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We'll do a little frog giggin', cow tippin'
How 'bout a little skinny dippin', bass fishin'
Take it easy on the 'shine
And stay away from other boys' women
That's one damn good way for a
man to get it whooped down here
These boys tough down here
Get your ass tore up down here
And be an all nighter with the hippies and the hicks
Jocks and bikers, they all came
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He had been vaguely aware of battle raging not far down the hall between the vampire and Polly. The creature's agonized screams echoed in the corridor, and a brief glance their way reassured him that Polly was holding her own. He had not had any doubts about her ability to handle the leech. She had come well prepared, and her weapons were serving her well. Even still, his urge to be there, to be fighting at her side was like a tidal wave, swallowing him up whole. There would be guilt later, of that he was sure...and he knew that if something were to go wrong and Polly were to be hurt, that guilt would eat him up alive. After all, this change of events was not one they had anticipated...and it was his past, catching up now with them both.
Ruger pushed himself upon his elbows, back pressed against the wall as he kept the shotgun leveled at the bastard who had in every way ruined his life. The flashing lights and cracking echo of Polly's whip was like a breath of fresh air to a drowning man for Ruger...it meant she was still okay, still fighting. Adrenaline pulsed through him, in the fore despite the burning sting of blood as it created a lazy river down his face...despite the sharp gnaw of pain at his flank. The demon's strength was inhuman, greater than anything Ruger had ever experienced...but still, he had the notion that the creature had held back. Had not wanted to kill him with the blow. Had likely wanted to let him suffer.
Jarilo stumbled back, a harsh snarl of pure fury escaping him. The hole that had been blown into his flesh was big enough to fit a couple of fists in, and while it wasn't fatal, the pain was infuriating. That something so weak as a mere human could inflict damage of any sort was unacceptable to the demon, and he would make damn sure the rat would pay for what he'd done. He could feel the thick black ichor of his lifeblood flowing, but that was no matter. Soon his body would knit together, and he'd be no worse for the wear. The garlic was what made it worse...it was uncomfortable at best. Oh, how he would make the human pay. Immobilize him, and then let him watch as he stole away the life of his woman...for the second time.
Ruger was about pull the trigger a second time when the vampire was thrown forcefully into Jarilo, followed by the incredible crack of Polly's whip. Peering from beneath the curtain of his own blood-soaked bangs, Ruger watched the two as they stumbled into the wall. Huge cracks splintered the drywall as it took their weight, and from the sound they produced on impact it was surprising they hadn't gone through altogether. As Polly skidded to a stop near him, Ruger was already in motion, clawing himself back to his feet. He desperately needed to position himself between her and Jarilo...there was no time to fill her in on just how powerful their new opponent was. Blue snarled, foam dripping from his jaws as he stepped to Ruger's side, awaiting direction should it come.
Jarilo had underestimated the woman. The weight of the vampire in conjunction with the snap of the whip threw him into the wall with stunning force. Jarilo roared in rage, yellow eyes electric in the dimness of the room. He sensed impending death in vampire's battered form, and threw the soon-to-be corpse to the side as if it were no more than a used kleenex. His gaze leveled at Ruger, a sick and twisted smile splitting his lips despite the pain and rage. "Feisty girl. You know I like a struggle in my women." He taunted even as he was preparing to lunge at the human male again. What happened next, however, was incredibly unexpected. He felt the impact of...something...hit his chest. And then? Agony. Blinding agony that was matched only by fury. The holy water sizzled on his flesh, brought out boils on impact. He halted in his tracks, his wounds hissing as he pawed at them, trying to do away with the excess droplets before they made contact.
Ruger took the opportunity. "Naw. Not this one." Ruger's voice was low and cold, and as the water began to do it's work on the demon, Ruger unloaded a shell in the creature's chest. He pumped the shotgun quickly, expertly, and this time, took away half of the creature's face with the blast from the gun. Bone and gristle decorated the wall behind Jarilo, and what was left of his face was comparable to raw meat, glistening in the dimness. What Jarilo did next was something that had to have taken a great deal of energy...probably the last of his reserves, if Ruger had to speculate. He simply blinked out of existence.
Ruger lowered the shotgun, taking a step forward to nudge the leech with his barrel. No movement and chunks of ash floated up from the corpse. "You done did him in, I think." He told Polly quietly, not turning around to face her quite yet. He worked to steady himself, to get a hold of what had just happened. He had not expected confrontation with his past. Had not expected such a close call. He raised his hand to wipe the blood from his gaze, then peered down at his flank. A piece of wood was sticking grossly from the flesh of his flank, likely imbedded when he had been ambushed. The cloth of his shirt was dark and sticky around the wound, but the bleeding was not profuse. A flesh would, probably...and it would have to wait. Ruger gritted his teeth against the pain and pulled the wood, which released it's hold from his body with a wet, sick sound. He tossed the chunk away,
Polly's words drew his attention and he turned to face her once more. "He better. Eats his weight in kibble just 'bout every day. Better be good for somethin'. Blue, out!" Ruger commanded. The dog instantly went into action, leading them out of the hallway and towards the fire escape. Somehow he had managed to nose his way in through the door there, which stood open. The stairs were metal and steep, but a helluva lot better than their trek up. "Well this woulda been handy 'bout 15 minutes ago." Ruger growled lowly, mostly to himself. To say that he was irritable was an understatement. He was in pain, which wasn't fun, but it wasn't his physical injuries that bothered him. He had come face to face with Jarilo, and he had lost him. And hell, he could have lost Polly too. Another check to the list of those he'd failed.
"You doin' alright, Tumbleweed? Real sorry about that clusterfuck in there." He grunted as they made their way foen the stairs, relying heavily on the railing as he went. He wasn't too sure how much blood he'd lost, and though he didn't think it was much, he didn't want to risk taking a header off the side of the escape. "Didn't reckon somethin' like that would happen. That...that thing. You can't underestimate it." As soon as his boots touched the earth, Ruger turned to look at her, passing a hand through his hair to get the bloody mop out of his field of vision. "Thing is, sugar, if ya thought you was bein' hunted before...that's twofold now. And I ain't about to lose sight of ya now. Guess what I'm sayin' is, you done got stuck with me just now. "
Ruger was about to pull the trigger again on the beast when the vampire
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Our side of the barbed wire
Money grows in rows
If it don't you're goin' broke
So we
We hang out by the bonfire
Just the good ol' boys having a dang good time
We crank it up down here
We get loud down her
Throwin' down in the dirty, dirty south down here
Be an all nighter with the hippies and the hicks
Jocks and bikers, they all came to kick it in the
sticks
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