Chapter Thirty-two
Where there are no swamps there are no frogs.
German Proverb
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"And then?" Sonya prompts tired of waiting for Amy to continue the story.
"And then what?" Amy asks, taking a long chug of the soda can in her hand, "I was unconscious how am I suppose to know what really happened. Or was the whole ‘slipping into the darks sweet embrace’ too poetical for you?"
Sonya groans, reaching down into her tanned attaché case to withdraw a small box unadorned box. With speed born of repetition, she flips open the small container picks out three pills and shoves them down her throat before anyone has time to blink. "Paracetamol." She shrugs carelessly returning the box to the recesses of the case answering the confused expression on her subordinate’s faces. "Come on Thompson, You can't tell me you haven't gotten a headache yet from listening to the girls maundering story for... How long has it been now?" Sonya flick back the sleeve of her jacket revealing the thick silver face of a men’s watch.
"At the police station you said they were prescription." Amy comments, tipping her headway back to capture those last few elusive drops of orange liquid.
"I never took any pills when we were at the station. I was too busy trying to get you safely out the side door before that SUV swung back for another go at you."
"Not then," Amy clarifies giving the can a final shake before launching it across the room towards the bin in the corner, "Back on the nineteenth when Pete and I went in to sign our statements. You were the woman who came in while I was filling up the water bottles."
Sonya's pale green eyes turn flat and hard, "You must be mistaken."
"You go right on believing that lady if it helps you sleep at night." Amy laughs rising stiffly from the chair before heading towards the passageway.
"Where are you going?" Sonya demands twisting about watching her go.
"To the little girls room similar to the one you deny meeting me in."
"Amy that's enough." Petra chastises absentmindedly from where she paces near the window. Abandoning this well-worn trail she wonders over to the door. Trying futilely to look down the motel corridor through the spy hole.
"Petra's the one you need to talk to Detective. She was front row centre while I otherwise occupied. I didn't wake up till we reached the hospital." Amy turns for the bathroom.
"Where you promptly zombied out as soon as the Doctor flashed the needle." Petra taunts.
Grabbing the peach coloured wall Amy popping her head back around. "Stitches hurt."
"How would you know it was for the sedative?" Petra calls watching her sister duck back down the hall before slipping into her seat to continue, "Despite all her big talk and tough attitude my sister is a whimp when it comes to pain."
"I can still hear you." Amy's singsong tone carries down the hall.
"But she gets into fights." Sonya's says, cutting across Amy's words.
"Amy's basic fighting strategy is not to get hit. If someone was to land a lucky blow she might be ok, she'll whine like a baby when she thinks no one can hear her but she generally doesn’t pass out. It's the fight reflex you see. All that adrenaline pumping round her system keeps her upright. It's the pain she knows is coming and there is no escape that causes her to shut down and become a zombie. When she shuts down it takes a few hours if not days for her to return to normal. I assume that's why she started talking to the cops in the first place. In Zombie mode she will walk and talk but little else. Her mind quite literally disengages from her body. Fight or flight. In Amy’s case her mind flies away leaving an empty shell behind."
There is a slight noise in the outside corridor. Petra stops, turning expectantly. But the sound of a door opening and closing further up the hall has her deflating back into the cushions.
"Why?" Sonya prompts.
"It's not my place to tell," Petra says looking down at the ring left behind by the can of drink, "Don't you want to know what happened in the club?"
Sonya leans forward, introducing Petra for the tape recording before nodding at her to continue.
"Well Amy left off with herself flying through the air and promptly passes out. What she didn't know at the time was who throw her...
“From of the beginning of the rampage I was so busy focusing on keeping Cathy restrained that I missed the start of the carnage. Haka was right when he told Amy Boomers react to movement, a bit like T-Rex's in a way. Stand still and they can't see you, run screaming into the night and they'll pluck you off every time. I saw him charge at her though; my guess is he didn't even know she was there. That wouldn't have softened the blow if he had collided with her though.
“No I saw her standing there and I recognized her shut down signs. My first reaction was to turn my head, not wanting to see the impact. When I forced myself to turn back it was to Amy flying through the air and Haka standing where she had been.
“Poor Haka," she sighs, "He always did have a bit of a crush on Amy," she stops covering her mouth and swallows like she was trying to force something vial back down her throat. "Sorry those were a poor choice of words on my part. Where was I...? Yes Haka was standing in Amy's place. He was fast enough to get her out of the way but that put him right in the line of fire.
“Charging like an enraged bull the Boomer latched on to Haka's middle and lifted that hundred and ten kilo man right off his feet with out braking a sweat. Haka fought against his hold, gripping his huge hands together he slammed them repeatedly against the Boomers head, neck, shoulders, anywhere he could reach but with each blow you could see the pain and panic in his face. The Boomer kept squeezing him tighter and tighter like some sick boa constrictor crushing his bones till there was little left.
“Jacob stepped out then calling to the monster. Up until that then I hadn't known where he had been or Matthew too for that matter. The Boomer threw Haka off to the side as he moved to focus on this new toy. Jacobs face was smooth and calm, his body moving slowly from side to side. He didn't move to escape the beast but as a snake charmer would float back and forth keeping the attention focused on him.
The Boomer advanced, slower then he had at any time during the attack, careful and deliberate drawn in by the hypnotic motion. Jacob raised his hand reaching for the monster. But that hand too was always in motion, counter to the swaying. I could see his mouth moving but couldn’t it hear the words.
Most people had stopped screaming at this point, feeling the change in the air. Stopping to stare at the sight of the supposedly uncontrollable Boomer walking tamely towards the weaving man. Jacob ignored them all, continuing to talk. I stood to," Standing Petra moves towards the window as if reliving the scene, "moving off the now calm Cathy I went to get a closer look. Close enough to make out some of the words before Matt came up behind me. Stopping my progress."
"What was he saying?" the officer guarding the window asks.
Turning her head Petra's smiles bright enough to stop his breath. With a slight giggle and a shake of her head she answers, "He was praying, naturally."
Turning from the blushing officer she moves off slowly around the room, lifting a hand to trail along the wall or over the back of the chair as she goes. "Finally the Boomer got close enough to touch," her hand reaches up mimicking the movement, "Jacob placed his hand against the side of the Boomer’s cheek and you could see the change go through him. The Boomer’s shoulders relaxed. His whole posture went limp and his face glowed like he was seeing the sun for the first time.
"Jacob smiled, calm and sure. He began to open his mouth to speak..." Petra's mouth opens and she holds the pose for three heartbeats before turning on her audience. "When suddenly Ka-boom the sound of a gun shot echoed though the club and Jacob is left covered in globs of blood, brain matter and shattered bits of skull.
“The crowd cheered as Roman put away his gun but Jacob reaction was a little different.
"You didn't have to kill him," he roared turning on Roman.
"The only good Boomer is a dead Boomer." Roman stated coolly, readjusting his suit jacket to cover his holster.
"He was coming down!" Jacob argued.
"There's no coming down after they turn, boy-o. That was a monster plain and simple. Look at how many people he killed." Roman spread his arms wide in a sweeping motion.
"And how many have you killed?" Jacob seethed, "Not just tonight or by your direct hand but indirectly as well. You call him a monster when you and others like you are the ones selling the poison. You make me sick, you take Gods house and turn it into a den for whores and thieves." Marching over to the pulpit Jacob swept his hand across the wooden top sending the DJs mixing table crashing to the floor, "You degrade the meaning and memory of the generations before you who sort comfort in these hallowed wall then sully it further by blood of your own making. He was not the monster here sir. You are!" Jacob stood panting, his hands gripping the sides of the ancient wood waiting for Romans reply.
"Annie. You should have thought your dog some manners by now," Roman chided, not realizing that Amy was still unconscious somewhere in the ruins.
"We all but answer to but one. When I stand before him I know what will happen. Do you?"
“The crowd gasped and moved back as Roman pulled the gun once more, leveling it at Jacob. "If you keep talking like that you will see him sooner the you think."
“I wanted to do something, be Amy. Somehow defuse the situation but Matt held me firmly in place.”
"Somehow I doubt I would have come up with anything inspiring had I been conscious, Petra, so don't beat your self up." Amy says from where she was resting against the doorway. Pushing off she moves into the room. "The best I could have done was shout 'Squirrel' and hope everyone looked the other way as I pulled Jacob off the podium and shoved a sock in his mouth."
Jumping up Petra rushes forward swooping under Amy's good shoulder to help support her weight. "I'm sure it would have been better then that."
Snorting Amy lets her help her over to the lounge.
"So what stopped Roman from shooting him there and then?" Thompson wonders pouring hot water into his coffee cup, "The crowd full of witnesses wouldn't have bothered him."
"No the crowd wouldn't have mattered much but Cathy witnessing it would of." Petra explains sinking into the cushion next to Amy. "That and I guess the sound of sirens made him pause."
"The Jacks and Ambos arrived in quick secession and Roman turned his attention to soothing his distraught daughter.
"Matt, Jacob and I split up looking for Amy and Carson. Matt found Carson first and signaled to Jacob around the same time as I found Haka curled protectively around Amy.
“His eyes were closed but he held one of Amy's smaller hands in his large fist. I swooped down on Amy first to check her pulse. While there was no doubt that Haka looked the worst by far. Amy’s shoulder and hair were caked in blood she looked so very pale.
"She's... good," Haka groaned, twisting their hands to show his fingers on her wrist.
"Oh Haka," I groaned, my hands fluttering uselessly above him not knowing where to touch.
“He looked like road kill from one of those American cartoons. You know the ones that are laying upside down in the middle of the road with their top and bottom all like it should be but in it's centre is a U shaped groove with a perfectly preserved tyre print. Haka looked exactly the same just minus those black zigzag lines. I don't know how he managed to drag himself over to her. I had followed a trail of blood and bits of internal organs to find them back here, but I knew why he had. He needed to make sure she was all right.
"Kiwi.." Haka breathed.
“Moving around to his head I put my ear to his mouth. "What?"
"She ha- ... Ki-i." What remained of his chest pumped faster as he struggled for breath. "Pea... Ki...wee-"
"Haka? Troye, Troye can you hear me?" I slapped his face once; twice hoping for some kind of reaction, "Help!" I screamed, "I need help over here!"
“A pair of Paramedics in their green uniform broke away from the doorway and raced over. They took one look at Haka and shook their heads moving quickly on to Amy. They padded her shoulder, called for a stretcher and carried her off into the night. Hurrying after them I managed to catch the door just as they were about to slam it shut.
"I want to be with her!" I demanded starting to climb in.
"Sorry love," one of the paramedics said shaking his head and holding his arms out to stop my passage, "there's no room. Don't worry though we're taking her to St. Ang-" the rest of the name was cut off by the doors slamming.
"You can tell the rest can't you Amy. Nothing life changing happened after that that you weren't part of. I want to call Dooley again and see what's taking him so long to get Mark. They should be here by now surely?" Petra moves off to taking the untraceable phone from the table and moving down the hallway.
"She's really worried for them isn't she?" Sonya asks watching her go.
"Yes, we both are. I shouldn't have let go of his hand." Amy admonishes herself; "if I had just held tighter we wouldn't be waiting like this now."
"If you hadn't let go what are the odds that his body would be lying on a slab next to Jacobs in the morgue right now?"
Amy tilts her head in acknowledgment, "True. So where did we leave off?"