“You’re going to get hurt one of these days,” she tells him, “if you keep helping strangers like me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he replies.
She presses her mouth against his skin.
Domingo is groggy when he opens his eyes. Atl’s still asleep. He doesn’t try to wake her. He flicks a battery-powered lantern on and looks at his magazines, feeling odd when he runs his hands across the vivid picture; the splashes of red.
The dog growls. Domingo lifts the lantern and listens. He doesn’t hear anything. The dog growls louder. Atl shifts her body, fully awake.
“What is it?” he asks.
“People,” she says.
He still can’t hear anything. Atl grabs her bag and pulls out a switchblade.
“Cualli, stay,” she tells the dog, then raises her eyes towards him. “Don’t move. The dog will keep you safe.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take a look,” she says.
She runs out. Domingo crouches next to the dog, trying to listen for anything odd. The tunnels are quiet for a bit, then he hears loud sounds. Might be gun shots. The sounds seem to be getting closer. He’s nervous, heart beating very fast. He twists the dog’s leash between his hands.
Atl returns; she’s running and her face is very tense.
“Lead me out of here,” she says.
Domingo scrambles ahead of her, holding his lantern. He turns left and finds himself face to face with three people wearing masks and goggles. They raise their guns. He blinks and is yanked back, thrown against the floor. The air is knocked out of his lungs.
There’s the zing of bullets; the loud blast of a shotgun. Domingo covers his ears. One of them lunges past Atl, towards him. Atl plucks him back, her claws and teeth tear the protective mask apart and she bites into the man’s face.
The man is trying to escape and Atl bites into his face like he is a ripe fruit.
The dog is also biting, tearing.
Domingo looks dumbly at all the blood.
“The place is crawling with them,” she says, angrily. “They must have followed you back. You’ve got to lead us out.”
“We’ve got to keep going straight,” he mumbles, picking the lantern off the floor.
The light illuminates a shadow, the figure of another man with a mask coming just behind Atl.
“Look out!” he yells.
The man’s head rolls onto the floor.
It literally rolls onto the floor.
Atl’s fingers are stained crimson. Brains are splattered over her jacket.
It’s his turn to vomit.
Dozens of mariachis in charro costumes litter Garibaldi Plaza. They’re waiting for someone to hire them to play a song and do not pay attention to two dirty beggars with a stray dog. That’s what Atl and Domingo look like, covered in grime and dirt after running through the tunnels.
“I’m heading to Guatemala, kid,” Atl says, her bag balanced on her left shoulder.
“Do you have friends there?”
“No.”
“Sure. I’ll go,” he says.
She stares at him.
“You’re going to need to feed,” he says. “You’ll need someone to watch your back.”
“I don’t need help.”
“I can shoot a gun,” he blusters.
“You’ve almost died twice in less than a week.”
“The life expectancy of a street kid isn’t much higher than yours,” he says, knowing he’s got nowhere to go. There’s nothing but forward.
She smirks. “Find another way to commit suicide.”
She slips a couple of bills into his hand.
“Atl,” he says.
“Keep the dog,” she replies, handing him the leash. “It’ll slow me down.”
She takes a couple of steps. The dog whines.
“Stay with him,” she orders.
“Atl,” he repeats.
She walks away. She doesn’t turn her head. He tries following her, but the square is crowded at this time of the night and he loses her quickly. She must have flown away. Can vampires fly? He’ll never know.
She’s gone.
A trio sings “La Cucaracha” while the rain begins to fall. He sniffles, eyes watery.
He pulls his plastic bag from his pocket and ties it above his head. He’s out of chocolate. He’s out of luck. He pats the dog’s head.
“Variations of Figures Upon the Wall” Where thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering Poe, 2013.
“Man in Blue Overcoat” Handsome Devil: Tales of Sin and Seduction, 2014.
“River, Dreaming” Shimmer, 2013.
“Distant Deeps or Skies” Expanded Horizons, 2010.
“The Sea, Like Glass Unbroken” Whispers From The Abyss, 2013.
“Kissing Frost” original to this collection.
“Enchantment” Reflection’s Edge, 2008.
“A Handful of Earth” Expanded Horizons, 2011.
“Live Sho” silviamoreno-garcia.com, 2012.
“Translucent Skin” Solstice Magazine, 2012.
“Collect Call” Expanded Horizons, 2012.
“Shedding Her Own Skin” Fantasy Magazine, 2007
“To See Pedro Infante” original to this collection.
“Kaleidoscope” AE — The Canadian Science Fiction Review, 2014 .
“Abandon All Flesh” Tales of Jack the Ripper, 2013.
“The River-Hag” Coyote Wild, 2008.
“Sublime Artifacts” original to this collection.
“A Puddle of Blood” EVOLVE Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead, 2011.
Love and Other Poisons Page 15