Things to Do in Denver When You're Un-Dead by Mark Everett Stone

Author:Mark Everett Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: vampire, urban fantasy, magic, zombies, supernatural, ghost, computer, denver, undead, magician, ghoul, tron, ghost in the machine
Publisher: Epicenter Press

Room 6: Twelve by ten. Nice blue cut-pile carpeting. An oak armoire for my gear and a bed. A beautiful, comfortable looking queen-sized bed. My shoes never made it off my feet before I flopped into its welcoming embrace. Flights of angels and all that stuff ….

“Wakey wakey, Green Pea.” Somebody wanted to die.

My brain tried to remain in the ‘off’ position, but months of training had the volume up to 11 before I knew it and pushed me out of my self-induced coma.

“Gah!” I exploded.

“Aww … you musta got all of six hours sleep, Pea. It’s time to get up and pay for your stay.”

“I thought the Fed was paying my way,” I grumbled, trying to burrow deeper into the mattress. I realized my mouth tasted like a goat’s pen. Only worse.

“On your feet, Pea. It’s chow time.”

Sleep fled, chased off by my stomach. “We got a mess hall?”

“We got a kitchen and a well stocked pantry and fridge. We make our own grub here.”

The thought of eating something other than camp chow and MREs appealed to me on a visceral level and levered me to my feet. Standing in the doorway was a wide, flat-faced Native American, complete with long black hair and a turquoise, squash-blossom necklace. Faded jeans, a coarse blue button-down shirt and cowboy boots completed the ensemble. A grin creased his leathery face, exposing even white teeth. There must have been a hundred of them.

“Name’s Canton Alsate, Pea.” He held out a broad, rough hand, which I took.

“Kal Hakala.” I removed my hand before he could fuse the fingers together.

“Interesting name.”

“Finnish.”

“Harrumph. They grow them big up north, I see. And pale. You are the whitest white boy I’ve ever seen. Well, I’m your tour guide and combat trainer. Come with me.” He turned and headed down the dorm’s long hallway.

“I swear I just went through training.” The words bounced off his back. I realized that sleeping in my clothes did nothing to enhance a clean, fresh scent. In fact, I smelled like a gym locker.

“You did, but you haven’t gone through my training.”

I mulled this over as I followed. Eventually the hall opened up into a large room—a kitchen big enough to feed my hometown. Canton approached a sizeable stainless steel vault door with a large mechanical latch. With a grunt, he wrestled it open to reveal a walk-in freezer blowing frosted air through a plastic strip curtain. Bravely, he plunged into its depths and soon emerged with two white paper-wrapped packages.

“How do you like your steak?” he asked.

My stomach rumbled. “Still moo-ing.”

The packages flew at me and I fielded them like I still played for Nebraska.

“Good!” His smile nearly blinded me. “Make mine med-rare and don’t screw it up.”

I looked for a broiler and found it, turning on the gas. A combo of charcoal and mesquite was the best, but considering what I’d had to eat in the past 33 weeks, my stomach ached for steak, so I wasn’t going to be picky. I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.