outside.”
“Don’t,” I said.
“It can’t touch me. It won’t even know I’m there.”
“We can’t be sure of that.”
Cartoon ignored us. He continued staring outside.
“What am I supposed to do then? I brought you here to show you my collection.”
“The shoes? I’m suitably impressed.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. But your cats—I think they’re hungry.”
“They’re always hungry,” she complained, then she went to feed them anyway.
“You’ve got weird taste in women, man,” Cartoon said to me quietly as she spooned food into dishes.
“I can’t argue about that.”
“There!” Cartoon said, suddenly leaning forward and tensing. His eyes stared out at the street. “Kill the lights.”
We did so and gathered around the window. We stood quietly in the darkness. The road outside was lit by streetlights. All I saw was a tall, thin man walking along down the center of the road.
“He knows, see? He’s looking behind him. Wrong way, fool.”
I glanced at Cartoon, then back at the man outside. He walked by Jacqueline’s property, until we had to crane our necks to see him.
Then I saw it. A flare of light, like a puff of flame. It came up from below him.
Cartoon sucked in his breath and cursed unintelligibly. A second later, he ducked.
“Splatter comin’!” he said.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I ducked as well. Something big and wet whirled out of the dark and thumped against the house.
“Sometimes, when they are too big, the Beast can’t take them all in one bite, see.”
“What was that?” Jacqueline demanded.
“Go out and look,” he told her. “It’s safe now. It’s eaten twice in a few hours. Everything should be cool at least until tomorrow night.”
She refused, shaking her head violently. Instead, she walked into the living room and vanished among her shoe collection. I couldn’t blame her. If I could go invisible right now, I would probably do the same.
I walked out the front door and flipped on the porch lights. It didn’t take me long to find what had hit the house. A dark stain ran down the side of the stucco walls into a dead bush out front. I followed the stain down to the ground. There was a head lying there in the flowerbed—or most of one. It had been shorn off, as if hit by an ax. Half the jaw was still visible, and one ear. Teeth glistened with spittle and gore. The eyes stared at nothing.
“I don’t know him,” Cartoon said, standing nearby.
“Neither do I.”
“He was too big, see,” Cartoon said in a hushed tone. “Too tall. The Beast’s mouth is only so big. When it can’t swallow a person in one gulp, sometimes this happens. Parts get cut off and tossed.”
I nodded.
He looked at me. “You’re not screaming or nothing. You are one chill mofo,” he said. He put his hand out to me.
I took his hand and we shook.
“About that fight we had in the street…” I said.
“Forget about it. There wasn’t any fight. We were just meeting up for the first time. It’s only natural.”
I reflected that monsters could make the worst of enemies appreciate one another.
“Okay,” I said. “What do we do about him?”
“I don’t know. Call the cops. I’m moving on. The sun will be up soon, and we’ve only got so many hours before it goes down again.”
“This sort of thing happens only at night?”
“Usually. The most important thing is it
just
happened. That means we have some time. I’m going to use it.”
He left, and I went inside to talk to Jacqueline.
“That was totally awful,” she said. “I don’t really like your friend. He doesn’t think he can come in here whenever he wants, does he?”
“I think he’s just happy to be alive. You should be all right.”
She looked upset. “I can’t sleep here now. Not after this.”
“Okay. We can go back to my motel. I’ll rent it for another night and we can sleep in.”
She eyed me warily. “There’s only one bed.”
“Do you want to show me
“Don’t,” I said.
“It can’t touch me. It won’t even know I’m there.”
“We can’t be sure of that.”
Cartoon ignored us. He continued staring outside.
“What am I supposed to do then? I brought you here to show you my collection.”
“The shoes? I’m suitably impressed.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. But your cats—I think they’re hungry.”
“They’re always hungry,” she complained, then she went to feed them anyway.
“You’ve got weird taste in women, man,” Cartoon said to me quietly as she spooned food into dishes.
“I can’t argue about that.”
“There!” Cartoon said, suddenly leaning forward and tensing. His eyes stared out at the street. “Kill the lights.”
We did so and gathered around the window. We stood quietly in the darkness. The road outside was lit by streetlights. All I saw was a tall, thin man walking along down the center of the road.
“He knows, see? He’s looking behind him. Wrong way, fool.”
I glanced at Cartoon, then back at the man outside. He walked by Jacqueline’s property, until we had to crane our necks to see him.
Then I saw it. A flare of light, like a puff of flame. It came up from below him.
Cartoon sucked in his breath and cursed unintelligibly. A second later, he ducked.
“Splatter comin’!” he said.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I ducked as well. Something big and wet whirled out of the dark and thumped against the house.
“Sometimes, when they are too big, the Beast can’t take them all in one bite, see.”
“What was that?” Jacqueline demanded.
“Go out and look,” he told her. “It’s safe now. It’s eaten twice in a few hours. Everything should be cool at least until tomorrow night.”
She refused, shaking her head violently. Instead, she walked into the living room and vanished among her shoe collection. I couldn’t blame her. If I could go invisible right now, I would probably do the same.
I walked out the front door and flipped on the porch lights. It didn’t take me long to find what had hit the house. A dark stain ran down the side of the stucco walls into a dead bush out front. I followed the stain down to the ground. There was a head lying there in the flowerbed—or most of one. It had been shorn off, as if hit by an ax. Half the jaw was still visible, and one ear. Teeth glistened with spittle and gore. The eyes stared at nothing.
“I don’t know him,” Cartoon said, standing nearby.
“Neither do I.”
“He was too big, see,” Cartoon said in a hushed tone. “Too tall. The Beast’s mouth is only so big. When it can’t swallow a person in one gulp, sometimes this happens. Parts get cut off and tossed.”
I nodded.
He looked at me. “You’re not screaming or nothing. You are one chill mofo,” he said. He put his hand out to me.
I took his hand and we shook.
“About that fight we had in the street…” I said.
“Forget about it. There wasn’t any fight. We were just meeting up for the first time. It’s only natural.”
I reflected that monsters could make the worst of enemies appreciate one another.
“Okay,” I said. “What do we do about him?”
“I don’t know. Call the cops. I’m moving on. The sun will be up soon, and we’ve only got so many hours before it goes down again.”
“This sort of thing happens only at night?”
“Usually. The most important thing is it
just
happened. That means we have some time. I’m going to use it.”
He left, and I went inside to talk to Jacqueline.
“That was totally awful,” she said. “I don’t really like your friend. He doesn’t think he can come in here whenever he wants, does he?”
“I think he’s just happy to be alive. You should be all right.”
She looked upset. “I can’t sleep here now. Not after this.”
“Okay. We can go back to my motel. I’ll rent it for another night and we can sleep in.”
She eyed me warily. “There’s only one bed.”
“Do you want to show me
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