, he was her best. Allie wrapped her legs tighter, wincing as it put pressure on the titanic knot wedged inside her. She suspected the goddamned thing wouldn’t even clear her pelvis until it went down a bit.
“Oh, baby. Gooood night, such a good night…”
It seemed to take forever for Gerrd to subside. He was done- he didn’t seek any more talk, he didn’t try to move, but he’d swelled so hard that it took a long time to untie. Allie passed the time working on her tie-release exercises, trying to get control of that muscle that cramped up so thoroughly. Gerrd didn’t seem to mind, it was like he’d already moved on.
When they finally separated, Allie limped for the door, and was passed by Gerrd. She privately thought she’d snarl at him if he tried to support her or help her walk, and she was very annoyed that he made no such attempt.
Wern was just outside the door, and he looked upset.
“Are you okay, Allie?” he said.
“She’s great, dude. Who the fuck are you?” said Gerrd.
“I’ll talk to you later…” said Allie to Wern.
“You might want to give her a little rest.” said Gerrd, in a self-satisfied way.
“I didn’t like the sounds I was hearing.” said Wern, confronting the other Runge male.
“Again with the who the fuck are you? What was wrong with ‘em?”
“I don’t hear sounds like that when I’m with her, buddy. Okay?”
“Sorry to hear it, knotless. Want I should give you some pointers?”
“What?” snarled Wern.
“Bitches like the rough, they want a real man. Maybe you can’t give them enough of what they want, so in that case fuck harder. People say this one is hard to impress, doesn’t make noise easy…”
“That’s because…” began Wern, his voice tense as a wire.
“No, dude, seriously- all it took was a much bigger cock, and you just jab it in real rough and you got all the noise you want. It’s easy. Next time, I’m gonna take it up a notch, see if I can get that screaming happening. You know, when they’re all shaking and screaming, and sometimes afterward you find out they didn’t notice but they bleed..”
Wern’s fist cut him off. All around them, customers and whores scrambled to see or to get clear.
Gerrd didn’t get much of a chance to yell. He went over a chair, fell so hard that the chair started to come apart, and Wern was all over him, landing another savage punch. Across the room, an enforcer began to charge over. The door to the outside was open, and Allie saw a Verss cop glance in at the sudden activity.
She looked back, quickly, to see Wern grab the chair by its leg, yanking it from under Gerrd’s twisting body. Gerrd was holding the side of his muzzle where Wern had punched him, and was kicking at Wern with one foot- and the chair came down, awkwardly, smashing against Gerrd’s body, splintering into pieces. And up went part of the chair, and what Wern was holding now looked like a sort of bent wooden club- and Wern’s body convulsed in a swing that smashed that club against the side of Gerrd’s head.
Gerrd spasmed and collapsed- and the club went up, and then down again with mad force- and then, Wern went down, tackled by the charging enforcer. Just a few seconds later, the cop from outside ran up, his gun out, screaming “FREEZE!”
Allie screamed, too. Gerrd’s head wasn’t the right shape any longer. It was all dented in. Allie raised her hands, saw that blood had splashed on her, screamed again.
“You got him? What’s up with the guy he was hitting?” said the cop.
The enforcer couldn’t answer, he was still struggling with Wern, who hung onto the chair leg and seemed to be desperately trying to get free and hit Gerrd again.
“Roll clear, guy! I’ll shoot him!”
“WERN!” screamed Allie, dropping down and screaming it right in his face.
Wern froze, suddenly realizing he was staring right at Allie, and there was a moment of silence, no motion, no reaction, Wern pinned beneath the enforcer, Allie crouching inches from them, the cop holding everybody at gunpoint.
Gerrd made a weak croaking noise- and stopped breathing.
Wern looked over at his handiwork, slowly, as if not quite believing it. He inhaled, and spoke in an unrecognizable voice.
“…I was on parole…”
“He’s fuckin’ beat the guy to death, is what he’s done.” said the enforcer.
The cop was yelling into his radio. “Backup! I need backup!”
“Wern!” gasped Allie, barely able to keep up with what was happening.
“I’m sorry…” said Wern.
Another cop came charging in. The first one saw an opportunity, and grabbed the chair leg out of Wern’s now unresisting hands. He went to strike Wern with it, and the other cop stopped him. “No! That’s evidence, dammit! The murder weapon!”
“Yeah!” yelled the first cop. He handed the chair leg to the second one, and kicked Wern hard in the side.
“Get… no, you cuff him, I’ll get an ambulance! Shit, that guy’s had it, look at his fucking head, will you?”
“Wern, why?” sobbed Allie.
“Holy crap, she’s right,” said the second cop, “it’s him. Guess it’s back inside for him. Oh, just fucking cuff him, will you?”
The first cop was kicking Wern again, who jerked and flinched. “He’s going fucking nuts!”
“No, stop! Look! Look at him!”
“He… okay, I know you have seniority, but what the hell just happened? Why ain’t he fighting, now?”
The second cop sighed heavily. “Cuff him. He’s a fucking yoyo. Institutionalized.”
“What?” said the first cop, but he stopped kicking and got out his handcuffs.
“This is that guy that messed with a little girl, years ago.” said the second cop. “They let him out on parole. He’s been in the joint so long, he can’t handle life outside. They do shit knowing they’ll go back to jail. Right before their parole expires, that’s usually when you get this. Hey, you! Shithead! When would it expire, huh? I’ve seen you around for a while…”
Wern didn’t answer. He seemed beyond speech. Allie stared at him, horrified.
“Whatever.” said the cop. “That’s a problem you’re not gonna have again. If they don’t just snuff you, you’re never getting out now.”
Allie stared. Whimpered, “Wern…”
“Will you… wait for me?” he said.
Allie didn’t speak- she couldn’t- and Wern’s tone of voice somehow had included this, included the despair of knowing that there was no coming back, that the two-tone wolf girl with the quirk about silence and the sexy little noises was not going to wait for him.
Wern was done.
Wern was led roughly away by the two cops, and the others looking on drifted off, resuming their plans in the manner of jaded big-city dwellers.
Allie looked down at the corpse of Gerrd, who would not be returning as promised, to screw her even more violently until she screamed and bled. One of his eyes seemed to be pleading, “Why would you hit such a nice guy like me?”. The other one wasn’t recognizable anymore.
Eventually, Allie realized that with Jennis gone, she was the floor manager, and it was on her to call the ambulance. Nobody else was going to bother.
Dazedly, Allie went to the phone, dialing the emergency number printed on the handset. “Hello? This is Mistress Elistary. Not her, the place Mistress Elistary. There’s a guy here who’s dead. Yes, dead. Uh… okay, you can send… what? Am I in shock? You’ll be right over? Um, okay…”
Allie hung up the phone while the operator was still talking to her, and sat down, staring at Gerrd’s corpse. It occurred to her that her cunt still hurt, and vaguely wondered if the ambulance people would have anything to help.
When the ambulance people arrived, Allie was still staring at Gerrd, unmoving.
