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Chapter Forty Five
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Elsewhere . . .----------- --------"Man, the slums around here have gone straight to hell," Tarloh said as they scratched another possible new home off the list. "I can't believe I said that and was actually surprised."Talia and Shield had convinced the big man that he needed to get out and get some fresh air, so he had gone "house shopping" with them. They were trying to keep with Red's wishes of not removing themselves too far from the people they were trying to protect, but they hadn't found anything with the infrastructure needed to set up shop. They'd have to reroute power and water and keep both sets of tampering hidden."Maybe we SHOULD stay in the Den," he muttered."No, we need to get out," Talia reminded him. "We've been over this. You're just saying that because you hate shopping.""True."Shield shook his big head. "Listen, the slaughterhouse is still the best bet, but even itRelated chapters
Midnight Strays Chapter Forty Six
Red and Jane lay in bed, quiet in each other's arms. Jane had gone through another day of interviews, and it had been taxing. She kept having to answer officials' questions about what had happened with her stepfather all those many years ago, why she hadn't said anything, why she had run away and where had she been. But that part was getting easier for her. What was getting harder was having to explain what she was doing now, and how could people get a hold of her?Jane had been very careful about what she said. She was between jobs and between homes at the moment. She was in a serious relationship. She wasn't there to get any money from her mother. She wasn't looking to profit from her stepfather's actions or death. But all these questions kept bringing up feelings for Jane and putting ideas in her head. She had made a decision about what she wanted, and she had just told her lover."Are you sure?" Red asked, obviously pensive."Yeah." Jane snuggled close
Midnight Strays Chapter Forty Seven
----------- -----------In Mexico . . .----------- -----------"You've got to be kidding?!" Robbie exclaimed at the hapless cactus that stood before him. "The trail . . . the rumors . . . they HAVE to be here!"Natasha stood next to him. "Unless these 'Raptors' look much different that you described, then they're NOT here."Lothar looked perplexed, his chubby face contorted. "I don't get it. The crystal pointed to here. If they're gone, they can't have gone far."This little group of Strays and allies had been driving around Mexico for days, trying to find a group of flying outworlders called the Raptors. For creatures with enormous wingspans and distinct appearances, they were remarkably good at hiding. They kept to the unpopulated areas wherever they went and traveled at night. All of them were nocturnal anyway.Robbie rolled his eyes and gripped his hair. "Aurgh! I . . . I . . ." He didn't know what to do. Leadership
Midnight Strays Chapter Forty Eight
--------- -------------------A few hours later . . .--------- -------------------Tarloh, Talia, Shield and Nathaniel all arrived at the hospital within minutes of each other. They had been enjoyed a brief meal when they got a frantic phone call from Anya. Something had happened to Croc."What happened?" Tarloh said when Anya and Johan met them in the lobby."He . . . huh . . . he went through and then his hand came out and he was panicking and we helped pull him through but he got real sick and was throwing up . . ."Talia wrapped her arms around Anya's shaking shoulders. The girl was spooked. "Is he . . .""He's alive," Johan said, a little more collected than his female counterpart. "The doctor's said he's lost the use of one eye, but no one has any idea what could have caused it. Needless to say, I think Croc found something bad. Maybe what we were looking for."A doctor came over and informed them that th
Midnight Strays Chapter Forty Nine
------------- ----------------Back in Springfield . . .------------- ----------------Croc opened his one good remaining eye. He was in a hospital. He'd been in enough of them in his life to know what they looked like. It was mostly dark except for the moonlight streaming in through the window, meaning he'd probably been out for a while, and he was alone. He was a bit surprised by that. He didn't imagine the Strays as being the types to just run off and leave him, but it occurred to him that they might not have had much choice. He sat up, feeling a little sore from his vomiting episode, but otherwise in good condition."Hey," came a voice from the air next to him. Croc jumped a bit before he recognized the voice. He was in a delicate state of mind."Well hell-ooooooooooooo nurse," he said, forcing a smile. "I thought you'd gone off and left me, now that my good looks are scarred a bit," he joked half-heartedly, touching the patch over h
Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty
--------- -------------------A little while later . . .--------- -------------------Talia and Red were still up at the cave that Red and Jane might likely call home. It would take a lot of work to get it comfortable for both summer and winter weather, but it seemed to strike a primal chord with Red. Jane just wanted her girlfriend to be comfortable.Jane excused herself and went back to the main building. She found Tarloh and Anya and Croc talking financial matters."Hey little one," the co-Captain of the Strays said when the shy girl approached. He noticed Croc eyeing the young woman, and then he noticed Anya elbowing Croc in the ribs while shaking her head. Croc quickly got the hint that this wasn't someone to play around with."Huh- . . . hey," she said, forcing herself to not stare at the ground. "I didn't mean to interrupt.""It's okay. What's on your mind.""I . . . I need to find a job," she muttered.
Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty One
". . . shit!" Robbie shouted. He, the Strays and the Raptors were fighting for their lives in the jungles of South America trying to capture a magical jewel called the Heaven's Eye from a maniacal shaman. The adversary conjured up a set of massive earth golems to aid his followers in the defense of the jewel, and all hell had broken loose. Robbie found himself lying on his back, scrambling to get out of the way of the descending foot of a golem before it crushed him like an insect.'If I let that thing step on me, Red will have my hide,' he thought absently. Then he felt hands on his shoulders and was pulled out of the way just before the foot came down."I'm not explaining to your sister that I let you get killed," Natasha said as she helped Robbie to his feet. She looked pissed. The Strays and Raptors were generally too fast for the golems but the golems were too tough to be readily destroyed. Most of the shaman's followers had been incapacitated or had run off,
Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Two
------------ ------------------Back in Springfield . . .------------ ------------------Red was sitting back in the cave that she and Jane were going to share. She couldn't believe that the Strays actually owned the land they now stood on. Anya's career was on the verge of exploding (in a good way) again. A supermodel apparently rising from the dead had gotten some peoples' attention. Talia was also talking about going back to work as a crisis counselor to help make some money, and Jane was currently interviewing for a cashier's job at the closest gas station to where the slaughterhouse was located.She was looking around, trying to figure out how to make the cave more habitable and wondering if Jane might be more comfortable in the main building. But there was plenty of room for a bed and she knew she could build up the front and . . ."What am I doing?" she muttered. She was playing house . . . she was becoming the woman who stayed at
Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Three
--------- -----------------------Twelve hours later . . .--------- -----------------------Red had only had a hangover once before in her life. She remembered suddenly why she didn't drink. But last time, she was pretty sure that the only symptoms had been nausea and a headache. This time, her entire body ached as if . . ."Wait," she mumbled. "I WAS in a fight." Bits and pieces of her night on the town were coming back to her."Red?" came a voice at the end of the bed. Jane had been reading and had fallen asleep again in a chair next to the bed. The younger girl quickly moved to Red's side."What did you do? What happened? What . . .""Red?" This time it was Talia at the mouth of the cave. "Good God girl, what the hell did you do last night?""I . . . went patrolling," Red said."By yourself?!" Talia said. "Dammit, that's just the kind of dumb-ass stunt your brother would pull!""I had
Latest chapter
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Nine ( ENDING)
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Eight
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Seven
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Six
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Five
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Four
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Three
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty Two
- Midnight Strays Chapter Fifty One
