When she returned, she said, “Here, put these on,” as she tossed Millie a pair of boots, some jeans, a tee shirt with skull and crossbones, and a plaid button-down shirt. “There are some leather jackets in the hall closet. Get one - we are going to want to layer up."
There was a cold, detached look in Erika’s eyes that Millie recognized. She knew her friend closed up rather than deal with pain, so it was no surprise to her that despite her red-rimmed eyes and red nose that Erika was done crying and was focusing now on the situation at hand. The black-haired girl had changed into a clean pair of faded blue jeans, a dark brown Johnny Cash tee shirt, brown hiking boots, and an army green button-down shirt. She went back upstairs and returned with a hiker's backpack and two-gun cases out of her dad's gun safe. She was in the process of putting some boxes of ammo in the backpack when Hermit returned.
"Erika, there is a group of men one street over, three houses up. They seem to be going house to house and taking women," he paused before adding, "forcibly."
She gave him a dark look and said coldly, "Sorry but not sorry. You guys are my priority, and we need to get out of the city. You can't save the world if you can't save yourself."
Hermit looked at her, surprised at her since Erika was usually the first to charge in when someone was in distress. "But..." He started, but she interrupted him. "But, what? I can't think right now."
"But Erika," he said forcibly, "Your mom's nurse was with them!"
She stared at him for a moment, then calmly walked to get the shotgun from where she had stacked its case by the door. She put a box of shells in her pocket, and coldly looked at him, "What are you waiting for?" She whistled sharply to the dogs as she fished out her car keys.
"Millie, here are the keys. Please load up this stuff into the Tahoe. Hans is going to stay with you. Anyone comes in that door that isn’t me or Hermit - shoot them."
Chapter 13
Erika and Hermit ran in the darkness around the corner of the house next to hers. Just like Hermit said, three houses up there was a big bull of a man pulling a woman by her hair out the front door. The woman appeared naked and bloody, but she was fighting like a hellcat.
Erika whispered to Hermit, "Where are the others?" Her heart was thudding in her chest as she tried to puzzle through what she needed to do to stop this from going down. He pointed at a white, dodge van that was idling further up the road.
Redoing her ponytail, Erika dropped her voice low, remembering Ransom telling her that the timbre of a whisper traveled farther and louder than speaking low. "Ok - here is what we are going to do. Gretel and I will cut across the backyards and get up as close as possible using the cover of the landscaping. Once I can get an idea if he is alone or not, I will move in. Give me five minutes, then draw his attention. If we can take this dude, I bet we can get some information about the men in the van and hopefully get Ethel."
Pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, Hermit nodded at Erika as she and the female shepherd faded into the shadows. They made it across the neighboring yard and snuck up the side of the house next to the one the man came out of. She found a good place to seek cover behind the air-conditioning that afforded her a good vantage point of the man, home, and truck.
The woman was still giving the burly man hell, and he had stopped to beat her into submission. "Bastard," she thought as she watched him slap the woman. He roughly picked her up as though she was a sack of potatoes and slung her down hard in the bed of the old ford truck.
"Hermit, where are you," Erika wondered. Their window of time was closing fast. As though on cue, she heard the .45 cock and Hermit's voice break through the darkness, "Sir, I don't want any trouble, but I think you need to put the lady down." Hermit had closed the distance and was standing about twenty feet from the man. Close enough to draw his attention and close enough, he heard the pistol cock.
"Smart guy," she thought, impressed with his quick thinking. Not that he was not smart mind you - he was book smart for sure, but she sometimes worried his intellect prevented him from noticing things going on in the real world.
"Son, you don't want to get involved in this. You just go on your way now," the burly man said with a wave of his hand, shooing the younger man away. He pulled out a cigar and leaned against the truck bed, patting the woman on her bare bottom. "This here is family business."
“Redneck,” Erika thought rolling her eyes. Quietly she slipped out from her hiding place in the shadows, Gretel at her side, hackles raised. On padded feet, they crept up alongside the truck unnoticed. Lifting a finger to her lips, she motioned the woman to be quiet when her eyes caught hold of Erika’s.
Hermit took a step towards the truck, his gun unwavering, trained on the man, "Ma’am, if you want to come with me, just squeeze my sister's hand."
"Your sister?" The redneck asked, confused.
Erika racked the .12 gage from behind him. "Yes, his sister." She gave him a little wave as she trained the shotgun on him.
"Now, you two just settle down a second, you got this all wrong," the big man smoothly explained as he took a step towards Hermit. "Son, now my wife gets a little crazy when she gets off her medication. I was just loading her up to take her to the hospital."
"X." The woman tried to say, her voice barely audible it was so raw and raspy.
Erika signaled for Gretel to watch the man as she jumped into the back of the truck. The sable shepherd growled low. "Sir, if you take one more step towards my brother, my dog here will bite you. Do you understand?" Erika told him between clenched teeth. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she hoped that she looked calmer than she felt. Her heart beating wildly as she looked from the big man to the woman. She did not have to guess - he was lying. The woman reached out and squeezed her hand twice, which Erika interpreted to mean, "Help me."
Erika took off the army green button-down shirt she had on and handed it to the woman. "Take this and let's get you to my house." The woman nodded stiffly, putting the shirt on to cover her nakedness. Jumping down from the back end of the truck, Erika extended her hand, in the streetlight, she could see that blood was starting to clot in the woman's strawberry blonde hair. There were a few deep gashes, but the rope burns around her slender throat made Erika wince. She could see the skin was bruised and molting where the rope had been tightened, crushing her delicate neck. She realized the woman's vocal cords had likely been crushed. She noted that the woman's aqua eyes were bloodshot but not broken. "I won't ask if you are ok, you aren't, but I promise you that you are safe now."
Lifting a shaking hand, the woman pointed to the van. "There are others," the woman croaked, licking the dried blood she tried to moisten her lips. Erika swung around in a swift motion, bringing the butt of the shotgun into the fat man's head. As he dropped to the ground, Hermit looked at her questioning her with his eyes.
"You Bitch," the man hissed through clenched teeth, but Erika did not give him a chance to say more. Leveling the shotgun at his face, she asked, her tone deadly and quiet, "Where are you taking them?"
Erika felt a cold shiver run up the length of her spine as a voice spoke out of the darkness behind her, "Brother Timothy told us we could have whoever we caught as long as we brought him you, Miss Lily."
Erika turned around and came face to face with the owner of the voice. There in the shadows, he stood like a ghost. She felt a bolt of electricity surge through her when her tri-colored eyes met his dark grey ones. She had never seen him before, but there was a familiarity with him - like from a dream. Or a nightmare. Defiantly, she lifted her head to meet the dark, predatory grey eyes studying her.
He was tall, probably 6'1, and built, and he was watching her with the same bored look an old lion has watching a gazelle at a watering hole. "I am sorry, have we met?" She asked coldly, moving so she could train the shotgun on him.
Flashing her his white teeth, "Yes, Miss Erika," he purred. "But it's been a while."
That caught her off guard, taking a step back, Erika felt the hair
on the back of her neck start to stand up, and a nagging feeling in her heart space. "Did you leave the message?" she asked with a nod to her house. Holding her breath, she could feel her heart beating madly in her chest as he just smiled. Her emotions were getting away from her now as she thought of her poor mother who had fought so hard to battle the cancer, who had held onto life with such a grip only to have it robbed from her by this monster.
Thunder cracked seemingly on top of them. The smell of ozone filled the air, and the darkness seemed to crackle all around them. "Aw now, this is the girl that I know and love."
Erika searched the confines of her mind but could find no recollection of the man standing before her. The ground seemed to spin as she felt the energy pulling from the streetlights around her, from the white truck's batteries, and pooling into her arms. It felt natural, pure, hate-filled rage, and it was hers. She marveled at the sensation, white-hot, and coursing through her. Looking down, she was shocked to see tendrils of energy manifesting from her hands onto the shotgun. Startled, she dropped it with a loud clatter on the asphalt. Everyone seemed mesmerized, even Gretel sat head cocked, hypnotized by what was happening to Erika. With a start, the big man she had been trained on reached to grab her when the shotgun's sound tore through the night. So entranced by Erika, no-one had noticed as the bloody woman had picked up the shotgun. "Ray, the next shot will be center mass," she croaked. The man visibly paled before looking to the mysterious man hovering in the shadows.
"Ray, I think she means it," the man jeered at the balding redneck. Looking bored, he added, "And Hermit, be a cool dude and stop creeping up on my six. Good man. I would hate for this situation to get out of hand."
Coming around to stand beside Erika, Hermit whispered, "Who is this dude and how does he know our names?"
Swallowing, she shook her head, "I feel like I should know him, but I honestly have no idea." Her mouth was dry, and she no longer knew what action they should take. The man did not appear to have a gun that she could see. Not to mention, Gretel could take him down, but there was something ominous about him -something sinister that all fight or flight instincts were warring with each other. The electricity was still crackling around her to the point Hermit, and the woman's hair was standing on end.
Clearing her throat, Erika spoke out - her voice having a bell-like quality as it rang through the humid night. "Release the women, and we will be on our way."
Ray sputtered, "Felix, that wasn't the deal!"
“Felix,” Erika, said the name over in her head. It had a substance to it. A slippery piece of recognition flickered through her soul, but she still could not quite find a hold on it with her mind. Her eyes trained on him, "Felix, we don't want to hurt anyone."
Erika wondered if this were what a heart attack or a stroke felt like, but she did not have time to google her symptoms and realized if she would die - she was going out fighting.
"Oh, but Erika, I do," he purred, the shark-like smile fueling a light in his eyes that made her tremble. "Oh, how I have missed you."
Gretel was growling now, her hackles raised, and her full focus on the man. Turning his unwavering gaze to the dog, "Nice bitch you have there." He stared at Gretel until her growl turned into a whine, and she moved to stand behind Erika, "Good to see she knows her place."
The tension was thick when the lights of the white van lit up the street. Erika was positive that the stranger's eyes glowed red in the headlights for just a second as they illuminated his face.
As the van came to a halt, Erika could make out three men and a handful of women in the back. A shot rang through the night, and Erika's mouth dropped open as the woman standing next to her shot out the van's tires. For a moment, everyone stared at the coppery-haired woman in disbelief. Just as quickly as the shot rang out, the fence behind them exploded, and a black Tahoe came barreling through. "RUN!" Hermit screamed, shoving Erika out of the way as the chaos took over.
"Cover me!" she screamed as the three men barreled out of the van tripping over one another, pulling out pistols and shotguns and figuring out who to aim out with Felix and Ray in the middle of them. Gretel and Erika ran towards the van, Gretel jumping and knocking two men down while Erika opened the door. Desperately she searched the faces for Ethel before finding her. "Come on. We got to Run!"
Large eyed, the young African American woman pushed the woman in front of her, "What are you waiting for?"
The SUV came to a sliding stop in the grass, and the passenger door flew open. "Get IN!" a scared Millie screamed at them. Not having to be asked twice, Gretel barreled in and into the back while the woman and Ethel scrambled into the second row. Hermit ran to join them, stopping only to help Erika to her feet. He gave her a questioning look as she rushed to the car. Erika shook her head and clamored into the Tahoe behind him right as the group of men started shooting. Millie drove straight into the group, clipping the ford pick-up with the grille guard and pushing it into the brick mailbox with a loud crunch.
She gave them a nervous smile with both hands on the wheel. "I had walked over to see what was happening and when I heard I thought you guys might need an assist," she commented, flooring the Tahoe as they fishtailed up the street. "Who the hell was that?"
Hermit turned around to look at Erika, who had ended up in the back seat with the woman and her daughter, "Yeah, Erika. Who was that?"
“That was the Brotherhood,” the black woman they had rescued interrupted. “Erika baby, I am so sorry, I am guessing you saw what happened to your momma?”
Erika nodded sadly as she rubbed Gretel's head while Hansel nuzzled her. She wondered who the hell this Felix was and how she knew him. More importantly, why couldn't she remember him? She recognized that she had to keep her wits about her right now, and if she started thinking about it her resolve would unravel and that would not do anybody any good. Biting her lip nervously, she cut her eyes at the beaten woman and Ethel, "Where can we take you." The woman's cold aqua eyes met hers and that of the young African American woman and knew they were coming with them.
Erika thought for a moment and giving them all her best can do smile, she shrugged, "Millie, I guess we go to your place for supplies and from there, and after…well, I got to think about that.”
With a nod of her head, Millie gave her a thumbs up and turned the Tahoe towards her apartment. Hermit turned on the local college station, and they listened to the news. The reporter spoke about the violence from Chimneyville seemed to have set fire to the nation, and across the country, there were riots, looting, and murders. It was like the whole country was on fire, and all they could do was watch it burn.
They rode in silence, each lost in their thoughts - their own grief. Even the dogs seem unsettled by the events that had happened. Hansel had his nose on Erika's shoulder, sensing her grief and comforting her to the best of his ability. Gretel lay with her head on her leg, her eyes never leaving Erika.
As they approached Millie's apartment complex, they could see a group of men gathered by the gated entry standing around a trashcan fire. Rolling down the window, Millie called one of the black men by name, "Bryson, it's Millie from 11-C, everything ok here?"
"Hey lady," the man swaggered over. "We had some players from downtown come by and think they were gonna start some trouble earlier, but they learned really quick we don't play that way here." Shining a flashlight in the car, Erika raised her hand to shield her eyes at the disheveled crew, "Hey there, Miz Erika. Where is that man of yours, we sure could use him around here tonight."
"B," she greeted, "he is downrange." Bryson Taylor lived in Millie's apartment complex. He and some of his friends gave Millie and Becca some grief, catcalling and whistling when the girls were coming in and out from dance class. Ransom had overheard the girls complaining to Erika one night when he was home and had taken it upon himself to go by and introduce himself when the girls were not back. After a short scuffle with Bryson and his boys, Ransom had offered them a beer, and they had become friends. It turne
d out that Bryson and Ransom had been at Fort Bragg during the same time period and crossed paths.
It was hard for anyone to forget Ransom - there was only one 6'4 half Scottish half Korean SF guy at Fort Bragg. After talking with Ransom, B and his boys had appointed themselves guardians of the little apartment complex, and instead of creating trouble - they kept it at bay. Smiling to herself, Erika thought, Ransom was like that. There was something about him that made people want to be better, do better, and look after one another. It was one of the reasons she had fallen for him. Oh no, she thought, I have got to call him to tell him about my mom, she remembered suddenly exhausted as the day's events hit her.
"Damn - could have used his help during this," the black man said, gesturing around. "People are acting crazy. Like PCP crazy, man."
"You have no idea," Erika added, looking at her hands.
"You all look like you have been thru it," giving the group one more look over, the man wiped the sweat from his bald head before waving them through, "We got it out here."
It did not take the group long to get settled and for introductions to be made. Millie took Erika's neighbor, Tanna Lee, and the nurse, Ethel, to pick out some clothes and to let them get a shower. Erika had to hand it to Tanna - she had not gone into shock. She seemed to have maintained a calm demeanor despite everything that must have happened to her. Erika was not sure if she could have done it if the situation had been changed. Erika was more concerned about Ethel though - she had not spoken much since the ordeal, which was totally out of character for the normally chatty woman.
Hermit brought her a cup of orange spice tea with honey, "Ok…. Talk," he said as he sat next to her on the green velvet club sofa. Blowing on the hot tea, Erika closed her eyes and lifted her head back. "I honestly don't know. Something happened last night - something my higher self is not ready for me to remember. You know what happened with Papa Doc and Jewel. But there is more." She told him about the flashes of memory she was having of Jewel being torn apart, and the portal, " I don't understand, but it's all I got for now." Looking at her phone, she suddenly felt exhausted and overwhelmed, "I need to talk to Ransom," and started to sob.
Tapestry of Worlds : Part One - The White Raven Awakens Page 9