Outlaws and Origins

by Eric S Kim

  Florencia didn’t let go of Edward. “Don’t make this a lot worse than it should be.”

  “I can blow your brains out right now, but I’m not going to. Give me my boyfriend back and I’ll spare your life.”

  “I know what’s going to happen. You want law enforcement to do the job for you. Well, I’m not going to give you the satisfaction.”

  “Give me Edward, or you’ll suffer a lot more in the belly of a beast. It’ll make you wish you’d settle for Alaska.”

  Edward begged Florencia to do the right thing. “Please, don’t try to risk your life for me. Give me back to her.”

  Florencia felt amused. “Do you really want to go back to that bitch’s place and follow her commands?”

  “I just don’t want you to die like this.”

  Florencia brought him closer and cuddled him against her chest. “Forget it, Maribelle. He belongs to me.”

  Sepulveda was unaware of the witch standing in the hallway, ready to strike. She didn’t look away from Florencia as she said, “Are you just going to stand there and make me shoot you?”

  Florencia took a deep breath. “I don’t have to worry about anything.”

  Loretta the witch acted out a pushing gesture with her hand, causing Sepulveda’s handgun to fly right out of her hand and into the corner of the bedroom. Sepulveda turned around. Loretta pushed her entire body off of the ground and threw her into the wall behind Florencia. Sepulveda collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

  Loretta dragged Florencia out of the bedroom. “We have to hurry. She may have notified the authorities beforehand.”

  Florencia kept Edward firmly in her hand as the two women ran down the stairs. Daisy waited for them at the bottom. She carried the same vase that both Edward and Dennis had been put into.

  “The other agent is in here. We have to be swift.”

  Loretta ordered Florencia to put Edward back in the vase. She did what she was told. She brought her hand in the vase and let Edward go. He disappeared into the darkness and reunited with his shrunken acquaintance. Florencia grabbed her purse and her jacket before the three women ran out the front door. They ran straight into Meredith’s parked sedan. So far, Florencia didn’t spot any pedestrians on the street. She and the three witches left her home.

  She turned around to have one last look at her two-story house. She didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t deny, either. This could very well be the last time she would ever see her home again. After this, there would be no going back. If the authorities were notified, then she would lose everything. And the aquarium in Brea Mall would be worth it. The house disappeared from view as the sedan made a left turn on an intersection.

  Florencia turned back in her seat. She asked, “How will we be able to get into the mall unnoticed?”

  Loretta, who sat in the passenger seat up front, replied, “Don’t try to underestimate us. We have talismans that will give us an easy way in. Don’t give up hope. We will get there and be victorious. Nobody will stop us.”

  5:48 PM

  They had made it on East Lambert Road and headed west. They didn’t find any automobiles that belonged to a Blackjack or a Hammerhead. Florencia would only drive away her fear for a moment. Any one of these vehicles on the street could be owned by a Kingsnake Officer. They would be the only ones in Mystic Lightning that would wear ordinary apparel in order to blend in with the civilians. It gave them an easier time to observe criminal offense that took place on the street. Florencia just hoped that none of the Kingsnakes were on the same street.

  Meredith, the driver, kept a moderate pace. She never sped up the car. “So what happened in the house?”

  Loretta replied, “Someone knows that we’re here. She may have notified the authorities. We cannot linger.”

  This was a good time for Meredith to act sarcastic. “Oh, that’s just great.”

  In the back of the car, Daisy kept the vase in her hand. Florencia slid her hand across its smooth surface. She could just imagine Edward and Dennis having to succumb to the darkness.

  She asked Loretta, “You are going to let them go, right?”

  Loretta didn’t sound too enthusiastic. “That will be decided.”

  “Come on, now. You promised that you’d set them free.”

  “I did, but then the woman in your house caused some complications. This changes things.”

  “It doesn’t have to. We can bring these two agents back to normal size and drop them off somewhere.”

  “It’s won’t be that simple. These little men as caused some trouble. I have a feeling that the intruders knows something about your little friend.”

  Florencia had to tell them the truth. “Edward’s her boyfriend.”

  “Now it all makes sense.”

  Meredith suddenly cried out, “Oh, crap!”

  She stepped on the brake and made the car come to a complete stop. The women in the sedan almost flew out of their seats. Florencia discovered why Meredith had to stop the vehicle. They would soon come across an intersection, but something had prevented them from passing through it. Two other sedans had blocked the street in front of the intersection. Several men and women had wielded their pistols and shotguns. One of them used a megaphone and ordered the women to get exit their vehicle.

  The people with guns were confirmed to be Kingsnake Officers. Sepulveda did indeed bring some backup in Brea. None of the women got out of the vehicle. Florencia waited for someone to respond. The man with the megaphone repeated his command through the megaphone.

  Daisy whispered, “I’m in the mood for a swarm.”

  Florencia asked, “What do you mean?”

  Daisy picked up the other vase situated between her feet. She opened both the lid and the car window. She whispered a phrase that Florencia was unfamiliar with. Daisy demonstrated her expertise with sorcery by having several wasps fly right out of the open vase. More of them exited the vase and flew out the window. They formed a long line that headed for the Kingsnakes. More than a hundred wasps had already come out of hiding to follow Daisy’s command. The swarm flew and circled around the Kingsnakes, who were stunned by the unusual intrusion. The last wasp had flown out of the vase. There must have been more than a thousand of them flying around the Kingsnakes. They didn’t attack the officers, but they made it hard for them to leave the area. The wasps formed a wall around them. The loud buzzing noises almost overwhelmed Florencia’s ears.

  Loretta shouted, “Hurry! Turn left!”

  Meredith stepped on the gas pedal. She led the sedan onto the other side of the street. The other vehicles on the street had already stopped since the Kingsnakes found their target. Meredith turned left on the intersection and away from the swarm.

  Florencia just had to know. “They’re not going to kill the Kingsnakes, are they?”

  Loretta had to assure her of their intentions. “Of course, not. They’re disappear when we’re truly out of sight.”

  Meredith added, “We better find a secluded spot out here. I have a feeling that we’ll be captured if we ever get to the mall.”

  “Hurry. Find a good place.”

  5:55 PM

  They took another sharp turn to the left and found themselves in a commercial district, different from the one where Florencia and Edward reunited. Meredith drove as fast as she could. The Kingsnakes would officially lose sight of them, though surveillance drones would be a problem. Florencia turned around and found nobody following them by car. They were fortunate to have escaped thanks to witchcraft.

  Loretta ordered Meredith to find a good hiding spot in the midst of warehouses and other commercial buildings. Most of the parking lots had been emptied after working hours. Meredith had slowed down the sedan as she drove into a parking lot for an enormous windowless warehouse. She took her passengers into a narrow alley situated between two concrete walls. There were no other vehicles present in the area. Florencia turned around once more and didn’t spot anyone trying to follow them. She looked up and tried to fi
nd any drones in the sky. So far, she could find any.

  Meredith parked her car in front of the warehouse. A couple of dumpsters were nearby. Loretta told Florencia to get out of the car with her.

  Florencia exited the vehicle and asked, “So what’s going to happen?”

  Loretta opened Daisy’s car and grabbed the vase in her hand, and not the one that produced the swarm.

  “These men have given us nothing but trouble.”

  She opened the lid and took a peek inside. Florencia did as well. The partial darkness revealed the two young agents standing beside each other and looking up at the two women.

  Edward shouted, “I’m getting a little sick in here!”

  His echo was the result of the enclosed space from within.

  Loretta narrowed her eyes. “We should have gotten rid of them a lot sooner.”

  Florencia replied, “Well, we can turn them back to normal and have them sleep in this alley. They’ll wake up and won’t remember a thing.”

  Loretta’s smile had that mischievous touch that Florencia couldn’t handle. “I have an even better idea.”

  She reached in and pulled Edward out of the vase. She didn’t intend to drop him to the floor right away. She carried him as she stepped closer towards the two dumpsters. Florencia followed her just as the other two witches got out of the car and observed them.

  Loretta brought Edward closer to her face. “You can forget about saying goodbye to the other agent.”

  Edward had never taken a liking to the witch’s firm grip. “Someday, Maribelle is going to feed you to one of her giant creatures and I’ll be there to watch it happen.”

  Loretta chuckled. “You won’t even be alive when it happens.”

  She raised the dumpster’s lid up and showed Edward and Florencia what lay in the garbage.

  Loretta remarked, “We are very lucky to be here.”

  Over a dozen rats had been lurking in the trash. They were filthy and aggressive.

  Loretta opened the lid completely. “I’m sure these little things will love the taste of human flesh.”

  Edward’s eyes widened. “Don’t even dare!”

  “Oh, but you can’t do anything about it. You’re just as hopeless as the rest of them.”

  Edward started a desperate attempt to escape her grip. He kicked at her pinky and ring finger while trying to push her thumb away.

  Florencia tried to stop her with words. “Don’t do it! Just let them leave!”

  Loretta already stretched her arm forward, about to let Edward go and drop him into the trash where the rats yearned for a hot meal.

  Edward yelled, “I’m too young!”

  Loretta didn’t care. “Don’t use that excuse. It never works.”

  Florencia blurted, “Come on! Don’t end it like this! They won’t do anything bad this time!”

  “You’re wasting your breath. I decide how to end their lives.”

  Loretta started to loosen her grip on Edward, who tried to hang on to her finger with both arms. His legs had more room to flail around, but it had no effect on the witch’s conscience.

  Florencia grew angry at the witch that she believed would keep her promise. “Try to kill him and you’ll have to deal with me!”

  “Don’t threaten me with words.”

  “Fine.”

  Florencia decided to use her actions instead. She reached out and pulled her hand away from the dumpster. She tried to take back Edward, but Loretta closed her fingers again. The two women fought for the fate of one little man. Florencia reached out for her former boyfriend, but Loretta tried to push her away. Florencia had to resort to using her fists. She punched Loretta in the stomach. The witch groaned. She finally let go of Edward. Florencia had only a split second to reach out and prevent him from falling to the asphalt. He landed on her open palm before she kept him safe in her own fingers.

  Daisy and Meredith, who had watched the confrontation unfold, pulled Loretta up to her feet. Florencia checked for any injuries on Edward.

  She whispered, “Are you okay?”

  Edward must have been relieved to have her hold him again. “I think I’m going to live.”

  Loretta pushed Daisy and Meredith away and pointed her finger at Florencia. “That does it. You are not fit for this objective. You should be better off in Alaska with the rest of the prisoners.”

  Florencia stepped back. “You have no choice. I have to be there with you. You don’t even realize how important this is for me!”

  A small red light flashed above Loretta’s palm. “I’m afraid that this is your last moment on Earth.”

  But she didn’t even have a chance to use that red light against the civilian. The sound of a car’s engine had suddenly come out of nowhere. A different car stopped near the women and a figure had immediately popped out of the driver’s seat. Florencia didn’t have time to identify him as he some kind of talisman against the witches. A bright green beam of light shot out of the gemstone that he held in his hand. Loretta blocked it with her own sorcery. She extended the red light in her hand and pushed it at the man’s own.

  She cried out, “The Zadith are here!”

  Daisy and Meredith had to back away. Florencia had to shroud the two colliding lights with the back of her hand.

  Loretta spent her time confronting the Zadith. Both of them tried to defeat one another with their beams of light. Daisy and Meredith turned and ran away from the fight.

  Loretta couldn’t leave. “Take Florencia with you!”

  Meredith pulled Florencia away from the conflict in the alley. The two witches had to abandon their car as it would be easily identifiable to the Mystic Lightning crimefighters. Florencia followed them, running as fast she ever could. She made sure that she wouldn’t squeeze Edward too hard. She had almost forgotten about the other agent that was still inside the vase.

  “Wait, what about Dennis?!”

  Meredith yelled, “He’s not our problem anymore!”

  Florencia could still hear the lights clashing against each other. Its volume was diminishing as the women fled the scene.

  6:03 PM

  Florencia and the remaining two witches found their next hiding spot. They had entered another alley, but this time, there were several eighteen-wheeler trucks parked in the back of another warehouse. The three women hid in between two of them. They had to catch their breath. Florencia had never run so fast before. She craved a drink of water, but she knew she couldn’t have one. She asked if the other two women saw what happened to Loretta. Neither of them had an answer for that. Loretta would most likely have enough strength to ward off a Zadith Disciple, but the latter would be much stronger.

  Florencia was confused. “I thought sorcery was forbidden in today’s society.”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. “They always want you to believe that. You’re lucky that we’re here to show you the truth about the Zadith.”

  Florencia brought Edward up to her face. She was relieved knowing that he still didn’t sustain any injuries during their escape from the Zadith. She caressed his hair with her finger.

  “Loretta is wrong. You still deserve to live.”

  Edward slowly rubbed his head against her finger. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Florencia brought him closer to her chest and hugged him in her hands. She said to the other two witches, “The two of you will not bring him to Texas. He’s going to stay here with me. Do you understand that?”

  Daisy nodded. “Yes, we do.”

  Meredith took a quick peek below the trucks. “We’re safe for now. Listen, we have to get to Brea Mall as fast as we can. We can’t waste any time. We can do nothing about Loretta. She’s going to have to deal with the Zadith. I know, it’s terrible. But we can’t disrespect her wishes by going after her.”

  Florencia asked, “What about these Kelverik Talismans you keep talking about? Do those things even work?”

  “Of course, they do.”

  The two witches brought them out and wore them
on their arms. The talismans were appropriate as bracelets as they were about the size of a smartphone. Daisy handed one to Florencia and let her wear one on her left arm.

  Meredith looked up in the sky. “There will be a surveillance drone soon. Just stick with us and you’ll be fine. I should remind you that your vision will be a little different when you activate the talisman.”

  Daisy asked the civilian, “Are you ready?”

  Florencia had one simple answer. “Yes, I am.”

  Meredith led the way. “Onwards.”

  They left their hiding spot just as the talismans worked in their favor. At this time, they would grow invisible and nobody else would even notice their presence.

  TWENTY-NINE

  6:11 PM

  Lionel would now be on his way back to the NESF Station in Anaheim. He had finished his duties in Mystic Lightning Headquarters and proceeded toward his parked SUV. Lionel stood alone in the elevator and waited for it to send him to the right floor in the parking garage. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress the words and images that Todd Park had sent to him. The man in the blurred photograph would have been just a fluke. Lionel didn’t want to believe what Todd had shown him earlier. He had witnessed the death of Vincent Yoon many years ago. Nobody had ever seen him since. But nobody had ever found his body in the wreckage.

  Lionel punched his fist against his palm. He had a good reason to believe that Vincent Yoon was dead. Nobody would ever deny his expiration from two decades ago. He denied Todd’s assumptions. Having them nothing more as incorrect information would be the most logical option.

  The elevator doors opened and the parking garage stood on the other side. He left the elevator and searched for his vehicle. Florescent lights had illuminated the enclosed area. Several other cars had been parked, and nobody else was present on this particular level. Lionel’s footsteps echoed across the garage and became the only noise he could hear.