by Alan Janney
“What are you doing here?” Natalie North asked, smiling.
“Yes, what are you doing here?” Hannah asked, her voice sharp and her eyes narrowing. “You’re part of the reason he’s in this hospital bed.”
“I know,” Tank nodded his head humbly. “That’s why I’m here. I came to see how he’s doing, and to offer my apologies.”
“How do you all know Tank?” Natalie asked.
Natalie knew Tank?? My eyes darted to Katie. Tank’s eyes did too. Katie looked around at all of us, but her demeanor held no spark of recognition. She had no idea her kidnapper had just entered. The secrets in the room were growing exponentially.
“How do you know Tank, Natalie North?” Hannah asked.
“Tank looks familiar,” Katie said, smiling at the newcomer.
He laughed and entered the room. He was on crutches! I hadn’t noticed.
“Tank lives in my apartment building,” Natalie explained. “On the floor below me. We’ve been buddies for a couple years now.”
Tank and I locked eyes again. Whoa! The truth was now open to each of us. So that’s why he brought Katie to that building. He lived there! What a colossal mistake. Perhaps Tank wasn’t the evil genius he pretended. That error could easily come back to ruin him. But at the same time, that explained how Tank escaped so easily last night; he just crawled home.
Natalie North asked, “What happened to your ankle, Tank?”
“He happened,” Tank said and he nodded towards me. His hands, gripping the crutch handles, were covered in white gloves. “I broke my ankle chasing him.”
“Oh,” Katie said. “You play for Patrick Henry?”
“I do,” he smiled at her. “Do you attend Hidden Spring?”
“Yes,” she smiled back.
Don’t smile at him!!
Tank said, “Then we’re rivals.”
“Arch-enemies,” Katie corrected him and they both laughed. Katie! I wanted to shout. He kidnapped you! This is not funny!
“Anyway,” Tank said. “I just had my ankle reset and wrapped in this cast.” He lifted his foot so we could all see his green cast, which gave me a small amount of satisfaction. “Before my parents drive me home, though, I wanted to come see the superhero, Chase Jackson, and apologize.”
“For what…exactly?” I grunted.
“I know some of the Dragons took cheap shots on you,” he said as he crutched closer to the bed. “Football games shouldn’t end with a player in the hospital. I apologize.”
“You also hurt Andy Babington,” Hannah pointed out.
“Extend my condolences to the backup quarterback,” Tank told her coldly.
“I’m tired,” Natalie North yawned. “Tank, I’m going to go find your parents and hitch a ride home with them.”
“Be delighted to have you,” Tank said.
Katie told Natalie, “I’ll walk you out.”
“Nice to have met you,” Natalie called to Hannah, and at the doorway her gaze rested on me. We locked eyes for a heartbeat longer than necessary and a little frown creased her forehead. But then it passed. “I hope you feel better,” she told me, waving on her way out. Hannah raised herself up and followed them to the door. All three girls left.
Tank and I regarded each other in silence, alone for the moment.
“Looks like I won round two, PJs,” he rumbled like thunder.
“But you’re still ugly,” I pointed out.
“I know your secret, and you know mine,” he said. He whacked me in the chest with his big stupid hand. It took my breath away. “It appears we are yet again at an impasse.”
“I beat you before,” I coughed. “And I’ll beat you again. And ouch. Stop being so big and ugly and stupid.”
“I told you,” he smiled. “I told you. I’m your ultimate nemesis. And I’ll see you soon.”
On his way back to the door, he stopped, wavered, and fell against the wall. He put his hand to his head and clenched his eyes. Why did he keep having sudden headaches? Why did we both have them?
“Tank, out of curiosity,” I croaked. “Did the doctor’s test your blood levels?”
“What?” he asked through grinding teeth.
“Is your adrenaline level really high? And testosterone? And do you keep having headaches and stomachaches?”
He said nothing. But he did stare at me for a long time. Could he and I both be sick? With the same illness? Eventually he turned and crutched his way through the door. Gone.
“Baby, you look awful,” Hannah said, coming back in and smoothing my hair. “I shouldn’t have let so many people in. Especially not this late. I’m sorry.”
I could only nod. We rested in silence for a while as I recovered and eventually Katie walked back in. She wore a beautiful smile.
“I hate to admit it,” Hannah said. “But that Tank is a handsome guy.”
“What?” I coughed. “He is?”
“Oh yeah,” Katie said, nodding. “Gorgeous.” I groaned but no sound emitted. “Natalie North told me he’s super rich. His parents actually own the apartment building they live in.”
“That is rich,” Hannah agreed, and she grinned at Katie. “You look awfully happy.”
Katie just shrugged, but her goofy, beautiful smile only widened.
“What?” Hannah asked. “Why are you smiling? Spill your secrets.”
“Tank gave me his phone number,” she said bashfully. “He asked if he could take me out on a date.”
“NO!” I shouted but no sounds came out. It was a silent shout. The two girls didn’t even notice my reaction. My heart rate monitor started to race.
“Nice, Katie! What did you say?” Hannah gushed.
“Sure, why not?”
I could think of a million reasons why not! But I couldn’t express a single one. I felt…weird. My feet began pressing against the bed’s footboard. Was I getting taller??
“You two will make a drop-dead dazzling couple,” Hannah told her. “This reminds me. I had never met Tank before tonight, but now I remember. My friends had been discussing him. Have you heard the rumor about Tank?”
“Which rumor?” Katie asked.
“There’s speculation on the internet that Tank Ware is really the Outlaw. He’s certainly big enough,” Hannah observed.
“I know! I read those websites too!” Katie laughed. “I didn’t want to say anything, though.”
NO! With this fresh nightmarish revelation, my blood pressure cuff burst and began leaking air. Both girls were too involved to notice. I could actually see my body swelling.
“You should ask Tank if he’s the Outlaw. On your date,” Hannah encouraged.
“Do you think he’d admit it?” Katie asked. “Even if he was the Outlaw? What do you think, Chase?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. I could barely hear them over the drum beat of power inside of me, making my heart rate monitor grow louder and louder like an alarm.
The End
Epilogue.
Los Angeles Times. March 1st.
“Interview with the Outlaw.” By Teresa Triplett.
(Continued from Front Page)
“What message?” I repeat when he doesn’t respond. The man in the mask has been standing as still as a statue, like he’s thinking or listening to the cosmos, for almost a full minute. Does he remember I’m on this rooftop with him? What do men like this dream about? “Who is your message for? And are you really dying?”
“I’m not the only one,” he whispers behind his mask, almost as if to himself. His words are caught up in the city noise and I’m unsure if I understood him correctly.
“You’re not the only what?”
“There are others,” he says, and he pins me motionless with his eyes. “Like me. Lots of them. And they’re already here. And we’re all in danger.”
The Outlaw’s Story Continues in
Infected
Available Now!
Author’s Note:
Thank you to my lovely wife Sarah for ind
ulging this life-long dream.
Many thanks to my parents for letting me write/practice on their computer for so many hours during my triumphant and awkward teenage years.
Thank you to my test readers (Sarah, Larry, Debbie, Zach, Anne, Liz, Becky, Will, etc.) for your many insights.
To the readers in Los Angeles…please forgive the creative liberties taken with the city.
Alan Janney…
-lives in Virginia with his family
-used to teach high school English (brilliantly so)
-leads Young Life
-invites you to consider Colossians 2:2-3 “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so they may have the full riches of complete understanding, to know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”