A/N: Here we are again. Hmmmm...
Chapter Nine
"For You"
Limbo. That is exactly where we were placed on the map of our relationship. It was
true that we were experiencing each other's downsides and upsides like nothing before,
but neither of us knew how to go on in this carousel of strange feelings. Even though I
now know more about the mystery called Angela, I couldn't shape the tragedy that had
made her that way. It was torture for me to watch her blink her teary eyes and try and
breathe the growing panic and distress away, whenever I touched her. I had developed
something unusual for this special girl I'd known for so little time. It was
disturbing. It wasn't like me. I walked in and out of people's lives without notice.
How was she still able to make me stay in her life? -Ben
Angela bang the door closed after stepping inside her hotel room. She didn't like
herself. Hadn't liked herself in a long time, but concerning her life and its quality,
it was no wonder. Some times she felt like it hadn't been just her body that'd been
beaten entirely to bruises that still ached after years.
What was he expecting her to do? Forget about herself? Her hunger for revenge of the
injustice that had been performed with her? Those chains that held her tightly in
close encounter with every nightmare she had locked within her mind? The man who she'd
beaten with a coal poker, when she'd been only sixteen? The smell of death in her body,
when her hands were stained with blood?
Of course, she still hadn't spoken about it. Never said a word to anyone. They
wouldn't understand, couldn't see why she was still so haunted. Maybe she was just
afraid someone could, and would be there to release her from the acquired hatred. It
was all she had left. The only fuel feeding her neglected body and mind.
After throwing herself over the bed, she stared at the ceiling for a minute. She'd
have to flee town now. Ben was in no condition to interfere with her screwed up life
and the last thing she needed was him chaining her to a bathtub so they could talk it
out. A smile crept up her face. She should really learn how to pick up her contacts.
The last saviour she'd had was clearly had clearly been taking his role a bit too
serious.
"Took me five minutes to get those handcuffs open." She whispered and rolled to her
side. No position, no friend, no sleepless night gave her rest or comfort. She was
getting weary of explaining or trying at least. With a single move she was already up
and walking across the room to start packing.
While packing the few things she'd spread all around the room, she also sought for her
mobile telephone all around the room. It should've rang yesterday, early in the
morning. It should've warned her then; prevented her from getting into this freaking
condition! Yet it hadn't. It was lost somewhere, dead, silent while signing her
worries out loud.
She swept through the room with her highly lined eyes and moved over to the
bathroom leaving her bag over the bed. She also left her knife there, lying on the bed
with its blade shining.
When she'd first stepped in she turned to face the mirror over the washbowl to see her
pale face. Ben had gotten her heartbeat sky high. The nightmare she'd seen this
morning though had had a more horrifying affect on her. Mistakes seemed to shadow her
criminal life of several benefits and fun. Relationships called her true self into the
game.
The last one had been a cop. Young, handsome, loyal to the force. Of course he'd been
forced to choose between her and the law he so greatly respected. With a criminal
record, a warrant of apprehension and suspicious past she wasn't able to convince him.
Therefore she was the one chained in the bathtub and he the one who lead the police to
an empty bathtub. Angela returned to her old routine, to her secret life and switched
town. She hadn't cared about him after that. Just forgot he ever existed.
Moving on was easy for her. She never got attached, never really trusted people beyond
her capability, which wasn't much. After life playing her around like its bitch, she'd
abandoned it.
"Never trust anyone... if you trust, you need to open your heart. After that, you
only get hurt. You'll be better off alone."
The words burned her mind. A good advice from the master of shadow life. Why hadn't he
called? He should've called. Suddenly she realized something was moving behind the
shower curtain. Before Angela could move, the man behind it had already attacked hard
and pulled Angela down. She found herself quite effectively restrained from fighting.
Too bad for the attacker, she wasn't that easy.
He'd something around her throat and he was apparently putting her to sleep or
strangling her with it. She was lying on the tile floor on her back and he was on his
knees trying to disable her system. Without really thinking Angela swung her body like
a rocking chair and kicked him in the forehead, making him lose his focus. She broke
free quite easily and was up way before he was. With another kick, only this time to
the chin, she made him fumble backwards and fall over the bathtub.
He was probably already unconscious, but she didn't mind when she moved to him and
punched his face a couple of times to make sure. After she was sure he was off to
wonderland, she was able to loosen her grip and relax her fist which hurt pretty much
now. Angela shrugged and moved the man's legs inside the bathtub as well. Then she
checked his pockets finding nothing but what she'd expected.
"Oh fuck" she found herself mumbling as she ran to the other room. She searched
through the room again cursing for the missing mobile. "Shit shit shit." She cursed
and hit the wall in her aggravation. "I'll have to freaking go there..." she
admitted after calming herself up.
Vincent was the only person to help her now since after all it was his fault she was
in this mess. Angela grabbed her pack bag running out of the room as quickly as she
could.
A young boy walked through a silent forest with bare feet. He held himself feeling
both cold and hunger fade his mind into the background. A golden pendant was hanging
around his thin neck. Young intelligent eyes had a certain awareness there. He finally
found a place to hide in and crawled under the long and strong roots of an old tree.
There was barely room for him to curl up himself, but he managed to hide there and
stare the frozen forest with his wondrous hazel eyes.
Though he hadn't heard any noises for the past morning, he couldn't let his guard
down. He was taught to be observant and never forget where he was. After running the
entire night away from his home, his sisters and brothers and everything he knew, he
felt exhausted, burned to the crisp.
Where was Syl? Where was the Syl, who'd promised to take care of him after they were
free? Where was the light hair and voice telling him to relax? Ben held himself even
tighter hoping she would appear to lead him somewhere safe. Yes, he feared. It hadn't
been his idea to go this far. It hadn't been his idea to split up...
Max. Max had been sick. They would've taken her away if they hadn't left. Ben felt
guilty for his earlier thoughts for they felt like betrayal. They'd taken Jack in the
night, they'd taken many, the Nomlies. He could see their malformed faces and
disgusting grins, when their hands reached out to him.
Syl had always been able to get him to sleep. Stayed by his bed she had until he was
asleep for sure. Yet always she'd refused to listen to his stories, the stories about
the Nomlies. Ben pressed his head against his knees so he wouldn't see the silvery
green morning. The misty forest was cold and hollow.
In his eyes a new story was already shaping.
Yes, this had to be the place
the Nomlies had originally came to existence. Then they were captured and taken down
there, so they wouldn't harm anyone ever again. But the Nomlies were smart because
they pretended to be good around their capturers and preyed on the small people only
during the nights. They came to their rooms, took the ill ones nobody would miss and
ate them to feed their everlasting hunger for human flesh...
He fell asleep letting his guard down. Like a burning torch he called for his
nightmares to return and give him something to fight, something to hate. He couldn't
hate him, not Lydecker. Couldn't hate the others, not Max for being sick. But he could
hate them, could hate the monsters under his bed who fed on his friends. He could hate
the Nomlies in the basement.
She was already gone long before he knew it. No note, no message, nothing. Ben walked
from one end to another in her empty hotel room. He'd gotten in through the balcony
after sensing she would never let him in through the front door. Of course he would've
broke down the door if it had come to that. Now it was just needless.
Only her feminine scent still floated in the air ready to disappear forever any
second now. He liked that scent, that flavour she left in his mouth. Even though she'd
cleaned nearly every trace recognizable to the human eye, it was no obstacle to his
transgenic senses.
He smelled her here, touched the bed they'd slept in, saw the dents that existed only
in his mind over the bed as proof that everything had really happened. He heard the
water dripping into the sink knowing that it was the same noise that had kept him
awake beside her. And now she was gone, maybe forever.
"Curse you Angela..." he spoke his mind out loud sitting down on the bed. Taken over
by his memories, he leaned back closing his eyes. Ben rolled to his right side like
he'd face her sleeping body then. He'd never been so close to anyone before that
night.
Now when he opened his eyes she just wasn't there anymore. It pained him to know that
she might be gone forever and if so he would never know why she suppressed the growing
passion between them,
Ben rose from the bed and left the room empty-hearted and filled with apathy. She was
gone.
It was stupid to return here where he could find her any time, Angela thought and sat
down on the dusty wooden bench of the blue church they'd first met in. The blue
glass windows coloured the dark spaces and dust blue giving the saint statues made of
stone a whole new dimension for their tortured act. Anyone would've found the church
somehow threatening, distressing with its unique atmosphere, but she liked it. Liked it
a lot.
They way everything within that church was engulfed in that holy light gave her heart
hope. Faith in God and his forgiveness had got her this far, the question was how
could she live with herself after she'd committed those sins she'd been apologizing
for?
Her eyes met with the massive crucifix placed on the altar. It was handmade and had
value only to a believer like herself and even though the image it provided of
Christ's suffering wasn't as impressive as in the pieces of art that were done by real
artists, she felt his watching as the heavy thistle crown pressed its thorns against
His hard face. He had had to suffer to achieve something good. That knowledge was her
remedy and it kept her going on day after day. All she needed to know anymore was if
her own suffering served a greater purpose, because if not and this world truly was
without sense, she didn't want to live in it anymore.
Such dark thoughts... Angela swallowed her tears trying to imagine what she
would've become if she'd been given the strength earlier. She saw a garden before her
eyes. Kids playing under her watch a man appeared behind her closing her into a warm
embrace. Ben. He had such a kind face in that daydream.
Guilt pushed her shoulders down even more. You can still have it, her heart
whispered, but her sense knew better. If she let him in, he would never leave.
Her hand reached out for her back bag and she pulled out a pair of gloves. She didn't
want to see the bare skin of her hands so that she could imagine them the way they'd
been once. With thousands of images, fragments of memory, she always saw nothing but
bruises whenever she looked at herself. She wasn't beautiful.
She was like a Barbie doll that had been fixed too many times with glue and tape just
because the kid that owned her wasn't ready to give her up.
She looked fixed on the outside, but there were things that stitches couldn't fix and
her insides were one of those things.
One, two shivers went down her spine. Angela's brown hair shadowed her face landing
over her chest uncontrolled. She was no beauty, just a girl with a pure eyes and
angelic features. She hated them. She hated her body. She wanted to ugly, to be left
alone. There were so many times she'd clawed her own face wishing that she could be in
someone else's body.
As a child the thought had become an obsession when she'd laid still feeling the pain
of another wound. Hurting herself had been the only way to protect herself. Never
the face. Don't touch the face. He wanted to see the face. Aggravation drilled a
hole within. It burned and burned.
She looked up facing his face, eyes trying so hard to hide her hate for him. She
failed as he looked down and then up to her face again. He shook his head and she knew
she'd failed. Tears started coming. She tried to back away, but he was already
squatted there beside her. "Don't you ever do that again. Are we clear?" She
nodded at him putting her head down as he kissed her temple with his hand placed over
her neck. His finger felt the curls there.
Unlike Ben... so unlike him. They touched differently. Ben was careful, he held her
gently unlike... What use was it to dwell in old memories? To relive the moments she
never wanted to experience again? She learned nothing from them. Curse them
all!
She got up quickly. Ran to the altar and grabbed the crucifix throwing it down the
stairs. Her hand went through the air and she knocked down the crosses and containers
they used to keep the water in. They fell down, containers broke to pieces, dust took
over the air. The figure that portrayed the son of God fell from its cross dropping
its thistle crown down. She kicked the table over and only when there was nothing
standing there anymore, she allowed herself to calm down.
Angela looked around her still breathing heavily. No wonder they all believed him
instead of her.
She was the self-destructive one with the scars that were obviously
self-inflicted.
She was the one who stole cars for a living and went berserk when people touched
her bare skin.
She was the one who had nothing but her word.
Angela walked the few stairs down to the broken crucifix and lifted the thistle crown
back to His head. There were better ways to target her frustration and all the other
raging feelings inside. Actually now she felt bad for that outburst. "Sorry..." her
lips whispered to an unknown listener, whose absence was always felt. What if there
really was no one listening to her crying? She needed to say all of those things out
loud, so it didn't really matter if there was anyone listening, she decided while
putting the broken crucifix back together.
So what if she let go? What if she go for once? What would come? Self-destruction?
Wasn't she doing it already? Her hands worked with speed as she fixed His broken
figure. There was hope for she wasn't there anymore. She'd escaped, run trough out this
messed up country. She'd fought. So why couldn't she have her happy ending?
The licker burned his throat when he swallowed. He drank straight from the bottle to
save every drop he'd waste if he poured the content of that bottle to a glass. Ben's
tolerance for alcohol was great unlike he'd like it to be. At the moment he just
wanted to forget about the girl he'd met yesterday. Erase Angela's blue eyes and
innocent look from his mind and pretend that he'd never held her close or kissed her
lips.
It was easier said than done just as always, but maybe if he destroyed enough
brain cells by drinking he just might destroy the one holding onto Angela as well. Or
then it was all just wishful thinking and he just needed to get laid. Any girl would
do. Any of those giggling women, who whispered about him thinking he didn't hear their
comments and see their adoring looks placed over his body. He felt disgusted thinking
about letting anyone else but her touch him.
Ben had no idea how long he'd been here. For hours maybe? Ever since he'd been to
Angela's hotel room and found it empty? It was already dark. In this city the dark fell
fast and lingered over the sky as long as it could until the sun made it finally
vanish from its way.
The music on the other end of the bar was getting louder. He sensed several looks
being placed upon him once again, but he didn't give them it thought for he was not in
the mood for games. He didn't want an one night stand to rip his wounds open. He
didn't want those women who were nothing like 'his innocent Angela'. It was insulting
to read the sexual hunger from their eyes.
Lydecker had been right: he was unstable, an animal more than the others. Just like an
animal he attacked when he felt he was been threatened. He had no value for the human
life. At least not before she'd shown up. Yeah, she'd shown how humans could be
different.
"Back to her then..." he muttered bitterly. He'd never felt so helpless. For once his
perfection wasn't helping in solving a problem which pretty much sucked. So here he
was in this messy and noisy bar actually drinking his brains out over a girl? Just not
the thing you'd expect a military killing machine to do at this hour. He just had to be
a sad sight.
"Self-pity... great... just the thing I need." his talk was listing, but he didn't
mind. To him it was just a good sign. When he lost his strength to keep the
emotionless act on, he usually used alcohol make him numb again. Soon there'd be no
more Angela. "Angela who?" he's face gained a devilish grin as he spoke his mind out
loud. The licker was starting to get to him. Was that why everything seemed so funny
all of the sudden?
Come to think of it, it had to be so. He was a guy made in a lab, raised to be a
soldier, yet who believed in God and had escaped as a kid and now he was getting drunk
because of a girl who stole cars as her day job and had an uncontrolled fear for
other people touching her. It was like the script of a bad B-movie or something. No
wonder he was so fucked up.
His eyes met with the bottle now as his hand moved faster than the eyes to catch the
bottle, which was obviously running away from him. Somehow he ended up knocking it
down. There was a blank expression over his face for a moment and then he seemed to
focus on the bottle that was still rolling away from him. The bottle didn't stop no
matter how vicious his glare got. It made him wonder for the first time, why they
hadn't given the X5's some super moving-things-with-one's-mind abilities or something.
The bottle fell off the table, but this time Ben was fast enough to catch it before it
reached the floor. His succession brought yet another stupid grin to that otherwise
handsome face. He was about to lift the bottle to his lips, when he realized that it'd
gotten empty: A major setback for his master plan.
"Thank you God, it wasn't the first one..." he muttered between his teeth fighting the
desire to throw the bottle against a wall or something. So, what could he do now? He
was probably in a shape which pretty much forbid him to get anymore alcohol, which was
not a good thing for Angela's ghost still lurked in the back of his head. That pale
skin filled with scars. Smooth brown curly hair and lips that could be drawn into the
most seducing smile he'd ever seen. It was no use telling how much he loved her eyes.
"Dammit..." he whined putting his head between his hands. This really wasn't helping
was it? But what could you expect? This was pretty much the first time he'd actually
bothered to know the girl before getting intimate, which hadn't actually happened with
her yet. Known a girl for a day and already thinking about her non-stop? This had to
be a dream or something... his thumb felt the small scars on his forehead, he'd cut
yesterday. All for her.
There really was no turning back now was there? He lifted his head again and leaned
backwards drowning himself into the smoke that bar was suddenly filled with. It
didn't bother the genetically engineered killing machine at all. It actually gave him
some kind of peace as everything vanished behind it. It was now that he realized there
was a whole party of men smoking cigars in the next table. No wonder he was getting it
all on his face.
Yet even the smoke couldn't prevent him from seeing the danger ahead: there was a
female approaching and she wasn't the waitress.
"Hello. Would you like some company?" she asked giving a pleasing smile over her
pretty face. Ben wasn't too convinced of its agenda being good on him. He was about to
send her away, when she pulled herself a chair never minding the fact that he didn't
look too pleased about it.
"Sure. Take a chair." Ben said a bit sullen. She acted as if she hadn't even noticed.
"I already did" was her perky answer that could've been followed with a self-satisfied
smile. Luckily that wasn't the case.
He gave her one long dark glare trying to label her in his mind. Long brown shiny hair
matched her brown eyes. Clean clothes: jeans and a tight t-shirt were making her look
younger than she actually was. He would've estimated her age to be around 25. She had
warm features and a penetrative look that could�ve been either unintentional (which
he definitely didn't think it was) or simply intentional. Everything in her from the
clothes to the essence told that she had to be the down-to-earth type of girl. Not his
type.
"Excuse me, what did you say?" she blurted out suddenly startling Ben a bit. Once he
realized that he must've mumbled out something while thinking, he was able to relax.
"What's your name?" he asked still under the influence of alcohol. Gratefully he did
good and didn't show off anything that would've given her the right impression about
him.
"I'm Julia and you?" the smile she had widened as she was probably already
weaving her spider nets which were supposed to catch him soon enough. He felt sick.
"Ben." he nodded glaring at her from his distance.
There had to be a way out, was the only thought circling his head at the moment. Then
a lamp was lit in his head and before she could even open her mouth he suddenly rose
and opened his mouth. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." He smiled stepping away
from the table as his 'escort' turned to look in wonder as he vanished into the crowd.
Ben himself walked to the back door as soon as he was sure she wouldn't be able to see
him.
It was a relief to breathe the cold evening air. He stepped into a dark alley which
was his golden road to freedom, away from all the Julia's and other bimbos trying to
get to him. He laughed a bit and harped across the alley then so that he could throw
up.
"Excuse me, but I'm looking for this guy. He's about 180 cm tall, good looking, has
short brown hair, hazel eyes, gives these really long dark glares?"
"Yeah I think I saw your guy. He went just outside."
"Thanks."
Ben threw up again while he tried to lean against the brick wall. He wasn't feeling
too good at the moment, which wasn't good. Everything was supposed to be spinning,
when you've had too much, but his mind was clear. He just had nausea and couldn't walk
straight.
This really wasn't the best time for Angela to mess up his life and get him into a
drinking spree so that he couldn't escape from Manticore which was on his trail again.
They didn't hold back. They never did. So getting drunk just wasn't the ideal solution
for his problems. He didn't even know how he'd thought of it in the first place. What
a stupid idea.
Another wave of vomit came up his throat and he was forced to continue vomiting.
You'd think you couldn't get into a shape like this when you a bit older than the
first time around, but nooooo. As usual he knew nothing. He wiped the remains of his
own vomit from his face and jaw with his sleeve. He wasn't feeling up tp his best at
the moment.
Behind him, the bar's backdoor was opened and he heard a pair of steps catch up with
him. He went immediately into his military mode. Before the person behind him was even
given a chance to speak, he'd already turned around taken a good swing at her legs
making her loose balance and fall down. He caught her from her armpits throwing her
body halfway under his own weight. It was a shock to see who he'd actually contained
there.
"You fucking idiot!" she snapped and slapped his face pulling away from him. Ben
stared at Angela's angry face like he'd just seen a ghost. "Are you drunk?" She asked
and went past him seeing the asphalt covered in vomit. Ben just stared. What the hell
was doing here? And more importantly how'd she found him?
"You are you sick bastard!" She was apparently holding off her rage though she was
more than pissed off. "What... why?" Ben stuttered at her trying hard to hold still.
She gasped at him and grabbed his jacket. "C'mon we're going." was her order as she
begun to drag him away. "H-hey wait!"
She paid no attention to his poor attempts to stop or break free from her grip. There
were more important things to worry about.
"Ben!" it was that scream that made her set him free. Ben recognized the voice and
began cursing everything on earth as Angela's sour face became even more sour, if that
was possible. It was Julia standing there by the backdoor.
"Who's she?" Angela asked poisonously while Julia began harping towards them. "What is
going on?" Julia reached them before he could answer either of her questions and at
that point Ben decided not to interfere in the situation which could grow into a
full-scale catfight. By the looks of Angela it would.
"Where are you taking my escort?" Julia's puzzled face told Angela everything there
was to know. Julia was taller than Angela and in many more clean. Angela's appearance
was wild, but so she was she. The two women were each other's complete opposites and
in a way it amused Ben. "Your escort?" Angela repeated the words with a vicious
voice, which almost made Julia take a step back. "Oh you mean Ben? See the funny thing
is that he shouldn't have been there in the first place. I'm just taking him home to
sleep his head straight." Angela tilted her head to the right throwing in a smile.
Julia looked at Ben for support, but Ben was already leaning against the wall and
trying so hard not to vomit again.
Angela shrugged at her and grabbed Ben's hand trying to take him away. "Who are you?"
Julia asked stepping in the way. Angela looked up facing her now. She didn't have time
for this, she thought and felt the gun she'd hid in her clothes. She was that sick in
the head was she? "Back off princess Barbie. He's mine. Period." It sounded like a
threat and it definitely was a one. Before Julia could even realize what she's said,
Angela grabbed the facing of her shirt and slammed her against the wall. She didn't
take it any further, even though she looked like she wanted to.
Julia couldn't believe her eyes when Angela let her go. Julia could only fumble away
from them both eyes sparkling with pure fear. Angela didn't care as Ben could read
from her. After she was sure there was no sight of Julia anywhere she finally pointed
her concentration towards Ben again. He was about to say something for his defence,
but she just snapped at him again in irritation: "Shut up!"
Ben couldn't quite frankly understand the entire situation here. Something told him he
wasn't supposed to. "C'mon, we haven't got all day..." Angela came to him and moved
his arm over her shoulders taking part of his weight over to her, just like he'd
done yesterday. Then she began walking with a quick paste. Her other arm moved around
his back.
"Angela... why are you here?" Ben asked, but got no answer. Angela's face was stone
hard, but still cracking. It didn't take long for her to stop staring at the blind
space in front of her and put her eyes to watch her own feet. "You confuse me and I'm
sorry to say this, but I don't want to be apart of some game of yours, Angela..." he
confessed and almost tripped on his own legs. His hand went around her shoulders to
find aid, which he got as she slid her other arm under his armpit to keep him up. The
position had put them face to face now. Angela didn't look at him even though she
sensed his eyes being placed upon her.
"I'm not playing you. I came to save you." Angela finally spoke and moved back to his
side without giving even one short look. "From what?" he was getting almost worried.
They continued walking and came to the main street from that little alley. The noise
of the traffic was loud, but they were still able to hear one another. "I put you in
danger, when you helped me. The whole city is filled with leaflets with our faces.
They're looking for you now as well..."
She looked like she was carrying a bigger burden than his weight ever could be. "What?
Why? What did you get me involved with?" He asked in amazement. When there was no
answer he realized that she wasn't giving them anymore. Her face was dark, eyes
meeting with the dark asphalt they walked on. It was for sure that she was a million
miles away again.
"Could you at least tell me where we are going?" he lifted his eyebrows as Angela
seemed to snap out of it after hearing his question. "I have a car near-by my place.
I'm thinking we'd better skip town." She sounded almost carefree, but not quite
enough. "Well my place isn't too far from your place so could I pick up my stuff
first? After all you got me into some big mess of yours and apparently I'm not getting
out." A sad smile appeared on her face. "Sure" she promised.
Luckily his head was a bit clearer when they finally came to the old warehouse, she
said her car was hidden in. The streets were quiet for they both had been staying in
the quiet part of the city for some time now. The streets were always empty and dark
at nights. Why bother lighting them up, when all you found there were thieves and
black-market salesmen? Some things just stayed hidden it was written somewhere that no
one should search the alleyways and dark corners too hard.
He didn't stop to wonder what Angela was doing when she suddenly kneeled before a
sheet metal wall and starting checking her pockets. After searching for awhile he
realized there was a padlock right by her. Once she found the key and opened the lock,
they sheet metal wall could be moved up therefore revealing a doorway to a dark
warehouse behind. With his night vision he was able to see the car waiting for them.
"What made you so quiet?" Angela asked as she got up to take a look at him. "You're
usually spitting out brilliant comments by now..." she noted and made a troubled face
before trying to move in. That's when he realized they weren't alone. "Angela!" he
grabbed her hand pulling her away from the warehouse back outside. Before she could
even ask why he'd done that, the warehouse was suddenly lit and the four men standing
there became visible to her eyes as well.
The three were regular looking rogues, rookies, but the fourth man... she knew him.
"Don't look so surprised Angela. You're really beginning to irritate him." the man
previously preferred to said moving closer. He was bald, was completely dressed in
black and looked like life had treated him well. The pointed beard gave him a devilish
dimension and made Ben wonder whether he had a devil's tail hidden somewhere. He was
completely unlike the three other men, who were obviously raised by the streets. Ben
had sensed Angela turning tensed the same minute that man had mentioned her name. His
head was still a bit... 'foggy', but he was better already.
"Not going back." Angela said her glow being darkened by the hurt in her look. The man
didn't answer at first, he just looked at them both probably estimating Ben's
condition. "You killed the four last men we sent. You shouldn't have done that." He
finally spoke. There was nothing alive in that voice. It was as cold as ice. Didn't
have any affect on Ben, but it shook Angela.
"Why don't you leave the lady alone." He stated all of the sudden stepping forward.
Everyone's attention was suddenly pointed at him. It was a distressing moment. The few
lamps were swinging from side to side making the whole room bathe in yellow unstable
light. They were also making this frizzling sound which annoyed him. "And who're you?"
the man in charge here asked taking interest in him for the first time.
"I'm the knight in shining armour" he stated seriously thinking through every
possibility they had to escape. He found none. "Is that so? Just tell me one thing...
Exactly how well do you know little Angela?" the man hinted while a self-righteous
look made room over his face. He crossed his hands over his chest knowing that he'd
hit the nerve. Ben didn't give it a second thought though, unlike he'd expected: "Well
enough to know that you're gonna get your ass kicked if you continue this."
Angela tried to hide the smile and happiness he'd brought by stating his allegiance to
her. "Very well..." the man said and moved back a bit rubbing his jaw and pointed
beard with his fingers. The three other men attacked the same moment.
Ben might've been drunk, but he was still a transgenic and with all of his abilities.
He slammed himself against the first man crushing him between his body and the
concrete pillar near-by. After dazzling his opponent, he hit his face twice and
crushed his windpipe with his elbow. Killing was no problem to him, he was trained to
do it.
Angela instead pulled out her knife putting it between herself and the fourth man. The
two other rookies were already going after Ben, but she knew he could handle them.
"You need to go home Angela. This charade has to end." the man said calmly
never minding the fact that she was holding a knife between them. "I'll never go back
there. And its not my home!" Her voice was shaking, but her hand stood still and the
determination in her eyes hadn't vanished either.
He seemed calm, but the image was deceiving as she got to realize, when he suddenly
moved to her grabbing her knife hand and turning her around. He pulled her close, put
his hand over her throat and held her there with an iron grip. He also stole the knife
for himself so she couldn't use it against him again. He forced her to look at Ben
now. "If you really valued his life, you wouldn't have dragged him into this. You
know what'll he'll do when he finds out you've found yourself a
boyfriend." evil words from an evil mouth. Angela stared at Ben watched him fight
and closed her eyes. Then she lifted her leg and kicked her capturer's knee breaking
free from his hold.
"Well he's not in control anymore. You can sell your soul all you want. I'm not coming
back" she stated and hit his face with her elbow, turning around to finish her attack
with a kick to his chest. He flew backwards, but got up quickly. She didn't have time
to duck fast enough as the knife cut her back. She made a face of pain fumbling
backwards, when a hand was placed over her shoulder and she was turned around only to
receive a painful punch to the face. It was one of those rookies, she realized, when
falling to her knees. Her back was bleeding and it hurt like hell.
"You idiot!" her old friend called and hit the rogue, who'd attacked her, with the
back of his gun. "I told you NOT to hit her face!" he raged and looked down at Angela
next taking the safety from his gun. "You're coming." he said and pointed at her with
the gun. Angela moved faster and pulled out a gun of her own pointing at him next.
There they were, she down on her knees with a gun and him up there with another gun.
It seemed like they had ended in stalemate.
"It would seem that I'm winning here" Angela didn't even blink between words, she just
stared at him hating.
"No. Its true that I can't kill you, but I could always shoot you in the leg. At least
I could make sure you wouldn't run anymore." he answered the challenge and held his
gun still with his sweaty hands.
"I'll kill you. You're nothing but shit to me." she threw back staring at the man
who'd watched all those years. The man who was to blame.
"No you won't. You're not a killer Angela." He seemed so sure of himself, so sure he
knew her.
"Not the same girl I was years ago, Palmer. Not the same girl."
Ben hit his opponent down and somersaulted the second rogue down soon after. They were
both unconscious now and it would've been easy to make sure they stayed that way, but
he didn't do it. He was worried about Angela so he decided to make sure she was ok
first. It was before he could turn around that the noise of a gunshot filled the air.
Panic took over him as he saw what had happened.
He fell over her burying her entirely under his body. Angela could do nothing but
breathe and try and realize what had just happened. She'd pulled the trigger. He was
dead. Palmer was dead. She moved only to see his dead eyes stare into nothingness.
There was a bloody hole in his forehead. She looked away.
Ben ran to her immediately and when he got to her, she'd already pushed Palmer's body
away from her. He just stood there watching as she picked up the knife and took both
guns without saying a word. "We need to go" Angela ordered and threw the car keys at
Ben. He caught them still bewildered of what he saw. "Now!" Angela shouted running to
the other side of the car.
Ben didn't wait, he opened the door and sat down leaning over the second front seat to
open her door. She rushed in banging the door closed behind her. He couldn't believe
how calm she was for after all she'd just killed a person. He started the car and
drove out of the warehouse like devil was on their tail.
The road seemed endless with its grey buildings surrounding their escape. Angela
didn't speak, she held the gun in her hands and watched as random light made its steel
shine. Ben wasn't quite sure what he do about her. He didn't have anything to say that
would've justified her act, so he was quiet as well.
"Where are we going?" he asked, but got no answer. "Angela... I know its not easy, but
I need to know where to drive, okay?" his voice was turning more threatening, almost
like his voice had always been. "Angela!" he yelled, but she didn't hear him
anymore. So much for the happy ending, she realized. They would finally have
something against her. She gave Ben a look from her eye corner. He would believe
their lies, she was sure he would.
"For crying out loud ANGELA!" Ben yelled turning his head at her. She looked back. "He
deserved it!" she yelled startling him. At that moment he pulled over and stopped the
car. They needed to talk. Angela had gone inside herself once again, but he needed
answers. Ben tried to call her name, but she didn't react anymore. Her face had turned
confused and she was completely motionless now. He realized that her confused face and
lack of movement had to be shock. "Angela?" he asked, but when there was no answer he
just slapped her. She didn't react, so he slapped her again.
"Angela!" he yelled taking her shoulders under his hands shaking her. After he heard a
vague sound escape her lips he stopped forcing out an eye contact. "Angela?" Ben asked
pouring his worry over her into that one simple word. "I killed him" Angela swallowed
the words. "But he deserved it. He deserved it..."
She moved a bit, came over to his side and to his amazement she put her head against
his shoulder curling herself up for him to hold her. Ben wasn't sure if he should, but
he wanted to and so her did.
Next Chapter - coming...
Back