Page 45 of The Black Rider
“Kinky. I’m down.”
“I have some of them here. I don’t just do research down here. As I said, there’s a lot of superstition around this lab. Now that I’m here, some people come to see me for minor scrapes and the common cold. Some women think it’s lucky to have me be the one address their birth control concerns. I’ve delivered a few babies too.”
“Well, let’s get that implant in my arm, so some angel baby doesn’t burst its way out my stomach.”
Aeron and Leif found that hilarious. Leif hopped off his stool and led me to a part of his lab I hadn’t been in before. There was an entire exam room back here I’d never seen before.
“You’re left-handed, so lie on the table with your right arm on the slab.”
I did exactly what he asked. I could remember doing this before, way before I was kidnapped. I had a new one put in right before I would disappear to Mexico because I anticipated a lot of passionate sex with my new online boyfriends.
“I might still have one in my arm. I had one put in before I was taken.”
Leif started poking my arm.
“It’s definitely not there now. Doctor X might have had it removed, so you had nothing in your blood since he was trying to tamper with it. No worries. I’ve got you.”
Leif was quick and gentle. He numbed my arm and had the implant in as painlessly as possible. He wrapped my arm and helped me off the table.
“When was your last period?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t gotten it since I woke up from that coma.”
“Then you need to wait seven days for it to be effective. I’m sure your period will come back once you’ve gained weight.”
“Fuck that. Not dealing with that shit in the middle of all this is a bonus.”
“Well, I’ve got condoms so we won’t make any Nephilim babies. I told you angels are created, Ariel. Nothing will burst out your stomach,” Leif said.
“I still don’t want to squirt a Nephilim out my vagina with the way things are in the world right now.”
“Come on. No one needs to be talking about babies until it’s safe to make them. I believe we are celebrating a victory. Let’s get out of this lab,” Aeron said.
“How are we going to celebrate?” I asked.
“I pulled some strings,” Leif said.
“Care to elaborate?”
“And spoil the surprise? No way. Let’s get out of here.”
We left the lab and started walking through the streets. I could hear music up the road, and that seemed to be where we were headed. Music was such a beautiful thing. I took it for granted before. I always assumed I’d have my pick of songs to make the perfect playlist for my mood.
How wrong I was. This mutation didn’t discriminate by skill. You only avoided it if you shared my blood type, didn’t drink the water, or didn’t get bitten. A lot of honorable people died or turned into Rage Heads for this plot. I honestly didn’t think I’d get the chance to hear live music again, and I could remember going to concerts all the time with Pokey.
I gravitated towards the music. I didn’t know if the music was the strings Leif pulled, but I desperately needed to get closer to it and experience it. Leif and Aeron were glued to my side like even if this weren’t planned, they would follow me no matter what.
The closer I got to the music, the more people I saw on the streets. I finally realized I was walking into a massive street party. There were booths set up with people bartering food and a live band on the road.
Leif kissed my hand.
“No one knows how to throw a party better than Mexico. Maria spread the word we had success in the lab, and a vaccine was coming. She told everyone we were getting close to ending this. So, everyone threw a street party. We don’t get to celebrate much anymore. We haven’t had a party in San Quintin since the first Rage Mutation reports started hitting the news. It’s high time we hadsomethingto celebrate,” Leif said.
“Oh, shit, did Juana set up a cart?” Aeron groaned.
“Looks like she did, my friend.”
Aeron snatched up my hand and practically skipped towards one of the street carts. The Horseman of Death justshould notskip, but I had a feeling whatever was at that cart that was making him do so, I wanted in my mouth five minutes ago. The street was filled with the smell of so much good cooking, and it overpowered the stench of death was always in the air.
