Crazy Files

by Yvi Valentin

  “It’s probably popular with American tourists,” I pointed out.

  “Brian does have a good point,” Andy said.

  I flashed Andy a look of disbelief. “How do you figure?”

  “Well there would be a lot of foot traffic around there regardless of who it may be so it would be a great place for War to find targets,” Andy explained.

  “I know I’m going to regret this but let’s go,” I said unenthusiastically.

  We left the airport and headed towards the Red Light District. Part of me was nervous but I didn’t know why. I had been in dangerous situations before and this one shouldn’t have been any different. The closer we came to our destination, the more anxious I got.

  An image flashed before my eyes. It was Evan talking to Pestilence and War. I couldn’t make out any words but it seemed too friendly. It confirmed what I already knew, Evan was playing us.

  “Aimee, are you alright?” Andy asked.

  “I’m fine,” I lied.

  “It looked like you just had a vision,” Andy said skeptically.

  “No…I didn’t,” I replied.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, still unconvinced.

  “It was about Evan,” I told Andy telepathically.

  “Alright, I believe you,” Andy said out loud. “What was it?” he asked telepathically.

  “Evan’s lying to us.” I showed him the exact image I saw moments before.

  “We’re here,” Brian said cheerfully.

  “You are way too excited about this one,” Jen whined.

  “Can you blame me?” Brian asked.

  “Let’s just get the job done,” I interrupted. The bad feeling I had amplified as we got out of the car. I wondered if it was War I was sensing or if it was because I knew what was going to happen. “Alright, Brian, you’re the one who dragged us out here so tell us, where do you think War is?”

  “How should I know?” Brian shrugged.

  “Because it was your idea to come here,” Jen answered.

  “Alright.” Brian paused for a moment as he took in the scene. I thought he was one step away from drooling. “I think we should just look around for a while and see if anything unusual happens.”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day,” Jen said.

  “Come on, give me a break,” Brian whined.

  “You’re the only one who’s vocal about where we are so you’re the one taking all the hits,” I teased.

  “If you can’t take the heat…” Jen began.

  “Yeah, I know, get out of the kitchen,” Brian groaned.

  We walked around for a moment and looked everywhere for War. The bad feeling I had got worse with each step. I looked to my left and saw Pestilence in the distance. It felt like there was a hole in the pit of my stomach. If Pestilence was around, it meant my vision was going to happen. My heart raced as I stared at the horseman.

  “Guys, Pestilence is here.” I pointed him out to the group.

  “Are you alright Aimee?” Evan asked. “You look pale.”

  “Yeah…I’ll be fine,” I lied.

  “What do you think he’s doing here?” Brian asked.

  “Maybe he’s here to warn War about us,” Andy offered.

  “That’s possible,” Evan added.

  “We should follow him, see if he leads us to War,” Jen suggested.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” I said.

  We watched Pestilence closely and followed as far away from him as possible. He walked down the street and met with a woman. I knew from my vision that it was War. The bad feeling I had was stronger than ever.

  “Who do you think that is?” Evan asked.

  “That has to be War,” I answered.

  “But that’s a woman,” Evan pointed out. “Shouldn’t a horseman be a man?”

  “That’s sexist,” Jen snapped.

  “Let’s just watch and see what happens.” I could tell Andy was annoyed with Evan and I didn’t blame him. I would have gotten rid of him myself if it weren’t for whatever Michael had planned.

  The woman was the last person I expected to be a horseman. She wore a black motorcycle jacket as an edgy contrast to her flowing pink dress. Her black hair was in loose curls and her lips were bright red. Her bright blue eyes made her seem sweet but I wasn’t fooled. She walked down the street seductively, touching random men with the riding crop she carried with her.

  “It’s her riding crop,” I whispered.

  “How do you know?” Evan asked.

  “I saw her touch a man with it and he went from happy to furious instantly,” I explained.

  “Now we know who and what,” Andy started.

  “We just have to figure out how to get it,” Brian finished.

  “It’s going to be harder this time with Pestilence hanging around,” Jen pointed out.

  “He’s probably here to help protect War’s riding crop,” I offered.

  “We should keep watching them and wait for an opportunity,” Evan stated.

  “There’s not going to be an opening with Pestilence around,” I snapped.

  “Maybe I can get close to them,” Evan offered. “I did work for Lucifer, so maybe I can get to them and the riding crop.”

  “They’re not devil worshipers, they’re horsemen!” I shouted.

  “Not so loud,” Andy hissed at me as he covered my mouth. The two horsemen looked in our direction. I gasped at the intense energy I felt from them.

  “It’s worth a shot isn’t it?” Evan asked. “Your dad and the horsemen have the same goal.”

  “No Evan, I don’t think they do,” I answered.

  “Why not?” Evan asked.

  “Because Lucifer wants to rule the world and the horsemen are just here to cause mass destruction and death,” I slowly explained.

  I didn’t think it needed clarification. I wasn’t sure what Evan was trying to pull, but I was determined to find out. I had to be able to break down his shield and control him. I wasn’t going to rest until I found out the truth about him.

  “Do you have any better ideas?” Evan asked.

  “No but we can’t risk being found out by the horsemen,” I replied. “We’re already going to have to deal with Pestilence trying to get his handkerchief back. Not to mention the fact that he’s going to make it even harder for us to get War’s riding crop. We can’t make this job harder for us.”

  “Alright, so what are we going to do?” Evan asked.

  “We could separate Pestilence from War,” Brian suggested.

  “Good start,” Andy said.

  “That makes it easier for us to get the riding crop from War,” Jen added. “Then how will we actually get it from her?”

  “Wait for an opportunity like we did with Pestilence,” Andy offered.

  “I don’t think we’ll have much time to wait,” I pointed out.

  “We should go get a container for the riding crop now,” Jen suggested.

  “What’s big enough to put it in?” Brian asked.

  “What about one of those things artists put their paintings in?” Evan asked.

  “You mean a transport tube?” I asked.

  “Do you think we could put it in one of those?” Brian asked.

  “It should work,” I answered.

  “Alright, Brian and I will get one and you three can keep following War,” Jen said.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I replied. Evan, Andy and I continued following Pestilence and War as Jen and Brian went to find a transport tube to put the riding crop in. I hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened with Pestilence. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make the effects of touching the riding crop go away. “We should put on our gloves now, just in case.”

  “Smart,” Andy said.

  “So we’re just going to keep following these two?” Evan asked.

  “Yeah, unless you have some elaborate con you want to play on them,” I answered sarcastically.

  “We could come up with something,�
� Evan suggested.

  “No we can’t,” Andy countered. “Pestilence has seen all of our faces and he’s not going to leave War’s side easily.”

  “It shouldn’t be that hard for us to get Pestilence away from War once he sees one of us,” Evan began. “He’ll chase us, trying to get his handkerchief back and the rest of us can con the riding crop away from War.”

  “We can’t just con War into giving us the riding crop,” Andy argued. “She’s not going to give it up willingly.”

  “We can do a bait and switch,” Evan suggested.

  “She’s not going to let it out of her sight,” I pointed out.

  “What if we distract her and steal it?” Evan asked.

  “These horsemen don’t play around when it comes to their artifacts,” Andy explained. “We’re not going to be able to distract her enough to lose track of the riding crop.”

  “Hence the bait and switch,” Evan said.

  “What’s this brilliant plan of yours?” I asked skeptically.

  “It involves you getting close to War,” Evan began.

  “How close are we talking about?” Andy asked hesitantly.

  “Close enough to raise some hell,” Evan answered.

  “Interesting choice of words,” I pointed out.

  “Just hear me out,” Evan said.

  “This better be good,” I muttered.

  “So let’s say you go up to her and start some drama,” Evan began.

  “You want me to antagonize War!? Are you insane!?” I shouted.

  “Then start a conversation with her,” Evan offered. “Do anything to distract her long enough so you can switch the riding crops.”

  “You want me to bump into her so she drops hers while I fake dropping mine so I can switch them!?” I questioned. “This is insane! It’s never going to work. The horsemen aren’t dumb!”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Andy said. “What other options do we have?”

  “What happens if it doesn’t work?” I asked.

  “We’ll come up with a different plan,” Evan answered.

  “You should go get a riding crop,” Andy suggested.

  “We’re actually going to go through with this horrible idea?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah,” Evan replied. “Do you have any better ideas?”

  “Fine,” I sighed. “Where do you suggest I go to get one?”

  “Look around,” Andy answered. “There are plenty of stores around here.”

  “Alright, I’ll be back, I’ll call if I can’t find you when I’m done,” I said.

  “Can’t wait,” Andy smiled.

  I rolled my eyes in response and walked away. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I kept thinking it was necessary to get War’s riding crop…it was the only way I was ever going to go through with this moronic plan.

  I walked into the first store I saw and quickly realized I was in the right place. I came across a pair of black leather gloves that I figured would work with my outfit and protect me from the affects of War’s riding crop. I walked over to the area where there were whips and paddles among other things and looked for a riding crop that was close enough to War’s but made sure it was subtly different so I could tell the difference when I had to mix them up. I found one that was all black except for a small red stripe at the bottom. I hoped it was good enough to switch without War noticing.

  I paid for the riding crop and left the store. I didn’t have to look far to find Andy and Evan. I quickly realized Andy was keeping an eye on the store while Evan kept an eye on War.

  “Have those two done anything worth mentioning?” I asked as I approached.

  “No,” Andy answered. “But who knows what they’re talking about.”

  “Planning on having some fun with that?” Brian asked pointing to the riding crop.

  “You’re so gross, Brian,” I teased.

  Jen rolled her eyes. “I apologize for his behavior.”

  “Yeah, I’m used to him,” I laughed.

  “We bought a few containers so War and Pestilence won’t be able to get the riding crop easily,” Jen reported.

  “Good idea,” Andy said.

  “What’s the plan?” Jen asked.

  “We’re going to have someone get Pestilence away from War,” Andy started. “Once that happens, Aimee is going to bump into War causing both riding crops to fall. Aimee grabs the one that belongs to War and gets away as fast as possible.”

  “We need to be ready with a container and get out as quickly as possible,” Jen recommended.

  “How do we separate Pestilence from War?” Brian asked.

  “He wants his handkerchief back and he’s seen all of us so all we have to do is have one or two of us get in his line of sight and wait for him to start running,” I suggested.

  “After that War will probably be expecting us to try something so we’ll have to be careful,” Evan added.

  “What do you mean, we?” I asked. “I’m the one who has to do all the interacting with War.”

  “Alright, Aimee, you have to be careful,” Evan corrected.

  “I know,” I replied. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  “Who’s going to distract Pestilence?” Brian asked.

  “I will,” Jen offered.

  “I’ll go with you,” Brian said.

  “Alright, I’ll be close to Aimee ready for the riding crop,” Andy mentioned.

  “Where will we meet when this is all over?” I asked.

  “Airport,” Andy suggested. “We have to leave as soon as we get the riding crop.”

  “Let’s get started,” I said.

  Jen gave me a hug. “Be careful.”

  “You too, Jen,” I replied.

  Andy, Evan and I stood far away from War and Pestilence while Jen and Brian made their way towards them. The bad feeling I had earlier was stronger than ever. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next but something told me it wasn’t going to be anything good. Part of me knew Evan was somehow involved.

  It wasn’t long before Pestilence caught sight of Jen and Brian. He said something to War before running after the couple. I became more and more nervous as I realized the moment I had to bump into War was on the horizon.

  “You should head towards her now,” Andy suggested.

  “Yeah,” I nodded and turned in her direction.

  “Aimee,” Andy called. “You’ll be alright.”

  I smiled weakly and headed towards the horseman. I knew I had to be convincing so I decided to mimic the way War walked in order to blend in. I was surprised to find it wasn’t difficult to pull off. With each step I took, I gained more and more confidence in myself. I could feel how amazed Andy was by how quickly I managed to change my entire attitude. It felt weird yet at the same time exhilarating to pretend I was someone else.

  My body began to burn as I got really close to War. I knew I had to go through with the plan no matter what I was feeling. I would worry about what was happening to me later. I regained my composure for a moment before I pushed War. I tried to make it seem like an accident, but that didn’t work very well. She fell to the ground, the riding crop falling a long way in front of her. Without her noticing I managed to throw my riding crop so it landed close enough to hers that I could grab what I wanted.

  “What did you do that for?” War asked as she stood up. I could tell she was fuming yet trying to hide her panic.

  “You shouldn’t have gotten in my way!” It didn’t sound a thing like me, but I figured the situation called for such an attitude. I grabbed War’s riding crop and walked as quickly as I could while maintaining my persona and turned the corner. I hoped War wouldn’t notice the difference between the riding crops right away. It wasn’t long before Andy and Evan turned the corner and found me waiting for them. “Took you guys long enough.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were going to circle back and meet us,” Andy said.

  “It was my idea to follow you,” Evan added.

  “I
thought that’s what you were supposed to do in the first place,” I replied. “You know it would have been very suspicious if War saw me walk in the opposite direction after I had bumped into her…don’t you?”

  “Of course I know that,” Evan answered.

  “No you didn’t.” Andy glared at him.

  “Alright, let’s just put this thing away and get out of here,” I ordered.

  “Right.” Andy opened the container. I put the riding crop in and closed it. Andy positioned it on his back and we started down the street.

  “NOOOO!” I heard a woman yell.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s War.” My eyes widened in horror.

  We ran down the street as I heard War yell, “stop! You have something of mine!” I could hear the fear in her voice. I didn’t expect it from a horseman. We ran faster when we bumped into Jen and Brian with Pestilence on their heels.

  “Did you guys get it?” Brian asked.

  “Yeah, now let’s get out of here!” I yelled as we continued running.

  “How did you manage to lead Pestilence back to us?” Evan asked.

  “We didn’t know where you guys were,” Jen snapped. “How were we supposed to know we were running towards you?”

  “There’s no use in arguing right now,” I shouted. “We need to focus on getting out of here as soon as possible!”

  “How are we going to leave with two horsemen chasing us?” Brian asked.

  “We could fly,” Andy suggested.

  “It’s the only thing we can do,” I pointed out.

  “We have to make sure no one around here is going to see us take off,” Brian said.

  “So we’ll find an alley,” Jen yelled.

  We were all irritated as we struggled to find the closest alleyway. I was sure it was because we were tired of having to run. It seemed to take forever to find an empty alley but once we did, we rushed into it where no one could see us and flew to the airport.

  We landed at the airport outside one of the terminals. I quickly walked in without thinking. I wasn’t paying attention to whether or not everyone else was right behind me which I quickly realized was a mistake. I headed towards the ticket counter when I saw War in front of me. I turned around to see Pestilence coming towards me. I looked around for Andy and everyone else but couldn’t see them anywhere. I panicked as I wondered what was going to happen.