Divinity: The Gathering: Book One (38 page)

“What?” I asked.

“Shit, shit, shit. Okay, just sit tight.” She sighed.

I felt her slow the Rover down, signaling to pull over to the shoulder, and then stopping completely as she shifted into park. I slowly sat up and turned to look out of the back windshield.

Police lights.

“You were speeding?” I whined, already afraid because even though China could hold her liquor well, the law didn’t give a damn.

“No! I don’t think so,” She panicked and wiped her hair from her face.

              She turned off the ignition as she reached for her purse and dug out her wallet.

My first thought when I adjusted the seat to sit fully up
, was fear. I didn’t want China to possibly be arrested for DWI.

China was breathing heavily
and cursing under her breath as she fished out her license, and then reached for the glove compartment.

I tugged the plastic grocery bag
from my shirt and balled it up and tossed onto the floorboard. I turned to look out of the back windshield again. I saw the patrol car door opening, lights still bright and blaring as traffic passed by us in a zip of headlights while some slowed to rubber neck.

Whoever the officer was
, he was tall and I immediately thought of Cam. Oh, please —a part of me hoped it was, and the other part prayed it wasn’t.

He took his time, clicking his flashlight on as he approached China’s side and tapped on the wi
ndow. No, he wasn’t as tall as Cam after all from what I could see of him in the dark. His outline was nothing more than a shadow from where I sat.

             
China rolled it down immediately switching into flirt mode when she saw the officer and painted on a bright, alert smile.

“Good evening, how are you ladies doing t
onight?” The officer asked.

There was something immediately…strange about the air and
the sensation that ran through me at that exact moment, as I sat up straighter and strained to see the officer better. He leaned down into the window, part of his face still obscured and hard to see since he had the flashlight shining brightly in our faces.

I squinte
d and looked away for a moment. There was a strange, heat wave that came wafting into the Rover, along with something that smelled like burnt earth, rotten fruit and electricity. I wrinkled my nose in recoil.

“Hi officer, how are you? Is there a problem?” China asked sweetly, pushing out her ample cleavage
, displayed perfectly in her low cut, form fitting shirt when she spoke.

The flashlight seemed to be more in my face than hers.

“Where are you guys heading tonight?” He then asked.

“Back home.” China coolly explained.

“Where is home?” he then asked.

I didn’t like where this was going
, and I felt an icy knot of apprehension and fear settling into my stomach. I was completely sober now.

“North east just off the turnoff at the next exit up there.” China then said covertly not mentioning us being college students.

I was sure that she had done this before.

“What are we being pulled over for?” She then asked.

“I see. Either of you been drinking?” he then asked, totally ignoring her question.

I wondered why it mattered if I had since I wasn’t driving
, but maybe he was referring to how young we looked I supposed.

“Well, I did have a glass of wine to be honest. We had dinner with friends.” China explained.

“One glass of wine? Proof of insurance, registration and licenses from the both of you,” The officer demanded, and then stepped back.

He wasn’t buying it.

“Mine? Why mine?” I asked.

“She’s not driving.” China added to my defense.

Oh crap! Apparently he could tell that we had been drinking, which meant he could still give me a ticket for being under-aged…at least that’s what it would reveal on my license since it was real.

“Licenses, I’m not gonna ask again.” He then stated firmly.

I sighed, feeling ill again as I reached down for my purse, and fished mine out of my wallet.

China sighed and handed hers along with her i
nsurance and registration to him, and I handed her mine to give to him as well.

“Sit tight ladies.” He said as he took them and headed back to his car.

I should have known bad things came in threes, this was the third, but hopefully it wouldn’t end too terribly. In a way, I felt guilty. These bad things were happening to me lately. I was being stalked and jinxed by demons, and now maybe China would be too since she was with me.

I watched him in the mirror attached to
my visor, having this strange foreboding sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Just fucking great. He didn’t even look at my breasts! He must be gay.” China stammered.

“You’re breasts aren’t even that big, China!” I argued, not believing that she was even commenting on that.

China shot me the accusing eye
, “You’re one to talk Star; I was your cup size in junior high, and I’ll have you know that these babies have gotten me free drinks, free meals and out of many tickets before — thank you very much,” She pointed to her chest and defended, while insulting mine.

Many tickets? She was talking as if it that record was something to be proud of! I groaned.
I couldn’t believe China wanted to argue about breast sizes, when we could both possibly be arrested for DWI.

“Then maybe he’s married or
simply doing his job. Who cares? What difference does it make? We’re in deep shit!” I replied with a glare at her.

China huffed, “Don’t worry, if anything he’ll probably just give you a warning.” She breathed
to calm herself, as she raked a hand through her short hair.

I shook my head and chewed my lip. The ill fee
ling from earlier was resurfacing in me, but I wasn’t so sure it was just the beginning stages of the hangover anymore.

“I will take this to court. I know I wasn’t doing anything that would warrant him to pull us over in the first place.” She then said.

“Just don’t do or say anything that will get you arrested China. He could just give you a warning too.” I told her, feeling a migraine coming on.

“I hope so. I’m not drunk
, but I may not pass a breathalyzer.” She then breathed.

             
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. When I opened them again, I saw something move, out of the corner of my eye. A shadow was rolling by the passenger side window — slowly, like black smoke…smoke with a life of its own, and it hovered near my window. Maybe that was why the cop had pulled us over. I began to wonder if the demons were causing things to happen when it involved me. I tensed, watching it roil within itself.

I knew there had been something strange
, like an intense negative charge in the air around us, but I remained quiet and calm for China, and remembering what officer Cam had said to me about the dark shadows and facing them.

Show no fear or anger. Well, what did that leave then?

What did he know anyway? He had no idea, he didn’t see them, and they weren’t trying to kill him.

Surely it wasn’t going to…

I paled and felt my skin crawl. Gravity pulled the insides of my stomach towards the floorboard, what if it used — the cop the way it had used Professor Phillips? I sucked in a panicked breath and stiffened, trying to think of a plan or a defense or something.

I then looked over at China, it was obvious that she didn’t even notice the shadow
, as she drummed her fingernails on her steering wheel, and watched the cop in the rearview mirror now and then.

What if
— what if the shadow tried to enter her and then she tried to….no, no, I didn’t want to think of that, but it was hard not to.

I swallowed hard as my gaze flicked from her to the shadow
, just to make sure it was still there because as long as I could see it, it wasn’t in her.

             
I wanted to tell her to just take off, but that would not go over well for her in regards to the cop who wouldn’t have understood or taken the reasoning behind our flight of panic well.

China suddenly shifted i
n her seat and sat up. I followed suit as my gaze followed hers.

The cop was returning
, but this time he was approaching my side. Oh no, this was it. I was either gonna be arrested, ticketed…or worse.

I swallowed
hard again, my mouth went dry, and I hesitated to roll down the window at all, because the shadow had disappeared, which only meant one thing to me.

He rapped on the glass with his flashlight, hard.

I slowly reached to press the ‘window down’ button on the car door console. I let it down only a few centimeters, expecting him to hand me my license and my ticket.

“Step out of the car.” He simply told me.

“What? Why does he want you to step out?” China then asked in a panic.

I wanted to ask the same thing
, but I knew better.

The first thing that I did notice
was that this cop had similar tattoos and markings, just like Cam did on the back sides of his hands. Those strange dark, tribal like designs seemed to move and writhe in the darkness, right before my eyes.

Not only was that on the level of alarming and strangely odd, it made me wonder if I were dreaming again. Was this a demon? A dark angel
in disguise? A fallen angel in a — police uniform disguise? My thoughts trailed off, and in another instant, a vision of Cam entered my thoughts at that exact moment.

My heart was racing now
, and I felt icy knots of pressure all the way down my spine and arms. Is that why he was telling me instead of China to get out? Either way —I wasn’t going to but I didn’t know how I was going to get away or avoid it either. If he was a dark one, why were his tattoos similar to Cam’s? I didn’t want to think about where my thoughts were going. I was being silly and paranoid again. Maybe he really was a cop, and I really was in trouble for drinking.

I was petrified on the inside
, but I wouldn’t let it show even if I couldn’t feel my rubbery legs.

“What did I do?” I asked him anyway
, not making a move to unlock and open my door yet.

“Step out of the car,” He then repeated slowly as if I were stupid or testing him.

I turned to China who looked on in shock, with scared, widened eyes, unsure of what to say or do, and she was ticked; walking the fine line of getting arrested just for mouthing off, which I wished she wouldn’t do. If this cop was a dark angel in disguise, a simple locked car door wouldn’t keep him from getting me, I only hoped he’d leave China alone though.

“I don’t like how he’s talking to you
, police or no police. I’m gonna get his badge number and you can bet I am going to file a harassment complaint.” China spat in my defense.

             
Still not moving or making any attempt to open my door, I sat with my index finger poised over the unlock button in hesitation. I eyed the officer, the bewitching and dangerous scent of something foul yet intoxicating, was getting stronger.

He waited, making no further demands, offering
any explanations or moves…yet either.

I began to depress the unlock bu
tton when the Range Rover suddenly revved back to life. China threw the gear into drive and it spastically lurched forward, tires squealing and the velocity slamming my head back into the seat; popping my neck.

China took off at full speed, dangerously missi
ng an oncoming car behind us while fishtailing back onto the freeway. I was too stunned and in shock to do anything else but stare at her with round eyes and mouth agape at first but I quickly snapped out of it, “Oh my god China? What the hell are you doing?” I exclaimed, aghast.

She was clearly just as hyped up and as stunned as I was at her own desperate act.

“What does it look like? I’m saving your ass!” She hissed sharply.

             
At that point, I felt a complete wash of dread envelope me. Not only was this not becoming of China, it didn’t sound like her either. She would never do something like this or talk to me like that. In fact, she didn’t even look at me when she said it, and the Rover was picking up even more speed as cars around us swerved, slammed on breaks and honked belligerently at her. She continued to speed on down the street without regards to anyone or anything.

“Saving me? Chin
a we’re going to get arrested — stop!” I urged her, still appalled at her sudden burst of delinquency.

She ignored me. H
er focus remained intent and straight ahead with some bizarre determination at either breaking the law, and thinking she was saving me, or some sick fantasy come true of running from the law for the adrenaline rush.

This wasn’t my friend though.