The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 32: Suspect number 1
DETAILS: Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #32 Format: Kindle Vella Story Read Date: August 10, 2023
A surge of power that soudned like an old tube TV started up emanated from Zero as she laughed.
Everything changed.
The Story So Far…
A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.
He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.
Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down.
What’s Suspect number 1 About?
We get to see a little more of what Zero can do—and Eric (the clerk’s) car starts upgrading as they go along. But Bonaduke has run out of juice and can’t keep things going as much as they need him to.
So then, gripped by the spirit of Baldrick he comes up with a cunning plan. But like most of Baldrick’s plans, it doesn’t go so well.
So, what did I think about Suspect number 1?
First—Zero’s powers are as cool as I expected. But I need to know more.
Second—I don’t get what Bonaduke was trying to do, but I’m looking forward to figuring it out.
Third—this was another winner. Slaywood’s on a roll.
