The Deadly Truth

Chapter Fourteen

Um, I have a motorcycle fetish just like Sarna. Fun fact for you, I know. But they're just so hawt.

Jesus Christ, was it dark outside. It was darker than even the wee hours of night. At least then you had some sort of light from the stars. Here there were no stars, just a huge thick blanket of a cloud, covering every inch of the city. Leave it to Gasdile to (as soon as I recovered from the overall retch- inducing stench) have an enormous cloud, hampering my somewhat adjustment progress.

                Despite reading somewhere that Gasdile’s seemingly fragile towers can withstand disastrous weather, I still worried deeply. What if this storm wiped everyone out before Len and I could do anything? That would be horrible, having Mother Nature slap us in the face like that. I started to gnaw on my lip again, rubbing my necklace, as images of death loaded my mind. Len noticed my demeanor and started to babble on about statistics and how Gasdile would be fine.

                I didn’t know if it was just my paranoid mind or if it was actually happening, but I started to feel like someone was following us; stalking us like prey. I would pivot around swiftly to check if anyone was there when the tingling up my neck was too much to bear. However, each time I turned to check, no one was there. Whoever it was (If there actually was someone) knew exactly what they were doing.

                “What are you looking at?” Len asked curiously after my fifth check. I shook my head slowly, not wanting to drag Len into what could be just an unreasonable illusion.

                “Uh, nothing. I only thought I saw something,” I stuttered out. Len gave me a dissuaded stare after checking behind us for a moment. “It’s nothing,” I annunciated. “Come on, I’m hungry,” and I proceeded to jog towards Isabella’s, trying to get away from whatever it was as fast as possible.

--

                Time passed pleasantly while we ate in Isabella’s. To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded eating the potatoes and things that much, but the atmosphere in the diner was too brilliant to pass up. It felt like home in a way, and I wanted to stay warm in its comfort, not in Val’s cold home; especially after the whole clothes fiasco.

                Len and I ate serving after serving again, even though we promised ourselves we wouldn’t. We didn’t even have Elvira as our waitress to bribe us into over-eating. This time we had a burly and balding man, but we still ate our weight. Persuasion must have been a requirement to be a server there. Everyone there was so convincing, saying we were too frail, and offering on- the- house treats, to which we couldn’t refuse.

--

                “God, I can’t believe we ate that much again,” I said full of remorse, yet laughing at the same time. Even though my stomach was bursting with food, the fact that the food was real and delicious made it somewhat better.

                “Yeah, I don’t even think I will need to eat anything for another two days,” Len agreed, rubbing his food baby. I grinned.

                “What time do you think it is? Do you think Val will be home?”

“I don’t know,” Len shrugged, “It may be around five…?” his voice trailed off unsurely. True, it was dark, but like I said before, it was always dark, and there was no way to see the stars or not over the smog. I shrugged and suggested that we would just find out whenever we got to Val’s house, hoping she wouldn’t try to paralyze us or anything.

                We continued walking until we came upon a cluster of motorcycles parked outside a building. The bikes were black, sleek, and shiny, reflecting what light there was. They sat in a neat and orderly row just a few feet from the building. I couldn’t resist walking up to them and running my hand along the smooth chrome lining, having always wanting to ride one.

                “Motorcycles? They look like they’re for some kind of gang,” Len noted as he walked up to the cluster. “They all match,” he added, examining the nearest one like it was some kind of foreign specimen. It was true; each motorbike was the same kind of model, with the same dark coloring.

                “I don’t know, but I am really tempted to take one for a spin,” I mused, knowing it would freak Len out. I could practically feel the panic run through him as soon as the words left my mouth. I smirked and said I was kidding before he could really get worked up. Len breathed a sigh of relief and let out a slight nervous chuckle. He started to walk away from the motorcycles, clearly growing bored with them already. Unfortunately, he didn’t share my fascination for motorbikes.

                “We should probably get going,” he suggested, turning around back at me. I reluctantly let go of the smooth leather handle on the handlebar, not wanting to leave just yet.

As I started to slowly walk towards Len, the sound of a portal opening up could be heard. I whipped around to see men exiting the building where the motorcycles were parked. Their wrinkled faces looked cross and exhausted. But before I could think about how it was a pity for the beautiful bikes to be ridden by such hideous men, I noticed something horrifying. Each one had three dark circles under their left eyes, much thicker and darker than the Fretier on the train. Now I think it might have been because they were a higher rank, but then I only thought one word:

“Shit,” I seethed, quickly throwing my hood over my head to hide my face. However, it helped me none. The band of Fretiers recognized who I was and all sprinted towards me, triangle formation. I involuntarily let out a helpless cry of fear. What the hell was I to do? Soon they would surround me, and since there were six or seven of them, I stood absolutely no chance. And I had no idea as to where Len was.

Vroooooom!

One of the Fretier’s motorcycles tore through the formation, only narrowly avoiding completely bulldozing a few of the men over. It screeched to halt inches in front of me, the breeze blowing my bangs out of my face.

“Get on!” Len frantically whispered from under his hood. I did so without a second thought, squeezing behind Len on the bike only meant for one. Before I was even fully aboard, Len sped off, leaving skid marks behind him.

We swerved around jaggedly for a few seconds, as Len evidently had little experience driving a motorcycle before, but soon we reached a steady pace, cruising by blurred buildings. After getting used to breathing the air rushing through me, I shut my eyes and started to breathe evenly. I thought we had lost the Fretiers.

How stupid of me.

The Fretiers soon caught up to us, speeding behind us with a loud and threatening roar of their engines. I squeezed onto Len’s back harder, not knowing what to do. Gun shots started to ring out, echoing off the buildings. I shrieked and gripped the side of the bike tightly with my legs. I slowly opened my eyes upon feeling an unfamiliar shape on my right thigh. Carefully, I reached down to the area with my right hand. Sure enough, I felt the handle of a revolver. I lifted it up with a shaky hand. It really is a scary thing, holding a gun.

I let out a slow breath, feeling incredibly brave yet scared. I turned around on the motorcycle, quivering unsteadily as I lifted my legs up and readjusted them. It didn’t help that bullets narrowly missed the bike by mere inches. Len started to slow down, noticing my motions, but I patted him on the back, reassuring him to maintain our speed.

Although I had never fired a gun before, I figured it wouldn’t be that hard to do. I lifted the revolver up and took aim at the nearest Fretier’s tire. Trying to steady my trembling hand the best I could, I shot. Len swerved drastically, not expecting the sound, but recovered quickly.

The shot had missed, but it was enough to frighten the men. Several slowed down, backing away from the bike cowardly. So much for protectors of the nation, I thought, taking aim again at another Fretier’s tire. Unexpectedly, Len took a rapid turn to the right as I fired, the bullet taking out a window, rather than a Fretier. I lost my balance and tumbled off of the bike, feeling the ground grinding against my skin, completely tearing through my thick hoodie and jeans like tissue paper. I rolled around into the alley, not even sure what was going on until my head slammed into a building. Then…  it all went blank.

                It was weird because I didn’t even have a prophetic dream or anything. It was honestly just black. Nothing. The part of me that was slightly awake was frightened, and felt like it was being suffocated, but the rest of my body felt nothing. I was just drifting in darkness.