Joshua flashed into motion, turning and slamming his fist against Shawn’s chin. Shawn dropped to the ground, glass shards from the television cracking underneath him as he fell. He held his jaw with his left hand and used his right to prop himself up off the floor. He spat blood onto the carpet and looked up at Joshua.
“Remember your place.” Joshua snapped.
Shawn stared at Joshua and the two froze. Darien could feel the challenge of authority. Before he had a chance to act on it, Shawn dropped his gaze to the floor and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at it for a moment and then stood up. His eyes remained pointed at the ground, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Joshua turned back to Darien. The snake seemed pleased with the course of events and slithered around the shoulders of Susan and Erik.
“Where were we?” Joshua asked, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“You were telling me that you’re going to let my friends go, and then I’d go with you.”
Joshua tented his hands in front of his face and pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, he put his hands back down by his sides. “I’ll tell you what, Darien. I’ll let one of them go and hold on to the other. Consider it a gesture of our good will for your compliance.”
“Let Susan go.” Erik said.
Darien looked over to his beaten and bruised roommate. Erik sat up straight, with his shoulders pulled back. His eyes focused on Joshua and seemed clear. Darien admired his courage, but was not surprised. He was glad Erik volunteered so he didn’t have to make a choice.
Joshua looked at Darien, studying his reactions. “I don’t think so. The boy can leave, but the female stays.”
Melanie moved her coils around Susan, letting Erik go. She pinned Susan’s arms to her sides but kept the coils loose. Erik stayed on the couch, refusing to move. He glared at Joshua, but the other man took no notice of him. All of Joshua’s attention was focused on Darien.
“Now this is simple. The four of us will take the elevator to the ground floor and leave through the fire door. The boy stays here until we get in the car. Then you call him and he can leave.”
Darien began to tune out Joshua’s words. He looked over at Erik. His roommate was sitting up straight and staring back at him. When they made eye contact, Erik glanced from Darien to the kitchen window and looked back. He repeated the gesture, lifting an eyebrow but otherwise not moving.
Darien looked back at Joshua. The Shadow took a step back and to the side. When he moved, the dust in the air faintly illuminated a thin red beam coming from the kitchen window. It was faint and faded away almost before he saw it.
“Let’s go then.”
Darien ducked low and sprang at Shawn. Joshua turned to try and grab him. There was a quick burst of sound—a gunshot followed by shattering glass and a wet penetrating sound as a bullet entered Joshua’s body. Darien heard a second gunshot, and a bullet tore through Joshua’s head. His body dropped to the floor like a toy.
Darien collided with Shawn and knocked him back. The two of them rolled across the carpet. Pieces of shattered glass embedded themselves into Darien’s bare back as he tumbled, locked in a struggle with the Shadow. Darien’s fingers tightened around Shawn’s throat, struggling to cut off the air supply. Shawn did not try to pry the fingers off, instead focusing on punching Darien’s ribs.
Melanie’s head followed Joshua’s body as it collapsed to the ground. Susan struggled to get free, and Melanie tightened her coils. Erik sprang forward, grabbing a shard of glass in his bare fingers and turning to face the snake. He pushed off the ground with the full strength of his legs and braced his arm against his body, driving the makeshift weapon deep into Melanie’s neck. She jerked her head back at the last second, loosening her grip on Susan. The weapon still bit deep into the snake’s body. Susan’s legs kicked across the carpet as she tried to slide off the couch and out the bottom of the coils. Melanie tightened again, making Susan gasp for air. She wrestled one arm free and punched at the snake’s body.
Darien looked over and relaxed his grip for a moment. Shawn slapped the arms away and twisted, forcing Darien to the ground on his back. Darien reached up, trying to regain his hold, but his arms passed through empty air. Shawn’s body shimmered for a moment and was replaced by a brown recluse spider resting on Darien’s bare chest. He smacked it off in panic before it could bite him. It landed in the shadows on the far side of the room.
Erik continued to push as hard as he could, driving the shard deeper. The snake’s attempts to get free only served to carve a jagged gash along its neckline. The snake’s blood ran down Erik’s hand, mixing with his own as he struggled to hold onto the shard. He grit his teeth and continued to struggle, not wanting to give up his advantage.
The snake’s struggles let Susan scramble out from underneath it. She snagged Darien’s shirt from the floor, wrapping it around her hand. With some limited protection, she ran around the couch to Melanie’s head. She grabbed its mouth, feeling the pain in her arm as it tried to bite down. Susan wrapped her other hand around the chin, pulling down with her weight to stretch the snake’s neck and hold it still.
“Stab its throat!”
There was another gunshot and the kitchen window shattered some more as a small tuft of dust rose up from the carpet where a rifle bullet imbedded itself in the floor. The motion caught Darien’s attention, and he saw a spider scurrying after him. He scrambled back from the poisonous creature. His hand landed on a book and he threw it at the arachnid. It jumped to the side to avoid the blow and continued advancing.
Erik screamed out as he pulled out the shard and he leaned over the couch, plunging it into the python’s neck just below Susan’s hands. Blood spurted from the wound and Erik lost his grip on the weapon, collapsing over the back of the couch. Melanie’s body slackened and Susan let go. She rose to her knees and cradled Erik’s head as she looked at his hand. Three of his fingers had exposed bones from the shard of glass.
“Oh God,” she muttered as she saw the wound.
Meanwhile, the spider continued to rush Darien. It jumped through the air towards him, and Darien rolled to the side. As he scrambled back, his hand sank into Susan’s pile of shoes. He grabbed one by the heel and waited. The spider advanced towards him and once again jumped. Darien jerked his arm around hard, twisting his body to add force to the blow.
The spider tumbled through the air and slammed into the wall. It slumped to the ground and remained still for a moment. A few of the legs twitched as it recovered from its daze, but Darien was faster. He jumped up and ran to the wall, slamming to sneaker down against the ground. The spider splattered underneath the treads. Breathing heavily, Darien stumbled back a step before collapsing to a sitting position and dropping the sneaker from limp fingers. He looked over to the two on the couch.
“Are you two okay?” he asked between ragged gasps.
Erik looked at Darien over Susan’s shoulder with his one good eye. “Yeah.”
Susan nodded and let go of Erik. She stumbled towards Darien and wrapped both her arms around him. She buried her face against the side of his neck. Darien could feel cold tears streaking through the blood and dirt on her cheeks. He closed his eyes and pressed his hand against the back of her head. Erik watched from the couch, his shoulders sagging.
“Who’s the shooter?” Susan asked.
“Richard. He’s got a car. We need to get out of here.”
Susan nodded and let go. She wiped the tears with the inside of her fingers, streaking the dirt across her face. Darien stood up and extended a hand to help her. Erik pushed off the back of the couch and stood on unstable legs. His hands were still bleeding. Darien noticed the dripping blood and followed it to its source.
“Holy shit! Susan, get some bandages! Erik, sit back down on the couch right now!” He pushed Erik back into the couch. He picked up his shirt and found a clean spot on it, wrapping it tight around Erik’s hands. Erik winced in pain. Susan returned carrying a box of ga
uze and bandages. She dropped them on the floor near the couch and got on her knees. Darien and Susan gasped when they looked at the depth of the wounds.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” Susan said.
Darien nodded. “Let’s wrap him up as best as we can.”
Darien wrapped the gauze around the open wounds. He made it tight to stop the flow of blood, until Erik couldn’t move his fingers. As he was dressing the wounds, Susan noticed Darien’s back and let out a small gasp. She touched one of the wounds with her index finger, and he shivered in pain.
“Darien, you need help, too. I’m going to take out these pieces of glass.”
She got up and went to the bathroom again, returning with a pair of tweezers. She removed each piece of glass with the tweezers and covered it with a bandage. None of the shards were large, and the wounds were treated with her simple medical care.
Darien and Susan stood up when Erik’s hands were covered. Darien squirmed into his shirt, trying to ignore the blood on it. At least it would be covered up with his jacket. Darien and Susan reached down and each took one of Erik’s arms, draping it across their shoulders. Erik leaned on his friends, his feet dragging across the floor as they made their way to the elevator. Darien didn’t want to think about how much blood he had lost.
“What the hell is going on, Darien?” Erik asked as they waited to reach the ground floor.
“It’s hard to explain. Don’t worry about it. Save your strength. We’ll get you to the hospital.”
Erik was silent and his head hung down as he sagged between the other two. Susan looked at Darien over Erik’s neck and her face was tight with concern. The silence was deafening, and Darien felt the need to say something.
“What about Oscar?”
Susan looked at the ground as well, and Darien could see fresh tears forming at the corner of her eye. Darien bit his lip and cursed at himself. He should have known better than to ask. He watched the numbers counting down over the top of the elevator doors, wishing they would go faster. When they reached the ground floor, the three of them shuffled to the front entrance as fast as they could.
Mark was up from his desk looking out the front door, scanning up and down the street. He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw the trio.
“Holy… I’ll call an ambulance! The cops are already on their way.”
Susan looked up. “It’ll be okay. We’re taking him to the hospital right now.”
Mark shook his head and refused to move from his post in front of the doors. “I can’t let you guys leave. I’ll call an ambulance, but you two need to wait for the cops to show up.”
Darien eased out from underneath Erik’s arm, making sure he wouldn’t collapse. He stepped forward so he could talk without Erik overhearing him.
“Look at him, Mark. He’s hurt bad, lost a lot of blood. He isn’t going to make it if we have to wait for an ambulance. You know me. Please. You can tell the cops we went to Virginia Mason.”
Mark leaned down to take a look at Erik’s pale face. He chewed on his top lip for a couple of seconds before stepping to the side. “Get going. I’ll let them know. Just stay put when you get there.”
“Thanks.”
Darien rushed back and slid underneath Erik’s arm. Mark held the door open as the three of them walked out the entrance and to the street. No one was on the sidewalks. Gunshots had a way of clearing out a crowd. Darien looked for Richard’s truck when he saw several police cars turn the corner with their lights on and sirens off. There were three cars, and they formed a barricade.
As soon as the cars were stopped, men jumped out. Each car had two men in it, but only two of the six were dressed in police uniforms. The other men were well dressed and looked like part of Lieutenant Olson’s retinue. Lieutenant Olson himself got out of the vehicle in front. He nodded to either side, and the men drew their guns. Darien saw Richard’s truck across the street, idling in an alley. The chassis shook as Richard revved the engine. Darien shifted so that he was standing between his friends and the officers.
“I know why you’re here, Lieutenant Olson. I know what I’m capable of,” he shouted.
Even from this distance, Olson’s smile was clear. “Then you can understand why we want to question you. Come with us, and you’ll be well treated. Your friends will be free to go.”
“What kind of questions did you have in mind?” Darien asked while backing up, making his way to the nearest car. Susan took the cue and crouched down behind it, resting Erik against the door. His eyes were slits and his breath whistled every time his lungs heaved.
“Let’s talk about this in private. My superiors want to talk, nothing more. This isn’t a conversation to have out in the open.”
“This coming from the man who sent agents after me with tranquilizer guns. You expect me to believe you?”
The smile faded. “Come with us, Darien. There’s no way out.”
“I’d rather take my chances.” Darien dove behind the car and rolled until he was next to Susan and Erik.
“Shoot him in the leg, but don’t kill him!” Lieutenant Olson shouted.
As Darien crouched behind the vehicle, a couple of the officers fired their guns. He heard the bullets bite into the metal frame of the car that was their shelter. He admitted that he could’ve handled that showdown better. Erik wasn’t moving except to breathe. Susan was looking around for some type of escape route.
The men screamed as the air was filled with the screech of birds. At about the same time, Richard’s truck shot out of the side street and turned hard to slide across the pavement. It was pointed away from the barricade. Richard reached across the seats and opened the door.
“Get in!” he shouted.
Darien leaned around the corner of the car and looked back to see several different types of birds flapping in and clawing at the faces of the officials. It was a short dash of only a couple of feet from their shelter to the truck.
“Susan, you go first so you can help me get Erik into the truck. Erik, you’ve got to wake up man. We need to get out of here.”
He grabbed Erik’s shoulders and shook him, making sure not to slam him against the car. Erik’s eyes popped open and he nodded, twisting so that he was facing the truck. Darien hoped he had enough energy to make it.
Susan ran around the two of them, keeping low as she dashed to the truck. Her feet skidded on the pavement and she dropped to all fours, skinning her knees and hands on the ground. Darien stared at her.
“Get up!”
Erik shoved him aside and stumbled towards Susan. He fell on top of her, flattening her to the ground and rolling over her side making a shield between her and the police. A couple of bullets sank into his back and he gurgled.
“No! Erik, no!”
Darien felt tears stinging his eyes and his vision became distorted. Susan rolled out from underneath and looked at him, shaking his shoulder and calling his name. He smiled, and more blood spilled from his mouth. He shuddered and then lay still. Susan began to weep. The sound of gunfire filled the air, but Richard’s voice cut through it like a hot blade.
“Mourn later. We need to go now!”
Darien ran from his hiding spot, grabbing Susan on the way. They scrambled up into the truck, Susan going first and Darien covering her with his body. He climbed up into the truck behind her, and she curled up against him, crying into his shoulder. He stared ahead, unable to think or move as his own tears flowed. Richard dropped the truck into first gear, and the tires squealed as he drove away. Behind them, the flock of birds took wing and fled as soon as the truck gained some distance.
Chapter 17
Darien stared out the window in silence as the truck raced through the streets. The tears had stopped, leaving their marks on his face. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. He thought of Erik’s body, lying in the street where they left him. It was too painful to be real. He held Susan closer. She still had her face buried against his chest and her arms wrapped around hi
m. She was asleep and her breathing came in small, hiccupping gasps.
Richard focused on the road. Once they were on the highway, he slowed down to the speed limit. Time seemed to stretch on, and Darien only moved when the vehicle jostled him. Susan was still asleep when they pulled into the parking lot of a motel. Richard parked the truck and then walked into the office, leaving the other two in the car. When he came back, he opened the passenger’s door.
“This will be safe for now. Let’s get the two of you inside.”
Darien nodded and uncurled himself from Susan’s embrace. He backed out of the cabin and picked her up. His arms shook with the effort, but he refused Richard’s offer of help. Richard walked ahead and opened the door to the room. It had two beds, a television and a bathroom. Darien carried Susan to one of the twin beds and eased her onto the mattress. Her face was filthy with dirt and blood. The bolt of the door slammed shut with a solid clack, and then Richard walked over to the other bed.
“Get some more rest, Darien. It’s the best thing you can do right now. I’ll keep an eye out.”
Darien didn’t even remember falling asleep, but he woke up to the calming sensation of someone running fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes and saw Susan sitting next to him, her back against the headboard of the bed. Her attention was focused on the window, even though the curtains were pulled tight. She had cleaned up and fixed her hair to pull it back into a braid again. Darien looked down at his hands and saw that he was clean as well. His clothes, however, were still stiff and had the stench of filth and blood. He didn’t think it was something that would ever come out.
He realized Richard wasn’t in the room. As he pushed himself up to a sitting position, Susan turned towards him. She pulled him close and embraced him. “Thank God you’re okay, Darien. I was worried.”
“I’m okay,” he whispered back.
For a moment they sat there, and Darien enjoyed the silence because it meant not having to face the reality. Susan broke the embrace and turned so that she could face Darien. He noticed that she shifted so she was sitting on the opposite edge of the bed. Richard’s rifle was propped against the wall next to her.
The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1) Page 14