Bridge of Mist and Fog

by Nikki Broadwell

Fehin wiped his nose on his sleeve and then turned to see Airy running down the stairs toward him. “Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing hold of his free hand and trying to look at his face.

  “Fine,” he said, pushing her away. He followed her up the stairs and into the townhouse. When Carla tried to help, Fehin shook his head, heading alone into the bathroom. He cleaned himself up and checked his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken. He felt raw with anger, his entire body trembling with it, and when he took one last look in the mirror the expression on his face was not familiar. Something was happening to him and he had a feeling it was Wolf’s doing. Wolf was infecting him with his own darkness and making Fehin into a monster.

  When he came out again Carla and Airy were sitting at the table talking in low voices. They both looked up, their expressions questioning.

  “He might not seem that dangerous but Wolf could cause a lot of problems.”

  “He seems plenty dangerous to me,” Carla said. “He’s a brute and after what he did to Airy I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

  Fehin glanced at Airy. “You need to stay close to me at all times. That bastard just threatened you.”

  Airy’s eyes went wide. “What did he say?”

  “Just that you might have an accident. If what he said is true, that he’s acquiring his missing powers, he could seriously thwart every single good thing we’re trying to do.”

  “What does he want from you?”

  “I think he wants to be me. I don’t want to scare you, but he may want you for himself. And that really worries me.”

  Carla gasped. “You need to call the police.”

  “And tell them what? That my brother hit me in the nose?” Fehin shook his head. “I have to take care of this myself.” Fehin thought about what Wolf had said about his mother. Could it be true? Without magic there was no way to find out.

  ***

  They were sitting together on a stone bench on campus and Fehin had just spent the better part of an hour explaining what Wolf had done in his world of the future—the reason why Fehin had conjured the island. When he glanced over at Airy her face was pale. He shouldn’t have gone into so much gory detail, he thought, watching her. There was something working inside him that was seriously fucked up. Right now he wanted to score some heroin and let all this shit go away for a while. He thought of the sweet oblivion and then remembered coming down off it and the racking shakes and sickness. It was worth it.

  “What if he does that here?” Airy asked, bringing his attention back.

  “If he starts killing people the police will pick him up. He can’t get away with mass murder. But I bet he could manage to rape and pillage and keep under their radar.”

  “What should we do?”

  Fehin stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her up. “Right now we’re going to see what’s happened with that friend of yours. Hannah? Is that her name?”

  Airy smiled. “Her name’s Allie. Here she comes,” she added, pointing. “Hey, Allie!” she called out as the blonde girl came closer.

  “Hi, Airy. Why weren’t you in class?”

  Fehin looked closely at her eyes. They were light blue and guileless.

  “I dropped out. Allie, this is my boyfriend, Fehin.”

  “Nice to meet you, Fehin. Airy has told me some good things about you.”

  Fehin smiled. “I’ve heard good stuff about you too.”

  “Really?” Allie looked puzzled. “Well, good to see you. I have to go to my next class now.”

  Airy watched her disappear into a throng of students and then turned to Fehin. “What do you think?”

  “Hard to know. She seemed perfectly nice.”

  “She wasn’t like that before.”

  He shrugged. “Should we get some lunch?”

  Airy looked away for a moment and when her eyes met his they were troubled. “Remember what you said about paying your own way? Carla and I talked about it the other day. She thinks you should get another job.”

  Fehin was instantly furious. “And what about you? Just because your parents are still filling your bank account with money means you don’t have to work?”

  “Well, I…”

  “You what, Airy? Goddamn it, I thought we were doing something here. Fuck you,” he said, and then turned and walked away. He had an overwhelming desire to hit something or beat someone up but instead he balled his hands into fists and tried to push the feeling down.

  41

  “Slow down, Airy,” Carla said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s hard to believe Fehin could act that way.”

  “I’m not making it up,” Airy said. A second later she was sobbing.

  “So this was over getting a job? He’s the one that brought it up in the first place.”

  “I told him you and I talked about it. That’s when he blew up. You should have seen the look on his face—I thought he was going to hit me. I’ve never seen him like that.”

  “Sit down, sweetheart. I’ll make some tea. You need to calm down so we can talk about this rationally.”

  “Where’s Fan?” Airy asked, looking around.

  “She’s at her Dad’s house for a couple of weeks.”

  “A couple of weeks? Why so long?”

  Carla moved to the stove and put the kettle on and then turned to face Airy. “I thought it best with everything that’s been going on.” She paused and then started again. “You said Fehin was on drugs for a while. Do you think he’s using again?”

  “How would I know? He seemed the same until that day with Wolf.”

  “Drug withdrawal can cause these sorts of behaviors. And from what you said he was into some nasty stuff. Honestly, I think it was the morphine that started him down this road.”

  Airy nodded, thinking back to the shakes he’d had after they left the hospital, his fevers, the depression. It must have set something up in his system—primed him for more drug use. “It’s like our destiny is to go through one horrible thing after another. Maybe the bridge is between the two of us.” Airy looked up and then wiped her eyes with a napkin.

  Carla frowned. “His magic has not returned which must make him feel impotent, especially since yours is growing. Didn’t you tell me about a girl that you influenced just by touching her?”

  Airy took a tissue from the box on the table and blew her nose. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “When he comes home we have to confront him about the drugs. If he’s using we need to get him into rehab.”

  Fehin didn’t come home that night nor the next or the one after that.

  By the morning of the fourth day Airy was frantic, sure that Wolf had killed him.

  “I’m calling the police,” she told Carla, picking up her cell phone.

  “I think that’s a good idea.”

  After breakfast Airy announced she was going to try and find him. She’d called the police but their response had been less than encouraging.

  “Airy, if he’s with other drug addicts it could be dangerous.”

  “Where would they hang out?”

  “Wait for the police. That’ll be the first place they look.”

  “They’re not going to do anything. They were completely disinterested.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Airy shook her head. “I’m going on my own.” She grabbed a jacket and headed for the door. “If I’m not back by dinnertime let the police know that it’s because of their ineptitude.”

  “Airy! I don’t think this is a good idea,” Carla called out as she opened the door.

  She closed it behind her and hurried down the steps and then jogged toward the harbor. She’d seen a lot of homeless around there. It seemed a good place to start, especially since Fehin got along so well with them.

  “Have you seen this man?” she asked the first person she came to. He had filthy dreads and was wearing ragged jeans and a shirt way too big for him. His eyes were clouded over and she wondered if he’d even heard her, but when she held her phone out
showing Fehin’s picture, the guy at least looked at it.

  “He might have been here. How badly do you want to know?”

  Airy reached into her pack and pulled out five dollars. When she handed it to him he perked up. “I saw this dude yesterday.”

  “What was he doing?”

  “He was with some guy that looked like Frankenstein—the two of them were headed that way.” He pointed south along the harbor.

  Airy knew who Frankenstein was from her movie going days on campus. Sounded like Wolf to her. But why would they be together? She walked along the harbor, scanning the hidden places between buildings. There were groups of homeless but none of them had Fehin in their midst. They ignored her as she moved by them.

  When she reached the industrial section she could feel the familiar magnet-like pull in her abdomen. Fehin was close. And then she saw Wolf walking toward her. She hid behind a metal container.

  “Think you can hide from me?” Wolf sneered, coming up behind her.

  She let out a shriek and jumped away. “Don’t hurt her,” another familiar voice said. And then Fehin appeared behind his half-brother.

  “Fehin!” She was about to go to him but the expression on his face stopped her. He looked ragged and beat-up, a scraggly three-day growth adding to the impression. His eyes were molten with anger.

  “You’ll get out of here if you know what’s good for you,” he rasped. And then he and Wolf walked away together as if they were best friends.

  Airy watched them and then followed, trying to stay out of sight. She kept her thoughts neutral since Wolf was so adept at reading minds. When they disappeared inside a container she stayed put waiting for them to reappear. It was fifteen minutes or so later that they came out again and this time there was a very thin woman with them and another guy who looked half-dead.

  She followed them to a small tent set up behind a stack of pallets and then watched them lift the flap and crawl inside. It was a long time before Airy found the nerve to creep closer. She was a foot away from the flap but there was no sound coming from inside. Finally after several minutes of this, she peeked through the opening. All four of them were sprawled on their backs with their eyes closed. They all looked dead. Rubber tubing, needles and other drug paraphernalia lay strewn around them. Airy’s hand went to her mouth, stopping the scream that rose into her throat.

  And then Fehin sat up, his unfocused gaze finding her. He put his fingers to his lips in a shush gesture before crawling toward her.

  “Get out of here,” he said, making a feeble attempt to push her away.

  “Fehin, what’s going on?”

  “I’m doing research,” he whispered.

  “Please come with me,” she said, grabbing hold of his shirt. But he pulled away and shook his head.

  “Go home, Airy.”

  At that point Wolf opened his eyes and pushed himself up to his knees. And then he lunged through the tent opening and threw her onto the ground. “Such a pretty little thing,” he said, his mouth working as he straddled her.

  When Airy screamed Wolf pressed his hand over her mouth. With his other hand he worked at the zipper of her pants. Frantic, Airy pressed both hands against his chest but he didn’t budge. He was so heavy she couldn’t breathe. Behind him Fehin suddenly came alive.

  “Get the fuck off her!” he shouted. He jumped on his brother’s back, his nails raking across the larger man’s neck and bringing blood to the surface.

  When Airy saw the gun in Fehin’s hand she let out a shriek. But it was too late, the blast deafening her. Wolf slumped sideways and she rolled out from under him. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely re-zip her jeans. And then she noticed the blood on her hands, on her shirt, on her jeans and retched violently into the dirt.

  The other woman and man had now risen to their knees, their expressions passive as they gathered the tubes and needles and other equipment while Fehin knelt beside Wolf feeling for a pulse.

  “Is he dead?” she whispered.

  He nodded. “Go,” he said. “The cops will be all over this in a couple of minutes.”

  Airy stared at the gun still in Fehin’s hand. “Where did you get that?”

  Fehin looked down as though he’d never seen it before and then hurled it across the asphalt. “I mean it Airy, you have to get out of here.”

  “I’m not going without you.”

  When sirens sounded in the distance the man and woman quickly exited and took off running.

  “Airy, you have to go. NOW!”

  Airy folded her trembling hands across her blood-soaked shirt and stared at him. The sirens were closer now and Fehin looked around wildly. “Okay,” he finally said, pulling her to her feet. He grabbed hold of her hand and took off in the direction the others had gone. He stopped when they reached the container. “I’m staying here,” he announced, watching her.

  “Well, then I’m staying here too.”

  “Goddamn it, Airy.”

  When Fehin stared at her she stared back.

  “I’m messed up. You don’t want me around.”

  “I don’t care,” Airy said stubbornly. “If you don’t want to go to jail I suggest you come with me.”

  From their hiding place they could see several cops combing the area. “And if we don’t go now I’m going to be implicated in this too,” she added.

  Fehin shook his head and then crept around the side of the container. “Follow me,” he hissed, slinking away.

  ***

  When Airy came into the kitchen the following morning Carla was waiting for her. “How is he?”

  “He’s still asleep. He had a really bad night.”

  “I’m not surprised. He’s strung out.

  “I agree he’s a major mess. He spent most of the night throwing up.”

  “That stuff is poison.”

  “Do you think it was heroin?”

  “From your description of what was lying around I’d say yes. And how are you?” she asked, placing her hand on Airy’s shoulder. “That was a very bad scene, Airy. I should never have let you go.”

  Airy tried to smile. “I’m better than I was yesterday. But I’m worried about Fehin. If the police find him he’ll be in jail for the rest of his life.”

  “We talked about all this last night. He’s not in the system. Best thing to do is get him into one of those facilities. You should never have gone down there by yourself. Did you know I’m the one who called the cops? After you left I panicked. My god, Airy you could have been raped or even killed! “ Carla placed a hand on either side of Airy’s face. “I have to go to work. Will you be all right on your own?”

  “As long as he doesn’t decide to run away.”

  “Make him some soup and try and talk to him. If you have a problem call me immediately. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “I’m not afraid of him, Carla. I know he loves me.”

  “People hooked on drugs do strange things. Promise me you’ll call.”

  Airy nodded and then handed Carla the bag of bloody clothing.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of these,” Carla assured her before heading to the door.

  Airy watched her leave and then searched through the cupboards until she found a can of consommé. She used the electric can opener to open it and then poured the jellied liquid into a saucepan. While she was stirring she heard the bedroom door open and when she turned Fehin was dressed and coming toward her. He looked ragged around the edges with wild hair, his eyes shadowed and dark.

  “I’m fixing you some soup,” she said.

  “I won’t be here long enough to eat it,” he said, heading toward the door.

  The spoon clattered to the floor. “Oh no you don’t,” she yelled, running toward him. She caught up with him at the door and wrestled with him for a couple of minutes until he started laughing.

  “You’re stronger than I thought you were.”

  “Get your ass back in bed.”

  “Airy, language!” />
  “Shut up and go!” she yelled, pointing. “Or I can’t be responsible for my actions.”

  Airy was shaking all over as she poured the warmed soup into a cup and walked toward the bedroom. When she opened the door Fehin was face down on the bed sound asleep. She placed the soup on the bedside table and then smoothed his hair back. He was sweaty and felt feverish.

  The afternoon and night before had been a blur. Once they reached the main road she’d hailed a taxi and somehow managed to get both of them inside it before calling Carla on her cell phone. The driver had stolen glances at them in the rear view mirror obviously terrified by the copious amounts of blood all over the two of them. Carla was waiting for them when they arrived and it was Carla who paid the driver, adding a big tip to the bill, and then helped haul a nearly unconscious Fehin up the stairs and into the townhouse. Between the two of them they got him undressed and into bed. After that Airy ripped off her blood-soaked clothes and stood under the shower for a good half hour.

  “Airy?”

  “Yes, Fehin, I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, lifting his head. A second later he was snoring again.

  Airy leaned against the headboard and closed her eyes, waking when she heard his voice.

  “Is that soup still around here somewhere?” he asked, sitting up.

  “It’s right there.” Airy pointed to the cup and watched him drain it.

  He placed it on the table and then turned to her. “We can’t be together. I can’t trust myself not to do this again. I thought I’d kicked it.”

  “Carla is checking into rehab places. Without me you’d be sitting in a jail cell right now.”

  Fehin’s eyes were sunken and dull. “Wolf is finally dead,” he muttered.

  “Yes, he is, and I’m glad of it. Did he get you hooked again?”

  “I can’t blame it on him. I didn’t have to go along with it. That’s the thing about addicts.” He looked over at her, bleak.

  “That’s crap,” Airy said. “He was instrumental in this and I know he was doing something to your mind. I don’t know how, but I’m sure of it. That day when you told me to fuck off? That’s when I knew.”

  Fehin let out a long sigh. “I remember how I felt, as though I was about to explode. The heroin calmed all that down.”