We were almost on the frontiers of the city. My lover skittered inside the van, the claustrophobic vibes given by it intensifying due to her size. The fact we were carrying bodies through a check point did not help. Line of cars of not that long, but it still took about half an hour of wait. The great walls of the city, illuminated by the late afternoon sun, cast shadows hundreds of meters long.

The bodies, besides being covered in web, were injected with Helen’s venom, slowly causing them to decompose. Also, I covered them with a layer of material, like a coffin, and periodically compressed it, thanks to the liquefying of the corpses. This prevented the smell from carrying out and helped in hiding them.

“Next!” The guards signaled for our turn.

“Documents.” He asked in an apathetic voice.

“Reason for travel?” He said after receiving the papers.

“Business. We have a request for computer repairs on a farm some ten kilometers outside the city.” I answered. Another guard started to move around our car, inspecting it.

“Outside? Isn’t it a little too far for computer shop?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, we at the ‘spider’s nest’ pride ourselves for our excellent services!” I said, chuckling and taping the lateral of the van.

“Okay.” The man said, losing interest. “Anyone else in the vehicle?”

“Ah yes, my wife, in the back. She’s the repairman actually, I’m only the driver.” I answered with sincerity and little squeal echoed from the back. “She’s a little bit shy and we had a late night.” I laughed.

“Sir, we have to inspect everyone in the vehicle. Please ask her to come to the front. It’s only for a moment.”

Helen, listening from the back, showed her upper torso through the curtains that separated the vehicle.

“Hello, officer. Any problems?” She asked with a smile.

The look of disgust that flashed through his face at seeing part of her lower half peeking through made my blood boil.

“Ah, one of those huh.” I gripped my hands on the wheels, trying to hold my temper.

‘This motherfucker.’

“Nothing ma’am. Just following protocol.” He nodded in to the back of the van and gave back my documents. “You’re all okay. Please take note that the gates close at Eight o’clock. Have a nice day.” He said looking down to his clipboard.

After we had left the walls a good distance behind, we were greeted by a vast expanse of sand and dunes with a highway snaking through them.

Helen came to the front, part of her anyway, and gave me a hug.

“I don’t care about them darling. I’m already used to it.” She said, noticing that I still gripped the wheels.

“I know. But still, I don’t have to like it. There is no fucking reason for that.”

“I know, I know.” She says, rubbing my chest. “More importantly,” ‘Huh oh. I don’t like the sound of that.’ “Wife? Hmmm, was this a message? A hint? Am I supposed to expect a surprise soon?” Her mirth filled laugh illuminated the cabin. “You know, my clan, beyond the tradition of rings, traded tattoos too. You would look really good with one right here,” She rubbed my lower abdomen teasingly. No matter what she says, I didn’t blush at that, not after all the things we’ve done. “Or maybe here,” She rubbed my face this time. “Lay my mark on you, let any hussy know you are already owned.”

I rolled my eyes. This woman.

“And yours? Where will it be?” I asked trying to tease her back.

“It’ll mirror yours of course. Where would you like more hmm~?”

‘I really can’t win against her.’

We arrived at our destination. In front of us was the entrance to the ranch. Pasture could be seeing growing till the horizon.

“Look we’ve already arrived. We talk about it later. Let’s finish the job and dump them.”

“I’ll hold you to it~.”

She then got off the car but stopped when noticed that I didn’t.

“What’s the matter?” She asked. Then her eyes shined in recognition. “Fu fu fu~, what’s the problem, darling? Want a little help?” She tried and failed to hold her laughter. “Don’t worry, I’ll wait. We’ll take care of your problem when we get back home.”

‘This woman!’

We had to apologize and explain why we waited some ten minutes by our customer’s door.

==============================================================

The Fents were very nice people. Being a bovine centauroid community, they didn’t really care about Helen. It was a quick job, so we were out of there in no time. They even gave some gallons of their high quality milk. Not their milk though.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

‘It’s a shame they didn’t gave their specialty product, it was very tasty. Although I think Helen would strongly object to me drinking it again.’

I received a slap to the back of my head.

“Hey! I’m Driving!” I complain.

“Hmph, You were think of something rude.”

“Are you a telepath now?” I snark.

The stare she gave made me quickly shut up.

We drove until the sun fully set and then went off road through a small trail for about ten kilometers. By now, the corpses were compressed to a box shape of about fifty centimeters a side.

I got out of the van, went around to its back and opened the doors. Helen jumped outside and started stretching.

“Hurry up, Larry. Else it’ll be too late and we’ll have to sleep in the wilds. My back is already killing me.”

At that moment, a presence entered the edge of my sensory range, hiding behind a tall dune. I immediately moved the sand in the shape of a hand, grasping at the intruder, but they dodged it, moving faster than a normal person could.

‘Well, that’s a first.’

“We have company Helen, get back into the car.” She complied.

BAM.

A flash of light hit me in the solar plexus, taking the air out of my lugs, folding me in half and throwing me to the side of the van, almost toppling it. I circled my arms to catch it but it streaked out of my reach.

“Trying to bury something Huh? I don’t know what you did to them, but you can’t hide from my nose.” Said the stranger, tapping at their muzzle.

The man had wolfish features, with some brown fur partially covering his body. He wore a domino mask, black cargo pants and a tactical vest full of knives.

‘A fucking beastman? Goddammit. And it just had to be a speedster.’

I moved forward and took a fighting stance, raising my fists to my face and putting my left leg behind me at an obtuse angle. No use in talking to him.

‘The hero school would have its use after all.’

“No answer? What a shame! Be happy that you’ll be caught by the Coyote!”

‘Heeeh, what shitty name.’

The man’s face took a dark expression.

“You’re mocking me aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for an answer this time and flashed again.

This time I was ready and prepared to counter attack. He flickered up to me and gave me what felt like a thousand punches in the space of a few seconds. I feinted a right hook, and when he tried to dodge back I moved the sand behind him, forming a small blockade. When he tripped on it I hit him with a straight to the face with all my strength.

SNAP.

Something broke on his face, stunning him and giving me time to trap in his arms and leg to the ground with sand tentacles. He got back his back bearings in an instant and flashed white again. This time though, there was no movement. He simply was not there anymore, appearing a few meters away, sand still attached to his limbs.

‘This fucker can teleport too!?’

“You piece of shit, you broke my-” I used the opportunity to move the sand from his limbs to his face, trying to suffocate him. He started vibrating and removed the sand from his face.

“Enough!”

He flashed again and again, sometimes teleporting, other times speeding, hitting me in the back, on the face and on the stomach, while I tried in vain to catch or hit him with the sand or my arms. If it wasn’t for Immensity, I would already be out.

Tired of this little game, I stomped the ground, exerting my powers, raising a small sandstorm. I took the moment of rest to clean the blood dripping from my nose while a headache hit me strongly.

“I told you can’t escape from my nose!” The fucker ignored the lack of visibility and went back at it again.

“Fuck this.”

I stomped again and this time, the ground inside my fifty meters range, excluding the van, became waist high spikes, leaving me dizzy. The beastman had a leg pierced, but had enough reflexes to teleport to the top of the vehicle.

We were both a little out of breath, panting and watching for each other’s movements. At this moment a laser beam, likely from trapper, shot through the roof to the van, narrowly missing the assailant. I took the chance caused by his surprise and melded the metal of the roof to him, leaving only his head out and enough space for breathing, finally trapping him.

“Stop, Stop!” Said Coyote in desperation. “You can’t kill me! Even if I’m a D-rank hero, the union will still fall on your heads! Let’s negotiate!” He pleaded as he struggled and vibrated against his bondage.

After I restored the battlefield, Helen, who was banging on the door, got out of the van and moved to my side.

“Please man, This is my first patrol, don’t kill me please…” He continued to beg.

“How did you even found what we were doing?” I asked with curiosity.

“I smelled blood coming from your house and watched your fight. I just followed you then.” Well, that explains it. My good luck attacks again.

“What do we do now?” I asked my girlfriend, a little lost.

“We can’t kill him. If we do, we’ll be pursued no matter where we go on the continent.” She answered, her face contrite.

“If we free him we’ll be hunted anyway.”

“But then we’ll be just another criminal and not their first priority.”

Noticing our indecision, the man spoke up.

“I’m interning for Lightbringer. My mom is her friend! If I don’t report by tomorrow, she’ll come searching. You won’t escape from her!”

‘Fuck. This bitch really haunts me doesn’t she? And he’s still a kid isn’t he? Goddammit.’

“We need to buy time to build ourselves up.” Helen’s said suddenly with a nod, determination oozing from her voice.

“For what? We’ll be turning to villainy? What about our little peace?” I asked, saddened.

Helen put her arm around me and pulled me close.

“We’ve tried love. We really did. It’s either this, living on the run, or worse, pleading to your parents. Only in the former we’ll keep our independence, instead of living in a prison of a life.”

I put my hands on my face and sighed.

“We can do it.” She said nudging me encouragingly. “Together we can do anything!”

“You really should stop watching those Plesoth cartoons, love. The power of friendship doesn’t work in real life.” I sigh.

“But this is not the power of friendship! It’s of Love!” I sighed for the third time at this losing battle.

“And the kid?”

“I’m not a kid!” Said the kid.

“I know what to do.” She answered with a smile. A really scary one.

‘Good luck, kid.’

She skittered to the van, went inside and after few minute, got out with a small nail sized piece of metal. She then jumped to the top of the van, grabbed the head of the kid and pushed the metal inside his ear.

‘HOLY SHIT!’

“NO, NO, NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!” The teen struggled violently. Helen then turned his face to her and looked deep into his eye.

“I put a bomb in your head. It’s bugged so if I hear you talk about anything we did today… ” She ended there.

Helen jumped back to my side and waved to the van.

“Release him.” Which I did, taking the moment to fix the roof too. It got a little thinner, but it could only be seen from the inside.

The kid was gone in an instant, probably with a few new traumas.

“It’s a bluff, right?”

“Of course! Why would I have that?” She responded.

We stood for a few moments in silence.

“What’s that really necessary?”

“They’ll probably discover it in a few days due to his behavior. It should give us enough time to hide.”

“Still.”

“Oh, darling, you still have much to learn.” She said in a little patronizing way. “Let’s go, I have a call to make.” From the look in her eyes, it’s probably to a family member.

I held her hand in mine.

“You’re not alone this time.”

“I know, darling.” She hugged me. “Never again.”

We enjoyed the night skies for a little bit, leaving before the nocturnal monsters came out to hunt.