Winter's Fury - Volume Two of The Saga of the Twelves (41 page)

Shawn could see it in her
eyes – recognition.

“
Kimberly Madison,” he
forged on nonetheless. “She used to date lover-boy over here. Have
you seen her?” He pointed at Sonny, who was still caught within the
prickly plant.

Her brow bunched. “She
doesn’t hang around me. How would I know where she’s
at?”

Shawn took a step into the
apartment, his eyes squinting because of the lack of
light.

She back-pedaled, until
her heels hit the box-springs of Sonny’s dilapidated bed. She bent
at the knees and flopped down in a heap. The soles of her dirty
feet flashed at him for a moment. “Don’t hurt me!” she mewled,
scooting where the headboard would have been if there had been one
attached.

“
Has your boyfriend seen
Kimberly?”

She tilted her head to the
side like a canine, flummoxed. “I don’t see how. He’s been here
with me since… since… like Wednesday or Thursday. We’ve been…
inside, the entire time.”

Shawn glanced about the
apartment, his nose wrinkling at the mess, the fetid smell of drugs
and unwashed bodies. From the state of their environs his could
guess she was probably telling the truth. There was trash and empty
food containers on the floor. The sink was full of the same. The
bowed couch had god-what-knew caked on one of the cushions. There
were crumbs and potato-chip remnants all over it as well. The
coffee table, clogged with bottles of cheap vodka, cans of beer and
Red Bull, was disgusting. There were ashtrays overflowing with
cigarette butts, matches and lighters by the score. But the variety
of dried liquids staining all across its’ surface was the worst.
The door to the small, walled-in bathroom was ajar. He could see
the towels on the floor, toilet paper, rolled and unrolled, all
about. The fixtures looked like they had not seen disinfectant in
over a year. What should have been white tile and porcelain facades
had long since turned to varying shades of gray. In some cases they
were ebony where something nasty encrusted.

He peered at the
stringy-haired chick on the bed. “If I find out you had a hand
Kimberly’s disappearance, I’m going to come back. I will hurt you
then, real bad.”

Tilly grimaced with
genuine confusion. “Disappearance? Dude, what the fuck are you
talking about?”

“
Haven’t you been watching
the news?” It was his turn at misunderstanding.

“
No!” She said it like he
was idiot for asking.

Addicts don’t watch the
news. They watch cartoons, you dumb ass! Don’t you know
that?
He could almost hear her saying out
loud.

He glanced over at the
ill-treated, 32-inch LCD in the far corner. “You should turn on the
set, you dipshit. There’s some pretty horrible shit going on rig
-.”

Sonny’s attempt at a
“charging yell” forestalled the larger teen.

“
I’m gonna fuck you
uuuuup!”

Shawn swung around as
Sonny bolted up the four stairs leading to the porch.

The smaller male leaped
from the highest step, intent on bowling Shawn over. Used to hard,
sometimes blind, picks on the basketball court, he acted out of
instinct. In less than a heartbeat, he made his body rigid, hands
clasped over his lap, hunching his shoulders.

Sonny when struck the
tall, lanky boy with his shoulder, it was like hitting a solid
plank of oak. His momentum was arresting within inches. The kinetic
energy transferred directly back into his body. He bounced off and
landed on his butt, stunned, eyes blinking, devoid of
comprehension. He was leaning back on his palms when Shawn leaned
toward him.

“
You listen, you little
piece of shit, ‘cuz I’m only gonna ask you once. Did you have
anything to do with Kimberly’s abduction?”

Sonny looked up at him
with eyes glazed over.

“
Hey, I thought you said
she disappeared like she ran away or something,” stated the girl
from inside the apartment.

Shawn peeped in her
direction for a moment, unwilling to look away from the sprawled
Sonny for any length of time. “She did not run away,” he barked at
Tilly.

“
So, she's
kidnapped?”

“
What the fuck do you
think I’ve been saying?” He blew air through his lips, forgetting
the skank on Sonny’s crusty bed. “Well, ass-wipe?” he demanded of
Kimberly’s ex-boyfriend, kicking his bare foot to get his
attention.

Sonny gazed up with rheumy
eyes. “Well, what?”

“
If I have to ask again,
I’m going to beat the shit out of you,” threatened
Shawn.

“
I haven’t seen Kim in
over a week, man. Since the day you came up on us all fucken ‘Hero’
and shit, I haven’t seen one hair off her ass.”

The ballplayer did not
hesitate. It took one step and backhanded the sitting addict. He
hit Sonny on the left side of his head, hard enough to topple him
over into his side. “You better learn to watch your mouth when it
comes to her. Do you hear me?”

Clutching at his head,
Sonny replied, “Fuck, man, you don’t have to get all sensitive and
shit. I was just sayin’ -.”

Shawn stepped closer,
about to deliver another blow – harder this time.

Sonny scooted back, his
butt hanging off the porch. “Don’t hit me, man!”

“
Leave him alone, please,”
came the plea from inside, closer than before. Tilly had readjusted
her clothing and was standing a few feet back from the
doorway.

“
I didn’t have anything to
do with Kim, alright!” Sonny was breathing in gasps. He leaned to
one side to spit on the stairs. “I swear, man. I haven’t seen her.”
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “She made it pretty
clear she didn’t want to see me anymore, so I stayed away.” He
glanced up at Shawn, one eye narrow. “I mean, that’s what we always
do, you know. She blows me off for a while, cools out, and then she
comes back. She always had before, so I figured I give her some
space. I figured she’d come around in time. It’s nothing new,
man.”

Shawn smiled out of the
corner of his mouth. Sonny had the tact of a Mack Truck. His scan
of Tilly’s face confirmed what he was thinking.

She was staring at Sonny,
shocked outrage written plain on her face. It was apparent, she had
figured herself a more permanent figure in Sonny’s life. Finding
out she been a temporary distraction did not seem to sit all that
well with her. Or maybe she was just aggravated over her
provisionary access to Sonny’s supply of drugs. If she was anything
like the user Shawn had pegged her to be, the later was likely the
most plausible description of her reaction.

“
You better be telling me
the truth,” he said as ominous as he could, glancing back at the
shirtless wonder still sitting on his butt.

Sonny snorted, and then
clicked the roof of his mouth. “I have no reason to lie, man. I
didn’t even know she was missing until you came over here all Rambo
and shit.” He was shaking his head. “I just figured she’d find her
way back…”

“
Sonny!”

“
What,
Tilly!?!”

“
Jezuz, you over-sized,
douche bag, I’m standing right here!”

I frowned, his chin
sinking toward his chest as if he had no clue what she was talking
about. He went so far as to give Shawn a quizzical look.

The tall teen inhaled, his
eyebrows rising.
She’s all your, bro. Have
at it.

“
Well, sorry for throwing
you in the bushes,” he said instead, not sorry in the least. “But,
you know, I had to make sure.”

Sonny did not reply. He
just sat there examining the multitude of scratches and gouges
about his torso, arms and hands as if he was seeing them for the
first time.

Shawn turned back to the
girl named, Tilly. “I know you guys don’t hang out, or get along
for all that matter, but if you by chance hear anything please let
the police know. Everyone is freaking out over what’s been
happening since all the shit went down on Wednesday.”

She was frowning again.
“You make it sound like there’s more to it than just Kimberly
getting snatched.”

Though he was not pleased
the way she said it, he answered all the same. “Let’s just say what
happened four days ago was pretty much on par with what happened on
September 11th, 2001.”

“
What?” It was Sonny, now
standing, dusting off his tattered jeans.

Shawn shook his head. “You
guys seriously gotta pay attention to what’s happening in the world
around you.” He stepped passed the smaller man. “From what they’re
saying, the Event isn’t over – not by a long shot.”

“
The what?” asked
Tilly.

Walking down the stairs,
Shawn pointed back inside the apartment. “The TV, CNN – you’ll know
everything in minutes. They’ve been broadcasting twenty-four seven
since 6:47 pm on Wednesday.” He continued down the path. “If
anything comes to mind, no matter how small, call the hotline.” He
was gone around the corner of the ramshackle edifice.

Sonny watched after him
for a few seconds, hearing the LCD come to life.

He was scratching at his
chin in speculation when he heard his slutty bedwarmer exclaim,
“Sonny, you gotta see this shit. The dude wasn’t fucking around.
There’s some serious shit going down.”

He was not sure how to
feel. Kimberly was gone. She was not coming back.

Kimberly Madison was so
much more than gone.

Sonny knew nothing of
basic Astronomy and the vast distances therein. He couldn't even
imagine it.

~~~~~~~<<<
ᴥ
>>>~~~~~~~

~ 25 ~

An Unlikely
Reunion

Sunday, November
28
^th
,
11:11 am…

Marissa Avalon and
Christina Sturge flew toward one another. The moment they heard
what they knew to be the massive chain scraping against the outer
surface of the thick, cast-iron bound door, they ran. Their embrace
was fierce, desperate. Their hands searching, their hearts bleeding
for the comfort they could not hope to feel from the other’s
clutch. The situation was too dire. Their predicament was too
harrowing. Such comfort was scarce beneath the ground, confined in
what looked like tunnel straight out of World War II.

“
What is this place a bomb
shelter?” Christina had asked after she had calmed down enough to
explore their surroundings. That had been two days ago, or so the
girls surmised. Being in constant dark held back by a mere lantern
had made such designations difficult.

To Marissa’s young mind,
the assessment of the older girl seemed adequate enough. It did
appear as though the awful man with the face in constant change was
keeping them in a shelter of some sorts. The light fixtures were
reinforced, ensconced about a thick steel mesh. The ceiling was
domed, the walls blending into it at either side of the passage.
Though the place looked old, there were no cracks or signs of decay
anywhere along the concrete enclosing them. Sure there was dust and
various other debris abound. But, there was nothing that gave
either girl the notion of dilapidation. Its’ construction was such
to outlast ravishes of time.

The chain slammed against
the door; the great, rusted tumblers within squealed in protest.
The gigantic, robed man forced the portal open with little effort.
The third grader knew she couldn't even nudge it a
centimeter.

Marissa and Christina, hid
their faces in the hallow of the other’s neck, trembling. Over the
course of the past forty-eight hours their fear of the man who had
abducted them had not diminished.

Rather, it had
multiplied.

He came and went at
irregular intervals, rarely speaking. Only their health seemed
relevant to him. Other than to tell them to eat, because
the Seeker?
had wished
it, he said nothing. Whatever that meant they were not sure, but
every time he had uttered those words, he had followed them with
the same threat.

“
If you do not eat as
commanded, I will force it upon you. And, I promise, you will not
like that.”

There seemed little room
for compromise. Thus, they had eaten, though the foodstuffs he
brought weren't those that served to nourish them. They were odds
and ends. They were things found at the back of the pantry or the
refrigerator. Those items long forgotten because of the rarity of
their consumption. Cocktail wienies. Instant grits. Liquid Smoke.
Sardines. Peanut-brittle-covered Macadamia nuts. Cornmeal.
Southwestern-style Season salt. This was only naming a
few.

Some of what he brought
they could eat, but an equal amount needed preparation or at least
a microwave, or were mere seasonings. Since they had no household
appliances, they could do little with those items. Other than pile
them off to one side, they could only hope sometime soon he would
bring something else so they could use them.

Finally, last night, when
he had brought them what they assumed was their evening meal.
Christina demanded he bring them toiletries. She had yelled for
something, anything, so they could clean themselves. They were in
dire need of washcloths, toothbrushes… toilet paper.