Maurice furrowed his brow and squeezed the doorknob as tightly as it could. Slowly the hot glow faded away and the metal was soon reclaimed by a thin layer of frost and ghost ooze.
"Try now! I can't hang on much longer. God, it's like tryin' to force two magnets together the wrong way!"
Sure enough, the knob would be cold enough to hold and turn. What bedroom door locked from the outside anyway. The hallway was waiting for Ginko, though, already a mess. broken shards of glass from the ruined family photos that lined the wall were poised in the air like angry bees, ready to swam his exposed flesh.
"Thanks-- thank you." He didn't waste any time in opening the door with his non-burned hand, ducking into the hallway and closing the door behind him... and then immediately regretting it.
"Oh for--" He froze up for an instant before grabbing his coat and pulling it up to cover his face and neck as well as he could, for all the good that was going to do, and just... running for it. He choked back another hiss of pain at the sting of the glass that made it through, barely watching where he was going in the rush to get through the hall. If he could just find the demon, and... God, he didn't know, he wasn't sure talking to him would work, and the combination of the remaining throbbing of bruises and the sharper pain of burns and stings and cuts wasn't helping.
Maurice tried to throw himself into the path of the shards but they zoomed right through him. His chill had no effect on them.
"I'll start on the front door!" He rushed through the living room and had to stop at the sight of what Roman was doing.
The boy stood in the middle of the room conducting a whirlwind of furniture as though he were re-enacting the Fantasia short: Night on Bald Mountain. A few of the chairs fell when he felt the chill pass him by and he grinned a wicked grin when he heard Ginko's cries of pain from the hallway.
"You look t-tired! Take a load off!"
The loveseat hurled itself at him. Lucily it couldn't fit through the hallway so it just ended up thundering against the 70s wood paneling.
"I've been thinkin' about it and I've decided to leave that lady alone. You're way more fun."
Ginko flinched at the impact of the furniture against the entryway, still trying in vain to fend off the glass shards. At some point one had sliced into the back of his leg, and he was having to lean against the wall a little more than he would like.
Somehow, that comment still got a wry snort from him. "Good to-- to hear. Means I can at least say I did my job."
A framed photo of some kittens in a basket went sailing past Ginko's head like a throwing star.
Roman stopped his triumphant cacklng that he absolutely did not practice by himself in the middle of the night. This guy wasn't playing along at all! He was supposed to be writing in fear and begging for mercy. Roman leaped into the air and swum through it like a dolphin, coming to a halt upside down near Ginko's face.
He winced again, trying not to take too much focus off the effort of keeping his leg from giving out under him. He did, however, let himself scowl at Roman, drawing back a little - and wincing at another jab of pain.
"Wouldn't call it that." Why did people keep saying crud like that lately?? "Came here to get you to leave her alone to begin with, after all."
Roman rolled his yellow eyes and then started to speak in Ginko's voice. "Urrurur I'm a brave detective and I'm gonna sacrifice myself in demonfire so everyone will see how brave I wa--"
He didn't get to finish his mocking sentence because a TV remote had sailed through the air and hit him square in the jaw. He dropped like a stone, too distracted to perform his magic and clapped a hand to his face. Blood streamed from his busted lip.
Maurice hung near the hallway entrance, his entire outline blazing. "Don't talk to him like that!"
Ginko started when the remote smacked into Roman's jaw, and it took him a moment to realize what had actually happened.
At the same moment he did, he also realized that the glass had stopped moving and the demon was out of his way - for the moment, anyway.
He went for the entrance as fast as he could move, scrambling over the sofa in the way and swearing under his breath as he stumbled. If he could just get to the door...
While the door was no longer hot as a tailpipe, it was still hot to the touch. The deadbolt was slid across up top and had melted. Breakable, but a hell of a lot of trouble.
Roman sat up, staring at Ginko's back in rage and alarm. How had--a picture frame clocked him on the shoulder and he threw his arms in the air to shield himself. "HEY!"
He was the only one allowed to do stuff like that!
Maurice was done being afraid. It was time to be mad. In the wreckage he snatched up all the small but sharp items he could and threw them at Roman, one after the other. The demon scurried to his hooves and lifted into the air again to avoid the debris. He raised his own round of ammo and threw it blindly. It was obvious now that something besides Ginko was in the house--HIS house!
Dammit. Ginko gritted his teeth, took a step back, and slammed his shoulder against the door as hard as he could - which immediately turned out to be a mistake as a jolt of pain ran through his arm and torso and his head pounded at the effort.
He glanced over his shoulder at the altercation going on behind him, swallowing hard. At least Roman seemed to be pretty thoroughly distracted - and had basically no chance of actually hurting Maurice.
...Okay, that was worrying, though. Dripping walls were generally a bad sign in his experience.
The door stood there, abused as ever. Suddenly, pounding came from the other side. It was their customer.
"What's going on in there!? Should I call the police?!"
It was kind of hard...not...to hear the sound of an entire sofa hitting the wall.
The ceiling started to drip curtains of ghostly blue ooze as Maurice shouted and swore and hurled things at Roman. This was absolutely exhilarating. Now he knew what the strange feeling was. Roman was a walking talking battery. Now that he was visible, it took no effort at all for Maurice to draw energy from him. "I used to eat nerds like you for breakfast!"
Roman dodged left and right, visibly working up a sweat and growing stupid in his panic. At one point, one of his own broken furniture projectiles doubled back and struck him in the side as he climbed atop the fridge in search of high ground.
Once again, Ginko jumped a little, his attention jerking back to the door. It took him a moment to find his voice, trying not to let it come out too shaky.
"Uh-- m-maybe, but I'm not sure if they can--"
He winced at the sudden sound of the lights exploding.
"--not sure they can... can do much, but just-- getting the door open would be good."
A yelp came from the other side of the door. She had tried to grab the knob and found it hot on the outside as well.
Maurice's outline expanded slightly as it continued to ripple as though his shoulders and arms were on fire. He watched Roman scurry like a trapped squirrel and managed a laugh when a toaster flew right through his body and crashed into the television.
"Give it up! Consider your ass GHOSTBUSTED!"
He pelted Roman with a rain of colorful fridge magnets. Roman had no retort because he didn't hear Maurice's quip but he was distressed enough to throw everything he had at whatever was assaulting him. Dishes from the sink, the potted plant from the window, and of course, every object in the kitchen drawers. They sailed harmlessly through the ghost and clattered loudly against the wall. And perhaps the medium as well. Maurice was too caught up in the moment to pay attention to what was happening behind him. He drifted nearer and nearer, chilling the whole kitchen.
"Get away from me!" Roman's breath fogged in front of him. What the actual fuck was happening? "Get away GET AWAY!"
He winced again at the barrage of sounds - and the potted plant that crashed into the wall right next to him. "Might have to break it down-- sorry, I know that's not ideal..."
He glanced over his shoulder again, brow furrowing. He really hoped Maurice had some sort of a plan here, because as much as he appreciated the effort this might--
That thought was cut off rather abruptly as a fork slammed into the wall next to him. He flinched and turned to face the demon and ghost - just in time for something that he didn't quite recognize at first beyond the fact that it was big and sharp to embed itself in his shoulder, much deeper than the glass shards had managed to go. He took a quick, sharp breath, going to grab hold of the knife's handle on pure reflex.
Maurice had no plan. He didn't really have a lot of anything going on upstairs for the moment. So much energy! So much! He felt like he could throw a whole house if he had to! Roman was really giving him a jumpstart.
And speaking of Roman, he finally couldn't handle the chill of the kitchen any longer. He turned tail, lowered his horns, and burst through the window. A scream came from outside and suddenly the entire house seemed to sag as the demon's grip on it was finally released.
The ghost gave a smart nod at the hole Roman had left in the window. Yeah, that's what he thought! He turned to proudly face his friend but then saw the sorry state he was in. The flames that licked up his arms went out like a birthday candle.
"Ginko!" He rushed to him, fretting and reaching out and withdrawing his hands over and over.
Ginko noticed, if a bit belatedly, when Roman fled. That was something to be glad for anyway.
As Maurice came rushing over, Ginko tightened his grip on the handle as well as he could and pulled the knife free with a grunt of pain... which may not have been the best idea, given the blood that had already started to flow freely before the knife even hit the ground. Oh well.
"I-I'm alright." He turned toward the door again, speaking up more loudly for the client to hear. "Hey, if you're still there-- definitely going to want to get someone to open this door. Problem's gone, but-- don't think I can do this myself unless you've got a... blowtorch or hammer or something."
"There was a KNIFE in you!" Maurice's form started to scramble like a rabbit ear television set in a storm.
For a long moment no response came from the other side--not since the scream. Longer still the minutes oozed onward and Maurice started to panic. He leaned through the door to see if that thing had attacked the girl only to recoil at the last second as something heavy and huge slammed against the door.
"Only for a moment." Not actually that encouraging, Ginko.
He might be inclined to panic, too, if he weren't so tired. Instead, all he could really do was hope for the best - and try to staunch the bleeding from his shoulder as well as he could with his uninjured hand. Too bad he couldn't do a lot about the numerous smaller cuts all over him. He leaned back against the wall next to the door and slowly slid down into a sitting position, considering going for a cigarette.
Then he jolted, his eye wide as he turned toward the door. He gave a quiet breath of relief, scooting a ways away from the door and leaving a smear of blood on the wall.
"Thanks," he called out. "I'll just... be here."
ive been trying to write this tag for an hour but were watching that fucking raggedy ann movie again
"You wouldn't say the same thing about a bullet," Maurice fussed as their client and her neighbor battered the door.
Finally in a shower of wood splinters and screws, it burst open, allowing in afternoon sunlight into the ruined living room.
"What the hell happened in here?" The woman's neighbor stood on the threshold, slack-jawed. Then she noticed that the man in her neighbor's house was bleeding. "Do you need an ambulance?"
"YES! Yes he does!" Maurice cried as loudly as he could but neither woman could hear him.
Their client just stared wearily into the living room. She didn't look upset. Or even angry. Just tired. And a little relieved. She'd seen the thing jump out her window. It had stopped to hiss at her and no doubt her neighbor saw something running down the ditch as well. NO matter the property damage, she knew her mind was in one piece after all.
"Good thing 's not a bullet, then," Ginko mumbled in reply.
He winced away from the door as it finally broke down, then let out a barely-perceptible sigh of relief. He was quick, however, to shake his head at the suggestion of an ambulance, despite Maurice's insistence and his already-aching head's immediate objection to the motion.. "--No, that... that won't be necessary. I'll just... uh..."
Okay, he couldn't think of an alternate solution. But ambulances were expensive, alright.
As an afterthought, and without even finishing his previous sentence, he glanced over at the client. At least she didn't look too upset. "...Sorry about the mess. Things got complicated."
Maurice let out a howl of distress and the wall nearest to them started to ooze once again. "You are impossible!"
The two women exchanged glances, obviously worried but...Ginko's client couldn't bring herself to go against his wishes. "I understand. I...saw it."
"Saw what?" The second woman asked, though her tone sounded faker than she would have liked. "That animal?"
The client let out a thoughtful humming sound. "Yes. An...exotic pet. Someone never should have had." She tugged her purse off from around her shoulders and fished out her wallet. She didn't even look at the bills she selected as she handed them over to Ginko.
"Oh my god," Maurice dragged his hands down his face, warping his features once again.
Ginko took the bills with a mumbled thank you and then started working on dragging himself to his feet, still leaning heavily against the wall. His injured leg buckled under him at first.
"--Dammit. Uh... come to think of it, I think I left my supplies in another room; give me a moment to go get those."
"Hang on, hang on." Sledgehammer-neighbor reached down to grab Ginko's less-injured arm and tugged him upright. "What was that thing? A tiger?"
"Something like that..." said the client. She stumbled forward through the wreckage. It wasn't hard to tell which room Ginko meant. It was the one standing open with burn marks on the door. She climbed over the sofa and ducked in to grab what she could only assume what was Ginko's bag.
"Why is the bed upside down...how is the--I don't care. I don't care I don't care I don't care." She soon returned holding the bag. It was trailing salt as she carried it and she made a face at the trial she'd left in the living room.
Maurice tugged against his tether as he tried to hurry to the car. The marble moved restlessly in Ginko's pocket.
His mouth gave the slightest twitch at the discussion of the creature, but he didn't say anything. He did, however, wince at the woman's reaction to the state of her bed and the salt spilling from his bag.
"Sorry," he repeated. He glanced briefly down at his pocket as he set his bag's strap against his good shoulder. "I've, uh... got to go. Good luck with... everything, I guess."
And it was with that awkward farewell that he hurried as well as he could back to the car, all but collapsing in the driver's seat with his hands over his face.
The two women watched the strange man make his way to his car before quickly turning to one another and exploding into their own versions of what they had seen and heard.
Maurice was waiting for him in the car. The interior had grown so cold that the windows fogged.
"What the hell do you MEAN no ambulance!? You could have tetanus or rabies or some other demon disease! Dude, forgive me if I'm steppin' outta line here, I'm just a mechanic. But this seemds like an emergency t'me!"
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"Try now! I can't hang on much longer. God, it's like tryin' to force two magnets together the wrong way!"
Sure enough, the knob would be cold enough to hold and turn. What bedroom door locked from the outside anyway. The hallway was waiting for Ginko, though, already a mess. broken shards of glass from the ruined family photos that lined the wall were poised in the air like angry bees, ready to swam his exposed flesh.
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"Oh for--" He froze up for an instant before grabbing his coat and pulling it up to cover his face and neck as well as he could, for all the good that was going to do, and just... running for it. He choked back another hiss of pain at the sting of the glass that made it through, barely watching where he was going in the rush to get through the hall. If he could just find the demon, and... God, he didn't know, he wasn't sure talking to him would work, and the combination of the remaining throbbing of bruises and the sharper pain of burns and stings and cuts wasn't helping.
But he definitely couldn't stay here.
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"I'll start on the front door!" He rushed through the living room and had to stop at the sight of what Roman was doing.
The boy stood in the middle of the room conducting a whirlwind of furniture as though he were re-enacting the Fantasia short: Night on Bald Mountain. A few of the chairs fell when he felt the chill pass him by and he grinned a wicked grin when he heard Ginko's cries of pain from the hallway.
"You look t-tired! Take a load off!"
The loveseat hurled itself at him. Lucily it couldn't fit through the hallway so it just ended up thundering against the 70s wood paneling.
"I've been thinkin' about it and I've decided to leave that lady alone. You're way more fun."
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Somehow, that comment still got a wry snort from him. "Good to-- to hear. Means I can at least say I did my job."
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Roman stopped his triumphant cacklng that he absolutely did not practice by himself in the middle of the night. This guy wasn't playing along at all! He was supposed to be writing in fear and begging for mercy. Roman leaped into the air and swum through it like a dolphin, coming to a halt upside down near Ginko's face.
"Really? You're gonna go the hero route?"
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"Wouldn't call it that." Why did people keep saying crud like that lately?? "Came here to get you to leave her alone to begin with, after all."
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He didn't get to finish his mocking sentence because a TV remote had sailed through the air and hit him square in the jaw. He dropped like a stone, too distracted to perform his magic and clapped a hand to his face. Blood streamed from his busted lip.
Maurice hung near the hallway entrance, his entire outline blazing. "Don't talk to him like that!"
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At the same moment he did, he also realized that the glass had stopped moving and the demon was out of his way - for the moment, anyway.
He went for the entrance as fast as he could move, scrambling over the sofa in the way and swearing under his breath as he stumbled. If he could just get to the door...
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Roman sat up, staring at Ginko's back in rage and alarm. How had--a picture frame clocked him on the shoulder and he threw his arms in the air to shield himself. "HEY!"
He was the only one allowed to do stuff like that!
Maurice was done being afraid. It was time to be mad. In the wreckage he snatched up all the small but sharp items he could and threw them at Roman, one after the other. The demon scurried to his hooves and lifted into the air again to avoid the debris. He raised his own round of ammo and threw it blindly. It was obvious now that something besides Ginko was in the house--HIS house!
The walls started to drip.
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He glanced over his shoulder at the altercation going on behind him, swallowing hard. At least Roman seemed to be pretty thoroughly distracted - and had basically no chance of actually hurting Maurice.
...Okay, that was worrying, though. Dripping walls were generally a bad sign in his experience.
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"What's going on in there!? Should I call the police?!"
It was kind of hard...not...to hear the sound of an entire sofa hitting the wall.
The ceiling started to drip curtains of ghostly blue ooze as Maurice shouted and swore and hurled things at Roman. This was absolutely exhilarating. Now he knew what the strange feeling was. Roman was a walking talking battery. Now that he was visible, it took no effort at all for Maurice to draw energy from him. "I used to eat nerds like you for breakfast!"
Roman dodged left and right, visibly working up a sweat and growing stupid in his panic. At one point, one of his own broken furniture projectiles doubled back and struck him in the side as he climbed atop the fridge in search of high ground.
Every light bulb in the place exploded.
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"Uh-- m-maybe, but I'm not sure if they can--"
He winced at the sudden sound of the lights exploding.
"--not sure they can... can do much, but just-- getting the door open would be good."
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Maurice's outline expanded slightly as it continued to ripple as though his shoulders and arms were on fire. He watched Roman scurry like a trapped squirrel and managed a laugh when a toaster flew right through his body and crashed into the television.
"Give it up! Consider your ass GHOSTBUSTED!"
He pelted Roman with a rain of colorful fridge magnets. Roman had no retort because he didn't hear Maurice's quip but he was distressed enough to throw everything he had at whatever was assaulting him. Dishes from the sink, the potted plant from the window, and of course, every object in the kitchen drawers. They sailed harmlessly through the ghost and clattered loudly against the wall. And perhaps the medium as well. Maurice was too caught up in the moment to pay attention to what was happening behind him. He drifted nearer and nearer, chilling the whole kitchen.
"Get away from me!" Roman's breath fogged in front of him. What the actual fuck was happening? "Get away GET AWAY!"
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He winced again at the barrage of sounds - and the potted plant that crashed into the wall right next to him. "Might have to break it down-- sorry, I know that's not ideal..."
He glanced over his shoulder again, brow furrowing. He really hoped Maurice had some sort of a plan here, because as much as he appreciated the effort this might--
That thought was cut off rather abruptly as a fork slammed into the wall next to him. He flinched and turned to face the demon and ghost - just in time for something that he didn't quite recognize at first beyond the fact that it was big and sharp to embed itself in his shoulder, much deeper than the glass shards had managed to go. He took a quick, sharp breath, going to grab hold of the knife's handle on pure reflex.
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And speaking of Roman, he finally couldn't handle the chill of the kitchen any longer. He turned tail, lowered his horns, and burst through the window. A scream came from outside and suddenly the entire house seemed to sag as the demon's grip on it was finally released.
The ghost gave a smart nod at the hole Roman had left in the window. Yeah, that's what he thought! He turned to proudly face his friend but then saw the sorry state he was in. The flames that licked up his arms went out like a birthday candle.
"Ginko!" He rushed to him, fretting and reaching out and withdrawing his hands over and over.
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As Maurice came rushing over, Ginko tightened his grip on the handle as well as he could and pulled the knife free with a grunt of pain... which may not have been the best idea, given the blood that had already started to flow freely before the knife even hit the ground. Oh well.
"I-I'm alright." He turned toward the door again, speaking up more loudly for the client to hear. "Hey, if you're still there-- definitely going to want to get someone to open this door. Problem's gone, but-- don't think I can do this myself unless you've got a... blowtorch or hammer or something."
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For a long moment no response came from the other side--not since the scream. Longer still the minutes oozed onward and Maurice started to panic. He leaned through the door to see if that thing had attacked the girl only to recoil at the last second as something heavy and huge slammed against the door.
The voice returned. "My neighbor is here!"
"They've got a sledge hammer," Maurice reported.
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He might be inclined to panic, too, if he weren't so tired. Instead, all he could really do was hope for the best - and try to staunch the bleeding from his shoulder as well as he could with his uninjured hand. Too bad he couldn't do a lot about the numerous smaller cuts all over him. He leaned back against the wall next to the door and slowly slid down into a sitting position, considering going for a cigarette.
Then he jolted, his eye wide as he turned toward the door. He gave a quiet breath of relief, scooting a ways away from the door and leaving a smear of blood on the wall.
"Thanks," he called out. "I'll just... be here."
ive been trying to write this tag for an hour but were watching that fucking raggedy ann movie again
Finally in a shower of wood splinters and screws, it burst open, allowing in afternoon sunlight into the ruined living room.
"What the hell happened in here?" The woman's neighbor stood on the threshold, slack-jawed. Then she noticed that the man in her neighbor's house was bleeding. "Do you need an ambulance?"
"YES! Yes he does!" Maurice cried as loudly as he could but neither woman could hear him.
Their client just stared wearily into the living room. She didn't look upset. Or even angry. Just tired. And a little relieved. She'd seen the thing jump out her window. It had stopped to hiss at her and no doubt her neighbor saw something running down the ditch as well. NO matter the property damage, she knew her mind was in one piece after all.
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He winced away from the door as it finally broke down, then let out a barely-perceptible sigh of relief. He was quick, however, to shake his head at the suggestion of an ambulance, despite Maurice's insistence and his already-aching head's immediate objection to the motion.. "--No, that... that won't be necessary. I'll just... uh..."
Okay, he couldn't think of an alternate solution. But ambulances were expensive, alright.
As an afterthought, and without even finishing his previous sentence, he glanced over at the client. At least she didn't look too upset. "...Sorry about the mess. Things got complicated."
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The two women exchanged glances, obviously worried but...Ginko's client couldn't bring herself to go against his wishes. "I understand. I...saw it."
"Saw what?" The second woman asked, though her tone sounded faker than she would have liked. "That animal?"
The client let out a thoughtful humming sound. "Yes. An...exotic pet. Someone never should have had." She tugged her purse off from around her shoulders and fished out her wallet. She didn't even look at the bills she selected as she handed them over to Ginko.
"Oh my god," Maurice dragged his hands down his face, warping his features once again.
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"--Dammit. Uh... come to think of it, I think I left my supplies in another room; give me a moment to go get those."
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"Something like that..." said the client. She stumbled forward through the wreckage. It wasn't hard to tell which room Ginko meant. It was the one standing open with burn marks on the door. She climbed over the sofa and ducked in to grab what she could only assume what was Ginko's bag.
"Why is the bed upside down...how is the--I don't care. I don't care I don't care I don't care." She soon returned holding the bag. It was trailing salt as she carried it and she made a face at the trial she'd left in the living room.
Maurice tugged against his tether as he tried to hurry to the car. The marble moved restlessly in Ginko's pocket.
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His mouth gave the slightest twitch at the discussion of the creature, but he didn't say anything. He did, however, wince at the woman's reaction to the state of her bed and the salt spilling from his bag.
"Sorry," he repeated. He glanced briefly down at his pocket as he set his bag's strap against his good shoulder. "I've, uh... got to go. Good luck with... everything, I guess."
And it was with that awkward farewell that he hurried as well as he could back to the car, all but collapsing in the driver's seat with his hands over his face.
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Maurice was waiting for him in the car. The interior had grown so cold that the windows fogged.
"What the hell do you MEAN no ambulance!? You could have tetanus or rabies or some other demon disease! Dude, forgive me if I'm steppin' outta line here, I'm just a mechanic. But this seemds like an emergency t'me!"
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