Traveller Read Online Free PDF Page B

quite as badly as what I’d just witnessed. I shook from head to toe.
    I’d been playing with fire. Michael really was dangerous, and in ways I never expected. As soon as Michael and his friends left, I planned to run as fast as possible in the other direction and never seek him out again.
    I heard a small, shuffling sound and smelled something putrid and rotting just before an iron-strong arm wrapped around my chest. One of those creatures had me, and held me so tightly I could barely breathe as it pulled me into the light of the streetlight. Michael and his friends turned with their weapons at the ready.
    “Emerson,” Michael whispered, his eyes full of fear. No doubt about what had scared him this time, and it wasn’t clowns or beauty queens. I’d fallen into a whole heap of trouble, and knew it.
    The creature pulled down my hood and pushed my hair out of the way. I heard a noise from deep in its chest that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, and tried not to gag as it ran its nose up and down the side of my neck. Michael took a step forward and it squeezed me even harder, making me gasp.
    “You want this, Traveller?” The monster’s voice was a low, terrible hiss.
    Michael nodded, swallowing hard.
    “Throw down your weapon.”
    He tossed the sai to the ground, and his friends did the same. The rattling of their weapons as they hit the damp cobblestone street pierced the quiet of the dark alley with a sharpness that made me flinch.
    “Very good, Traveller. I will enjoy this.”
    The creature stuck out its tongue and licked my neck. His tongue had the same sandpapery texture as Grandma Sugar’s old cat Miss Sally. I wanted to close my eyes and pretend Miss Sally licked my neck instead of some nasty wolf-monster-thing, but I couldn’t. I was firmly trapped in this present nightmare situation.
    A muscle worked in Michael’s jaw. Apparently, this was a little hard for him to watch. I kept my eyes fixed on his, trying to find my center of calm and strength. I knew what to do, but needed the courage to act. I took a deep breath, let my body relax, and slumped in the creature’s arms like an old rag doll.
    This took the creature by surprise, exactly what I’d hoped for. A basic move from Self Defense 101, a class I’d taught at the senior center for Grandma Sugar and her friends, it proved very effective against both muggers and monsters, apparently.
    As soon as my body went limp, the monster released his hold on me just enough that I could swing my head forward and back, slamming him right in the face. His head flew backwards from the impact, but he still gripped my arms, his claws digging into my skin. I kicked him in the knee with everything I had, happy to hear a cracking noise and a little yelp of pain. I swung around, preparing to shove my palm into his nose so hard it would smash right into his nasty little brain, but as soon as I saw him, I paused, frowning. He didn’t have a nose. He had a snout. That hadn’t been part of the equation.
    I stopped the momentum of my attack and lost my advantage. The monster grinned, something knowing and evil in its glowing, yellow eyes. It reached over and yanked out a few strands of my hair with its clawed, hairy hands. Michael shouted, and the creature let out a howl, pushing me away so hard I stumbled and fell onto my bottom on the wet stones of the street. It limped away, and even with an injured knee it moved with the speed and agility of a monkey climbing a tree in the jungle as it scaled the building next to me and disappeared.
    I stood up slowly, rubbing the spot where the beast had pulled out my hair and spitting mad. “Get back here. I’m not done with you yet.”
    “Quiet, Emerson.”
    Michael had been down the street from me, but, suddenly, he stood at my side, sai in hand, and shoved me against the building. He had his back to me, obviously trying to protect me. Reassuring, but I was too angry to appreciate the gesture at the moment.
    “Get out of my