Blood From a Stone (21 page)

T
he
g
uy
sh
r
u
gg
ed
and
sa
i
d,
“We
’r
e
headed
up
t
o
V
e
l
v
e
t
.
V
ende
tt
a
’
s
p
l
a
y
i
ng
t
on
i
g
h
t
.”

“Who
’
s
V
ende
tt
a?”
S
a
m
son as
k
ed.

T
he
g
uy
l
oo
k
ed at
h
i
m
li
k
e he
w
as
i
nsane.
“W
ha
t
?
A
r
e y
ou
fr
om
ano
t
her
p
l
ane
t
, d
u
de?”

“
N
ah….
I
’
m
j
ust
fr
om
out
of
t
o
w
n.”
S
a
m
s
on
r
ep
li
ed. “
O
h.
We
ll
,
V
ende
tt
a
’
s
r
e
g
i
ona
l
.
A
n
y
w
a
y
,
t
hey
kill it
,

m
an.
C
o
m
e
do
w
n
t
he
r
e
and
check
i
t
ou
t
.”
t
he
y
oung
a
l
i
en-
l
oo
k
i
ng
c
r
ea
t
u
r
e
r
ep
li
ed.

“
Y
eah,
d
ude.
I
w
ill
,”
he
sa
i
d.
I
t
m
ust
be
t
he
cu
rr
ent s
l
an
g
.
I
t
a
l
w
a
y
s
p
r
o
v
ed
qu
it
e
t
he
ad
v
en
t
u
r
e
k
eep
i
ng
up
w
it
h
t
he
l
an
g
ua
g
e
chan
g
es,
espec
i
a
ll
y
he
r
e
i
n
A
m
e
ri
ca.
H
e
’
d
l
ost h
i
s
hea
v
y
We
l
sh
accent
a
f
ew
Aw
a
k
en
i
n
g
s
bac
k
,
s
i
m
p
l
y by cop
y
i
ng
w
hat
he
hea
r
d.
I
t
hadn
’
t
been
easy and
so
m
e
ti
m
es
he s
til
l
s
tr
u
gg
l
ed
w
it
h
it
, but
so
m
ehow
he
m
a
n
a
g
ed
t
o
g
et
b
y
.

B
e
f
o
r
e
he
d
i
d
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se,
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
m
a
k
e
a qu
i
ck
s
t
op
so
m
e
w
he
r
e
t
o
see
i
f
he
cou
l
d
g
et
m
o
r
e
up
t
o
da
t
e on
t
he
cu
lt
u
r
e
of
t
h
i
s
decade.
T
hat
i
n
and
of
it
se
l
f
w
as a
l
w
a
y
s h
i
s
g
r
ea
t
est
s
tr
u
gg
l
e.
T
he
fir
st
coup
l
e
of
ti
m
es
h
a
d not
been so ha
r
d,
s
i
nce
t
he
r
e
w
as
no
such
t
h
i
ng as
t
echno
l
o
gy
.
C
han
g
es
i
n c
l
o
t
h
i
n
g
….
t
he
w
ay
ca
rri
a
g
es
w
e
r
e  bu
ilt
,  and  o
t
her
s
uch
t
h
i
n
g
s.
B
ut
i
n
t
he
past
coup
l
e hund
r
ed
y
ea
r
s
i
s
w
h
e
n an appa
r
ent
so
r
ce
r
y had occu
rr
ed and
i
t
had been do
w
n
ri
g
ht unse
ttli
ng
w
hen
he
’d first
f
ound
h
i
m
se
l
f
i
n
a
w
o
rl
d of
t
echno
l
o
g
ical advances
that
none
cou
l
d
ha
v
e
d
r
ea
m
ed
of
i
n
h
i
s
o
w
n
ti
m
e.
B
ut
t
hen….h
i
s
o
w
n
ti
m
e
w
as
l
ong
i
n
t
he
past
and
no
t
h
i
ng
m
o
r
e
t
han a
d
i
s
t
ant
m
e
m
o
r
y
.
T
h
i
s
w
as
t
he
p
r
esent
a
n
d he
i
n
t
ended
t
o
m
a
k
e
t
he
m
ost
of
it
.
H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
back
do
w
n
t
he
busy
s
tr
eet
and
s
t
ood
i
n
fr
ont
of
t
he
w
i
ndow of
t
he
e
l
ec
tr
on
i
cs
s
t
o
r
e
w
a
t
ch
i
ng co
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l
s
and
o
t
her
sho
w
s
t
hat
w
e
r
e
r
unn
i
ng un
ti
l
t
hey c
l
osed up.