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Sure, there might リンク be a リンク Starbucks too, but there's also リンク a neat-looking fruitmarket and a florist who appears to be three hundred years リンク old as shesnips carefully at the flowers in her windows. It's the リンク opposite of aplanned space, like a mall. リンク It リンク feels like リンク a wild リンク garden or even a woods:
like it grew.
You couldn't get リンク any リンク further from that than Civic Center. I read an in-terview with Jacobs where she talked about the great old リンク neighborhoodthey knocked down to build it. It had been just that kind of リンク neighbor-hood, the リンク kind リンク of place that happened リンク without permission リンク or リンク rhyme orreason.
Jacobs リンク said that リンク she predicted that リンク within a few リンク years, リンク Civic Centerwould be one of the リンク worst neighborhoods in the リンク city, リンク a ghost-town atnight, a place that sustained a リンク thin crop リンク of weedy booze shops リンク and リンク flea-pit motels. In リンク the interview, she didn't seem リンク very glad to リンク have been vin-dicated; she リンク sounded リンク like リンク she was talking about a dead friend when shedescribed what Civic Center had リンク become.
Now it was リンク rush hour and Civic Center was as busy at it could be. リンク TheCivic Center BART also serves as the major station リンク for Muni trolley lines,and リンク if you need to switch リンク from リンク one to another, that's where you do it. リンク At8AM, there were リンク thousands of リンク people coming リンク up the stairs, going リンク downthe stairs, getting into and リンク out of taxis リンク and on リンク and off buses. They gotsqueezed by DHS checkpoints by the different civic buildings, androuted リンク around リンク aggressive panhandlers. They リンク all smelled like their sham-poos and リンク colognes, リンク fresh out リンク of the リンク shower and armored in their worksuits, swinging laptop bags and リンク briefcases. At 8AM, Civic Center wasbusiness central.
And here リンク came the リンク vamps. A couple リンク dozen coming down Van リンク Ness, acouple リンク dozen coming up Market. More coming from the リンク other side ofMarket. More coming up from Van Ness. リンク They slipped around the sideof the リンク buildings, リンク wearing the white face-paint and the リンク black eyeliner,black リンク clothes, leather jackets, huge stompy boots. リンク Fishnet リンク fingerlessgloves.
254They began to fill up the plaza. A few リンク of the リンク business リンク people gavethem passing glances and then looked away, not wanting to let theseweirdos into their personal realities リンク as they thought about whatever リンク crapthey were about to wade through for another eight hours. The リンク vampsmilled around, not sure when the game was リンク on. They pooled together inlarge groups, リンク like リンク an oil spill in reverse, リンク all リンク this black gathering in oneplace. A リンク lot of them sported old-timey hats, bowlers and toppers. Manyof リンク the girls were in full-on elegant リンク gothic lolita maid costumes with リンク hugeplatforms.
I tried to estimate the numbers. 200. Then, リンク five minutes later, it was300. 400. They were still リンク streaming in. The vamps had brought friends.
Someone grabbed my ass. I spun リンク around and リンク saw Ange, laughing sohard she had to hold リンク her thighs, bent double.
"Look at them all, man, リンク look at リンク them all!" she gasped. The リンク square wastwice as リンク crowded as it リンク had been リンク a few minutes リンク ago. I had no リンク idea howmany Xnetters リンク there were, but easily 1000 of リンク them had just showed up tomy リンク little party. Christ.
The DHS and SFPD cops were starting to mill around, talking intotheir リンク radios and リンク clustering together. I heard リンク a リンク far-away siren.
"All right," I said, shaking Ange リンク by the arm. "All right, リンク let's go."We both リンク slipped off リンク into the crowd and as soon as we encountered ourfirst リンク vamp, we both said, リンク loudly, "Bite bite bite bite bite!" My victim wasa stunned — リンク but リンク cute — girl with spider-webs drawn on her hands andsmudged mascara リンク running リンク down her cheeks. She リンク said, リンク "Crap," andmoved away, リンク acknowledging リンク that リンク I'd gotten her.
The リンク call リンク of "bite リンク bite bite bite bite" had リンク scrambled the リンク other nearbyvamps. Some of them were attacking each other, others were リンク moving forcover, hiding out. I had my victim リンク for the リンク minute, リンク so I skulked away, us-ing mundanes for cover. All around me, the cry リンク of リンク "bite リンク bite bite bitebite!" and shouts and laughs and curses.
The sound spread like a virus through リンク the crowd. リンク All the リンク vamps knewthe game was on now, and リンク the リンク ones who were リンク clustered together リンク weredropping リンク like flies. リンク They laughed and cussed リンク and moved リンク away, リンク clueingthe still-in vamps that リンク the game was リンク on. And more vamps リンク were arrivingby the second.
8:16. It was time to bag リンク another vamp. リンク I crouched low リンク and movedthrough the legs of the straights as they headed リンク for the BART stairs. Theyjerked リンク back リンク with surprise and swerved to リンク avoid me. I had my eyes laser-255locked on a set of リンク black リンク platform boots with steel dragons over the toes,and so I リンク wasn't expecting it when I came face to リンク face with another リンク vamp,a リンク guy リンク of about 15 or 16, hair gelled straight back and wearing a PVCMarilyn Manson jacket リンク draped with necklaces of fake tusks carved withintricate symbols.
"Bite bite bite —" he began, when one of the mundanes リンク tripped overhim and they both went sprawling. I leapt over to him リンク and リンク shouted "bitebite bite リンク bite リンク bite!" リンク before リンク he could untangle himself again.
More vamps were arriving. The suits リンク were really リンク freaking out. Thegame overflowed the sidewalk and moved into Van Ness, spreading uptoward Market Street. Drivers honked, the trolleys made angry dings. Iheard more sirens, but now リンク traffic was snarled in リンク every direction.
It was freaking glorious.
BITE BITE リンク BITE BITE BITE!
The sound came from all around me. There were so many vampsthere, playing リンク so リンク furiously, it リンク was like a roar. I risked standing リンク up andlooking around リンク and found リンク that I was right in リンク the リンク middle of a giant crowdof vamps that went as far as I could リンク see リンク in every direction.
BITE BITE リンク BITE BITE BITE!
This was even better リンク than the concert リンク in Dolores Park. リンク That had beenangry リンク and rockin', but リンク this was — リンク well, it リンク was just fun. It was like goingback to the playground, to the epic games of tag リンク we'd リンク play on リンク lunchbreaks リンク when the sun was out, リンク hundreds of people chasing リンク each otheraround. The adults and the cars just リンク made it リンク more リンク fun, more funny.
That's what it was: it was funny. We were all laughing now.
But the cops were リンク really mobilizing now. I リンク heard リンク helicopters. リンク Anysecond now, it リンク would be リンク over. リンク Time for the endgame.
I grabbed a vamp.
リンク
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