The Killing Floor Blues Quotes

“I’m looking for a damsel in distress,” she said. “Seen any around?”

I wriggled my fingers. “Right here.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Have you ever considered, for even a moment, the list of things I’m not allowed to do because some bitter old men say so? I can’t lead a mass, can’t earn the greens of a priest, let alone claim my birthright. My entire life, from the cradle to the grave, is dictated by ‘traditions’ and rules that you aren’t subject to. My power was taken away from me the moment I was born a woman. So no, you do not get to give me permission to cry!” “I’m”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“Honor," she said, "is the coin that stays in your pocket when all your silver has been spent.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“And, uh, could I borrow somebody’s car? Mine’s impounded and I can’t reclaim it because I’m kinda legally dead right now.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Nobody answered. I put my thumb on the hammer of my gun and cocked it back. A meaningless gesture on most modern pistols, but thanks to Hollywood it got the point across. “I’ve got four hostages here, and I only need one. If I don’t have an answer in five seconds, we start making staff cuts.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Alchemist’s…clay? What is that?” “It’s a special kind of clay,” I said. “And it won’t set off the metal detectors?” I stared at him through the slot. “No,” I said. “Because it’s clay.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“magic was the cheat codes for the universe.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“I could imagine I was on a college campus, if it weren’t for the fences, the gun towers, and the razor wire.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“A cage with golden bars is still a cage.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“Survive now, talk later,” she hissed.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“There is no virtue in denying oneself pleasure. Asceticism is a cheap substitute for character.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“That’s silly. I’m not angry at you. I hate you. That’s not the same thing at all.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“Uncomfortable,” he said to the empty room as he pulled his chair back to the card table, “but I’d rather be uncomfortable than ignorant any day.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“And that is the difference between a church and a god. How could I be angry at a god for something a church did?”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“I’m not good at talking. So I don’t do it much.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“We are very small,” Mari said, “and the divine is very big. Different names, different faces…they help us to understand.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“People build assumptions about the world around them in countless ways, every single day. It’s a form of mental shorthand, and most of the time, it’s a useful survival mechanism. There’s nothing wrong with assuming, say, that gravity will tether you safely to the Earth, or that fire will burn so you shouldn’t touch it. If you stopped to question everything around you, at every moment, you’d be paralyzed.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“If this is a trick,” I told him, “I will kill you. Understand that.” “No tricks.” He nodded, his shock of hair bobbing. “No treats either, sorry. Only truth.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“That’s the problem with criminals,” I told him. “They tend to commit crimes.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“You can go your entire life believing you have principles. Believing there are lines you’d never cross, deeds you’d never commit, even at the cost of your own life. And if you’re lucky, nobody will ever put those principles to the test.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“No, after all this effort, all this trouble, jumping the man in a dark alley and strangling him to death would be vulgar. When he went home to write the story in his dead-book, it wouldn’t be a chapter to be proud of. Honestly, after all they’d been through together, he owed Felix a more dramatic death. It was the professional thing to do. As the miles limped by and the powerless sun crested in a cloudless sky, Simon wove together the threads of a plan.”
― Craig Schaefer, Winter's Reach

“You know all those movies where the bad guy gets captured, but it turns out that was the key to his master plan all along? Not gonna lie. I’d always wanted to do that.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“skittered”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“she spat a single word. A long, guttural, twisting word that evoked frozen Germanic winters. The trigger to the spell she’d been weaving for days. The toxic miasma above our heads exploded with a peal of thunder and her spite-fueled power crashed down on Cesar, one man alone in a torrent of death. The paper cut on his bicep ripped open, as if someone had taken pliers to his skin and given it one brutal, wrenching tug. Blood gushed from the wound as he screamed, flowing faster than it should have, and even faster by the second. He collapsed to his knees, shrieking, and a scarlet torrent blasted from the wound like the spray from a fire hose and splashed across the arcade wall. His skin turned ashen and taut, his fingers and toes curling, crumpling. Bones cracked as his limbs folded in on themselves and the flesh on his skull stretched taut like a mummified corpse. Jennifer’s death curse slowly crushed his body like a juice box, squeezing every drop of blood from every last ragged vein. What collapsed to the floor when the spell was done, gray and bloodless and small as a child, didn’t look human anymore. “That’s what you get for fuckin’ with a witch,” Jennifer said. “My momma taught me that trick.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Shape-shifter?” he snorted. “No such thing.” I leaned back on his couch and tilted my head at him. “Gary?” I said. “You’ve got demon blood. You know I’m a sorcerer and that magic is real. Are you really gonna take the ‘no such thing’ angle with me?” He glanced down, biting his lip. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “Fair point.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Cait,” I called over, “how much is this going to cost?” Sudden silence. Every eye in the room fell upon me, cold as winter ice. “Right,” I said, holding up a hand. “I’m just gonna maybe shut up now.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“I chuckled. “Yeah, okay.” He relaxed, sinking back in his chair, mirroring my smile. “But you know the old saying,” I told him. His brow furrowed. “What old saying?” “Two people can keep a secret,” I said, “if one of them is dead.” He barely had time for the shock to register on his face as I grabbed his wrist and yanked up his right hand. I pressed the muzzle to his temple and his hand to the barrel. “No,” he gasped, just before I pulled the trigger and painted his desk cherry red.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“Oh. Oh. Well, that is useful information. Thank you, dear. Yes, yes, you’re terribly thoughtful and I couldn’t have a better best friend. Yes, we’ll have to do a—” A con with a bloody spike in his grip charged at us, shrieking like a madman. Caitlin’s free hand clamped down over his face. She wrenched his head sideways, his neck breaking with a sharp snap, and let his corpse drop to the concrete. “—a girls’ night out when I get back,” she said. “But right now I really need to focus on the task at hand. I’ll call you.” “Problem?” I asked as she slipped the phone back into her coat.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“What about him?” one of Brisco’s entourage asked, glaring at Jablonski. They all were, actually. He wasn’t a popular man. I pretended to think about it. “Well, here’s the thing. I promised I wouldn’t kill him if he did everything I told him to, and he did.” I patted Jablonski on the back. “So I guess here’s where we part ways. Nice seeing ya, buddy.” “Wait,” Jablonski said, his head on a swivel as he backed up against the guardrail. “You can’t leave me here!” “Sure I can. Look, all you have to do is make it from here to the exit by yourself. It’s not like you went out of your way to give every man in here a reason to hate you, right? What do you think, Brisco? What are his odds?” Brisco slapped his fist into his open palm. “Not good.” Jablonski tried to run. He made it two, maybe three steps before they fell on him. Then it was all fists and feet and strangled pleading, and we left Brisco and his boys to their revenge.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues

“His eyes bulged. “How the hell…who are you people?” “She’s the right hand of a demon prince,” I told him, “and I’m her boyfriend. Probably should have found that out before you blasted me with a fire hose, huh?” “He did what?” Caitlin said. “Aw, it’s okay.” I gave Jablonski a shove, getting him moving up the corrugated metal stairs.”
― Craig Schaefer, The Killing Floor Blues