Antecedent

by Susan Stumpf

Wu! Oh no, Wu! I wasn't sure if Li was badly hurt or not, so I dialed 911 on my cell phone and handed it to him. I ran out the door after Wu, the seed hunters, and Bo. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know which way they went. I couldn't run as fast as a vampire and I knew that, but it didn't matter.

  It was completely dark outside except for the light poles scattered down the street. I thought I saw Bo turn beside the country store down the road, and I took off after him. I turned the corner to find a dark alley. I didn't care, they took Wu and I was going to get him back. I stumbled over a few obstacles on the ground that I couldn't identify in the dim light. I was relieved when I finally made it to the end.

  The back sides of the stores were very dimly lit. I looked around and saw no one. I stood there in the dark not hearing anything but the pounding of my own heart. Then, the sound of a glass bottle moving across the ground; I took off after it. Four more stores down I stopped to listen again. I heard a rustle down the alley next to the abandoned shopette.

  This alley was even darker than the last, I couldn't see anything at all. I tripped and bumped into things that I didn't even know were there. My arm scraped against something course and scratchy. Something sharp caught my bracelet and it broke and fell. Oh no! That was the bracelet Bo had given me for Christmas. I bent down to find it and, of course, bumped my head on whatever it was that I scraped my arm on. I felt around like a blind person, my hands painting a picture of the things my eyes couldn't see. Ok, it was a wooden pallet that I'd bumped into. I felt around on the ground? ew ew ew something slimy, gross! Then moving fur brushed my arm, and I screamed. It was something furry and alive, oh, it was a gigantic rat I just knew it. I stood up, stepped backward, tripped, and fell. My hand landed on a hard sharp object that punctured my skin. I kept feeling around for my bracelet, giant man-eating rat or not, I wasn't leaving without it. I really wish I had my cell phone. I could have used it for light and found my bracelet in two seconds then been on my way.

  I heard a low growling sound, holy crap, giant man-eating rat was angry. I slowly stood up and backed away but backed into something, no someone. They reached out and grabbed me and I screamed again.

  "What the hell are you doing, Em?"

  "Bo?! Oh, thank God!"

  "Watch out, there's a giant man-eating rat over there!" I warned.

  "Ahh yeah, Em, that's a dog."

  "A dog, are you sure?"

  Bo walked away from me and the growling got louder, more ferocious, then a whimper and silence. He walked back over to me, "Come on, let's go."

  "No, I dropped my bracelet, we have to find it!"

  Bo bent down then placed the bracelet in my hand.

  "What were you doing down this dark alley?" he asked.

  "I was coming to help you. I saw you run down this way."

  "Well, that was really stupid, Em."

  I ignored his insult "Did you catch them?"

  "No," he said. "I lost them."

  "Well come on, we have to find them!" I shouted.

  "Where are we going to go, Em? We don't know where they are, we don't know where they're going. There's nothing we can do!"

  "No! There has to be something we can do! We have to do? something!"

  I grabbed Bo's arm and grazed his bare chest, I'd forgotten he was only half-dressed. He must be freezing. He didn't have shoes on either. I guess he was as desperate to get Wu back as I was.

  We walked back to the shop and there were two cop cars parked out front. I knew Bo would stay clear until they left. One of the guys looked like Officer Phil 'I wanna date you' Matthews himself, so I thought it best if I stayed clear also. Bo was able to get to my car quickly and pick me up down the street without anyone noticing. We went to my place to clean up. Bo licked the cut on my hand from where I fell. It was small, but I wasn't going to object. Something that seemed so strange before now had become something so sensual. I got chills as he licked my hand and sucked on my pinky and ring finger.

  "Oh Bo, your feet are covered in blood!"

  "Yes, I know. I wanted to tend to your wounds first," He said.

  "Sit down, I'll go get you a towel and water."

  I went into the kitchen and got a bowl of warm water and a towel and came back into the living room. I was seriously turned on, but seeing Bo sitting in the living room chair licking his own feet really killed the mood for me. Then there was a knock at the door. I set the stuff down in front of Bo and walked toward the door. There was another loud banging knock before I got there. I unlocked and opened the door. It was Brian.

  "Ok Em, what the hell is going on, and don't you dare say nothing?"

  He handed me a bag of Chinese food and I just looked down at it and started crying. I knew it was completely prejudice of me to think of Wu when Brian handed me the Chinese food, but I couldn't help it.

  "You're freaking me out, Em! There are bloody footprints leading to your door. Are you ok?"

  "I'm fine," I said sniffing back my tears. I had no idea how to explain the bloody footprints away. As for how I was, I wasn't sure how to explain that either. Usually, I can think quickly when on the spot, but this time, I had nothing.

  "My friend Wu?he, he's?"

  "He's dead." We both heard from the living room. I thought for sure Bo would disappear like he usually did but he was still sitting there in the chair, at least he'd stopped licking his feet.

  "You don't know that, we could find him," I started. "We could?"

  "Em, keep your mouth shut," Bo interrupted.

  "Listen here, pimp!" Brian said stepping past me. "I think Em can say whatever the hell she wants in her own house. And just who the hell are you anyway?"

  "Em, get rid of him please," Bo said, looking annoyed.

  "Look, Brian, maybe?" I started.

  "Oh heeeell no," Brian said as he sat right down on the couch and crossed his arms.

  Sitting there, arms covered in tattoos, blue hair peeking out of his hat turned backward in his heavy metal band t-shirt. Most people would find Brian intimidating, but I knew Bo didn't.

  "So who is this cat and why are you letting him talk to you like that, Em?" Brian asked.

  "Brian, this is my boss, and Bo, as you already know, this is Brian."

  "Whoa?this is Bo?" Brian asked. "I knew it! You've been bangin' your boss."

  Brian then turned to Bo, I guess taking on the brother role in my life? "Dude, do you love her? Cause if you break her heart I'll jack you up."

  "I highly doubt that," Bo said arrogantly.

  "Listen here, pimp?" Brian started.

  "AAAAGHHH!!! Both of you SHUT UP!" I screamed. Both men looked at me like I might kill them both.

  "Just shut up!" I repeated, and I walked out of the room.

  "Geez, what's gotten into her?" I heard Brian ask.

  "She's just stressed out," Bo replied.

  Seriously, they were going to talk about me while I was gone like there was something wrong with me. Five seconds ago they were arguing like they were about to take it outside and beat on each other like Neanderthals.

  I walked back into the room with a bottle of wine I had no intentions of sharing.

  "Hey listen, Em," Brian said cautiously "I'm really sorry about your friend?that was Jet Li right? He was?"

  "No!" I interrupted. "No talking! Everybody just be quiet!"

  I knew I was being rude, but I didn't care. I had a horrible headache from banging my head on the pallet earlier, and the guys had just made the bad situation of losing Wu worse by arguing and just being, well?guys.

  I turned the TV on and didn't bother trying to find something good to watch. I just left it on the current channel and sat there drinking my bottle of wine. Brian and I ate some of the Chinese food he'd brought over. Bo of course refused. He excused himself to go upstairs where he managed to find some of his own clothes left here on occasion or borrowed by me here and there, but he was still shoeless.

  I ended up falling asleep before whatever movie we were watching wa
s over. I never got into it, it was some alien sci-fi flick, but I was happy for the distraction. I've always reacted to depression with sleep. Anger and anxiety kept me awake but depression was a sleeping pill for me. When my parents died, I slept for almost a week straight. Aunt Eileen even took me to the doctor, who told her it was just shock. I slept for days when she died as well. Brian's voice woke me a bit and had me teetering between the dream world and waking.

  "You never answered my question, Bo?Do you love her?"

  "I care about her," Bo answered.

  "But you don't love her?"

  "No."

  I was fully awake now, but I kept my eyes closed so I could listen to their conversation about me.

  "Do you have any intentions of loving her?" Brian asked.

  Bo snickered. To Brian, this must have seemed a rude, contemptuous gesture, but I understood. Bo claimed to be incapable of love.

  "No, I guess not," Bo answered.

  "Then why don't you walk away," Brian suggested. "Bow out dude. She's had enough disappointment and heartache in her life, don't you think? She lost her parents and her Aunt. She's head over heels in love with you, you see that don't you? Don't be something else she's going to have to survive."

  I wanted to sit up and object. I wanted to grab onto Bo so he would never leave me, and I kind of wanted to smack Brian. I knew he was only trying to protect me because he was a good friend, but he didn't understand I needed Bo. Bo was perfect for me, he would never die, he would never leave me like my parents or my Aunt. I wanted to say and do all those things but I sat there very still, listening to how the rest of the conversation would go. Had I known the conversation was over perhaps I would've jumped up and said all those things. I didn't hear Bo get up but the next thing he said was: "Tell Em I borrowed her car, hmm." I sat up at the sound of the door shutting. He was gone.

  "Hey, sorry we woke you. Seems like you've had a pretty rough day, why don't you go on to bed and I'll clean up down here."

  "Ok Bri, thanks."

  "Oh, and Bo said he was going to borrow your car."

  "Ok," I said as I climbed the stairs even more depressed than before. In bed, I let the sleepy cloud of depression envelop me.