Hanging With A Bad Crowd

The blood beating in my veins gives a pulsing reminder for why I need to keep my mouth shut and the gun I’m gripping tighter than ever reminds whose buttering my bread now. Before I have to lie to an old friend, we’re interrupted by a voice yelling for Dingo to hurry. His head jerks and quiet as a shadow a vampire dressed in all black appears behind him. I know the uniform and if the light was better I’d bet there was a tattoo of a Sphinx on his neck. What is Dingo doing with a Nod Templar? “Malvolio…hey man. It’s Shade! The guy I told you about,” Dingo says immediately. I know Dingo well enough that he’s scared of this guy. Since he’s still an immortal vampire, I wonder where that leaves me. “Ah…you don’t say. Mr. Shade, such an unexpected surprise,” he rasps at me. I could probably land a bullet in him. Considering Dingo just vouched for their damage, I could probably land a bullet in this Malvolio before he got close. But the thing about Nod Templars is that they’re trained for fighting werewolves and vampires. A blow that could smash a car barely phases them. They were the ‘Fuck-Off’ Religious Warriors of Nod and I had my doubts about how much one bullet would do to protect me. He also knows I’m human now too. Great, just great. The Nod Worshippers are involved, they know I’ve been with the Paladins, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess Malvolio’s next request. “I believe we could be of better assistance if you’d join us inside. Perhaps you could explain your curious condition and how you escaped the Paladins for us,” Malvolio offers. I shrug and try to stop my hand from shaking. The very real possibility of my death is suddenly hard to ignore and for the first time in decades my instinct to run away fills me. But it’s no good. The Templar moves unimaginably fast and locks a hand on my neck, pinching the nerve. Just like I used to do before a good slurp to cripple movement in the victim. “If you please, Mr. Shade. I am very curious to discuss the matter of you how found us, for starters,” he says in my ear.