"Yo, Adam," Steven called out.
Adam opened his eyes. He'd fallen asleep on the open roof double decker tour bus he and his fellow service members, Steven and Brent, were riding on. They belonged to the NAVY, and their ship had pulled in on the East Coast the day before for an extended overhaul. Now they were taking their much deserved and long awaited Liberty to tour the city, see the sights, and drink as much booze as they possibly could before their port call was over.
"Earth to Adam!" Brent joined in.
Sitting up from his slumped position, Adam feigned confusion as he looked around the second floor of the bus, playing along. The city was high and wide all around them, and the assorted tourists who also occupied the bus were observing the urban surroundings with wide awed eyes.
"Are we there yet?" he slurred with a half smile. Adam was a little taller than an average guy, with short military cut brown hair. He was wearing a dark green hoodie with jeans.
"If you'd been paying attention, you wouldn't care," Brent folded his arms. "So, what do you think?" Brent was hispanic, with black hair that matched his stature: short. He was wearing a brown overcoat and baggy jeans.
"What do I think about what?" Adam answered, confused.
"Man, you really don't know, do you?" Steven shook his head. Steven was their token black guy, who always spoke his mind and didn't care who he offended. Seemingly not bothered by the low temperature, he wore a simple red shirt with khakis.
After a few seconds of Adam looking between the two of them, Brent sighed. "Dude, the chick sitting two rows in front of us. She's hot as hell!"
Adam looked at where he was motioning. The dark haired girl they must've been talking about was indeed two rows up, but Adam couldn't tell whether she was as incredible as they said she was. They were sitting in the back, she was facing the front of the bus, and the seats between them hid her figure.
"I can't see anything from back here. How hot are we talking?"
"If looks could kill, she'd be a damn murderer." Steven bragged.
"So in other words," Adam teased. "She's way out of your league."
"Attention passengers," a voice came over the bus announcing system. "Welcome to Church St., near the heart of the city. This will be the last stop before returning to our starting point and the conclusion of the tour."
"Finally," Brent leaned back. "I'm hungrier than a fat chick at a health food store."
"Doesn't the bus have a cafe downstairs?" Adam pointed out.
"You call that shit hole a cafe?" Steven shook his head again. "Good luck getting anything out of there that won't wreck your stomach later."
"In that case, I'll just get some water," Adam stood up to go downstairs. "You guys want anything?"
"Naw man, I'm good," Steven held up his hands. "I like my digestive track the way it is."
"Get me a coffee, black," Brent accepted Adam's offer.
"When your dumb ass gets Double Dragon later, don't be mad when say 'I told you so'," Steven rubbed his hands together, signifying him washing his hands of whatever happened next.
Adam smiled to himself as he descended the stairs at the back of the bus, then made his way up to the small coffee shop behind the Driver's seat. A young female, dressed in a casual outfit with a coffee store apron, stood behind the narrow counter.
Blonde, skinny, and tall, the girl had to stoop under the low ceiling to fill the orders. Despite the size of her workspace, she navigated the coffee shop expertly, multitasking with little effort. After a short wait in line, Adam stepped up.
"Name's Karen, what can I get for you?" she asked with red face and a fake smile, her congenial personality conveying a well kept front.
"You can stop smiling, for one," Adam snickered. "Your face looks like a wax statue."
The girl's countenance changed almost instantly. Her smile fell down into an almost frown, and Adam could see the tension leaving her face. This was how she really looked.
"Better?" Adam asked.
"You have no idea," Karen rolled her eyes. "I have to do this, cuz otherwise I look really pissed of and no one wants to buy anything."
"Don't worry, you'll get paid anyway."
"Right, well… what can I get for you? For real this time." Karen flashed a natural smile, one that looked much nicer in Adam's opinion.
"A water and a coffee, black please."
"That's easy enough," she replied. In a few seconds, Karen had a cup of hot coffee and a water bottle on the counter. Adam pulled out his wallet to pay, but Karen put her hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it, it's on me."
Adam hesitated, then placed his wallet back in his pocket. "Thanks."
"No, thank you. And… thanks for your service. Adam, right?" she pointed to Adam's neck, where one of his dog tags had slipped out from under his shirt. He quickly tucked it back into his shirt.
"Yes, and you're welcome," Adam responded sincerely.
"Be careful, that coffee's scalding," Karen warned.
"Aye."
Adam grabbed the water and the coffee and walked towards the back to the stairs. On the way, an elderly black couple caught his eye. Clearly not used to the cold weather, they were bundled up six different ways. On top of that, they were decked out with tourist equipment: fanny packs, cameras, and map guides. Another thing that caught his eye was the hand of the middle aged man one seat behind the couple, which was reaching into the wife's purse.
Without a second thought, Adam slipped the water bottle into his pocket, grabbed the caucasian man's arm with his free hand, yanked it around and behind the man's back, then forced him against the bus window. The man grunted in pain, surprised at he sudden submission. Several people noticed Adam's actions, and more were beginning to become aware, the elderly couple included.
"Apologize in the next five seconds, or live to regret it," Adam hissed into the man's ear. The couple turned around, unaware of what had caused the confrontation, and confused as to what they should be doing next. "Do it now."
"I ain't apologizing for shit," the man spat into the window. "You ain't a cop, and you ain't got no evidence!"
"I don't need evidence to kick your ass," Adam responded cooly. He quickly poured a small stream of the coffee down the man's shirt. An audible sizzling could be heard as the liquid trickled down his back.
Geez, she wasn't kidding about the coffee, Adam thought to himself as the thief screamed out in pain. His struggling shifted the thief's hair, revealing a tattoo of a skull at the base of his neck. A strange feeling of unease came over Adam, but he ignored it.
"All right, all right!" the man conceded defeat, then mumbled. "Sorry…"
Adam yanked the man's arm up again and poured some more coffee down his shirt. "Who's sorry?"
"Agh! I'm sorry! Geezus!"
"Sorry for what?"
"I'm sorry for stealing from your purse!" the thief spoke to the wife. "I was stealing from your purse, and I'm sorry! Can you let me go now?"
Adam weighed his options. "Eh, sure, why not." Adam released the man's arm and stepped back. The man immediately whipped around, fists flying. The young serviceman ducked under a high right, then delivered a strong right directly into the face of his attacker. The thief crumpled and collapsed into his seat, unconscious.
"Karen," Adam called out. "Can I get a refill on the coffee?"
"Ten steps ahead of you, honey!" Karen had witnesses the entire incident, and had a fresh cup of black coffee sitting on the counter before Adam had even asked. He returned to the counter, exchanging his half cup for the full cup of coffee.
"You are a godsend."
"I know."
Adam appreciated Karen's speed. He didn't like the attention he was drawing from the other riders, even if it was one of adoration for his "heroic" actions. The elderly woman was rifling through her purse, checking to make sure the thief hadn't actually stolen anything, and everyone on the bus was murmuring and pointing at the man.
As Adam reached for the new cup, a coffee stain on the counter he hadn't noticed before leapt out at him. It was an old stain, ingrained in the wooden counter. It had likely been there for a while… but the fact that he hadn't seen it before was odd to him.
"Hey, Karen," Adam waved her over. "Has this stain always been here?"
Karen leaned over the counter, looking at the stain. "Nope, never seen it before… that's weird, it looks old." She grabbed a wet rag and scrubbed it. "It won't come up, either."
"Doesn't it kinda look like a skull?" Adam traced the stain with his finger, showing the break marks that looked like teeth protruding from a forward facing skull.
"Yeah, I guess… wow, I see it now! That's creepy."
"Yeah, it is," Adam felt himself becoming uneasy. He couldn't explain it, but there was a churning in his gut, telling him something bad was going to happen. He shook it off. Meh, it's probably nothing. I should get back to the guys… Brent will be pissed if he doesn't get his coffee soon.
After picking up the refill, Adam briskly walked to the back of the bus, and began to climb the stairs to the second level. On his way up though, he bumped into someone on their way down the stairs. Adam quickly leaned forward, attempting to hold the coffee steady, and wrapped his arm around the girl he hit to keep her from falling.
"Whoa," Adam spoke as he juggled the girl and the coffee. "I'm sorry about that, are you all right?"
The girl broke away from his grasp, falling on her rear on the step behind her. The girl curled her arms around herself and stared at Adam coldly. She was insanely beautiful, and he automatically thought back to the girl the guys had been talking about. This must've been her!
Their eyes locked, and for several long moments, neither could do anything but stare at each other. Her dark hair almost looked wet, joined together in clumps of strands instead of individually. Her face was slender, and Adam guessed she was russian.
"Are you all right?" Adam spoke in russian, hoping to get a response. She obviously hadn't been expecting to hear her own language; she looked surprised, and though she might not have meant to, her demeanor relaxed some.
"I can speak English," she replied in a thick accent. "And your russian is terrible."
"I know," Adam admitted. "It was a line I picked up while I was overseas, just in case. I don't really know any russian."
"It shows."
Adam held out his hand to the girl. "I'm Adam."
The young russian stiffened immediately, but after a few moments of Adam holding his hand out, not making any other moves, she gingerly took his hand in hers. "Natalie."
He helped Natalie to her feet, then froze. Adam's eyes were drawn to her cleavage, not for the obvious reasons, but because of her necklace. Natalie was wearing a necklace with a miniature skull as a pendant. The feeling of impending doom loomed over Adam for the third time, along with a sensation he knew all too well: fear.
Natalie noticed Adam's gaze and turned away from him, covering her chest. "What are you staring at? This is very rude, Adam."
"Have you ever had the feeling that something bad was going to happen?" Adam had to get this off of his chest. The guys would just laugh at him, but talking to someone neutral like Natalie… "I can't shake this feeling that I need to be very far away right now. Anywhere but here."
Her eyes softened. "I know it. I came here because I felt it all the time back home. But, I don't feel like something bad is going to happen. I feel like someone is watching me."
"Watching you?" Adam's usual non-superstitious self started to return, and the feeling of fear he'd had earlier was fading. Right now, he could only think of how he was talking to a paranoid hot chick.
"It was not noticeable at first, only a fleeting feeling here and there. But it got worse… I came to America hoping it would go away."
"And?"
"Those eyes are still watching me," Natalie gave a sorrowful smile. "I know I sound crazy. You probably don't believe me at all."
She was exactly right. Adam didn't believe a word of it. "Sorry, that's not something I can understand. I've never felt that before."
Natalie nodded her head and looked away. She'd expected a response like that.
"But if you want my advice…" Adam continued. Natalie looked back. She hadn't expected him to continue. "Follow your instinct. If someone's watching you, follow the eyes. Find the source, and make it stop."
Natalie smiled. "You make it sound so simple."
"You make it sound so complicated," Adam retorted.
A small laugh escaped Natalie's lips. It was captivating, intoxicating even. Adam found himself laughing as well, enjoying the moment. Their eyes locked again, except this time, there was less mystery. It was a look of recognition. Kinship. Trust.
After a moment, Adam offered his hand, and walked Natalie down the stairs to the first level, the coffee in his hand forgotten.
