The Flyer (The Flyer Series Book 1)

by Frédérick S. Parker

  Seeing no way out, Uriah and I headed into the forest, the woodsman close on our heels. If he was questioning his sanity, there might be a chance he would let us go. All we had to do was wait it out. A glimmer of hope fluttered through my chest until I remembered that Uriah’s wings had a three-hour holding limit. If we couldn’t convince Mr. Gunslinger that he was human in that time, we were screwed.

  A ten-minute walk took us to a small make-shift campsite. It looked like this is where the woodsman had been illegally living during his hunt for Bigfoot. There was a tent and a bunch of cameras and other equipment. Going over to a large chest, he flipped it open and pulled out a couple heavy duty handcuffs.

  “Here,” he said, tossing them at me. “Put these on.”

  Once Uriah and I had each fastened our wrists together in front of us, the woodsman came over and checked to make sure they were tight. Only then did he relax his hold on the riffle, allowing it to point at the ground instead of our chests.

  “What’s your name, sir?” my boyfriend asked as the man studied us silently, clearly trying to decide what to do.

  He hesitated. “Cody. Cody Grayson.”

  “My name’s Uriah. This is my boyfriend, Aaron.”

  Cody’s eyebrows shot up. For a moment I too was surprised at Uriah’s admission, but then it made since. The best way to escape was to try and appear as normal and unsuspecting as possible. I didn’t know what Cody’s beliefs were, but if they were anything like some religious folk’s, he might not be inclined to believe that an angel of God would be gay.

  “I see,” he muttered, his eyes dancing back and forth between us. Cody looked like he was about to say something else, but Uriah’s stomach cut him off, growling loudly. My boyfriend immediately began to look uncomfortable as his belly continued to gurgle and groan, reminding me that we’d skipped breakfast that morning. I’d been so eager to fly, it had completely slipped my mind. Just like I’d neglected to tell anyone where we were going. A wave of guilt washed over me. Now Uriah’s giant appetite made since. Aaron, you idiot! Now that the adrenaline was waring off, I too was beginning to feel pangs of hunger.

  “It’s almost noon,” Cody grunted, looking at his watch as my boyfriend’s body continued its noisy protests. “I guess I’d better make something to eat.” Positioning the riffle in the crook of his arm, he started rummaging through his things. Setting up a grill, he started a fire. When it got to a reasonable size, he placed a pot on top and filled it with a couple cans of bacon and beans. While the food heated up, he removed a medium sized bag from the chest. Uriah and I watched in silence as he unzipped it, pulled a razor and a mirror out and got to work shaving his beard. When his chin was smooth, he turned his focus to the shaggy mane on his head. Once all the hair was trimmed, he poured some water over his head, washing away the dirt and loose hairs. When he finally turned to face us, I saw a completely different person. The wild woodsman was gone. In his place was a 30-35 year-old guy. Not too bad looking either. Apart from the teeth. When he saw both me and Uriah staring, he shrugged.

  “Just in case you really are an angel. Don’t want to be unprepared.”

  Obviously he’d kept his clean-up kit for the day the cameras started rolling. While the bacon and beans began to simmer, Cody changed out of his grungy clothes into some new ones. Based on the look of them, I assumed they hadn’t been worn during his entire stay out here. Man, he really came prepared. I found myself wondering why he was so sure he’d find Bigfoot. Personally, I was unaware of any Bigfoot sitings in the National Forest. Then again, I never kept track of that kind of thing.

  “So, do you have a wife or girlfriend waiting for you?” Uriah asked as our captor stirred the food.

  “Had one. A wife,” Cody grunted, setting up a chair and sitting down. My boyfriend and I followed suit, sitting cross-legged on the mossy forest floor.

  “What happened?”

  “She left me. Called me crazy.”

  “That sucks.”

  He nodded, his eyes traveling back and forth between us. “So, what school do you go to?” he asked Uriah.

  “I home-school.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “My mom thought it was a better fit.”

  Cody’s eyebrows raised. “You have a mother?”

  “Uh, yeah. Still not an angel. I was conceived and born just like everybody else.”

  Our captor gave a self-conscious grunt before pulling out some bowls. Pouring a helping into each one, he came over and handed them over. He also supplied us with spoons. I could tell my boyfriend was trying to restrain himself as he ate his steaming food. Having seem how much he eats, I knew that tiny bowl wouldn’t last long. Only taking a few bites of my food, I offered the rest to Uriah. He only objected for a second or two before eagerly accepting. When Cody was done eating, he packed some of his supplies into a pea green duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder.

  “Let’s get going,” he grunted, pulling a small compass from his pocket, giving it a quick glance and pointing straight ahead. “The National Forest campgrounds are that way.”

  Uriah and I walked side by side while the Bigfoot enthusiast followed close behind. A quick glance at my watch told me that my boyfriend’s wings had been suppressed for about half an hour. I wanted to start whittling away at Cody’s confidence, but I didn’t want to come off too strong. He might get suspicious. I could already see him carefully taking in every aspect of Uriah’s appearance. Since he’d already seen the pale blue feathers, convincing him it was just a byproduct of his deluded mind would take finesse.

  “So, how did you two meet?” he asked as we continued through the forest. I could tell he was probing for clues, something that would prove he wasn’t crazy.

  “At the restaurant where I work,” Uriah replied. “It was the end of the night and I’d just gotten off my shift.”

  “You have a job?”

  “Yes, I have a job.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I’m a dishwasher. Not a very fitting role for an angel.”

  “Hmm.” Cody thought this over. “What does your mother do for work?”

  “She’s a teacher.”

  “Where does she teach?”

  “At my high school,” I replied, knowing that Uriah would have trouble answering and not wanting any pauses.

  “So, you’ve met his mother?” once again Cody sounded surprised. He just couldn’t let the whole angel thing go. “What does she look like?”

  “Like an ordinary person.”

  “As in…?”

  “As in blond hair, blue eyes, 5’ 3” and maybe 130 pounds. Dude, I’m telling you, he’s not an angel.”

  Cody was silent. I could practically hear the gears in his mind turning as he searched for some flaw in our responses. I also assumed he was searching for a question that we couldn’t answer, or something we couldn’t explain.

  “Stop,” he suddenly said, his voice determined. “Turn around.”

  Both Uriah and I turned to face him. My heart raced as Cody took a step toward him. Now they were only inches apart. His hazel eyes explored my boyfriend’s pale gold ones.

  “What color are your eyes?” he asked.

  “Beige.”

  “They look light gold to me,” Cody said suspiciously.

  “Interesting. People have always described my eyes as being brilliant beige.”

  “Never heard of beige-colored eyes before.”

  “I’ve never heard of Bigfoot. The world is full of the strange and unexpected.”

  Our captor looked frustrated as he continued to study Uriah’s face. While my boyfriend’s eyes are definitely the color of gold when his wings are out, they don’t look all that unusual when they’re suppressed. One could easily mistake them for being light brown or honey-colored. Doubting your sanity certainly helps.

  “Walk,” Cody finally growled, gesturing for us to continue. We turned and made our way through the trees and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. We were w
earing him down. The more time that passed since seeing my boyfriend’s wings was making it harder for him to hold onto his convictions. Still, he wasn’t letting us go and there were only two hours left.

  Just as I predicted, it didn’t take long for Uriah’s hunger to strike again. I feared that this would increase Cody’s suspicions, but the sheer size of my companion seemed to explain his insatiable appetite. The Bigfoot enthusiast pulled a couple sticks of what he called deer jerky out of his bag and handed it over. We continued on for another hour. Occasionally Cody would hit us with another question and we would provide a logical answer: Do you sleep? Do you dream? What do you dream about? Do you use the bathroom? Have you home-schooled your whole life? What do you do for fun, etc, etc, etc. By two thirty, just half an hour before Uriah’s wings were scheduled to come out, I knew we were just inches away from breaking Cody. His determination was now turning to fear as he wondered if maybe he’d made a mistake. That maybe ten years alone in the forest had driven him insane. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I was sure it wouldn’t be long now.

  Chapter 13

  Uriah

  Aaron appeared calm, cool and collected as we walked through the National Forest toward the campsites where dozen of people were out enjoying nature. I was freaking out. It was everything I could do to appear casual. I was so stunned to have been discovered that I never checked my watch. I had no idea when my wings would come out. Sure the device was program to beep every three hours, but I hadn’t set it that morning. I had no reason to. Sweat began to build on my brow as the three of us trudged through the thick undergrowth of the forest. As time stretched on, I expected the throbbing pain to begin at any moment. Around two-fifty, Cody had us stop for a break. Removing his pack, he pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to me. I barely managed to catch it with my hands still cuffed together. While he took a swig from another bottle, Aaron and I drank from ours. When I’d had my fill, the fame chaser handed me some more jerky. It was really good. I wanted to inhale it like I do everything else, but its tough texture made that impossible.

  While Cody returned his water bottle to the bag, I noticed Aaron cast a nervous look at his watch. For the first time, I saw a chink in his cool air. He knows how much time is left. I wanted to ask him, but we couldn’t communicate with our captor mere feet away. We could barely exchange looks. So far we’d managed to answer all Cody’s questions, but how long would that last? Any moment he could ask something that would stump us. Like how did we get so deep into the National Forest without any supplies? Or anything regarding the country in general, like music, movies, sports and fashion. While my mother filled me in on the general laws and regulations in this country to help me avoid arrest, my knowledge of American culture is quite limited. Most of what I know I either learned during my few years in public school or what little I’d observed over the past couple years at work. True, my mother is home-schooling me, but she isn’t teaching me about this planet. The bulk of my lessons circle around Antomia.

  “So, when’s your birthday,” Cody asked, straightening up.

  “What’s today?”

  “No idea. I haven’t check the calendar in a while.”

  “It’s May the 27th,” Aaron supplied. The twenty-seventh? I’d been so distracted these last few days, I’d totally lost track of time. Between building up my wing strength and connecting with my boyfriend, little else had entered my mind.

  “My birthday is May 28th. Tomorrow.”

  “Really?” Cody sounded suspicious. “You’re birthday just happens to be tomorrow. That’s an interesting coincidence.”

  “It’s not a coincidence,” Aaron said, his voice strong and confident. “That’s why my boyfriend and I were out here. We were planning to spend it together. A romantic getaway. Until some gun-wielding maniac showed up and ruined everything.”

  The fame fanatic paused, pondering this for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was even more uncertain. “What’s your social security number?”

  I had a social security number, but that’s not what caused my fear to skyrocket. The pain had started! I could feel the throbbing in my shoulder blades.

  “Look!” I said, desperation clouding my mind as I pulled out my wallet and my cellphone. “I have an ID, I have money. You want my social security number? Here’s my card. I am a flesh and blood human! What more proof do you need?”

  Cody accepted my possessions. He removed the money and cards from my wallet, his eyes carefully scanning each item. He turned on the phone and scrolled through it. When he saw my messily contact list, he cast me a look.

  “I told you I’m home-schooled. I don’t have a lot of friends.” I was hyperventilating. I couldn’t help it. With each passing second the pain got worse. I only had about a minute or two before my wings came out.

  “You have a ton of missed calls,” Cody noted, sounded distant.

  “From my mother? I know.”

  “No, from work.”

  “What?”

  “They left you a voicemail.” Crap! I completely forgot about my job! Between strengthening my wings and spending time with Aaron, it had completely escaped my mind. Unbelievable! Then my mother wouldn’t stop harassing me so I shut off my phone. Double crap! Before I could think what to say, Cody pushed play.

  “Hey, Uriah.” It was my boss. He sounded tired. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a while now. Not sure what’s going on. I hate to do this, but I guess I have to fire you. It sucks. You were a really good dishwasher. Hope things work out. Bye.”

  The fame fanatic stared at the phone in silence. After an agonizingly long pause, he handed it back to me along with my other possessions.

  “Look guys, I’m terribly sorry.” his disappointment was palpable. “I guess I have been on my own too long. I wanted so badly to believe you were..." he swallowed. "No hard feelings?”

  Aaron shook his head. I was too focused on Cody’s gun. It was hanging loosely at his side. When he saw me looking at it, he leaned it up against a nearby tree.

  “I didn’t mean to freak you out. It’s just that I’ve spent the last ten years trying to prove to my ex wife and my friends that I’m not crazy.” his shoulders fell. “I guess they proved me wrong.” He took a step back from the tree and I seized my moment. I had no intention of letting my wings burst out. If Aaron and I managed to get out of this alive, I would need my voice. My left wing was still cripple and probably wouldn’t function until tomorrow. We would have to move on foot. Grabbing the gun, I immediately aimed it at Cody. Because my wrists were still cuffed together, I had to awkwardly hold the handle with both hands. No matter. I could still get my finger around the trigger. When I grabbed his gun, the woodsman leapt back in surprise.

  “What are you…?!” There was no need for him to finish. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my shoulder, allowing my wings to surge out. He gaped as the pale blue feathers came back into view. I winced as my left wing sprung forth. Being trapped hadn’t done it any favors. “You really are an angel!”

  We stared each other down. I was trying to decide what to do next and I think he was silently daring me to shoot him. When I didn’t, he suddenly made a grab at Aaron who was standing only a couple feet away. Everything that just took place happened in a matter of seconds, not really giving him time to process. As the woodsman lunged toward my boyfriend I pulled the trigger, but the gun didn’t fire. While I tried to figure out what was wrong, Cody maneuvered Aaron in front of him, one arm around his neck while his other hand fished a knife out of his pocket. Flicking it open, he aimed the gleaming blade at my boyfriend’s side.

  “Drop it!” he hissed, watching me with wild eyes. “Drop it or your boyfriend gets it!”

  “Uriah, the safety is on!” Aaron wheezed as Cody's grip tighten around his throat. “Turn off the safety!”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the crazed lunatic said, moving the knife from Aaron’s side to his belly. “Not unless you want his guts fertilizing the ea
rth.”

  “Do it!” my boyfriend hissed, his hands clawing at Cody’s arm. “End this son of a bitch!”

  Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get a clear shot. The bastard was using Aaron as a human shield. If I missed I could hit him. Plus, the look in Cody’s eyes told me he was more than willing to sacrifice my boyfriend for a shot at fame and fortune. I didn’t want to be exposed, but I wasn’t willing to risk Aaron’s life. He was too important. So, despite the overwhelming disappointment in my boyfriend’s eyes, I set the gun down.

  “Now back up,” Cody commanded, maintaining a firm grip on Aaron. When I did, he urged him forward. Forcing him down on his knees, the madman returned the knife to his pocket and grabbed the gun. When they were back on their feet, Cody finally released Aaron, casting him to the side.

  “You two thought you were so clever,” he seethed, his eyes drinking in my wings. “Trying to convince me I was crazy. To think I actually bought it. No way that’s happening again.” Removing one hand from the gun, he reached out and yanked one of my feathers. A large silver one. I grimaced in silent pain. “The next time you decide to disappear your wings, I’ll still have proof.”

  While Cody admired his shimmering prize, Aaron came over to where I stood. Having a six-inch knife to his stomach didn’t seem to have fazed him much. He examined the spot where the fame fanatic had tore out my feather. Its absence disrupted the pattern slightly, but it wasn’t obvious. The only thing that registered to me was the localized stinging. My boyfriend brushed a couple tentatively fingers over the white feather that moments ago was overlapped by a silver one. His touch wasn’t painful, but my wing recoiled involuntarily. Turning his gaze up to meet mine, Aaron mouthed, are you okay? I nodded. I was fine. At least for now. Retracting my wings, I brought my arms up over his head so I could wrapped my still-cuffed hands around him.