Coyote Moon by Esther Friesner

Author:Esther Friesner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

CHAPTER 7

With no time to think, Buffy lifted the chest and used it as a shield, and the snarling beast crashed into it, splintering the wood and knocking Buffy backward. As slinky go-go outfits cascaded all around them, Buffy and the monster rolled on the floor. She fought to keep the pieces of the chest between them, but the beast was strong and determined. No matter what she did, she felt its hot breath on her throat.

With a karate cry, she punched the creature in its thick, furry neck, causing it to yelp with pain. Keeping on the offensive, Buffy kept punching and kicking until she propelled the beast away from her, then she rolled to her feet and dove out the door.

When she looked up from the ground, she saw four pairs of legs surrounding her. Rough hands grabbed her and dragged her to her feet, and Buffy recognized most of the carnies: Lonnie, Hopscotch, Rose, and the guy who ran the basketball booth. She looked worriedly behind her, but the ferocious beast that had attacked her was nowhere in sight.

Rose, however, looked really ticked off. “That’s twice today you’ve broken into my trailer!”

With a swift motion, Rose swung her fist and buried it in Buffy’s midsection. After the fight with the beast, she was tired. As the air rushed out of Buffy’s lungs, she slumped to the ground—she was such dead weight that the three guys couldn’t hold her up. They dropped her into the dust. For several seconds, Buffy could do nothing but gasp for air.

“And you!” Rose said accusingly. “You’re supposed to be protecting my place. What happened?”

From the comer of her eye, Buffy saw Rose addressing a four-legged creature standing well inside the doorway of her trailer. It wasn’t a mystery beast—it was a big, black dog—husky, like a rottweiler. She had been attacked by a watchdog, not a watchmonster.

“He did his job,” Buffy groaned. “He caught me by surprise.”

“What is your problem, anyway?” Lonnie muttered, turning her over with the point of his boot. “What are you looking for, besides trouble?”

“My boyfriend—” Buffy answered, hoping they would believe her.

“That’s bull!” Rose snapped. “He’s not here, and you know it. You were snooping around again.”

“What should we do with her?” Hopscotch asked, pushing painfully on her shoulder.

Lonnie knelt down so that his eyes were level with Buffy’s. “Listen to me, you little snoop. You stay away from us, starting right now, or you’ll never see your friends again.”

Buffy glared at him, knowing he could probably make good on that threat. She thought about trying to escape, but she wasn’t in any condition to put up much of a fight. “Why don’t you go chase your tail? Or scratch your fleas?” she asked. “We have enough trouble in this town without your kind.”

“And what is our kind?” Lonnie asked with a sneer. It was as if he was daring her to say what she suspected about them. Well, Buffy wasn’t going to fall into that trap. She was gathering information, not giving it out.

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