Chapter Six

“I’m going out,” Matt announced, striding across the living room the next day. Cali and Brendan were sitting on the sofa. They exchanged glances. Cali sighed.

“Fine, leave me to care for the bloody Human,” she complained, grabbing her coat. She joined Matt by the door, calling back, “It’s your fault if I bring him back in a body bag!”

“Have fun, Bob!” Brendan called tauntingly. Cali groaned and made a point of slamming the door as they left.

“Did you mean ‘body bag’ as in you’re going to kill me or you’re not going to protect me properly?” Matt asked as they moved down the street.

Cali considered this. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Willis. Either’s a fucking possibility right now.” She flicked a strand of hair out her eyes, “Where did you want to go, anyway?”

“I need a drink. You allowed in pubs?”

“I’m not even going to answer that,” she said darkly. “There’s a good one round the corner. Outside looks like shit, but all the halfway nice people go to that one.” She shot him a glance out the corner of her eye, “And before you ask me why I go there, it’s because I’m least likely to get involved in a punch up and end up in prison again.” They rounded in the corner, “You ever been in prison?”

“No… Can’t say I have.”

“Keep it that way. Prison’s worse than a bloody mental rehabilitation clinic.” They came to a halt outside a shabby looking building. “Trust me, I know.”

“This it?” Matt asked her. She nodded and he stretched out a hand slowly and opened the door. He was shocked by what he found inside. Probably the cleanest bar he had ever set foot in. It resembled someone’s living room, except for the fact that there was a bar at one end. This is what Cali headed for, so Matt followed.

“Cali, please tell me your not mad at anyone,” the landlord said it in a joking manner, but Matt could see the fear in his eyes.

Cali shook her head, “Kenz. But she’s not here. Don’t worry. Your pub shall be in one place when I leave. Apple and Melon J2O please.”

“No vodka and coke?”

“What’s the point?” Cali looked at Matt, “What d’you want?”

“Um… Pint of Tennants, please.” The landlord turned away to get the drinks. “Aren’t you too young for alcohol?” he asked.

“Technically.” Cali shrugged, “But Sid, the owner, is Nierriao, and knows I’m Demon, so lets me have alcohol if I want.” She saw his blank look, “Fucking hell, you don’t know anything do you? Demons can’t be affected by drugs, unless they’re made especially for Demons. We can’t get drunk, high, stoned, or any other drug related verb.” She took a sip of her J2O, straight from the bottle, “Sucks if you’re feeling down.”

“Why don’t you-?” Matt began, but Cali wasn’t listening, she was watching the man, who wasn’t the owner, who was setting Matt’s drink down. “What?” he asked, after the man was gone.

“Sid’s fully capable of pouring a beer,” she muttered. She grabbed a straw out the dispenser on the counter and took a sip of Matt’s beer with it. She recoiled, looking like she was about to be sick, “What the fuck is that?!”

“What?”

“Really foul poison drug of some kind.”

“How come you’re fine?”

She stared at him, “We’ve been over this… ‘Drug’.” She waved over Sid, “I’ve changed my mind, can I have a Tennants, too? And can it be poured by your fine hand?”

*          *          *          *          *

An hour later, they were wandering through an almost deserted town square… somewhere. “You think they’ll try again?”

“Yeah. You’re still alive, aren’t you?” She sighed, “They’ll keep coming either until their leader calls them off, or you’re all dead. Ain’t pleasant to hear, but this ain’t no shitting movie. We can only protect you so much.”

“Well, I wouldn’t of thought about the beer so…” Matt said with a grin

“That was just-” She froze, “Get down.”

“What?”

“Get down, now!!” She shoved his down just as a shot went off, exploding the head of the statue behind them. A few seconds earlier, and that would’ve been Matt’s head. Another shot went off just as Cali threw herself to the ground. A woman screamed. Cali slowly got to her feet, pulling out a gun. Matt remembered that Cali had shot her father, so she knew how to use it. She moved slowly round the square, going the long way. When another bullet was shot, she was safely behind the shooter. Matt rolled for cover, as she came up behind him. She placed her gun to the bottom of his skull. He froze, and spun around. He was ugly; a froggy face with eyes too big for the sockets and no hair, there was a tell-tale tattoo on the back of his head. “Phogolini,” she read. “For some reason that always makes me think of Pognini, y’know, the drug.”

“You can’t kill me…” he stuttered. “You’re a girl.”

“Nice observation.” It was too much for the man; he turned and turned to run. He’d only taken two steps when there was a shot and he crumpled. Matt came out his hiding place, and stared at Cali, whose gun was still in the air.

“You shot him!”

She holstered her gun and walked over to the body. “Hardly.” She removed what looked like a hollow dart from the man’s throat. “Tranquiliser. I’m not allowed bullets for another two months because I shot your Prime Minister.” She pocketed the empty dart and went about trying to work out how to pick up the small, bulky, unconscious man.

“You shot the prime minister?”

“He was in my way! I was trying to shoot the guy who was fucking strangling him.” She managed to haul the man onto one shoulder, and she didn’t even look pained. “We have to go; the police will be arriving soon.” She turned and moved off.

Matt ran to catch up with her, “You’re mad!”

She shot him a sideways glance, “Yeah. Says you and six mental health doctors.”