Father Tom stops his pacing and walks back to the podium. “I’ll leave you with one last passage from Matthew. Can you tell that I like him?”
There is more polite laughter.
“It comes from Matthew 6:14-15, ‘For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ We’re all sinners, and only God, the Father, is suited to be judge.”
Father Tom closes his Bible and his eyes. He then opens his eyes and leads his congregation in the Nicene Creed.
The service is over. Alex approaches Father Tom as worshippers file past on their way to their cars.
“Father, another great homily.”
Father Tom looks relieved. “Thank you, Alex. I felt like I was rambling a bit up there.”
Alex smiles. “Perhaps a bit. I couldn’t help but get the feeling that you were speaking about yourself? It almost felt like you were asking for our forgiveness.”
Father Tom looks a little uneasy, but quickly deflects. “At parts, I was, but I was also talking about all of us.”
“What do you think about the vigilante?”
“Like I said,” Father Tom pauses and composes himself. “He’s misguided, but I feel that he has a part to play, regardless of if he wants to or not.”
Alex nods. “I have to go catch up with the family. Thanks again for another great service.”
Father Tom smiles, but he possesses sorrowful eyes. “I’ll see you later, Alex. Be safe out there.”
Alex walks away to rejoin his family.
Keith sits on his couch in his living room. Tina is nearby and looks miserable. She’s nervous, but functional. It’s been a few days since the threats that Yuri said to her, and nobody has seen him since.
“Mom, let’s go somewhere. We need to get out of this house. I can’t stay locked up like this.”
“Sweetie, I told you it isn’t safe right now. We need to stay here.”
“What about work?”
“I’m on vacation for a few days. I told the hospital that I’ve been working too many hours and that I’m likely to make a mistake.”
“Can they afford to lose you? There are a lot of people who rely on you right now.”
“I can’t. I have to keep you safe. Yama is taking a lot of our excess patients.”
“Safe from what? Yuri Osaka is dead. There isn’t a threat.”
Tina seems doubtful. “You don’t know that. His body wasn’t found.”
“So what? There were a lot of bodies that couldn’t be identified. They’re still sorting it out.”
“That tunnel is all the proof that I need. He was so mad; he’ll do horrible things to us.”
Keith is a little worried, but he hides it.
“So, our locked doors are going to stop him?” he argues.
“Well, no, but we’ll be together.”
“Mom, he’s gone. Beatdown smacked him around so much that he was just bluster. He got out while he could. Beatdown probably caught up to him wherever he escaped to. Neither have been seen for a few days. I think if something was going to happen, it would have by now.”
Tina rubs her chin and transitions to the back of her neck. “I can’t take the chance. I need to know you’re safe.”
“I am safe, Mom. You need to go back to work, and I need to go outside. We have the police driving by all the time to check on us. Maria and Tim are good people.”
“You speak with them?”
“All the time. There isn’t anything else you let me do. I’m going stir crazy.”
“What about Kyle? I haven’t seen him in forever.”
“We had a fight a while back.”
“You should patch that up.”
“I know. I promise to go over there if you let me leave the house.”
Keith senses his mother is about to relent. He knows she hates seeing her son suffer, especially when she thinks she’s partially responsible and completely who he blames.
Keith senses her barriers are down. “Besides, we need to talk about Yuri Osaka. That fight was a big deal; everyone is talking about him now. It seems like the people who knew the real Yuri are dead or in hiding right now. Too bad.”
Something flashes in Tina’s eyes. “If I let you go, then you have to let me drive you over there.”
“I’ll let you drive me if you go to work afterwards. I know that a lot of people need your help. You have to think of them. It’ll take your mind off Yuri.”
Keith spits on the floor to cement his point.
“Clean that up!” Tina shouts.
“I will. It had to be done. If he wasn’t dead, I’d kill him myself.”
“Get in line,” Tina agrees.
“That’s the spirit,” Keith encourages. “So, can I go make up with my best friend?”
Tina weakly smiles. “I guess things are not as horrifying as I’ve been acting.”
“Thanks, Mom. Let’s go now.”
Keith pulls his mother up from the couch. She looks determined. She must be on a mission.
“Okay,” she says, “but I swear if Beatdown shows up again, we’re moving. It would just be stupid to stay here with that kind of stuff going on.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Keith continues to pull her up.
Tina finally stands. “Alright, let me get dressed and get my keys.”
“Maybe some makeup, too?”
Tina frowns. “Thanks, kid. Way to make your mom feel bad.”
“I’m trying to be honest. I thought that was our thing?”
“Since when?”
The two laugh and get ready.
Keith gets out of his mom’s car and walks to Kyle’s apartment building.
Tina rolls down her window. “Okay, I’ll wait out here for a few minutes. If everything is alright, then give me a text and I’ll go to work. If he isn’t ready to accept your apology, come back out here. We’ll go to my work together for a second, then do something fun.”
Keith hesitates with his hand on the entrance to the building. “Are you sure? We were pretty mad at each other.”
“You’ve been friends a long time. I doubt he’s still angry. He’s probably just embarrassed, like you are, and doesn’t want to make the first move.”
“You’re probably right, Mom. I’ll send you a text.”
“Okay, good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Keith enters the apartment building.
Keith walks up the stairs to get to the third floor where Kyle lives. He stands in front of the door and takes a deep breath.
“Here we go,” he encourages himself.
Keith knocks on the door. After a few moments, Kyle answers and looks a bit surprised.
“Hey,” Kyle says.
“Hey,” Keith repeats.
The two stare at each other for an awkward moment.
Keith breaks the silence. “I’m sorry, brah. I was acting like a jerk the other day.”
Kyle sighs loudly. “Dude, I was going to call or come over so many times, but I saw all that stuff on the news and didn’t know what to say.”
“I understand. I wouldn’t know what to say either. That night was crazy outside my house.”
“I saw it on TV. That pile-up was right on your street!”
Keith is a little melancholy. “Yeah. It was crazy. At first I thought everything would be awesome to see first-hand, like that first time, but it was different when I saw Beatdown and his team kill those people.”
“Yeah, what were they doing together?”
“I don’t--”
Something chimes from Keith’s pocket in the middle of his sentence. Keith pulls out his phone.
“Sorry. I told my mom I’d text her if we were cool.”
“I understand. My parents have been asking about you.”
Keith types a response and puts his phone away. “My mom asked about you, too.”
“So, you want to come in?”
“Hell, yeah. I need to show you the blog. It blew up again.”
The boys go inside the apartment and walk into the living room. They sit on the couch and pull up the website on Kyle’s tablet.
“So, where are your parents today?” Keith asks.
“Work.”
“My mom said she would finally go back. I thought I’d have to pull her arm a few more times, then she suddenly was all about leaving and going to work.”
Kyle looks a little ashamed. “Was she mad about the table?”
“Yeah,” Keith admits, “but not at you. I told her I broke it because I got mad at a news report.”
“She believed that?”
“Yeah, mostly because I said that the media was being unfair to Beatdown again.”
“I guess I can see that now. Thanks, man. Part of the reason that I didn’t swing by is because I was scared your mom would be pissed at me.”
“Nah, she didn’t even realize we had a fight until recently. I think you’re in the clear.”
“Good. I’ve seen your mom go after people. I don’t want to be on the receiving end.”
The reunion complete, Keith jumps to business. “Can you believe that Beatdown was working with the other two? What does that mean?”
“Man, I’ve been thinking about that for days now. It doesn’t make sense. Why fight each other, then go bloodthirsty together?”
“I think there are only three reasonable answers.”
“There are?”
Keith begins his list. “One, it was the classic case of heroes mistaking each other for the bad guy. Beatdown didn’t kill and the other guys did. Beatdown assumed they were evil.”
“That makes sense except Beatdown was clearly killing people the other night.”
“Dude, I saw him and his team crush a limousine in on itself and turn the guys inside to jelly.”
Kyle scrunches his face. “Sick.”
“Exactly, which leads me to the second option. Beatdown has been brainwashed by Brutal and--“
“I’ve been calling the other one Bo, because of his staff,” Kyle offers.
“Didn’t Brutal have the staff first?” Keith asks.
Kyle shrugs. He clearly doesn’t care about the technicality. Keith accepts that Brutal is a better name for the bladed vigilante.
“I like it. They all have ‘B’ names. Beatdown, Brutal, and Bo,” Keith says.
“The B team?”
“No, that sounds offensive. We’ll have to come up with a team name later.”
“The B Brigade. Done,” Kyle states.
“Sure . . . for now. Anyway, the brainwashing works, and that’s why he’s so violent now.”
“What’s the third reason?”
“They were just training. Keeping their skills sharp by ambushing each other in the field.”
“I guess, but you forgot one other option.”
“What’s that?” Keith asks.
“That the original Beatdown was killed, and his replacement has a different code.”
“Not likely. We haven’t seen anything in the news to suggest Beatdown has ever even been hurt.”
“It’s not like we see his every move,” Kyle reminds. “He could have been called back to his home planet and killed there or in a third world country.”
Keith ponders this. “I guess, but I hope that isn’t true.”
“I don’t know. At least if he was killed, we know it’s possible. If he can be brainwashed or coerced into killing, we might be screwed as a species.”
“I guess. I’m a little glad he’s killing right now. My mom is terrified that Yuri Osaka is still alive. If someone can find his body, she’ll calm down.”
“Damn, I wasn’t even thinking of that. I forgot that your mom was seen with him. Did she know who he was?”
“Of course not! Why would she agree to go out with him if she did?”
“Sorry.”
“She just thought he was a nice old man. We all did. I keep trying to convince her that he’s dead, but I’ll feel better when they find his body.”
“Shit, man, this is getting too heavy. You want to play a couple of rounds? I need to take my mind off this.”
“Hell, yeah. Let’s boot it up.”
The boys begin to play video games. They’re best friends again.
Claire sits in her living room and watches a cooking program. The chef pulls out savory meatballs from the oven.
“Damn, those look good. My cheat day needs to hurry up and get here,” she remarks to herself.
Claire’s cell phone rings. The name “Dickface” shows up on the caller ID. Claire rolls her eyes and answers it.
“What do you want?”
Larry speaks on the other end. “Claire, I’m sorry.”
Claire is a bit surprised. She didn’t expect this call for another week or two.
“What about this time?” she asks.
“Claire, do you really need me to grovel?”
“Every time.”
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake. We need you back. You make the machine hum and the ratings are slipping without your insight.”
Claire sighs in relief, but she makes Larry beg more. “Is that all I am to you, ratings?”
“No, you’re also a friend.”
Claire scoffs. “You could have fooled me.”
“Claire, if I’m being honest, I need you to do Gabe’s job.”
Claire sits up straight. She definitely wasn’t expecting this. “What was that, Boss?”
“Good, it’s ‘Boss’ again. Does that mean you’re interested?”
“What’s your angle?”
“Gabe has a few sexual harassment complaints against him. I think his wife threw him out, too. The guy is a complete mess. He can’t separate his personal life from his professional, and I can’t keep him on the air, even if he could.”
Claire jumps up from her couch and does a happy dance. She may not have wanted the job this way, but she’ll take it regardless.
“Claire? Claire, are you still there?”
Larry’s voice brings her back to reality. “Okay, Boss. How much are you going to pay me?”
“Claire, I’m desperate. Can’t you take his time slot for today, then we can work out the details? The viewers keep asking for your First Line analysis.”
“So, it’s First Line again?”
“Yes, the Psyops thing was stupid, and the viewers rejected it almost immediately. There were a lot of fans pissed that we jumped ship on the First Line support. I guess we were the last ones to do so and had the market cornered with the pro-vigilante justice crowd.”
“You still need to answer my question on payment.”
Larry sighs. “How about five hundred K a year?”
“Please, I practically make that now.”
“Give me your number.”
“Even though I could gouge you right now, I like to think that I’m not a greedy person. How about two million for the first year and bump it up to five if the ratings increase?”
“Fine. I don’t have the effort to argue right now. Just bring back that First Line magic, and I’ll take care of you.”
Claire fist pumps. “Boss, you’ve got a deal. I forgive you for your cheese dickery.”
“Thank you, Claire. I need you on today.”
“I figured as much. I’ll be over soon. Assuming the city doesn’t tear itself apart first. There are a lot of angry people out there right now.”
“I’m sure you’ll talk about it today at four. I’ve got to go.”
“Alright, Boss. Thanks.”
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Have you seen that kid who sold us the phone with the First Line fight?”
“Not since that day. Why?”
“Because he shook us down, but hasn’t cashed the check.”
“What? Why not?”
“I don’t know. I thought he might have lost it, but he hasn’t asked for a replacement. Maybe he die
d in all of the chaos.”
“Well, I guess it sucks to be him.”
Larry laughs. “And, I thought I was the heartless one.”
“I have a heart, but now I have a show, too, and I can’t worry about a one-time acquaintance right now.”
“I’ll see you soon, Claire.”
“Bye, Boss.”
Larry hangs up. Claire jumps up and screams in excitement, then she immediately rushes to take a shower, flinging clothes as she goes.
Tina rushes into Power’s room. She’s out of breath from running through the hospital. Power is startled as she bursts in the door.
“Thought you were dead, Doc. I’m glad you’re not.”
Tina takes a moment to compose herself. “I almost was. I think that if Yuri had been able to get me to his limo, I would be.”
“I told you to be careful.”
“I know. I didn’t understand why when you first said it, but now I know. Did he threaten you when I saw him speaking with you?”
Power chuckles. “Yeah, but that was just the most recent time. That son of a bitch always be using me as a punching bag. He tried to get me killed by setting up a free drugs party. That’s what led me to ending up in this bed.”
Power slaps the side, weakly, for emphasis.
Tina is impressed by his actions. “It looks like you’re getting more control back.”
“A little. It doesn’t matter, Yuri will kill me. He’s just got bigger problems right now.”
“Is Yuri still alive?”
“I don’t know, but if the news doesn’t show you a body, assume he got out. If he’s dead, that crazy ass bitch, Julie, will be in charge, and she’s even worse.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Yuri used violence as a tool. It got him respect and money. Julie . . . she just likes to hurt people. She would do the shit for free if she could get away with it.”
“Would she come after me?”
“Why would she?”
“I told Yuri that I hated him, then said some things about his adoptive parents.”
Power’s eyes go wide. “Oh, shit! Girl, I don’t know what Julie will do to you. She may not care, but Yuri is going to do horrible things to you. You should probably move away and change your name. Hell, change your gender even. Yuri really loved his parents.”
Bystanders Page 26
