Page 28 of Abraxas

“Yeah, at least we don't have any handless bodies walking or lying around. I do worry about those wild dogs because now they have a taste for people. We may have to go hunting for them.”

“Some of the ladies may not agree," Abe observed.

“What they don't know…”

“You sure that's wise?”

“Probably not, but those dogs could hurt someone, and we have children here now," Lu offered.

“Maybe we should look at this in a different way. We could film the hunt and only use darts. Then we could either set the dogs up in a small area that is very secure, and people can come and see them, or if we don't want to keep them, we could auction them off.”

“You might be onto something there. We have not done a film in a while. I might be able to get someone behind this.”

Given a little time, Abe thought they might make a good plan out of it, and the film would make money. Maybe they could even have the fans vote to see what they thought should happen to the dogs. The only thing that was for sure was they couldn't be allowed to run loose with all the tourists that would be coming to the island. This might be something that could work for them, and maybe if they did have a wildlife preserve, the dogs would fit right in.

“Why don't we call Stef and Dev in and see what they say?” Lu asked.

“Why not? Maybe we could get started on this immediately and reduce the risk of an incident with the wild dogs," Abe agreed.

He wasn't sure how Lu had contacted Stef or Dev, but they were both in there within ten minutes.

“What's going on?” Stef asked.

“We had an interesting situation arise, and I thought we could turn this into something that might make money and increase the band's popularity.”

“What was that?” Dev wondered.

“Abe, Gloria, and Dori went seashell hunting and found his severed hand on the ground. Louis checked it out and discovered it belonged to Smith, the agent that we found dead on the ground. The issue is that one of the wild dogs on the island bit it off. Several of the other ones took some bites out of the body,so our concern is now that they might have a taste for human flesh," Lu explained.

“How does that give us an interesting possibility?” Stef asked.

“We thought that we could go on a dog hunt. We're not going to kill them; we are only going to dart them so that they are safe to handle. Now, what if we film the entire thing? Once the dogs are caught, there are several choices in how we can deal with them. Maybe we can have our fans vote on what they feel is the best choice. They might even auction them off to others, like a zoo or wilderness preserve that would want them. There are so many possibilities, but that is not really my area of creativity. I thought you two could devise a really good plan.” Lu leaned back, and he had a smug smile on his face.

“What do you think?” Stef turned to Devon.

“We need some safety gear while filming in case they attack. It could make an interesting action film. As far as the possibilities about what to do with the dogs, other than caging them, I have no clue," Dev replied.

“We'll meet with our whole crew and see what we come up with. That's some good thinking, Lu," Stef complimented.

Lu shot a look at Abe since it was his plan, but since Abe let it go, he said nothing either and just took his kiss and hug happily. Abe didn't care because he just wanted the situation dealt with. If they could make some money out of it, that would help all the demons, too. If they got ahead on their money, it would help the gods because they would send them some. It also wouldn't hurt to have people active all over the island so that no one could sneak in. Since those hunting would carry rifles, he didn't think safety would be an issue.

A week later, things were well in hand for the film about the wild dogs and how they could no longer call the island home. Abe and Gloria were in a small room on the facility's lowest level, and he was teaching her to shoot. Finally, he'd gotten herover her fear of the gun, which stood between her and her ability to hit any target whatsoever. Now she was doing much better. Eventually, he thought she would be a good shot.He was also teaching her how to take care of her gun and how important it was to keep it clean and dry.

“I think I'm beginning to catch on," Gloria admitted.

He thought so, too. Gloria had been her own worst enemy. Right after she said, she hit a bullseye, he patted her on her back. Abe was a crack shot, but it wasn't a fair comparison since he had been allowed to use guns since he had been a young demon. They had all been under close supervision, but one decent guard allowed them to play around with the guns, but only in the practice room. Eventually, he got caught sleeping on the job, and they never saw him again.

By then, all those demons he was in charge of were very good shots. He had not really differentiated between the gods and the demons, and he'd always tried to be nice. It was unfortunate for him and them that he'd been a little too lax, and it had caught up with him. Origin was often hard on some and yet too easy on others. They seemed to appreciate those who were cruel and sadistic regardless of how careless or worthless they were. Abe had never understood it, and in time, he thought that had probably led to their downfall.

“I think it's lunchtime. My stomach is growling," Gloria admitted.

“Let's go. You've improved so much. You deserve a dessert," Abe chuckled.

Gloria loved dessert but often gave it up, saying she was afraid to gain weight. Abe, on the other hand, refused to give up his dessert, and Gloria would watch as he ate it. It was hard not to get what you wanted, and that made his mind go to the fact that he was ready to mate, but Gloria was not. He could only hope it wouldn't be long before she decided to go all in with him. Thecafeteria was packed, and they couldn't have hit at the worst time. They got in line, and there was no doubt it would take a while to work all the way around. Once they got their plates and drinks, it might be a good idea to sit elsewhere instead of trying to find seats in this crowd.

They ended up in the room where the band usually played. Unsurprisingly, other people were there, like his bandmates and the camera crew.

“Why does the cafeteria seem so overloaded for this meal?” Abe asked.

---