Primordial
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Transcript of 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.
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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
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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.