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| The Return of the Gov'na part seven |
Kari had found Joe and quickly hopped in the Ferrari as he started it up. The Grim Reaper had just disappeared. "Aren't you supposed to stay at the station?" he asked her, firing a couple shots out the window as he accelerated. "I've been released," she said. "Izzy's Father has definitely lost his marbles, and I think he's going to kill himself and Izzy's Brother, too." "I'm busy." "But Izzy's Brother isn't dead! They're going to burn him alive!" "Fine, I'll help." Joe spun the wheel around, squealing the tires as he did a 180 and raced to City Hall. He parked the Ferrari on the sidewalk and he and Kari rushed into the building. Bear was not there. Joe ran downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. He jumped the last couple steps and yelled his frickin' head off. "What the hell is going on down here?!" Wood was on the pedestal, and Izzy's Father stood over his son, Smirnoff in hand. His guards were standing by with lighters, but Bear stood bet- ween them and the pedestal, his gun in hand. A couple guys had gotten their arms in the way of Bear's gun because they got to close to the pedestal. Izzy's Father glared at Joe. "What? Can't I command my own people anymore?" "Well, no. Not if you belong in the nuthouse." Izzy's Father upturned the bottle, pouring it all over Izzy's Brother, than splashing some on himself. "I'm not a nut." Izzy's Brother coughed and spluttered at the vodka that had fallen in his mouth. He groaned. Izzy's Father dropped the can as Joe came over. "He calls for me." Joe lifted up Izzy's Brother as his father reached for him. "You need to help in the battle, Lietuenant Governor." "Battle is in vain. Why can't I just die beside my son?" "Because you can't tell yourself when you're going to die. Both of you are very much alive right now." Joe turned to carry Izzy's Brother upstairs. Then the Lieutenant Governor laughed and took something out of his pocket. It was a Magic 8 Ball. He held it up in both hands, and his eyes seemed as if a fire was burning in them. "I have seen more than you think, Joe," he said, staring at the Magic 8 Ball. "I can't believe you brought a girl from Maine to spy on me! I know that the Cowboy is coming, but I won't let him take my place, no I won't!" He laughed like a lunatic, then reached down and grabbed a lighter from one of his guards. He flicked it and put the flame to the wood surrounding him. Then he simply sat cross-legged on the pedestal, the Magic 8 Ball still in his hands. Everyone quickly ran upstairs and closed the door. Thankfully, everything in the basement and stairway was cement, and the fire only burned downstairs. Joe shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't know he had a Magic 8 Ball." Kari gave him a funny look. "Uh, you mean, you didn't see it in his pocket?" "I just thought he was happy to see us." Kari raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do about Izzy's Brother?" "Uh ... let's bring him to the Safe House. He'll be safe there." He left the City Hall and started walking up the hill behind the building, Kari and Bear following him. The Safe House was built into the hill, and inside were soldiers who were injured in battle, laying on cots in a long room. Nurses bustled here and there. It was surprisingly quiet, even though everyone was busy. A shrill cry pierced the silence, and Kari shuddered as it floated on the wind. It gave her goosebumps. Joe left, and Bear and Kari laid Izzy's Brother on one of the empty cots on the side of the room. Joe came back in a couple minutes later. "Make sure there's more room in here," he said. "Tell the nurses that they will have more patients. I will go to meet them." And he left again. Kari followed him. Kat and Sora were still walking along I-80, under the blazing sun. "Why did you grab sodas?" Sora asked, sinking to her knees. "It dehydrates you." Kat also sat down. "I didn't see you grabbing anything to drink." She looked up and squinted at the sun. "I'd say it's not even 10 o' clock. Why the hell's it so hot?" Sora didn't answer. They both sat there, trying to fan themselves, when they heard a noise that made their blood run cold. It was a shriek, high-pitched, but faint. "What was that?" Kat asked. Sora gazed east. "Whatever is was, I think it was good." "Huh?" "I think the war's going on. That sounded like a Reaper dying, if I ever heard one. Doesn't that give you hope?" "Not really, because Reapers can't die. And how do you know what Reapers sound like when they're dying?" Sora got up. "Come on. We're not going very fast today." She pulled Kat up. "Lucky for you, I grabbed some energy bars. Let's speed walk." "No fucking way." "Well, let's at least walk." They did. The walked for miles and hours, as if they could walk forever and never come to a destination. Sora had said she was feeling hopeful, but the truth was, she wasn't. The little food they picked up had gone too quickly, and they had no water. If they could get to Battle Mountain, that'd be a miracle in itself. She found herself thinking about Joe, and how everything went wrong after West Virginia. I bet he didn't even think it would end up this way, she thought. They walked nonstop for a couple more hours, until Kat fell on her face. She didn't move. Sora knelt next to her. "Kat?" Kat spat dirt out of her mouth. "We need to rest." So they crawled under an overpass and fell asleep. Sora figured they might be able to get to Battle Mountain tomorrow, if they didn't lay here too long. The pickup carrying Yolei and Davis drove into downtown and towards the Safe House. Mimi wasn't feeling well at all; she had a terrible headache and her right hand tingled. Her eyelids kept threatening to close, but she shook her head and tried to stay awake. The pickup stopped and, as one of the guys went to pick up Yolei, they noticed she was breathing. "She's still alive!" he yelled. Another guy came over and they rushed her into the Safe House. The other guy covered Davis with a sheet, and waited while Joe came down the hill. Mimi jumped off the back of the pickup, and started walking with the others. She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. She had to stop. She leaned on a fence, trying to stand up straight. "Well," said a voice, "it's a damn good thing I found you." Mimi forced her eyes open and squinted at Kari. "Where am I?" "You seemed to have wandered off, so Joe told me to go find you. Are you hurt?" "Well, no, not really." Mimi opened her eyes and wiggled her fingers. "I do have a really bad headache, and my hand tingles." "Well, come on, then. Let' s go." Kari put her arm around Mimi and they started walking down the road. "Too many things have been going on and it's easy for you to get overlooked." "Well, I was overlooked earlier today, and that's how I got here. I think it helped my situation." "Hardly." "You better just stick me in a coffin and bury me now." "No. We're going to the Safe House. Hold on just a little bit longer." She was having troubles because Mimi kept closing her eyes and stumbling. Kari saw River not far off. She yelled at him and he ran over to her. "I'm busy," he said. "I'm running an errand for the Safe House." "Well, good, because I'm going that way." Mimi's knees buckled and she sank to the ground. Kari sat down beside her. "Just run and tell Joe to come over here!" she yelled at River. River ran down the road and up the hill. Joe came not long after, and picked up Mimi. "She should have been carried in here with honor," he said. "If you two hadn't come when Nikki Sixx said not to, there would be more bad stuff today." Kari followed him down the street and up the hill. "What do you mean?" He didn't answer her, but went inside the Safe House, where Izzy's Brother and Yolei also lay. The battle was still going on with the Potato Farmers, although it was waning. The sun had start to set and the Potato Farmers ahd gotten rid of all the Plastic Surgery Victims. A couple were left, and the Potato Farmers took to having some fun with them. Tai went to the Safe House with Cody. Bear and Kari were standing guard at the door. "Tai!" Kari cried. "I thought it was you everyone was talking about. How did you do it?" He looked puzzled. "Do what?" Then he waved her off. "Never mind. There's no time right now for stories." And he went into the Safe House. Tai looked at the three laying there, then called the nurse in charge. "Do you have any hot packs?" he asked her. "Uh ... yes." "Then go get some." She went into the next room and came back a minute later with a couple of hot packs. Tai cracked on open and set it on Mimi's right hand. She had passed out because of a concussion. He cracked another open and set it on Yolei's right hand. Her left arm had been put in a splint, and she was knocked out on painkillers. "There is some kind of magic in Grim Reapers," Tai said. "An evil magic that never leaves. A sword that pierced one would eventually wither away, and the arm that held it would first become numb, then lose all circulation and fall off. These girls used guns, so it only affected their hands, even though I don't know how." He went over to Izzy's Brother. He had a fever, and was hooked up on a respirator. "He looks good. Just monitor him and he should get better." "What, are you a doctor now?" Cody teased. Joe smacked him upside the head. "I took Anatomy and Physiology in high school," Tai replied. "Learned quite a lot of useful things." The nurse seemed somewhat offended by what was going on. She had gone to school and practiced many years to get where she was now, and some 19-year-old kid who took a high school course thought he knew more than she did? Boohockey, she thought. Mimi came to and tried to sit up, but her head still hurt too much. Kari went over to her. "Do you still have a headache?" she asked, sitting down on the cot. "Yes, but nothing a cigarette can't cure." She paused. "No, I don't think I'll ever smoke again. Davis told me once while we were still in Laramie that he wanted to spend a whole day with me smoking and talking. If I smoke again, I'll just end up thinking of him." "Yes, it's a shame he's gone." Tai had overheard their conversation. "Then smoke, and may those memories fill your heart." Mimi looked at him. "But I want to quit." "No, you don't. Smoke, dammit." He held one out to her. "I'd rather have something to eat and some aspirin." "Yes," the nurse said, eager to do what she got paid to do. "Aspirin will make the blood flow to your fingers faster." She went off to find something for Mimi. Tai tossed the cigarette on the cot and yawned. "A meal sounds good. But I haven't slept all day today or yesterday, and I need a place to do that." He went to find Joe and they left the Safe House. Kari picked up the cigarette Tai left. "Well, if you're not going to smoke it, I will," she said, lighting it. Matt and TK were wandering all over the city, looking for Mimi and Kari, ar at the very least, someone they knew. The Salt Lake City people stared at them as they walked by: a Celebrity, tall and blonde and gorgeous; and a Midget, short and... well, short. TK looked at the corpses lying everywhere. "If Tai becomes governor, I shall offer him my services as a coronor." "But you know nothing about doing autopsies." "Hey. I watch CSI." Matt brushed his hair aside. "Well, if Tai becomes governor, I think I will tell my friends in high places about him." "But you don't have any friends in high places. You did a couple of episodes on a soap opera. Big deal." "Shut up." Bear walked past them. "Who are you?" he asked. "I am Matt, and this is my Midget companion. We came with Joe from New York City, and we're looking for our other companions, Mimi and Kari." "Kari's guarding the Safe House," he said, pointing to the hill. He kept walking down the street. Matt and TK watched him, then shrugged and headed up the hill. Kari was, in fact, not guarding the Safe House, so Matt and TK wandered around looking for them. They found the two girls in the Japanese garden in the forest. "Well, look 'ere, Kari!" Mimi said, catching sight of the two boys. "Ah, would you stop stalking us," said Kari. "Then stop running away from us," Matt replied. TK nodded at Mimi's arm. "How's the appendage?" "Appendage?" Matt looked at TK as if he'd just gone mad. "What? I have to sound like a coronor, don't I?" A cold wind blew through the trees. Matt looked up. "Ah, how I miss the coldness. The closest I've come to it was in New York City and Idaho. But it's much colder in Canada. I wish I could feel it." "But who would we watch on All My Children if you left?" Mimi teased. Matt punched TK. "See? People know me!" "That's because you had to tell her you were on the show before." TK rubbed his shoulder. |