Violence & Variations

by Thomas Shaw

  David wasn't satisfied but couldn't be bothered arguing. He smiled and bowed his head in agreement.

  “What about all that weird shit that was in that room?” Sam asked from across the room.

  “Ramblings of a mad man” Richards sighed, “I'm guessing him murdering that poor woman broke him mentally. Killing someone is not something you can easily accept” The team bowed their heads and after a small pause, Richards smiled and stood up, “Look, go home, get some rest and if there’s anything we need from one another, we have our man here” Richards raised a hand towards John who was stood by his side. He didn't turn around, he just kept looking outside, watching the rain smacking against the window.

  2.9

  A week passed, and there was no word from DarkWatch. Every time David called anyone at headquarters, he was always told that 'nothing had been found', or that the strange pictures and writing they had found was just 'insane nonsense’. He knew he was being lied to, but he wasn't too bothered. Anthony was dead, all his robots were defeated and, apart from a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, he and his friends were all ok.

  It was a Sunday and David was putting the last box of Sam's stuff in his car to take to his new apartment. Sam was already in the car, trying to hook his phone up with David’s cars music system. David got in, closed the door behind him and put on his seat belt. He looked over at what Sam was doing.

  "Need a hand?" he asked with a chuckle.

  Sam grunted, "No. I'll get it in a minute. I was happier with my old phone. I can't work these ones"

  "Don't complain. Your other one was smashed up in the fight, just be grateful DarkWatch just gave you a new one"

  A few taps later and rap music started blaring out of the speakers. David pulled a displeased face and turned it down. Sam looked happy with himself, "And now we can go"

  "We need to hurry. We're running late as it is"

  They walked into the restaurant, the same one David and John had gone to after their first encounter with Anthony.

  Amy, Laura and John were already sat down, menus in hand. Amy peered over the top of hers and her eyes met with David’s. She smiled and over enthusiastically waved them over. David took a seat, followed by Sam, who grabbed a menu of the neighboring table.

  "Eve not coming then?" David asked John. He shook his head

  "Shame, we need to let her know we're gonna look after her man" Amy winked at John who nudged her with his shoulder.

  "It's my job to look after you guys remember"

  David got the waiters attention and ordered drinks and food. David, sitting across from Laura, started folding his napkin up, not paying attention to the others talk about superpowers and costumes. He finished his folding and held up an origami swan. He placed it on the table and flicked it towards Laura, who was also ignoring the others and was just looking at her menus laid on the table. The swan landed on her menu and she looked up at David. She smiled, but her eyes had pain behind them.

  They all ate and talked and drank until late. John got a call from Eve asking him to come home so he left first. Soon after Amy said she had to leave too and dragged Sam with her. He wasn't finished with his drink but she made him go. As she walked out she nodded in Laura's direction to David, who raised an eyebrow at her.

  "Seems we've been abandoned" David said to, but not looking at, Laura.

  Laura nodded, "Seems so". There was a brief silence, save for the music playing over the speakers and the chattering of the other customers, "I do forgive you. But it still hurts"

  David looked at her, "Then you haven't truly forgiven me, have you"

  "I have David, honestly. I understand you feel you had to do what you did, but it doesn't stop hurting after how you did it. Why didn't you just talk?"

  David thought for a moment, he wanted to say the right words, to try to find a way to explain that he had a good reason why he acted like he did. But he couldn't find any, David knew he had acted stupidly, had acted without thinking and hurt someone, ironically because he didn't want to hurt them. He took a breath, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have done it like that. I should've talked to you, helped you understand. I thought I was acting in the safest way"

  "If you've talked to me, you'd have seen more, seen that I'm just as vulnerable as any other person. My water abilities don’t make me any more of a risk than anyone else"

  David’s heart was racing, "Laura, our relationship was never going to last. In the two years we were together we never had sex, because I was afraid of what would happen if I lost control"

  "Sex isn't ever-"

  "I know it's not everything" David interrupted, he was letting it all come out now, "But it's a big part of a relationship. I said I was waiting till we got married, what happened once we got married? What would happen if we got in an argument and I just started shooting lightning bolts out everywhere?"

  "Has that ever happened before?" Laura asked.

  David nodded, "Once"

  Laura sat back in her seat and rubbed her cheeks and then jaw with one hand, "What I was going to say is that I've let it go. It's alright, you're forgiven" she reached her hand out and placed it on his. We were friends before, let's just go back to that"

  David smiled. He could see in her eyes she was being honest. The one thing Laura could never do was lie to him, he could tell by looking into her eyes, "Thank you"

  Laura sat back and grinned, "Now, go get some beers in, and let's enjoy this night"

  Epilogue

  Late night at DarkWatch headquarters, Mike Richards sat at his desk, mug of coffee in his hand. His desk was littered with papers and files, all about Anthony. He was fixated on a photo taken at Anthony's hideout. It was the big chunk of text that had been etched into the wall. To anyone else, it would look like mad ramblings, but certain words jumped out of the huge block of text. Words like ‘Hastur’, ‘Old Ones’ and although it was spelt incorrectly, the word ‘Niarlotep’.

  Richards removed his reading glasses and pressed a button on his desk phone.

  “Jamie. Get me the black file on Miskatonic please” His eyes fell on the empty bottle of scotch across the room, “And another bottle. After tonight I think I'm going to need it”