Jeff Noon - Vurt

"You want to use it, Scribble?" Murdoch said.

…and not bothering about the house corner…

"I couldn't beat you, Murdoch," I replied, playing it out. "You're the best."

… where the colours were playing.

I caught a glimpse of movement, as Mandy pulled the gun from the back of her jeans, keeping it hidden behind her back.

Be careful, soldier. Just one bullet left in there.

Murdoch smiled. And then somebody called her name.

"Murdoch!"

The Beetle's voice! Full of colours.

The shecop turned her head, just a fraction, that's all it takes, over towards the side of the building. We all turned then, to see the Beetle in his glory, Walking out from the side alley, bathed in a rainbow.

Karli started howling.

The Beetle was naked. His body was a blaze of shapes, ever-changing. Beetle was no longer flesh. The fractals had taken possession, moving in swirls and arabesques through every part of him. He was the Shining Man, the walking firework. The darkness fused and popped all around as he moved, through a halo of fire, and the rain turned into sparks when it hit his skin. Best of all; the Beetle was walking with that loose-limbed Stash Rider cool that I never did master.

Flare. My man had flare.

"Murdoch!" he shouted again, the words coming in colours. "Leave them alone!" The fleshcops made a clumsy move, away from their vehicles, reaching for gun comfort, shocked and blinded. One of them tried to grab Beetle. Bad move, buddy! Just one touch and that cop was sizzling. He went through all the colours before dropping to the pavement. Cop sure left a beautiful corpse. In the confusion I pulled Twinkle backwards, towards the open door. She had Karli by the lead, and that robodog wasn't keen on missing the action.

"Get in the house, kid," I whispered, hard. "I mean it!" I dragged her back, with the dog, getting myself between them and the trouble. I wanted Twinkle and the dog together, in case it all went wrong.

Murdoch saw the Beetle coming towards her and swung her gun around, shouting to the other cops; "Keep it simple, people!" Only Shaka kept his beams aligned, moving from me to Mandy.

MURDOCH! IT'S NOT SCRIBBLE! HE'S NOT GOT THE GUN!

"What?" Now Murdoch was looking well nervous, not knowing where to look.

IT'S NOT SCRIBBLE! Takshaka going wild, firing his beams everywhere. One of those beams, a red-hot one, caught the Beetle in the chest. The shining man just took the heat on board, loving it, until his colours shone like snake-diamonds.

One of the other fleshcops got it together, lost it, went for panic mode, starting firing. The Beetle didn't even jerk from the impact. Pieces of his body flew apart from the force of the bullet, colours raging. Beetle just carried straight on…

Oh Bee.

…carried straight on, as more cops opened fire. He was almost on Murdoch now and she was firing at him as well. He caught the round full on, and his body was blown apart, splintering into a shower of fractals. And the colours were draining from my life. Into the spaces. The Beetle's voice coming through.

My name written in a cloud of sparks in the night air, in the Manchester night air. And then falling away to nowhere, where the angels live.

IT'S THE GIRL! Takshaka had focused on Mandy.

Murdoch started to turn again towards us, bringing the gun around, but Mandy was already out there, on the edge of nothing, watching the Beetle losing the race, and she was calling out Beetle's name as she…

Save something!

I stumbled backwards, heading for the doghouse door.

…as she pulled the gun around, activating.

Noise and flame.

A bullet tracing out a path of fire.

And as I was falling back, under the weight of the Thing, into the hallway, I saw Murdoch's body catch that flame bullet, full on, in the heart's place.

Suck on that, bitchcop!

Murdoch screaming, and then the explosion of gunfire, as the cops took Mandy. Her body was blown back, blood and flesh exploding, all across the walls, as she bounced against the bottom stairs, coming to rest at our feet. I had Twinkle and Karli pressed up tight against the wall. Twinkle was crying for Mandy, and the dog was yelping. The Thing was still fixed to my back, wriggling around, calling my name out loud. And then I was kicking the door shut, bullets punching back holes in the wood.

A rain of splinters, hard as glass.

I was hitting home the door bolt, but already the guns were letting up.

I was down flat on the floor by now, the Thing cushioning me, Twinkle alongside, and Karli. Mandy in my arms, getting crushed. No use.

Still didn't bring her back.

For Mandy and the Beetle, Stash Riders, a part of this for you.

The firing stopped, and Shaka's transmission came through, loud and angry, almost human.

WE HAVE YOU. JUST COME OUT CLEAN. NO OTHER WAY OUT.

Dogs howling from the stairs above.

Das Uberdog and Bridget were standing on the landing above, surrounded by wailing halfdogs. The full pack had gathered, making a vicious gang. Bridget was calling me to come up.

"Is this where it ends, Mister Scribble?" Twinkle asked.

"Not yet," I answered.

"We're the Stash Riders, is that right?"

I turned my eyes to that face of tears.

"That's right," I said. "Out on the edge, loving it."

Or come out dirty.

Wanna bet?

They gave us maybe two seconds to consider, before putting one single bullet through, high up on the door, like a warning.

Twinkle screamed out.

"Don't let it scare you, Twink," I whispered.

"I'm not scared, Mister Scribble," she answered. "Don't you get it yet?"

I looked her deep in those strong eyes.

"Keep screaming, kidder," I said.

Twinkle screamed like a wounded child, like Cinders in a climax love scene.

"Let up, Shaka!" I shouted. "We've got a young kid inhere. That cunt just wounded her!"

SORRY ABOUT THAT, SCRIBBLE. WE'VE GOT SOME SAD COPS OUT HERE. JUST LOST ONE OF OUR BEST. GOT NO PROBLEM WITH THE YOUNG GIRL. SEND HER OUT. WE GET HER TO HOSPITAL. YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

"I can't trust you on that," I shouted back.

WHY EVER NOT?

Because the world's on your side, not on mine.

I let him wait five seconds, before answering; "Okay, Shaka! I'm sending the kid out. Go easy. No tricks."

"She's in a bad way."

That was all I needed.

I ran up the stairs, dragging the Twinkle along behind me. Past Das Uberdog, who had his charges in hand, waiting for the call up. Those mad dogs were howling at his fingertips, baying for blood.

Cop blood.

Worst enemy. Best meat.

"Take those cops out, Das!" Bridget shouted.

And as I passed, Das Uber was already leading the dogs down, towards the front door. Karli was looking at the pack, as they descended. Robodog had a yearning look in her eyes. "You wanna go with them, Karli?" asked Twinkle.

Karli leapt for the chance, heading down the stairs after Das Uberdog.

Police were expecting a young kid to come out. But they were getting a pack of cop-eaters.

I wonder how they coped with that?

"You got another way out, Brid?"

She smiled at me. And then gave me the answer.

Shadowgirl didn't even have to open her mouth.

We were running through a soft mud. Didn't even want to think about it; smelt like the world gone bad. Couldn't see too well, just pushing on, ankle deep, retching. The Twinkle in front. Pictures on the stone walls as we passed, painted in shit.

Just caught glimpses.