Chapter Two
Michael McBain stood in front of the large mirror as he adjusted his uniform, he had began wearing his fathers as soon as he passed, it made him feel close to him, he had missed the man so much that some days it was unbearable but Tommy and marcie helped with that, they helped with the pain..
"your gonna be a great cop one day Mikey, you will protect this town and everyone in it when im gone" his fathers voice rang through his head, he was only about 7 at the time but he longed to make his dad proud, unlike John who seem to try and piss their dad off every chance he got...
He was still troubled though by seeing John, it had been so long and he had resented him so much for just up and leaving, his mother was beside herself with worry and concern and Michael had to comfort her.. John was always the reckless selfish one so it shouldnt of come as a shock when they found a note on the front door stating he was leaving town and then nothing, no phone call, no letter, he just up and left his friends and family behind, hell he even left his girlfriend behind..
Some people speculated that he had been arrested and sent to prison, others thought he was on the run due to shady business, but Michael knew better, he was running from his life, the life he hated and he was going to make himself a new one, he was actually surprised that he would come back for their fathers death..
His phone began to ring and it snapped him from his thoughts.."Mcbain" he said quickly as he fixed his pants..
"Hi" her voice made his body tingle almost instantly and he quickly looked around, closing his bedroom door..
"i told you not to call me on here" he felt paranoid but his body was still reacting damn it!
"i know i just...i..i missed you" she said softly and he quickly walked over to the window, taking a deep breath as he kept his eye out on the door..
"I miss you too" he whispered quietly..
"are we still on for tonight?" she asked, hope in her voice..
"yeah just let me get to the station first and clock in...I..i gotta go " he said quickly as he hung up, just in time too cause his bedroom door was opening and an exhausted Marcie came in the room, sighing heavily..
"No one said a two year old would be so much work" she flopped on the bed and he walked over to her, they had been highschool sweethearts and he loved her, he did but like the old story goes, sometimes love isnt enough..
"Just think in a few years he wont want to have anything to do with us" he tried to reassure her as he grabbed his coat..
"you know i think its ridiculous that John thinks he can just come into town whenever he likes" she said as she shook her head..
"Johnny has always been like that Marse" he said honestly..
"yeah well why now, he hated your father" she said with suspicion..
"i dunno maybe he felt he needed closure" Michael began as he stood by the door.."Listen i gotta go my shift starts soon"
Marcie rolled over in the bed, her back facing him.."see ya" she said with a tired voice..
Michael watched her for a second and then sighed.."yeah see ya" he said as he left..
John drove through town, it was like a flashback of memories, he saw the local liqour store that he would frequent, the now abandoned ice rink, the town had been hit really hard in the last few years, alot of businesses had closed, honestly it was starting to resemble a ghost town, he stopped when he neared the angel square motel and he looked up to the roof, he had spent alot of time there, too much time really, it was his place to escape..
There was nothing like a feeling of a six pack and some good tunes up there, and then out of the blue he thought of her, of Red, he had sat up there with her for a few hours one night, she had already been up there by the time he opened the door, it was apparent she was upset..
"sorry i didnt know anyone was up here" he said feeling annoyed that his spot was already taken by this young girl, she kept her face covered and he heard sniffling, was she crying?.."Hey you ok" he walked closer to her and she looked at him as she uncovered her face, she had definitely been crying. "No im not ok" she said with tears as she reached over and grabbed a beer.. "woo hold up your not old enough to drink that" he began but she was already downing it.. "what are you gonna do tell your dad" she snapped at him through tears.. "Nope" he took a seat on the ground.." why are you crying" he had seen her around town, her mother owned this place, she was maybe 15 years old, a very pretty girl no less, he wondered what would have her crying.. "stupid Tommy Harris went and told everyone that i had sex with him" she cried and now he cracked open a beer and took a sip.."but for your information i didnt, he's disgusting" she snapped.. "yeah im sure he is" he said a bit uncomfortably.. "god i hate my life, i hate this town" she yelled..
John was snapped from his thoughts as a loud obnoxious voice was heard, he immediately recognized it, it was one of those voices you never forget, he was half tempted to take off in his car as she neared..
"Jonathon fucking mcBain!" Roxy yelled out and he sighed, god how he hated this town.."sweet ride" she said as he came over to the drivers side door, he had his window down and she leaned in.."Just got out of the dog house huh" she grinned..
"yep" he said quickly and she nudged him some..
"Jail was good to you, very good" she looked him up and down, she was never one to be shy about how she felt..
"you look good too Roxy, going blonde i like it" he charmed her some and she actually blushed ..
"you know Johnny if i wasnt old enough to be your mom" she began."oh hell even then i would consider"
"ok" he cut her off quick, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence..
"so you looking for a room Johnny boy" she smiled big as she adjusted her bra some, she definitely was a classy chick he thought to himself and he almost laughed..
"nope just passing through" he said as she looked at him puzzled..
"No one passes through lanview Johnny" she began as she admired him and his car..
"yeah well i gotta go Rox, i have a long drive ahead of me" he said as she pouted some..
"ok johnny but remember next time your passing through come have some drinks with your little pal Rox" she leaned in and kissed his cheek..
"ok Rox, see ya around" he said as he took off, the sooner the better that he gets out of this town..
Natalie made her way down the road, she hated that when they ran low on supplies at the bar she literally had to go to the store to pick up stuff, she had a whole grocery list for Rodi's including basic things like toilet paper, small towns sucked she thought to herself as she drove, she blasted her radio and then just like that she thought of him, a song on the radio suddenly sent her back to the 90's and to the roof top of the angel square motel where they had their one and only talk, one she was sure she had stashed way back in her mind..
She had just gotten word that the town Jock Tommy Harris had been starting rumors about her, and she had really liked him, alot thats why it hurt so much when she had heard he called her easy, a slut , a tramp, hell she hadnt even had sex with him but that wasnt the story he told.. "well the guy sounds like a douche bag" he said to her as she cried and sipped the beer.. "Oh he is and he just better watch out cause when i see him at school i am going to kick his ass" she said as she downed the beer.. "NATTY!...NATTY MARIE!" she heard her mother yell for her and she jumped up and sighed.. "thanks for the beer" she turned from him and went to the door.."and for you know listening and such" she said as she left and he continued to drink by himself..
Natalie laughed to herself as she drove, what a child she was back then and quite the dramatic one at that, she took her eyes off the road for a second to change the station and thats when the car got filled with bright lights, skidding of tires could be heard as well as a very loud crash that sent metal flying..
John sighed heavily as he drove, he would be out of this town soon, his nerves were already settling in his body, he had alot to do, alot of pressure on him, something off in the distance caught his eye and he couldnt help but stare, it was smoke, alot of smoke, it looked like a mushroom cloud and he blinked his eyes cause he had to be seeing things..
"what the fuck" he said as he stared out the passenger window, bright lights coming through his windshield made him look back at the road quick, he turned as fast as he could but it was inevitable as metal crashed against metal and he braced himself as his car flipped and landed in a ditch, the only sound on the dark road was that of a car horn blaring..
Around town lights began to flicker and then just like that it all went black..
The road was dark with the sound of a horn blaring, for a second he thought he was dreaming as he laid with his head against the steering wheel and then the stabs of pain came, they shot him into reality or was it hell cause all he could see was smoke and all he smelt was burning rubber..
It took him a second to collect his thoughts and realize what had happened, as soon as the images came crashing back and the smell of smoke got worst he grabbed at his seat belt, yanking it violently as it came unclasped, it wasnt until then that he had realized he was upside down, he fell forward with a grunt and he silently winced at his leg which was killing him but he would deal with that later, he had to get out of the car, his car, the car he loved, he took a deep breath and kicked at the drivers side window, once, twice and the third time it shattered, he didnt think twice to get out, coughing as he tried to get to his feet, his eyes blinked through the darkness of the smoke and he saw headlights flashing.
He remembered what it was, a car, he took off running for it, well as much as he could run his leg was throbbing at this point but he managed to crawl out of the ditch and across the road, a small fire was starting behind the other car, it was right side up atleast, he could see someone laying over on the passenger side and he quickly yanked at the car door but nothing it wouldnt budge, his eyes glanced at the passenger side window, it had blown out, he quickly made his way over there through the smoke, he leaned inside..
All he saw was red hair.."Oh shit, natalie...natalie you gotta get up" he called into the car as he reached and moved her hair from her face, thankfully there was no head trauma to be seen and with a large gasp of air she awoke, coughing continuously as she looked at him..
"what the..." she began as she tried to sit up, the seat belt was digging in her side and she yelled out in pain, there was smoke everywhere..
"Natalie come on you have to get out, your door is jammed" he began as she looked over at the window, she was disoriented and confused, what the hell had happened?John saw the small fire beginning to spread, she was still kind of out of it as she looked at him..
"John?" she said with confusion and he jumped into action, leaning halfway in her car he undid her seat belt.."what happened?" she began as he grabbed her arms and began pulling her.."oww oww oww my leg, my leg i think its broken" she yelled out in pain..
"Natalie we have to get you out of this car" his eyes darted to the fire and she followed his eyes..
"oh shit" she said a bit frantically as she saw tiny flames, she used what little strength she had to pull herself to the window, no way was she gonna burn to death in this car, she didnt even like this damn car!
"thats it, come on" he grabbed at her as she leaned halfway out the window, her leg was throbbing it hurt so bad, she bit her lip and with a yell she lunged herself out the small window, collasping on John with a thud as she knocked the wind out of him, it took him a second to think as she laid across him.."Come on we gotta go, can you get up" she began to raise herself up some..
"yeah i think so" she said as she rolled from him and pushed herself up, the pain in her leg was unbearable but she could move it, it definitely wasnt broken but it hurt like hell..
He got to his feet quickly and then helped her as they both stood.."we have to get away from these cars" he said as they both limped there way off to the side of the road and then she fell down, exhausted as was he.."this should be good" he began as she grabbed at her leg, he could see the blood soaking through her jeans and a gash in the material.."let me see your leg" he leaned over and tore at the material some more, freeing the wound, it was pretty deep in her thigh..
"Its fine" she said as she bit back more pain..
"no we have to apply pressure to the wound" he began to act immediately as he tore off his shirt and then looked at her.."this is going to hurt"
"Just do it" she said with a bit of fear, and then he was pushing on her wound with her shirt.."holy shit that really hurts" tears began to prick her eyes, he began tying the shirt around her leg as she winced and once he was done he sat back, breathing heavy..
"that should hold until someone gets here" he said a bit breathless, his own leg killing him but he would take care of that later...His eyes began to look around and then he saw it again, the cloud of smoke off in the distance, he stared at it with shock and amazement, she watched his eyes and then followed them, her own eyes getting wide as she looked at the now huge mushroom cloud..
"what the hell is that" she said with shock...
"i dont know" he said as he looked at his car, he couldnt help but feel a stab of pain, his car was destroyed, he began to get to his feet as he looked around, no one was on the street, no lights were on anywhere and the stretch of road they were on was nothing more than a wooded area..
Natalie tried to stand as well, she grabbed his arm for leverage as he stood there just staring at the pile of twisted metal that was his car..
"ouch your car is pretty banged up" she said as she saw it flipped over..
"yeah well were both lucky to be alive" he said as he looked at her..
Meanwhile Eve Mcbain was sitting on her couch, a cup of coffee in hand as she watched the news, she wondered why they never had anything good to say, today they kept going on about the threat of nuclear attacks, what else is new she thought as she went to change the channel but the lights flickered as she sat there and then everything went out and it was dead silence for a second as she sat there..
"i think we blew a circuit" marcie said as she came rushing into the livingroom, half asleep and in her pajamas but she stopped when she saw Eve standing at the front door, her eyes locked on something.."what is it did some kid hit into a pole again" her words trailed as she got to the door and looked out, a gasp left her mouth as she saw the cloud off in the distance.."Oh my god what is that" Marcie said with fear..
"i need to call Michael" Eve said still in shock..
Michael Mcbain was in a deserted parking lot, behind a building, he was concentrating heavily but her moans were distracting him as he fucked her over the roof of his car..
"Oh god thats it Michael, thats it" Audrey cried out in pleasure but his thrusts slowed down and became none exsistant as he stared out into the darkness.."what dont stop" she protested as sweat covered her face and he stepped back from her, his cock falling out of her as he looked up.."Michael!" she snapped and then followed his eyes, hers got equally as wide as she gasped and her hand went to her mouth, he couldnt believe what he was seeing, a cloud of smoke was off in the distance, his phone jarred him as he jumped immediately realizing where he was, he quickly yanked up his pants and with a shaky hand grabbed his phone..
"Michael what is happening" he heard his mothers frantic voice on the other end..
"where Tommy and Marse?" he said as he stood there dumbfounded..
"there right here" Eve said as she looked at Marcie who was holding a half asleep Tommy in her arms..
"just stay there, stay inside" he said with fear in his voice..
"what about John... he could be out there" Eve's voice was stricken with grief..
"we'll find him mom.. just dont go anywhere" he said as he hung up, Audrey was crying now as she looked at the sky.."hey its ok" he tried to calm her but its hard to do when your kind of freaking out too..
"No its not...what the hell is that!" she said with tears as she stared at the sky..
"I gotta go to the station, you should go home and stay there" he began as she just nodded her head yes.."Aud please" he said softer this time as he grabbed her upper arms lightly making her look at him.."go now"
"Ok ok" she said with tears as she ran to her car and he looked at the sky one last time and then he too took off..
John and natalie had begun limping back to town, it was becoming apparent that no one was going to be searching for them anytime soon and he was worried about her leg, thankfully his tournaquet was doing the job..
"does it hurt?" he asked as they walked..
"Not so much anymore" she said as she leaned on him for support.."where'd you learn to do that" she looked up at him as they walked..
"you can learn alot of things on tv" he said as he kept staring straight forward, his mind in a million places, the cloud was probably 50 to 60 miles away, right about where Philly would be, his stomach felt sick..
"do you think its a terrorist attack" she couldnt even believe this situation, this was the kind of things nightmares were made of..He didnt answer as they walked..
Michael arrived at the station just in time to see chaosis breaking out, the place was in a blackout and it was a very surreal feeling, he couldnt even comprehend what had happened, was it a terrorist attack, had the military been practicing, he had no idea but he was immediately greeted by his Boss, Bo Buchanan..
"Mcbain where the hell were you" he looked distraught and stressed, no wonder the police station was quickly starting to look like town hall as frantic residents swarmed it, demanding answers..Michael couldnt even answer, this was all too much for him to handle.."nevermind help me get this crowd in order" Bo barked at him as he stormed off, every available officer was outside, all trying to calm the panicking crowd, no one had any idea what happened and fear was quickly coursing the air..
"was that a bomb" one person yelled..
"is there one coming our way" another one yelled..
"what about the power, there is no power!" another frantic voice yelled, Michael wasnt use to this craziness, this was lanview for god sake, the most drama he had ever seen was drunk kids vandalizing the old ice rink, nothing more, this was well, overwhelming to say the least but he found his balls as he stood there..
"Everyone calm down" he called out as the crowd looked at him then they began shouting again, demanding answers..
"ENOUGH" a loud voice came over a speaker and it got eerily quiet as they all turned to see their Chief of Police Bo standing there with a megaphone.."I am going to advise everyone to go back to your homes and stay there" he yelled as protesting was heard..
"But what happened to the power" someone yelled..
"i have three babies at home" another one called out..
"i cant do my job if i have to worry about each and everyone of you" Bo yelled out, he felt panicked and scared, ever since the flume of smoke he hadnt been able to reach any of the outside world, realization began to sink in that maybe there was no outside world anymore but no he couldnt think that way, this town relied on him..
"the explosion was in Philly, was there more" someone shouted as people began yelling in agreement, fear taking over everyone..
"oh god were all going to die" one woman screamed out as panick quickly reached everyone..
"HOLD IT TOGETHER PEOPLE!" Bo barked out again as they looked at him, whispering now heard.."im trying to get to the bottom of this but i need you all to go back to your homes and to stay there" He quickly looked at Michael.."try the state police again and keep trying" he ordered him as Michael took off running, his heart pounding heavily in his chest..
Natalie and John walked about a mile until she had to take a break, her leg was throbbing and she stopped, he hadnt said anything as they walked.."i just need to take a break" she said a bit breathless as she dropped to the ground, landing on her ass with a thud..
"we only have about another mile" he needed to get in town, he didnt want to waste time on this damn road..
"yeah well my leg says different, i just need a break" she said a bit winded, he saw the blood soaked shirt on her leg, she was bleeding bad, this wasnt good..He leaned down and looked at her..
"we need to get this stitched up" he said honestly as she sighed heavily..
"i just need a break, im so... so tired" she said as she looked at him, he was shirtless in front of her and as much as this situation should of thwarted her eyes well she couldnt help but see the beauty in him, he was absolutely gorgeous..She pointed to one of his tattoo's.."thats nice" she said as her eyes rolled back and he caught her head before it hit the ground, she had passed out..
John claimed defeat next to her as he kept checking her pulse, it was strong but he had pushed her too much, he took the opportunity to tighten the tournaquet around her thigh, she needed emergency attention and fast, the sight of a car finally coming down the road made him jump up as he waved his hands in the air, it was a lanview police department squad car..
Bo had sent Brody out to patrole and keep the peace while they tried to figure this thing out, today had been his day off and he wasnt expecting these turn of events, he was still buzzing from the alcohol as he drove down the streets, people were loitering and fighting amongst each other, he didnt even waste his time with those, he wasnt built for this much stress..
A pair of waving arms caught his attention as he neared a man on the side of the road, it only took a second to see someone was laying on the ground, he quickly pulled over..
"you gotta help me she is bleeding bad, she needs a doctor" John said as he looked the cop in the eye, suddenly realizing who he was, Brody Lovette..
"John Mcbain?" Brody said with shock, he had heard the guy had come into town but he thought it was a rumor, like so many that went around about him..His eyes then darted to the red mess of hair and Brody felt his heart stop for a second.."is that who i think it is" he said with shock, John quickly moved back over to Natalie as Brody raced from his car frantically.."what happened?"
"an accident, listen Brody she needs medical attention, she passed out" John began as brody looked at the gash on her leg.."dont just stand there help me get her up" John barked at him, becoming increasingly annoyed as the guy stood there and then quickly he reached down and grabbed her feet as John held her head, they walked to the car as Brody used one had to manuever the car door open to the back seat, once her feet hit the seat John took over and slide her inside, he went in too, putting her head on his lap.."come on we have to go!" John barked again, Brody looked to be in shock..
"Ok ok" Brody said as he jumped inside and began to drive...
Natalie began to come around as she laid there and John smoothed some of her red locks away from her eyes.."shhh dont move your gonna be ok" he said to her as her eyes kept fluttering as she tried to focus on the face looking at her, she was disoriented again, she went to move but John held her head in place.."were heading to the hospital"
"where...where are we" she tried to make sense of what she was seeing, she saw a roof, she felt confused..
"hey Nat your gonna be fine, just listen to John" Brody said as he quickly looked back at her...
"brody?" she said with confusion and then she looked back at john, he stared back down at her, his hand on her forehead as his thumb unconsciously rubbed the area there..
"thanks" She said softly as she looked at him..
"no problem natalie" he said as Brody continued to drive..
Marcie was absolutely panicking now that Tommy had woken up, he was crying due to the darkness even though Eve had lit many candles, she was trying her best to remain calm but she couldnt help but think of John, he was heading towards Philly, the thought that something could of happened to him made her heart feel weak as she stood by the door, her cell phone was dead now, it seemed as though there was no signal out there anymore and she prayed for the best..
Brody drove like a bandit through town, John watched as they passed people breaking into stores, all hell had broken loose on the town and it made him feel sick, this was really happening, Natalie had been in and out of it for the ride, he kept his hand on her pulse, using it to calm his own heart beat, they would be at the hospital soon but he wasnt expecting what he saw as they pulled up, it literally was swarmed with people..
"holy shit" Brody said with shock as the parking lot was filled with residents of lanview, some of them crying, others yelling..He looked to John..
"you need to help me" John began as he opened the car door..John could see Brody spacing out.."Brody NOW" he barked at him as Brody rushed out of the car and over to John.."You need to take her head and be easy about it" he said and Brody did what he was told even though he was distracted by the chaosis, they lifted Natalie from the car as she groaned some..
Doctors and nurses were now heading outside trying to calm everyone as John and Brody walked fast up to the doors, pushing past people as they held Natalie..
"we need a doctor" John yelled out as people began yelling that they needed a doctor too, the hospital staff wasnt ready for this, they looked overwhelmed as they blocked the doors not letting anyone in, John looked around quick and then looked to Brody.."were gonna put her down and im going in" it wasnt a question but a statement as they put her down.."now stay here with her" John said as he took off towards the doors..
Brody looked down at a now waking Natalie.."its ok, were gonna get you help" he said with a trembling voice..
John raced to the doors and was immediately stopped by hospital security..."You cant go in there" an officer said but John didnt have time for games, he answered by punching the guy straight in the face, that made him move as he fell to the ground and John barged his way inside..
"Brody" Natalie said as she looked up into his scared face.."dont let me die"
"Your not gonna die Nat" he tried to assure her but she could see the fear in his eyes as he looked down at her.."hey just think after this we can go get a beer together" he tried to calm her and now she smiled..
"Im still not going out with you" she laughed softly and he smiled at her if only for a second, she could hear the chaosis around them but she couldnt make out what was happening, she felt tired and weak, oddly enough the pain in her leg was only a dull throb now..
John came racing out of the hospital, supplies in his hand as the staff chased after him, yelling loudly as he ran over to natalie and Brody, he tossed the supplies on the ground..
"your gonna need to hold her down" John said seriously to Brody as his eyes got wide when he saw John open up a box of stitches..
"Your not seriously gonna do that" Brody said with fear, thankfully Natalie was so out of it that she had no idea what was about to happen to her..
"do you want her to bleed to death" John stared at him, Brody nodded his head no..."then hold her down" he said sternly as he began to remove the shirt from her wound, the pain that ensued woke her up abruptly as she screamed out, Brody had her arms pinned to the ground, she looked scared to death..
"what the hell is going on" she said with fear and Brody couldnt speak but then she felt it, a sting of a needle piercing her sensative raw flesh, she screamed out in pain..
"Your gonna kill her man" Brody said with fear..
"Im saving her life" John yelled as he began stitching her up with precise detail, she wailed and screamed the entire time, occassionally passing out and then immediately waking back up, Brody looked white as a ghost as he held her, he felt completely helpless, and she was in so much pain, her screams went through him but then her breathing began to slow and the screaming faded.."it didnt cut all the way through the muscle" John said as he finished up his stitching job, Brody just looked at him with shock..
"How the hell did you know how to do that" brody asked with awe..
"i watch House alot" John said dryly as he stood and then moved to Natalie's head, he brushed a piece of her hair back.."it's stitched tight now but you need water" he began as she looked at him, her tears had stopped but they still stained her face..
"I have water in my car" Brody said as he ran to it and John knelt to her as she leaned up on her arms and looked at her freshly stitched leg, then at John..
"You need to relax and take it easy, im gonna leave you with Brody" he said as she looked up and half smiled at him, he literally had saved her life..
"ok" she didnt know what to say to him, he had gone above and beyond..He helped her get into a sitting position as Brody came over with a bottle of water in hand, he handed it to her and she took a hearty sip..
"You stay here with her" John said as he turned from Brody..
"But where are you going?" Brody called out as John jumped in his car.."Hey that is official police equiptment, you cant take that!" Brody yelled but it was too late, John was already speeding off as he watched..