Antone's Place a serial by Martin Slusser

Janissary Project: Book X. In this latest segment of the misadventures of Benny Grey, Benny flits in and out of Antone's Place, while we meet a corrupt judge who plays a major role in Benny's life.

Antone’s Place, Part 1 - Jahn Bellevue slid deeper into the soft comfort of his chair. It whispered soothing tones and the thin sounds of sea gulls. Despite the heater blasting through the room and the sun beating down on the solar panels, he was chilled to the bone by the cold eyes of Tommy Drobnicki.

Please remove yourself  - From Jahn’s, Tommy made a short trip to a more powerful member of the coven. The driver of the taxi pressed his hands together, and Tommy gave a blessing instead of a tip. The man bowed. Before the taxi was gone, Tommy was standing before a set of imposing doors. They opened on well-oiled hinges, and a tall, thin man wearing a collar like the one Benny used to wear stood there.

angry frustration - Jahn sighed, smiling at the ceiling. The warning light came on, the computer whispering to him.

Close to weeping - Jahn thrashed in the safety netting. Still in his lap, the woman was strangling and gnawing with razor teeth. She bit hard. He screamed a shrill cry and tore free of the nets and her, both hands clutching at his bleeding member.

Why all men are dopes - Sue sprinted for the fence, vaulting the rough stack of broken bricks and planks.

Looordy - Gun in hand, the man crawled to the stoop and then in. Smiling at Sue, Benny kicked the door shut a little hard. The bottom panel cracked on the man’s head, and he screamed as Benny’s heels bruised the hand he leaned on.

You deaf or something? - Creel was eating something greasy and half dough. The Guinness in Mike’s stomach soured. He took a few deep breaths and moved upwind. Last night the beef-and-cheese sandwich would have tempted him, but now, after hours of watching Creel pack his guts and listening to the man complain, Mike only wanted to walk away. He pulled his zipper to drain his bladder in the gutter.

Lord, help us, no. - Benny arose slowly, stiff from the hospital, then the race through the raiders’ turf. He reached out, and a liquid-warm hand took his, and he stumbled after Sue, dazed and blinking as the hallway enclosed them in pitch dark.

De-dan-wi-da-ki - The door opened a few inches. Dressed in pajama bottoms and carrying a sawed-off shotgun, a man peered out. Seeing only Benny, he gave a low grunt, then opened the door.

Shambala - Hell - The sun, weak and watery from the cloud cover, burned into Carl, and he whimpered. He found shelter in a crack in the rock, and the corpse slumped through much of the day. Eager to drag him back to Hell, tormenters snaked from the earth seeking him. An owl cast a baleful look at them.

Three Relationships - Coming out with a heavy towel wrapped around his waist, he heard a light peck on the door. The screen came on, and he saw Creel shuddering in those thin pajamas, his hair already plastered to his head with a thickening coating of snow. For a moment, Mike was tempted to leave him there.

Carl-shon-gili - Coming out with a heavy towel wrapped around his waist, he heard a light peck on the door. The screen came on, and he saw Creel shuddering in those thin pajamas, his hair already plastered to his head with a thickening coating of snow. For a moment, Mike was tempted to leave him there.

A Lawyer In The Family - By dawn, Carl came to a farmhouse. The barns were empty, the house dark and only a memory of long-gone smoke came from the chimney. The walls were thick stone and the shutters steel made to look like natural wood. From here, the house appeared to be impregnable.

ESP, riiiight. - Following the ghosts of past meals, the Carl-shon:gili wobbled into the a narrow room that held a stove and a freezer. He pawed at the door of the oven till the asgina:gili forced him away to the freezer. Carl showed it how to open the door.

Two Swords and ‘Heart  - Benny scrubbed the kitchen floor, moving slowly on his knees. It would take a couple of passes, but where it wasn’t worn away, the pattern of the linoleum showed through. Still it was getting there, and that added something to its less than beautiful colors.

Almost in wonder he touched her face - Benny lit a fire in the stove, grimacing at having to use rotting wood and dried manure, but the manure burned with a fierce, white heat, even if it did smell a little bitter. He filled a teakettle from the tap. A rusty trickle of water came from it, and he grimaced at the smell. Eh, at her age, old Maggie had better get used to a little brimstone.

I do not take charity - When it was time for the next cup for Sue, Benny went to the kitchen. Ama was frying bacon. Real bacon. Not soy, not turkey, but cured and smoked rib meat from a hog. Benny drooled and got a smack with the wooden spatula for it.

Only if you kiss him - A holograph of the President was pasted to the wall. Mike moved to the right, and the eyes seemed to follow. A set of black horns came up from the wide, bare forehead to give the man a leering appearance. Mike shrugged and did not smile. The real thing was a lot scarier.

No, don’ shoot him - Benny was scrubbing dishes when he heard a soft, Southern drawl. The scars from the microchip implant began to itch. Inserted in his spine, the chip gave Cindy all the control she needed when he was within a few yards. When he wore the collar, she could kill him anywhere in the world, and a few times nearly did.

Iee lye coo - Mike backed away from the bar. He whistled at Mitch and held up two fingers. Busy filling a bouquet of beer pitchers, Mitch nodded.

South lay Philadelphia - Carl shrank away into the shon:gili’s mind and the animal stood on hind legs to smell the air. It was warmer here, wetter than the Pocono highlands. In the Poconos there was the smell of ice and snow and wood smoke. Here, anything that burned was used as fuel, even bones. But here was prey, as well.

Gimme change. You overpaid. - Creel slid forward. His forehead hit the table with a sharp thud, and he snored on. Mike tipped him back. He looked OK, so Mike let him drop again and slid back in the seat, his head tipping to one side, his mouth opened in a light snore.

The driver laughed. - He snapped his fingers in Mike’s face. Mike slapped at the hand, but Benny was gone, then his legs were swept out from under him. He crashed to the bricks, and Benny was on top, flipping him over and pressing lightly around spine until Mike was choking on the need to scream but was in too much pain to breathe.

Grumpy - He struck a light on the wick of a tallow candle. A small pot was on the stove. He lifted the lid. Chicory coffee. A cup sat upside down on the lid. He poured with care. A few grounds found their way in, but that was not a problem.

Prosecutor Guillame - She giggled. The girl already looked healthier. She was a redskin, and redskins tend to stay healthy or die young. Benny sauntered out the door.

Recess, one hour for lunch. - He stepped down, turning so the rest couldn’t see the erection under the robe, and hurried to the elevator in his office. In the basement clinic, the doctor would be lobotomizing the boy soon. Then the girl would be stripped and the lash laid across the delicate skin of her back.