Vice City : The Bud

Chapter 19 - A Marionette's Strings

Authors Note - please be kind, I'm not a professional writer I do this as a hobby - Leave a vote/comment if you enjoy as every little bit helps

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Chapter19 - Michael Standom - A Marionette's Strings

Ina flash Lil is gone, running after a man down the hallway. She saysnot a word to Michael who sits by his door. He's barely noticedshe's left before she's three quarters of the way out of sight.Not that he has the courage to call after her but if he did it wouldalready be too late. Slowly he draws a finger to his lips. On them hecan still feel her. The soft caress lingers on his skin. Michael, forthe first time, didn't seem so alone. The solitude was set asidefor a glimpse of love. Yet she left him, sat like a fool on the floorof an apartment block hallway. He glanced into her soul and sawconfusion, isolation and fear. Everything Michael knows himself tosuffer.

"Sheleft," he mouths.

Hecatches his tone with a hint of surprise. Dismissing the shock here-sets his mind to the usual position of a pessimistic view.

"Ofcourse she did. Michael don't be so naive," he thinks in a pantedhuff.

Hegets up and with a shaking hand on the doorknob he checks back towhere she had run off to.

"Therewas a moment though ? Wasn't there ?"

Hegoes inside in one large step. To start the apartment seems oddlycomforting in the shade of darkness. The only light comes from a signacross the street. From it radiates the neon glow that layers theedges of Michael's living room. He reaches for the light switch.The bulb flicks on and everything becomes visible. He scuffs his feetalong the floor until he comes to his chair. A tattered piece offurniture which sits at the far end of the room, beside it is one innext to new condition. With agile precision he slides into it,finding immediately the groove in which has been set by the multitudeof visits to the same curves. The whirlwind of problems he is facingcurl around his thoughts, entangling the voice in his head withpanicked notions of what's to come.

"Whatcan I do now ?" He mulls to the empty seat.

"AngelDolls is..."

Thepitied thought is cut short as Lil's kiss invades his daydreams. Hebrushes a fingertip across his lips again and imagines her sat withhim on the chair that's never used.

"You'requite delusional if you think she could care for someone like you,"comes a voice from elsewhere in the room.

Herecognises the call as Lil's but knows the words not to be her's.Silently Michael wraps his hands around the top of the chair andpeers above. The room is empty. Kneeling now on the worn cushions ofhis armchair his eyes dart about the place. Searching for the sourceof the comment he finds nothing but the deaf whispers of an emptyapartment.

"Pathetic!" It yells.

Butnothing's moved, nothing's changed. Something about this voicecauses a heavy bead of sweat to string the length of Michael'snose.

"Who'sthere ?" He calls back.

"UselessMichael !"

Thephrase shoots like bullets. Michael ducks beneath the cover of thefabric with every word.

"Shecould never be with someone like you."

Cautiouslyhe steps off the seat to the floor. With a tip toe approach hefollows her voice, this mimic.

"Andhow can you know what she wants ?" He asks.

Themore she talks back the closer Michael can inch. Slowly but surely hebegins to hone in on her location.