Page 5 of Even Robots Die (Even Ever After #3)

Florentine

S leep doesn’t really come while I wait, but I still stay in my room.

I have no idea at what hour of the day or night they’re going to let another bull-shifter run after everyone in the streets, and the interweb was no help.

It looks like each year they change the time and it’s supposed to be random.

You need to be in some sort of holo group to get the time it starts, and even then you would only get a thirty minute head start.

I tried to join one of the groups, but they asked far too many questions and I gave up. It’s easier to avoid the streets altogether.

At least until two in the morning.

Which is in only ten minutes, so I get ready to go.

How many weapons do I need? I would love to say none because there is still a chance that I could just get lucky tonight. But I remember the crowd at the bar, and two in the morning might be closing time, but if I know anything, it’s that drunkards never vanish right when a bar closes.

So, there is no way I’m going unarmed.

“Milton, are you ready?” I ask my AI.

“Ready, and perimeter all scanned,” Milton answers.

“Okay, let’s go. Stay on the lookout.” I tell no one, because obviously Milton doesn’t need to go anywhere since I carry it everywhere.

I leave my bag in the hotel room, lock the door after me, and walk to the bar.

It’s strangely quiet when I arrive at the bar and it occurs to me that maybe the bar closed a lot earlier. I circle the building and end up on the other side.

That’s when I see her. She is putting the trash out.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” she tells me when she sees me coming. “At least we didn’t have to wait for long.”

We?

Did I misgender her? I’ve only ever heard people refer to themselves as ‘I’, but I could be mistaken.

Maybe some people address themselves as ‘we’ for all I know.

At least if that’s the case here, I think I only called the person ‘she/her’ in my head, so I don’t think I managed to piss them off or hurt them.

But still, I should be more careful and use a neutral pronoun instead.

“Why did you give me that note?” I ask the barmaid.

“We don’t see a lot of humans around here, and you’re obviously new. I thought I should introduce myself,” they say. “Hi, I’m Laurie.”

“Florentine,” I answer, but I’m still wondering what I’m doing here.

I also realize that they used ‘I’; now instead of ‘we,’ and now I don’t know what to believe anymore. I might keep addressing them as ‘her’ in my mind.

She looked friendly but not so much anymore. I don’t think this is a booty call, but I’m not sure what it is either.

“You’re looking for something. I know the look,” the barmaid says.

Ah. At least we’re getting somewhere.

“I’m looking for a bat-shifter who arrived in town recently. He might have arrived with other shifters,” I answer her, even if it wasn’t really a question on her part.

“I know,” she answers. “He’s been waiting for you. ”

Her last words barely compute in my mind because Milton talks at the same time.

“Two possessors of holo just arrived on one side of the street and three on the other side,” Milton tells me.

Shit.

That ‘we’ must have been referring to these new people.

I guess it was the right idea to come armed. I’m slightly disappointed I left some of my weapons at the hotel.

Still, I take out my mini guns.

You thought I was going to fight those new people with blades?

I'm not stupid.

The barmaid said they were waiting for me.

I have no clue why they would be waiting for little old me, but since it was in answer to me looking for Brice, I don’t think it would be a wrong assumption to say that the newcomers are shifters.

And if I remember correctly, Brice used to be one of Elhyor’s warriors before he became his right hand, so I have no doubt he is working with trained warriors.

More often than not, they fight with blades. It’s usually a human thing to fight with guns and I’m no exception.

I look at Laurie and she has the decency to look slightly contrite, but it’s fleeting and a second later her face is back to being a mask.

“I wish I could tell you I will see you around,” she says as her head shifts to each side of the street. “But I’m not so sure.” The barmaid moves to the back door of the bar and without aiming at anyone in the street, she adds, “She’s here. I’ve done my part. See you tomorrow.”

The barmaid is not even trying to be loud, but I know they can hear.

I know, because there is no doubt in my mind among those five people circling me, there’s at least one bat.

Fuck.

I’m screwed.

Those bastards are the fastest shifters. I’m good with a gun, but I’m not sure I’m that good.

Anyway.

I’m not going to let them catch me like I’m prey.

“Can you give me the exact positions?” I ask Milton.

I’m not making a sound. I just have to move my lips and the message is transmitted to the AI.

The same way, no one can hear when Milton talks to me through the earpiece, because it’s not really an earpiece.

It’s hooked on my ear, but the main part is against my temple and the only thing the device does is vibrate.

And my brain knows exactly what those vibrations mean.

It might also help that Milton is following where each of the shifter’s holo’s are and that I can see them move on the map Milton is projecting on my visor.

I turn on the silencer on my guns and start shooting.

Let’s get rid of as many of them as I can. Maybe it’ll help me make a grand entrance.