The Snowflake Trilogy

by JJ Jones

  Logan walked through the front door. It felt like weeks or months maybe since we’d been here. So much had happened since the last time we had walked up these steps. I looked around the yard and tried to picture myself as a young girl playing in the grass. I knew it was a fantasy. I had never been invited to my father’s house, but the thought brought me peace, knowing that he probably would have liked to see me playing here, too. It meant so much to me to find out he was not the dead beat father I always assumed he was. This had always meant I simply did not trust men at all but meeting Logan has changed many things in my life and that includes my opinion of men.

  “Tanisha,” Logan called from inside. “You can come inside if you want,” he said from the doorway.

  I knew something wasn’t quite right as I walked inside. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “Someone moved the body,” Logan replied lost in his own thoughts.

  “Who would do that?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Logan replied, but his eyes darted around the room as if he was looking for something. I couldn’t figure out what he was looking for, but it was obvious by the look on his face when he found it that he knew something he wasn’t telling me.

  “Would someone you know, like from headquarters come take him?” I asked.

  “We don’t have time to worry about it,” Logan said moving on quickly. “We need to get ready.”

  He ran back out to the car and grabbed all of our supplies. With the file laid out clearly in front of him on the floor, Logan began to work with the supplies.

  “Can I help?” I offered.

  “Not with this,” Logan said. “This is something I need to do. Thanks for offering though,” Logan looked up and tried to smile, but it was meager and small.

  “I’ll just be in the next room then, watching television,” I said feeling useless.

  Logan grunted an acknowledgment as he continued working. I turned on the television and flipped through the channels. I wasn’t really paying attention to anything on the screen. I was watching Logan out of the corner of my eye, and wondering what he was doing.

  He worked swiftly and effortlessly. He moved around the room grabbing things and mixing things together. I was amazed at how fast he worked. He would glance through the file every few minutes, probably to ensure he was doing things correctly.

  “How can you work so fast?” I asked abruptly.

  “Polar bears are far more intelligent that we give them credit for,” he explained as he continued working. “In fact, I would be willing to bet they are one of the most intelligent creatures aside from humans. They also have a different kind of intelligence than humans. It’s kind of hard to explain to someone who can’t experience it for themselves, but it’s like I have a hybrid of intelligence from both worlds. Having the intelligence of humans and polar bears gives me a strong advantage over most people. I can use that intelligence to work faster and more efficiently.”

  “Oh,” I said. “That’s incredible.”

  He continued working through out most of the morning and afternoon. I wasted time watching television and scrimmaging through the house for some food for us to eat. By early evening, Logan seemed finished with whatever he was working on. He stood and backed away from his creation. Carefully he picked it up and placed it in a backpack, before stashing it away.

  He came into the kitchen where I was sitting drinking a cup of herbal tea. “Would you like some?” I offered. “I think there was a packet left in the box.”

  “Yeah that sounds nice,” Logan replied. “I can get it though, thanks.” He stood and walked over to the counter pouring himself water from the kettle and finding the tea bag in a cupboard above the sink.

  “Good old Lionel, always staying healthy.” Logan said as he prepared his cup.

  We sat and looked at each other. I noticed that he looked weary and tired. He had worked hard all day. “So what happens now?” I asked.

  “Now we rest,” Logan said sounding relieved. “I have the spray from Jasmine that will keep the Lone Wolf away from here until we’re ready. So tonight we will sleep and regain our strength for tomorrow. And then tomorrow we need to be ready/”

  I smiled. The prospect of sleeping sounded incredible. I was so tired that I wasn’t sure I could handle a fight with the Lone Wolf tonight even if my adrenaline pumped through me. “Can you tell me about what you were doing?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course,” he replied. “The file mentioned a way to stop the Lone Wolf. They would not have created him like that without a fail safe So what I created was an acid bomb. In theory the blast should melt him.” Logan sounded confident.

  “In theory?” I asked apprehensive after facing him last time.

  “Well that’s the plan,” Logan said shrugging. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it is guaranteed to stop him, but I think it will work. Jasmine thought it would, too. The file said that the people who created him needed a way to ensure they could always have control. This was their solution. They decided that having ultimate control over his existence was good enough. The information we received about their method of exterminating him was the acid bomb, the same one I just assembled. So that’s reassuring.”

  I wasn’t convinced, but I tried to nod and smile. I could still feel my insides squirming nervously about the whole thing. Something just didn’t feel right.

  “Well let’s get some rest, and see what tomorrow brings,” Logan stood and offered me his hand helping me to my feet.

  We walked back to a guest bedroom that looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Everything was covered in layers of dust, indicating that the room wasn’t frequented by anyone. Logan stepped back out of the room for a brief second to spray himself down again with the aerosol spray keeping his scent hidden from the Lone Wolf.

  “I guess my dad didn’t have many visitors,” I said smiling running my finger along the nightstand and pulling it away with a mound of dust on his tip.

  “I used to stay in here when I was working with Lionel. It’s not anything grand, but it’s a place to stay,” he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the bed.

  “It’s great,” I said trying to sound grateful. “I wish I could have stayed here when my father was alive. I keep trying to imagine what that would have been like, to come here and stay with him, but it’s hard to even imagine.”

  “As time passes, I will tell you stories about your father that will help you understand more about him and what he was like. It is unfair that I got to spend so much time with him and you so little. I have so many fond memories that I can share with you about him and my experiences working with him.” Logan moved over to the bed and invited me to join him by extending his arms.

  I joined him, nestling into his arms where I felt safe. “I would like that,” I said quietly. With the constant beating of his heart and the rhythmic nature of his breaths, I quickly fell asleep.

  *

  The morning came very quickly. I wasn’t sure what time Logan had finally fallen asleep, but the weariness in his eyes told me that he hadn’t gotten much sleep. I had slept well, but the idea of leaving his warm, safe arms filled me with dread, especially knowing what we were about to face.

  We got up, but neither of us were real talkative. I felt that there were a hundred things I should say to Logan – things I wanted him to know, but I just couldn’t bring myself to find the right words. Every time I would formulate something in my mind, I decided it sounded stupid and tossed the thought aside.

  Logan seemed distracted, too, moving about the house and checking that everything was in the right place.

  “We should look for weapons one more time,” Logan suggested.

  “Okay,” I nodded glad for something to do. We walked around the house and carefully looked for any indication of a secret place where Lionel may have hidden weapons.

  I was searching his bedroom when I noticed that the floorboards were a little uneven in one place. I walked over to it and cou
ld see that one floorboard was slightly ajar, barely noticeable to someone just walking through, but because I was looking closely, it became apparent.

  I pulled the floorboard up with my fingers. I wondered if my father had attempted to get into this box before he died. Was that why it was slight ajar? I would never know.

  I looked down into the floor and saw a gun. “Logan, in here,” I called quickly. I wasn’t sure about the gun, so I figured he should look at it first.

  Logan came and looked down into the floor with me. He pulled the shotgun from the floor. “It may come in handy, you never know,” he replaced the floorboard carefully and we walked back to the living room.

  “I will keep the shotgun, but I want you to have this,” he handed me a different gun, it was familiar. I had used it against the Lone Wolf before. “We call this gun the Little Doctor,” Logan said with a smile.

  “What does it do?” I asked.

  “A number of different things actually. First it acts as a traditional weapon, shooting bullets just like this shotgun,” he held up the other gun. “But in addition, each bullet is electrically charged, so when it meets a body it sends an electrical current through you that will stop your heart – well that is what it is supposed to do. As you witnessed earlier with the Lone Wolf, he seems somewhat immune to it. However, it did affect him temporarily, so I want to keep it around to use again if necessary.”

  “Okay,” I replied. “And you want me to be the shooter?” I asked raising my eyebrows.

  “Yes, of course I do. You’re a good shot,” he winked and leaned in to give me a little kiss.

  I smiled back to reassure him that I would do my best. I pulled the gun closer to my chest and sighed heavily feeling its weight in my hands.

  “Well we can’t put this off forever. I’m sure the aerosol from last night has worn off, so we might as well get the party started,” he stood and moved to the front porch.

  He pulled a knife from his belt and sliced open his hand. I almost tried to stop him, but I knew that he did everything with a purpose. He wouldn’t just cut open his hand unless he needed to. I sat watching the blood drip down his hand and onto the steps below. It reminded me of my father, and I felt sick again. I couldn’t stand to lose Logan, too.

  Logan walked back inside and shut the door. “My blood will release my scent faster and with more potency. He should be here soon.”

  “So now we wait,” I said feeling anxious and nervous.

  “Now we wait,” Logan moved closer to me and put his arm around me as we watched the front gate carefully for any sign of the Lone Wolf. Again I felt the need to say any number of different things, but I couldn’t find the words to express my emotions. I was feeling a million different things at once. I was scared and afraid, but also resolute and defiant. I wanted Logan to know how much I loved him, even though we had only known each other a short time. Yet it felt as if I had met “the one”.

  “Logan,” I said trying to let my feelings and emotions control my words, “I want you to know that whatever happens today, I love you.” I looked up at him.

  Logan pulled his forehead down to touch mine. “I love you, too, Tanisha. I loved you long before I ever met you.” He bent lower and kissed me hard on the mouth.

  The sound of a car broke us apart.

  “It’s him,” Logan said.

  I wasn’t sure how he knew, but I didn’t question his judgment. We moved away from the window and took our positions in the front room. My heart started beating so loudly I was sure Logan could hear it. I felt my legs begin to shake nervously as I heard a car door open and close outside.

  Then silence. For seconds there was nothing. I was anticipating him crashing down the front door to find us, but the door remained latched. Where was he? Why was he waiting? What was he waiting for?

  Then I knew...

  I didn’t even hear the first shot he fired, but Logan heard it before the bullet even left the gun. He heard the Lone Wolf pull the trigger. Logan grabbed me and pulled me to the floor just as bullets came spraying into the house.

  The Lone Wolf shot at us for what felt like hours. Logan guided me and we army crawled our way to the back of house where it would be safer. I continued to hear and see bullets fly past us as we moved. We hid behind the island in the kitchen.

  “I didn’t expect him to have guns,” Logan said out of breath. “He usually doesn’t like to call attention to himself, and this would definitely be doing that. The plan needs to change.”

  “Change?!” I yelled over the sound of another round being fired through the house. “How?”

  “I need the bag,” he said pointing to the bag of supplies we had picked up days ago at the dock when we’d first arrived in Florida. I handed it to him and watched carefully as he dug through its contents.

  Logan pulled out a syringe carefully cased in a plastic box. He pulled the box apart and grabbed the syringe. Without any hesitation, he stabbed the needle into his thigh and pushed its contents into his body.

  “What is that?” I asked as he tossed aside the used needle.

  “A measure of last resort Tanisha,” he put his hand against my cheek. “He’ll come inside soon, he has to run out of bullets at some point.”

  Logan grabbed the backpack with the acid bomb and fastened it carefully around his shoulders and waist.

  “You need to get back to the car,” Logan said looking at me sternly. “Go out the back and around to the car. Then you need to start driving. Drive as far away as you can to get away from the blast.”

  His words were so final, so matter-of-fact. For a split second I was confused, and then it hit me. “No, I won’t let you,” I cried out. “You said we were detonating a bomb to kill him. You never told me you were the bomb.” My hands were numb and my ears were ringing from the hundreds of shots being fired at the house.

  “Tanisha there is no time to explain or talk about it, but you have to go now,” Logan turned away from me.

  It wasn’t more than a few seconds later we heard the crashing of the front door as the Lone Wolf broke into the house. I shuddered again looking at him. He was frightening in every way. He roared loudly as if declaring his superiority to us.

  I acted on instinct, both survival and love. I grabbed the Little Doctor gun and started shooting willing it to do something. I knew some of my shots were hitting him, but he didn’t seem to even notice. He snarled and continued to move toward us. He walked slowly, menacingly almost like an animal hunting prey.

  I shot every bullet I had at him, but he didn’t seemed phased by a single one. They must have given him something to make him completely immune to the Little Doctor. As the gun was not working he was getting closer and closer to me, there was no time to run now.

  Then Logan stepped out from behind the counter with the shotgun and fired quickly. His shots were accurate and carefully placed. He fired again and again at the wolf’s head until finally there was no head left and the Lone Wolf collapsed to the floor.

  For a moment, my heart fluttered and I felt relieved. Had we done it? Was that really it?

  Both of us moved closer to the Lone Wolf to inspect his body. As I looked down on him, I saw that his head was indeed gone, shot off by Logan, but something wasn’t right. The longer I stared, the more confused I became.

  “He’s regenerating,” Logan said grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the Lone Wolf. “He’ll be up again in seconds. Tanisha you have to go now,” there was a slight tremor in his voice.

  “But Logan,” I said pleading.

  “There are no buts,” Logan looked from me to the Lone Wolf. “This is the only way to finish him for good. I have to do this. It will mean safety and security for you forever, but it also saves so many more lives, too. This is my responsibility. You must go. Just know that I love you Tanisha.” Logan’s voice was wavering and pleading.

  As Logan said that, the Lone Wolf began to shift. I knew I had to leave. I rushed out the back door, tears streaming down my face. I
didn’t think about anything as I ran from the house and to the car. My body felt numb as I started the car and pulled away from the house. I knew Logan was about to sacrifice himself to save me and the others. He had told me to drive away as quickly as possible, but I couldn’t leave. I stopped at the end of the driveway and looked back at the house for any sign of Logan.

  Surely there was something I could do?

  Then everything stopped and moved in slow motion as I heard and felt the house explode. The explosion caused the windows in the car to shatter and fall inside the car. I looked up at the house encased in flames two stories high. Car alarms were going off up and down the street. I continued to see the images around me, but nothing felt real.