"So..." I said nervously as we finished shaking hands, "What's you're deal? What happened to you exactly?"
"Well, me and a-"
But he was interrupted by the screaming, and the sound of a lot of glass breaking.
"Oh, not another one..." he grumbled, "I thought I was done for the week..."
"Huh?" I asked intelligently.
He stared at me. "Do you have a weapon on you, detective?"
I nodded, then pulled out my gun.
Ash looked at it skeptically, then nodded back. "We're gonna have to outfit you for deadite-slaying later, but that oughta work for now..."
My eyes opened wide at his words. A...what did he call it? Dead-head or something? Now? In the STORE?
Obviously he missed my shock because he just continued with orders.
"I'll fight the ugly bastard, and you look after the victims. Make sure none of em' turn, and take care of them with that peashooter of yours. Normally, my niece does that, but she's on a school trip to Mexico..." Ash said.
And I did the only thing I could have done in this situation.
I nodded and pulled out my gun, just as he twirled the shotgun out of it's holder on his back.
"Ready to blow this thing to Hell?" Ash asked with a smile, which faltered a moment later. "No offense meant."
I rolled my eyes. "None taken. Now..."
He cocked the gun, and the glint I had noticed in his eyes earlier took over completely, making those brown orbs into a truly frightening sight. It was then that I realized just how much Jenny had been right. He had lost far more then his hand to these creatures...he'd lost a huge chunk of his sanity as well...the part that tells you when to be afraid...
Like a bull charging, Ash stampeded out of the break room, me following, and into the main store only to find a gruesome sight. There were glass cases smashed everywhere, and people trying to pick out the parts of glass from their skin were lying on the floor in pain. In the middle of all this chaos was a truly disgusting creature that looked like it had once been a rather robust biker chick which now had far more in common with a piece of rotten meat.
The thing was attacking a young woman, but suddenly stopped as it picked up Ash's presence. It turned and began to stalk towards the S-Mart man with deadly purpose as I made my way to the victims and began to slowly move them away from the battle area.
"I'll swallow your soul, you disgusting wretch..." the creature cried in a raspy voice that sent chills up even my spine while I got a middle-aged lady out of range, "You cannot hope to defeat-"
"Oh, shove it up your decaying ass, bitch..." Ash shouted angrily as he held out the shotgun, ready to fire, "Or get the hell out of my store..."
The being didn't reply. It screeched angrily and threw itself at the crazy clerk, who pulled the trigger on the shotgun a second later, sending the thing flying backwards. He shot it a couple more times as it flew through the air.
"Yo Tony, pass me Red!" Ash shouted out as he began to walk towards the creature. Then he looked into my eyes and told me without words that I was doing a good job. But this look was interrupted by a flying mass of crimson metal that came from behind me.
And he caught it. Like pure poetry, Ash spun, pulling the metal hand off to reveal a stump, then lunged his hand into an open spot in what I now saw was a chainsaw. And then his other hand reached out and pulled the thing on tightly, securing the manacle-like metal onto the stump. I watched in awe until the little kid I was helping kicked me.
Then all I could do was hear as the chainsaw was revved up. Then the wet sound as it was pushed into unwilling flesh with far too much in the bodily fluid department. But as I put down the kid (who kicked me again for good measure), I turned to see Ash about to blow the creature's already-severed head away.
"Wait!" I cried, hoping that the employees would take over for me, "Don't!"
Ash turned to me, his face showing his obvious confusion.
"Let's ask it where it came from...who sent it..." I said as I walked over.
He shrugged. "You can try, but these bastards in general just repeat the same crap over and over..."
I winked at him, then set my face into interrogation mode as I knelt down to the severed head.
On a side not, when I get my life back, this is one of the stories Roz will NEVER hear.
I grabbed the head by the hair and lifted it up till it was level with my eyes. It was disgusting.
"I'll swallow your soul!" it screamed.
"Fat chance..." I told it simply, "Now, I want you to tell me who sent you here..."
It spat at me, making this officially the NASTIEST day of my unlife. Definitely one I'll skip over for Roz...
Genuinely angry, I let a little bit of hellfire show in my eyes. Immediately, the creature seemed to stiffen (as much as a head could) and stopped shouting. It also gave me a look as if it wished it hadn't spit at me.
"Told you it wouldn't tell you anything..." Ash pointed out.
"Shush..." I told him back as the thing opened it's mouth.
"Lady's in the forest..." it told me, "Lady's waiting in the forest..."
I turned around to look up at the illustrious Ash, who was watching me like a dog who'd just pulled a rabbit out of it's ear. He was obviously intrigued, and partially relieved. I mean, if I had to live with this 24/7, I'd definitely be interested in ways of stopping it...
"Which forest?" Ash asked the head.
"Forest near graves..." it told him, obviously still scared of me. Normally, such fear in another would make me feel guilty, but after seeing what this thing did, I actually got a bit of a rush from it.
"Shelton Forest..." Ash said breathily, his eyes no longer focusing. "That's were it's hiding..."
I shrugged, then pulled out the gun I'd put away earlier.
"Now...goodbye..." I said as I pressed the nozzle of the gun into the things eye and pulled the trigger...
"Well, me and a-"
But he was interrupted by the screaming, and the sound of a lot of glass breaking.
"Oh, not another one..." he grumbled, "I thought I was done for the week..."
"Huh?" I asked intelligently.
He stared at me. "Do you have a weapon on you, detective?"
I nodded, then pulled out my gun.
Ash looked at it skeptically, then nodded back. "We're gonna have to outfit you for deadite-slaying later, but that oughta work for now..."
My eyes opened wide at his words. A...what did he call it? Dead-head or something? Now? In the STORE?
Obviously he missed my shock because he just continued with orders.
"I'll fight the ugly bastard, and you look after the victims. Make sure none of em' turn, and take care of them with that peashooter of yours. Normally, my niece does that, but she's on a school trip to Mexico..." Ash said.
And I did the only thing I could have done in this situation.
I nodded and pulled out my gun, just as he twirled the shotgun out of it's holder on his back.
"Ready to blow this thing to Hell?" Ash asked with a smile, which faltered a moment later. "No offense meant."
I rolled my eyes. "None taken. Now..."
He cocked the gun, and the glint I had noticed in his eyes earlier took over completely, making those brown orbs into a truly frightening sight. It was then that I realized just how much Jenny had been right. He had lost far more then his hand to these creatures...he'd lost a huge chunk of his sanity as well...the part that tells you when to be afraid...
Like a bull charging, Ash stampeded out of the break room, me following, and into the main store only to find a gruesome sight. There were glass cases smashed everywhere, and people trying to pick out the parts of glass from their skin were lying on the floor in pain. In the middle of all this chaos was a truly disgusting creature that looked like it had once been a rather robust biker chick which now had far more in common with a piece of rotten meat.
The thing was attacking a young woman, but suddenly stopped as it picked up Ash's presence. It turned and began to stalk towards the S-Mart man with deadly purpose as I made my way to the victims and began to slowly move them away from the battle area.
"I'll swallow your soul, you disgusting wretch..." the creature cried in a raspy voice that sent chills up even my spine while I got a middle-aged lady out of range, "You cannot hope to defeat-"
"Oh, shove it up your decaying ass, bitch..." Ash shouted angrily as he held out the shotgun, ready to fire, "Or get the hell out of my store..."
The being didn't reply. It screeched angrily and threw itself at the crazy clerk, who pulled the trigger on the shotgun a second later, sending the thing flying backwards. He shot it a couple more times as it flew through the air.
"Yo Tony, pass me Red!" Ash shouted out as he began to walk towards the creature. Then he looked into my eyes and told me without words that I was doing a good job. But this look was interrupted by a flying mass of crimson metal that came from behind me.
And he caught it. Like pure poetry, Ash spun, pulling the metal hand off to reveal a stump, then lunged his hand into an open spot in what I now saw was a chainsaw. And then his other hand reached out and pulled the thing on tightly, securing the manacle-like metal onto the stump. I watched in awe until the little kid I was helping kicked me.
Then all I could do was hear as the chainsaw was revved up. Then the wet sound as it was pushed into unwilling flesh with far too much in the bodily fluid department. But as I put down the kid (who kicked me again for good measure), I turned to see Ash about to blow the creature's already-severed head away.
"Wait!" I cried, hoping that the employees would take over for me, "Don't!"
Ash turned to me, his face showing his obvious confusion.
"Let's ask it where it came from...who sent it..." I said as I walked over.
He shrugged. "You can try, but these bastards in general just repeat the same crap over and over..."
I winked at him, then set my face into interrogation mode as I knelt down to the severed head.
On a side not, when I get my life back, this is one of the stories Roz will NEVER hear.
I grabbed the head by the hair and lifted it up till it was level with my eyes. It was disgusting.
"I'll swallow your soul!" it screamed.
"Fat chance..." I told it simply, "Now, I want you to tell me who sent you here..."
It spat at me, making this officially the NASTIEST day of my unlife. Definitely one I'll skip over for Roz...
Genuinely angry, I let a little bit of hellfire show in my eyes. Immediately, the creature seemed to stiffen (as much as a head could) and stopped shouting. It also gave me a look as if it wished it hadn't spit at me.
"Told you it wouldn't tell you anything..." Ash pointed out.
"Shush..." I told him back as the thing opened it's mouth.
"Lady's in the forest..." it told me, "Lady's waiting in the forest..."
I turned around to look up at the illustrious Ash, who was watching me like a dog who'd just pulled a rabbit out of it's ear. He was obviously intrigued, and partially relieved. I mean, if I had to live with this 24/7, I'd definitely be interested in ways of stopping it...
"Which forest?" Ash asked the head.
"Forest near graves..." it told him, obviously still scared of me. Normally, such fear in another would make me feel guilty, but after seeing what this thing did, I actually got a bit of a rush from it.
"Shelton Forest..." Ash said breathily, his eyes no longer focusing. "That's were it's hiding..."
I shrugged, then pulled out the gun I'd put away earlier.
"Now...goodbye..." I said as I pressed the nozzle of the gun into the things eye and pulled the trigger...