-Squee-

      "Thanks for the music, it might be the only bright spot in my day." Todd said as he dropped a twenty dollar bill into the violin case of the young musician. She started to reply, but he bolted. Afraid of what would befall her if he stayed. Bad things always happened around Todd. It was a curse that he never outgrew.

      Most people would think having three best selling novels by the age of twenty-six was a good thing. He loved writing he always had, and now not only did people appreciate his work, he was getting paid gobs of money to keep it up.  In fact he was on his way to a book signing to promote the latest one and yet it wasn't right. Writing the last one, felt like slow and constant torture. Then there were the strange whispers, rustling noises that had begun in his apartment. And there were things there that darted around in the corner of his vision.  It was good getting out. Even though he was going to a dreaded signing and seeing his dreaded agent.  The thoughts of both things made him gulp. And clutch tighter to the battered book bag he was carrying. He stepped on the train and tried to block out the dark thoughts of impending disaster that flew through his head.  He managed to find a seat and caught a faint glimpse of his image in the window.  He was gawky, skinny and he still had the same doe eyes, and the same hair cut he had since a child, in fact his face pretty much looked the same, if it wasn't for the scraggly goatee on his chin no one would believe he was a day over Thirteen, in fact most of time they didn't and he had to show some I.D. to prove his age.

The intercom crackled. "This is the driver speaking, our train is currently being attacked by hideous rat-like mutants, who dwell in the subway tunnels, "Todd looked out his window to see an animalistic face hiss at him, and a claw like fingers scraping at the glass. And he clutched his book bag tighter. "Do not open the window if you see one trying to get in.  However they loathe the dreaded light and to shake them off   the route will be shortened and everyone will have to get off at the next platform," There was a lot of groaning and complaining form the passengers at this remark. "Hey, you can stay if you want to get you throat slashed out by their horrible claws."

      There was terrible hissing snarl as the train pulled up to the platform.  Todd looked were they stopped. It was three blocks, from the bookstore where his signing was.  Well, at least it was better then getting killed by rat-people. And he wouldn't have to face the crowds of fans or his agent until…

"There you are!" Came the familiar, syrupy sweet of his literary agent, Tara. "I was just going to take the subway up to Soho, to get you, I thought you forgot."

      He winced at her voice. "Hello Tara." He mumbled.

"Why don't you look at me, Todd? You can't be all shy and reclusive around everyone." She cooed.

      He looked up. Tara Smith was a bit older then him. And she didn't look all that scary; just another New York City business woman with tailored suits, manicured nails designer haircuts, expensive pumps and brief case.


"Yeah, we should get going. We'll end up late though." He said.

"Walk? Why don't you just take a cab, like everyone else?" Tara said as they walked up the stairs.

"I… don't … like … cabs. Bad things have happened before, in cabs." He mumbled.

"Oh, Come on now, not all cab drivers are werewolves, zombies, aliens and escaped mental patients who really don't know how to drive. And that was only your first coupla cab rides, pookie." Tara added with a smile and hailed a cab.

"I- really don't think…"  He started as the cab pulled up.

"Our chariot awaits," Tara said with a flourish. "Get in, it's not gonna bite you."

      This did not sooth him , and  as he  slid into the cab he checked for teeth.  Tara gave the Destination to the cabbie and he grunted. Then the cab took off at break neck speed, and Todd gripped the door handle tightly.

"You should eat, something I brought sausages," Tara said. "their my own recipe."

Todd squeed and moved to the other side of the cab. "You mean their made of people?"

"Oh, come on, pookie. I don't see your objections to cannibalism. I see it as cheap and tasty solution to over population." She said taking a bite out of one the sausages." Why waste money on chemical fed, horomone enhanced over priced meat? When a good hearty meal is close as the hobo on the corner? Now, I know there is silly ethical issuses but, this is the modern era and people are much more torelant of alterinve diets and lifestyles. So you should be to, pookie-kins." 
 She took another huge bite from one the two sausages.

"No… it's just… that… I don't think it's nice to eat people and  your  going to  eat me are you?" Todd said and as he clutched bookbag tightly.

"No, Pookie we've been over this, and over this," Tara said chuckling. "You're my client, I like you and I make money from you. I wouldn't eat you… unless your books stop selling so well."

Todd gulped, whimpered and looked at her fearfully. "Uhhh... okay then."

"Oh, pookie!  You know I'm joking. There's not enough meat on you for a full meal any how!" Tara said and finished off her sausage. "Mmm are you sure, you don't want any? This Avon lady is Delish with sour kraut!"

"But don't you wear Avon make-up? I thought you liked the Avon lady." Todd  mumbled.

"Oh, I did but then I found they test on animals. Can you beleivie those monsters, torturing those poor defenseless creatures!" Tara said scowling.

      The brakes of the cab screeched and Todd closed his eyes tightly as it swerved out control wildly.  Then there was a yelp, a thump, and  the wail of police sirens. When he opened his eyes again, he found they were parked on the sidewalk.

"Mmm, not exactly in front of the book store but on the same block." Tara said casually handing the cabbie the fare. 

      They stepped out of the cab, a wave of fear and nausea overcame him again, as he noticed the bleeding body crushed under it.

"Uhhhh… I don't know about this…" He muttered to the book bag.

"Your talking to that bookbag again."  Tara said.

"Oh. I'm sorry… I'm  not crazy." Todd said in a startled tone.

"No, I don't mind it really, all you creative people have  quirks and eccentricitys, it makes you all the more marketable pookins" Tara chuckled. "However, I would like to know what exactly is in that bookbag, that makes for such interesting conversation."

      There was a mob of unruly people outside the book store. Half of the people were dressed in black, the other half looked as if they wouldn't know fashion sense if it walked up and bit them on the groin. And they all looked very angry and anti-social.

 Frantic looking bookstore employees, were trying to keep them under control, but it seemed as if their efforts were in vain and the fans would start rioting, at any minute.

Todd felt a huge wave of new panic racing up his spine. He turned to flee, only to be stopped by an iron, clenching hand on his shoulder pulling him back.

"Now, now pookie we can't just run off in terror and disappoint the nice people who came out here to see you," Tara chuckled in a soothing yet condescending tone, as she blocked his escape and turned him around. "The manager is here and he'd like to talk to us."

Todd gulped, he saw standing before a unshaven middle-age man, who was pale and gasping from fear.

"Thank god! Your finally here! They were going  to …BURN STUFF and bludgeon my staff with HARD COVERS, some of them have POINTY OBEJECTS… I think." The manager yelled in short frenzied bursts, before collapsing to ground weeping.

Tara patted the manger on head and said: "Sorry, he's late, you know traffic this time of day…" She shrugged casully and gave a small laugh. 

"This is scary, I'd like to cancel… they have murder in their eyes…." Todd whined, feebly.

"Nonesene!" Tara clucked, then looking at the fallen  manager said soothingly. "Be a dear, and provide a distraction, so my client can get into the store without being torn to pieces, by these lower life-forms known as... fans.  Or I'm afraid we are going to have to cancel, this little engagement, this kind of stress isn't good for his nerves."

"Okay... okay… a distraction…" The manager rubbed his chin and furrowed his brows in deep thought. "Mmmm … I got it!"

With that the manager got up he walked towards the mob and pointed at a random pedstreian. "Hey, I just heard that guy say, Todd Casil's writing is nothing more then a bunch of overrated crap! And  you guys are all morons with no-life!"

A fierce battle cry arose from the mob as the lunged towards the helpless pedstriean.

 "Quick, run! Before they notice you!" Tara shouted giving Todd an encouraging nudge.

      He barely made into the bookstore, and sat down at the signing table and the mob converged on the table. They had formed into a line, which looked less dangerous and more respectable.

      The first fan in line was a girl of about fifteen or so she had  straight brown hair tied back in a pig-tail. She was smiling softly and her eyes were gleaming with adoration.

"I really, loved your last two books Mr. Casil, your amazngingly talented." She said in a trembling voice as she handed over her copy of his new novel to be signned.


" Thank you," Todd smiled it was nice to get a compliment, and she seemed like a nice normal girl, he was in process of signing her book and glanced up. "Who should I sign it too?"

"Ummmm.....uhhhhh..." She trembled with anixety. "Uhhh.... Uhhh...." She was shaking more now. " Uhhhh ummmm.... uhhhhh..." Her voice was rising to high-pitch and she was shaking quite violently. "I FORGOT MY NAME!" She screamed, then blood squirted out of her  ears foam poured her mouth, and collpased to the floor.

"Nevermind." Todd squeaked and slidded book towards her.

      Some of the nice people who worked at the bookstore dragged the girl's body away. The next few fans wore blood spattered, tornn clothing and had  empty, reverent stares on their faces. They looked like zombies, but Todd found out they were quite alive when he poked them with his pen.

Then there was the guy with the brown beard who whispered to him: "This is an honor . My master required me to slaugther many puppys in order to attend."

After hearing that Todd gluped and gave the man's book back VERY quickly.

Then there were the usual frenzied   teenage gothy-looking girls who screamed, cried and made attempts to grab him and said things like:

"I LOVE YOU!"

"Where do you live?!"

"Wanna go out with me?!"

"Will you marry me!?"

"You know where I have your name tattoed? Wanna see?" That one winked.

"YOUR MY REASON FOR EXISTING!"

"Can I lick you, please?!"

"Sign my Severed Pig's head!"

      And it went on nfor two hours.  He wanted to bolt and find some small, safe dark corner to crawl into. But he  was pretty sure Tara had implanted him with some kind of remoted controled thingy that could kill him the instant he tried to leave early. And maybe it wasn't so bad no one exploded this time, no unholy demons from hell springing from inter dimisonal portal, the building didn't collpase and no rabid wesils attacking people.

It was getting dark when they where leaving the bookstore. The manager hurried up  to them  and offered to take them to a Thai resturant, that was nearby.   
"Well, I like to make my own food..." Tara said. "Todd?"

"Well, I don't-"Todd started, then his eyes widen and he tilted his head listening to his bookbag he mummbled something then  looked up. "...Sure thanks."


The manager gave him a funny look.  "Are you okay? Mr. Casil?"

"He's fine,"  Tara said sharply as the walked towards the resturant. "He's under a lot of stress,  this is worse neighborhood, then we were told it's natural.  I happened to see a  very underfed and dangerous one-eyed man lurking around. He snarled at me, I think. "

"Sorry, he's a local vargent we've tried getting rid of him," The manager said in a apologetic tone. " But nothing seemed to work, he-"

      The city air was peirced by a series of loud screams, that came from behind them. There was a book store employee limping up to them. They were covered in blood and their right leg was a bloody stump and their head was so horribly mulitated it hardly looked human the nose, eye lids, ears and lips been cut off, they had been partically scalped and then for fun someone just cut the face up a bit.

 "HOlY, JUMPED UP JESUS! What happened!" The manager excalimed.

"..... horrible...." The employee  croaked out from  her lipless mouth. "...Killing.... ... We didn't think... it would matter.. he could hurt us.... Oh god.... there alll dead.... all dead....OH GOD... I'm HIDEIOUS!"

There were more screams from the bookstore and various half-dead, and mulaited people fleeing and dragging themsleves.

"Tell your employee to stop bleeding on my new shoes, " Tara snarled. "They cost more then Gross National Product of some countrys."

" I've got to go," The manager said a flash of bravery crossing his face. "My employees need me! You geting you pay docked for bleeding on Ms. Smith's shoes" He paused reading the name tag of the muliated employee. "...Belinda, if you don't die before we get back."

The Manager and the Belinda  went back towards the book store, shrieks echoing in the wind.

"Well, have a nice time Good-bye!" Tara cooed. "Isn't that something Todd a masscare...." She began then looked around and realized he wasn't standing next to her. "Todd? Where are..." Then she spotted him running down the block ahead of her at top speed. "Oh, Wait up! I'll meet you at the resturant!"