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One could recede another philosophical step and ask whether or not I had invited that particular being in the first place... but how could I have known?
I left Chamomile's blistered remains there, planning to give her a proper burial later, along with Laurel... and Columbine... and Skullscap...
What's done is done, as my mother always said. However the death of my comrades had come about, it had already happened. The only thing to be done at that point was pick up the debacle's debris downstairs... and subdue the man before moonrise.

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Chapter 6

Crisp, cold water stung my parched throat, but I gulped down the glass with haste. I filled the glass again from the dispenser in the silver fridge door, downed the glass again.
My head felt finally clear again. Mind, I was quite groggy from staying up that late in the day, but I was not tired. I could ill afford to be sluggish then.
There were still a few hours of daylight left.  For once, this was to my advantage.

I had retrieved my handgun from its hidden containment. I had never used it before, and had purchased it several decades ago to quell my then-mate’s nervous preoccupation with human conspiracy. He had moved on (no doubt, to live out the rest of his many days in a bomb shelter), but the gun I had kept. I had no idea it would actually come to use in self-defense.

There were far too many bodies to transport en mass by my strength alone, and they had started to spoil.  The ballroom was rank with them. The majority of the banquet arrayed on the dining room table, however, was salvageable. I did not yet go about putting these items in their places, though. The man was awake.

The sight of him brought on a strange mixture of emotions… outrage, angst, fright… And still that animal attraction which defied logic. I dampened the distraction of my psyche, focused instead upon my next actions.

He stood with his bare back to me, naked as from the womb. He was looking around himself, hands to his head and fingers clenching disheveled clumps of orange.  He staggered forward a step, hands dropping. He looked down to see the ghastly mess that once was Laurel, and promptly wretched.

I moved in complete stealth, without a sound. He didn’t hear me sidle up behind him. I doubt he even felt the butt of my gun strike the back of his head.