~Chapter Twenty One: Street Clothes~

Big Daddy offspring rampaged up and down the street in front of his Starbucks until he had either killed or driven off everything that moved. The last few husks fled their hiding places as it charged toward them.

Lanni followed them around the next corner and most of the way to the next intersection, where they joined a fight already in progress. She was curious to know who or what they were fighting, but her first priority was finding the host. The husks not fighting ran together in a huge mob, all heading in the same direction.

The host would be that way, but Lanni couldn’t just run out among them and tag along until she bumped into it. She needed to put eyes on the thing and take it by surprise, or it would find her first.

Offspring were taking the high road, leaping from building to building, and even smashing through windows and walls on one side and exiting the other side in the same fashion. If she were an offspring, she’d be able to see the host from above.

Idiot!

She ran through a side door in the corner building and made her way to the stairs. A minute later she was looking out over the streets from a corner office on the third floor. Higher might have been better, but she needed to be close enough to distinguish details that set the host apart.

The view was perfect for surveying the army below. Even with the advantage of seeing their movements from above, she saw no flashing lights or tee-shirts that said “I’m the host.” It could have been any of the thousands of husks down there, and every second they were getting closer to the MPC. A couple more blocks would put them in sight of it.

Violence erupted periodically within the mob, usually with several husks ganging up on one until it escaped into the crowd. After witnessing a few of these fights, Lanni realized the victims were always those wearing the most clothing. Many of the husks were entirely naked, and only a few were more than half covered.

Paying attention to the clothed husks, she spotted one that stood out dramatically. It stood taller, and was fully clothed in a business suit and coat. Despite its appearance and the crowded streets, the others gave it a wide berth. Could it really be so obvious?

Below, and directly across the street, another fully dressed husk exited an office building and turned toward the main crowd. It looked around almost nervously as it walked.

“You are no husk,” Lanni said. It was a smallish man with very short, dark hair, and she recognized him instantly. It was the cute exterminator, Lee.

She was glad to see him. Having an exterminator nearby would be an immensely helpful distraction, to say nothing of the baddies he’d take out.

He glanced her way, looking up at the roofs, before diving down behind a black SUV. A second later, an offspring tumbled down from above, crashing on the sidewalk where Lee had been standing. It wasn’t a graceful landing, like it had jumped. It shattered the sidewalk and smashed into the brick-faced building beside it, where it remained.

Another offspring dropped down right after it. This one was much bigger and very much in control. It was Big Daddy. The first offspring practically exploded when he landed on it. His momentum carried him through the brick wall to the building’s interior and out of sight.

She hoped Lee had enough sense not to chase the giant offspring. It would be a terrible loss for the MPC if he got himself eaten. A plan began to solidify in her mind, and helping Lee could be a big part of it.

She dropped her spear through the window to the second story awning, and lowered herself down. The aluminum bent with a loud bang as she landed, and Lee looked up at her from behind his car, tilting his head curiously. The last thing he must have expected was a ninja dropping out of a window. She touched her brow in a quick salute and dropped onto the roof of a car.

Lee wasn’t the only one turning to look at her. Several husks from the main group saw her, too, and headed toward her.

Lee moved through the crowd like lightening arcing from foe to foe. Each enemy he punched, kicked, or threw aside fell with devastating wounds. He was amazing to watch. Not even Diane could move like that.

Memories from another life identified the styles and techniques Lee used. Various tactics occurred to her, too, that would take advantage of the tight quarters, her weapon’s reach, and a flanked enemy.

As the tide of husk flesh surged toward her, she jumped onto the hood of the next car, attacking as she went. She stayed ahead of them just enough to maneuver them into position between herself and Lee.

Lee closed the distance quickly, dropping most enemies with a single blow. His entire body blurred as he fought, and he practically hummed with energy. As they fought their way toward each other, sandwiching the husks between them, she realized he really did make a humming sound. He sounded like an electric toothbrush dropped in the sink. Every blow left larger wounds than a punch or kick would account for, but his attacks made a decidedly rude noise on impact.

Lanni giggled when she realized the sound was coming from him. She felt like a silly little girl every time he struck an opponent. She chuckled even more because technically, at fourteen years old, she was just a silly girl. By the time the last husk fell, she was laughing pretty hard.

“What?” he asked. “What’s so funny?”

Still laughing, she crouched next the Toyota Prius and waved for him to follow. More husks would find them if they stayed in one spot, and she wasn’t ready to fight the entire army, especially not if Big Daddy or more offspring joined in.

She climbed into a white delivery truck and offered Lee a hand up. Pulling the rolling door closed, she stifled another bout of laughter at the confused look on his face. It really wasn’t a very funny situation, but she couldn’t remember the last time she laughed so hard, and it wasn’t easy to stop.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” Lee began, “but you clearly haven’t seen yourself lately. You’re a little small for a ninja, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Lanni whispered, not wanting to give their hiding place away. She untied her hood, pulling it and her face mask off.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Lee. I’m Lisa Ann, but people call me… well, called me Lanni.”

“The ghost! Holy shit, you’re real!” he said, looking carefully at her face in the dim sunlight that filtered through the roof vent.

“Keep your voice down,” she said. “I’m real, and where I’m from, it’s rude to swear with ladies present.”

“Humph,” Lee said, looking her over. “You must be from Texas.”

“No, but I happen to know that Diane frowns on foul language, too.” Actually, boys at her school were constantly vulgar, regardless of who was around. But she liked that Diane didn’t tolerate it, either.

Lee shook his head in disbelief and dipped his head in a slight, probably mocking bow. “Will My Lady deign to tell me who the hell she really is, and why I shouldn’t leave her skinny little ninja corpse rotting in this truck?” He let his voice grow louder again as he spoke.

“I’m not really sure what language you are speaking,” she began in an exaggerated whisper, “but if you’ll hold this for a second and turn around, I’ll tell you what you need to know.” She pushed her spear toward him and waited.

“I guess you must be a good guy. You’re too clean to be a husk. You’re too fat for a host. I’ll take my chances that you aren’t an offspring. But I don’t know you, and I don’t turn my back on strangers. Say what you need to say, and say it fast. I have a home and people to protect.”

“Suit yourself,” Lanni said, and started untying the straps around her arms and legs. “My brother and I came up here from South Carolina. We’ve been living in a secret room behind the old laundry at the MPC.”

“This is the short version, right?” Lee interrupted.

She wanted to snap at him for being rude, but he was right. “All right, here it is. My brother, Alex, is a host, but he’s not a bad one. He’s been keeping the MPC hidden from outsiders so Tina can have her baby. A bad host found me and followed me back to the MPC, so Alex had to leave the Con, or it would discover him and learn our secrets. Now the bad host is here with an army to kill us or turn us all into husks.

“You recognize me because you see me almost every day, but Alex wipes away all your memories of me, so I can come and go as I need. That’s how I’ve been keeping Tina and her baby from going all 'monster.' ”

He stared at her, expressionless. She wished she could read his thoughts like Alex, but feeling a slight electrical tingle in her skin, she knew he was trying to do the same to her.

“Look, either believe me or don’t, but if you keep trying to do that, the host will find us. If I have to fight this whole army because of you, I’ll kill you first. I don’t like killing anymore, and I think you’re all right, so would you please just believe me? Please?”

“No, I won’t just believe you. But I won’t not believe, you either. Not until we get you back to the MPC and learn the truth. I will help you, though. First, I have to find Diane to give her the news.”

Lanni held her breath. It had to be the baby. “What news?”

“She’s an aunt. Tina’s fine, and the baby is perfectly normal, as far as we can tell.”

She wanted to laugh, and cry, and squeeze Lee in a big hug. But she didn’t. It wouldn’t matter until the threat to the MPC was gone and they were safe again. She just nodded and started taking off her clothes.

“Whoa!” Lee said.

“Shhh…”

“Stop that! What are you doing?” he asked in a whisper.

“I asked you to turn around, didn’t I? Why don’t they ever turn around?” she asked, mostly to herself.

“Fine.” He spun to face the wall, keeping her in his peripheral vision. “I was just teasing about the ninja clothes. I think you look cool. With that spear, you remind me a little of Nominon.”

That made her smile. She had forgotten what it was like to talk to another human. No mind reading or games, just conversation. It was nice. “I have a plan, Lee. If you can come up with something better, I’d really love to hear it. To tell you the truth, I’m not all that sold on this one.”