I Kill Monsters: The Revenants (Book 2) by Tony Monchinski Page A

well.”
    “Done right by me so far.”
    “It will get you killed.” The way the vampire
said it, with certainty.
    “Let me loose,” Boone said calmly. “I’ll show
you.”
    “I’m going to. In a moment.” Colson stood
there, talking to him, Halstead and Pomeroy with bamboo swords in
their hands, stretching. “First, a word about that collar on your
neck….” Boone could feel it. “You won’t be able to get it off, no
matter how hard you try.”
    “Let me guess. It’s electric.”
    “ Boogey - woogie - woogie - woogie ,” sang
Pomeroy, Halstead turning his helmeted head to look at the other
vampire.
    “I control it with this.” Colson gripped a
switchboard. “You feel that?” A low level electric current coursed
through Boone’s body and ceased.
    “Yeah.”
    “That’s as low as it goes, but nowhere near
as high as it can go. Pomeroy.”
    The vampire went behind him and Boone could
feel it back there, letting him loose. It felt good to stand again,
no restraints. He shrugged his shoulders, clenched and unclenched
his hands, rotated his neck. Colson hadn’t been kidding about his
recent injuries; if anything the vamp has left a couple out. Boone
couldn’t explain it, knew he should be dead, but here he was, about
to play swords with a trio of bloodsuckers. He reached up and felt
the collar around his neck and, yeah, it didn’t feel like the thing
was going anywhere.
    “You feel good?” Halstead saw Bone limbering
up.
    “Feel great.” Boone smiled at him, like fuck you . “Hey,” to Colson, “where’s my equipment?”
    Halstead and Pomeroy were standing there,
covered from head to toe. Hands and lower arms protected under
long, thickly padded gloves; breastplates over the chest; tare covering their groins and waists.
    “You don’t get any today.”
    “Okay then.” Boone cracked the knuckles of
one hand in his other. “Who’s first?”
    Pomeroy stepped forward, shinai raised, four bamboo slats.
    “Ringo then.” Boone took his eyes off the
vamp to address Halstead, “Was hoping it’d be you—“ feigning,
leaping forward and swinging on Pomeroy, the vampire that had
flinched when he’d said fag springing back, the shinai cutting down, rapping Boone across the back.
    “Skill and discipline will always win out.”
Colson stood off to the side, the switchboard in his hands.
    Boone waded in on Pomeroy, swinging both
fists, blocking the sword with his forearm, snapping out with a
leg, driving the vampire back. Pomeroy gave ground and parried,
batting Boone about the head and shoulders, the big, young man
never pausing, pushing Pomeroy to the edge of the mat and
delivering a right hand that knocked the helmeted vampire down.
    Boone hopped right on top of him, reigning
blows, looking for a weakness in the padding, ignoring Colson’s
commands until the current hit him and he stiffened, muscles
locking, his lips peeling back off his gums. He fell over and when
he could stand he found he had pissed himself. Pomeroy was already
on its feet, circling away from him.
    “…was that…” Boone growled at Colson “…what
was that about skill and discipline?”
    “Ah-hem.” Halstead was waiting for him across
the mat.
    “What will you do,” Colson spoke from the
side, “when you are confronted with multiple attackers?”
    “So what?” Boone snapped. Halstead in front
of him, Pomeroy behind. “Playing with sticks is supposed to teach
me how to better fuck up you bloodsuckers?”
    “No.” Colson told him. “One practices Kendo
to better perform Kendo. One practices Kendo to instill discipline.
Have you ever heard the concept and purpose of Kendo?”
    Pomeroy tried to take him from behind and
when Boone turned to face that threat Halstead moved in, his shinai cracking Boone in the thigh—“To mold the mind and
body”—Boone twisting and blocking the blow aimed at his head,
Pomeroy catching him in the back—“To cultivate a vigorous
spirit”—Colson standing there doing shit