“Totally. I won’t eat the other Ho Ho. Unless you think it’s all right and I shouldn’t let it go to waste.”
“Go with your heart,” Eddie said. He nodded and then continued out of the front door.
Eddie only made it a couple feet outside before he spun back around and re-entered the store, where the attendant was already halfway finished with the Ho Ho.
“My heart said to eat it,” the attendant said, guiltily.
“Hey, I’m not here to judge. I need one last favor. Can you show me where we are? Believe it or not, they still haven’t perfected time travel. They just drop you off wherever.”
“I can only imagine.” The attendant popped the last Ho Ho half into his mouth and took the map from Eddie. He spread it out on the counter and scanned the map with his finger. “We’re right … here.”
“Thanks.” Eddie marked their location with a pen.
“Can you do me a solid, Futureman?” the attendant asked, somewhat timidly. “I don’t want to screw up the space-time continuum or anything, but can you tell me who wins the World Series next year?”
◆ ◆ ◆
The orphans sped down the winding two-lane road that had been carved into the towering Ponderosa pine forest in their newly acquired Chevette. Antony shook his head as he drove. “I can’t believe you told him the Nationals were gonna win the World Series.”
“They might,” Eddie said defensively. “They have a better shot than anyone else, assuming they don’t blow it. And I can’t believe you touched the wires. Accident or not, you almost got me shot.”
“Like I said, I’m not a pro.”
“Yeah, well, for future reference, the whole future thing actually worked really well. You might want to try it.”
“Hopefully I won’t need to, but I’ll remember that.”
“I think this guy is an amateur ornithologist,” Charlie said as he finished digging through the glove box.
“I don’t know anything about that kinda stuff,” Eddie said. “But whatever he’s into on his own free time is not any of my business.”
“I think you’re confusing ornithology with something else,” Antony said. “It’s bird watching.”
“Yeah, I was way off.”
“He has all sorts of bird books,” Charlie said. “And a really nice pair of binoculars.” He held up the binoculars.
Eddie grabbed the binoculars and gave them a once-over. “Wow. I bet these are worth more than the car.”
“They’re probably not the best in this light,” Antony said. “But they might help us survey the area before we show up.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Charlie said, pointing at the sign on the road just ahead that indicated that Truckee was only five miles away.
They all went silent. The realization that their destination was so close, and that their mission had now become the moment, had forged a firm determination that swept over the car.
A few minutes later, they made a right onto Donner Pass Road. They crossed over the interstate and continued downhill, making a slight bend. At the end of the curve, everything opened up, revealing the sparsely lit downtown area of Truckee, which sat at the bottom of the small valley, just a little under a mile ahead.
“Cut the lights,” Charlie said.
Antony immediately turned off the headlights. “I’m gonna kill the engine, too.” He put the car in neutral and shut down the engine.
They quietly coasted for a quarter mile before coming to a stop near a small hill that was positioned just before where the residential section of town began. Antony disabled the interior lights so that they wouldn’t turn on when they opened the doors, and then the orphans slipped out of the car.
Eddie led the charge, weaving through trees on his way to the summit of the hilltop, while Antony assisted Charlie just behind him.
Once they reached the crest, they peered through the gaps in the thick tree trunks, searching for any signs of JP and his Beasts.
They found nothing. All of the houses and businesses in the area were completely dark. The only light in the town came from the night’s sky and the handful of streetlamps that lined the main strip.
“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” Eddie said.
“We should be,” Antony said. He used the binoculars to scan the downtown area. He didn’t spot JP or any signs of life, nor did he see the blacked-out suvs, which had been moved. However, Antony did confirm that they were exactly where they were supposed to be. “This is it. I found the train station. It’s around ten blocks away. And our van is parked right out front.” He handed Eddie the binoculars.
Eddie had a look for himself. “You’re right.”
“They’re probably hiding, waiting for us before they show themselves. Just like Malika taught us, we can’t allow ourselves to be surprised. We can’t assume anything. We can only mindfully react to everything.”
Eddie nodded in agreement, and then all three of the orphans closed their eyes, focusing on their breaths and clearing their minds, one last time. They ended their session by holding hands and taking turns reciting the serenity mantra.
“We’ll be back soon,” Antony said as he patted Charlie on the shoulder, and then he and Eddie started down the slope.
“Wait,” Charlie said, struggling to follow. “I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t,” Antony said.
“I feel a lot better.”
“You’re still not well enough to take them on.”
“You said that Malika told you my mental state would be the most important factor in my recovery,” Charlie said. “Well, I’ve never felt mentally stronger.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Antony said, “but your body is still too far behind your mind.”
“Antony’s right,” Eddie said. “At this moment, you definitely wouldn’t stand a chance. If your mind’s right, then just focus on your body. Give it the chance catch up.”
Charlie went to argue, “I—”
But Eddie stopped him before he could get going. “I got an idea,” he said. “I’ll just throw a punch. If you can stop it, you’re ready. If not, you’re not.”
“Okay,” Charlie said. “Whenever you’re—”
Eddie didn’t give Charlie the chance to finish, throwing his punch before Charlie could say “ready.” The objective wasn’t to determine if Charlie was able to stop something that he knew was coming. The objective was to determine if he could protect himself.
It wasn’t even Charlie’s reaction to the punch that silenced him, either. It was Eddie’s fist pressing against his lips. The punch had landed as softly as a hummingbird before Charlie’s hands had even left his sides. Charlie sighed; he knew had only proven Eddie and Antony’s point.
“We know you wanna help,” Antony said, “and we appreciate it, but you just aren’t ready. The best thing you could do is what Eddie said: Focus on your body, and give it the chance to catch up.”
Charlie couldn’t argue with the results. They were right. “I’ll focus on my body,” he said.
“And we’ll be back soon,” Eddie said.
“I know,” Charlie said. He couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. However, he didn’t let the frustration fester in him. As soon as he felt it cross his mind, he acknowledged it and then let it go with his breath.
◆ ◆ ◆
Antony and Eddie finished making their way down the wooded slope. It led them through the Truckee Cemetery before dropping them off in a small development of wooden cabin vacation homes. They both kept their eyes peeled and voices low as they cautiously treaded down the street.
“I don’t see anything.” Antony whispered.
“Me either,” Eddie whispered back. “Just a lot of empty driveways. It’s like everyone left town.”
They continued down the road, slipping through the s
hadows and down the backstreets before popping out of a small alleyway just in front of the train station. Everything was even quieter and more still than it had appeared from the top of the hill.
Antony and Eddie kept their heads on swivels, spinning themselves in circles as they crept to the center of the street. They stood back to back, still searching for any signs of the Beasts or JP.
“I feel like we should be doing this at high noon, not four in the morning,” Eddie said.
“Yeah,” Antony agreed. “This does feel like a showdown.”
“All that’s missing is the bad guys. We might as well bring the rats out of their holes.”
“Might as well.”
Eddie began to whistle the theme song for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Antony added the “wah, wah, wah.”
Silhouettes lurked in the shadows ahead of Eddie like a black cloud that slowly drifted into the faint light. “I’ve got ten guys at my twelve o’clock looking to party,” Eddie said.
“Me, too,” Antony said, taking stock of the Beasts he was facing. He heard swinging doors and glanced to his right out of the corner of his eye. He spotted five more Beasts exiting the nearby shops. “And we have some more on your left.”
“Same goes for your left.” Eddie watched yet another grouping of Beasts exit the train station and spread out.
All of the Beasts that had revealed themselves simultaneously removed their sunglasses. If there was any doubt whether the Beasts had Antony and Eddie surrounded, their fiery eyes, which pulsed in unison and created an ominous ring of bright orange dots in the darkness, put those doubts firmly to rest.
“I’ve got about thirty of them, by my count,” Antony said. “Give or take a few.”
“This will definitely be a first,” Eddie said. “But you know what they say about first times.”
“I do. And I expect this to be a charm, too.”
“Me, too.” Eddie said as he slipped his hand in his pouch. “These punks must be feeling pretty lucky.” He retrieved his snake and turned it into staff form in explosive fashion.
Antony did the same, except he retrieved two snakes. “They won’t be feeling anything pretty soon,” he said with a smirk as he twirled his two staffs.
“Except for pain.”
Antony and Eddie got into their fighting stances, spreading their legs and bending their knees to keep their muscles loose. “What are you waiting for?” Eddie shouted as he pointed his staff at the Beasts before him. “Come and get it!”
The Beasts were more than happy to oblige, charging at the orphans from all directions at once.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Antony was the first to land a lethal blow, taking out the lead Beast with a swift strike from his staff. When the Beast went up, it was unlike anything Antony had ever witnessed while practicing on the vessels. There was the usual cracking skin that spread like seeping lava, followed by a spontaneous combustion and the Beast turning into a heap of ash. However, the freeing of the trapped spirits, which occurred in between those two familiar actions, added an unforeseen and most awe-inducing element.
As soon as Antony removed his staff from the Beast’s forehead, a bright white beam burst out from the entry point. The Beast’s shoulders shot back and its chest and head arched up to the sky. The burst from the Beast shined straight to the heavens like a spotlight with one hundred million candlepower, and was followed by tornadic swirls of electric blue that corkscrewed around the luminance like strips of a dna strand as they ascended upwards. The whole cosmic fireworks show lasted less than five seconds, and then the light and the Beast expired together.
Even though Antony had almost immediately slammed his eyelids shut, he still hadn’t closed them fast enough. Against the darkness, the very brief encounter with the powerful radiance was exponentially more blinding than it would have been otherwise, and caused Antony’s eyes to lose their lock on his other attackers.
While the Beasts had quickly shuffled to the side to give their fallen compatriot space, they didn’t afford Antony any time to recover. They just kept coming for him.
Thanks to his training, Antony’s other senses picked up the slack for his momentarily hindered vision. He utilized his heightened hearing, feeling, and smell—along with his staffs—to block the flurry of jabs that flew at him from every possible angle.
“Watch out for the released souls when you kill the Beasts,” Antony shouted to Eddie as he diverted another onslaught of strikes. “The light they give off is strong as hell and will mess up your vision.”
Eddie was still busy trying to keep the five Beasts assaulting him at once at bay. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he yelled back.
“You do that,” Antony said, and then swiped away another combination of punches.
After a few seconds and countless stymied strikes, Antony’s eyes finally readjusted to the darkness. He now had a chance to do more than just defend. Antony delivered a debilitating shot to another Beast. This time, he made sure to tilt the Beast’s head away from him when he withdrew his staff so that he wouldn’t get blinded by the escaping flash and could keep up his offensive, which he did, landing another incapacitating shot.
Shortly thereafter, Eddie came to his aforementioned bridge. One of the Beasts went to throw a punch and leaned right into his rising staff. Eddie expertly removed his staff and whacked the Beast across the cheek with the backside of the weapon in one fluid motion.
The Beast went stumbling sideways.
All of the other Beasts nearby leapt out of the way of the disintegrating Beast, as if he were carrying some incurable disease that might possibly infect them.
Eddie quickly discovered why.
One of the Beasts made a wrong move and ended up getting caught in the glare of the dying Beast. The beam swiped across the unlucky Beast’s leg at the thigh, cutting through it like it was warm butter. The now-one-legged Beast was sent falling to the asphalt. His face contorted as he screamed in excruciating pain. A black tar oozed from the wound where his leg had been. The fire in his eyes flickered as the ooze molded back into a functional leg.
“Nasty,” Eddie said to himself as watched the Beast during his brief break before another Beast attacked.
Eddie dispatched the new aggressor, sending him tumbling in a similar fashion, and then informed Antony of what he had discovered while keeping up his defense. “The light hurts them! It won’t kill them, but it slows them down.”
“Then we gotta use it to our advantage,” Antony shouted back, and then did just that. He fired off a quick double hit like Eddie had executed.
The dying Beast barreled into the crowd, taking out two other Beasts at once like a perfectly executed bowling split.
Unfortunately for Antony and Eddie, even with their newly uncovered weapon, there were still plenty of Beasts that were more than willing and able to join the fight. For every Beast that perished or was temporarily taken out, a new one just stepped forward and took its place on the front-lines. Antony and Eddie didn’t let this seemingly unending onslaught distract or discourage them. They simply moved on to the new target.
Blocks and blows were levied in bunches. Antony and Eddie made the most of the opportunities that presented themselves. They made sure to never overreach, only taking what they could, as they gradually chipped away at their opponents’ numbers.
Four more Beasts had perished, their legion almost cut in a third, when Antony encountered another barrage of fists. He successfully intercepted all of the strikes; however, in the process of protecting himself, he unintentionally rerouted one of the fists right into the back of Eddie’s head.
The punch not only caught Eddie off-guard, it sent him tumbling through the narrow gap in between his attackers. He somersaulted head over feet.
The Beasts broke off into two new groups like cellular division, with half of the circle staying
with Antony and the other half forming a new barrier around Eddie.
The first thing Eddie realized when he came to a stop on his back was that he had lost his staff. The second thing he realized was that one of the Beasts was already taking advantage of his being disarmed and had leapt into the air, pouncing for him.
Eddie detected a faint hiss off to his side. His hand shot toward the sound, and he snagged his snake just as it was about to slither away. He turned the snake into staff form only milliseconds before the Beast was set to land on him. The rod pierced the Beast’s skull, poking clean out the back.
The same fate was met for a second Beast, which had also gone airborne for the pile-on. Both Beasts stuck to Eddie’s staff like a kebabs on a skewer.
Eddie gave a powerful push, sliding the Beasts off his staff like two chunks of meat and depositing each on opposite sides of him. He used his weapon to manipulate one of the Beast’s heads and aim the beams shooting from its forehead.
The rays sent the Beasts around Eddie diving for cover.
Once the dying Beast had expired to ash, Eddie did a kip-up to get back to his feet. “You getting lonely over there?” he called to Antony.
“A little bit,” Antony shouted back as he blocked a fist. He dropped to his knee, swung low with his second staff, and took out the Beast’s legs. He popped up and pierced the Beast before him. He followed the blow with another vicious hit. However, instead of striking the Beast on the side and into his comrades, like he had been doing, Antony struck him square in the forehead, knocking the Beast flat on his back.
The Beasts nearby scurried out of the way, creating a gap.
Antony blocked the unrelenting attacks while counting in his head. After one last defense, he closed his eyes and leapt, perfectly timing his jump so that he crossed over the dying Beast just after it finished expiring. Antony bolted by a couple of the scattered Beasts who were still recovering from Eddie’s assault. He grinned as he rejoined his friend. “It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”
Eddie smiled and tapped staffs with Antony. “Please, the pleasure is all mine.”
The Orphans (Orphans Trilogy Book 1) Page 25
