by Pozel, Derek
“Please don’t,” Zoe said. “Please don’t kill him.”
“I never said I was going to kill him,” Garrett bit his lip and looked away. “Is that how people see me now, a killer? Well, he used me like I was a damn tool. He took away my humanity for over two years.”
“I can’t believe it. My dad would never use an Afflicted for their powers,” Zoe spun around to face Greg. “He has done so much for the Afflicted.”
“Greg is it true?” Zoe said.
“He would if he was afraid of their powers,” Garrett said.
Greg hung his head. “Yes, your father used him after he was captured. He lied to us. I should have told you, but I didn’t think he’d show up here with your past in an envelope.” He held up the stack of photos.
She let go of Garrett and took a step back. “I can’t believe it. He’s a hero. He’s a great man who has sacrificed so much for us.”
“I know he has,” Greg said. “He did it to protect you Zoe and the city. I don’t agree with it either, but this fight is now between them. I don’t know how your father took you in or what happened to you. But we’ll find out ok?”
Greg took her into his arms. “We’ll figure this out together.”
Garrett watched the display of affection and the room grew larger and colder than it did before. “Time to go,” he whispered.
Greg nodded.
“You have some things to talk about,” Garrett said. “I wish I could tell you more, you’re not ready yet. I don’t know everything yet myself. Talk to Walter.”
Garrett winked at Greg. “Until we meet again, hopefully there will be no stabbing or cutting next time.” He patted his chest and walked to the front door. His Emma is gone and Zoe was meant for another, he thought.
“Wait!” Zoe raced to the door. “Thank you for risking coming here and telling me who I am and for saving my best friend.”
“Don’t thank me,” Garrett said. “I don’t deserve it. I failed you when I let go of your hand to watch Patriot.” Garrett brought his hand up to his mouth. “You were my best friends, my first love and I let you down.”
“I was your first love?” Zoe’s lips quivered when she said the words.
“Yes,” Garrett could not look her in the eyes. “That’s why I did what I did. Who is your best friend?”
Zoe wiped her red-rimmed eyes. “Valkyrie, you saved her life and you can save yourself. You don’t have to do anything.”
“I guess it is a small world after all,” Garrett said.”Tell her I said thank you. I heard her talking to me when I was in the hospital, telling me to hang on. I don’t know why she did after what I did to Granite. But tell her I said thank you, please.”
“I will,” Zoe said. “Or you can tell her yourself.”
Garrett marveled at her persistence, it seemed to be a family trait.
“I’d love to, I can’t though,” Garrett said. “I have things I have to take care of first.”
Garrett stopped and reached for the doorknob and turned it halfway. “I’m sorry for dumping all this on you.” Garrett opened the door and looked over his shoulder. He could still not believe Emma was right there, a few feet away in the arms of another man.
“Goodbye,” Garrett’s throat felt dry when he tried to force the words.
Zoe lowered her eyes, “Goodbye, Garrett.”
Greg stood behind Zoe and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Garrett, he’s waiting for you. You should run or turn yourself over to the AIA. They can protect you.”
“I’m not a runner,” Garrett said. “Everyone wants me to run. I have done it all my life. The only time I have an ounce of courage is when I am fighting one of you people. Someone has to keep you heroes in line.”
Garrett raised his left arm and made a tight fist. “It’s my gift and my curse.”
“What happened to Emma?” Greg asked. “What made you turn from the happy boy in those pictures?”
Garrett lowered his head. “What do you think happened? What do you think would make me go after the Assembly? You know the answer to the question.”
Garrett stepped out into the hallway and he heard the scream from Zoe’s mouth.
“All you do is cause pain, it’s the only thing you’re good for,” he said while he walked down the hall. Every step took him away from the perfect life he corrupted.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A bead of sweat dripped down the side of the glass while the ice cubes floated about in the murky brown liquid. Rays of sunlight peeked through the trees as the silence of spring slept in the air. Tall hedges formed a protective barrier around the square backyard. The large two story red bricked home cast a long shadow across the tan paver stone patio. A heavyset man sat alone in a lounge chair with a drink in hand. He raised the glass to his lips and gulped the cool liquid down his throat. A rusty squeak broke the serenity in the backyard.
His eyes slid in the direction of the gate and he coughed up his drink.
Walter’s eyes opened wide. “Hello, Patriot,” Walter watched the superhero stroll into his backyard. Patriot wore loose gray slacks and a white button up long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up below his elbow.
“Sorry for stopping by like this Walter. I was in the neighborhood,” Patriot pulled up a chair from the patio table and sat beside Walter.
“I thought I’d pay you a visit, to see how you’re doing.” Patriot said.
“I doubt it, I haven’t seen or heard from you in a year,” Walter took another sip from his glass and placed it back on the table.
Patriot relaxed in the chair. “I’ve been busy since you abandoned us. I thought you quit drinking after you gave up your gift?” Patriot said with venom in his voice.
“Its ice tea,” Walter said through his teeth. “What can I do for you old friend? I don’t think you stopped by to say hello.”
Patriot chuckled and crossed his arms across his muscled chest. “I was out driving, clearing my head and I thought I’d pay an old friend a visit.” He glanced around the yard. “Looks like you kept everything in order back here after Elizabeth’s passing.”
“It keeps me busy and out of trouble,” Walter said. “She loved sitting out here and reading for hours on end. It was her little world away from being the wife of an Afflicted. She picked every flower and it’s placement to an inch. She was such a perfectionist.” Walter glanced around the yard at his wife’s meticulous creation.
“It is beautiful back here,” Patriot said. “The world is a colder and darker place without the ones we love. She did a lot to keep us both in line when we were starting out, didn’t she? She had the patience and understanding of an angel.”
“She was my little miracle,” Walter cracked a little smile when he spoke. “What brings you here today? I know it’s not to talk about Elizabeth and her green thumb.”
“I know you already heard about the incident,” Patriot said. “It’s a small world, even smaller for Afflicted or former Afflicted like you.”
“Problems in the hallowed halls of the Assembly?” Walter said.
Patriot’s eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth curved downward. “You can say that. Isn’t there always problems when you’re an Afflicted?”
“From what I’ve been reading and hearing,” Walter swirled the glass, causing the ice cube clank along the side. “There’s more problems now, than ever before. I guess that happens when you’re as big and powerful of an organization as the Assembly.”
Patriot rested his head back against the chair. “We’re bleeding members faster than we can replace them. Other teams are stealing our members, the military wants to use us and some are just done being in Assembly, trying to be a hero. Valkyrie and Bloodhound quit and we lost track of more than a few Afflicted we were keeping tabs on.”
“I know,” Walter said into his glass. “Your biggest concern should be the missing Afflicted. The other things will sort itself out, in time.”
“I’m not worried about them,” Patriot shifted in hi
s seat. “It’s the one’s who are leaving the Assembly that I care about. Losing Valkyrie and Bloodhound is bad for morale. I hear the rumblings already.”
“Can you blame them after what you did?” Walter said.
Patriot pushed himself off the lounge chair. He faced the backyard, hands in his pockets. “Yes, I can blame them. I do what needs to be done. None of you have ever understood my reasons. You and Bloodhound never liked to get your hands dirty. Sometimes it’s needed for the greater good. Sacrifices must be made.”
Walter’s hands began to tremble. He licked his lips and watched Patriot. “That’s not true. You always play the part of the martyr. Always trying to warn us of the danger on the horizon.”
“The world needs us to protect them from those who misuse their gifts,” Patriot said. “I have sacrificed too much for them.”
“What do you think I did?” Walter said. “I should have spent more time with my wife, but instead I spent it locked away in a lab working for you.”
Patriot glanced over his shoulder. “You’re lying, you were looking for a cure for her cancer. You can’t spout that righteous crap with me. I needed you and the world needed you. What’s worse is you were hiding from Elizabeth. You chose to hide down there. I never once told you to do anything. We were equals from the start.”
Walter’s face grew red, his hand tightened around the glass. “Screw you. You don’t know what it’s like to have someone you love wither away before your eyes. The world was fine before we came along. It will be fine when we are gone. You are afraid of being forgotten like those people you have hidden away in the Hotels. Those innocent people have no right being there. That is not why they were established. I know about those too.”
Patriot’s lips flattened. “They were down there for a reason. They were too dangerous to control their powers. It was either the Hotels or they kill someone.”
“It wasn’t your choice to make for them,” Walter said.
“It wasn’t strictly my call,” Patriot said. “The Homeland and the CIA both knew they were there and agreed to house them. You never had the courage to make the tough decisions.”
“Did they know Garrett was there and could’ve helped them?” Walter said.
Patriot’s back stiffened and he snorted. “Of course not, you think I would allow them to get their greedy hands on someone like him? I might not be as smart as you used to be, but I’m not an idiot.”
Walter leaned forward in his chair. “Why didn’t you help them?”
“Because I needed them,” Patriot said in a calm even tone. “He was the way to control them. Having him would allow us to help them learn how to use their gifts.”
Walter dropped his head. “And now everyone in that base is dead. Don’t let the actions of one man erase the good you have done.”
Patriot’s hazel eyes drifted to the sky. “I know, more people to add to the guilt. It doesn’t change the fact he’s too much of a threat, to all the Afflicted, not only me. They’ll use him as leverage against us and I won’t stand for it. I will not give up my gifts without a fight.”
“What happened to you? You used him like he’s a tool you can just throw away.” Walter swallowed hard. “You’ve changed. You’re not the man I stood side by side when we faced the enemy.”
“I didn’t run away and give up my gifts when I faced him like you did,” Patriot said.
“You’ve never faced him,” Walter rose from his seat. “You sent Crimson, Obsidian and Falling Star after him and almost got them killed. You’re afraid he’ll be able to beat you.”
Silence and stares filled the void between the two former friends.
“He never will. I know his weaknesses now,” Patriot said. “I won’t allow some kid to take everything away I have built for half my life.”
“You did it to yourself,” Walter said, “and you’re going to lose Zoe because of it.”
Patriot’s head jerked back. “Don’t you dare bring her into this. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“She has everything to do with this,” Walter rolled his eyes. “I know who she was and what she meant to him. You gave him hope by telling him she was still alive.”
“What did you say?” Patriot narrowed his eyes.
Walter stepped forward. “I said, you gave the man you hates you for killing his first love hope. I know Zoe is an Afflicted. I know what she can do. I never put it together until the other day.”
Patriot’s lips curled into a snarl. “You don’t know the half of it. If only you knew what I saved her from. If you knew what they did to her because of her abilities, you wouldn’t be judging me right now. She was their guinea pig for unlocking the secrets of the Afflicted. I saved her from that life and I gave her a life people dream about.”
“She was never yours to take though,” Walter said. “She could have had her life back. Maybe Granite would still be alive if you had.”
Patriot dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. “I did what I thought was right.”
“But it was wrong,” Walter moved closer to Patriot. “You were wrong and it cost lives.”
The veins in Patriot’s grew thick and his face flushed to crimson. “I know and it was worth it. It was worth Granite, Shadow Guard and it was worth losing you.”
Their eyes locked and they did not say a word. The world stood still around them, except for a calm breeze that snaked around them.
Patriot lowered his eyes. “Don’t judge me for what I’ve done. I have sacrificed so much for this city, for this country. I deserve happiness, don’t I?”
Walter stood in silence.
“That’s what I thought,” Patriot raised his eyes. “My vow to protect the people of the country and Zoe is all I have left. Everyone wants to take away my team and now my family. I won’t let it happen.”
“You still have me,” Walter said.
“No, I don’t. I know you have been hiding him,” Patriot said. “It’s only a matter of time before we find him. He’s not here right now or he would have attacked me like the rabid dog he is.”
“Jo-” Walter began to say.
“Shut your mouth,” Patriot’s right arm flew forward and he wrapped his fingers around Walter’s neck. With uncanny strength, he lifted Walter off his feet. Walter’s face grew red while he clawed at Patriot’s hand.
Patriot watched his former friend struggle for air. “You betrayed me, you betrayed the people of the Assembly who looked up to you. You betrayed my daughter for a man you don’t even know.”
“No,” Walter mouthed the words.
With a flip of his wrist Patriot sent Walter flying through the backyard. With a loud thud Walter slammed into the ground and rolled into the tall bushes which surrounded his sanctuary. Walter’s head wobbled and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head.
Patriot did not move and stared at his outstretched arm. He curled his fingers into a fist before he lowered it to his side.
“You did this to yourself. I’m going to stop him,” Patriots said. He shifted his eyes to his former friend. “I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be you traitor.” Patriot walked back across the patio and left Walter unconscious in the dirt.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Puffy white clouds dusted the blue sky through the canopy of tree branches above Garrett’s head. His heavy feet sank into the muddy soil from the previous nights rainfall. The musty scent of the forest attacked his nostrils while his eyes peered ahead. His mind continued to wrap around his meeting with Zoe. Half a day later, his thoughts were still scattered.
Garrett reached into his dark navy jeans and pulled free a cell phone to check the time, he was late as usual. He stepped into the small clearing and into the blinding sunlight, the opposite of his last visit here.
“Finally,” a voice chirped from his left, causing him to smirk. ”Thought you disappeared on me again.” Ethan stood underneath the same tree Garrett sat under after his attack on Shadow Guard.
“You sh
ould be so lucky to be rid of me already,” Garrett wrestled out of the trench coat he borrowed from Walter. The black bulletproof vest snugly fit over his gray tee shirt. He noticed Ethan dressed rather casual in tan cargo shorts, white muddy gym shoes and a white tee-shirt.
“There would be less excitement in my life if you were gone,” Ethan said. “You look like less of a hobo now too. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Thanks buddy,” Garrett ran his hand across his face. “Can’t hide sexy.”
The two friends laughed so hard birds jumped from the trees into the air.
“Were you followed?” Garrett peeked around. “I don’t feel any Afflicted around.”
“I don’t think so,” Ethan said. “Walter taught me a few things while you were on vacation.”
“Vacation? Is that what you’re calling being in an Afflicted prison,” Garrett stood in front of Ethan with his arms folded across his chest. “Well, I did catch up on sleep I guess.”
Ethan looked Garrett up and down. “Why are you wearing Shadow Guard’s gauntlet and a bulletproof vest?”
“Protection, I have a big target painted on my back, remember,” Garrett said. “They know I’m pretty much vulnerable to regular people things. This should help.” He patted the vest. “It’s Walter’s design, super strong and light. I found it in the prison. Whoever wore it doesn’t need it now.”
“That’s a bit morbid. Has it been that many already?” Ethan pointed with his chin to the tallies on the vest.
“More I’m guessing,” Garrett lowered his eyes.
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.
“I’ll tell you later, those don’t count,” Garrett’s voice grew quiet. He plopped down under the tree next to where Ethan stood with a thud. Ethan sat down next to him.
The friends sat shoulder to shoulder in silence. Garrett rested his head back against the trees and closed his eyes to let the calm sounds of the forest envelop him.
“Run away,” Ethan broke the serenity they bathed in. “Denise and I have money saved up for the baby. We talked about it and we want to give it to you so you can get away from here. You can start over. Please don’t argue with me about it.”