get
out of him, better be quick about it.”
“What a selfish little ingrate you are,” the man sneered, and then all stiffness left
his body. At the same instant, Pluto VIII’s body got up from where it’d been lying
on the bed. “I’ll have you know it takes a good deal of mental preparation to leap
from one body to another. Oh, I think I’m gonna be sick—”
D left the biker’s room without making a sound.
-
As it moved forward, the town seemed to be glaring down at the brown plains. A group
of shepherds and merchants looked up at it enviously and waved. Offering them nothing
in return, the town continued its remorseless advance. But one had to wonder if it
was actually making any progress. The town went on diligently, headed straight for
the sun as it shone down with a strangely spiteful hue.
-
The next day, D called on the twenty or so men listed on the mayor’s sheet as being
involved in boarding up the Knight family’s home. All of them gave him the same reply.
No one had seen or heard anything strange while they were moving things out of the
house. The mysteries of that abode remained shrouded in fog. As D was getting ready
to call on the last person on the list, Sheriff Hutton, someone behind him called
out his name. It was Dr. Tsurugi. Turning around, D asked, “How did it go?”
“His condition remains unchanged. I wasn’t able to learn anything from the corpse.”
He was referring to the man who’d risen from his grave the previous night. D had carried
the body Pluto VIII had occupied to Dr. Tsurugi and had him subject it to a second
medical examination. “It’s certainly my opinion this was caused by some sort of viral
infection, but at the moment I can’t seem to put my finger on the culprit.”
“There’ll be trouble if you can’t.” That was all D said.
Realizing just what kind of trouble the Hunter was talking about, Dr. Tsurugi used
the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat he’d just realized was pouring from him.
Cold sweat.
“I’ll see you later,” D said, turning his back.
“Wait a minute,” the physician called out to him.
“What is it?”
The young physician shyly scratched at his head, which seemed to be a habit with him.
“If you don’t mind, do you think you could pay a visit with me? To Lori Knight, I
mean. She’s been acting a bit strangely.”
“Strangely?”
“Yes. Ever since she was attacked by this weird, shadowy character yesterday, her
behavior’s been rather unusual.”
“My going to see her wouldn’t change anything.”
“Well, by not going you certainly won’t do her any good.”
“Then you’ll have to wait until I’ve taken care of one bit of business,” D said, and
began to walk away. Twisting and turning through a number of streets and back alleys,
he arrived at the law enforcement bureau. Pushing his way through a cracked glass
door patched together with strips of heavy tape, he made his way inside.
Sitting behind his desk with his feet up while he joked with a couple of his deputies,
the giant developed a sudden twitch in his face as soon as he caught sight of D. “What
brings you here?” he asked. “You still got two days left. Don’t tell me you want off
already?”
“I have business with you,” D said plainly. “Could I speak to you in private?”
Struck perhaps by the Hunter’s chilling aura, the two deputies quickly got to their
feet, but the sheriff pushed them back down with hands the size of catcher’s mitts.
“Wait just a cotton-picking minute, boys. This here’s the law enforcement bureau.
We don’t take orders from no outsider. Least of all from a stinking Vampire Hunter.
You’re not going anywhere. You’ll sit right here with me and hear what he’s got to
say, you savvy? So, how’s that by you?” The last remark was aimed at D.
D nodded. “Doesn’t matter to me. I just have one question for you. When you were boarding
up
out of him, better be quick about it.”
“What a selfish little ingrate you are,” the man sneered, and then all stiffness left
his body. At the same instant, Pluto VIII’s body got up from where it’d been lying
on the bed. “I’ll have you know it takes a good deal of mental preparation to leap
from one body to another. Oh, I think I’m gonna be sick—”
D left the biker’s room without making a sound.
-
As it moved forward, the town seemed to be glaring down at the brown plains. A group
of shepherds and merchants looked up at it enviously and waved. Offering them nothing
in return, the town continued its remorseless advance. But one had to wonder if it
was actually making any progress. The town went on diligently, headed straight for
the sun as it shone down with a strangely spiteful hue.
-
The next day, D called on the twenty or so men listed on the mayor’s sheet as being
involved in boarding up the Knight family’s home. All of them gave him the same reply.
No one had seen or heard anything strange while they were moving things out of the
house. The mysteries of that abode remained shrouded in fog. As D was getting ready
to call on the last person on the list, Sheriff Hutton, someone behind him called
out his name. It was Dr. Tsurugi. Turning around, D asked, “How did it go?”
“His condition remains unchanged. I wasn’t able to learn anything from the corpse.”
He was referring to the man who’d risen from his grave the previous night. D had carried
the body Pluto VIII had occupied to Dr. Tsurugi and had him subject it to a second
medical examination. “It’s certainly my opinion this was caused by some sort of viral
infection, but at the moment I can’t seem to put my finger on the culprit.”
“There’ll be trouble if you can’t.” That was all D said.
Realizing just what kind of trouble the Hunter was talking about, Dr. Tsurugi used
the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat he’d just realized was pouring from him.
Cold sweat.
“I’ll see you later,” D said, turning his back.
“Wait a minute,” the physician called out to him.
“What is it?”
The young physician shyly scratched at his head, which seemed to be a habit with him.
“If you don’t mind, do you think you could pay a visit with me? To Lori Knight, I
mean. She’s been acting a bit strangely.”
“Strangely?”
“Yes. Ever since she was attacked by this weird, shadowy character yesterday, her
behavior’s been rather unusual.”
“My going to see her wouldn’t change anything.”
“Well, by not going you certainly won’t do her any good.”
“Then you’ll have to wait until I’ve taken care of one bit of business,” D said, and
began to walk away. Twisting and turning through a number of streets and back alleys,
he arrived at the law enforcement bureau. Pushing his way through a cracked glass
door patched together with strips of heavy tape, he made his way inside.
Sitting behind his desk with his feet up while he joked with a couple of his deputies,
the giant developed a sudden twitch in his face as soon as he caught sight of D. “What
brings you here?” he asked. “You still got two days left. Don’t tell me you want off
already?”
“I have business with you,” D said plainly. “Could I speak to you in private?”
Struck perhaps by the Hunter’s chilling aura, the two deputies quickly got to their
feet, but the sheriff pushed them back down with hands the size of catcher’s mitts.
“Wait just a cotton-picking minute, boys. This here’s the law enforcement bureau.
We don’t take orders from no outsider. Least of all from a stinking Vampire Hunter.
You’re not going anywhere. You’ll sit right here with me and hear what he’s got to
say, you savvy? So, how’s that by you?” The last remark was aimed at D.
D nodded. “Doesn’t matter to me. I just have one question for you. When you were boarding
up
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