Torment

by R. S. Broadhead

  “Oh, believe me. I know how stupid women can be sometimes.” He laughed while rolling his eyes in her direction. He took my money and put it in his register. “My suggestion is forget about that crazy broad. Sounds like she wasn’t worth your time anyway.” He winked at me as I took the ticket.

  “That’s the plan. Thanks, sir.” I picked my bag up and put it back on my shoulder. I walked around the woman, avoiding her hateful glare and looked for where my bus was located. I took an escalator down and followed the signs outside, where a bus sat with the doors closed.

  “Driver’s inside pissing. It’ll be a minute before we can get on,” a guy said from a bench behind me. The dark circles under his eyes seemed blue compared to his extra pale skin. He leaned forward, causing his wavy, strawberry colored hair to cascade across his eyes. He pushed it back and tucked it behind his ear while eyeing me.

  “Oh,” I said. I walked a few feet away and sat on the bench. I wanted distance between us. Something about him screamed dangerous. He probably figured I would be an easy target since my clothes were designer and neatly pressed. It was obvious I had money … unlike him. I put my bag in between my legs, locking it in place while watching him out of my peripheral. The smell of gas burned my nose, not to mention the constant whiff of body odor the breeze brought past me.

  “Stay away from that one,” a man said. He was a little taller than me with some serious muscles. He sat beside me with enough space to put his bag in between us. He took his baseball cap off and leaned against the side of the building, closing his eyes.

  I cast another look at the first guy. He was studying my bag as if trying to decipher what could be hidden inside for him. Leaving my house, I thought a bus ride somewhere would be the perfect option. A long drive to nowhere that really mattered with plenty of time sit alone. It didn’t matter where I went as long as I was far away from Chicago. But now with all these men around me, maybe I was wrong. The guy with the muscles could probably choke the life from me with his pinky toe. Hopefully, I had enough Martial Arts training to defend myself.

  Another man wearing a gray uniform emerged from the building and unlocked the doors to the bus. I let the two men walk ahead of me before standing to gather my bag. Slowly I walked up to the bus, pausing for a minute at the entrance. This was it. I was leaving Chicago. My home. Away from everyone I knew. Before I could back out, I handed the man my ticket and climbed the steps. The first guy was sitting close to the front so I causally walked past him, all the way to the back of the bus. The muscle guy, that I was now determined had to be on steroids, was two rows in front of me. I put my bag in the seat next to me, hoping it would keep anyone from sitting next to me.

  Several minutes later, the bus was nearly full. The driver climbed in his seat and slid it into drive. The roar of the engine filled the inside as the station slowly disappeared behind us. I leaned up and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. It was an uncomfortable lump against my hip. I buried it in my bag, wrapping a shirt around it to hide. I leaned my head against the glass, exhausted. Sleeping wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do here, but my lids were heavy. I was usually in bed by this time. I wrapped my arms around the bag and pulled it into my body, before falling into an uneasy slumber.

  “You need to put that shit back!” A guy’s voice erupted, tearing me from sleep. My bag was laid over on the side. I had a thick line of drool running down my face. Thoughtlessly, I wiped it away, trying to find out what was going on. The muscle man was standing out of his seat holding a fist full of the other guy’s collar in his hand.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to take your hands off me before something bad happens to you,” the guy said with a curl of his lip.

  “I know you took something out of that boy’s bag. Don’t make me take it from you.”

  “What’s going on back there?” the bus driver yelled. People around us were distancing themselves as much as possible. Some had eyes wide with fear, while others watched with interest to see someone hurt. Suddenly the paler guy pulled a large blade from the back of his pants and pressed it into the muscle guy’s throat.

  “That was a mistake,” the muscle guy said. In the blink of an eye, he ripped the blade from his grasp and punched him in the throat. Instantly, the pale guy doubled over, gasping for air. The bus jarred, as it pulled to the side of the road and stopped. “We need to get this piece of shit off here. He stole something outta that kid’s bag and tried to kill me with this,” the muscle guy told the bus driver when he approached.

  The driver glanced around at the other passengers who nodded. “Fine. But where is the boy’s stuff?” The muscle man reached down and pulled my wallet from the guy’s pocket, holding it up. “Bring him.” He tossed me the wallet and dragged the guy through the aisle, heaving him out the door before returning to his seat.

  Expecting him to turn around wanting a thank you, I tried to think of something to say. The bus started moving again as I watched the back of his head. He never once looked in my direction. An hour later, we pulled into a gas station for a break. I followed him inside, far enough back not to make it obvious. “You can quit stalking me any time now,” he said, catching me as I rounded the candy display.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you,” I said, suddenly scared. He seemed to relax, even smiled a minute.

  He snatched a pack of Reese’s from behind me. “So, what’s up with you?”

  I pulled back, confused by his question. “What do you mean?” I asked, grabbing a Twix. I tried to act cool, older, but I knew he saw straight through my act.

  “Did you run away from home?” The mention of the word home brought back everything that happened. Without realizing it, I touched my neck, calling his attention there. I knew there were bruises. It ached too much for there not to be.

  I shifted the collar of my shirt up as far as it would go. “That’s none of your business.” I turned away and headed for the counter to pay for my snacks. I didn’t know this man from the guy that got thrown out of the bus. Why would he think I needed to tell him anything?

  I returned to the bus, still slightly irritated by his question. Once back in my seat, I opened the Twix, trying not to think about it.

  “Move that bag.” I looked over at him standing beside my seat, holding a small backpack. I nearly choked on the milk chocolate seducing my taste buds. “Hello … you gonna move it, or do I need to?” I’d seen him in action, so I opted for option one. He sat down, adjusting the backpack on the floor beneath him. “I didn’t mean to offend you by the question, but I know you’re young.”

  “How old do you think I am? I’m twenty-three?” I said, lying. I puffed my bird-like chest out, trying to appear manlier.

  “Okay, whatever you say.” He pulled an IPod out of his bag and jammed the earbuds into his canals. Shinedown blared through the tiny speakers loud enough for me to clearly hear their song. I looked out the window, at the few small stores passing by. I had no idea where we were. I didn’t really care. I leaned back against the headrest. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt safer with this guy being beside me.

  We rode in silence for a few hours before he took the earbuds out. I glanced over, trying not to look like I cared. “You want to listen for a while?” he asked, offering them to me.

  I shook my head. “No, thanks. Shinedown really isn’t my thing.” The guy must have listened to every song by them … on repeat.

  “Don’t know what you’re missing out on,” he said, smiling, still humming the last song that had played. “So, you ready to talk now?” He leaned over to the side, away from me, and waited.

  “I don’t know you. Why would I want to talk to you?”

  He laughed. Apparently, I amused him. “True.” He paused for a minute. “So, if you don’t like Shinedown, who’s your favorite band?” He was trying to be my friend. Did I really need that?

  After a few moments I answered, “Fallout Boy.”

  He seemed satisfied with my answer. Alt
hough, I think it was nothing to do with the particular band I’d picked. It had to do with the simple fact that I answered a question he’d asked. Silence surrounded us again. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, he asked another question. “What’s your name?”

  I thought about giving him a fake name, but after this trip, I wouldn’t ever see this guy again. “Oliver.”

  “Nice to meet you, Oliver. I’m Fuzz.”

  “That’s a weird name.” I regretted saying the words as soon as they came out. I waited for him to jerk me out of my seat and toss me out the bus like the other guy. That was so stupid of me!

  “Yeah, I guess.” Relief flooded me, and my heart rate regained its normal rhythm. He asked me a few more questions and soon we were chatting like I’d known him for years.

  “You mean to tell me you’re from Alabama?” I asked, laughing. He wasn’t what I expected someone from there to look like.

  “Why is that so hard to believe?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because you have all your teeth and you’re not a giant fatty. Oh, and you seem pretty smart.”

  “Damn, boy. Don’t ever say that when you get to Mobile, or you’d have a whipped ass.” I nodded, taking his warning to heart. “So, you ready to tell me why exactly you’re on this bus?”

  My laughing stopped. “I told you. I’m visiting some people down there,” I said, reconfirming the lie I’d told him earlier.

  His eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t think you’d want to visit there with your opinions of the place. Now tell me your real reason.” Before I realized what I was doing, I told him everything. I was lost in an overwhelming sense of joy of having someone else share my burden.

  “Where are you going when you get off this bus?” he asked when I’d finished. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I suppose I thought this bus ride would carry on forever, or at least until I had some type of plan figured out.

  “I don’t know,” I finally said, picking at my shirt, doing anything to avoid his gaze.

  “You can come with me,” he suggested. I looked over at his hopeful face. It was warm and inviting, not like my first impression of him.

  “Where?”

  “I have a training camp. I’ll train you to fight … or should I say enhance those Martial Arts skills you already have.” It was the best idea I’d heard lately. After all, I had nowhere else to go.

  “Okay.”

  When the bus arrived in Mobile, I was nervous and excited all at the same time. Fuzz had a car waiting for us. We drove over an hour, passing through the tiny town of Jackson, only to continue out to the middle of nowhere. “Anyone you need to call to tell them where you’re at?” he asked.

  I thought about calling my grandparents but decided against it. “No, no one.” He gravely nodded.

  “Well then … welcome to your new life, Ollie.” My emotional floodgate opened. I had no idea what I was feeling hearing those words. Grief, sorry, excitement, the overwhelming sense to run like hell and never look back. This was my new chapter in life.

  ***

  I trained hard the next several years, meeting lots of guys, and making friends. I never knew the world Fuzz brought me into even existed. Killing monsters made me a machine. I loved the adrenaline rush. We were in a battle to save people, and I was good at it. Damn good. I had become my own personal war. It was never boring. Not only was my body trained to face anything, but my heart was also. I didn’t need anyone, except myself. No one would hurt me again. Not until she walked into my life. She changed everything … right up until the blade went through my body and I knew I was dying.

  I never thought I would let another woman come into my world the way Reese did. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one for me. Every curve of her delicate body fit against me perfectly. And her smell … the first night in Fulton, the wind caught her perfume, and made me stop dead in my tracks. She was my everything. The perfect creature who made Angels look mundane.

  Her bright blue eyes glassed over as she stared down at me in her arms. It wasn’t the way I wanted to go. I wanted to die old and gray after years of being with her. Those precious memories we could have shared were being robbed from me. My breathing became shallow. I didn’t have very long left with her. She would go on and make someone else happy. As much as that thought hurt me, I wanted her to be happy without me. She begged me to stay with her. If only I could. I would give anything for that.

  “I wanted to know you …” I started. It was hard to talk. Her brows inched together in confusion.

  “You did know me, better than anyone ever has.” Her words meant everything to me. Always second-guessing her feelings for Sim was a nagging thought in the back of my mind.

  “No … I wanted to know you outside of this. I could see myself getting old and gray in your eyes. My future was there. You gave me hope that there was somethin’ other than this … you gave me love. You fixed a broken man.”

  “Please … Ollie … don’t talk like this is it. I can’t go on without you. I love you so much.” Her voice was low. She knew this was our end, just like I did. No matter how much we didn’t want it, it was here.

  “You never have to go on without me. I’ll always be here with you. It’ll just have to be a different way. If I could change this, I would. I’d follow you anywhere. Beat this, Reese, and live a life I wish I could’ve shared with you. I love you.” Her lips on mine were all I needed to let go. The pain stopped instantly, and a warm feeling snaked its way over my body. I stood up, leaving my body on the ground with her cradling it. I wanted to tell her everything was okay and run a hand down her face, but I couldn’t.

  “Oliver Steele, there’s no need to see what happens next,” a deep voice behind me said.

  Shocked, I turned to find a figure in a black cloak, with wings hugging its back. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice higher than normal. “Is something gonna happen to her?” I turned back to watch Talgon drive the blade into Reese’s chest. “No! Please! Stop this!”

  I dropped to my knees in front of her as the blue eyes I loved so much rolled into the back of her head. She had no fight left in her. She didn’t care. She wanted to die with me.

  “It isn’t her time,” this voice said. I didn’t turn around. All I could do was stare at her body, bleeding everywhere. Rage surged through me, scaring even me. I glanced at Dermetheus and wanted to kill him. He ordered her to die. “Your fight isn’t over, if you’re willing to join me. Your place was destined to be at my side.”

  I turned around to face it, only now the cloak was drawn away from his face. A guy with spiky dark hair and purple eyes studied me. “Who are you?” I asked.

  He leaned his head forward, greeting me. “My name is Cadeus Reaper, but some call me Death.”

  Chapter Three

  Reese

  Words would not form. They were caught like a rat in a trap struggling for release. Her perfect white teeth were exposed as she smiled warmly at me. That should have calmed my jitteriness, but it didn’t. It even heightened it. It was bad enough the things I had seen on the inside of my head … now her. I dreamed about her. She wasn’t supposed to be real. I was right where I needed to be. Locked away in a mental institution.

  I. Was. Mental.

  She reached for me, and on instinct, I recoiled. Her arm hung in the air for a minute before dropping to her side, causing the expensive looking silk dress to sway around her thin body. She pushed a lock of fallen blond hair away from her face, casting a glance down toward the floor. I couldn’t tell what the surface looked like. Everything was black. Like we were stuck in one of those twilight moments just floating in space.

  I pinched myself, expecting everything to go away. I looked up to see her blue eyes narrowed as she watched me. I did it again, harder. I knew from the pain it was going to leave a mark. What was I thinking? A mark? We were clearly in some type of weird vortex. I could probably cut my head off and two would grow back.

  “Why are
you inflicting pain upon yourself?” she asked. I stared at her. She rolled her eyes and took a few steps in my direction. “Reese, please. I know this is weird, but you’re here so I can finally show you who you are and where you come from.”

  “I come from Jackson, Alabama,” I spat in her direction, daring her to say something different. It was because of her I was in all this mess. It was because of her I couldn’t lead a normal life. She picked me, changing my life forever.

  “That’s true,” she said, holding her hands up as if surrendering. “But that isn’t all that runs through you. Will you let me show you?”

  “Why should I?”

  “Because when you wake up, you’ll need to know everything to face what is coming at you. You’re the only one who can stop it. You, Reese. Not anyone else.”

  “Dermetheus.” The name rolled across my tongue like acid. It tasted horrible and gave me an urge to spit after. His face flashed in my mind, and his pleasure of watching Steele die in front of me. A pain ripped through me. I curled my arm across my midsection to nurse the hurt.

  “I know it hurts, but there is another. Your true love.”

  “How would you know anything about love?” Her mouth dropped, the bottom lip quivering. Without answering me, she waved her hand in front of her. My knees buckled, nearly causing me to hit the ground as the scenery changed. The black washed away as bright colors pooled around us.

  We stood in the middle of a party. High vaulted ceilings towered over us. Windows reached from the floor to the ceiling adorned with gold and cream fabric emitted a purple glow from outside. Chandlers draped with dangling strands of shiny silk. In the center of the room sat a huge table laden with food piled high on silver platters. The guests were in small-scattered circles, most being on the dance floor in front of the band. Their clothes were elegant, clearly showing wealth and importance.

  Before I could ask her why we were here, a younger Nabea brushed past us. Her eyes scanned the crowd, the disappointment clear when she couldn’t find who she was looking for. She shoved past people, running out, earning their curious stares. We flanked her, leaving the party behind. Outside, she stopped short, cupping her crying face with her hands.