AN: I'm baaaaaaack! Sorry I didn't get this up sooner but the exams sucked and I have been pretty damn busy with my first week off from university.. go figure LOL. Anyway I apologize in advance if this chapter feels choppy (been suffering from writers block ugh) and if any of the boys are OOC but I guess that's the beauty of fan-fictions. Enough yammering and on with the show!
P.S. very special thank you to Emzy2k11, I've adapted one of your ideas for this chapter, hope you like it mate!
To Hell and Back Chapter 6: Chasing Shadows
"You gotta be freaken kidding me!"
Whatever Jimmy had to say after that, I didn't hear. I now held the receiver as far away from my head as I possibly could as I leaned into the phone booth. The last thing I needed was for my headache to get any worse than it already was. As I waited for Jimmy to turn it down a couple of notches I eyed the board walk's nightlife striding pass without a care in the world.
'They're all so distracted… inattentive… easy prey'.
I shook the thought from my head and returned my attention to the now slightly hysterical friend on the line… I took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as I could.
"I was in an accident mate, completely knocked out cold! My guitar is completely smashed beyond repair and I'm bloody lucky to be alive. So how about you cut me some freaken slack and ask the guys if there is a spare guitar in their arsenal." I think I failed at hiding my agitated tone…
"Liz these guys are so so mad at you right now, you've missed two rehearsals and…"
I cut him off before he could continue "I WAS UNCOUNSCIOUS FOR TWO DAYS! IT WAS NOT. MY. FAULT! Dammit Jimmy I need your help mate, tell these bunch of gala's to man up and check their gear!"
"Alright alright" Jimmy surrendered and told me to hang on for a second. I stared at the bag resting at the base of my feet and gave it an agitated kick. It was filled to the brim with the only other set of clothes I owned. There was no way I was gonna let that get ripped to shreds like my last outfit… this baby is for concerts only! I looked up just in time to witness a strange scene unravel before my very eyes.
Just in the distance, close to the markets, I spotted a guy who was totally dressed for the 80's festival. His long blonde hair was completely wild and would've fit right in at a Bon Jovi or Motley Crew concert. He supported an alternative style black jacket with coins and safety pins ordained, surprisingly neatly, accompanied with very distracting white… leather?... denim?... (I'm too far away to get a good look) pants. He looked a little… lost. Like he was taking in absolutely every detail before him as he appeared to be trying to get his bearings… or maybe he was looking for something.
A Surf Nazi with a giant green Mohawk and SS letters stamped onto the back of his leather jacket started to harass the Bon Jovi dude. Bon Jovi just smiled and said something back, clearly unfazed with the creeps attempt at intimidation. The Surf Nazi's friends with a variation of greaser and emo hair styles, backed him up and soon had Bon Jovi surrounded with four to one odds. I was absolutely furious!
'That gutless bastard couldn't take him on in a fair fight! Fucking bullies I HATE them!'
I was just about to leap out of the phone booth to help Bon Jovi when his own backup arrived. Three guys pounced from somewhere within the crowd and stood side by side, forming a perfect wall against the Nazi's. One of them wore a wild patched jacket… another had a… leopard print… (My eyes widened with realisation) and the other was completely dressed in black… within a heart beat a group fight broke out between the vampires and the Nazi's.
The Nazi's never stood a chance. Every time one of them tried to make contact with one of the vampires' they met thin air. The green Mohawk tried to give Bon Jovi a mean left hook only to be trapped by crazy patches. He twisted the Nazi's arm sharply and the Nazi screamed in agony, I didn't have to be up close to know that his arm had been broken. Meanwhile another Nazi made a move for the Native American with the leopard patch. He was way too slow. The brunette easily ducked under his opponent's clumsy jab and delivered a crisp uppercut, sending the Nazi a couple of feet away and bounced off a trash can.
Two Nazi's made a move for Houdini only to have one of them side swiped by Bon Jovi, leaving the other the face Houdini alone. This Nazi could actually handle himself in a fight. He kept his guard up as he manoeuvred his way around Houdini, trying to get him to create an opening for him to strike. Unfortunately for the Nazi, Houdini blocked and parried every move. I swear the guy was smiling, as if this was just too funny to keep a straight face for this amateur.
Houdini moved like lightning. He delivered a three hit combo, two in the liver then one in the jaw, forcing the Nazi to drop to his knees. He grabbed the Nazi by the collar and lifted him towards his face so that the Nazi could see Houdini's eyes. He said something that made the Nazi piss his pants before being dropped into his own puddle. Then they quickly disappeared into the crowd as the B grade security guards arrived, demanding to know where the victors went. The crowd dispersed. No one helped the cops in Santa Carla… they knew better.
My jaw was somewhere in China at the moment and it took me a minute to dig it up again. That was like witnessing art! I cursed Jimmy for taking so damn long! Now they've disappeared again. I released the breath I didn't realise I was holding and leaned against the glass. I marvelled at their coordination. They knew exactly what they were doing and they had each other's back. Jimmy's voice suddenly rang through the receiver and I placed it against my ear.
"Sorry sweetheart but their old guitarist took all his gear with him when he left. You're on your own. No guitar, no gig" drawled Jimmy with a dead pan voice.
"I'm not your sweetheart Jimmy and don't you bloody well forget it" I seethed through gritted teeth.
"Suit yourself girl, either be there on time with your own guitar tomorrow night or never show your face around here again. I don't owe you anymore favours, we're done." With that he hung up and the dial tone hummed mercilessly until I silenced it.
"Wanker" I muttered under my breath as I picked up my bag and exited the phone booth. '*sigh* it seems like it's only a matter of time before I rub everyone the wrong way… and that's when I'm trying to be… not a psycho' I muttered with a shrug. I secured my bag tightly to my back as I began to navigate the crowd, heading towards the markets. I spied a guy in his early twenties dressed in semi casual summer clothes walking and texting at the same time. He seemed to be using his peripheral vision pretty well for he did not bump into anyone and managed to avoid a head on collision with an alternative styled teenager. But he was indeed one hundred percent distracted with his phone.
Very casually, I strode towards the guy on the phone. I made myself look absolutely awe struck as I stared at the ocean instead of where I was going. I bumped into the guy hard enough for him to drop his phone as he staggered backwards from the impact.
"What the fuck man!?" he shouted with his arms wide open to emphasise his frustration.
"Oh my God, I am so sorry" I state with a bashful smile. I quickly picked up his phone and handed it back to him. "Are you ok?" I asked innocently.
He scoffed before answering "Watch where you're going next time dude" he eyed his phone to make sure it wasn't damaged.
"You betcha, see you around" I wave slightly before walking away.
I took a quick peek over my shoulder to find he had resumed his text message and continued on his way. Once I was comfortable with the distance I fished out a dark brown leather wallet from my navy blue long sleeved shirt and checked its contents. It had credit cards, drivers licence, some tech firm business card and about two hundred dollars in cash. 'score' I grinned to myself as I pocketed the cash into what used to be my denim jeans (now converted into torn shorts) and threw the phone guys wallet into the next bin. A wave of adrenaline had rushed through my entire body, momentarily snapping it out of its exhausted state.
*giggling* 'old habits really do die hard'
Just then I thought I heard someone chuckle rather darkly somewhere to my left. I turned quickly to face whoever it was only to be met with the usual sea of people pushing past one another to get to wherever their hearts desired. Slightly confused, I resumed my hunt for distracted patrons to try and swipe enough money to get a new guitar, maybe even something to eat while I'm at it. Every single time I swiped someone's wallet, pocket book, or purse I would catch a glimpse of a wild patch jacket, leopard print, safety pins, or totally black. Every time they disappeared before I could get a good look at them. Either my mind was playing tricks on me like it usually did or I was being toyed with… I didn't like either scenario.
Deciding to take a break, I got myself a hotdog and leaned against the railings close to the fair grounds. While I was happily munching away I spotted a new face in the crowd. My instincts kicked into overdrive so I had to pay attention to every minute detail. I locked onto an average height guy with an average build. He had short dark brown hair and green eyes accompanied with rather average looking features. Nothing stood out about this guy. Not even his casual black T-shirt supported with black skinny jeans and red converse shoes. Accept… he was very pale.
For a moment time seemed to slow down again as I focused on the newcomer. Before my very eyes his face began to change. His features became sharp and elongated. His hands turned into long talons with yellow nails. His eyes had turned completely black and a shiver ran up my spine as I spotted a pair of sharp canines as he smiled at someone in the crowd. Then he saw me. He tilted his head slightly to the side before making his way towards me. Soon we were face to face, separated by only an inch or two.
"Well hello there, I haven't seen you before… *he smiled before continuing* are you new around here?"
I hadn't stopped staring and I didn't say a word. I was too busy trying to comprehend what the hell I was looking at. He noticed and spoke with a rather charming tone
"It's not polite to stare you know…"
As if on cue I blinked and his face had returned to normal. Absolutely flabbergasted I shook my head and stared this fella right in the eye. Even if what I saw was a total hallucination, there was something about this guy's eyes that spelled 'evil'. Without missing a beat, I slapped on my best insane grin and whispered "El Diablo!" Then I dashed quickly into the crowd. Behind me I heard the 'what the fuck was that?' laugh before it was drowned out by the constant yammering of the crowd.
I pushed the strange encounter out of my mind and resumed my hunt for easy targets. I only needed one more pull, maybe two and I'll be able to replace my guitar! I spotted a trio of Surf Nazi's playing craps against the 'mom and pop' shop. They all had their backs to me and one of them with shaggy red hair was stupid enough to have his wallet in his back pocket. I could barely contain my excitement as I ninja stepped towards the SS trio. Carefully I reached into his back pocket and began to lift his wallet when his hand suddenly clamped down on my wrist and damn near crushed it.
The red head Nazi whipped his head around to reveal a very nasty glare followed by an arrogant snarl. I tried to tear my hand away from his only to be yanked right into his chest then shoved aggressively against the wall. He held his arm against my throat and pinned my body against the wall with his own, effectively straddling my hips.
"Look what I found fellas!" he leered.
"oooh she's a looker" chimed one of his buddies while the other laughed to his comment.
"This little mouse tried to what was mine… now what do you think we ought to do with her?"
I didn't really hear anything else as my mind began to shift again. But this time it was not the comforting ice that gave me such power before. No. this time my mind slipped back into a very dark place where all I could hear was the sound of leather twisting and creaking… growing tighter around my neck... The sound of that accursed buckle jingling with a loud clap against the wooden floor boards… The sensation of searing hot pain accompanied with tearing flesh… the pitiful cries of a tiny child begging
"Mummy no! please stop! Pleeeeeaaassse! I'm sorry! Please! Make him stop! Please!"
I see red. I feel hatred. I begin to scream. I continued to scream as I pushed with all my unnatural might against the bag of filth in front of me. I continued to scream as I clawed out one of his eyes. I continued to scream as I threw the red headed bastard against the wall and continuously bashed his head against the concrete until it was nothing but a bloody pulp. The other two Nazi's tried to retrain me but they were pulled back by an unseen force. The sudden shift in gravity as their hands were ripped from my body forced me to fall backwards and hit my head.
Thankfully it knocked me back into my senses as I turned onto my stomach and tried to get my bearings again. I looked up to see the Houdini and the Native American rip the Nazi's into pieces as the other two kept watch. They sprayed the Nazis' blood all over the place as their skin and other chunks of flesh were scattered about the alleyway. I'm breathing pretty damn hard as I try to expel the madness that had grown within me. My whole body was completely drenched in sweat as I drifted back into a numb deranged state.
For a blissful moment I had shut out the world around me. I could feel myself being moved into a sitting position with my back against the wall. Something was being rubbed off my face with a gloved hand. A smooth sly voice was calling me back from the brink of total psychosis. I didn't really wanna come back. I was free from all my woes here. Free to be exactly what I'm supposed to be. Immune to absolutely everything in this forsaken world. But that voice. It pierced right through my mind like the best damn Ballard I ever heard. I followed it back, away from the madness.
"Hey… can you hear me? C'mon come back to us girl…"
I blinked a few times before focusing on the figure in front of me. For once, I didn't mind having my personal space invaded. I quickly gave the stranger a once over and realized it was Houdini. I blinked one more time before I locked onto his ice blue eyes.
He smiled, honestly relieved. "There you are" he spoke with a kind tone.
"Welcome back sista" Chimed Bon Jovi.
"We thought we lost ya there girl" added crazy patches. The brunette added a quiet "yeah".
"For a minute there… you almost did" I sounded as exhausted as I felt. "Thank you so much" I flashed them all an honest smile.
They all returned my smile with their own grins before Houdini said "It was our pleasure."