A Guard's Guard
Madison watched with a sideways glance as Joe and the skeleton headed into the factory. The weight on her chest lifted slightly when they disappeared. Joe had way too much to lose and the skeleton seemed too innocent for what may happen. Madison shifted her glance to the crowd of people; trained eyes scanning the group of twenty.
Innocence wasn't hard to find in this crowd. A few mother types, a lot of the everyman, and the random teenager stood out. Many that would never speak badly if not for the thought of being lost in a group didn't cross their minds. People afraid and antagonized by someone filled with hate. Madison turned her gaze back to the man in front of her. A snarled escaped passed her clenched grinning teeth. The bulk of a man stepped back when a lankier man dressed in clothes too large for him slipped through the crowd and stopped next to him.
The Mountain; as Madison decided she was going to call him bent at the waist when motioned by the other man. They spoke in whispers to one another and Madison tipped her head watching their lips wishing she knew how to read lips. Watching she could see the smaller man twitching and jittering like he was tweaking. His blue eyes too large for his head flicked side to side watchful, fearful only to settle on Mountain. Tweaker spoke quickly and looked up at her.
The edges of her vision blurred as a knot started to build in her chest. Shadows moved and shuttered through the crowd. She allowed her eyes to wander to the smoky shadows of staggering people. The low drone of screams and cries. Madison fet her legs stiffen and want to give but she stood watching waiting for the people, the alive people; She reminded herself to do something. One staggered forward towards her. It was the same one shadows giving way to fire as it made its way towards her. A breath caught in her throat as Madison fought against her fear, her guilt. The vision stopped and stood directly in her view line. It didn't reach for her it just stood shuddering between smoke and fire.
Madison pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one never taking her eyes off the two GHF flunkies. Tucking her silver lighter back into the smaller pocket of her jeans Madison tipped her head back slightly to pass smoke out from under her hood. She smoked to calm her nervous but if she was honest with herself she hatted the smell of it. The burning smell and heat from the tip made her think of things she would rather leave in the past. Even if it did bring up the past the burn on her tongue and taste in her mouth kept her stable in the present. They were just demons of her past. They couldn't hurt her. She blew smoke up into the sky trying to ignore the looming creature in front of her.
She knew she wasn't in the building as it burned down around her but she couldn't stop the sweat as it slid down her neck damping her shirt. The burning figures in the crowd seemed to notice her rising fear and the one directly in front of her lifted its head. Eyes so deep and black that Madison thought she was staring into the abyss focused in on her and she couldn't take her eyes off the being as it started to shift. The fire receded exposing shining black hair over tanned pale skin. The breath she had been holding escaped in a shiver as the woman shambled towards her.
"Subject 17."
When Tweaker finished he jerked his head towards Madison who seemed to be shivering. Standing to his full height with a darker look in his green eye Mountain started to storm forward a snarl on his wide face.
"You're the one that got in my brother's way the other night!" He snapped reaching for the front of her shirt.
Madison's eyes widened seeing the woman reach out towards her. "NO! I won't go back!" She screamed grabbing the woman's wrist pulling her in close before throwing a punch into the falling woman's face. In one swift movement she twisted around pulling the woman's arms up and back. Spinning around she threw the woman onto the ground only to bury her knee into her assailant's back. Shouting ensued as the street disappeared around her and the marble of an operating room flickered in and out.
"I'm not going to let you do it again." Distorted shouts and screams echoed in her ears as Madison shook her head. Heat build in her mind and it quickly rushed down her spine building in her hands. "Never Again!" She snarled and started to put more pressure on the arm trying to break it. The woman pained screams warbled from time to time drifting in to a lower pitch. Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. Madison screamed as she lost her grip on the woman.
"Calm down!" A voice from the past shouts from behind her. She slammed her head back causing her assailant to grunt. "Damn it Madison it's me!" The strange and familiar voice started to shatter the illusion.
Madison let up in her struggles, her aching burning head tipped to the side and she could make out his brown eyes watching her carefully. A slow dripping of blood slid from his now slightly crooked nose. "Ha…Har..Harold?"
"Yeah kid, it's me." Her eyes drooped slightly as the burning began to fade away. He lifted her from the ground looking down at the quivering mess that had been a mountain of a man. The man held his wrists protectively to his chest as his skinnier friend almost looked like his guard. He headed back towards the guard shack with the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air. Madison gazed back over his shoulder almost too tired to see the dark hate filled look that Mountain and Tweaker were shooting her. She slid away into the darkness.
