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Chapter 49:- That's Not All She Does
I stared down into my coffee, watching the cream swirl before dissipating. I could smell it, and what normally would have started my mouth to watering did absolutely nothing for me. I could feel my stomach growling as well, but I still felt strangely ambivalent to it all. I started to wonder if maybe that was a part of its plan for me, to fade away into a shell it could easily take over. I stopped to consider that before looking across the table at Kitty, who was gazing back at me with a frown on her face.
“So,” she said, lowering her voice so the laughing family in the booth behind us couldn't hear, “what exactly is this 'thing' that's stalking you?”
“A necromancer,” I replied, grimacing at the cheesy way it sounded as it exited my mouth.
“A necromancer? Seriously?”
I shrugged. “I don't know. It's a thing. Ever hear of something called 'Ragged'?”
“Can't say I have, no.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“It's kind of offensive.”
“I'm an escort. I thought that was obvious.”
I blushed. “No, it's not that.”
“Well, then what is it?”
“Are you, uh...”
“Spit it out, kid.”
“Are you even human?”
Kitty smirked at me for a moment, then started to laugh. Her chuckling grew so loud that one of the kids at the booth behind us turned around and stared at us until his mother yanked on his sleeve and turned him around.
“That's a good one,” Kitty said. “I haven't had anyone ask me that in years. What tipped you off?”
“Nothing,” I admitted. “Marcus keeps bringing it up.”
“Shut up,” Marcus whispered in my ear. “You're not supposed to say anything.”
“Your little ghost friend?” She smiled.
“Tell her I'm not little. I was over six feet at one point, you know. I'm not some kind of cartoon.”
“He, uh, wants you to know he's an adult or something,” I said.
“I'm sure he is. So, he noticed, huh? What stood out?”
“I don't know,” I said. “He kept saying you were 'off” or something.”
“Well, I am.”
“But you're not a ghost or one of those Ragged things.”
“Nope. It's close to my profession, though.”
“Oh, god,” Marcus said.
“What?” I stared at her. “What is it?”
“She's a succubus or something like that.”
“Really?”
“If it has something to do with her job, I'm sure of it.”
“Kitty,” I said slowly, “are you some kind of... succubus?”
She grinned but otherwise gave me no answer.
“You are, aren't you?”
“I told you there were things you were better off not knowing about.”
“Oh, man, you take money from people and then you-”
“Don't worry about it. I don't kill anyone, at least not usually. Stop freaking out.”
“Oh, my god. That is just crazy.”
“Not really. It runs in my family. My mom, my grandmother, further back than that, probably. They all died before I was born, though. It's usually hereditary.”
“That's so weird.”
“No weirder than a human carrying a ghost around and a Ragged, whatever the hell that is.”
“It's a parasite that steals bodies and controls corpses and stuff. I don't know how it works, really, aside from this.” I showed her the mark on my hand, which was glowing a bit brighter than usual. It wiggled a bit, swimming across the bones that were starting to show under my skin. I hadn't even realized I was losing weight.
“That's messed up. No, I've definitely not heard of anything like that. Not that I'm surprised about it or anything.” She shrugged. “Under the surface, you know, there's lots of things.”
“Well, it's hiding in that building you work in. I need to kill it.”
“Do you even know how to?”
“It needs water if it's not in a body, or so Ethan says.”
“Ethan?”
“He owns the shop I've been, uh, hiding in.”
“So what are you going to do, pour salt all over it like a slug or something?”
“That's awesome,” Marcus said.
“I was thinking more along the lines of dragging it out of the water and setting it on fire, or cutting it up or whatever. I didn't think that far, but if I could get in the building, I could do pretty much anything to it, I think.”
“There's tons of units in that place. How are you even going to know where to find it?”
“Do you ever see people with red halos go by?”
“What?”
“When people pass you on the street, do you see a red glow around their heads? Do I have one now?”
“No,” Kitty said.
“Well, I see them. I'll just follow the glow, I guess.”
“Not a very solid plan.”
“It's all I've got,” I said. “So far, at least.”
“Tell you what,” she said. “I'll try to get you into the building in a day or so. I'll bring you in as a potential hire or something, tell them I met you somewhere and you seem promising. We'll tell them you've done nude modeling or something.”
“What? You want me to pretend to be a hooker?”
“Sure, why not? Hey, I can't remember, what's your name?”
“Addison.”
“Yeah, um, Addison... You feeling okay?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Your, uh, face,” she said, waving her palm over her eyes and nose. “You're not looking so hot. In fact, I think you're bleeding.”
I rubbed my face with my fingertips. My whole right hand came back red. “Oh, shit,” I said, looking down at the table. Droplets were scattered about the placemat, spreading like ink stains.
The cream in my coffee swirled pink inside the mug.
________________
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I stared down into my coffee, watching the cream swirl before dissipating. I could smell it, and what normally would have started my mouth to watering did absolutely nothing for me. I could feel my stomach growling as well, but I still felt strangely ambivalent to it all. I started to wonder if maybe that was a part of its plan for me, to fade away into a shell it could easily take over. I stopped to consider that before looking across the table at Kitty, who was gazing back at me with a frown on her face.
“So,” she said, lowering her voice so the laughing family in the booth behind us couldn't hear, “what exactly is this 'thing' that's stalking you?”
“A necromancer,” I replied, grimacing at the cheesy way it sounded as it exited my mouth.
“A necromancer? Seriously?”
I shrugged. “I don't know. It's a thing. Ever hear of something called 'Ragged'?”
“Can't say I have, no.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“It's kind of offensive.”
“I'm an escort. I thought that was obvious.”
I blushed. “No, it's not that.”
“Well, then what is it?”
“Are you, uh...”
“Spit it out, kid.”
“Are you even human?”
Kitty smirked at me for a moment, then started to laugh. Her chuckling grew so loud that one of the kids at the booth behind us turned around and stared at us until his mother yanked on his sleeve and turned him around.
“That's a good one,” Kitty said. “I haven't had anyone ask me that in years. What tipped you off?”
“Nothing,” I admitted. “Marcus keeps bringing it up.”
“Shut up,” Marcus whispered in my ear. “You're not supposed to say anything.”
“Your little ghost friend?” She smiled.
“Tell her I'm not little. I was over six feet at one point, you know. I'm not some kind of cartoon.”
“He, uh, wants you to know he's an adult or something,” I said.
“I'm sure he is. So, he noticed, huh? What stood out?”
“I don't know,” I said. “He kept saying you were 'off” or something.”
“Well, I am.”
“But you're not a ghost or one of those Ragged things.”
“Nope. It's close to my profession, though.”
“Oh, god,” Marcus said.
“What?” I stared at her. “What is it?”
“She's a succubus or something like that.”
“Really?”
“If it has something to do with her job, I'm sure of it.”
“Kitty,” I said slowly, “are you some kind of... succubus?”
She grinned but otherwise gave me no answer.
“You are, aren't you?”
“I told you there were things you were better off not knowing about.”
“Oh, man, you take money from people and then you-”
“Don't worry about it. I don't kill anyone, at least not usually. Stop freaking out.”
“Oh, my god. That is just crazy.”
“Not really. It runs in my family. My mom, my grandmother, further back than that, probably. They all died before I was born, though. It's usually hereditary.”
“That's so weird.”
“No weirder than a human carrying a ghost around and a Ragged, whatever the hell that is.”
“It's a parasite that steals bodies and controls corpses and stuff. I don't know how it works, really, aside from this.” I showed her the mark on my hand, which was glowing a bit brighter than usual. It wiggled a bit, swimming across the bones that were starting to show under my skin. I hadn't even realized I was losing weight.
“That's messed up. No, I've definitely not heard of anything like that. Not that I'm surprised about it or anything.” She shrugged. “Under the surface, you know, there's lots of things.”
“Well, it's hiding in that building you work in. I need to kill it.”
“Do you even know how to?”
“It needs water if it's not in a body, or so Ethan says.”
“Ethan?”
“He owns the shop I've been, uh, hiding in.”
“So what are you going to do, pour salt all over it like a slug or something?”
“That's awesome,” Marcus said.
“I was thinking more along the lines of dragging it out of the water and setting it on fire, or cutting it up or whatever. I didn't think that far, but if I could get in the building, I could do pretty much anything to it, I think.”
“There's tons of units in that place. How are you even going to know where to find it?”
“Do you ever see people with red halos go by?”
“What?”
“When people pass you on the street, do you see a red glow around their heads? Do I have one now?”
“No,” Kitty said.
“Well, I see them. I'll just follow the glow, I guess.”
“Not a very solid plan.”
“It's all I've got,” I said. “So far, at least.”
“Tell you what,” she said. “I'll try to get you into the building in a day or so. I'll bring you in as a potential hire or something, tell them I met you somewhere and you seem promising. We'll tell them you've done nude modeling or something.”
“What? You want me to pretend to be a hooker?”
“Sure, why not? Hey, I can't remember, what's your name?”
“Addison.”
“Yeah, um, Addison... You feeling okay?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Your, uh, face,” she said, waving her palm over her eyes and nose. “You're not looking so hot. In fact, I think you're bleeding.”
I rubbed my face with my fingertips. My whole right hand came back red. “Oh, shit,” I said, looking down at the table. Droplets were scattered about the placemat, spreading like ink stains.
The cream in my coffee swirled pink inside the mug.
________________
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