slapped and punched her. He even hit her in the stomach to keep her conscious. The cretin was stronger than some of the vampires she’d offed before, and bullets bounced off him. He was going to kill her.
With nothing more to lose, Poe vowed to stare her killer in the eye until the very end. The headlamp projected a weak beam which made it easier to stare at the big and small beady eyes with hate. Since the gun was useless and her other weapons were strewn on the 308
Rono/That Which Bites
ground, Poe tried one last assault using the last of the arsenal – her hands.
Because the blowfish eye miffed her to the point of desperation, she stuck her left index finger good and hard in its orbs, as if she were penetrating a soft-boiled egg. And since the small beady eye with bloody pupils disgusted her, she punctured it with her right thumb.
Imagine Poe’s surprise when the butler let go of her neck and clutched at his eyes, screaming and cussing like he was Kevin Smith. He had a weakness after all. Milfred tripped on Poe’s fallen pack and stumbled backward. Providence at last.
“Your mum?” Poe coughed. “This is about your mom? Gwendolyn?”
She did not know whether his blinkers were going to heal themselves, so she approached Milfred with a knife she picked up off the ground. On the tracks, Milfred lay on his back. Underneath his coat revealed a vest.
“Bulletproof vest,” Poe said with derision, spitting out her blood-flavored mouthguard. “The punk!”
Poe lifted an old Luger lodged in Milfred’s pants.
“Nazi weapon. How come I’m not surprised?” With an unsteady grip, she emptied the Luger into Milfred’s face until pulpy meat was left. He died screaming,
“Mummy, mummy, mummy!”
(((
The hand that reached for the goggles on the tracks trembled. She’d shot a human.
And a bug-eyed butler toyed with me. Milfred hadn’t straight out tried to kill her. He had amused himself by kicking the shit out of her first.
Looking sharply about her with the headlamp, Poe located the goggles and wiped them with her t-shirt.
309
Rono/That Which Bites
She put them on, still sniffling, tasting the blood that leaked from her split lip. I must be some sight. Mash meat isn’t far off. Good thing my teeth are in good shape. Otherwise I’d shoot myself dead right now.
At that moment, Poe despised the dark as much as Vincent Gallo’s pompous films that irked her like no other. She hated vampires. She hated rats. She especially hated babies with fangs. Now she was in a dark tunnel surrounded by all of the above and more.
And she was alone. She clicked off her light to stew in darkness. It seemed to be the story of her life.
Tired sobs escaped her mouth. “What the fuck was that all about?” She fired at the remains on the floor just in case.
She wiped the continuous dribble of blood and snot with the back of her hand. Because her nasal passages were congested, Poe blew her nose like it was the last well in Australia.
Hear that? That’s the sound of bedlam up ahead.
Now quit feeling sorry for yourself and join the party of the year!
Mostly hopping and relying on one leg, Poe managed to reach a group of cattle. What her green, hazy vision revealed made her shudder. Xena help me!
“After this horror, I’m taking Penny to the beach.
We’re retiring for sure!”
Sniffling, she aimed her firearm at the adversaries huddled together like one centipede body. The little creatures were using cattle to shield themselves against Sainvire’s people who were dropping like baby teeth.
Briefly she glimpsed Megan, aiming her gun at a wicked toddler, buck naked and filthy.
How many babies did these vampires crap out?
Haven’t they heard of abstinence or birth control?
Even she knew about them. The unprovoked image of Sainvire performing coitus interruptus flitted in her 310
Rono/That Which Bites
mind to accuse her of hypocrisy. Sainvire didn’t happen. The whole thing was bogus and gross.
“Down, cattle! Now!” she ordered in her harshest and loudest voice. More than a few dropped to a squat in fear of their lives. Sex with the dead is so fucked up.
Poe pulled the hammer and shot adult and baby vamps, picking them off like clockwork until the rest scrambled away from the huddle. Megan and a handful of rustlers followed her lead. The critters were so swift and reptilian that it took skill and deep breathing to plug bullets into their tiny bodies. Most of Poe’s clips had been emptied. She reached back to