primordial

7/31/2019 Primordial

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Relax

Chapter 1

It had been a month since shed met Credenza

and the Primordial vampires on the side of the

road. Despite the time that had passed, the


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smell of burnt flesh still tortured her; it

lingered over the entirety of Lake George.

Thousands of dead vampires were burnt to

ash, there.

Starr was on her way back from the library,

in the next city over.

In the silver Mercedes shed stolen from a

cabin down the way, she tried to gun it up the

steep incline of the mesa. At the top was the

house where she and the kids, from the clinic,

were staying, since their cabin burned down.

Damn, she cursed.

Shed never learned how to drive stick,

though shed read about it in school.

A foul smoke filled the car. She pressed thegas, harder. It made terrible whining noises

and then died.

Deciding it wasnt worth damage to the

clutch, she restarted the car and parked it on

the side of the road, and then walked the restof the way up to the house.


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The mesa top was a great place for her and

the others. It had a large beautiful house with

views, and all the amenities of a hotel. With

only a few square miles of land at the top and

jagged rock covered in trees all along its sides,

it was highly unlike anyone would try to climb

up.

She trudged the twenty yards of incline,

kicking up dirt into her nose and mouth.

In the last cabin, which now lay in a pile of

ash directly across the lake, theyd had several

stampedes of vamps sneak up on them. Butmost newly made vampires couldnt fly or

levitate, so the mesa was perfectly safe. Those

that did make it up the road were spotted by

their dust clouds, and killed before they ever

reached the top.

As she walked over the last bit of incline,

she spotted her friend and fellow vampire,

Shane, in the front yard, messing around in the

flower bed, as usual.

Although many vampires came intotelepathic abilities, Shanes were the most


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powerful of any shed ever met. Sometimes, it

was too much for her, which is why she spent

so much time working in the garden: it was

peaceful and away from the ever constant

thoughts, internal monologue, and feelings

that people always had.

Of them all, Shane was the strongest

vampire, though in a way she was the most

crippled, too. Unlike Marla, who never needed

to sleep anymore, and Mica, who had super

hearing, Shanes ability to hear thoughts and

feel others feelings never gave her rest,

except in sleep.

Everyone else at the mesa house was

human.

Hey, she said, as she stood up and wiped

her forehead. Any luck?

Yeah, actually.

She held up a large book. Thanks. I dont

know what I wouldve done without you.


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Weeks ago, an ancient vampire, Credenza,

rescued her from a fire. Shed passed out, and

when she woke, Credenza was gone.

Starr was alone in a strange house with an

altar at her feet. Later, when she asked her

about it, she refused to explain. Fortunately,

she didnt seem to realize that shed left

something behind: an old book with the words

Necro-Grimoire etched into its leather cover.

Necro, from the word nekros, as a fellow

vampire explained, was a Greek word that

meant dead. A grimoire was a book of spells.

This particular grimoire, though rebound,

was especially old.

Credenzas actions towards Starr had been

suspicious for a while. She was sure thatwhatever Credenza was up to, the book would

be a vital clue.

Her first attempt to translate went alright,

but it didnt make complete sense. She knew

there were over a dozen versions of Latin, but

hadnt known that Classical was the written

language of choice, back then. For someone


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well versed in Latin, it was no big deal to

translate classical using another dialect, but

Starr hadnt a clue of any version of the

language.

From inside the house came best buddies,

Josh and Rick, carrying large boxes of food.

They stowed them into the back of a large

blue SUV theyd picked up in town.

When she found them stranded in their high

school cafeteria, some months back, she

invited them to come to the Lake. Since New

York City was in danger of being blown tobits by the government, in an attempt to get

rid of all the vampires, they had no choice but

to leave immediately.

Rick was lucky; hed finally made contact

with his parents, who were in Ohio. Manyfamilies were separated when the vampires

stormed the city, and many still had no clue

what happened to them.

Starr continued upstairs to her bedroom

where she dropped the Latin translation book


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on her bed, and then went downstairs to help

out with dinner.

In the kitchen, Mot, Mica and Lucas were

cutting up onions and potatoes as Marla and

Misaki shelled and shucked eggs and corn.

That night they had dinner on the long glasstable in the backyard, next to the pool and

jacuzzi.

The sun was setting earlier and earlier.

So what are we gonna do? asked Mot, in

between bites of burger. When winter comes,

are we gonna be crammed in this house the

entire time?

Starr looked across the lake and inhaled

deeply. The air had grown heavy, indicating

that fall was already in the air.

Well? he said loudly, distracting Starr

from her thoughts.

She sighed and looked at him.

Why are you asking me?


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Youre the leader, no?

I dont have all the answers. I wish you

guys would stop looking to me, all the time.

After a moment of silence, Danny said, I

have to admit that I can hardly stand to think

of it; being cooped up here all winter. Its nicebut small.

The clinic was smaller, said Becky.

But that was different: we got out and did

things.

You know, I never thought Id miss school

but I do, said Misty. What worries me more

is if society should rebound, then well be

behind. Imagine having to repeat grades, and

not graduating high school until were twenty

years old.

What about me? asked Misaki, who was a

half Chinese-half Japanese immigrant. Im

supposed to be working on my citizenship, but

I cant even get a passport from my country. I

get absolutely no reply, every time I call theAdministration in Hong Kong.


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Same here, said Mot.

His nationality was Danish.

I cant even begin to work on my

citizenship.

Maybe we should think about moving on?

Starr suggested.

Everyone got real quiet for a moment. Starr

took a bite of her potato salad.

Where would we go? asked Misaki.

~~~

The next morning, they bade goodbye toRick and Josh. They were pretty excited to

leave, and Starr wasnt going to hold them

back, but she was concerned.

What if something happened along the way?

It occurred to her that people, in her life,

could disappear forever, and shed never


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know what happened to them. For a vampire,

it was hard to feel complex emotions, but

there was something about this thought that

disturbed her; made her uneasy.

That afternoon, Starr sat at the bottom of thedock, watching the others fish and swim as

she translated the first pages of the grimoire

into a pink, leather bound journal shed picked

up at the pharmacy in town.

Herein lies a book of tools to break veils;to travel to many worlds; to guide you on

your path to enlightenment; to reach out to

trusted souls, and find the key to the

universe,she wrote.

As the sun warmed her back, it happenedagain.

Oh no, she thought to herself.

At first, it started off as a tickling in her ear,

but then always developed into a brain

bursting aneurism.

Ugh!


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She put her hands on the back of her scalp

and pressed inward; then she put pressure on

her aching eyes, trying to smooth out the

spasms.

Are you okay? asked Marla. She laid

spread out on a towel with sunglasses and a

magazine.

Yeah, just another crazy flash.

Ever since Lucenzo was taken away, hed

been trying to communicate with her,

telepathically.

He was the main culprit behind the attempt

at a vampire apocalypse. His father also

happened to be a Primordial bent on punishing

him for it, and hed been doing so ever since

he took him away, that night on the side of theroad.

It was painful for Starr to watch and hear

how he beat and tortured him. Even though

she hated Lucenzo for beheading her, months

ago, she felt bad for him.


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The Primordials were the first vampires.

According to Credenza, human vampirism

was the result of a virus spread by them, a

long time ago when they began to die out.

Many tales of blood sacrifices, throughout

history, to gods, were actually humans

worshipping the Primordials. They werent

gods and werent humans; just another form

of life on Earth.

What did you see?

Same thing: White room with gold colored

bars, like a jail would have, only fancier.

Sometimes, shed see the outside of the

place they kept him in, too. It was a white and

grey castle that could have housed multiple

cities, and it lay in a land that was layered

with snowy peaks. The sun was often blaringloudly against an extremely cold blue-gray

sky.

Where ever it was, the place was so high in

the atmosphere that it looked hard to breath. It

was a peak that no one had ever been to, or, atleast, not for a very long time.


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What do you think hes trying to tell you?

asked Mica who was rubbing SPF on her

back.

Its like hes trying to show me where hes

at, but I dont want to know. Obviously, the

Primordials keep their location hidden for a

reason. Sometimes, though, I see a red ball.

What?

I dont know; like an orb or a large

marble.

That night, as she lay in bed, she

contemplated how to approach relocating.

Mot was right, but where should we go?

New York? Boston? Somewhere else?

She needed to find a place where goodpeople had gathered.

But, how?

Televisions didnt work, and neither did

radios. The only way shed find a place would

be to search on foot.


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But wouldnt that put them in danger?

Not herself, particularly, as she was one of

the more powerful vampires of the world: she

shared the blood of Credenza. The kids were

the ones she was concerned about.


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Nekros

Chapter 2

Next morning, Starrs inner demon woke her

with a low growl in her stomach. It had been a

few days since shed had blood. Although

they didnt need to drink, it was a good idea tofeed their monster, regularly; otherwise, they

could vamp out.

Vamp out was a term used to describe

when their inner demon took over, controlling

them like mindless zombies who wanderedabout, eating whatever crossed their paths, just

like the zombies Lucenzo created to take over

the world with.

To quench their thirst, theyd often

seek squirrels in the trees. Sometimes, theydbe lucky and catch a raccoon or a rabbit.

She rose from her bed, brushed her

teeth and changed.

Downstairs, Misty and Kay were

eating cereal at the kitchen table.


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Starr put some coffee in a cup and

walked down the road.

By now the kids knew not to follow or

question Starr, or the others, when they went

on their little walks.

When they first took the kids in, at theclinic, they worked hard to conceal their

conditions because they didnt want to

frighten them.

After the rogue vampires attacked, it

became impossible to hide their afflictions.There was something that was extremely

repulsive about the new species of vampires

that Lucenzo made. For Starr and others, their

inner demon knew they were nothing like

them. When they got too close, they couldnt

control what happened; their fangs wouldextend, their eyes would change, and

sometimes, they couldnt stop growling.

While afraid at first, the kids got over

it when they realized that having vampires as

protectors was probably the only thing that


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kept them alive, for Lucenzos vampires were

strong and fast, like they were.

Quietly, she stepped into the brush,

just off her path, and toward a spot where she

smelled urine.

Hmmmshe said to herself.

The urine reminded her of something

else, certainly not a raccoon. To her right, she

saw some chewed leaves on a tree branch.

Below it, the dirt was unsettled.

She took another sip of her coffee and

walked past the dirt.

Come out, come out, she called with

her mind; a nifty trick shed recently pickedup.

She loved to hunt by instinct only, but,

some days, she needed to eat and get on with

her day.


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A moment later, it appeared: a young

and still doe eyed deer, about the size of a

dog, except with long elegant legs.

The way the deer tilted its pretty head,

and how its eyes shone innocently, charmed

her, for a moment.

She walked closer, kneeled down and

slowly raised her hand to its head. Its ears

flinched a little, as she pet him.

Go, she said to it.

For a moment, it stayed right where it

was, looking at her curiously, and then walked

off slowly.

From her right side, she heard it. She

didnt need to stop watching the adorable deer

to know it was there.

With the reflexes of a lizard, she

flicked out her arm and caught it: a long eared

hare. Yes, it was cute, but it would make a

great sandwich someday soon, she thought as

she pierced its furry side with her fangs anddrained it.


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When shed done, she pulled her

hunters knife from her back pocket and

proceeded to gutting and skinning it, the way

shed read about in her book.

She peeled back the fur and tossed it,

and then made a little slit in its abdomen,

careful not to cut any major organs. Then she

scooped out all its innards and tossed it for

other animals to consume, leaving her with a

pink carcass.

Back at the house, all the kids had

risen and were eating breakfast around thetable and talking about going on a road trip.

Starr walked over to the sink and

rinsed the rabbit. Then she grabbed a large

knife and hacked it into four parts, wrapped it

in aluminum foil and stowed it in the freezer.

Why do you keep saving your kills?

Thats disgusting! Mica exclaimed, as she

reached up for a coffee cup.

Mica, the world is different. What are

we gonna do when the grocery stores are

depleted? The kids need to eat.


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Mica was the most squeamish vampire

shed ever met. During the apocalypse, getting

her to behead vamps was nearly impossible.

Hi, Starr, said Kay from across the

table. Want to take us into town?

No! she said, as she turned around.

Last time Starr took them into town,

they went crazy! They Laughed, yelled, and

ran all over the place without minding her. At

one point, several of them wandered off

without even telling her. They could havebeen killed!

We need stuff, she retorted.

Like what?

Shampoo, conditioner and soap.

I need new socks, added Lucas.

Mine all have holes in them. Also, Id really

like to get some rubber boots, so that I can

walk the lake while I fish.

Okay, well, write down what you

need and give it to me.


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Oh, come on, Starr. We havent been

out in ages. Itd be nice to have a trip, before

it gets too cold to go outside. Besides, our

supplies need re stocking before winter gets

here, and youll need help loading the van,

wont you?

She had a good point.

Starr sighed.

Alright, Ill take you all, if you can

talk Marla, Mica and Shane into going. Im

not gonna be responsible for all of you. Youwere a nightmare, last time.

Im up to it, said Mica.

Me, too, said Shane, who had just

walked in.

That afternoon, all eleven of them got

into the long van Starr got from the local

lodge. It was a yacht sized vehicle they could

easily load up with supplies.


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store. Upon finding the place to be completely

empty, she gave them the okay to ransack the

aisles.

Just like before, they went crazy,

running up and down the aisles and all around

the store, hoping to get the best goods before

someone else did, and shouting, First dibs!

Danny and Mot got into a wrestle over

who got the last bags of cheese puffs. Lucas

snuck up and hid them in his shirt and pants.

He took off up the aisle.

When they realized what he did, they

ran after him and pinned him to the floor,

punching him in the gut and popping the bags

of cheese puffs.

Misaki fought with Misty over bags ofcookies while Kay was in the aisle over,

shoving Snickers bars into her pockets.

Guys, stop! shouted Starr. We need

to load up and get out of here! You, she

pointed at Danny, Mot and Lucas, to the

back, now! Look for any frozen meat, or

anything that might be good. We dont have


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time to pick favorites. Just grab whatever you

can and put it, neatly and organized, into the

van. Move, fast!

Mot and Danny helped Lucas up, who

kicked his legs as he walked, shaking out

loose cheese puffs.

Becky and Misty ignored Starrs

request and took to the makeup aisle, but she

didnt care as long as they werent acting like

mongrels. Misaki and Kay helped Starr,

Marla, and Mica gather the last cans of food.

After a few hours, theyd cleaned out

the rest of the drinks, snacks, magazines, first

aid, cleaning supplies and medicine aisles. In

the back, the boys found a few dozen pounds

of still frozen meat and ice cream.

By the time theyd finished cleaning

out the grocer, there was barely room for them

all in the van. In Target, Starr sat at the

camping section, reading about how to tie

luggage to the car as the kids pulled the last

bits of clothing and toiletry from the shelves.


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Just when Starr was ready to go home,

Lucas said, Lets check out the library.

The library wasnt hard to find, either.

At the end of the strip, it was a brick building

that looked like a church.

Inside, they found books, discs, andmovies. Danny wandered over to the

computer and exclaimed, Wow, the internet

still works!

They gathered around and took turns

checking their emails while Starr watched thevan through the glass door.

A few moments later, Misaki walked

up behind her and said, My aunt, Bi, has

come from China. She wants to see me.

They made it back to Lake George just

after nightfall.

What? asked Becky, setting her fork

down. You want to go to the city?


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How did your aunt manage a trip,

given the state of the world? asked Shane.

All the airports on the East Coast have been

shut down for months.

Maybe she got here before the

vampires attacked.

Then why didnt she contact you

before?

I dont know, Misaki said

thoughtfully, looking down at her plate.

Would you take me? she looked Starr.

Dont! said Shane, looking at Starr,

too. Its way too dangerous.

I agree, said Starr. You dont

understand. The military is there, and they

dont want any of us, vampires, to survive.

We were supposed to be helping each other,

and they blew up our hotel instead. We almost

didnt make it out in time.

Fine, but Im going. I have to.

Why? asked Misty hotly, her face a

shade of puce.


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Because she saved my life. Back in

China, I wouldve starved to death, if not for

her. I was an illegitimate half Chinese-half

Japanese child in a tiny farm town. She took

me in when I was sick from the chicken pox,

and we didnt get vaccinations like you guys

did when you were babies.

Cant you just call her? asked Mot.

She didnt send a number.

So email her. Well go back to town

tomorrow, said Starr.

Look, I wantto go. Its just different

for me than it is for you. Yes, youve all lost

your family, too, but you havent lost your

culture. You havent lost your home, not

really anyway. Mot you know what I mean?

Actually, I agree with them. You

should stay here, he said strongly.

Were finally all here, safe, even

Starr. Now youre gonna go out and risk your

life? I dont like it! said Misty, and she gotup from the table and left.


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She sighed and said, I have to go.

Shes the closest thing I ever had to a

mother.


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Old Stomping Grounds

Chapter 3

The next morning, Starr and Misaki packed

small bags and took off in the little Mercedes.

She would have let her go alone, if not for the

others who urged her. There were plenty ofleftover ATVs around Lake George, and, the

way she saw it, Misaki was old enough to

make her own decisions. If she wanted to risk

her neck, then so be it.

It occurred to Starr that a visit to the citymight be a good thing though. Maybe she

could find a quicker, easier way to translate

the grimoire? What better place to try than the

New York Metropolitan Library?

Transcribing was such a laborious process.Sometimes it would take her up to thirty

minutes just to figure a single sentence.

During the first hour of the trip, Starr said

nothing to Misaki. Instead, she replayed the

conversation shed had with Shane, before she

went to bed. She warned her that Misaki was


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definitely hiding things, and that to go to the

city might be trouble.

Finally, Starr asked, Is your aunt in some

sort of trouble? And dontlie to me. Ill know

if you do.

She remained silent, for a moment, but thensaid, I dont know.

Not a single car passed them on the

motorway; it was just as dead as last time,

except someone had pushed all the cars, from

the middle of the road, off to the side.

They didnt reach the city until about three

p.m.

As they rode down Broadway, Starr lookedinto as many buildings as she could.

Is anybody here?

Not that I can tell. Every place seems to be

empty.


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They parked a few blocks down from the

China Town neighborhood; right around 57th.

Do you know where were going? asked

Starr.

No, not exactly.

At first, she followed Misaki down the

empty block, and then they turned onto a

street with many signs written in Chinese. It

was dead silent: not a vamp or human

anywhere.

After a few blocks on which they found

nothing, Starr paused in front of a narrow

alley.

At the far end was a nondescript black door

in a red brick building.

What is it, Starr?

There are many people in that building,

there. Im trying to see if we should check it

out.


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But just as she finished her sentence, the

door opened and a man in a black cap waved

to them.

Xue! she exclaimed.

Misaki ran to him as he stood back and held

the door open.

No, the man said, eyeing Starr. She cant

come in. No strangers here.

Shes not a stranger; shes my friend.

When the man insisted, Starr said, Itsalright. Go ahead. Ill wait.

Starr watched them disappear through the

door. She slid her back down the brick wall

and sighed.

~~~

The moon was shining; night had fallen. For

hours, Starr kept herself busy by wandering in

and out of stores, gathering useful supplies.

After stopping by a butcher for a raw blood

casing, she walked back to the little alley.


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She banged on the door.

When after fifteen minutes, no one

appeared, she banged again.

Just as she was about to break down the

door, it finally opened. A little woman in a

white tunic appeared.

Misakis staying. You go home, now.

Uh, Lady, Im not going anywhere unless

Misaki tells me to.

One moment, she closed the door.

A minute later, the man named Xue

appeared, yelling at her in Chinese.

Starr lost her patience.

She yanked the man through the door,making him stumble into the opposite wall,

smashing his head into the bricks and falling

to the ground. Quickly, she caught the door

before it closed.


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Inside was dim, but not for her dead eyes. It

was the waiting room of what looked like a

warehouse.

Down a hall to her left, a light shone. She

went toward it, and turned right into another

hallway.

Above her head, there were a dozen offices.

People were using them as living quarters.

She smelled spicy food cooking and

cigarette smoke. At the end of the hall, she

made another right and found herself in thecenter of a large production room thatd been

turned into a dining area and bar.

From above, bright fluorescent lights glared

down. To her right, three men sat on stools

drinking and smoking as they watched amovie on a raised television.

To her left, three women were tossing

vegetables and noodles on an enormous

greased butane stove and grill. A mound of

freshly killed, unplucked chickens lay on a

counter, next to them.


35/38

Right behind the women, a garage door,

large enough to drive a semi through, opened

onto a concrete patio where a bunch of people

sat and talked around various tables.

The men on the stool stood up and made to

grab her, but she walked, fast, onto the patio.

Misaki! she said angrily.

Starr!

From behind her came the clocking of a shot

gun.

Starr froze on the spot. Guns couldnt kill

her, but they slowed her down; that and they

hurt like hell.

NO! shouted Misaki.

She remained silent and still as they

exchange words in Chinese. Something about

her needing to leave or theyd kill her.


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Starr didnt speak the language, but

vampires could sometimes sense what

speakers, of other languages, were saying.

Please dont hurt them? asked Misaki.

Well, what do you want me to do? Hes got

a gun to my back? Starr shouted. Tell him ifhe doesnt move it, now, Im gonna shove it

up his ass!

Look, just give me a day, okay? Come

back tomorrow and well go home. I just want

to spend some time with my family.

A low growl issued from her stomach,

uncontrollably. Judging by the screams of the

ladies, Starrs inner demon had come out;

something that happened when vampires got

extremely angry. Their fangs would extendand their eyes would change.

They arent your family, Misaki!

From behind, one of the men said, Shoot

her, in Chinese.

No, shouted Misaki. Let me talk to her.


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They agreed.

Just let me have some time. I need this!

Please?

FINE! she said a little more loudly than

she meant to. The power behind her irritated

voice made the lights and windows vibrate,scaring the men and women once more.

Ignoring their panicked chatter, she said, I

willbe back for you tomorrow morning!

When I return, if youre not ready to leave, Ill

dragyou out.

Misakis face was distorted and her eyes

were glassed over. She looked surprised that

Starr could be so angry.

But the fact is Starr was livid. How could

she stay with people who treated her so badly?

And who wouldnt think twice to kill her?

Culture or no, she and Misaki were supposed

to be tight. Her behavior was a betrayal to

their friendship.

Slowly, Starr raised her hands, as if tocommunicate that she wasnt dangerous. Then


38/38

she whipped around, grabbed the mans gun

by the barrel, and pushed the butt into his

face, knocking him out.

Misaki screamed.

His two buddies were about to strike, but

they were too slow for Starr. She pulled backboth arms, closed her hands into fists, and re

extended them, simultaneously, breaking their

noses.

The ladies screamed and shouted at her

back.

Ignoring them, she walked over to the pile

of dead hens and picked the two fattest ones

and walked out.

Ferociously, Starr drained the chickens of

blood as she pounded the pavement back to

the little Mercedes and got her overnight bag.

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