The reason for the impromt due history lesson will become clear soon because shits about to get dark.
Pre warning for the more sensitive guest in the background of dytopian livers.
Livers being the oprative word as I walked the streets of the slums more questionable stalls.
The black market as you would in todays society.
One of the more darker sides to what I sometimes made appear to be tame compared to what lies under the sheets of backwater survival.
With the new found knowledge of our histories origins.
Theres one thing I left out in all the hubub off Dicks slice and dice of our ancestors.
While those that lost sight of who they were as human ran rampart they failed to corale the beasts of old.
Remember the allyways?
Well my runin with calamari and his oversized friend was a feverdream compared to what else lives between the buildings of our fair streets.
In amongst the darkest of souls you’ll find the real monsters that go bump in the night.
The ones that left thier humanity behind to become what we all fear.
No they don’t shift form and become stuck in thier animal selves as one would think.
These beings are far worse then that.
They are older.
Creepier and far more grotesque.
Most times when you grew into your form to take on whatever animal has the more dominate gene.
Just like what determines eye colour or hair.
Simple right?
Except when it isn’t.
See every so often you might get what’s known as multiple form mutation.
A biproduct of dear Dick’s experimentation on our DNA.
When a persons DNA holds too many different types of animal genes thier body can’t decide what form to take.
So what you end up with is a deformed mutanted mix of all of them.
In other words they can’t shift.
What’s worse is that they end up with body parts of multiple animal forms with no way to change any of them.
The problem is you never know when someone is going to turn into one of these, well things.
It could be early in life it could be hundred years down the track.
Theres no guessing when and theres no stopping it from happening.
Here’s where it gets dark.
When you have no money, or means to survive.
What’s the next best thing to hunting each other.
You guessed it.
Hunting the things that go bump in the night.
While I did say we have one rule and that was never step foot in the allyways.
Well theres an exception to every rule.
This was it.
Could it be considered canbalisium if the meat was technically from a mutated subspecies of human shifters?
The answer is yes.
Yes it is.
However desprate times call for desparate measures.
It’s not like it’s for me after all.
Just a kitten.
“Ain’t seen you here before.”
His one eye leering at me.
His scoff as he took in my clean kept appearance.
Not the usual bottom of the slums barrel he was used to.
“What happen? You loose a bet?”
Not to be intimidated by the hunter I held my head high.
“I need two kgs please. With a regular order every two weeks.”
“2kgs! Every two weeks!”
“Woman you can have me for that much meat.”
“Just the meat will do.”
“That’s a tall order kid. You sure you got the stomach for it?”
“Worry less about my stomach and more about the orders being on time.”
“Fair enough who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth. Here. Next lot’ll be ready in a couple weeks.”
I passed him the money.
“Thank you.”
“Oh she even says thank you. You’d do best to watch yourself in these parts with manners like that. You sure your not an upper?”
He scrutized me with a critical eye.
Literally seeing as he only had one.
“I know my place as sure as you do.”
Satified with my answer his head dipping like a water duck toy.
“Fair enough missy. Now go on. Off with ya. The sooner you get outa here the safer you’ll be.”
I smiled at him by way of good bye granting me a, “and don’t be smiling. Folks here’ll pounce on you like vultures around a carcass.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Little did he know that if they even tried they’d find themselves shishkabarbed on a stick of toasted corpes.
“One more thing. If you know what’s good for you. You’d do well to avoid touching me at all costs.”
“Trust issues eh? Don’t you worry I’ve no kink for the unwanted attention. I just do what I needs to earn my way in life.”
“Good. I’d also like our interactions to be kept quiet if you don’t mind.”
“Worry less kiddo. Discretions part of the job discription.”
Satisfied that I’d found the right man for the requirements I stuffed my bounty into a sealed bag and went on my way.
Leaving the one safe allyway in all the slums I headed back into the light.
Greatful to be out off there.
Until this happened.
“Rexy?”
Coming out of the allyway so caught up in what I had to do to keep a kitten alive I didn’t even see him coming.
Narrowing his eyes at me.
The PI gaze I knew all too well took in my cluched bag of bounty and the allyway behind me.
“Rexy? What are you doing here?”
“Nothing I was just-”
Snatching the bag from my hands I grit my teeth in anticipation as he opens it up to see what was inside and I can tell you Seth completely lost it.
“Are you insane! Do you know what this meat does to you. It can cause halucinations, phycotic breaks and even kill you. The long term effects it can have on you are irreversible Rexy!”
He was about to storm passed me to throw the bag back down the allyway.
With the reflexes of a humming bird I didn’t know I had I snatched the bag back.
“It’s not for me!”
That made him pause.
Well that secret lasted about as long a two pump chump wrapped inside a god complex of delusions of grandure.
Rapid fire.
3-5 I’m pulling ahead.
He rounded on me with a new found timid voice of trepidition.
“Who’s it for then?”
With eyes darting around us at the slumer end of the liners.
I whispered “Not here.”
His interests peeked even more he noded in understanding before taking my lead to get out of the sespool of those that already showed signs of the side effects Seth had just mentioned.
If they knew I was here to feed a cat they would likely follow me home for the priceless animal.
As it was a few of them were already licking thier chops.
Dingos around a water hole of dilectable morsels that just waiting to be gobbled up like bush turkeys in the night.
I’d already been to the store for my own food.
So rather then risk being overheard I sugested Seth come home with me especially since He probably wouldn’t believe me unless he saw the kitten for himself.
“Can’t you just tell me?”
I shook my head.
“Alright fine.”
With a delicacy of a pianist he reached for some of my bags so he could help me carry them home.
Such a gentlemen.
Thank god.
That shit was killing my arms with a painful twag.
Why did the store have to be so far away.
Load baring aside I asked as realisation crept in.
“Hang on. What were you doing there? Your house is across town so don’t even try pull the line. I was just in the nieghbourhood.”
The last part said with the best Seth impersonation I could muster up.
“Well I,”
He was doing his own impression of an awkward teen struggling to find the right words to tell his crush he really liked her.
Not just like but like like.
All while swiping a head through his hair the strange chuckle stuttering like an beat up automobile.
His shoulders back trying to appear taller in a, “I’m not uncomfortable kind of way.” Even though I’m, “oviously hiding something.”
“Seth.”
Said with my best stern mum voice hell bent on prying the truth even if I had to gauge his eyes out to do it.
“What are you hiding?”
“It’s nothing bad I swear.”
“If it’s nothing bad then just tell me.”
“Alright fine. He’s my brother.”
“Who is?”
“The hunter who sells the meat.”
“The one with one eye?”
“Yes.”
No fucking way!
“Seriously. What the hell Seth! Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?”
Backpedding my curious cat got killed side ramped up with the posibilty of two Seth’s considering one was more then enough.
“Wait a minute. Hold the phone. How did he end up here. Shouldn’t he be an upper like you.”
More awkward shuffling like the topic was a sore point in his life.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No I do it’s just not my story to tell that’s all.”
“Well don’t worry about it then. I am however free to imagine the posibilities.”
“Knowing your mind I can only guess the depravities it’s concocted.”
“Picture this. A bounty hunter. All dark, broody and mysterous. A shadow in the night who walks the upper streets like a plague for the slumer bound souls.”
“His one eye taken by a splice beast in an unfortunate duel for survival. The only target that got away. His crimes so grutesque that even my arse would cringe at the thought.”
“Ok ok I get the point.”
“To be continued then.”
He shook his head at my story telling skills.
His eyes reminding me of pepe le pew in one of his rounds of unrelenting persuits of courtship attempts with his lover as thier intense gaze settled on my own.
“Don’t ever change Rexy.”
“Huh?”
His words making me take a closer look at the wolf shifter before me.
An air of, “what can not be touched.” Passing between us.
Our arrived at destination gone from my mind.
Those baby blues staring at me like I was tonights dinner splayed out on the table for him to sate his appetite.
“Stay exactly as you are Rexy. That’s all I ask.”
The implications clear.
You are mine to taste and nothings going to change that.
Not even my excentric outbursts of foot in mouth disease.