Addict and Marine stood locked together in a mortal embrace. The Marine coughed, his eyes rolled back, then both crashed to the ground.
Jebediah saw another soldiers's lifeblood pouring from where his right leg used to be. But somehow, he was still conscious, and with amazement, Jebediah watched the man draw a shaky pistol up from his side and fire toward the remaining addicts. One shot found its target and a hole appeared in an addict's face.
The Marine smiled a small smile, then his head slowly dropped until he lay face down on the ground, silent and still. He was the last of the remaining guardsmen, and with his passing came a moment of eerie silence.
Jebediah counted six or seven remaining addicts. They all looked around and snarled at the bounty hunter. He stared back and brought his pistols up, and when he spoke, smoke and anger choked his voice.
"Go to hell. I'm not leaving this time."
But then another voice cried out, and as a group the addicts turned to the sound. A haunted look descended into their glowing eyes, sweeping away their savagery for a moment.
They seemed to forget Jebediah and started to move toward the voice.
"Here! Your mother is here! Your mother is here!" the voice yelled.
"Mei, what the hell are you doing?" Jebediah wondered aloud.
Mei stumbled through the smoke toward her kitchen. The boom of gunfire had stopped and been replaced with bestial snarls. The creatures were still alive, and the men were gone.
Magda had clung to her through the sounds of violence, then began to cry and shake when the guns fell silent. Because the sounds of guns were of comfort to the girl. Staggering forward, she thought of her last words to her granddaughter.
"You remember your father?" Mei had asked Magda. "You are his daughter. You are smart and strong like he was, full of his fire and charm. And you are your mother's daughter, too. She was the patient one, the one that could bring others together, the one that could calm anger and bring peace to a fight."
From outside the door came the sounds of claws being dragged across the floor. She put both her hands-on Magda's face to hold her gaze.
"And you are my granddaughter."
Sobs overcame her for a moment and she stopped. Tears fell down the lines in her face, slipping along the crevices of wisdom and time worn into her aged skin.
"You know that family is not just an important thing—it is the only thing in this world. It fills us with meaning and pride. It gives us immortality. Not even war can take the love of our family away."
She wiped the tears from Magda's eyes with a hand roughened with the callus of hard labor.
"You fill me with pride, Magda. You are the best us all," she said.
Mei looked over at the closed and locked door and breathed deeply.
"I want you to close your eyes and think about your father for a moment. We will think about his love and it will make us brave."
Mei let her hands drop from the girl, then closed her eyes. Magda followed suit.
Mei crept to the door. She quietly unlocked it, all the while watching Magda to make sure she kept her eyes shut. Then, with a final, lingering glance at her granddaughter, she slipped out the door and locked it from the other side. Magda must have heard her and realized what happened. The girl threw herself at the door, screaming and begging to be let out. Mei kissed the palm of her hand and pressed it against the door, then spoke loudly enough so Magda could hear her.
"I love you, child. Always remember that."
Mei walked from the door into the burning home. She waved her hand to clear the smoke, then began yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Here! Your mother is here! Your mother is here!"
As a group, the addicts spun toward the voice, their golden eyes cutting through the dark.
Mei crossed under the arched entryway to the kitchen and headed to the back pantry. She yelled the same words, over and over again, beckoning the creatures to her.
The addicts crept into the kitchen in an almost muted fashion. The one in front reached out and tried to touch her leg, like a child grabbing for his mother. Its claws ripped into the skin of her thigh. She cried out. The creature recoiled at her pained sound and stopped moving forward.
Mei continued to the back pantry, now dragging her wounded leg behind her. She threw open the door and grabbed her son's old army bag.
She clutched it and spun around. She was surrounded by golden, peering eyes, and the addicts stared as if uncertain what to do.
Her hand moved into the bag and shoved past the surface layer of gold. She dug deep into its recesses until, finally, her fingers curled around what she'd kept hidden all these years. What her son had brought onto the helicopter on that fateful day along with all the gold he'd found. Her son who prepared them for everything, except his own death. The methodical soldier who knew he'd need weapons wherever they went, all kinds of weapons.
Like the pressure sensitive step mines he'd used to lace ground against the North Vietnamese army.
Her hand gripped a ring on the side of the mine and with a tug armed it.
"Come," she yelled. "Your mother is here!"
The addicts crept slowly at her, and this time their sharp-toothed mouths opened wide.
Jebediah ran toward the locked door of the safe room. Magda was screaming and pounding on the other side. He'd seen Mei go into the kitchen but was blocked by the addicts. The creatures ignored him in their pursuit of the old woman, and he'd run behind them unseen.
"Magda, step back!" he yelled, then charged the door with his shoulder. It stood against his first strike but fell to his second. Magda's eyes were wild and tears streaked down her face. She tried to run past him but he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. She beat at his back with her tiny fists, crying to be let down, screaming to go to her grandmother.
And at that moment Ara's voice came through the hand-held radio on the ground.
"Now! Mei, Magda, go through the tunnel now," she yelled.
Jebediah needed both hands to keep the frantic Magda from escaping. He brought her down to his chest and holstered his gun in the same motion. He bent to look through the hole in the ground, then turned to look behind him.
The smoke in the hallway cleared for a moment and he was able to see Mei. The addicts surrounded her. One of her arms was inside a green bag, while the other hung limp and bloody at her side. One of the creatures was licking blood from its claws.
"Mei!" Magda cried. "I want my grandma! I want my grandma!"
Mei looked across to Jebediah and Magda, her eyes streamed with emotion, and the sounds of the burning house and the snarling creatures died away for a moment.
Mei spoke a single word, both command and plea. It carried to Jebediah and her granddaughter, and burned itself into their souls forever.
"Go," she said.
Like a mother nursing her child, Mei gently pressed the bag to her chest, and the step mine inside erupted.
Jebediah yanked himself and Magda down into the tunnel. The explosion behind them blossomed up and out with a piercing roar. It disintegrated the house and all within with a light brighter than the sun.
Then, finally, all was silence and smoke.
Elsewhere, in a place with no fear or pain, angels took to bended knee and welcomed home their fiercest warrior. With honor.
Later, a few miles away, Jebediah, Ara, and Magda emerged from the sewers into the Warren. Jebediah glanced behind him to the bodyguard. Ara shook her head back at him. She was carrying Magda against her shoulder. The exhausted and grief-stricken girl had simply shut down and refused to walk further. Now she wept silently, and Ara held her quaking shoulders.
Jebediah led them through the strangely empty streets toward the only destination he could think of.
They rounded a corner and stopped short. They saw why the streets in the Warren were so empty.
An army of soldiers holding automatic weapons glowered into the Warren from the borders of the Caliber. Black-clad ardati stood g
rouped in small pockets and interspersed across the line. They created space between them and the rank and file, standing out like giants among men.
Armored military vehicles parked in supporting positions. Overhead assault helicopters roared down the line. Some spun and hovered with their cannons armed. Military radios crackled with orders loud enough to reach the escaping trio.
An edict had gone out from the authorities running the Caliber: Close the borders. Let no one enter from the Warren. The Caliber had mobilized the police and military for the greatest show of force in recent history.
Jebediah, Ara, and Magda stood in the shadow of a nearby building and stared quietly at the massed forces.
"My god, it's like every soldier in the Caliber," Ara said, her mind boggling at the sheer size of the army. "It's unreal."
Jebediah shook his head. "They're scared this conflict will spill from House Rakash into the rest of their precious city. And from what I can hear, they're none too happy with Rakash. There's still rules, even for the Caliber. One was to leave schools alone. I think the authorities may even want Dipak and his family taken down. But they don't want to get dirty in the process, and they don't want any of theirs hurt."
He looked up and down the line and cursed. "If the whole Scrounge was here, we couldn't force our way past that."
"What do we do, Jebediah?" Ara asked.
He stared at the massed soldiers with clenched jaws. Finally, he let out a deep breath and a frustrated grunt.
"We go to Flint's home," he replied.
Chapter 22
Flint threw open his apartment door and held his arms out for Magda. Ara handed over the sleeping girl, then followed Flint into his living room.
Flint's building sat close to the border of the Warren and the Caliber, and they'd been lucky enough to find it unblocked by the surrounding military force.
Flint carried the stricken girl and set her on his bed. He covered her with the gentle care of a father.
Ara and Jebediah dropped onto couches with a groan of exhaustion. They stared with unseeing eyes out the large windows toward the Wall of the Hinge. Neither spoke. The shock of events had finally caught up to them.
Ara allowed herself to cry, wrapping her arms tight around herself and seeming to fold in. She wept silently out of fear of waking Magda.
Jebediah watched her in silence. He had no comfort to provide her or anyone else. He, himself, was in a chasm of defeat and anger. He saw again the terribleness of Mei's sacrifice and his rage grew greater.
"We have to leave," cried Ara. "We can't stay here anymore. We need to take Magda and go."
"Go where?" he shot back, rougher than he intended. "I can't go anywhere. My son's only hope is the Hinge. And I'll be damned if Dipak Rakash gets away with what he's done. The bastard has to die."
"How? There's no one left. You're alone. He has an army." She shook her head.
Jebediah didn't respond. He turned to see Flint walk into the room. The broker stared at them both.
"What if you weren't alone?" Flint asked.
"I don't understand," said Jebediah.
Flint walked to a door next to them and opened it.
Raja Rakash walked into the room.
Jebediah stared in shock, then screamed "Kill you!" and charged at Raja.
Ara sprinted to the bedroom to get Magda.
But, suddenly, none of them could move.
They hung in the air, frozen in motion. Ara was stopped mid-stride down the hallway. Jebediah was hooking a fist at Raja's head, who in turn had his hands frozen about an inch from his knives. They all stayed aware of their surroundings but couldn't move.
A stillness and silence had entered the room, as if all noise were removed and replaced with a quiet peace.
Flint stood in the middle of them all. His voice broke the silence but the peaceful feeling remained.
"I think we should all calm down," he said. "I think you all have more in common than you might think. Here, let me show you."
Images sped through their minds. Jebediah and Ara saw the sacrifice Raja's mother made, and then witnessed the knifeman confront his sister and escape.
Raja saw Jebediah's son in the hospital, and then was shown Mei's death. He felt how it wounded the man and woman in front of him.
"Now then," said Flint. "We all know each other just a bit better. I'm going to release you all now, and trust I won't need to restrain you again. I assure you, there's nothing to fear here. Let's all be nice."
The three were suddenly able to move again.
Ara came back into the room but kept her distance from Raja. Jebediah backed away with his hands near his gun.
Raja stood with his hands on his knives and stared about, unperturbed by the attention.
Jebediah looked at Flint. "What the hell are you?" he asked.
"I'm Flint, silly," he said with a smile and flip of his hair. "And right now, I'm the voice of reason. Color me surprised. Ara's quite right. You stand no chance of stopping Dipak and Shira alone."
He turned to Ara. "And you, my dear, won't get anywhere without House Rakash being focused on something else. They're looking for you. We need something to distract them."
He looked at Raja, then walked over and patted the surprised man on the cheek. "Ah, my dear boy, you have had a day, haven't you? You mother, Sita, was truly one of a kind. I will miss her."
Flint shook his head with regret.
"You've all lost so much, haven't you? The life we live in the Hinge is better in many ways. But it is also very harsh. Self-reliance often is."
He looked to Jebediah. "You can continue to wallow in self-pity. Or, you can do what needs to be done. The authorities have barred you from passing into the Caliber. That is as far as they will involve themselves. There is deep disgust with House Rakash, and they'll receive no support from anyone. The Caliber will protect itself, but not them. Take your anger and direct it at Dipak and Shira."
Flint gestured to Raja. "You know House Rakash. And you have a way to get past the blockade and into the Caliber. If you and Jebediah join together, you have a chance of success."
"And now, you all know what the other has been through. Like it or not, you need each other. You are allies, if not friends."
Flint looked again at Ara. "They can give you the distraction you need. You must decide if you will stay or leave though."
Then Flint walked out the front door and left them all alone. Together.
Chapter 23
Jebediah and Raja stared at each other with wooden expressions.
Raja sat down into a nearby chair and cradled his head in his hands. Jebediah slumped back in the leather couch. No words were spoken between the two men, just the trading of an occasional glance.
Ara peered into the room with an uncertain stare. Magda had fallen into a fitful sleep, and Ara had laid with her for a few minutes, holding her like a baby. But when she tried to make herself sleep, though she was weary beyond belief, she couldn't keep her eyes closed. She'd finally gotten up and walked over to find the two men together.
She recognized the scene in front of her. She'd seen the look before in others, and it scared her to see it in these two. Their spirits were broken.
If they went into battle like this, their chances of survival dwindled to almost nothing. And she needed the two men to fight. She needed them to either cut the head off the serpent, or give her enough time to escape with Magda before they died. She'd failed Mei. She'd be damned if she'd fail her granddaughter.
"Go speak to them," said Flint in her ear.
She jumped and spun, surprised by his approach. He stood looking at her with an understanding and gentle look. She thought he would've made an excellent priest confessor, save for the rouged cheeks and smoky eye makeup.
"You move softly," she said.
"Really? I hadn't noticed. I suppose my mind is elsewhere. Magda is sleeping?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Good. And how are our boys?" Flint gestured i
nto the room.
She sighed. "Defeated."
He nodded. "They are. But you need them now, don't you? The deadly knife fighter and the grim gunslinger."
He turned to stare at her. "You and Magda need them. Because if they don't attack, the Rakash's will come after you both."
He took a step forward and put his face closer to hers. He whispered into her ear. "You know they'll probably be killed. But the delay bought by their lives will give you and Magda enough time to leave the Hinge."
"You see much," she whispered back.
"No Ara, I see all," he corrected, gesturing again to the men. "I see they're in pain. And if they go into a fight like this, they'll be dead in a matter of moments. But you know something about carrying pain, don't you?"
He looked at Ara and it was as if her soul was laid bare. He was talking about her childhood, though he'd have no way of knowing about it.
"I see you, Ara. I see you very well. There are times you are still a child running through a dark tunnel. Show them the way out. Lead them out of their despair."
Flint turned to leave. His arm brushed into hers and she gasped. Something like a current passed between them and suddenly, she knew things she had no earthly way of knowing. He walked away, leaving Ara alone again with just her thoughts.
She stood for a moment, torn with indecision. Then she sighed a deep breath and walked into the room.
"You're hurt?" she asked the men.
Both turned to her. She was framed in the doorway. One of her hands was trembling, opening and closing almost spastically. She pressed it against her jeans and held it there.
"You're in pain, Raja?" she asked.
His head came up from his crouched position. He pushed his hair out of his face and raised his eyebrows.
"Your loss is so terrible, so unjust. For all your skills, you couldn't save the one person who saw something good in you, besides your ability to swing a knife," she said.
Jebediah's Crime: A Heroic Supernatural Thriller (The Hinge Series Book 1) Page 19