Book Read Free

Mania and the Executioner

Page 9

by A. L. Bridges


  “Cole! Cole! What’s wrong!?” Cheza asks frantically. I’m unable to speak so I open our link.

  “I think I almost just killed Sara…” I tell her while staring wide-eyed at the knife on the floor.

  “I just saw it. Don’t worry Cole; we’ll get this straightened out later.” Cheza thinks while referring to an image I must have sent her unintentionally.

  “I was going to kill her once I had the information…If my phone hadn’t started ringing, I would have…I would have…” I think as I wrap my arms around Cheza’s waist. She sits there with me for the duration that it takes me to calm down.

  “I’ll be right back.” Cheza thinks as she stands and walks out of the bathroom.

  “Tia! Come in here and apologize to Cole!” Cheza shouts from down the hallway. I hear them both head into the room, shut my door, and walk into the bathroom.

  “What happened?” Tia asks quietly when she sees my state and the knife on the floor.

  “Sara was talking to someone on the phone. When she mentioned Greenland, Cole realized that he needed to find out who she was talking to. That led him to grabbing a knife, planning to extract the information from Sara, followed by killing her.” Cheza explains for me, filling in the blanks that the image must’ve left with what I told her.

  “Cole, was it Airi?” Tia asks.

  “She suggested I use a knife and hold it to Sara’s neck to get the truth from her, but pressing the knife into her neck until it bled to show her I was serious and killing her after I had the information? That was just me…” I whisper.

  “Please Tia! Just kill me before I hurt Cheza or you or Sara or Nata—” is as far as I get before Cheza backhands me so hard that she knocks two of my right molars loose; I think she also broke her right middle finger.

  “Cole, if you ever speak that way again, I will make sure that you watch me die first before you get to.” Cheza says in a flat tone meaning that she is so angry that she can no longer scream. I know exactly what to say in this situation: Nothing.

  “If you two go pulling a Romeo and Juliet on me, I am going to be so pissed! Henceforth, both of you are forbidden from talking to any friars or entering any apothecaries.” Tia declares and we all chuckle a little bit.

  “Cheza, let me see your right hand.” I say as I stand up, able to notice the swelling already; plus my own right hand feels like it’s throbbing a bit.

  “No,” Cheza replies.

  “Cheza…” I say.

  “N—” she starts before I interrupt her with a kiss while grabbing her right hand.

  “OW!” Cheza exclaims into my mouth. I break the kiss, pick up the knife, slash open my left hand and make a small incision in her right middle finger.

  “Airi, you know what to do.”

  (Yeah, yeah)

  My blood streams into her right hand and accelerates the mending of her bone. (5.6 Liters remaining)

  “Hey Tia! Have you seen the medium sized chef’s knife?” Sara shouts from the kitchen.

  “NO I HAVEN’T!” Tia replies.

  “By the way, where were you two with Natasha?” I ask while desperately trying to get my mind off the current subject.

  “We were running some errands. We were actually headed back here when Chezarei told me to drive faster, saying that something was happening to you. That’s when I told her to call you and when you didn’t answer, I picked up the speed to eighty and got us here about a minute later. Chezarei didn’t even wait for the car to fully stop before she jumped out and ran to you.” Tia explains.

  “Anyway, let’s head out there. I’m going to sneak into Sara’s room and look at the call history to see who she’s been talking to. I need one of you guys to distract her.” Tia says.

  “I’ll do it.” Cheza volunteers.

  “No, I will. I have something I need to talk to her about anyway.” I say.

  “Are you sure, Cole?” Cheza asks, concerned. I nod in response.

  “Alright, let’s go.” Tia says and we walk out.

  Chapter 9: Who needs barbiturates when you’ve got style?

  “Hey Sara, I need to talk to you about something. Is now a good time?” I ask.

  “Sure, I just have to let this simmer anyway. What’s up?” Sara inquires.

  “I want Cheza to have a plated jacket. How long would it take you to plate something like a North Face fleece jacket for her?” I ask.

  “I could probably sew one together in less than a week if provided with all the plates.” Sara replies.

  “Okay, I’ll make the plates. I also want a hat or hood to be plated too. How could we go about doing this?” I ask.

  “A malleable hat or hood? I could probably plate it the same way as the jacket, but it won’t have the shock absorbing tendencies of the jacket and it will probably be useless against any heavy arms fire.” Sara informs me.

  “Okay, I’ll go to the mall tomorrow and try to find Cheza a hat and/or jacket. Next topic, I need a new holster, or we may be able to modify my current one. I’d like to make the pouch detachable and have a spot for a Sic dagger…I guess that making a sheath for one would be smart…So a spot to attach a sheath for a Sic dagger.” I tell Sara.

  “Whoa! Where is all this coming from?” Sara asks.

  “Well I was thinking that, with a detachable pouch, I could still be armed even if it calls for a situation where walking around with a sword sticking out of my jacket attracts some attention. Oh, and I’ll need a spot for a detachable silencer for my gun…or maybe I’ll just make the silencer permanent, in which case, I will need a longer gun holster on the pouch.” I ramble.

  “Ask Tia about the silencer and then talk to me, but as for a new pouch, I’ve been working on an idea that I’ll show you after dinner.” Sara says.

  Cheza, Natasha, and Tia are already sitting at the table when I walk over. Tia sends me a wink across the table as Sara starts serving the chicken alfredo that she made.

  “Cole, didn’t you need to talk to me about something in the armory?” Tia asks.

  “Yeah I do. Shall we head down there after dinner?” I ask.

  “Yeah that works.” Tia says.

  “Sara, is it alright if I see the holster design after? Since it is going to heavily depend on a silencer, it would be a good idea to figure that out before we make modifications.” I say.

  “Yes, that’s fine Cole.” Sara says.

  The rest of dinner goes on in silence. After Tia and I clean up our dishes, we walk down to the armory.

  “So I figured out who Sara was talking to. It was her mom, Saraswati.” Tia says.

  “So I almost killed Sara for talking to her mother…” I say while taking a steep spiral into despair.

  “It’s most likely okay, but it could also mean that someone in the Buddhist or Hindu pantheons has turned.” Tia says.

  “Buddhist or Hindu?” I ask.

  “Saraswati is a prominent figure in both of them. There are so many deities in both pantheons that it gets complicated. Last I heard the consensus among them is to remain neutral in all this and should the world end, so be it. However, Saraswati has taken an active interest in this for some unknown reason and holds a spot in The Faction. I’ll look into it some more and I’ll keep an eye on Sara.” Tia informs me.

  “Yeah…okay.” I say, still feeling like shit, and then I remember what I needed to ask her.

  “Hey Tia, how do silencers work?” I ask.

  “They decrease the pressure being forced through the barrel by increasing the volume of the barrel with the added attachment. Why? Do you want to make one?” Tia asks.

  “Yeah. The situation with the were-sharks made me wish I had one because I ended up having to dispatch each one silently with a knife; whereas I could have just shot them all with a silencer and avoided the whole ‘firecracker’ excuse, getting shot, and consequential bullet removal.” I explain.

  “Well that should be easy enough to do. You definitely want to make a detachable one though. If you need to get i
nto close combat, you won’t be able to use the disarm bar easily with an extra six inches on the barrel and the larger cylinder partially blocking the opening. I’d say let’s make one tonight, but we wouldn’t be able to test it because that barrel isn’t outfitted for a silencer. You’ll have to take it to Archer; he has the equipment necessary to modify the barrel.” Tia informs me.

  “Well, I was planning to go to the mall tomorrow to buy Cheza a coat for Sara to armor and one that will be warm enough for Greenland. I could stop by Archer’s place since I’ll be down there.” I tell her.

  “Great! Go ahead and make the suppressor down there; it’s okay, I trust in his discretion.” Tia says. “Oh, and take Cheza with you.”

  “What? Why?” I ask.

  “Two reasons. One: you probably won’t do a good job picking out something cute. Two: Cheza would probably like to say hello…also, she is probably still a little angry about earlier and won’t really be in a training mood if you aren’t here. Sorry about that by the way.” Tia says, quietly at the end.

  “Don’t worry about it. Considering what I almost did an hour ago, I’d say it was completely justified…Well, goodnight!” I say and then run away before Tia can get another word in.

  I’m running towards my bedroom when Sara calls out to me from the kitchen.

  “Cole? Do you want to talk about the holster?” Sara asks.

  “Yeah, let’s do that quickly.” I say and we both head to Sara’s room.

  Her bedroom is fitted almost exactly like mine: Bed on the right when you first enter the room, door to bathroom on left wall, desk on the back wall to the right of the bathroom door, dresser in the back right corner. We go over to the desk where she has a blueprint spread out.

  “Okay, so my idea for the ‘different magazines’ dilemma was to make the pouch a hard shell with two identical sections. In each of the sections there will be a spring loaded platform the width of two magazines, which will push the magazines toward the right side of the pocket. At the bottom right corner of each pocket, there will be a hole covered in X-cut rubber. The magazines are pushed out bullet side first and the rubber acts as a stopper for the wider ‘butt’ end, which will only give when the magazine is pulled on. Each section will be able to hold a total of four magazines, but only three can be loaded at a time for the spring mechanism to work.” Sara explains.

  “That sounds awesome Sara! Although, how do you get the magazines in initially?” I ask.

  “…A zipper? Yeah! That’s it, a zipper on the front of the section and then you just slide the magazines in like batteries!…will that even work? It might fuck with the spring if the front side isn’t a hard shell…I’ll think about it. So what’s the verdict on the silencer?” Sara asks.

  “A six inch pouch with a button strap to fasten it in place when not in use?” I suggest.

  “That should work well! As for the sheath for a Sic dagger, I think holding it on with Velcro straps would be easiest. So when you make the sheath, add a loop of some kind to the top and bottom for Velcro straps.” Sara says.

  “How about I just make one right here?” I ask as I grab a pair of sewing scissors off of her desk and use them to slice my left arm open. I imagine a new twelve inch Sic dagger, but I decide to make a few embellishments. Where the hilt connects to the blade (where the cross guard is), I imagine a trapezoid shape with the large side facing towards the blade. This trapezoid I imagine into having a total of five faces, so that it looks like a pentagon from the top. When the trapezoid meets the sheath, it connects to a complimentary triangle to form a pentagonal diamond. I also put a small diamond shape pommel with the point facing away from the hilt.

  The sheath forms into my left hand while the diamond Sic dagger forms into my right hand. When it finishes forming, I solidify it and slide the Sic dagger into its sheath, locking it into place. (5.4 Liters)

  “Here you go.” I say handing Sara the blade.

  “This is a pretty nice piece of work Cole!” Sara says and tries to pull the blade from the sheath, only to find that she can’t. “It’s stuck.”

  “Nope, I just made it so that it can only be opened by me. Cheza might be able to as well, but I’m not sure. This way I don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling out.” I explain.

  “I just thought of something; I may need to holster my gun with the silencer still attached so try to make the holster able to accommodate one. Also, design the magazine packs to be able to fit four of the 25 round magazines. How many discs will you need for Cheza’s jacket?” I ask.

  “Yours used 282 discs so hers will probably need approximately 200 discs.” She informs me. I slide out 200 discs from my arm. (3.4 Liters)

  “Anyway, I’m going to bed now. Goodnight Sara!” I reach the door before Sara stops me.

  “Hey, Cole? Is everything okay?” she asks.

  “What? Yeah I’m fine Sara.” I reply. She isn’t buying it.

  “Cole, you’re like a little brother to me, you know that right? You can trust me with anything.” Sara says. I flinch when she calls me her brother; hopefully she will just think that it was a muscle spasm.

  “Can I? Can I really Sara? Or are you actually giving information to your mother that will possibly get Cheza and I killed? Are you actually a traitor that I should have killed earlier?” I want to ask, but I don’t.

  Instead, I smile and say “I know. Thanks Sara.”

  I know nothing.

  I leave her room, feeling like shit for thinking that there would be any scenario where I should kill the woman who has been a substitute mother, teacher, and older sister to me for fifteen years.

  I go upstairs to my bedroom and strip to my boxers. I’m not really tired because I slept so much today but if I don’t sleep now, I will end up sleeping in late and I have things to do tomorrow. I think for a moment and come up with a solution. I reopen the partially healed cut in my arm to replicate the diamond Sic dagger and sheathe in my usual three foot length. (2.2 Liters)

  Fuck you Ambien! A massive amount of blood loss is the ultimate solution for sleeping problems! I just realized that I no longer feel it when I cut into my left arm; I guess I’ve destroyed the nerve endings so many times that they no longer grow back. I wonder if Cheza can still feel it…

  “Cole, is everything okay? You feel kind of upset…” Cheza says from behind my door.

  “I’m sleeping with you tonight because I’m worried—and for good reason! What are you thinking!?” Cheza exclaims after walking in my room and examining the situation. I guess that answers my question as to whether or not she can feel it when I cut my arm open.

  “Hey there Cheza, I’m getting really sleepy so if you’re sleeping with me then get in.” I say while scooting over to my right and opening up the covers.

  “Oh, by the way, we are going to the mall tomorrow and to the gun range. Tia Ok’d it and I’m driving. Night Cheza.” I say as I close my eyes.

  “Goodnight Cole.” Cheza says while snuggling into my left side.

  …

  Chapter 10: Fuck the flowers, Honey!

  [May 24th]

  I wake up the next morning and look over to my left at Cheza, who is still sleeping peacefully. I couldn’t appreciate it last night, most likely because of my brand of sleeping medication, but Cheza is wearing a soft white dress shirt that has been unbuttoned three down from the neck. It’s just enough for me to almost see her breasts while being unfair but totally awesome at the same time.

  “Cheza, we need to wake up and get going.” I tell her.

  “Hmm…five more minutes.” She mumbles.

  “You can’t even get any sleep in five minutes.” I point out.

  “No, but I do get five more minutes in bed with you.” She replies. How do I say no to that?

  As she said, we get up five minutes later. She goes to her room to get ready while I hop in my shower. I dress in shorts and a light grey t-shirt (just to switch things up), grab my gun from the holster, and head out for breakfast. I
force myself to meet Sara’s face so as to not arouse any suspicion. Cheza comes out about ten minutes later wearing capris with a light grey tank top and sits down to eat.

  “Well, we need to get going.” I announce.

  “Where are you two going?” Natasha asks.

  “The mall. Do you want to come?” I ask; it’s only polite.

  Natasha looks from my face to Cheza’s and slowly smiles. “Nah, you two go ahead; I have some work that I need to finish anyway.”

  “Alright; well, we’re off!” I say as Cheza and I walk out the front door.

  “Cole! Keys?” Sara shouts from the door while tossing me the keys to the Mercedes SUV.

  “Right…might need these. Thanks!” I reply after catching the keys.

  I open the garage door and we head out. We go to the mall first to find Cheza a coat.

  “Ooh! I like this one!” Cheza exclaims after holding a light grey, hooded, Nike jacket to her chest.

  “It would look nice on you but it’s made out of spandex or something; that might be a little too tight fitting for it to be armored. It also might be a little too cold for Greenland.” I say.

  “Well, wouldn’t it be a better idea for me to have a thin jacket that I can wear anywhere and then I’ll put a winter coat over it?” Cheza asks.

  “That actually is a good idea.” I reply.

  “Of course it is.” Cheza responds.

  “We can get that jacket if you want, but now we need to find you a winter coat.” I say.

  We find a white winter coat with a faux fur lined hood that Cheza is content with so we buy it. Cheza and I leave the mall and head for Archer’s gun club. We walk inside and head towards the back where Archer greets us.

  “Cole! How is that G20 working for you?” Archer asks while shaking my hand.

  “And Miss Chezarei! It has been a while!” Archer says while grabbing Cheza’s left hand and bringing it to his lips.

  “Chezarei, who put this on you?” Archer asks when he notices my ring on her finger.

 

‹ Prev