Chapter 15: Jack

Chapter 15
Jack

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

A flash.

Grace stood before me, clutching her sword against the man in black.

“Shadows?” the man’s mouth twisted wryly. “You don’t interest me.”

Grace suddenly slid back into me, and we fell to the floor. I could feel something warm drip onto my hands. Blood ran down Grace’s arm.

The man in black began to walk toward us, shaking the blood off a knife. It gleamed wickedly.

I tried lifting Grace up. “Come o-AHH!”

I was pinned against the wall, his hand crushing my throat. The cold metal tapped my face. A swift pain. He licked the blood from his blade. My head began to spin. Two voices – laughter and worry. I could hear Grace screaming. I could hear laughter, such terrible laughter. It all drowned out to a strange thumping. My eyes began to close.

Silence.

The man’s eyes opened white. His grip loosened, and we fell to the floor.

“Are you alright?” A man in a suit stood before me.

I was covered in blood. My back hurt. My throat still tried to reshape itself from his grip.

“Hank! Hank!” Grace ran toward me. “Oh my god.”

“It’s not mine.”

“We should leave,” the man stated.

“Who are you?”

“I am an agent of the Children.”

Grace helped me up.

“What do you want from us?”

“I would like you to come with me.”

“To where?”

“To meet my master.”

“And what does your master want?”

“Only to talk and to offer answers.”

“Well, we would like to be left alone.”

“Maybe Miss Lovenson would like answers to the event from twelve years ago.”

Grace’s eyes widened.

“Okay.”

The two of us followed the man. I turned behind me and saw the man draped in black on the floor. Blood flowed onto the street floor.

“Please get in,” the man in the suit stated.

He opened a door to a black sedan – luxury class. We entered the back seats, and he proceeded to the front. My phone began to ring. I looked at it curiously. It died yesterday, and I had not recharged it.

Eason calling…

“Hello?”

“How are you two feeling?”

“We’re fine.”

“I went to check this morning, and you two had already left. Where are you headed now?”

“We’re meeting with the Children.”

“What?!”

“Just to hear what they said. We listened to you too.”

Silence.

“We also met the man in black.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. He’s dead. An agent of the Children killed him.”

“Where’s the body?”

“Drive down Raleigh to Kensington. You’ll see a crashed cab and our dead driver.”

“Okay. Be careful about the Children.”

“Okay.”

“We’re here,” the agent stated.

The car stopped in front of an apartment high-rise. He ushered us in pass the lobby to the elevators and then to the tenth floor – the suites. We exited the elevator and found ourselves facing a door. The man opened the door, and we found ourselves in a suite the size of an entire floor. Before us was a crossed stairway. A woman holding an umbrella stood on the landing.

“Hello, Hank. Hello, Grace,” she stated. I had heard her voice before but where?

Suddenly, I heard a strange thumping in my head. Like the sound of a heart, but then, it stopped.

Ring. Ring. I looked at my phone.

Eason calling.

“Hello?”

“He’s not here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jack isn’t here!”

Text and Images © Jonathan Lee

Chapter 14: Blood

Chapter 14
Blood

“Who are they?”

“The organization opposing Eason’s.”

“So the bad guys?”

“I suppose.”

I raised my hand and yelled out. A yellow car stopped before us. Grace and I got into the car.

“The corner of Kensington and Fifth,” Grace stated.

The cab began to move.

We sat there in silence. Grace had changed out of her hospital gown and into her normal clothes before leaving the hospital. She still wore no make-up, and her eyes stared at the Teddy bear in her hand.

“What’re you going to name him?”

She looked at me. “Him?”

“The teddy bear.”

“Who says he’s a he?” Maybe he’s a she?”

“Don’t you mean ‘she’s a she?’”

“You’re such a dork.”

I smiled. “What’s her name?”

“Gilbert.”

“She’s a he now?”

“Look at that ferocious face. Of course Gilbert’s a he. He told me so.”

“Okay,” I acquiesced. “Gilbert it is. How do you do, Gilbert?”

I moved closer to the Teddy bear.

“What’s that?”

A pause.

“Oh really?”

I glanced at Grace.

“I’m confused about that too.”

“What’s he saying?” Grace smiled.

“He wants to know why you don’t like hospitals?”

Grace stared at me – her eyes wide.

“Gilbert asked it.”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t tell me about strawberries.”

“What’s that?” I moved in toward Gilbert. “Oh, you’re right.”

“And what did Gilbert say now?”

“He said not to pry into things that should remain buried.”

“Gilbert seems to be wise when needed.”

“Well, appearances can be deceiving. Even bears with ferocious faces can hide wisdom. But you’re right.

“I’ve always loved strawberries. My friend Donny knew that. He was the only friend I had – he was a brother to me. My parents were never around – too busy working. Because of that, I never really talked to other kids in class. I was myself, and I took care of myself. During lunch on the first day of high school, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with me – actual grape jelly. Donny sat down next to me and noticed I was eating the same thing.

“’You have a PB and J too? Right on!’

"I didn’t acknowledge him, but he didn’t care. When he saw that I had jelly in mine, he snatched the sandwich from my hand and trashed it.

“’Try this. It’s much better.’

"That’s when I first had a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. It was much better. I had always loved strawberries, but Donny showed me the way. And we became friends. He always treated me better than I did him. A month before graduation, Donny brought me a slice of strawberry cake because I was accepted here. He asked me to go to the mall with him after school, but I turned my back on him. He went by himself. He was hit by a car. The driver was changing radio stations and didn’t see him. That was the last time I had strawberries.”

I took off my toque. “This was Donny’s. That’s why I won’t switch it. I gave up strawberries, and I kept this toque to remind myself how painful it is to be connected.”

I looked at Grace. “I don’t like hospitals either, but you don’t have to tell me why. The past is painful.” I put my toque back on.

“I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

“Fair enough.”

“If the Children of Medea know about you, what do we do?”

“What we’ve been doing. Why should we stop for them?”

We were suddenly thrown forward. Our car skidded out of control. And then we stopped.

I looked at Grace. She was clutching onto Gilbert.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded.

Something then landed on the hood of the car – a black mass. Suddenly, a head looked up from the darkness, and I saw a wicked smile light in his eyes. He struck his hand through the glass and pulled the driver out. A bloody flash. Blood spilled from the neck of the driver, and the man bent down and began to drink.

I opened my door, grabbed Grace’s hand, and ran.

“As fast as you can,” the man laughed.

Within a moment, he was in front of us.

“Who are you? Do you work with the Children of Medea?”

“Them?” he laughed. “No. Not those miserable fools. I am my own agent.” He creaked his head to a side. He was draped in black.

Text and Images © Jonathan Lee