Living Dead in Dallas

Hugo and had the stun gun held at the ready a few inches from me. “Now, Lawyer, you get out here in the hall. Keep away from me, you hear?”
    Hugo, sweat pouring down his face, edged past Gabe and into the hall. I was having a hard time tracking what was happening, but I noticed that in the narrow width Gabe had to maneuver, he came very close to Hugo on his way to open Farrell’s cell. Just when I thought he was far enough down the hall for me to make it, he toldHugo to close my cell door, and though I frantically shook my head at Hugo, he did so.
    I don’t think Hugo even saw me. He was turned completely inward. Everything inside him was collapsing, his thoughts were in chaos. I’d done my best for him by telling Farrell we were from Stan, which in Hugo’s case was stretching it considerably, but Hugo was too frightened or disillusioned or ashamed to show any backbone. Considering his deep betrayal, I was very surprised I’d bothered. If I hadn’t held his hand and seen the images of his children, I wouldn’t have.
    “There’s nothing to you, Hugo,” I said. His face reappeared at the still-open window momentarily, his face white with distress of all kinds, but then he vanished. I heard a door open, I heard the clink of chains, and I heard a door close.
    Gabe had forced Hugo into Farrell’s cell. I took deep breaths, one right after another, until I felt I might hyperventilate. I picked up one of the chairs, a plastic one with four metal legs, the kind you’ve sat on a million times in churches and meetings and classrooms. I held it lion-tamer style, with the legs facing outward. It was all I could think of to do. I thought of Bill, but that was too painful. I thought of my brother, Jason, and I wished he were there with me. It had been a long time since I’d wished that about Jason.
    The door opened. Gabe was already smiling as he came in. It was a nasty smile, letting all the ugliness leak out of his soul through his mouth and eyes. This really was his idea of a good time.
    “You think that little chair is going to keep you safe?” he asked.
    I wasn’t in the mood for talking, and I didn’t want to listen to the snakes in his mind. I closed myself off, contained myself tightly, bracing myself.
    He’d holstered the gun, but kept the stun gun in hishand. Now, such was his confidence, he put it in a little leather pouch on his belt, on the left side. He seized the legs of the chair and began to yank the chair from side to side.
    I charged.
    I almost had him out the door, so unexpected was my strong counterattack, but at the last minute he managed to twist the legs sideways, so that they couldn’t pass through the narrow doorway. He stood against the wall on the other side of the hall, panting, his face red.
    “Bitch,” he hissed, and came at me again, and this time he tried to pull the chair out of my hands altogether. But as I’ve said before, I’ve had vampire blood, and I didn’t let him have it. And I didn’t let him have me.
    Without my seeing it, he’d drawn the stun gun and, quick as a snake, he reached over the chair and touched it to my shoulder.
    I didn’t collapse, which he expected, but I went down on my knees, still holding the chair. While I was still trying to figure out what had happened to me, he yanked the chair from my hands, and knocked me backwards.
    I could hardly move, but I could scream and lock my legs together, and I did.
    “Shut up!” he yelled, and since he was touching me, I could tell that he really wanted me unconscious, he would enjoy raping me while I was unconscious; in fact, that was his ideal.
    “Don’t like your women awake,” I panted, “do you?” He stuck a hand between us and yanked open my blouse.
    I heard Hugo’s voice, yelling, as if that would do any good. I bit at Gabe’s shoulder.
    He called me a bitch again, which was getting old. He’d opened his own pants, now he was trying to pull up my skirt. I was fleetingly glad I’d bought a long one.
    “You afraid they’ll complain, if they’re awake?” I yelled. “Let me go, get off me! Get off, get off, get off! ”Finally, I’d unpinned my arms. In a moment, they’d recovered enough from the electric jolt to function. I formed two cups with my hands. As I screamed at him, I clapped my hands over his ears.
    He roared, and reared back, his own hands going to his head. He was so full of rage it escaped him and washed over me; it felt like bathing in fury. I knew then that he would