Bonedust

thankful. He said nothing—no wry quip, nothing.
    “Will you teach me how to shoot?” Gabriel’s voice was barely a whisper.
    “Of course, but you need to eat something first. How ‘bout we swing by for breakfast—or rather, lunch now—and then I’ll take you to target practice?” Urban offered a warm smile, his hand somehow on Gabriel’s knee, squeezing it gently. Gabe wanted to pull away, but he just stared at Urban’s long fingers and nodded.
    Urban hopped up, dragging Gabriel with him. When Gabriel found his feet, he was nudged towards the bathroom. “Shower. I’ll take Pandora out to take a leak and then we can head out.” A pause. “Gabe. Whatever it was, it’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    A lump lodged in Gabriel’s throat. “Thanks,” he managed, grabbing his change of clothes and shutting himself in the bathroom. He let the water steam up the room before stepping into the stall, relaxing against the hot spray. It ran over his skin like fingers and trailed slick patterns down his chest. He took a deep breath in, then let it out.
    It was only a nightmare. He was safe. But Goddess, he couldn’t wait until Jeremie was dead. No more jumping at every little sound, no more fear that if he turned the corner, the vampire would be laying in wait. He would be free…
    He found Urban sprawled on the bed, hands linked behind his head. The man glanced his way and Gabriel felt a flutter in his stomach as the snake looked him up, down, and grinned, like he liked what he saw. “Ready?” He was up off the bed in one graceful bounce. His gun swung at his belt and Gabriel reached down to touch his own. He nodded.
    Breakfast of champions was a couple of grease bomb burgers from a place called The Shack. They split a side of twisty fries, saltier than brine. Urban pulled off the top from one of his burgers and layered fries atop the meat, flooded it with ketchup, then replaced the bun and took a bite. Gabriel grinned despite himself, but the food settled like a rock in his stomach. He pushed his tray away.
    “Done?” Urban asked. He nodded and the man snatched the half-eaten burger off his tray and scarfed it. “Yum. Let’s go, baby. Ready to rock and roll!”
    They hailed a bus and rode the twelve blocks, across the railway tracks and into the grungier part of town. Graffiti was splashed across brick walls in bright, gaudy colors. Storefront windows were busted, bullet holes taped over. Many of the buildings had gone under, their glass plates painted black, their doors boarded shut. The shiver of cold tickled the back of Gabriel’s neck and he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets as he walked.
    “Not much to look at,” Urban commented as they came upon a massive outbuilding, the only place on the street that looked a little less than metropolitan. It looked more like a barn, with rusty red siding and white pillars out front. It was also the only place on the street untouched by tags. Urban waved Gabriel forwards and together they walked through the large double doors.
    Sitting behind the counter was the scariest man Gabriel had ever seen. He was at least eight feet tall and built like a truck, with bulging arm muscles. His neck was like a tree trunk and his eyebrows were bushy, lined with a row of silver studs that gleamed under the lighting. His hair was pale blue and done in cornrows with a braid down the back. Empty black eyes glanced up and caught him in their sights and Gabriel jerked to a stop. He couldn’t help it. He stared.
    “Come on,” Urban sing-songed, dragging Gabe the rest of the way to the counter. Then he smiled pleasantly at the…whatever-it-was. “I’m here for the shooting range. Last name of Winters. I’m with the Epine Guild.”
    The monster stared back at Gabriel without saying a word. “Rather rude,” he said, and his voice held an accent of a sort that Gabriel couldn’t place. “I’m not staring at your skinny white ass.” Gabriel dropped his gaze with a mumbled ‘Sorry’ and stuffed his hands deep in his pockets. The monster had Urban sign a couple of papers and then sent them ahead. “If you’re from the guild, you’ll know where to go. Marissa will get your equipment.” He made a shooing motion, buzzed someone on the intercom, and returned to his paperwork.
    Urban looped an arm through Gabriel’s, pulling him down the hall. “Goddess, you act like you’ve never seen an Iriami before,” he said once they were out of