by Jobe, David
“No,” said a low terrified voice. “Not even slightly.”
“Seems like a night for that. Mind if I come closer?”
“Do you plan on abducting me too?” Her tone sounded harsh and unfriendly, yet still somehow little and hurt.
He looked at her, then down at Shane before him. “Honestly, I’ve got way more than I can handle at the moment.”
She rose, still keeping her distance. “What happened to him?”
“Got into a fight with some rough and tough soldiers. Didn’t work out well for him.”
She stepped into the light, her face dirty and bruised. “Is he going to be alright?”
Brian nodded. “Yeah, he just needs a few days to sleep it off, and he’ll be right as rain.”
She looked over Brian’s shoulder as if peering for trouble coming for them. “Are the soldier’s still after him then?”
Again he shook his head. “They ran afoul of me. They won’t be bothering us.”
She raised a brow. “That so? You don’t look that tough.”
He laughed. “That’s what makes me dangerous. It’s the quiet ones you gotta watch. I was going to see about getting a taxi to take me to a nearby hotel for the night. You are welcome to catch a ride with us.”
She eyed him, her eyes narrow. “I don’t have any money for a hotel room, and don’t you be thinking I’ll be sharing it with you and him.” She wagged a finger at Shane.
He chuckled. “Wasn’t going to offer it. Figured if the place were cheap enough, I’d offer to pay your night.”
She shook her head. “That kind of generosity makes me even more suspicious.”
Brian laughed and leaned against the wall. “Wouldn’t be my money I was spending if you catch my drift.”
She smiled at that. “That I can get behind. There’s a hotel not too far south of here. Not the best, mind you, but it’s cheap, and the management doesn’t ask too many questions. You go give the taxi cab company a call, and I’ll watch your friend.”
Brian shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not taking my eyes off of him right now.” He paused. “I, uh. Want to make sure he doesn’t start convulsing or anything. How about I give you some change, and you call?”
She shrugged and held out her hand. He handed over some of the change he had stolen and moved Shane back into the shadows. The woman left and returned a few minutes later. “They will be here in twenty.” She held out an empty hand, “Names, Na-. Sorry. Names Foxy.”
Brian chuckled and shook her hand. “Brian. And my out of it friend is Shane. He’s not a shaker though.”
She laughed and nodded, stepping back to rest against the concrete wall. “Want to tell me about your night?”
Brian rested against the wall on the other side of the double doors. “Not really. You?”
“No,” she said from the shadows.
They stayed that way, locked in their own shadows and quiet until the taxi drove up. Brian let Foxy give the address of where they were going while he put Shane in the backseat and dropped the wheelchair in the trunk.
“Crazy night,” The taxi driver asked with a skeptical eye.
“Yup,” Brian and Foxy said in unison. They both piled into the car, Foxy up front and Brian next to the corpse. They spent the rest of the drive in silence as the driver peered from one to the other but seemed to understand there would be no questions answered. He dropped them off at The Island Oasis, took his money and his tip and sped off.
“I’ll go get us rooms,” Brian offered.
“Not next to each other.” She stared at him hard, but her lips turned into a smile.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Keep an eye on Shane?”
She nodded but didn’t move anywhere nearer to him. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Her eyes held mischief in them, he was sure of it.
The process of getting a couple of rooms was surprisingly easy. The bored clerk handed out keys without looking up and just had him scribble names in a ledger filled with more stains than names. He padded out to find both his companions in the same spot he had left them. “Here.” He handed her a set of keys. “Different floor and different wing. Check out is at ten a.m. Hope the rest of your night turns out better.”
She appeared to consider him for a moment and then nodded. “You’re a real hero, Brian, even if you may have stolen someone’s money. Hope he doesn’t keep you up tonight.” She jerked a thumb at Shane, gave a chuckle and sauntered off toward her room.
Brian watched her go, confused and tired. After she turned the corner, he wheeled the body to his own room, easing the door closed behind him. For Foxy, or whatever her real name might be, he had paid for one night. For this room, he had paid for four. Brian figured he would leave a note by the bed letting Shane know what had happened and where he was. Maybe, leave him enough money to get a ride into the city. He sat at the table writing it up, his whole body aching.
Brian had just finished the note and set it, with the money on the bedside table, when he heard a knock at the door. The room didn’t have peepholes, so he moved to pull the blinds aside to peer out as inconspicuously as he could. Foxy stood at the door, dancing from one foot to the other, glancing both directions down the walkway in quick intervals.
He opened the door to find her giving him an awkward smile. “Sorry to bother you. This may sound weird, but I don’t feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind staying in my room at least until I fall asleep? There are two beds, so you can lay on the one closest to the door. I’d feel a little safer after what happened tonight.”
Brian looked back at Shane laying on the far bed.
“Please.”
He looked back and nodded. “Sure. It’s what heroes do, right?”
She gave a delightful laugh and took his hand, leading him away. He made sure the door to his room clicked shut and then thought nothing of it. He followed her into her room. It looked the same as his, only the layout had been flipped.
“You want me here?” He pointed at the bed closest to the door.
She nodded. “I’m going to take a shower. I only have the one set of clothes, but I need to wash that creep off me.”
Brian sat down on his designated bed. “Sure. I’ll just lay here, with my back to the bathroom, watching the front door. I’ll try not to fall asleep, but no promises.”
She smiled and nodded, moving to the bathroom.
As promised, he lay on the bed, his back to the bathroom as he heard the shower turn on.
He awoke a short time later with her lips on his. Blinking he looked down and saw that she wasn’t wearing anything. “Um,” was all he could muster.
“Shhhh,” she told him and began to pull at his clothes.
He awoke later with the sun shining through a gap in the blinds, the light crawling across his forehead until it shone full in his eyes. He groaned; his whole body sore from the night before, both in the facility and the fun night that followed. He smiled as he rolled over and found the room empty. Both beds were a mess, and his mind remembered in sharp details as to why, but Foxy had vanished. As he rolled to sit up, he found a note clipped to the belt loop of his pants. Unfolding it, he read it aloud. “Thanks for the late night save, Darlin. Sorry I shot you in the head that one time. You’re truly a hero.”
Brian stared at the note for a long time, at first his mind failing to grasp it. It rolled over him like a dense fog. He pulled at pieces until they came together. Then he started to laugh, and laugh. He folded the letter carefully and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he got dressed and went to look for a phone to call his family to come pick him up.
Part Three
Chapter Thirty-One
Into the Lion’s Den
Unchecked hostility and carnage reigned at the Chalice House. Julian’s eyes settled from the bright flash of white to find he stood just outside where the gate had once been. Now, it lay in two twisted metal shapes just inside the courtyard. A hundred feet in, a grey van rested on its driver side, steam still curling up from t
he ruined hood, its rear passenger wheel spinning unchecked. From within he could hear the sound of gunfire and a few ground floor windows lit up with the telltale flashes. Julian turned to his left, taking in the guard station that he had visited on many occasions. The inside windows were now painted with blood splatter, and he could see two plump legs sticking out from its back door. Julian took one step toward the downed woman and with his new angle could that the poor lady would never be buzzing him in again. Sightless eyes stared at a splattered ceiling.
More gunshots rang out. Julian ran, giving the van a wide berth as if the metal beast might right itself and try to run him down. Just on the other side, he found the body of a man resting face down on the sidewalk, one hand outstretched toward the main entrance. A gun lay just beyond the man’s reach. Julian kicked it further, watching as it skittered across the fresh cut lawn and landed in some bushes. He would have to tell someone where it was so no kids would pick it up, but for now, he needed to find his family.
He slipped inside the front entrance, enraged that the security locks were engaged, but the door was still open. It looked as if someone had come out at the wrong time and let whoever had done this in. Just past the doors that were only supposed to be unlocked by someone behind another bulletproof window, he saw more legs sticking out from behind a potted plant. He thought about moving on, but whoever it was, they gave a low moan. Not sure if this was a downed attacker or a victim, he decided that he couldn’t in good conscien ce leave them there. He slipped out around the plant in a low crouch and found Dance sitting with his back against a bloodstained wall. His left hand rested on his side, blood leaking out from between his tightly clasped fingers.
“Dance,” he said, moving to kneel close to his friend. “What happened?”
Dance rolled his head to look at Julian, his eyes kind of dazed. “Jules? Man, it’s good to see you. This went all sorts of sideways.” He gave a ragged cough that produced blood. “We saw your stepdad riding around in that shitty van and figured he was up to no good. So, me and some of the boys tailed him. Sure enough, he rammed the gate and flipped the van. Then it was like a psycho circus out there, with fools spilling out of that thing like they were all stacked in it like pickles. I managed to get one of them out there. I think I might have clipped one in here before they got lucky and nailed me.” Another cough that sounded rougher than the last. “Don’t think I’m making it out of this one, man. I’m sorry. I tried to protect your family.”
Tears rolled down Julian’s face. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved.” He leaned in, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m taking you to North. They’ll patch you up. You’ll be fine.”
Dance smiled. “Is that red-headed friend of yours there?”
Julian laughed and cried harder. “Naw, man. She’s a few states away. But I’ll make sure she stops by after you get better.”
“I’m cold, man.”
Julian nodded. “It’s blood loss. Stay awake.” He couldn’t remember how many times he heard various EMTs say that to accident victims. He put a card in his friend’s hand and said, “fight.”
Dance opened his mouth to say something, but then he vanished, being deposited into the waiting room of the closest ER. On the floor next to where Dance was sitting, Julian could see another gun. He knew by the pearl handle that it was Dance’s fathers. His first thought was to teleport it back to Dance’s house, maybe putting it in the gun cabinet he had seen it countless times before, but he decided not to. He had no idea if it was locked now and Dance had a little brother. He scooped it up and tucked it into the back of his waistband.
He moved to head to the area where his mom’s and brother’s room were, hoping he wasn’t too late. As he rounded a corner, he found another body lying on the floor. This time it was a woman he had seen on several occasions. She laid face down, her head turned sideways. Her eyes followed him as he approached, growing wide. He knelt down again, his heart hammering in his chest. “I’m getting you to safety.”
Her mouth moved, but she said nothing.
“I’ll make them pay,” he said. That got a bloody smirk from her. Then she too vanished. “Please be okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was talking about the woman or his family.
As he crested the steps to the second floor, he found his two other friends crouching by a nearby wall. He crept in close, keeping at the same height as them. He could see in the walls above them that numerous bullet holes had been punched through the drywall. “What’re you doing?”
“They’re all in there.” Roberto jerked a finger toward the room just beyond them. If Julian’s memory served him right, it was a large room meant to hold group sessions and the occasional social. “We even try to get close, and they light up the walls. A lot of firepower in there, man.”
Julian nodded. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“And let your family get hurt? Or these other people? No.” Roberto shook his head.
“You’ve set quite an example, man.” William crouched low, a pistol held between his legs. “Can’t let you be the only hero.”
Julian shook his head. “Well, now you have new missions.” He took William’s pistol, one he also knew belonged to his father. “I’m sending you to the police station. Get them here fast.”
“Give me back my gun man,” William said, reaching for it, but not putting much effort into it. Julian could see the fear in his eyes. He gave him credit for getting this far.
“You wanna pop up at a police station with a stolen gun? They won’t even let white people do that.” Julian tapped him on the forehead.
“I’m not going,” William said, and then was gone.
Roberto laughed. “That was cold-blooded.”
“Do you have a gun too?”
Roberto showed a piece that he was sure belonged to Dance’s father. He gave a shrug. “You aren’t stealing this one.”
Julian touched the gun, and it vanished.
“Dude,” Roberto hissed.
Julian shook his head. “You stay with Dance. Make sure he does exactly whatever the doctor wants. And have them send a bunch of ambulances. I’m not sure how many people are injured here, or are going to be.” Roberto moved to open his mouth, but he would be talking to the waiting room.
Julian sighed, turning on his shield with his watch app. He gave it a moment to start and then stood. He straightened his back and stepped into the doorway. Bullets ricocheted off the shield, thankfully hitting the walls in the hallway and not anyone in the room. After a second the bullets stopped, and Julian could stop flinching long enough to see the room.
Julian’s mom lay on the ground in the far corner, a pool of blood spilling out from around her stomach. James crouched over her, hand on her shoulder as tears rolled down his face. Daniel stood a few feet away, his gun trained on James and his mother. Other men stood in the room holding guns, each with a frightened woman crouched before them by the wall.
“I knew that hillbilly would fuck it up. Glad you could join us. Lose the shield or I kill your brother too.” He waved the gun menacingly at James, who in turn started crying harder.
“I’m going to kill you.” Julian found himself shocked at the words that came out of his mouth.
“You tried that.” Daniel raised his shirt to show the long scar across his stomach.
Julian stared at the man. “I’ve gotten better.”
“The shield. I won’t ask again.”
Julian nodded. He reached for his wrist, pushing a few buttons before the thing vanished altogether. “There. Now let them go.”
“Neat trick,” Daniel smirked at him.
“Didn’t want you to have it, in case you decided to shoot me.”Julian stood with his fists clenched, the white in his knuckles standing out. “Are you man enough to fight me hand to hand? Or is beating women all you can manage?”
Daniel actually smiled. “You’re dumber than shit, talking mess to a man with a gun aimed at your brother. Just for that.” He pointed the gun at Ja
mes and pulled the trigger.
The bullet ricocheted off the shield that now surrounded Julian’s brother and his mother. James waved the watch at Daniel with an impish grin.
Daniel swung the gun around, rage showing on his face as he took aim at Julian.
Julian appeared behind James, one hand clasping the gun as it fired, the other pushing Daniel forward. The gun vanished; the bullet punching a hole in the wall behind where Julian had been standing. Julian vanished and reappeared again, in front of Daniel as the man staggered forward. Julian’s fist connected with Daniel’s jaw. He vanished again, appearing to drive a knee into the man’s side. Daniel grunted in pain, dropping to one knee and coming up to deal a devastating uppercut, but all he connected with was air. Julian appeared behind him and kicked at Daniel’s knee from the side. Daniel screamed as his knee broke with a loud pop, the lower bone pushed at the side of his knee, stretching the skin. As the man fell, Julian came down hard with a punch to the man’s jaw. Daniel fell unconscious to the floor, mouth hanging wide and spilling a few drops of blood.