by Dean Floyd
I half expected him to give chase and when he didn't I was surprised. He released his power and it fizzled out as mine had. Then he slumped on the wall, letting it support him and hacked out a whooping cough. After a few moments he turned to me.
"You're a wizard," I said.
"You're an idiot. I told you not to interfere. Now look what you've done."
"I'm sorry man, I...” What was I gonna say? That I had profiled a little bit? That I assumed he was giving the lady trouble? Because I did think that and was totally wrong.
"Did the Guild send you?" He asked me. "No, they wouldn't have sent you. You're too young. Are you training to be a Shepherd?"
Guild? Shepherd? What the heck was he talking about? "Look, I don't know who or what you assume I am but I don't know anything about a guild or sheep," I said.
"Awe crap," he said. "What's your name, kid?"
"My name’s Sean O'Farrell and I'm not a kid."
"Mine’s Nehemiah," he said, nodding. "You figured I was trying to hurt that lady, didn't you?"
I shrugged. "From where I was standing it sure looked like it."
"Well, it's partly true. I was gonna hurt her...she's not a lady though."
"What was she?"
Nehemiah scowled. "Aren’t you Irish? Can’t you recognize a Banshee when you hear one? She needed to wash blood from an article of my clothing to give me some serious Bad Luck. That’s why she was here," he said waving his arm to encompass the laundromat. “There’s not too many natural streams nearby.”
I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. I could only guess that if I knew more about Banshees it would make sense. My knowledge of Irish mythological creatures was rusty. I know, I know. Give me a break. I’m Irish American. The only things Irish about me are my hair, my love for fighting, and corned beef hash with potatoes.
I felt I should admit my strange ability to sense things to him, considering all the things that had happened. "To be honest, I had this weird feeling that led me here. I can't really explain it."
"You sensed Bad Fortune and came to see the show. Great," said Nehemiah. "Let me guess, you have never used your Luck before."
I shook my head. "My what?" And then I realized he meant my power. "No, I didn't realize I could do that."
Nehemiah coughed. "That's because you couldn't until you touched my staff. Figures. The one person who grabs my staff..."
It seemed like he would chase after the Banshee but he shook his head. "She's got a head start now. And the sun's setting," he said to himself. "You really screwed this one up, kid. Excuse me, Sean."
Despite the abnormality of everything, I needed to get back to the fight and prepare dinner for my family. My mom would wonder where in the world I was. "If it's the same to you, I kinda got to go."
As I moved past him to leave, he put a hand on my chest. "Go straight home and stay inside for the rest of the night."
I nodded, not sure what he was getting at.
"I'm serious," he said, "stay indoors."
"I got it. Do you think I am stupid?" I shrugged his hand off.
He raised his voice after me as I walked towards my car. "Don’t meddle again, Sean. Leave this stuff to the experts."
Cop sirens wailed in the distance. I gave him the thumbs up. There was no way I'd get involved in this sort of thing again.
Chapter 3
Late Dinner
My rear-view mirror showed red and blue lights flashing as the cop car pulled into the plaza. I mashed on the gas and shot down the street. I knew this side of town and continued down another block west towards a freeway entrance. I entered the freeway and kept it at 75. I didn’t want to draw any CHP attention but I also didn’t want anyone to approach me either. If I was lucky the Banshee wouldn’t know which way I went.
It was a warm night but I had the chills and turned the heater on full blast. I put Boston on to calm my nerves. Some songs don’t have the same power though, after you’d faced a life or death situation. There weren’t many lights on this stretch of freeway. I blinked and realized that I’d been staring off into space, trying to process it all. Focus on the road.
"What just happened?" I asked myself. My reflection in the driver's side window showed a young man, eyes wide with fear. "That lady was... a monster."
And I had been way off about the black guy. My bad. From a certain perspective, it looked like something completely different was going down. Just saying. That magic stuff saved my life back there, both mine and the other guy.
"How had I attacked that demon thing?"
Running over the incident again, I realized that some kind of power had come out of me, released through my hand. Sure, I could sense things, but I had no idea I had magic. And with just my fist. Imagine what I could do with a sword. Or even a gun. I could make Gun Kata real. Eat your heart out, Christian Bale!
The voice in my head reminded me, but how’d you do it? Could you replicate it?
Who cares. No time to think about that, said another voice in my head. You need to decide what you’ll tell Mom.
How long ago had I left? I looked at the clock. Holy crow! I left almost forty-five minutes ago. She would not buy just any story. And I was also missing the fight by now.
I took back roads to the house to make sure I wasn’t followed. I tried to conceive a story. "I’ll just say the shopping lines were backed up, the credit card readers were down, and then there was this homeless guy asking for money so I had to go the ATM for cash..." But as I listened to myself there was no conviction in it.
I passed by a McDonald's and remembered I was starving. And if I was then my family was too. Why had I forgotten to buy meat? I ruined family night.
Noticing my gas tank again, I kicked myself for not taking my mom up on the offer to give me cash. Meat was way more expensive than I remembered. Was this how it felt to be an adult? I’m not a very good adult.
Turning left on Grayland Court down Mom’s street, I slowed down to the speed limit as a means to slow my thoughts. Deep breaths. I pulled into the driveway, cut the engine and sat there for a moment. Aiden opened the door.
"Why'd you take so long?" he yelled. That kid has no discretion. That’s why he’s a kid.
"Scissors please," I said as I shot straight to the back patio.
Aiden handed me the scissors and I cut open the meat and threw it on the grill.
"Did the main event happen yet?"
"It’s all over," he said.
"Already?"
"They were all really fast fights."
"Crap!"
Aiden stood there awkwardly until I said, "Go play your games, dude." He didn’t skip a beat and left me outside by myself in the dark with the grill.
Mom joined me on the patio. "Thanks for running to the store," she said. "What took you so long?"
"A Banshee attacked me," I blurted. The truth is best hidden in plain sight.
"Yeah, right. What really happened?"
I ran her through all the excuses I had made up. Hit every red light, long lines at the store, the register broke, the homeless guy that needed cash, and going to the ATM.
"You know how it all adds up," I finished.
"Sorry you missed the fight," she said.
"Aiden didn't say who won."
Mom pursed her lips.
"Awe crap! Did the other guy win?"
She nodded.
"Dang it. I still would've liked to watch it."
"You realize Sean, none of this would've happened if you had remembered to buy the meat in the first place. Are using the planner I bought you?"
"Not now, Mom! I already understand; I messed up."
"Hear me out, son. I realize you're juggling a lot of things. If you take the time to write them all out it really helps sort your thoughts."
"You've told me this a million times."
"Well it doesn't seem to get through, does it. We're all hungry and irritated. Not just you. Not utilizing the planner affects other people."
> I sighed. I wasn't gonna win this one.
"So how's the new apartment?"
I knew what Mom was after. She was seeing if I needed financial aid. "It's cool. I've got everything under control."
She reached out and rubbed my shoulder. "You have to be tough because you're the man of the family now but if you need help please tell me, okay?" She put her hand in mine and I felt the wadded $50 bill from earlier.
"Mom, I can't take this," I said.
"Sure you can."
I returned it to her. "Thanks. It means a lot. But I have to figure this out myself," I said, shuffling the meat around.
She changed the subject. "How are your classes?"
"They're okay. I have unfinished homework I've been putting off."
"Are you making any new friends?"
I grinned a little and she noticed.
"So, that's a yes?"
"Yeah..."
She folded her arms. "Care to elaborate?"
I used the tongs to flip over a few pieces that were almost done. "In my history class I was paired up for this project with this girl I’m kinda interested in."
"Who is she? What's her name?"
"Come on Mom, it's nothing serious. Her name's Charice."
"And what's she like?"
"She's cool," I said. "I mean, I don't know her. But I have to work with her on this project tomorrow night." I flipped several more pieces of meat, some of the juice falling down into the open flame and sizzling. The smell made my mouth water.
"So, you're gonna meet with her tomorrow?"
"Yep, during dinner to talk about how to best tackle the workload."
"So you have a date," she said elbowing me in the arm several times.
I tried not to crack a smile. "It's not a date, Mom! We're just hanging out."
She was grinning from ear to ear. "So, describe this Charice girl." She knew me and Gavin had an infatuation with exotic girls.
"She's not white," I said.
"That's not what I..."
I chuckled. "Of course that's what you wanted to know."
"It makes no difference either way," she said.
"She's half Filipina and half Mexican."
"Wow! I can't wait to meet her."
"The barbeque's done. Can you hold the plate?"
I loaded the barbeque onto the plate. Then she covered it in foil and we moved inside to eat dinner. "Dinner's ready kid!" I yelled to Aiden.
☘ ☘ ☘
"My meats burned,” Aiden complained.
"Oh stop," said Mom. "It's not burnt, merely a little crispy. Here," she handed him barbeque sauce. My mom's usual remedy for any meal that wasn't stellar was to add more sauce.
Besides some pieces being slightly burnt, it was a great meal. I hadn't sat down with my mom and brother in a while, and when you're starving almost anything tastes good.
I had Aiden relay the fight blow-by-blow. "And that's how he lost."
"Geez. That sucks," I said.
"Language," Mom said.
I rolled my eyes. “That stinks."
Aiden laughed.
I pushed my plate away from me. There was plenty of food left but I'd gorged myself.
"You boys wanna watch a movie?" said Mom raising her eyebrows up and down. Whenever she did that it meant she was attempting to make us watch a movie we wouldn't like.
"Are you trying to watch the Wedding Planner again?"
"How'd you guess?" She said irritated. "J Lo's in it."
"Oh, Mom! Not the Wedding Planner," groaned Aiden.
"Yeah, not a stupid rom com," I said.
"You boys got your fight and now I get my romantic comedy," she explained.
"I didn't see the fight," I said.
My phone vibrated as I got a text in my pocket. I pulled it out see who it was. On the screen I saw Charice's name.
"Who's Cha-rice?" Asked Aiden.
"Quit being nosy, kid. I'm going out back for some fresh air," I said and excused myself from the table and stepped outside.
Charice and I hadn't talked for a few days.
So we never talked about where we wanted to go tomorrow night, her text read.
I replied, Hamburgers?
Cheeseburgers! With bacon.
My kind of woman, I thought.
Five Guys?
Definitely!
6:30 PM?
Sounds good.
I realized that I had been typing super fast and my stomach felt all jittery. Calm down bro, I reminded myself. Like you told Mom, it's nothing. I smiled and sighed. But it could be something.
Then I remembered my brother. I found his name on my contacts and typed a text to him.
I thought you were supposed to be here, bro? WTH?
He texted me back right away.
I tried to be there... but some stuff came up.
It must've been really important stuff.
It was.
This guy. Why must he be so flippin' vague? He was so much like dad.
I looked up at the stars and the moon, remembering my dad and my sister. My chest hurt at the memory of them. I never realized how much I would miss them. Why wasn't I spending time more with the family I did have?
I turned to go inside when I heard a loud noise in the backyard.
Chapter 4
Uppercut
My blood ran cold.
Even though I didn’t see her, I knew she was there. Some deep and primal alarm inside me told me to run. Tain was barking ferociously at the sliding glass door behind me. He bashed the glass with his front paws, causing the window to shake.
Gosh, how had I gotten myself into this mess? Now my family was in danger. What should I do? I can’t keep running from this demon lady, this Banshee. I have to get her cornered and take her out.
I quickly turned and opened the door, careful not to let Tain out, shut it and ran to my little brother’s room. Oh please be there. Please be there, I thought. I hoped my mom hadn’t decided to get rid of it.
“What’s going on, Sean? Why is Tain freaking out?” asked Mom. She and Aiden were watching the movie.
“Just stay there. Everything will be okay,” I said, but even to me it was not very reassuring.
Her eyes widened as she read my body language and saw the look on my face. I jogged into my brother’s room. Please be there!
Still mounted to the wall was the katana I bought Aiden for his birthday. I still remember Mom freaking out because it was real. Grabbing the entire thing, sheath and all, I tied it to my belt loop on my jeans then dusted off my hands. Aiden hadn’t touched it for some time. From there I rushed to my mother’s room.
Mom barred my path down the hallway. “What’s happening?” she asked, now holding the wireless landline. Yeah, I know. A landline. “Are you getting the shotgun?” mom asked.
A strange, abnormal sound in the backyard caused my mother to pause. The hairs on her neck stood up. Guaranteed, because mine were.
I gently pushed past her into the bedroom and entered her walk-in closet. She had donated my dad’s clothes to Goodwill a while ago, but I knew that on top of the shelf, mounted on the wall lay a long black bag. Pulling it down, I sneezed because this bag had dust on it too. “Doesn’t anyone in this family dust? Gee whiz,” I complained.
Unzipping the bag I pulled out the Mossberg 500 that belonged to my father, who firmly believed in the Constitution. 'Murica. I loaded the seven shots as quick as I could but I had little practice.
“Mom, take Aiden and Tain and find a place away from any windows and sit tight,” I spoke with a firmness she probably wasn’t used to hearing from me but she moved quickly and did as I said.
Another strange noise sounded outside along with some crashing and breaking of things. I grabbed my Mossberg and the katana. I removed my jacket and t-shirt, leaving on my A shirt, AKA “wife-beater” if you're from the hood. My heart was racing. Not my family, demon-lady. Then the electricity went out and everything became dark. Even Tain stopped barking.
Moonlight shone through the sliding door. I couldn’t see a thing in the yard but there was no turning back. Holding my breath I slowly slid open the door, stepped outside, then slid it shut.
Immediately I tripped my brother’s skateboard. It nearly sent me flying but I caught myself. Almost sprained my ankle though. I took wide steps, trying to move past objects I wasn’t even sure were there. I'd have to scold that kid. Until he cleaned up this backyard he'd be grounded.
I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Raising the Mossberg I turned, surveying the entire backyard. The backyard consisted of tall grass and weeds. Oh, that boy was really grounded now. Why hadn't he mowed?
Alongside the house leading to the front yard was the water meter and several garbage and recycling cans. I edged past them to the corner of the house. The fence couldn't open from the front because of the latch.
Was the Banshee even out here? Maybe I had fooled myself. Perhaps the electricity had another explanation for failing. It didn't explain why Tain was freaking out though.
My ears strained to hear her movements. Every grasshopper, mosquito, cat, and owl could be heard, but not a peep from the screamer.
Long fingers suddenly seized my throat. If this was a horror movie the scary sound effect would make all the women in the theater (and at least one man) jump, and people would gasp. Except this wasn’t a movie, this was real life. I wanted to scream but I couldn’t. She was blocking my windpipe. How had that sucker snuck up on me?
I lifted the Mossberg and put it to her rib cage.
The shot rang like a kid yelling in the Grand Canyon. I'm sure I woke up everyone for the next five blocks up. High winds were typical but the wind was still tonight.
The Banshee twisted out of harm’s way and backhanded the gun out of my grip. I tried to unsheathe my sword but the she-devil was faster and clipped my chin. My body has endured through hard punches before but never like this. She grabbed and threw me skyward and I landed on the roof. On the freakin' roof. I would need some serious medication because a huge headache formed. I could taste the iron in my blood and felt drops on my head.