Chapter 14
"Apples, Oranges, Peas and Carrots"
Billy looked at Sarah prepared to say something to her, noticing she looked like a pot of water ready to boil over he chose to remain silent.The busy road was caressed in car engines and blaring sirens. They turned up a steep blacktopped road, the fresh asphalt was so dark it blended in with the shade of the forest―causing Sarah to walk closer to Billy. She mumbled out a phrase as the turn became a straight away. She stepped to her original distance from him and looked calmer.
"It sounds like the news is getting to everyone." Billy pointed out.
"Yeah, there's a lot going on. More than usual." Sarah said with a worried heart. "I am concerned with how they are taking this, more than the Daulpers actually being here."
"Indeed." Billy said nodding in agreement.
When they got to the top of the hill, the road sloped down into a ghostly neighborhood. The trees behind the houses on the hillside started to show their early spring leaves. The foliage scraped the bottom of the clouds and seemed to level off like they were freshly trimmed. One tree stood out taller than the rest, as to say: I will not be held down to your level. I will go beyond expectation and see what is above these clouds. Below that tree from Billy and Sarah's view sat Billy's house. The house was a sight for sore eyes. They started to jog the road. Halfway through the run on the sun drenched avenue, they sprinted like it was the last hundred meters of a marathon to the concrete steps and entered the house.
The smell of the new leather couch masked the potpourri carpet cleaner. Billy started to climb the steps and Sarah followed. "Mom," he called out knowing she was not there. Nevertheless he called out anyway in hopes of hearing a stir. After the encounter with the USSI's grunts and the Daulper's presence being acknowledged here on Earth―Who knows...who or what could be stirring in his home. "Mom, are you here?" He called louder. Sarah held onto his shirt as they got further up the steps. The only reply they received was a creek of the landing.
The hallway had a bleach scent hovering from the bathroom. He covered the puncher marks with his hand opening the door to his room. The other side of the thin timber door still had the target hanging there from his moon star target practice. He rolled his eyes at the damage to the door. No karate for a week was a light punishment he remembered. Acting like he didn't know it would get damaged―but it was deliberate. His anger from another move got the best of him that day.
He fixed the poster of Bruce Lee with one of his famous quotes: Be like water my friend. It was falling off the gray wall from the cheap version of Scotch tape he used. "They are in here." Billy directed Sarah to his closet. "You can use the old leather armor I grew out of. I got a new one at the Renaissance fair. It was my...I'm sorry we have to move again gift." He said making sarcastic quotations with his fingers.
"This is nice it must have cost a lot of money." Sarah said picking up the small chest plate. "I can't wear this it's too heavy." She said lifting the leather up and down like she was steeping a teabag in hot water. "Is this really going to help much? If anything I think it will slow me down and put me in danger. I don't think I can run in this. It's not like I could outrun them either though and I like the wolf heads coming out the crosses. I guess I could put it on."
"Wait till you see my new set, the armor has three leather plates, which wrap around my stomach and chest." He said taking it out of a big cardboard box.
"Oh, I like the color of red it is." She knocked on the chest plate. "It almost feels like a turtle shell...cool."
"It's mahogany and there is another layer under it." He said flipping up the hard leather pauldrons and chest plate.
"I like the black leather crosses setting on top of these metal rings." She said rubbing them with her fingertips.
Billy flipped it around to show her the large matching cross at the center of the back. "I love how they outlined this cross with gold tread."
"These look very expensive should we really use them?" She asked.
"Umm... not to sound mean, but of course they are meant to protect us and it's not like I'll get another chance to wear it outside of larping."
"You live action role play?" Sarah giggled.
"Yeah, so―my friends and I did it a lot in my old town and we loved it. Every Saturday, rain or snow. We didn't care it was fun. He said in a defensive manner.
"I wasn't laughing at it―I love it, for your information. And that's what we were doing with our bikes before all this nonsense―geese. That's one of the reasons I wanted to hang out with you more and why I showed you that field, we larp there all the time. I was laughing at the irony of it. It's funny because that's what we are doing for real now." The realization of it all hit her harder than before. She sat on the camouflage bed spread and had doubts. "Oh my God Billy, I'm scared." She started to flail her hands up and down fanning her face. Billy sat down beside her.
"Calm down its okay. I'm scared too. Breathe, don't panic." He rubbed her back. "We will figure this out. I'm beginning to realize, this is why I felt such a strong connection to you. We are destined to do this. I truly understand how the Moogalytes feel now." Sarah started to rock back and forth and said "Apples, oranges, peas and carrots―apples, oranges, peas and carrots." She kept saying the phrase Sauth told her over and over again until she was calm.
"Are you better now?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"I didn't mean to upset you." She told him.
"Well, I shouldn't have gone off on you like that either. I'm sorry, it's just that...When I look at my collections or put them on. I get this overwhelming sense of purpose." He helped her put the armor on and proceeded to put his pauldrons on. Billy attached the leather tie straps to his chest plate. "I bet Zhuang would have been all giddy over these straps." He sneered.
It's not his fault." Sarah said defending him. "Beside we most likely would be dead if it wasn't for those knots. Also, he did cut us free and let us go."
"Whatever, he just didn't know how to explain it to the cops or whoever would of found us first." Billy said demeaning him. He rose from the bed directing her to his weapon rack.
"I can't use one of those."
"At least take something just in case." He pleaded.
"Just in case of what? Why should I take one? Honestly, I don't think I would use it if we came across one of those beasts. I would be too terrified to do anything"
"You really need more confidence in yourself. At least carry something for me."
"I can do that, be your mule―I guess."
He grabbed and emptied his school backpack and placed his rattan at the bottom of the bag. The three section staff was the bulkiest folded up. He placed his kali Sticks in at each side upright and checked to see if he could close it over the golden stained sticks. He took two sets of his nunchakus off the rack and placed them on top of his section staff. They formed nice to the gaps the staff left. It was like matching pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The white pair had tigers in a striking pose on a patch of grass etched into them. Joining the two blunt objects was a thick leather rope. The other set was plain black with metal tops connecting them to a single chain. He capped his set of Sai's and placed them in the bag not leaving much room for his weapons of expertise, the set of Kamas. He covered the sharpened stainless steel blades and stuffed them in the bag. He put the backpack over his shoulders and handed Sarah the leather sack of fifty moon stars. She unzipped the front pocket and shoved them in. She re-zipped the fold and they walked down the stairway.
Billy glanced across the living room and saw the answering machine light blinking. "There's a new message on the machine. Wait here a second." She sat down on the staircase and waited. Billy walked across the hard wood floor and pressed play on the answering machine.
Message one, 6:25 am. Jane, Billy pick up if your there...the voice was silent for a while. All he could hear was the back ground noise of walking and chatter of the armory. "Staff sergeant, ten minutes until we head out sir." Thank you private. "Sir," well I would have loved to hear your voices before I left. Sadly I will not be coming home on Monday. I am certain you guys heard the news by now. I always wanted to see Africa I just wish it was on better circumstances. I love you guys and miss you so much. I need to go. The phone hung up. End of messages.
"Oh! Billy no, I'm so sorry." Sarah said with tears rolling on her cheeks. Billy nervously rubbed his hands together and sat beside Sarah with his chin in his chest. She put her arm around him and held his head to her shoulder.
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