by J. P. Rice
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for dat,” he promised, drawing his fist back.
Jonathan said, “Don’t give him all the attention. I’m feeling neglected over here.”
The boss turned to Jonathan, then looked back at me, confused as to whom he should hit.
He punched me on the left cheek and then hit Jonathan right under his left eye. I said, “You’re making me angry. I think you should stop now. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
Another look of confusion came over his grizzled face. “The fuck is wrong wit ya. You ain’t green and you ain’t the Hulk. A minute ago you was beggin’ for me to hit you. Now, you think I’m gonna stop.”
I fed off the anger, letting it burn inside me, fueling me for the great escape. Anger was a great motivator. “I’m a complicated guy. What can I say?”
“You can say where the fuck the portal is, or else.” He drew a knife out of the inside pocket in his jacket. He pulled the blade out of the black handle and locked it into place.
“Or else what?” Jonathan asked.
He pointed the blade at Jonathan. “I’ll get to you. The two of yous are a couple of fucking clowns if I’ve ever seen ‘em.”
I drowned out his words as he continued to berate Jonathan and me. Focused on the task at hand, I needed to be prepared equally in body and mind. I got angry. And turned it into strength.
I pushed my wrists together as the boss blathered on about respect or a dying generation or something like that. A vision of the Hulk entered my head and the green giant wouldn’t leave.
A rumbling scream started in my belly and erupted from my mouth as I yanked my hands apart. A flash of silver sparked in my eyes as the chain links broke and freed my hands. Calling fire to my fingertips, I brushed them down the legs of the chair, cutting away my restraints.
The vampires across the room noticed the commotion and started to aim their revolvers at us. They were a little timid because the boss was right in between Jonathan and me. Now on my feet, I raised my right foot and booted the boss in the stomach, causing him to fall onto his back.
With him out of the way, I conjured up a protection shield and placed it in front of Jonathan and me. The vampires began firing, bullets pinging off my shield. Since we were safe for the moment, I looked at Jonathan’s tied-up legs and noticed complex wards had been set on them.
I explained, “It will take me more than a few minutes to bust up these spells. Just walk with the chair and stay next to me. Can you see the shield in front of us?”
“Yes. It’s taking a beating.”
“Just stay behind it and you’ll be safe. It should be strong enough to get us out of here.” I pulled two red winter hats out of my back pockets and handed one to Jonathan. As I put the other one on my head, I instructed, “Put it on. It’s looks stupid, but it will save our lives.”
Some of the vampires moved over to blockade the door, so I assumed that was our only exit. As we slowly moved toward the door with bullets slamming off our protection shield, I called on two fireballs, one for each hand. I didn’t need one to get jealous of the other.
I didn’t mold the balls as much as I normally would since this was aimed more at intimidation. With one quick underhand motion, I launched both balls at the exit door. Panic appeared on all their faces as the fireballs zoomed through the air, heading straight at them. There was no honor among these vampires they pushed and shoved each other to get out of the way.
The fireballs buzzed by, one missing everyone because a vampire jumped over it at the last moment. The other one skimmed a vampire’s back and they simultaneously slammed into the doors, blasting a big hole in them.
The men scattered around the room, worried another fireball attack could follow. I tried to hustle for the door, but Jonathan was struggling with the chair connected to his body. I slowed down to make sure Jonathan was still protected by the shield. Shifting my vision, I realized that we needed to hurry. This shield wasn’t going to last much longer. And until it was fully destroyed, I couldn’t conjure another.
But that would leave us extremely vulnerable, so we had to haul ass. “Jonathan. Just hold onto me and try to hop behind me. Grab onto my back and shoulder.”
Although Jonathan probably looked like a rabbit hopping behind me, this worked better than him trying to run. I kicked the smoking doors open and we moved out into the hallway. I shifted the shield around so that it would protect us from behind as we walked backwards toward the front door.
Several vampires stepped out into the hallway and the firing squad picked up again. I thought they would have gotten frustrated and given up by now, but they kept shooting. The shield was highly compromised and a well-placed shot could shatter the entire thing. I moved Jonathan in front and started pushing him toward the final exit.
Hop-a-long Cassidy and I wormed our way down the hall and neared the front door. The sound of shattering metal nearly caused me to go deaf as the protection shield finally gave way. Jonathan leaned to the right and grabbed the doorknob.
He turned the knob and pushed the chair toward the door, twisting his body back toward the gunmen. I heard the repeat action of the firing revolver. Without thinking, I threw my left arm out to my side to protect Jonathan’s face.
Pain pierced my left arm and blood spurted from several places. I couldn’t tell where or how many times I’d been shot because my arm was already drenched in blood. My breathing became erratic and bright colors streaked into my vision.
Standing in the doorway of the vampire’s compound in Philly, I thought I would die. I waited for the next shot to hit me and wondered what was taking so long. As I waited, something yanked my shirt and pulled me outside the building.
I fell into a pool of blood, next to Jonathan, who still had the chair attached to his backside. We scrambled to our feet and I heard the door open behind me. I turned around and wanted to see the face of my killer.
As I stared at his unmemorable features, his pale forehead turned red. His eyes went dead and he fell backwards. Another vampire stepped outside, only to be mowed down immediately. Glenda and Del Rubio had us covered from the rooftop. Delirious, I walked with Jonathan across the bloody entranceway and hit the sidewalk.
Euphoric visions appeared in front of me. It was a bunch of no good demons. I reached out and tried to grab them. The winter sun gleamed down, stinging my eyes and causing me to see white polka dots.
Jonathan said, “Mike, come on. Don’t stop now.”
His words didn’t help much for the pain that now engulfed the entire left side of my body. But I continued up the sidewalk as the people gasped and shrieked at the bloody wizard and the vampire with a chair stuck to him.
I spotted the getaway car up ahead and a surge of adrenaline rushed through my systems, giving me a temporary boost of energy and focus. I looked down at my arm, dripping with blood, and my heart began to pound against my ribcage.
Glenda and Del Rubio rushed up behind us, scaring me at first. A chill rushed through me and I shivered, my bloody arm hanging at my side. I collapsed to the ground.
Del Rubio asked, “What the fuck happened?”
Jonathan said, “Never mind. These ties around my legs have wards set on them that we need to break before I can get in the vehicle.”
Glenda said, “I can get those off once we stop. Mike’s losing a lot of blood. Is he going to be all right?”
Jonathan answered, “Start working on the wards, Glenda. Del Rubio. You call Dr. Evans and tell him we are stopping by. Tell him it’s a gunshot victim so he can prepare. He’s been shot in the forearm and biceps. And, oh shit, he’s bleeding from right below his collarbone. I think they hit the subclavian artery with how much he is bleeding. Tell him to be ready. And then prepare a few tourniquets for his arm.”
The adrenaline wore off quickly with all the gunshot talk. Everything slowed down in my head until it came to a sudden stop. I couldn’t tell if I was awake, dreaming or dead. A quick peek over my right shoulder revealed t
he pack of demons were still on my tail.
Glenda said, “He’s leaking way too bad. There’s traffic backed up out the ass. He’s not going to make it to the doctor’s house.”
“There is a way that we can boost his healing and regenerative powers,” Jonathan hinted.
Glenda objected, “You can’t turn him. You just can’t.”
“If we don’t, he’s going to die,” Del Rubio added.
“What would you do?” Roman asked.
Glenda answered, “Between being dead and being one of you, that’s a hard choice. There, you’re free.”
Jonathan said, “Thank you for removing that chair. Should we let him die or should we give him a boost?”
“Fuck. He can’t die. That’s too much traffic. I guess you should do it,” Glenda stated.
Jonathan explained, “It’s going to take all three of us since he needs our regenerative and healing powers fast. And I don’t even know if that’s going to work. We will all bite him and then merge some of our blood with his. Let’s get him into the vehicle and then do this.”
My body seized up, muscles tightened, and my mouth ran dry. The demons closed in on me with their arms extended.
Jonathan continued, “And we all agree right now that we aren’t going to tell him about this.”
Roman said, “That’s fine, but he’s going to figure it out at some point.”
“Once he starts to turn, it’ll be obvious,” Del Rubio added.
Glenda asked, “Why don’t you want him to know?”
Jonathan answered, “We all know how the self-righteous bastard is. He’ll say that he could have survived without it and will always hold it over our heads. You all know it’s true. I’ll figure out something to tell him. But for now, your lips are shut. Okay?”
A chorus of voices said, “Okay.”
I felt like I was floating on a cloud, high above all the trivial problems of the earth’s surface. So free. So far away from responsibility.
Jonathan spoke, “He’s starting to go into spasms. We need to hurry. Fangs out, gentlemen.”
The world went dark, but I could feel the demons pinching me, then biting me, piercing my skin and sinking their jagged teeth into my flesh. The darkness began to lighten and settled on red. Blood red. Then everything stopped. No pain. No suffering.
Chapter 22
I sat at the desk in my bedroom writing an important letter. Jagged pains shot up and down my left arm. I had the cold sweats again and the relentless itch in my neck had returned, but I was just happy to be alive. Glenda had told me that I’d almost died on the sidewalk in Philadelphia.
So much for brotherly love within the vampire community. I still hadn’t told Burn how close I had come to meeting my maker. She didn’t need to worry about me any more than she already did.
Burn paced behind me and said, “You can’t go by yourself. Let me go with you. You know I can help.”
Unable to concentrate on my letter, I put the pen down and turned to Burn. “I know what you are capable of. I’m not going alone because I don’t trust you. I’m doing it because I can’t trust anything in Sleepy Willow. Plus, I didn’t think you’d want to go back and rekindle bad memories.”
She stopped pacing and took two steps closer to me. She looked down, and as her lips began to move, her voice rang in my ears, “I want some revenge too. Wouldn’t mind shivving the king or one of his wardens, I can tell you that.” Glowing malice circled her widening pupils, lighting up her mahogany irises. Then, the spark disintegrated gradually like a meteor. She continued in a nagging tone, “And it’s like you’re going with one hand tied behind your back. You try to play it off, but I can see that arm is killing you. Are you taking the pain medication?”
I stood up and nodded but also wondered why the pills weren’t working. They were given to me by the doctor who had performed my surgery back in Philly. I’d forgotten the exact name of the pills, but the damn things hadn’t been able to relieve the pain.
“I’ll be fine. I also don’t want you risking our child’s life either. I’m not just saying this for you,” I told her and took a step back.
We lived together, and she was carrying my child, but there were still periods of sexual awkwardness between us. The tension could be cut with a sword.
Burn rolled her eyes. She wanted to be considered tough and not taken for granted. Coming from the demon society where women were treated as objects, I understood her line of thinking. She said, “Oh. Well thanks for clarifying. I appreciate that. I’ll make sure nothing happens, don’t you worry.”
I tilted my head forward and my eyes locked with hers. “How? You can’t. And we can’t just leave Dante. Not now, or for the long run. We both can’t be reckless and if something happens to you, that’s two people. I didn’t go to hell to reverse that curse for nothing.”
Burn stepped closer, straightening the collar of my shirt and responded, “What curse? What are you talking about?”
“Never mind.” I hadn’t told her about that because a pregnant woman didn’t need any undue stress. Now, I just needed to watch my tongue. I reached out, placing my hands on her shoulders and rubbing them gently with my thumbs. “It’s nothing important. You know I have to go there. I need to redeem myself. I can’t pawn it off on someone else and I can’t drag anyone else into danger.”
She set her warm palms on the backs of my hands. “But what about your arm? Not just that, but you’re white as a ghost and all sweaty all the time. That’s not even mentioning those black bags under your eyes. And you can’t do it alone. Everyone needs help.”
I tried to lift my arm up to show her that I was all right, but the stabbing irritation prevented me from raising it above my chest. My arm fell back down, dead at my side. As I turned away and gazed out the window at the sunny winter day, I said, “All I need to do is get there. I’m going to call on some friends once I get there. Look, I need to finish this letter and be on my way.” I rounded back to Burn, sporting a smirk.
“So sorry to interrupt, sire.” Burn curtsied and turned to leave.
I reached out with my good arm and grabbed her shoulder to stop her. “No. It’s not like that. Don’t do that. You know I have to do this. I promise I’ll take you on the next adventure. If we can find a babysitter, that is.” I massaged her shoulder and smiled, thinking about who would watch Dante. As strange as it sounded, I would probably put Glenda Gold at the top of that list.
I rubbed her upper arm, my fingers gently tracing over her smooth skin, then turned and sat down to get back to the letter. The pen hit the paper, but I could sense that Burn was still lingering behind me and it made me uncomfortable. I spun around in the chair, “Is there something else we need to discuss?”
She stared at me, dreamily, stars dancing in her eyes. “No. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Don’t be melodramatic. I’m going to be fine. I always come out fine.” I really hoped I wasn’t jinxing myself with that statement.
Burn pursed her lips and rubbed her burgeoning belly. “All right, then. I guess I’ll let you be.”
I told her, “Hey, when I get back. I know things are kind of strange between us. But if you wanted to, we could maybe go on a few dates just to see how it goes. If you wanted to, that is.”
She blushed and lowered her head shyly. She batted her long eyelashes and spoke softly, “I suppose we could give that a try. We just need to agree that whatever happens, we’ll remain civil. It’s not just you and me anymore.” She tapped her fingers on her midsection as a friendly reminder.
“Of course. That is the top priority.” That response was probably uttered in vain throughout most of history, but I seriously meant it. I knew this was dangerous ground to stomp on, so I needed to tread lightly. But I wanted to make it work with the mother of my child.
Burn’s purple slippers slid across the carpet as she left the room. The first thing I did when she disappeared was scratch my neck and relieve that fiery sensation just be
low my skin. Burn did not need to see it, or she would just worry more about me.
I tried to push aside thoughts about her and finish the letter. Despite the jagged agony in my left arm that felt like an out of control jackhammer, I grabbed the pen and got back to work. As soon as the tip hit the paper something grabbed hold of my mind and wouldn’t let go.
I was in an arctic landscape with ice as far as the eye could see. Something caught my eye. I turned and stared at a single red rose growing out of the ice. The petals glowed against the blinding backdrop and the bright green stem stood tall and proud.
It should have been dead. Shriveled up and dried out. It was out of its element. Lacking the necessary nourishment for survival. I pondered the floral enigma for a moment.
Of course. I could only see above the surface. How deep did the roots go?
Chapter 23
I stood in Jonathan’s office, staring at the glimmering portal. The magic door was in the shape of a rectangle and rippled in shades of hunter green and sparkling emerald. We stood near his desk and the portal sat behind it, in the back of the room. I unzipped my black protection suit down to the middle of my chest because I was roasting in the skintight outfit. After the gunshot wounds, I felt much better wearing my rune suit.
Jonathan said, “I can’t believe you are going this soon. You’re a mortal. You need time to heal. Unless you’d like to change that?” He unleashed a devilish smile and tapped his two index fingers together.
I put my left hand up like a stop sign. “Pump the brakes. Not just yet, at least. I actually feel pretty good all things considered. I thought I’d be in a lot more pain from getting shot.” Jonathan had offered to turn me into a vampire several times throughout our brief friendship, in fact, the offer stood permanently as far as I knew. Immortality and the extraordinary healing powers held a certain intrigue that appealed to me. But it seemed like cheating.