by L. E. Green
Abigail softly growled and said, “No. I have been delivered.” She saw that Atkins was within inches of her death. She asked, “What have you done to this woman?”
“Why do you care?” Saul asked.
Abigail struggled to speak and said, “Settle your business with me. Not her.”
“This is not about you,” Ben insisted, “This woman is a small assignment we must take care of. She has something we want. We are here to get it. And since you are here, we will take you home with us as well.”
Abigail smiled and said, “I will not go anywhere with you, and you know that.” Her muscles flexed and she hissed at them. She clenched her fists.
Saul said, “Always so rebellious.” Saul smirked and said, “I guess we will have to make you come with us.” He took off his eye glasses and placed them into his inner pocket. “We don’t want to disappoint our father.” Saul hissed at Abigail. She hissed back. Both Ben and Saul ran toward Abigail. They fought.
The three of them ripped at one another, but Abigail tossed them across the room. They punched and kicked and tossed her when they got the chance. Abigail could take down two men easily, but these were not regular men. These men were just like her. And though she was possessed with more than one animal, she never was able to call on all of them at once. She was faster than they were. She was smarter than they were. She knew she would eventually win the fight, but it would take time.
Saul had been Abigail’s biggest rival on the wrestling mat. They had fought for 20 minutes once before. Abigail had eventually won, and Saul hated her ever since. Hate was one emotion that Ezekiels were allowed to have. Abigail used to think that they must have forgotten to eliminate Envy in the brainwashing unit. As she became wiser, she understood that Envy could be the most powerful driving force behind the desire to win, encouraging competition and an untamed desire to defeat another. It was perfect. This fight was Saul’s opportunity to settle unfinished business.
In the meantime, Roger snuck into the house using the trap door in the back. Once he got into the basement, he ran over to the hidden door. He was trying to be quiet as possible, but the wind had slammed the trap door shut. Abigail, Saul and Ben heard the noise. It stopped them all in their tracks. Protect Roger! Abigail knew they would pursue him. She fought even harder. Ben immediately slipped away from the brawl and headed toward the basement. Abigail tried to follow, but Saul prevented her from leaving.
Roger got the door open and saw Ben descending quickly down the stairs. He shut the door just in time to lock himself in. BANG… BANG! Ben repeatedly banged on the door. Roger put on a protective vest and began collecting weapons, picking up guns and strapping them to his body using the belts and straps on the vest. He tried to catch his breath. All he could think about was his mother. He loaded up with ammunition, grabbed a few explosives, and took a deep breath.
FINCH’S CAR
Finch was in her car, fighting back and forth in her head, looking for excuses not to go to the dinner or to be able to leave early. She thought about convincing Brown to call her and fake an emergency. She knew she was being cruel, and the woman didn’t deserve this. She knew Anthony’s mother was going through hell, and Meghan was her last connection to Anthony. Finch was driving slowly through the streets when she heard a call on her police scanner. She didn’t use it unless she was off duty. She liked to know what was going on in the streets. The call was coming from dispatch, “We just received a call. There seems to be a domestic disturbance at 161 Wallace Street. Anyone in the area?”
Finch knew she was not far away. She was on her way to meet up with her mother–in–law and what better excuse than to show up late and have to rush through dinner. I got called in to check out a domestic dispute. Finch called in and said, “This is Finch. I am about two blocks away from there. This is not my regular thing, but I’ll check it out for you.”
“Roger that. Let me know if you need back up,” Dispatch responded.
“Stand by.” Finch made a sudden U–turn and turned on her flashing lights.
ATKINS’ RESIDENCE
Abigail and Saul fought as if they hated one another. They were destroying the house bit by bit, busting holes in the walls, tossing furniture across the room, and breaking glass. They both had scratched one another in various places. They growled like animals. Sometimes they would stop fighting and circle one another before pouncing on each other again. Ms. Atkins was too weak to move. She was losing too much blood, and the blows to her head kept her vision blurry. She slipped in and out of consciousness as the two fought. Saul finally got a good grip on Abigail and tossed her clean through a wall into the kitchen.
Saul said, “Give up, 43.”
Abigail slowly pulled herself off the ground, “You have never beaten me 19.”
“I’ve been training while you’ve been off in Lala Land, you idiot!” Saul was clearly bitter about Abigail’s comment. Envy. Hate. Revenge! “And after I kill you, I will make a sandwich out of your friend. If Ben hasn’t yet.” He smiled.
Abigail growled. She walked around from the kitchen back into the living room. When he threatened Roger, a fire burned deep within her. Saul knew he had flicked on a switch but didn’t understand the fuel that fed the fire he had ignited. Love. Abigail ripped across the room, beating on Saul and tossing him around like a rag doll, through the wall and into the kitchen.
Roger was locked in the lower research room. He found a duffel bag in a supply closet and tossed a variety of weaponry into the opening. Ben continued banging on the door, trying to pry it open with his bare hands. The door was giving in. Roger took a deep breath and cocked the gun.
Finch reached the home. She saw lights flickering as she pulled up. When she got out of the vehicle, she heard loud banging, growling and glass breaking. She took a walkie talkie out of the car and placed it in her pocket. She removed her gun from the glove box and placed it in into her side holster. She went up to the front door. It was slightly open. She placed her hand on the gun and entered the house.
The house was trashed. Live wires hung from the ceiling where a fan and light used to hang. Abigail and Saul were now fighting in the kitchen. Finch slowly crept down the hallway. She saw Ms. Atkins lifeless on the living room floor. She tiptoed over to her. Finch grabbed her walkie talkie. Saul sensed another person in the house. He left the fight with Abigail and went dashing into the living room. Finch was surprised by his attack. He grabbed her and threw her across the room. Finch hits the wall. Her gun and walkie talkie hit the floor. She was completely stunned.
Saul headed toward Finch and Atkins when Abigail ran into the room. Abigail immediately noticed Finch, who was a regular patron at Frankie’s Pub. She pushed Saul away from her. They continued to fight. Saul kept trying to get to Finch, but Abigail protected her. They wrestled until Abigail got her hands on the gun. Saul backed away and pulled out his gun.
Saul said, “Move out of the way.”
Abigail said, “Don’t move, Saul.” Her blue eyes flickered as the broken TV lights reflected on their surfaces. “You’re empty!” She said referring to his gun. He was bluffing and knew he hadn’t reloaded after shooting Larry and Atkins a few times.
Saul smiled and said, “Are you sure about that?” Saul knew that his shooting skills were not up to par, and Abigail always delivered a deadly shot. She knew his gun was empty because he would have used it already.
Finch finally got her eyes to focus. The two figures became clear. Clear as day. Then her face flushed with embarrassment and confusion. Immediately, she realized who had saved her. That mysterious girl from Frankie’s. That’s her. She is the one in the photo! The girl from the footage, in the alley! It finally clicked. She thought the male figure must have been Roger. What have they been up to? She was terrified. This girl had been sitting under their noses the entire time. She wanted to cry, but she had to get away first.
Detective Finch felt completely helpless and weak. She tilted her head to get a better view of the scene to try
and make a run for it. She needed to get out. Abigail and Saul stood in a stalemate. Finch was weak and vulnerable. She knew that her life was in Abigail’s hands. Abigail saw Finch moving. For a brief moment, Abigail took her eyes off Saul and saw Meghan struggling to straighten herself out.
“Don’t move,” she told Meghan. Meghan complied for two reasons. She was frightened, and she couldn’t move anyway.
Abigail wanted to help Finch but Saul was ready and waiting for her to slip. Suddenly she heard gun shots coming from the basement. Their focus was broken; and Saul took off, running out the front door. Abigail didn’t bother to follow him. Abigail bent down at Meghan’s side.
“Sit up.” Abigail helped lift Meghan with ease. Meghan looked into Abigail’s flaming eyes. Abigail’s muscles bulged. She hissed at Meghan and scared her. Abigail checked Ms. Atkins’ pulse. It was very faint. Abigail handed her the gun and said, “Take this! Protect her.” Abigail jumped up and took off to the basement.
By the time Abigail reached the basement, Roger had somehow shot Ben in the chest. Roger stood over the failing body. Ben was weak, losing blood very quickly. Abigail walked over to Ben. She picked Ben off the floor with one hand. She backed him against a post. His toes were barely touching the floor. Blood streamed from out of his mouth. “Who sent you, Ben?”
Ben choked, coughing up blood. It squirted onto Abigail’s face. She didn’t mind. “Father... sent...”
“Not him! Who asked him to send you!?” She yelled at him.
He coughed up more blood. He was getting colder and colder. He managed to get out the words, “Indigo… and Robert Benson. They want you and the plans for the suit.” She dropped him on his feet. She wasn’t familiar with the name Benson but knew Indigo very well from her research. Then she remembered... Dewey, the Creator, the Father, was on Indigo’s board and was the mastermind behind the Ezekiel Project. Memories fluttered in like wildfire embers, the little bits of memories had had been piecing themselves back together each time something from her past resurfaced. Ben used his last bit of power to try and fight her. She fought back, easily overpowering him. She ripped his limbs from his body just as she had done to the men in the alley.
“I used to like him.” Emotionless, she turned to Roger and said, “Go say goodbye to your mother. We are leaving for good.”
Roger almost forgot. He rushed up the stairs, dropping everything. Abigail grabbed the bags of weapons and followed behind him. Her blue lit eyes floated around in the dark basement. When Roger reached the room his mother was in, Finch turned her weapon on him.
Finch shouted, “DON’T MOVE!” but Roger ignored her.
Roger went over to the body. It was too late to say anything. His mother was dead. “MA! No! No no no!” He kissed her and held her tight. Her blood soaked his clothes. He sobbed.
Abigail entered the room to see the sad scene with Roger crying over his mother. Finch lowered her gun. Ms. Atkins was dead. Abigail picked up Finch with one hand, placing her on her feet. Finch asked, “Did you kill Jiang? Matthews?”
Abigail said, “No.”
“The men in the alley? Did you kill them?”
“Self defense,” Abigail said.
“And Benson?” Finch asked.
Abigail said, “He is not dead. He sent them.”
“What?!” Finch was angry. She had spent all of this time looking for a man who wasn’t even dead. “He’s not dead? What the hell is going on? How did you get involved in this?” A whirlwind of questions came into Finch’s head. So much had happened.
Abigail ignored the question. She walked over to Roger. Suddenly her body stretched out and she exhaled. The heat from her lungs released back into the air and she became her normal self again. Her brown eyes returned. Finch was totally amazed, afraid and shocked. She could not believe what had happened before her eyes. The murders in the alley. It all made sense. Finch tried to assess the situation. She scanned her eyes around the crushed interior of the house and rested them upon Roger with his mother. He was crying. He kissed his mother again and got up. He laid her down and folded her arms over her chest. He covered her with the afghan she used to cover her legs with as she watched TV. He and Abby began to leave. Finch pointed the gun at Roger and Abigail. She said, “STOP! I have to take you in.”
Abigail said, “I’m not going to let you do that. And who will protect you if I am locked away? They will come back for you. You know too much.”
“Who will come back for me?” Meghan asked.
She remembered what she said to Iris. “You will find that your enemy is always someone you think you can trust. Give me your phone.” Finch knew she was right. She reached into her pocket and grabbed the phone. She handed it to Abigail who programmed her number into the phone. “I’ll tell you everything I know in exchange for your secrecy and Frankie’s protection. He doesn’t know about this. I’ll tell him when I’m ready.” Meghan held steady. “You have no choice but to comply. I will not let you take us in. You will have to shoot me if that’s what you want to do.” Abigail stood there, ready to take a bullet.
Reluctantly, Meghan lowered her weapon and said, “UGH!!! I can’t do it. Get out of here. Now! Both of you. I radioed in about three minutes ago.”
Abigail pulled Roger by the collar. Roger struggled to stay on his feet. His knees were weak. Abigail said, “Now you know who I am, and you know where to find me. I will answer your questions later. This house is going to blow up in one minute. You should leave. Oh and maybe you can get some answers with this.” Abigail tossed Ben’s phone over to Finch. She had taken it after the fight in the basement. “You should get out now.” Abigail and Roger ran out of the house. They jumped in the truck and drove off.
Finch stood on the porch for a moment, still stunned from the event. As she began to hobble over to the car there was a large explosion, and she was blown off her feet onto the front lawn. Police cars arrived on the scene. Finch could not see and her hearing was gone. Her vision was blurred. Eventually, she looked up, hearing muffled voices. Her ears were ringing. Slim black figures walked all around her. Someone touched her neck. Anthony? She saw blurred police lights. Red, blue, white. All went black.
CHAPTER 20
THE RIDE HOME: FRANKIE’S TRUCK
Abigail and Roger drove back to Frankie’s in the truck. Abigail was driving. Roger stared out the window with tears running down his eyes. He had to remind himself to breathe. He thought about every breath of air that passed through his nose and into his lungs. He was sick to his stomach. He never understood the danger of his mother’s involvement in this project. He never understood how much these people wanted the suit. He was just getting to understand how powerful Abigail was but wanted to choke her. She had revived the dormant secret he and his mother held together. As he filled with anger against Abigail and Ben and Saul and Finch and Frankie and the entire world, he then thought about how Abigail also brought life back to his world. A volcano was erupting within. The heat seeped out of his nose.
Roger and his mother were a sad duo. Working in the basement on a project they knew no one would ever see or use. He hadn’t seen his mother that excited and alive in years! She had felt a sense of purpose again. She felt needed and useful. She was walking around again, talking to someone other than Roger, talking to Paltee and Abigail. Abigail made my mother smile. That nutty woman! He thought. He smiled. I couldn’t even do that. He wanted to blame Abigail for everything that had happened, but he was just as much to blame for encouraging Abigail to dig deeper and rediscover who she was.
He couldn’t be mad at her. He couldn’t be mad at himself. He now had a new problem. Indigo.
That was the longest car ride of his life. He had left his mother in the rubble. A decision that was necessary, but it would forever be hard to live with. It was the best decision at the time, but he would never forget how she laid there, lifeless. Roger was still angry.
They finally reached the back alley of Frankie’s Pub and parked the truck.
&nb
sp; FRANKIE’S APARTMENT
Abigail and Roger went upstairs. Roger paced the room. He started throwing things around the apartment and hitting the punching bags. Abigail watched. She didn’t try to stop him. Frankie could hear the ruckus from the lower level. Abigail slowly walked over to Roger and touched his face. He wanted to hit her too. Don’t touch me! He thought, but every time she touched him, his heart melted. He would never harm her. She helped settle his anger and nerves with one touch.
Abigail said, “This is my fault. Roger. I know it crossed your mind. I could sense your anger with me on the ride. You are right to be angry with me. It’s your right to wish me harm, but if you allow me to be forever in your debt, I will do my best to fix this for you.” The blue eyed Abigail would have told him to get it together and strap up! But this Abigail was gentle and warm. She was reassuring and sensitive. She was not good at being sensitive; this was the best she could do.
On the outside, Abigail was calm. On the inside, she was filled with rage and ready to strike. But, it made no sense at this moment for the two of them to scream and shout and throw things. She held in her true feelings and her true thoughts. She, too, caged a volcano within, and it was filled with molten HATRED bubbling up against her innards. She wanted revenge, and she wanted it NOW! She could go out and find them and kill them all, but she knew Roger would never let her go alone; and if Roger was going to help, then she needed him to stabilize. Truth is, she wanted to cry, but instead she said, “When you’re ready. We know what we have to do.”
Abigail grabbed the bag with the suit in it. She was heading to her room when she heard someone coming up the stairs. It was Frankie.
Frankie entered the room and said, “What the hell is going on?” He had heard the banging and things breaking.