Friday, January 18, 2008

Dingo


I know it’s crazy but I just felt like walking up to Dingo and saying hello. It had been months since I had anyone but the kid to talk to and there was an old vampire friend, in the flesh. He’d probably spot that I was human by sight or by scent. But between the cigarette smoke and me holding back maybe I could just look weakened. Fuck it, this was Dingo. We’d been slurping together for years since we quit the Enlightenment. “Kid, you got your cell phone? Good, Mills gave me one too. Here’s the number. Text me if anything comes over the radio. If you see anything weird, I guess go check it out,” I say. Before he can say another word I hand him the digits and step out of the car. I walk straight at Dingo and he spots me in seconds. I’ve started a cigarette and gave a few coughs before waving at him. After getting up to maybe five feet, I stop and just stare. My hand is in my pocket and I grip the holy revolver. I’m not exactly sure how to start. “Shade? Holy shit…it’s you! I thought you were dead! After that night when that squad jumped us, me and Sunshine just assumed they’d dragged you off to finish the job,” he exclaims as he walks towards me. At three feet he stops in his tracks and can tell I’m human again, I grip the revolver even tigher. “Holy….shit,” he says. “I guess you could say they did kinda kill me,” I say half-jokingly. He gives a little laugh himself but just keeps staring. “You and Sunshine made it out alright? Figures, when their heads aren’t shoved up their assholes they can’t tell the difference,” I say. Dingo nods, takes a step back, and lights another cigarette. The first one fell out of his mouth. “I don’t remember much about that night. Either the slurp haze or whatever they cured me with makes it all go blank,” I say again. Dingo seems to have collected himself a bit finally. “Yeah, after Sunshine and I split, we saw them hauling you off and followed them back to that hospital. We figured it was for lab experiments or something. Shade…they have guns that do permanent damage. Sunshine had his arm blown off and it’s not growing back. Do you…how much do you know?”

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