Screams!
Memo screamed, and I winced. Mostly because it was my fault, but also because he had one of those screams that you remember for a long, long time afterward. At least it wasn’t the scream somebody makes when they get skewered by a nightmare monstrosity of evil and spite. Nah, it was the scream somebody makes when a nightmare monstrosity of evil and spite suddenly manifests right next to him. Lucky for Memo (and my conscience), the spirit wasn’t interested in him; it wanted my liver, and from the screeching it made when it leaped off the cab it figured now was a great time for a snack.
I was so flabbergasted I almost didn’t dodge out of the way. A summoning. In the damned street. Was this guy out of his mind? The alley was bad enough!
But yeah, I dodged out of the way. This time when I moved I could feel something bad going on inside those stitches, but it felt more like a stab than a tear. It was starting to get rough, and if I didn’t do something quick I figured I’d end up eating the pavement. Or even if I didn’t do something quick, but I’d rather have the choice about what lays me out, see?