Short Story 10 (Untitled)

Levi sat across from me, stabbing herself in the gut.

“What the fuck is that?” A classy inquiry if there ever was one.

She managed to cram an additional slice of pie into her maw, “Its medicine, dick, it keeps my heart in check. Ya know, ba-bump-ba-bump?”

“There are better ways of doing that, ya know?” Dragging out the last word, I glared into her swine eyes, trying to burn some semblance of respect into her tiny, tiny brain.

But she was having none of it. She swung her arms over the plastic table between us, grappling me in her talons. Levi was stationary nearly twenty-four-seven, but had no problem calling on her speed. Her arms were twice as long as a human’s and were covered in a thick, abundant fur. The Glut once told me she had the arms of a sloth, but never having seen one I wouldn’t know. The three nails on each paw wrapped my throat like a ribbon, pulling in around my chin and drawing a string of blood from my Adam’s apple.

“What the fuck?” I choke out, I don’t resist or raise a hand against her, even though I have a sem-automatic on my hip. I might act panicky, but I know she’s just flexing – peacocking , so to speak – and trying to scare me. I know Levi a hell of a lot better than she knows me, I watched and listened long before I came on as her partner.

Our work together was brutal and she didn’t make it any better nor did my not being like her. She was one of Them and I would never be.

I stood five foot ten, pale skin – skin all over – and looked the perfect part as a human specimen. Ten fingers, toes, two arms, legs and eyes. I would never find out if Levi resented these qualities or simply prejudiced against me for it. It really didn’t matter, her pig-faced scowl was enough to make regular pigs choke and die. In fact, I believe she harvested the bacon for the pie she was now enjoying. I don’t know if that’s sick or twisted, as a self-classified omnivore I –of course- enjoy the occasional ovine, but I certainly don’t eat my fellow man, I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of eating one of Them, considering how close to human they appear. I’m no cannibal.

“Don’t talk shit, flanges! Doc says it’s genetic. We can’t all walk around with our bones sticking out of our stomachs, okay, skinny? If you want to see what medicine can do for you just say the word. I’ll give you a bit of something that’ll take you years to flush out.”

Bitch. “Got it, got it.”

Levi got right back to chomping down the pie, one slice in one bite. She placed her hand back on the syringe, pushing down the plunger and sending whatever it contained deep into her thick and cold blood. Her black solid eyes now ran up and down my face, looking for my fear and trying to register its validity, seeing if her weight was enough to push me around or get me on the back foot. Fuck her, she can bully all day and it won’t matter, I can pretend until my face is blue but when push comes to shove I’ll be the one with hands covered in pig blood.

“Whatever, Levi. How’s your pie?” The flow of blood kept running down my neck, I pushed aside thoughts of dabbing at it. Let her see it, lick her lips at it, be a fucking….pig. I knew Levi was a sadist, she had to curb it when we were working otherwise she could fuck up whole jobs by sending people through windows or something else ridiculous, but I’d seen her left unchecked.

Two weeks before this small luncheon Levi went out to get payment from a family in the burrows - protection money to keep them under the Glut’s wing – and when she shows up the mom sends out her youngest son to break the bad news: they don’t have the money This really doesn’t surprise me, it’s a fairly common event considering the type of people the Glut keeps in his wallet. So, Levi gets down on her stubby little knees and puts a paw on the kids head. The whole thing looks gentle and innocent from the car where I sat and watched, but Levi started drooling. This almost black sort of ichor ran from the corners of her floppy jowls nearly dripping onto the kid’s shoulders, threatening to drape him in a black shroud.

The driver of our four-door watched with me. He leans back in the car and mumbles, “Ya know how they say not to shoot the messenger? Watch and learn.”

Levi turned the kid so he could be seen from the windows of their pitiful shack and whirled her arms around like she was showing off a prize to a game show. “One last chance!” she called out, drawing the boy in closer. No reply and rip, Levi dragged her claws down the kid’s face. Three fat gashes opened up down the right side of his head and sprayed blood like a hose. Her other hand was clasping his skull like a vice and his struggling and wriggling were futile. Mom came out, she screamed, she gave up some money. Lovely.

“Pie’s fine, flanges,” what a stupid nickname, “I’d offer to share, but I don’t really like you.”

“I’m aware of that, any dessert following your pie? Or are outta here?”

“Don’t be pushy or you might get pushed back.”