by David Haynes
So, what could he do? Take the cash and retire? The store wasn’t worth much now, probably not much more than he paid for it twenty years ago. Possibly less. The apartment might fetch a few bucks, and his boxing trophies and memorabilia had to be worth something to somebody. He could live on the proceeds for a few years, maybe stretch it out a bit further. Eventually, though, it would run out and there wasn’t a plan B. There never had been.
He gritted his teeth and walked over to the punching bag. He threw a couple of jabs, followed it up with a cross and a left hook, then unleashed a barrage of blows that were as much about muscle memory as they were frustrated rage. He felt the muscles in his back, arms and shoulders tighten as he landed the blows.
“Mr. Newman?”
He heard the voice but he wasn’t finished with the bag yet. He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. He saw the werewolf’s face on the black leather; he saw Michael Myers and the shotgun. He saw Oliver’s body on the floor, part of his face, his jaw and teeth missing. He saw the blood. He tasted it. He felt it warm and thick on his fist, on his cheek.
“Mr. Newman!” the voice shouted.
And then someone touched his shoulder, tapping him. He spun around, fist cocked, ready to deliver the knockout.
The kid stepped back, a look of fear on his face. It took Leo a moment to bring a name forward.
“Sam?”
It was one of the kids who used to hang around outside the store. Before…before…
“What are you doing here?” He peered around him. “Are you on your own?”
“Michelle’s back there waiting for me.”
Leo smiled. “That’s great, grab some chips and a soda.”
“We can’t stay,” he said.
“No, of course not. You should be at home. This weather isn’t letting up. Your mom and dad will be worried.”
“You’re cut,” Sam said, looking at his hands.
Leo looked down. Both knuckles were callused from the years of throwing punches, but the skin had softened and two thin cuts had opened up on across the knuckles on both hands. He wiped away at a spot of blood he felt tricking down his face.
“Just having a workout. Come on, grab a Coke.” He walked out of the store room with Sam following behind. “Hey, Michelle,” he said, smiling. “How’s the old man?”
“He’s an ass,” she replied.
Leo laughed. “Tell him I said, hi. I haven’t seen him for a while.” He stopped. He hadn’t seen much of anyone since Oliver’s funeral. Nearly everyone had blanked him then. He knew what they were thinking. That if he’d just handed over the cash, if he’d just played ball, none of what happened would have gone down. He’d have lost seventy dollars and change, and that would have been the end of the matter. Instead he’d got a kid killed.
None of them had said as much, they didn’t need to. He could see it in their expressions. The contempt. Not least of all in Oliver’s mom and dad’s tear-filled eyes. They wouldn’t even look at him when he tried to offer his condolences. They just brushed him aside.
“What are you doing down here anyway?”
Sam glanced at Michelle and then turned back to Leo. He wasn’t the brash kid who’d been hanging around since he was ten years old. This was a different person entirely. It was understandable.
“We came…at least I came… to say goodbye.”
“We wanted to come sooner,” Michelle cut in. “But our parents wouldn’t let us. They said it was too dangerous. That…”
“We don’t blame you for what happened, Mr. Newman,” said Sam. “I blame myself. He wanted to come in and take those guys on, help you out. I tried to stop him but I couldn’t, he was too strong. I couldn’t keep hold of him.”
“We should have just left,” said Michelle. “When we saw what was happening, we should have just got out of there, but…but…”
“The only fault lies with those two bastards,” Leo interrupted. “They’re the only ones to blame.” He said it because that’s what they wanted to hear. Not what he believed. They didn’t need a stupid fool getting all maudlin on them.
He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two Cokes, handing one to each of them. “You said you came to say goodbye?”
Sam nodded. “Figured it’d be rude not to at least tell you I was going. Didn’t want you thinking I’d abandoned you. My dad’s got a job in the power plant upstate, said it was time we got out of the city and started again.”
“Can’t say I blame him. When do you go?”
“Soon as the weather clears up.”
Leo nodded toward the door. “Can’t see that happening anytime soon.”
He glanced at Michelle. She looked close to tears. He didn’t know if she and Sam were more than just friends, but her reaction, her wobbling chin, seemed to suggest so.
“Your dad know you’re here?”
“Sure,” Sam replied. “He dropped me off over the street for ice cream.”
“Bull!”
“What are those guys doing over at the register?” Michelle asked.
“I’ve got a new security system and it’s on the fritz. That guy’s taking a look.”
“What about her? That your new girlfriend, Mr. Newman?”
“No, Michelle. She’s…she’s…I’m giving her a try out on the register.” It was easier to say that than try to explain. Besides, he didn’t know if Kim wanted anyone to know who she was or what she was doing.
“Mr. Newman!” Chris called over.
“Help yourself to snacks,” he said and walked over to the counter. That would probably be the last time he would say that to them.
Chris sighed. “I can’t find anything wrong with the system. I’ve done a full diagnostic check and it’s all working fine.”
“Must be me then,” Leo replied.
“Anything in particular you want me to look at? Might be something on one of the lenses?”
“Take a look at the front camera, a couple of nights ago. I don’t know, three-ish.”
Chris typed the time and date into the computer. The screen showed the sidewalk in front of the shop. If someone else saw what he’d seen, it might help convince him he wasn’t losing it completely.
Chris moved the footage on and then paused. The woman was there, standing outside the shop, cradling a bundle of rags in her arm.
“That’s odd,” he said.
“You’re telling me,” Leo remarked.
Chris rock and rolled the footage. There was no sign of her walking to the frontage, one moment she wasn’t there, the next she was.
“That’s not creepy at all.” Michelle was standing behind them both. “Who is it?”
Leo shrugged. “No idea. Seen her a couple of times.”
Chris shook his head, cycling the footage. “Not there.” He moved it forward. “And now she’s there.”
“You can tell it’s a she?” Sam asked. He’d taken up a place next to Michelle.
“Sure you can.” Michelle tapped the screen. “Look at the long hair.”
“Might be a metal-head?” he said.
“What? No…”
An ear-piercing scream sounded from outside. Kim jumped up. “Jesus Christ!” she shouted. She barged past them, running to the door.
Leo looked out onto the street. Through the haze of snow, he could see the outline of a figure standing on the sidewalk outside the darkened frontage of the Asian supermarket.
Kim was already out of the door, slip-sliding across the sidewalk and out onto the street. Leo followed her outside. As he hit the street, a cold wind jagged southward, knocking the air from his lungs. He paused, feeling his chest tighten. To his left, a car’s brake lights shone like a pair of demonic eyes. The car skidded, mounted the sidewalk and then righted itself. He thought he heard laughter from the inside. It skidded away into the darkness where the power had failed. He was forced to turn away, the snow stinging his eyes. Kim was in the middle of the street, crouching down. He could hear her voice and he made for it.
<
br /> As he got nearer, the figure on the sidewalk lurched forward, nearly falling to her knees. He recognized her. It was Alison. He felt his stomach turn. That meant Michael was in the middle of the street, lying motionless.
He slid to a stop beside Kim. She was cradling Michael’s head. A trickle of blood was running from his nose and his jaw.
“The car hit him!” she shouted above the wind. “Help me!”
“Is he safe to move?”
“If we don’t, he’ll freeze to death.”
She rummaged in her jacket pocket, bringing out her cell. The screen flashed as she hit the numbers.
“Oh God!” Alison screamed. “Michael!” She dropped to her knees in the snow beside her husband. “Is he okay?” She grabbed Leo’s sleeve and pulled at it, then took Michael’s head and kissed it. “Come on, honey. Wake up. Wake up!” She was wailing, glistening tears streaming down her cheeks, turning to icy crystals.
“Fuck,” Kim said. “Signal’s out.”
“You got your radio?” Leo shouted.
She shook her head. “Help me get him inside.”
As they started to lift him, Chris appeared at Leo’s side. “Need a hand?” He slid his arms under Michael’s body, supporting him like a stretcher.
They moved slowly across the street and up onto the sidewalk. As they climbed inside the store, Kim shouted to Sam, “Call an ambulance!” She turned to Leo. “Where to?”
“Upstairs,” he said. “Through the store room and upstairs.”
“Kid, get over here!” she shouted at Michelle. “We’re going to need another hand. Okay?”
Michelle looked scared. Leo’s heart went out to her. First Oliver and now this. Every time they came down here, something bad happened.
“I’ve got no signal!” Sam shouted.
Leo led them through the storeroom. Michelle took over briefly while he unlocked the door to his apartment.
“You go first,” he told her. “There’s a light at the top. On the left.”
When they reached the top, Leo guided them over to his bed where they placed Michael gently.
Alison knelt on the floor and took his hand. “Baby! Please! Wake up, please wake up.”
Kim put her fingers to Michael’s neck and turned to Leo. She nodded, giving him a thin smile.
“You get the number plate?” he asked.
“First two letters only. New York plate. You?”
He shook his head. “Couldn’t see it.”
“Is he…” Michelle asked.
“He’s out cold,” Leo replied, not wanting her to finish the question.
A large swelling had risen on Michael’s forehead. Leo winced at the sight of it. He knew a thing or two about swelling injuries, and this was likely to get a lot bigger before very much longer.
“Landline?” Kim asked.
He nodded toward the kitchen. “On the wall over there.”
Alison had her hands clasped together in prayer. She was rocking back and forth. He glanced over his shoulder. Chris, Michelle and Sam were looking on.
“You want to give us some space?” he said. “Go and watch the store for me?”
They turned as one. Sam looked relieved to be getting out of there.
“I’ll try my cell,” Chris said. “Come on.” He was just a few years older than Michelle and Sam, but the age gap seemed pronounced. Leo nodded at him and mouthed Thanks.
He knelt beside Alison and put his hand on her shoulder. “We need to take a look at his injuries, Alison. We can’t see if there’s anything else wrong with him if we don’t take a look.”
Michael was wearing a thick ski jacket with jeans and a pair of boots. His legs looked fine. His jeans were ripped at the knee but the graze beneath looked superficial. The snow had softened the impact of the road surface but even with the padded jacket, his left arm didn’t look right.
She looked up at him. “Why? Why would they do this?”
He shook his head. “Come on, help me get his coat off.” It was partly a ploy to get her to stop wailing, to focus her mind on doing something to help.
She wiped her eyes, biting down on her lower lip. She stood up, crouching over her unconscious husband, and pulled the zipper on his jacket.
“I’m going to lift him and you slip the coat off his shoulders. Okay?” he said.
She nodded.
Leo moved around the bed and slid his hand under the man’s shoulder. He felt it immediately. It was like holding a bag of jelly. His shoulder was, at the very least, dislocated.
“Easy,” he whispered.
Alison glanced up at him and slowed down, carefully sliding both arms out of the jacket. Michael was a deadweight. That was good. If he’d been awake, he would have screamed the place down.
“His arm…” she said.
Kim walked back to the bed. “Phone line’s dead too.”
“How come you don’t have your radio?” He nodded at the Glock on her hip. Her badge was on the other side. “You’ve got them.”
“I’m off duty,” she replied.
“You’re doing this on your own time?” he asked, frowning.
“Kind of.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
She grimaced. “Maybe. But all I was doing was looking. Anything happened and I’d call it in.” She lowered her eyes.
Leo ignored the comment. “You ever set an arm before?”
She shook her head. “You?”
He nodded. “A couple of times.” He’d popped his own back in twice during training. But that was his own arm, and inflicting pain on himself was his own choice.
“Don’t touch him!” Alison shouted. “Wait for the paramedics.”
Leo and Kim exchanged glances. Alison was right – now was not the time for rushing into half-cocked street medicine. But without the phones to call for help, they might have to carry him to the hospital and that was five blocks away.
“Mr. Newman!” Michelle’s voice carried up the stairs. “You want to come down?”
He walked to the top of the stairs and looked down. Michelle was standing at the bottom, looking up. She looked worried.
“What is it?” he asked.
She looked toward the shop. “There’s some guys just walked in.”
“Customers?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re talking to that guy working on the cameras. Sam said to fetch you.”
He glanced at Kim. “You okay if I go down and see what’s happening?”
She nodded.
By the time he started down the stairs, Michelle had already gone. He had to get them back home as quickly as possible. Tonight had taken an ugly turn and he didn’t want them caught up in it. Not again. Maybe Chris could walk them home after he’d finished with the system check. But what about Michael? He rubbed his eyes and then stopped on the threshold of the storeroom and store.
Three men were standing close to the counter, one of them hanging over the top trying to look at Chris’s computer screen. He moved it away, keeping eye contact with the other man. He looked tense. Sam had taken up a position by the door. He looked scared.
The three men wore black jackets with hoodies underneath. The hoods were pulled over their heads, and from here Leo couldn’t see their faces.
“What can I do for you gentlemen?” he asked, walking toward them. “Bad night to be out and about.”
Of the two hanging back from the counter, the taller man turned. He smiled, his teeth beautifully white. He knocked back his hood, revealing his face. He was Asian-American.
“Hey,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind us taking some respite for a few minutes. Weather’s a bitch. We’ll buy some candy or chips, or something.”
“Sure,” Leo replied. “No problem.” He turned to Chris. “Everything okay?”
Chris took his eyes off the guy leaning over the counter long enough to nod at Leo. “Could do with talking to you, when you get a moment. In private.”
“Hey, don’t get your panties i
n a twist, dude. I was only passing the time of day with you.” The guy at counter also pulled his hood back, turning to Leo. “Hey,” he said. He was also Asian-American.
Leo nodded a greeting.
“What the fuck?” Sam shouted.
Everyone turned to look at him and then at where he was staring. Michelle gasped.
The woman Leo had seen on camera and at the glass was standing outside the store. Her head was bowed, her bundle pulled tight to her chest. It looked similar to the blanket he’d seen in the storeroom above Michael and Alison’s store. Snow swirled about her, spinning in an eddy created by the frontage. The drift was almost to the base of the window now, nearly four feet.
Leo ran toward the door. He wasn’t going to let her disappear again. He slipped through the snow, expecting her to run, but she remained absolutely still, head bowed, hunched over against the weather. He reached her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, lady! You better get in here before you freeze to death!” He had to shout to be heard above the wind. She was frozen. The blanket crackled under his touch. He jerked his hand away. She still hadn’t moved, or even acknowledged his presence.
“Hey!” he shouted again. “Come on!”
He put his hand on her again, shocked by the temperature. Beneath the blanket she felt bony, skeletal. He moved to her side, put his arm about her shoulder and gently pulled her toward the door. She moved slowly, awkwardly, with shuffling steps. Icy wind drove the snow beneath Leo’s jacket. He shivered.
Before they reached the door, a strange noise echoed along the street. It was almost like someone cracking a bullwhip in the air. Everything grew dim, as the street lights went out, one after another, chasing along the street.
Leo heard a creaking sound, then through narrowed eyes he saw a bright light flash. The smell of a lightning storm was all around him. The air was literally burning up.
“Run!” he heard Chris shout.
He looked up in time to see the steel shutter on the front of the store descending. It seemed to be moving far quicker than it had ever done before. He pushed the woman forward as hard as he dared and then ducked under it himself.
He called to Chris. “What are you doing?”