Chasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez Read Free Book Online Page B

certain that he could die. He was ancient, and it was hard to imagine that a savage beating could destroy him. But the hedgehog was also some kind of monster, so maybe that was an exception.
    She couldn’t do anything about it. Her own magic powers were so new and unfamiliar that she didn’t have the faintest idea how to help Vom, even if she had been sure it was the right thing to do.
    A terrific howl rocked the earth. She was knocked off her feet. Dust obscured her vision as Wendall’s shadowy figure offered her a hand. She took it, and a sharp pain ran down her spine.
    It wasn’t Wendall. It was the hedgehog. She pulled away, but his grip was unbreakable. He seized her by the throat.
    Wendall came out of the dust and threw a sloppy punch that connected with the monster’s shoulder. The monster didn’t move, but it was a noble effort. She’d written off Wendall too soon. At least he’d tried when he could’ve run away. Too bad she was going to die anyway.
    Or not. She wasn’t able to breathe but didn’t seem to need to. The monster wasn’t hurting her. It didn’t really seem to want to, either. It threw her down to the ground, and a quizzical expression crossed its face. It was confused, frightened.
    Thunder cracked from the restaurant as a hedgehog duplicate smashed through its façade, bounced off the street, and nearly struck Diana and her attacker. Another boom followed as a second hedgehog hurtled outward, digging a trench in the pavement and coming to a stop a few feet to their left.
    Vom exited the building through its shattered front door. He made a show of wiping his hands with big grins.
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yes. I think so.” She rubbed her throat. The skin was a little raw, but it wasn’t a serious injury.
    The hedgehog tilted its head at a curious angle and stepped toward her.
    “It’s okay,” she said in a soothing voice. “Everything will be fine now.”
    The beast’s face contorted into a snarl, and it lunged at her. Instincts kicked in. Since flight had failed her, she resorted to fight. Diana unleashed a haymaker under the monster’s chin.Its head exploded in a burst of green and black. The body took several steps backward before collapsing.
    “Holy crap,” she said. “I didn’t mean to… it was an accident. I wasn’t trying to—”
    “He’s not dead,” said Vom.
    Vom picked up the mushy purple body and started to eat it. It was a gruesome show as one unspeakable thing devoured another in the space of a half a minute.
    He belched.
    “Excuse me.”
    The pedestrians stood in shock at what they’d just witnessed. They weren’t ready for a world gone mad filled with horrible monsters and exploding heads.
    Several hedgehog beasts waddled beside Vom.
    “You didn’t have to hit me so hard,” said one.
    “Sorry about that,” replied Diana. Only a moment later she was unsure of why she was apologizing.
    “Diana, you know these things?” asked Wendall.
    “I can explain,” Diana lied. “It’s not as crazy as it looks.”
    No, it was crazier. She couldn’t explain because she didn’t understand much of it herself.
    He scrambled away as if she were every bit the horrible beasts beside her.
    A whistling sound drew her attention skyward. The hedgehog she’d launched into the atmosphere plummeted downward. Before she could shout a warning it returned to Earth, landing right on Wendall, squashing him into a gooey mess. Or so she assumed. She turned away to avoid seeing all the gory details.
    But she couldn’t turn away from the carnage and destruction surrounding her. It was only in comic books that a whole city block could be destroyed without casualties. The ten-story building that housed the bagel shop looked as if it might collapse at any moment.
    She was going to be sick.
    “What’s with her?” asked a hedgehog beast.
    “She’s new to this,” replied Vom.
    Vom and the hedgehogs faded away. Diana was still adjusting to this strange perspective on reality, so she