Alan stood tensed as he examined the intruder. He was tall with an inviting smile and dark hair. His wardrobe’s elitist nature would have put any A-list celebrity to shame: a tailored buttoned-up shirt with a light blue vest and tight fitting slacks. A spatula covered in red sauce that reminded Alan of blood held poised in his right hand. Alan’s eyes widened as he examine the man’s feet. “Are those my slippers?”
“Oh, yes, my bad. My feet were killing me. I’m going to have to murder the shoe sales associate that pointed them out. By the way, these things are like walking on clouds, pure orthopedic bliss. Do you know if they come in Tiffany Blue?”
Alan’s face answered for him as the man moved the conversation along. “Well, enough about me. I hope you’re hungry. Dinner is about done. Let’s sit at the table like civilized folk.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is—well, you know all about this, Alan. Known by one name here a different one there. But since we are going to be such great friends, I’ll let you in on the secret and tell you. My real name is Dominic Drencher. ”
Dominic was talking so fast it took Alan a moment to realize what he said. “I need you to leave right now. Put my spatula down and step away from my stove.”
Dominic ignored Alan and instead turned back to the sizzling food. He opened cabinets and drawers as if he was in his own home. He ignored Alan’s demand as he plated dinner for two. “I’m going to overlook that rudeness and serve us instead.”
“If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the police.”
“Empty words, Goldilocks. You want the police here even less than I do.” Dominic picked up two plates loaded with food and walked past Alan towards the dinning room. “Follow me. You know you have to. I’m not leaving you much of an option. Once you’ve heard what I have to say, then I’ll leave.”
Alan’s slippers disappeared into the other room. Confusion more than anything festered in Alan’s mind. He wanted the strange man to leave but not as much as he wanted answers.
Alan had a strong feeling that this had something to do with Danielle and her crazy story about Angels. Before he could give it a second thought, Alan found himself walking to join Dominic at the table.
“There you are. I thought you’d come,” Dominic said.
The table was set, wine poured. On each plate was a generous helping of steak and spaghetti. His intruder wasted no time in opening his napkin and shoving food into his mouth.
Alan pushed his plate away as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Despite Dominic’s elegant appearance, his table manners were anything but proper. He stuffed fork load after fork load into his greedy mouth; what was worse, Dominic didn’t stop talking while he ate.
With a deep sigh and a mouth full of food he started. “So listen, I know you were visited tonight by that hot little number. She’s cute, right? Has that whole mousy, nerdy girl thing working for her. Anyway, she’s offering you answers and I’m sure she seems all sunshine and flowers but believe me, you don’t want to trust her.”
“Why not?”
Dominic let out a deep burp. “First off, her organization’s benefits are horrible. Practically no sick days and you can forget about holiday pay. I’m offering you a chance at real freedom. I have all the answers you’ve been looking for and an opportunity to join my organization.”
“I’m listening.”
“Are you going to eat that?” Dominic was pointing a dinner knife at the plate of food that sat in front of Alan.
“No, be my guest.”
Dominic licked his lips and accepted the plate from Alan. “Let’s see, where was I?”
“You said you had answers.”
“Oh, yes. Well, what did the doe-eyed beauty tell you?”
Alan thought back to the conversation with Danielle just hours before. Even as he spoke the words, it dawned on him for the dozenth time how ridiculous the whole thing sounded. “She said—she said that I’ve been chosen, that I’ve been given my power for a reason. She said that… Angels gave it to me.”
Dominic practically choked on his food. He reached for the glass of red wine in front of him and downed the entire serving before he shrugged. “Well, I guess they are in fact Angels. Although I wasn’t aware they were going by that name again and so freely telling others.”
“Again?”
“Yes, ready for story time, Mr. Price?” Dominic didn’t wait for a response, instead wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood from his chair. “On second thought, I’ve been at this long enough to know when someone is going to join me and when someone won’t. You’re not going to side with my organization no matter what I say. I should just kill you now.”
Alan was nervous and wary the entire dinner, now his muscles tensed again. Panic gripped his heart. He knew he should have gone as soon as he saw Dominic. Something inside, some moral compass warned him but like all the times before, he chose not to listen.
Alan’s heart was pounding in his ears. His hand made contact with the phone still in his pocket. Alan said a silent prayer as his right thumb blindly maneuvered around the face of the phone.
Alan stood trying to buy himself time. “You need to leave now.”
Dominic lifted his eyes to the ceiling and tilted his head side to side as he spoke aloud to himself. “But you did provide dinner and these ever so comfortable slippers. So, in all fairness I should probably let you off with a warning and beating. What do you say? That’s a fair trade, right? Your life for dinner and slippers.”
Alan had heard enough. With a twist of his hips, he was off. Sprinting out of the dining room, he called on his speed to deliver him from his intruder’s sadistic plan.
No one had ever been as fast as Alan. Nobody was capable of traveling at the speed his legs carried him. When Alan felt the grip on his shoulder, when Dominic’s hand twirled him around in a half circle, Alan couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
“Don’t tell me you thought you were the only one. Oh, you did?” Dominic laughed. “Let’s see if along with all those muscles you know how to fight.”
It was clear Alan didn’t, as fists connected with his face and torso. Alan tried putting up his hands. He tried holding Dominic back, it was useless: his attacker was too strong. Along with extraordinary speed, Dominic was stronger than anyone Alan had ever encountered.
Alan’s mind flashed back to the night he fell from the building. The beating he took at the hands of Brent Carson and his lackeys at the school dance. Even now with all of his money and speed, history was repeating itself.
In the span of a few seconds, the fight was over. Blood ran down Alan’s forehead and mouth. He could taste the bitter metallic tang as his own blood hit his taste buds. His ribs ached with pain indicating they were either severely bruised or broken. Alan was struggling to make it to his feet when another vicious strike connected with his left temple.
“Apparently, you still have a lot of growing to do,” Dominic said stepping away from his victim. Alan looked up through blue eyes and strands of his long hair to see Dominic cleaning his own blood off his hands. “When she comes and tries to make everything better, tell her I said, ‘Hello’.”
Already on his knees, Alan couldn’t hold himself up. His vision was blurring and Dominic’s voice came in and out. Without any control over his body, he fell face first onto the kitchen tile. The last thing Alan remembered seeing was a pair of slipper-clad feet walking away.
Chapter 24
There was a beep and then another and another and another. Alan opened his eyes, saved from a nightmare he couldn’t remember. He was lying in his bed. To his left a heart rate monitor beeped along at a steady pace.
At once the events leading up to his unconsciousness overwhelmed him. He sat straight up in bed immediately regretting the decision. His face and upper body felt like they had been put through a meat grinder. Alan grunted and fell back into his pillows as blinding pain exploded in his head.
The heart rate monitor spiked
at Alan’s actions and the beeping sped up in tempo. Alan closed his eyes trying to take in deep breaths, hoping that would calm the monitor and pain. It didn’t.
As he was staring at the ceiling, he heard his door open. Alan craned his neck forward despite the pain. Danielle walked towards him with a frown. “How are you feeling?”
Anger rose in Alan’s chest. He didn’t know why, but he blamed Danielle for what happened to him. “How am I feeling? I feel like some psychotic chef broke into my place and beat the snot out of me while wearing my slippers.”
Danielle’s eyes widened behind her glasses, “Okay then, not sure I deserved that one but you’ve been through a lot. I get it—misdirected anger.”
Alan stared at her already regretting his snarky remark. “What happened to me? Who was that guy?”
“I got here as soon as I heard the conversation over the phone. Smooth move calling me, by the way. From the muffled voices, I guess I was in your pocket?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice. By your description of the man who did this to you, it was probably Dominic Drencher.”
“Who was he? What did he want with me?”
“He’s part of our rival organization—“
Alan couldn’t take all the talk of “organizations” anymore. Not when Danielle had already told him they were dealing with Angels. “Enough with the organization talk. I can’t believe I’m saying this—we’re talking about Angels and demons, right?”
Half of Alan already knew the answer; the other half wished that this was all some kind of sick, twisted dream. He wasn’t so lucky.
“Yes, however there is so much you don’t yet know.”
“Then tell me!” Alan hadn’t meant to yell; still his frustration demanded he do so.
Danielle gently began removing the heart monitor from Alan’s chest. Sticky pads gently released their adhesive grip on his fair skin. “I’m going to take you to speak with someone who wants to meet you. He’ll explain everything. I promise. I also want to show you something now to start preparing you for the conversation you’re going to have.”
Alan looked at her, confusion written across his face. “I don’t think I’m in any kind of condition to travel anywhere right now.”
“I would agree,” Danielle said. “You know how you have the gift of speed?”
Alan nodded wondering if she was going to say that she had the same gift and was going to carry him somewhere.
“Well, I also have my own set of gifts. One of them is healing. I wanted you awake for this so you would believe me. You don’t strike me as the type to take things on faith. Hold still.”
Alan couldn’t believe his ears. He felt his body flinch as Danielle put her hands on his left bicep.
“Don’t worry, this won’t hurt.”
Alan felt far from reassured. Bare-chested, Alan looked down on his torso for the first time. Mean looking bruises of green and black fought for real estate against his skin. His body was a canvas of dark splotches and pain.
Goose bumps rose as Danielle closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. At first, Alan felt nothing. His body ached just as it had since he woke and his head throbbed like someone was beating on it with a hammer.
Then things started to change. Alan felt warmth radiating out of Danielle’s hands, spreading from his arm to the rest of his body. Heat came off her and pushed back the pain that coursed through his chest and head. It was the same kind of heat that Alan experienced when he ran.
For the first time in a very long time, Alan felt happy. A safeness that he couldn’t explain was slowly wrapping itself around him. Alan’s eyes widened as he visibly saw bruises fading.
The ache in his chest was lessening and the warmth spread to his head. Instead of a throbbing headache, Alan felt calm and relaxed. A few moments later when Danielle lifted her hands from his arm, Alan debated asking her for more.
He looked at her with awe and a newfound respect. She took a careful step back away from the bed and let out a deep breath. The slightest hint of sweat glistened across her brow.
“Does healing hurt you?”
Danielle opened her eyes and shook her head. “No, but it’s work. Imagine lifting a heavy weight. The harsher the injury, the heavier the weight I have to lift. You should be healed now. I hate having to make you wait for answers. Just trust me, you’ll have them soon. Come on. Let’s get you ready, Michael is waiting.”
Chapter 25
“He’s in there?”
“All the way at the top. You’ll need to get access to the roof.”
Alan suddenly felt uncomfortable. “And you’re not coming?”
Danielle shook her head. “Sorry, this is your time for answers. I went through the same thing. I’ll be here waiting for you when you’re done.”
Alan looked out of the car window at the tall corporate building. From the outside it seemed as if the structure was made entirely of steel and glass. Sunrays reflected off the windows making Alan squint to see the top of the building.
“Don’t be scared, he’s on our side.”
Alan looked back at Danielle with every intention of lying and telling her he wasn’t scared, instead he asked, “Is Michael a—a—“ he was still having a hard time bringing himself to say the word.
“Yes, but it’s not like he looks any different from you or me.”
Alan nodded, gathered his courage and opened the door. It was a short walk up the stone steps and into the large ground floor. A security desk was stationed at the front with a long aisle of elevators on either wall of the wide room.
Alan tensed, the building looked too much like the building the wind had pushed him off the first night he learned he had abilities.
Alan forced his legs forward as people walked to and from the elevators. Most of the building’s inhabitants wore trendy suits. All but a few were busy either talking on their phone or looking down at handheld devices.
Alan entered an elevator clogged with suits and briefcases. There were 107 floors. To Alan’s frustration, it seemed the elevator was set on making him visit each and every one. The ride up gave Alan time to think about what he had just seen and what he was doing. I can’t believe she healed you like that. This is so far beyond what I thought was possible. But really what did you expect? You can run at the speed of sound. If someone came to you and told you that you were an alien or a mutant, would that make more sense? Would you accept that?
Alan struggled with these thoughts and more as the steel box passed floor after floor. After what seemed like an eternity of bad elevator music, Alan reached the building’s top story. He was the only passenger riding the elevator at that point.
The doors dinged open and Alan found himself walking down a well-kept hallway. No sound, no chatter of voices on phones or clicks of shoes on wooden floor, nothing.
Alan walked down the hall passing empty office after empty office looking for the stairwell that would lead him to the roof. After peaking in and out of a few empty offices, he found the door he needed. The door was marked with the figure of a small man walking up a set of stairs.
Alan opened the exit and made his way up the last two flights of stairs to the rooftop entrance. He placed a hesitant palm on the long silver latch. He took a deep breath and walked outside.
It was bright, compared to the inside of the stairwell. Alan blinked to get his eyes used to the sun’s harsh rays. No wind pressed against him ushering him yet another descent to the street below, for that he was thankful. The building already reminded him enough of the one he had fallen off four years ago. The last thing he needed was to be tossed around by the wind again.
Eyes adjusted, Alan looked around the roof. It was a forest of air conditioning pipes and vents. Every few feet another metal outlet or steel topped pipe rose from the ground. Across the long rooftop Alan spotted what his brain told him couldn’t be possible. He blinked and squinted against his rational thought process. It was still there, a large brown desk.
Alan slowl
y put one foot in front of the other. He looked down only for the briefest of moments to make sure of his footing. He was afraid if he took his eyes off the desk it would disappear.
As he got closer, the rough image of the desk took on more shape. It wasn’t just any desk; it was a large dark brown wooden desk with gold drawings. The pictures were amazing. Images of clouds, stars and planets played across the desk as if they were in motion. Behind the desk, a high-backed chair faced away from Alan.
Alan reached the desk and stared as the chair slowly turned. A middle-aged man with wavy brown hair and eyes that spoke of wisdom stood and extended a hand. “Hello, Mr. Price. It is so good to finally meet you.”
Alan’s mouth was dry. Not only was he talking to someone sitting at a desk on a rooftop, but also the man who was extending a hand was clearly not of this world. Alan forced his right palm forward and shook the stranger’s hand.
“My name is Michael. Danielle briefly told me that you are skeptical. That’s to be expected, I know it is a lot to take in. Please sit.”
Michael’s handshake was firm without being aggressive. There was the complete opposite feeling coming from him than Alan felt when meeting Dominic Drencher the night before.
Alan broke the handshake. “Sit? Sit where?” The question faded almost down to a whisper as Alan looked behind him to see a chair where there had not been one just moments before. He twisted his head back towards Michael giving him a wary look.
Michael smiled from his eyes to his mouth, “Sorry, too soon? I couldn’t resist. You should see the look on your face right now. Please sit. I have your answers for you.”
Alan nodded and settled into the comfortable leather chair.
“I’ll start at the beginning for you, Alan,” Michael said as he too took a seat. He leaned forward with both elbows on the desk, hands clasped together. A hint of mirth in his green eyes said that he could be trusted. “After that, if you have any questions I’d love to answer them all. Would you like to hear the story with affects or without affects?”
Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Page 6