Shadow & Flame - Part Two: The Collective - Season One, Episode 9

by Elias Raven

  Rhianna and Misty both looked a little tired, but nodded their head. I got up from the table and went into the kitchen and retrieved a pair of latex cleaning gloves from under the sink. I carefully retrieved the boom box that had been left on the porch. It was an older Panasonic, I slid on the pair of latex gloves I had borrowed and examined the radio in minute detail. The radio even had a button to cause the music to re-loop so it was perfect for what had been intended.

  I set the box inside of the door and stepped out onto the front stoop and looked around. The cul-de-sac opened at the end of the driveway. Rhianna had one set of neighbors to her right, and they had a son that loved to play baseball. I had been over more than once when he sent one sailing over the wall and it would hit the roof or garage with a loud bang. Rhianna didn’t have it in her to be mean-spirited or derogatory to a child that was having fun, but I was slightly more set in my ways. If a young boy hit a baseball into my garage or copper roof, you could bloody well bet that I would be at the parent’s door in moments with their child in tow. Perhaps I was a bit more old fashioned than most, but that was how I was raised. Maybe that was why I was still single when so many of my peers had already tied the knot and signed their life and manhood away.

  They could have it; I would rather be the most eligible bachelor in England than drowning trying to get hitched to soon.

  I reviewed all the details that we had gathered so far letting the events play out like a movie in my head. We had some tantalizing clues, but they all indicated, at least in this case, the possibility that Rhianna and Misty were being pranked. It wasn’t looking supernatural at the moment. As I started weaving the clues together, mulling over the details, I removed the latex gloves and walked down the driveway toward the neighbor’s property. Maybe the young rapscallion Billy had seen something. As I passed the fence line from the street, a pair of young faces looked over at me that appeared to be in hiding. My senses immediately went on alert. I pointed at the boys and asked them to come see me. Billy of course knew me on sight.

  “Hi, Mr. Royston!” he said cheerfully. His accomplice was a little more reserved. It took me a moment before I placed the face.

  “You live a few more houses down,” I said. The boy looked over at me then at Billy before replying and pointing.

  “Yeah, I live with my grandparents over there,” he admitted.

  “You’re Jonathan?” I inquired. The boy smiled.

  “That would be me,” he replied, smiling.

  “What are you two scallawags doing out here?” I asked.

  “Jonathan poked Billy and said, “Shhhh.”

  At that point I knew something was up.

  “Ok Lads, out with it,” I said sternly. Billy looked at me with his freckled face and then at Jonathan before he spoke.

  “I told you that guy wasn’t one of their friends,” Billy said to Jonathan.

  My eyes narrowed as I looked at both boys, but at the same time I took a conspiratorial tone with them both. They knew something, and I didn’t want the evidence to slip away.

  “Did one of our friends play a prank? There was some strange music and all in the fog and we couldn’t figure out what it was? Do you know what happened?” I asked both boys gently.

  Jonathan looked at Billy and then rubbed his shoes in the ground before speaking.

  “We promised the guy we wouldn’t say anything, but he swore he was a friend of yours and wanted to play a trick on you all. He seemed harmless enough. The two of us were together and I had my bat, so if he was a weirdo I was going to clock him one.” Jonathan said.

  Billy spoke up, telling me about the radio with the weird music and how the man had them each sneak up to either side of the gate, then turn on the radio and Jonathan went up and down the side of the house then sprinted to the other side and handed off the radio to Billy. From there Billy went up and down the sides then through the front gate and they met in the front and set the radio down by the door and then left. The man had given each boy twenty dollars for their trouble to do the prank.

  I rubbed my chin as the pieces fell into place.

  “Did you boys hide by the back of the property along the trees?” I inquired.

  Jonathan and Billy nodded and Jonathan pointed at his sock.

  “I got caught up by one of the trees and snagged my sock. My grandma hates when I do that,” he said.

  I looked at Billy’s shirt. It was a San Francisco Giants baseball jersey. It was gray on black. I looked at the front and saw a small tear.

  “Billy, did you accidentally run into the back step when you handed off the radio?” I asked him and looked into his face.

  “Yeah,” he said looking down. “It hurt but I didn’t want to get caught. The man said to make sure that no one saw us,” he explained.

  I rubbed my chin thoughtfully and asked the final question.

  “Did either one of you write anything on the dining room window?” I asked. Both boys looked at each other and shook their heads.

  Jonathan interjected. “Heck, Mr. Royston, we’re not tall enough,” he said laughing.

  I laughed with both boys, trying not to alarm either one of them.

  “Do either of you remember what the gentleman looked like?” I asked.

  Billy and Jonathan looked at me and shrugged.

  “Not really now that you mention it,” Billy said.

  “All I remember was that he was wearing a funny hat,” Jonathan told me. .

  “He was wearing a long coat and he smiled and whistled that song that was on the radio,” they both said.

  A chill went up my back. I reached into my pocket to grab a business card and leaned down on my knees so I was down on their eye level.

  “Do me a favor and let’s keep this between us. Rhianna and Misty thought there were ghosts about and you two scallywags pulled it off beautifully and gave them a bit of a fright! Next time, if you see our friend about, give me a ring, ok?” I asked, smiling and handing the boys my business card.

  “I think the girls will want to pay back their friend and play a trick on him as well for todays hi jinks,” I said with a laugh. Billy and Jonathan both smiled and laughed with me.

  “We thought we did something wrong,” Billy said. I pulled at the bill of his baseball cap and smiled at him.

  “No, you didn’t do anything wrong; it was all in good fun. Now off with you both and not a word to anyone,” I said smiling. Both boys nodded and took off along the fence line.

  I rubbed my hand across my chin and made my way back toward Rhianna and Misty’s house. If I told the ladies what had happened, it would only worry them more. I was going to have to have a private conversation with Detective Logan and see if maybe I could arrange for some extra protection or a patrol car in the area for a few days just in case. I would also confer with Reid and get his thoughts on the matter. As I looked up and down the street, the sun was now chasing the dusk and it was still very quiet. Hopefully, Reid and Logan had finished their interview.

  I made my way back to the house with more questions rolling around in my head, but I did have answers. That was a start. The million dollar question being who had written They All Fall Down on the dining room window and unlocked the side gates? I rubbed my chin and made my way back into the house.

  Chapter 2

  ~Burnt Norton~

  At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;

  Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,

  But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,

  Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,

  Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,

  There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

  I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.

  And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.

  The inner freedom from the practical desire,

  The release
from action and suffering, release from the inner

  And the outer compulsion, yet surrounded

  By a grace of sense, a white light still and moving,

  Erhebung without motion, concentration

  Without elimination, both a new world

  And the old made explicit, understood

  In the completion of its partial ecstasy,

  The resolution of its partial horror.

  Yet the enchainment of past and future

  Woven in the weakness of the changing body,

  Protects mankind from heaven and damnation,

  which flesh cannot endure.

  Excerpt from Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot

  Rhianna~ I was glad to get the interview with Logan and Reid over with. My nerves felt as if they were being stretched a little too thin, and after the morning’s freak show at my house, all I wanted to do was crawl in bed with Misty and take my mind off of things. Royston came walking in right as we wrapped up. We all looked up as he came through the front door. He had that thoughtful expression on his face, which was never a good thing. That look always meant he was thinking about something. I thought we had just about enough surprises for one day. Royston joined us at the table.

  “How is the interview coming?” he asked. Logan and Reid both smiled.

  “We actually just finished, old chap.” Reid said.

  Royston grinned at Reid, catching the small jab that he had thrown.

  “Oh, you’re a funny one for a yank. I suppose you think I go flying about San Francisco and clean chimneys with Mary Poppins, too,” he replied, laughing.

  At that point Logan and Reid both laughed and Misty and I joined in.

  “Royston, If you get the straw hat and outfit and start dancing around with fucking penguins, you're totally going to lose your cred with the band man,” I said laughing.

  “Hey! Our chimney needs a bit of cleaning. You feeling up to it?” Misty asked grinning.

  Royston put both hands on his hips and tilted down his cap.

  “Coming right up, Governor!” he said and grinned at Misty.

  At that we all started rolling. God, I fucking loved him. He could take a punch and throw it just as fast, and he made fun of his own as much as he loved teasing us Yanks. It was a wonderful mix of the two, and he had a natural wit about him that made it easy to go along with.

  I stood up from the table and stretched as my phone buzzed. I looked down and saw a picture of our friends down by the Embarcadero, smiling and hamming it up. The text message that followed was from Gia and it said:

  “Are you done yet? Can we all go drink and play now?”

  The next shot was of Abel and Elias. Fuck, the big gorilla wouldn’t smile to save his soul. They had no idea what had happened at my house and I didn’t want to be a buzz kill by telling them what had went down, at least not until Royston and the boys figured out what the fuck all the weirdness was. I looked at the guys.

  “Are we all fucking done here? I think I want to grab a shot of Johnny Walker with Misty and take a nap,”

  Logan and Reid both smiled and stood up.

  “Yeah, we're done,” Detective Logan said.

  Logan handed Misty and Rhianna his card, and everyone shook hands as the guys headed for the front door. Royston whispered to me he would be right back and went with the guys out to their car. I was going to remind Royston to check on Laura and Ava later at the café. I still couldn’t figure out what the deal was with the pie guy at the café and by the bridge. Misty slid her arm around me and played with my ass which brought a huge smile to my face. As soon as Royston was gone, I was going to get in an hour or more with her before meeting up with everyone downtown. Come to think of it, Chinatown sounded really good. Maybe we could head across the bridge and grab some dinner with everyone at Begoni Bistro. They were the new kids in town, but the food was outstanding. We had gone there on a spur of the moment type of thing, and sure enough, the food kicked ass.

  Just the thought of Dim Sum, Peking duck, and cold beer made my mouth water. Misty’s hand came down across my ass cheeks hard. I loved the sting. I looked over at my girl, smiling.

  “Hey, you looked like you were daydreaming. Remember we have some business to finish up today before we go out with everyone later,” she said grinning.

  I was instantly wet as she rubbed my ass again. I wiggled it seductively, pulled her to me, and kissed her even though we heard the front door open. Royston came back in smiling. We separated for the time being until Royston was gone.

  “What did you find out, Royston?” I asked, playfully crossing my arms.

  “I asked Logan to send up a patrol car for a few days just in case anyone is lurking about. From what little we found outside, we don’t have anything conclusive yet to go on, but rest assured, I’ll work with Logan and Reid and see if we can get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, you have their number as well as mine, and most importantly, you still have your father’s .38 just in case someone gets too nosy.” He said reassuringly.

  “Thanks, Royston. We’re going to crash for a few. Do you and the rest of the band want to join us in Chinatown with everyone else in a couple of hours? I’m going to text Gia and tell her we will hook up with everyone for dinner because the interview went so long,” I told him.

  Royston smiled and nodded his head. He wasn’t stupid; he probably figured we needed to unwind, but I didn’t give a shit at that point. I was going to jump Misty hard and fast. I needed her and I knew she needed me just as badly. He gave us both a hug and told us to call if we needed anything or if we saw anything out of the ordinary, otherwise he would meet us in Chinatown later. We both blinked and he was out the front door like a shot. Misty ran over and threw the bolt. I went to the back door and locked both bottom and top locks. I rubbed my arms and looked at Misty.

  “Let’s pull the shades around the dining room. My nerves are still a little off,” I admitted.

  Misty smiled and we went to shut the blinds and make sure the house was secure all the way around. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom. She looked at me seductively when I licked my lips. Fuck yes; this was going to be good. I opened our bedroom door and pulled her to the bed. Before she could move, I spun her around and grabbed her face, my lips meeting hers in one explosive motion of delight.

  God, I had missed her, I thought to myself.

  She met my kiss with equal fervor, her lips grinding against mine as my tongue darted forward parting her waiting lips. We slowly French kissed, my fingers moving skillfully over her clothing, unbuttoning and pulling, stripping her down with practiced ease. I could already feel the heat radiating from between her legs. The scent driving me over the edge as I dropped to my knees, my fingers sliding into the elastic, yanking her panties down in one quick motion as her legs parted. She was perfect in every way for me. I needed all of her. My face slid forward, my tongue hungry, darting and teasing her as she grabbed my head and spread her legs further. I could already taste her juices on my lips. She was soaked. I stood up and pushed her back onto the bed, my own need exploding. She watched as I ripped my own clothing off, tossing it everywhere. I slid between her legs and ordered her to grab the sheets and not let go no matter what.

  My lips glided from the edge of her ankles up, and she opened her legs even wider. I looked down at her glistening beauty. The flower of her womanhood was opened, waiting. I teased and nipped, watching her quiver as I slowly worked my way up. She grabbed the bed and held on tight wanting to grab my head, but we had played this game before. She knew the reward was pure bliss. As I got closer, Misty started to undulate her hips, moaning seductively as I brought my fingers down, spanking her clit. She let out a gasp, knowing I wanted her to hold still. I lifted my head, smiling, meeting her gaze.

  My tongue darted out, and I dove headlong into her waiting lips, teasing and sucking, nibbling along the edges, slowly swirling and parting as her moans rose and fell with my ministrations. The flavor that burst across my tongue
was succulent and creamy, floral and mouthwatering. I drank like I had never tasted something so delicious. Bringing her to the edge then backing off. Her knuckles were white with how hard she gripped the sheets. I grabbed her legs and pushed them farther apart. Sliding two fingers in, I worked her, wanting to feel her full release against me. I felt the shudder run through her body as I started spiraling and increasing the tempo. As she moved her fists and pounded the bed, I could tell she wanted to grab my head. I moaned as I finally yelled from between her legs

  “Now!” That was her permission to grab me.

  Her hands locked into my blonde hair, pulling me into her pussy as my tongue stiffened, penetrating her folds. She ground herself against my mouth as I met her thrusts while tasting her juices ran all over my mouth. Misty completely lost control, screaming as she held my head against her pussy, her hips bucking and moving faster and faster. I loved every minute of it. I needed her. I needed her release. I needed to hear her screams as my name started rolling past her lips. She was insane with lust as she held me tight, watching me pleasure her, giving everything to her lover.

  My fingers moved in and out of her. Sliding a third finger in. she lost complete control. Her scream split the night as I felt a warm rush of fluid jet around my lips. I lapped hungrily, swallowing everything as she let go of my head. The waves of pleasure rocketed through her skin. I spanked her clit repeatedly as she came. Taking each orgasm, her body shudder. Finally, she was spent.

  I got up and padded to the bathroom, grabbing washcloths and towels. After I washed the traces of her orgasm from my face, I went to my lover and slowly cleaned her up. She shuddered; her pussy was so sensitive from my earlier touch. I tossed the towels into the hamper and lay down next to her, letting her arms wrap around my neck as she sighed contentedly.

  “That was so unfair! She exclaimed. I thought I was going to take you first.” I could feel her smile without even looking at her. I grinned.

  “I needed to be in control for a minute. I didn’t hear you complaining,” I replied laughing.