by Bryan Cohen
"You look pale." Her mother seemed to consider sitting down next to her daughter. She held her position by the front door to the room instead. "I've got a great new color you could try out."
"I died."
"Excuse me, dear?"
"A man twice my age killed me and put me in a hole."
Erica's mother put her hands on her hips and glared at her daughter.
"Don't be so morbid. Honestly, Erica, if this is how you're going to behave, you can figure out dinner on your own."
Erica's mother left the room. Erica wasn't sure how long she sat there, but the sun had gone completely down by the time she put on her shoes and crawled out the window.
Chapter 38
The moment Jen pulled the trigger, she wanted Daly to die for everything he'd done. She couldn't help but picture him standing over Erica's body, but there was one difference to the scenario she'd seen play out hundreds of times in the last few months. Jennifer saw the stab wound in her own side. She was the one being tossed into an early grave.
When Jennifer let the shot ring out, nearly every part of her cried out to end Daly's life. Only, she didn't kill him. The bullet blazed through the air beside Daly's face and clipped his ear.
The murderer dropped to the ground and clutched the side of his head. He cursed her out with every dirty word she'd ever heard and some that she hadn't.
Jennifer felt numb as she watched the man squirm on the ground. Dhiraj came up to her side and touched her arm. She hadn't realized that she was still pointing the gun where Daly had been standing.
Dhiraj's voice wavered as he spoke. "Are you OK?"
Jennifer nodded, though she wasn't as sure as her head indicated. "Call the cops. Call my dad."
The local police arrived within the next few minutes. When they got there, Jennifer showed them the multiple warrants out for Daly's arrest. They said they'd need to question her about her tactics, but she was free to go for now. Jennifer sat in a daze on the trunk of her car. Everything that had consumed her the last few months was gone in an instant.
She didn't get nearly as much relief as she'd hoped for.
Jennifer had forgotten about her second request to Dhiraj, until he came up to her about as pale as she'd ever seen him.
"It's your dad." Dhiraj shook as he handed her the phone. "He's not quiet."
Jennifer prepared herself for the worst. She watched Dhiraj walk away to the far side of the lot before she spoke. "Hey, Dad. I got him."
Sheriff Norris paused for a moment on the other line. Then she heard the sound of tears flowing and a hearty sniffle.
"You had me so worried, honey." The sheriff blew his nose into a tissue. "I thought about Erica and search parties. And autopsies. You shouldn't have done that to me."
Jennifer hopped off the car and sat down on a curb as she watched Dhiraj pace from afar. "I know. He's a murderer, Dad. He killed her."
"And he could've killed you. How do you think that would've made us feel? You have people who love you, Jen."
Jennifer caught Dhiraj staring at her. He quickly turned away when their eyes met. "I know, Dad. I'm sorry." She took in a deep breath. "It's over now."
Her dad sighed. "I wish that were true. You two should get back to town."
As Jennifer finished the call, she thought back on all her previous relationships with boys. She wondered if any of them would've gone to the lengths that Dhiraj had to keep her alive and safe. Her partner in crime was checking his phone when she walked up to him.
"Why didn't you call the cops when you got loose from the car?"
Dhiraj put his phone into his pocket. "You needed this." He stood up and walked to within a foot of her. "It was stupid and you could've gotten yourself killed, but it was obviously something you felt you had to do. Who am I to deprive you of that?"
Jennifer closed the distance between them. "That's a good question, Dhiraj. Who are you?"
Dhiraj squinted. "I'm... I'm your friend. Friends help friends heal."
Jennifer put her arms around Dhiraj's neck. She could feel him twitch from the contact, but she had no desire to pull away. "I've never really dated a friend."
Dhiraj gently put one hand on Jennifer's midsection. "I've heard good things. There was this whole piece in GQ about–"
Jennifer stopped his sentence with her lips. She'd spent the last few months kissing whomever was interested in helping her cope with the pain, as long as they could get something in return. This was different. Dhiraj didn't want anything other than her happiness. She could feel the difference when he began to kiss her back. She let herself enjoy the moment and felt a peace wash over her. When she pulled away to catch her breath, she didn't see a hallucination of the man she'd been hunting. All she saw was the pure bliss on Dhiraj's face. His joy made her feel light and bouncy.
She pulled him in tight for a hug. "I've got an important question for you."
Dhiraj gave Jennifer a short kiss on her neck. "If you're going to ask if I'd like to do that again, the answer is yes."
She giggled. "Actually, I wanted to see if you'd go with me to prom tomorrow."
Dhiraj moved back to look into her eyes. She swore she saw a firework go off in his brain. "Prom? I'd need to get my tux refitted." Dhiraj started speaking faster and faster with every passing word. "And get a matching tie. I think I know someone who can get us a limo at a good deal. Can we reserve corsages 24 hours ahead of time?"
Jennifer put a finger up to his lips. "Dhiraj. You need to answer first. Will you go with me?"
Dhiraj started to laugh. "I thought the answer was so obvious, I didn't even need to say it." He took both of her hands in his. "It would be an honor."
They kissed one more time before they walked toward the car. Dhiraj started to chuckle.
"What is it?" Jennifer asked.
"I was just thinking, I should've taken you on a vigilante shooting spree years ago. It would've saved a lot of trouble."
Jennifer shook her head. "And give up years of you pining after me? Never."
They got in Jennifer's car and began the long trek home.
Chapter 39
Ted felt the pavement pushing against his face as he came to. There was a persistent hum rumbling around in his head, and any efforts to shake it off resulted in a sharp pain. He wondered if he had a concussion and looked around for Natalie. She wasn't there. In fact, neither was Redican or anybody else. It was more like a vacant movie lot than the bustling Saturday he'd seen on Main Street before he'd been knocked unconscious.
How long was I out?
Ted stood up and his footsteps seemed to echo through the empty suburban streets. He peered into a store window. The merchandise and signs were still there, but all the people were gone.
"Natalie?"
There was no answer, as his voice seemed to carry for miles. He ran back to the coffee shop to see if the flirty barista or any of the customers were inside. The smell of espresso hit him when he walked in, but the store was just as empty as the rest of the block had been.
Ted's pulse quickened. "Natalie?"
Once again, nobody answered. Ted walked back outside and stood on the double yellow lines in the middle of the street. His hand tapped rapidly against his hip.
"This is just like that Twilight Zone episode." He looked east and west down the silent street. "All that's missing is a pair of glasses and a stack of books."
Ted heard a faint sound in the distance. It resembled a motorcycle, but there was something off about it. As it approached, Ted crouched into a battle stance. He prepared to use his powers to push any enemies away. But nobody attacked him. The source of the sound appeared to be a small creature running at lightning speed down the street. It passed by Ted as quickly as it came and blew a gust of air into his face. He brushed some dust off his cheek.
"Now I know how the coyote feels."
Ted considered staying put, but he was too curious. Besides, hanging out with a strange, alarmingly fast animal of some kind sure as heck
beat being alone. Ted pressed off his feet and flew in the direction of the creature. It took him a minute or two to make up lost ground, but eventually he spotted the cloud of dust being kicked up around the speedster. Ted noticed the suburban streets give way to a city. Then the city buildings started to become more medieval. Before he knew it, there was an ancient castle blocking the path. The creature stopped in its tracks so quickly, Ted barely prevented himself from crashing into the stone walls. He felt the deja vu of being an inch away from massive injury before planting his feet.
"A little heads up would've been nice."
The lack of movement allowed Ted to finally get a good look at the beast he'd been chasing. The creature was about half Ted's height and covered in a thick black fur. It didn't look like any animal Ted had ever seen. Its face was practically human, aside from the hair, but the rest of its body looked built for ten times the speed of a cheetah.
"Did I order the peyote smoothie by accident?"
The creature looked at Ted with curiosity, until it bowed. Ted considered bowing back, though he had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't supposed to. Instead, he pinched himself on the arm. The creature mimicked the same motion.
"What is this place?"
The creature reared up on its hind legs. "It's all yours, Ted."
Ted barely had the time to cope with the talking speedster when a door opened at the front of the castle. The creature walked on two legs through the newly formed entryway, and Ted did the same.
All the bustle that had been missing from the streets of Treasure was present within the castle walls. The door closed behind Ted with a thump, and before he knew it, the speedster had disappeared. He looked around him and was astounded to see multiple species he didn't recognize. All of them had human features, but like the creature he'd just followed, there were combinations of legs and hair and colors that were completely foreign. He didn't see a human in the bunch until Dhiraj nearly came running into him from around a corner.
"Oh great, you're back." Dhiraj gave him a quick smile before pushing a few buttons on the touchscreen of a tablet. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
Ted marveled at Dhiraj's clothes. The outfit resembled a suit, but it was a material he didn't recognize. He almost reached out to feel it before he realized Dhiraj appeared to be waiting for something. "Um." Ted wrinkled his forehead. "How are you?"
Dhiraj threw his arm around Ted's shoulder. "Exactly what I wanted to hear, buddy. I'm great. Jen's off organizing some light soul/dark soul mixer. Who knew she was such an activist?"
Ted allowed Dhiraj to lead him around one wall. There was a massive open space ahead of them with houses, shops and hundreds of people. Despite the enormous appearance of the castle from the outside, it was even bigger on the inside.
Ted looked up to admire the height of the walls and saw that there were people flying above them like massive birds. "Where are we?"
Dhiraj gave him a confused look. "Is your brain on the fritz again? We better get that looked at. There's a treaty conflict on the speedster home world and you've gotta go there in person."
Ted assumed the conflict was why he'd seen one of the creatures headed toward the castle. He shook his head.
This is a dream. I can't let it suck me in.
Ted looked into Dhiraj's eyes. "How am I supposed to get to another world? I don't even know where I am right now."
Dhiraj laughed. "The same way you get everywhere else." A beep on his tablet got his attention. "Oh, and we need you to interrogate a rebel prisoner. His brain is too powerful for Redican to get through."
Ted stopped Dhiraj from walking and put his hand on his friend's shoulders.
"Redican did this to me, Dhiraj." Ted looked around as if anyone around them could be listening. "He did this to me and Natalie. It's not real."
Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He prepared to strike whatever had touched him, when he turned to see Erica's smiling face. Before he could say anything, she kissed him deeply. As much as he knew this was a dream, her mouth sure felt as real as it ever had.
"Gross, you two." Dhiraj glared at them. "There's work to be done."
While Dhiraj's clothing at least resembled something from Earth, Erica's outfit was like nothing he'd ever seen. It was like a combination between the Paris runaway and a Renaissance Faire. Ted didn't mind the amount of skin the outfit showed.
"I missed you." Erica touched the side of his face and put her fingers through his sideburns. "You were gone too long this time."
Ted looked deep into her eyes. "It's you. The new you. The last time I saw you, you were–"
"The old Erica." She tugged at his shirt and brought him close to her. "You fixed me. You had the power to do it."
Ted wanted to trust Erica. After all, the way she touched his face made him want to embrace everything he saw with full force. He knew he needed answers, but he wasn't sure if these were the apparitions he could trust. A speedster zipped around the three of them and went in a direction Ted hadn't been. Without saying a word, he flew after the speedster. This time, it took even longer to catch up, showing Ted just how much room there was inside the castle. Before he could catch the creature, it took its speed to a new level and went completely out of sight. Ted planted his feet on the ground, amazed at the powerful legs of the hairy little rodent.
"I guess we don't call 'em speedsters for nothing."
Ted heard a scream behind him. A human woman and her two children were backing away from a pack of three men dressed in black. It didn't take him long to realize he knew the trio causing the commotion. It was Nigel, Stucky and Tank, seemingly back from the dead. He flew over to block the three of them and used his powers to push them away from the woman and her kids.
When he tried to move them back, Ted saw Nigel swat away his powers as easily as he had when they first met.
"Why are you fighting?" Ted clenched his fists and prepared to use them.
Nigel let out a belly laugh. "Isn't it obvious?"
Ted couldn't tell if his heart was pounding from flying so long at top speed or the fear from facing his adversaries one more time. "If it were so clear, I wouldn't have asked you."
Nigel, Stucky and Tank moved to surround him. The leader held up his hand and the trio locked into position. "We're fighting because you haven't stopped us."
All three of them came running at Ted. He used a backhand blow to knock Stucky down as Tank grabbed a hold of his arm. Ted felt his shoulder pop out of joint. He used his powers to slam it back into place and threw an uppercut to put his assailant through the roof of a nearby shop. Nigel kicked Ted in the back before he could turn away from Tank. The dark soul jumped on his back and put his arm around Ted's neck. He strained to get oxygen as the thug squeezed with superhuman strength. Ted attempted to stand and fly to knock Nigel off, but his powers had no effect.
"It's a shame, Ted." Nigel tightened his grip. "You could've been so much more."
Ted tried to pull Nigel's arm away from his throat, but it was too tight. The lack of air set off every alarm in his body as his sight grew more and more dim. He felt himself collapse to the ground until his face was pressed against the dirt.
"Don't be a pawn, Ted." Nigel whispered the words into his ear. "If you don't embrace your powers – all of them – you'll just be one more dead hero."
With that, Ted's consciousness slipped away.
Chapter 40
Natalie woke up beside the car, which had seemingly coming back into view when she'd been knocked out.
What the heck happened?
The second thing she spied after the car was Ted's lifeless body. Natalie watched him for a few moments to see if the air was inflating his lungs or not. After a few motionless seconds, she threw patience to the wind and shook her friend. She held her breath until Ted made a low grumbling noise.
"My head." Ted opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Natalie. "I'm alive. No more shaky."
Natalie obliged. "Good."
N
atalie remembered their attacker. She looked back to see if Redican was still approaching. There was no sign of him, and everyone else on the street was moving around as if nothing had happened at all.
"It doesn't make any sense." When Natalie stood up, the blood rushed to her head, causing a wave of dizziness. "If he wiped Erica's brain, why didn't he do anything to us?"
"Performance problems?" Ted stood up and almost collapsed.
If it weren't for Natalie's quick move to the side, he might have gone back to the ground.
He looked into her eyes with a sheepish grin. "Thanks."
Natalie hoisted Ted up by his arms and leaned him on the car. "Don't mention it."
She wasn't sure why, but Ted's scent started to wash over her. The aroma led to memories of them together that she'd rather push back to the recesses of her brain.
"What's wrong?" Ted rubbed Natalie's arm as if it were the most natural thing. As if they were still together.
Natalie pulled away. "It's nothing." She unlocked the car. "Can we go home now?"
They headed back to Ted's house. She couldn't help but think of the dozens of times she'd taken the roads that led to the Finley residence. Natalie would test out different paths to see which would get her there faster. Once she'd found a seven-minute set of directions to beat all the eight-, nine- and 10-minute paths, she stuck to it. For some reason, she opted to take the 10-minute drive.
"Redican knew that we were there." She glanced at Ted. "He couldn't have gotten there so quickly otherwise."
Ted caught Natalie's eye and smiled. "Do you remember when we broke into that practice facility?"
Natalie had the day burned into her brain. It was an encounter she looked on as one of the highlights of their relationship. "Of course. It was fun."
Ted looked almost goofy as he turned toward her. "We make a good team. I'm really glad we get to do this together."
