said.
He whimpered as he rose to his feet, his bones popping as he stretched. It hurt to breath with the tenderized meat of his chest and stomach. He reached up and touched his face—the blood had hardened into scabs. When he touched his nose, he hissed, jerked his hand away from it. Broken for sure. But with his feedlings so hungry and demanding so much attention, he didn’t know if or when he could get it looked at.
“What’s the matter, Master?” Kronos said.
Gary snorted, swallowed. “I got the shit kicked out of me just a few hours ago. I feel like I got hit by a truck.”
Kronos laughed. “Maybe you don’t fully understand the situation. Let me explain some things to you.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “You are the master of two of the most powerful feedlings this world has ever known. With me, you can get revenge on anyone that’s ever harmed you, sweet bloody revenge. My influence has caused many wars.”
Gary had already been thinking about that. He’d been having his own personal slideshow in his mind: Chester, Mr. Shipley, Sonny, Brett, the Turner twins, the neighbor girl, Sheila…
Revenge.
He thought he’d been getting revenge with Mary Jane’s help, but he realized he was wrong. He was just having fun. Lots of fun, until the run in at the apartment. But with Kronos…the possibilities were endless.
“I can make your enemies tear each other apart. I can make the people who’ve wronged you cut out their own heart, slit the throat of their own child.” Kronos’s eyes burned crimson. “Just lead the way, Master.”
Gary puffed his chest out, ignored the searing pain from his nose and mouth when he smiled wide. He spat a thick red loogy into the dirt. “I’m the king of the fucking world. I’m the master. And we’ll make them all pay. Every last one of them.”
The feedlings howled with laughter, pranced in a circle arm in arm just in front of Gary.
He watched them for a moment and ignored the sinking feeling in his gut.
***
“That fat sack of shit don’t show up for his check, I’m keeping it.” Shipley wiped the handprints off the glass countertop and clenched his teeth.
Sonny and his buddies played their tabletop game at the other end of the store, along with the scrawny one that followed Gary around all the time. They snickered at Shipley’s outburst.
“Probably jerking off to the Powerpuff Girls or something,” Sonny said as he elbowed the other boys.
“Probably yanking it to pictures of She-Hulk.” Brett snorted.
The two tall twins started mock stroking the air. The boys burst out in a chorus of laughter.
“Hey, leave him alone. Gary doesn’t do that,” the scrawny one said.
“Oh, that’s right. You do all the jerking for him, I forgot,” Sonny said.
“Shut up!”
“Ohhhh,” the other boys said.
“That’s enough of that,” Shipley said. He didn’t like these boys any better than he liked Gary, but at least these ones had an excuse for being worthless. They were kids, barely old enough to have hair on their nuts. Gary needed to get his act together before it was too late, though Shipley had a feeling his time had already passed. “Store’s closing in ten minutes, boys. Put it all away, Sonny, and you can go on home.”
The hard wooden stool sent a jabbing pain up Shipley’s back as he sat down, and he winced, ran a calloused hand over his weathered face. He just wanted to close up and get home. He had convinced his wife to squeeze her rotund body into the
He whimpered as he rose to his feet, his bones popping as he stretched. It hurt to breath with the tenderized meat of his chest and stomach. He reached up and touched his face—the blood had hardened into scabs. When he touched his nose, he hissed, jerked his hand away from it. Broken for sure. But with his feedlings so hungry and demanding so much attention, he didn’t know if or when he could get it looked at.
“What’s the matter, Master?” Kronos said.
Gary snorted, swallowed. “I got the shit kicked out of me just a few hours ago. I feel like I got hit by a truck.”
Kronos laughed. “Maybe you don’t fully understand the situation. Let me explain some things to you.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “You are the master of two of the most powerful feedlings this world has ever known. With me, you can get revenge on anyone that’s ever harmed you, sweet bloody revenge. My influence has caused many wars.”
Gary had already been thinking about that. He’d been having his own personal slideshow in his mind: Chester, Mr. Shipley, Sonny, Brett, the Turner twins, the neighbor girl, Sheila…
Revenge.
He thought he’d been getting revenge with Mary Jane’s help, but he realized he was wrong. He was just having fun. Lots of fun, until the run in at the apartment. But with Kronos…the possibilities were endless.
“I can make your enemies tear each other apart. I can make the people who’ve wronged you cut out their own heart, slit the throat of their own child.” Kronos’s eyes burned crimson. “Just lead the way, Master.”
Gary puffed his chest out, ignored the searing pain from his nose and mouth when he smiled wide. He spat a thick red loogy into the dirt. “I’m the king of the fucking world. I’m the master. And we’ll make them all pay. Every last one of them.”
The feedlings howled with laughter, pranced in a circle arm in arm just in front of Gary.
He watched them for a moment and ignored the sinking feeling in his gut.
***
“That fat sack of shit don’t show up for his check, I’m keeping it.” Shipley wiped the handprints off the glass countertop and clenched his teeth.
Sonny and his buddies played their tabletop game at the other end of the store, along with the scrawny one that followed Gary around all the time. They snickered at Shipley’s outburst.
“Probably jerking off to the Powerpuff Girls or something,” Sonny said as he elbowed the other boys.
“Probably yanking it to pictures of She-Hulk.” Brett snorted.
The two tall twins started mock stroking the air. The boys burst out in a chorus of laughter.
“Hey, leave him alone. Gary doesn’t do that,” the scrawny one said.
“Oh, that’s right. You do all the jerking for him, I forgot,” Sonny said.
“Shut up!”
“Ohhhh,” the other boys said.
“That’s enough of that,” Shipley said. He didn’t like these boys any better than he liked Gary, but at least these ones had an excuse for being worthless. They were kids, barely old enough to have hair on their nuts. Gary needed to get his act together before it was too late, though Shipley had a feeling his time had already passed. “Store’s closing in ten minutes, boys. Put it all away, Sonny, and you can go on home.”
The hard wooden stool sent a jabbing pain up Shipley’s back as he sat down, and he winced, ran a calloused hand over his weathered face. He just wanted to close up and get home. He had convinced his wife to squeeze her rotund body into the
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