Black Knight 02 - Back in Black by John G Hartness Read Free Book Online Page A

and Otto launched himself at the giant, sword raised high above his head. He moved almost faster than I could see, and that's really saying something.  
     
    "I hate surprises in the middle of a fight." I muttered as I knelt under a backhanded blow from the giant. While I was on one knee I pulled my backup pistol from an ankle holster and emptied the clip into the giant's crotch.  
     
    The beast screamed in pain, and Otto's sword flashed down lightning-quick, cleaving the monster's head from its shoulders and splattering greenish-black blood all over Otto, Greg and me. I licked my lips experimentally, but apparently giant blood has no nutritional value, so I was just grossed out, not grossed out and fed.  
     
    "Ick." Greg said, wiping giant blood and whatever else out of his eyes.  
     
    "Ick indeed." I agreed, looking around for Sabrina. The porch, which had been crowded with onlookers just seconds before, was curiously empty. Only the four of us and the corpse of a green-blooded behemoth were outside the club. I looked over to where Sabrina was leaning against the closed door of the club and asked, "What did you do?"  
     
    She smiled back at me and said, "I held up my badge and gun and shouted 'Raid!' as loud as I could. You'd be amazed how many guys are flushing little baggies of things down the toilet right now. But you probably still want to clean this mess up pretty quickly. And put that away." She pointed at the glowing sword Otto was holding. He waved it in another curious gesture, and the blade disappeared.  
     
    "Okay," I started. "You wanna tell us exactly what the hell is going on here?" I asked the bouncer.  
     
    "No, but that probably isn't an option, is it?"  
     
    "No. It's not."  
     
    "Okay, then. Help me get this mess out of here before anybody notices, then we can go somewhere and I'll explain everything."  
     
    "Alright. What do you drive, because there's no way this beast is gonna fit in my Honda."  
     
    "I've got a truck, I'll bring it around." Otto said as he started off towards the parking lot.  
     
    "Way to buck the stereotype,” I said to his back as I started picking up arms and legs, trying to figure out how we were going to get the monster into the back of a pickup. Otto just flipped me off without looking back, then went around the building toward what I assumed was the employee parking lot. He came back a few minutes later in a small panel truck with the club logo painted on the side, and backed it expertly up to the corpse. He jumped out and grabbed the beast under the arms. With a strength that belied his normal human appearance, he picked up the creature's torso and stood there staring at Greg and I.  
     
    "You two going to help me, or do I have to do everything?" He asked with a smirk. We each grabbed a thigh and together we wrestled the giant into the truck. Otto slammed the door down and said, "I'll take care of this. Meet me at Landmark in two hours." Without looking to see if I had any objections, he got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot.  
     
    "I don't think I want to know what he's going to do with a headless giant in Charlotte at 2AM on a Saturday night." I said as I headed down the hill to my car.  
     
    "Yeah," Greg agreed, squelching along beside me, oozing monster blood with every step. "And I don't want to know how much it's going to cost to clean your upholstery after this ride home."  

Chapter 11
     
    After a quick trip home to clean up, Greg, Sabrina and I headed to The Landmark, a 24-hour restaurant famous for decent food and interesting atmosphere, especially after hours. Greg and I were in our more normal garb, while Sabrina was still in her club wear. I'd offered her some of my clothes, but apparently Sandman t-shirts were not her style. We took a booth in the back and waited for Otto to arrive. He made it there before our drinks did, dressed down in a long-sleeved polo and a baseball cap over his bald pate. He'd obviously