When I was younger I was scared a lot of the time. I felt like I could die at any moment.
I don’t think this is how psychology works but I still feel like I got burned out on being afraid back then. Fear was the only thing I felt for many years. I think I got numb to it. These days when some crazy shit happens afterwards I might think “whoa that was fucked up right there.” But that’s about it.
I’m not saying I’m king badass of the world but there’s not much that gets me like in the old days.
I felt that old fear tonight.
On the way out of Redacted I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop. drive I hardly ever see cops on bikes. I’m not sure what the advantage is for a law enforcement officer to be a motorcycle. I was wondering about that as he walked up.
I figured he was from the City Council giving me a last word of warning.
I thought it was weird that he didn’t take his helmet off but not super weird. I thought cop helmets were open in the front with like a screen. This was one of those ones that covers your whole head and is all tinted.
I’m not normally glib with police but I thought he just an errand boy for the Power Suit Mafia. I barely had “what’s up?” out of my mouth before he grabbed me by the arm and threw me out the window to the pavement in one smooth move.
I felt my arm lurch out of its socket half a second before I slammed neck and shoulder first into the ground with my full weight on top of me. My seatbelt snapped and ripped in three places like it was dental floss.
He squatted down next to me and I had this insane flashback to a painting I saw of a cop squatting down like that to address a naked little kid in the street. Why would someone paint that?
I kicked him with both feet. It was like kicking thick mudl. It wasn’t hard, it was like there was no force transferred across at all. Like kicking at marshmallow fluff but it didn’t move away. I can’t really explain it.
My idea was that the kick would help me flip over and to my feet but instead there was nothing to kick off of and I flopped pathetically over on my side. As I tried to scramble up he grabbed my shirt and twirled it around my neck like a noose, lifting up me up with his arm outstretched.
I tried to reach for my magic but I was having a hard time, not just because of the pain. Something else was happening. It was like I was being drained.
“Not much you can do is there? Can’t blind me with this helmet. You’ll never be able to make yourself stronger than me. And a little smoke isn’t going to scare me.”
His voice was weak and high pitched, like an old man doing a falsetto. I tried to summon my fetch but nothing happened.
“Sorry, I don’t feel like company. Here let me help you. I want this to be a fair fight.”
His helmet opened like a flower blooming. Inside there was a face of sorts, but it was mostly just teeth. A huge mouth with multiple rows of blunt square teeth. As he smiled his jaw split vertically and his “mouth” extended down his neck to reveal more rows of teeth all in a line. I could tell that the teeth extended down beyond the collar of his shirt.
“Oops, no eyes. I guess you still can’t blind me. What will you do?”
I hardened my fist and punch him in the chest to no effect. I followed that up with a punch to the “mouth”. It was like bringing a fortune cookie down on a glass bowl. Teeth exploded into shards and flew violently in every direction. My forearm was gouged and embedded with teeth pieces and I started bleeding profusely even though the cuts were superficial.
He laughed. Not like a human laugh, like a toy that made a laugh sound effect.
“Oh, that’s good. That’s very good. For that I’m going to let you off on a warning. This time.”
He leaned forward and clamped his entire face-mouth around my shoulder all the way down to the elbow, across the shoulder blade in the back and encompassing my breast. At first it didn’t hurt but the pressure became immense and I was gritting my teeth so hard to keep from screaming that I thought my teeth would explode too.
Somehow he was still able to talk.
“Don’t come back here. You won’t get another warning.”
He released his bite and I dropped to the ground. His helmet closed back up and he walked back to his bike.
“You have a nice night now ma’am. Drive safe.”
