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Maynia -- Day Ten -- 2,148 words
I drove to the hospital feeling pissed, why won’t she at least give it a try? Did she think I was only trying to woo her because of my father? Or was there another reason? Suddenly, the thought of her hugging Luke before Z had his arm wrapped closely around her flashed in my mind’s eye, making me grip the steering wheel a little harder than necessary.
My phone started ringing at that moment, I hesitated for a moment when I saw whose name was registered before thinking better of it as I put it on speakerphone. “Jackson my boy! I heard all the details about today, I take it Lucas and Zephyr are doing all right? I heard Ms. Lancaster showed such great concern for their wellbeing too, am I right?”
I didn’t like the way my father seemed to probe me even through the phone, and I also didn’t like what he had to say next, “Tell you what son, I’ve got something big happening in two days and I want you to personally invite Ms. Lancaster as your lovely date. How’s that sound for a supportive dad?”
I almost snickered as he used the word ‘supportive’, he was never like that unless he knew he’d be getting something in return. “And what even makes you think she’ll accept? She doesn’t owe me anything, ‘dad’.” Not really making an effort to stop the sneer that came over me.
“Oh I don’t know son, maybe I was hoping you’d put up a little bit of fight, instead of watching her get swept away from right under your nose..” I heard my father trail off before he ended the call without much of a goodbye, not that I was really expecting one from him but goddammit! He got me there!
Arriving at the hospital, I spotted Diana’s short dark hair as she made her way out of the establishment. She stopped in her tracks as I called out to her and waited for me to get closer, “Deputy, any update on the incident?” I asked as she looked at me with the same shade of blue eyes.
“The coroner filed it under myocardial infarction, no foul play just really bad timing out in the road.” Shaking her head as she gestured towards the hospital, she continued, “If you’re looking for Z, he’s out cold from the pain meds the doctors made him take. That swollen elbow will definitely take him out of commission for a couple of days, maybe a week give or take.”
Z’s been through worst, this’ll just be a pain in his ass. Shaking my head at the thought of Z out from pain meds wasn’t much different from him getting drunk, listening further to Diana’s report, “Luke’s with Dr. Alfred, he’s seeing to it that his gramps doesn’t fall asleep too long, especially after that hit to his head.”
“How about Luke? He got that gash on his temple too, right?” I asked remembering the large bandage he had before being shipped off in the ambulance. “It turned out to be just a flesh wound. He can actually be discharged now but said you were coming over for his interrogation?”
Smiling slightly at that comment of hers, I then said, “I’ll take it from here, Deputy. Thanks.” I had already turned to make my way into the hospital when I turned back around again to ask one last thing, “Hey Diana, you heard anything about some ‘big happening’ my dad’s planning?”
“Do you seriously not know??” She looked at me as if I sprouted a second head right there in the hospital’s entryway.
Shaking my head as I came up blank, Diana just huffed before she looked around then came closer to me as she quietly said, “It’s your mom and dad’s wedding anniversary! It’s like supposed to be the night they procreated you!”
Rearing back at the unwanted image that popped in my head, I frowned at the grin Diana had on her face. “It’s supposed to be a family-only event, ok? But I’m guessing you’re gonna bring Ms. Lancaster with you huh?” She positioned her two hands facing each other in a kiss and smacked her lips together, before she gave me a final wink as she hightailed it out of there.
That crazy minx.. Shaking my head at her antics, I then turned and headed for the real purpose I was here.
“You really don’t know what made you lose control of the steering wheel?” I asked Luke as I cornered him on his way to get coffee in the hospital’s cafeteria. He only sadly shook his head and recounted how it felt like they hit something huge and the next thing he knew, they roughly slid along the safety railings just as he turned away from the window before feeling a sharp sting on his temple.
That didn’t make sense, seeing as the road was well paved and the only marks left there were from Mrs. Twiddle’s car located further down, unless—whatever it was that could have triggered Mrs. Twiddle’s attack may have also been the one to run headlong into Luke’s car. If we were talking about voodoo magic and the likes, that is..
I was pulled away from my thoughts as I heard Luke speak up, “Hey Jack, gramps heard about what happened to Mrs. Twiddle.. he actually asked about Augustus too..?”
Heh. Gotta give it to Dr. Alfred still worrying about his patients even when he was the one temporarily confined in the hospital. “Don’t worry about him, some of Mrs. Twiddle’s Bingo Night buddies took him in. He’ll still have someone to take care of him.”
My answer still probably wasn’t enough for Luke since he still looked deep in thought. I was about to ask him if there was still anything on his mind when he began, “I’ll probably be at gramps’ for a while, make a schedule for the clinic while I wouldn’t be there every day.. Not that it matters anyway..”
I frowned at his tone of voice, “Hey. You heard what Shiela said, ‘not everyone can fight the demons that nobody else can see’, right? Some weird shit’s been goin’ on around town these days, you gotta be my eyes here, Luke. We got a dead body in our hands.” I said as I stared at him dead on, but he only let out a deep breath as he ruffled his hair.
“I’m sure it’s nothin’ Sheriff Heins can’t handle.” He then glanced up at me and half heartedly smiled, “I’ll need to ask Z to stay with us while he recuperates. I guess that means you’ll be Shiela’s closest neighbor for the time being.” Taking the hint as he emphasized on the word ‘closest'. So that’s what’s got him in a twist.
I didn’t like the thought of a woman coming between me and my friends, but was I strong enough to just let Shiela go?
“Remember Shiela, they came after your mother because of her blood. They’ll want to see you dead just to see that blood stop running.”
“I always thought it was you they were after.. All this time..”
“Your mother was no fighter, Shiela. And me? I’m just the man who fell in love with her and wanted to keep our family safe.” He coughed as he lay weak on his bed, as I just sat there in disbelief, now feeling the pieces fall into place.
“There’s.. an extra composition to your blood. Something your mother.. couldn’t even name—Cough! She never really talked about her family.. never even met them myself—Cough!”
Blood dripped from his mouth after his coughing fits. I automatically took the nearest cloth on his bedside as I wiped off the blood on his face. In a moment of clarity, maybe due to being close to death, he looked at me with that same warmth he had when I was a kid. Before my mom died.
“Don’t forget—silver only weakens them, but it’s your blood that’ll keep them dead and gone.” He croaked out. I thought it ironic, after all these years of carrying mom’s blood in him, he now decides to fall victim to leukemia.
I was just about to pull my hand away from him, when he suddenly held it in his own, grasping it for one last time. “Don’t get too close Shiela, if you can’t protect them. Don’t get them involved.”
Those were the last words he uttered to me as I watched the life leave his eyes. I kept circling around the base of the tower, checking if maybe I didn’t drop in enough blood. I’ve encountered these demons in the past before, they never thought before acting—always hungry for their lust for blood, making them easy to kill.
But the ones here in Samheinrock were elusive, almost manipulative— as if they were taking orders from someone with a higher level of thinking. The possibility that a local stumbled upon the rift and made it bigger by offering his or her soul, wasn’t far from my mind. I needed to find that person and put an end to them, it was the only way to mess with the portal’s energy, enough for the tower’s vibrations to take its toll.
I glanced up at the tower’s head and spotted the satellite’s shield reflecting that of the waning sun. So much for leaving this town soon..
Just then, I heard the sound of motors that signaled an incoming vehicle. I slowly walked back to my car and used it as a shield to see whoever was passing by, inching my hand towards the Colt hidden behind my shirt.
I then spotted a motorcycle slowing to a spot my way, and had time to see it was a Ducati Multistrada. Raising my eyebrows in curiosity as I watched the rider take off his helmet, I was surprised to see it was Luke!
He still had that awful bandage to his temple, but it didn’t lessen his appeal one bit, in fact I thought it made him look hotter. Calm down there, Shiela!
I took my hand away from my gun as I watched him give me a big smile in greeting before walking towards him just as he was getting off the bike, “Hey mister! I don’t think it’s safe for you to be driving right after that incident you had to experience.” I jokingly said to him, not being able to stop myself as I raised my hand close to his temple.
I stopped just as I was about to make skin contact, “Don’t get too close!” whispered in my mind. Only Luke took my hand in his as he held it to his face, a smile on his face making his clear grey eyes almost twinkle. “I actually have a confession to make, Shiela.”
I tensed as I remembered my last encounter with Jack, but relaxed when Luke glanced up at the tower and took out his phone, still holding my hand in his as he turned me around before he took a selfie of us, with the tower as our background. “Gramps actually wanted to really see your tower. He urged me to take a picture of it while he’s in the hospital.” He glanced at me smiling as he showed me the picture of us.
“How is he, when will he be discharged?” I asked, feeling concerned for Dr. Bliant and not really minding the picture I now had with Luke.
“He’ll be out in a day or two. His doctor just wants to observe if he didn’t get any unwanted effects after having that bump to the head.” He reassured me as he took a picture of just the tower itself. Hearing his sigh as he now pocketed his phone, “What is it?”
“I thought Jack was exaggerating when he said it looked like a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower, only with a satellite shield for its top.” He said as he kept looking up at the tower with his hands in his pockets, before he turned to me with a small smile, eyes soft as he said, “Guess there are some things you just take a chance on believing.”
I blinked at him as I then looked up at the tower, the waning light providing a melancholic atmosphere. “We better head back before it gets too dark.” Luke’s voice broke me out of my reverie and I turned and nodded back at him in agreement.
Luke and I had now arrived at my house, walking to my porch as I laughed at him recounting his days during one of his earlier practice. I was just about to say goodnight to him when my door opened and revealed a disgruntled looking Jack.
“Are you going to give him a kiss goodnight too?”
to be continued...
Image from Pixabay, by Phan Minh Cuong An: https://pixabay.com/users/minanfotos-9565064/ (edited with dreamscopeapp)