Cole marched up to the biggest klalek of the bunch.

     "Hey!" he barked into the guy's face. "You can't just barge in here like this! There are rules!"

     The guy looked at Cole through eyes intense, yet unfocused.

     He's been fucking himself up on something besides broove, Cole thought. Booze?

     "Whose rules?" the guy replied through black stubs for teeth.

     "The rules of life! The rules that everybody everywhere has to follow!"

​     "Why are you still wearing clothes?"

     "Don't you worry about...awk!"

     The klalek lifted Cole off his feet with one hand.

     With razor sharp claws, he sliced off Cole's clothes until all he had on were his shiny black cop boots.

     "Halp!" he bawled. "Claudia!"

     He turned. She and Adam no longer stood where they'd been only moments before.

     "Claudia!"

     Claudia the computer didn't respond, either.

CONTINUE