The Generator: The Succubae Seduction (19 page)

“C-can you come meet me?” she asks, and again I wonder at her change in attitude.

“Of course, where at?” I’m not really in the mood to do anything sexual with the large woman, but I feel that deep down I need to mend our friendship. And yes, truth-be-told I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on her enormous knockers.

She gives me an address, which I write down along with her number from the caller ID, and hang up.

Why do I still feel creeped out?

“I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere, Lyden Snow,” a deep baritone voice sounds behind me. Something is odd in the tone, almost like there is chittering or clacking in it, and I spin around to see who’s in my apartment. “Your protective threshold is weak. Killing you will be easy.”

I’m not prepared for what I find as I turn around. Red ants, thousands if not millions of them are gathering together in the middle of my living room. The floor looks like it’s broiling and bubbling with so many insects. The voice seems to be coming from their center as they pile up and come together, almost looking like a reverse avalanche on a small hill.

Where did they all come from? Some currently unimportant part of my brain wonders, while the more pertinent side of me demands I flee immediately. Unfortunately, neither side is talking to my knees or feet, which are shaking but otherwise immobile.

In horror, I watch as the ants make two columns that come together at the top, and then continue building. The mass writhes and moves in an unsettling manor as the ants continue to build. Too late, I realize that they’re building a body as the now noticeable chest is completed and two ant-made arms grow from the shoulders. The head is the last to form. While everything is still the red of the small ants, subtle shading gives me the impression of a humanoid face. That is, if human faces had long mandibles protruding from the sides of their mouth.

The mandibles move, and the deep voice now seems to come from the head of this monster as it speaks.

Terror infuses my bones at its words, and I find myself rooted to the floor, hardly able to think much less speak.

“TanaVesta sends her greetings and thanks for your help in defeating two of the Pillars. Unfortunately for you, she has also commanded your death. Seems you’re too dangerous to leave alive.” Those words are the only warning I get, before the things maw opens wide and a gout of flame comes pouring forth.

On the counter I notice that the flowers that Becky and Lisa had thought were from me are wilted and dead. Why do I notice such trivial things when a fiery death is hurtling towards me?

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Chapter 09

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Fire Ant

“Oomph!” Grunting, I slam into the back of my couch, barely dodging the fireball. It explodes behind me, sending a wash of pain inducing heat over me.

Wasting no time, I get back to my feet just in time to jump over my couch. The second gout of flame powers into the couch, shoving it back and taking me with it.

What is this thing? A humanoid creature made out of red ants and spewing fire? Ugh, might as well call the thing a fire ant. . . . I know, a bad pun, but the heat is on with this one.

“Hold still, and your death will be quick,” the things clacking voice sounds, just as the fire alarm goes off.

“Sure,” I say, trying to milk the sarcasm. Peeking around the edge of the couch, I see the fire ant slowly stepping around the furniture to get a clear shot at me. “Giving up has always been my style anyway.”

Looking behind it, I see the door to my apartment up in flames. Well, at least now I know where that first attack hit.

The thing’s mandibles open wide, and I super-speed to my last hope of escape: my back window, over twenty stories up.

Crash
!

The window shatters as I dash through it, and I find myself once again falling from a deadly height. Panic grips my heart. For a second I freeze before remembering to grow my wings.

Too late I feel the drain on my system as pain in my shoulder blades shatters my consciousness, and I black out.

* * * *

I’m not sure if it’s the impact that wakes me, or if . . . naw, it’s definitely the impact. My body aches as I lift my head, and see a flickering shadow lean out of a broken window. I watch in horror as the thing shakes, scattering itself and sending ants flying in all directions.

Somehow my apartment building starts moving away from me. In confusion I watch as the wall slides past me, and then of all the absurdities, the large building actually turns.

Now wait a minute. . . . Rolling over, I find myself nestled into a decent sized dent in the top of the Orange Bubble.

“How the. . . .” I trail off as my car comes to a stop, and the driver’s side opens up. It takes me a moment to coordinate rolling off of the vehicle as my wings get in the way. They must have slowed my descent enough to land almost safely. I have to tuck them in tightly to my body as I slip into the driver’s seat.

To my surprise, the car doesn’t immediately get moving. I don’t know how long before the fire ant coalesces and comes after me, but it shouldn’t take long before it’s on my trail again. Then I realize my vehicle is waiting for me. It strikes me as odd that sometimes it will act on its own and other times wait for me to do something.

Where can I go, though? The sun is just setting on the horizon, and I don’t know where Becky or Lisa work; but even though Lisa is a martial artist, I don’t want to get either woman involved in this.

My mind goes to Jennifer Lansbury and how sad she’s going to be that I’m going to end up standing her up. I’d call her, but I lost the paper with her name and address on it, and I’m not sure if my phone survived the fall.

Without warning, my car pulls back out into traffic. I turn to see the fire ant forming back up as it comes out of my flaming apartment building. Thankfully it’s not spewing fire into traffic as it begins chasing me. Also thankfully, with all the rubberneckers passing my burning building, the monster gets slowed down. Somehow the Orange Bubble is able to find an opening, and soon the beast is far behind me.

But where am I going? The last thought I’d had was. . . .

“No,” I say, realizing what my VW Beatle had picked up on. “I can’t involve her either! Guard Lansbury isn’t going to be able to help. Find Angela or Brooke! One of them will know what to do.” If my car takes my advice, it doesn’t show. I try to take control of the wheel, but it won’t budge, and the pedals do nothing.

Finally I give up, and just watch the scenery zoom by. It takes a force of tremendous will to remove my wings, without blacking out.

I’m surprised when my car pulls up outside of a grocery store.

“What are we doing here?” I ask, but my question is answered as Jennifer walks out, pushing a cart full of food. “No, I won’t involve her,” I declare, but the Orange Bubble betrays me by honking twice.

“Mr. Snow?” Even through the closed door, I can clearly hear her.

Sighing, I open my door and step out. “I hope that’s for dinner,” I say nodding to the food in her cart, “because I’m famished.” I don’t want her involved, and try not to let on how hard my heart is still beating in my chest. Supernatural monsters trying to kill me is
NOT
a good way to end the day. Why did I ever want to be a warrior?

She just stares at me, shock painted plainly across her face. “What are you doing here? How did you find me here?” she manages to get out after a couple of uncomfortable seconds. “I was certain you wouldn’t show up, but how did you know I was here? And what happened to your car?”

“Can I tell you a secret?” I ask, trying to act cool and nonchalant. “The Orange Bubble is really smarter than I am, and brought me here.” My car actually revs up a bit as I say that. Just how smart is my vehicle?

She pushes her cart closer to me, a scowl marring her face. “Are you making fun of me, Mr. Snow?”

“No!” I promise. “Please, call me Lyden.” She’s now facing me directly, angrily meeting my eyes.

“Didn’t you have a good enough laugh at me at work? Did you really have to stalk me and tease me some more?” I can smell a bit of liqueur on her breath.

What the heck? I thought she’d wanted to meet me after reading my email.

“Dang it, Jennifer, I told you that wasn’t my intent, and I’m not here to make fun of you now. I—“

“Oh my god, why are your clothes burned?” she asks suddenly, cutting me short. She grips my shoulders, flipping me around, and as I look down I realize that my pant legs have been charred. I guess that thing had come closer to cooking me than I thought.

“Yeah, see, I was at this BBQ, and this guy showed up thinking I was the main course—“

“You even have ants on you,” she says, and I feel a chill enter my bones.

“A-a-ants?” I stammer, and turn to look. I find one immediately. It’s crawling across my shoulder.

“And what did you do to your shirt? You have two large holes in the back. Lyden, you weren’t at one of those S&M bars were you? I know how kinky some men get.” While I’m happy to hear her getting back to her normal self, the fact that I’m finding ants on me is enough to set my teeth chattering.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or do you want me to do something with it?”

I’m looking around furiously, trying to watch all directions at once. The monster has to be close. What’s that shadow over by that truck? Is that a chittering sound I hear by that car? I can barely hear anything over the sound of my own heart thumping painfully in my chest.

“Jennifer,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm, but knowing that my fear is bleeding into my tone, “Whatever you do, don’t turn around.”

I can see the thing clearly now, stepping under a street lamp, and walking calmly towards us.

“What do you mean, don’t turn around? Hey, who is that?” Of course she doesn’t listen. Why should anyone listen to perfectly good advice?

Well, if my advice is going to be ignored, I might as well dispense some more. “Don’t worry about that. Just get in my car, and let’s go.”

I know the thing is somehow tracking me through the ants. Pheromones maybe? How did it know where I lived? But if I can get far enough away, and kill any ants I find, then maybe I can escape the killer.

“I’m not that type of girl,” she teases me. “Has this guy been bothering you, Lyden?” Jennifer stands and faces the oncoming horror.

“Lyden Snow. You cannot escape me. Your death has been commanded by the Pillar of Fire.” The thing’s voice doesn’t sound any less scary in the open air than it had in my apartment.

“What the. . . .?” Jennifer says as the thing comes close enough for the monster’s mandibles to become visible.

“Get down!” I shout, tackling the large woman out of the way as the fire ant’s mandibles open wide and flame spurts out. We hit the ground just fine, but the Orange Bubble isn’t as lucky.  In horror, I watch as flames spread across my faithful vehicle as if it were covered in gasoline.

“Oh, hell no!” Jennifer screams, shoving me off her and standing to face the creature.

“Jennifer, no! You can’t—“ Before I have a chance to speak further, she reaches into the back of her pants and pulls out a pistol she has hidden there. Thunder cracks as she fires off a couple rounds into the fire ant’s chest. I watch in burgeoning hope as I see the rounds slam into the creature, and pieces of it burst free from the impacts of the two rounds.

The fire ant doesn’t even seem to notice. In fact, if anything, the thing begins to laugh.

“What
IS
that thing?” Jennifer demands. She pulls me away from the advancing fire ant and fires a couple more shots at it.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I shout over the sound of her pistol firing a couple more rounds.

“Try me,” she snarls. “Right now a fire breathing
thing
is trying to kill us. I might just believe whatever you have to say.”

I decide not to point out that it’s technically after just me. “Okay, well, it’s a man-thing, made up of fire ants. And while we’re on the subject of you believing me, I never meant to hurt you.””

She only gives me a partially skeptical look, before checking her magazine. “Damn! I only have a few rounds left. And double damn the new laws on magazine sizes!” She shoves the magazine back in and then pulls me down behind another car. Flame lances over our heads, but the car blocks it from us. “I need to get to my truck. Do you think you can get to my cart?”

“Your. . . ? I don’t think we need food right now. We need to get out of here,” I tell her.

“Dammit Lyden, I don’t want the food in there. I have a can of Raid in one of the bags. Been trying to fend off some roaches.” I can tell she’s a bit insulted at my words, but what was I supposed to think?

Raid.
Right. . . .
“I don’t think there is enough Raid in that store to kill that thing.” I sound sooo optimistic right now.

“Can you do it or not?” the large guard presses me.

I glance around the car and see the cart, then the flaming remains of the Orange Bubble on the other side of the fire ant. Dang, that fire burns fast! Can I do it? I’m exhausted and out of energy. I overdid it with my wings and escaping that thing in my apartment. I don’t have the strength to even run right now.

I stare into Jennifer’s large blue eyes and nod my head. I’ll do it! Or die trying.

I just wish that latter option wasn’t the most likely outcome.

The big chested woman shoves me away, taking off running and firing her last few rounds into TanaVesta’s hired thug. “Over here, you hot piece of insect riddled meat,” she calls, getting the thing’s full attention. “Are you only a one trick man? Can’t you do anything else to please a woman?” Even under pressure, she manages to be raunchy. My respect for her increases.

Moving quickly to the other end of the car, I try and sprint for the unguarded cart. So, maybe sprint is too strong of a word, maybe something more like shambled quickly. Anyway, I’m able to reach it without incident, but groan as I see how many plastic bags are in the cart. How am I going to find a single can of Raid in here?