What would a Quiet story be without cliffhangers, right? *hides* :)
He managed to keep Vaughan there for the rest of the day. He told him tales of their upcoming victory, of sky high casualty counts and pandemonium. "We simply have to be patient," he explained. "There is no reason to rush our plans."
"And what happens afterwards?" asked Vaughan. "After it's done."
"Suicide would likely be in our best interest, before they catch us. Are you up to that?"
Vaughan paused. "Or prison?"
"If you prefer. I certainly do not."
"Yeah, you wouldn't do well there," Vaughan agreed. "Maybe I'll end it, too. Prison sucks. But it did have television."
Late in the afternoon, Vaughan opened his door and stepped outside.
"Where are you going?"
"To look around again," Vaughan replied. "Maybe I can get some supplies. We're leaving tomorrow no matter what. I can't stand this stupid place. I think they're having their dumbass parade tonight."
There were benefits and disadvantages to having Nicholas gone when Khan arrived. In any case, he could not control every aspect of this situation. Khan would have to figure it out.
His body was weak, but he still suspected that he was days from death.
What would Khan do to him?
More importantly, what did he want Khan to do? Simply end him?
All he could do now was wait. And hope for…
Well, nothing. Despite the whispers at the back of his brain trying to keep him alive – likely evolutionary features inherited from a distance ancestor who must have been a hell of a lot prettier than he was - there was nothing.
Nadir took quick twists and turns, occasionally going onto unpaved side roads that passed by farms and abandoned rusted structures. He kept an eye on his rearview mirror. Nothing. He was alone. His heart thudded quickly in his chest. A layer of sweat gathered on his brow.
You'll be fine. You're up against a single person with little experience in actual combat. You just can't let Nicholas see you before you see him.
He slowed once he reached the town that Erik had mentioned. For such a small place, there were quite a few people out. Must be some sort of social event, parade or carnival. He drove past it at a speed that didn't make him stand out, grumbling whenever he was forced to stop for crowds of rowdy teenagers. Didn't they know there was a monster amongst them?
It took some time to figure out the road that led to Nicholas's car. Erik had been vaguer on that part, only saying that he thought it was past a gas station and bank. Thankfully, the town was small enough to narrow it down.
Nadir drove slowly, not wanting Vaughan to notice his approach. At first, he was afraid that he had gone in the wrong direction. Then he saw the car in the distance, parked behind a couple of cactuses, close to the base of a hill. Going off the road and into the desert, Nadir stopped about fifty meters away from it. He took out his handgun from a case under the passenger's seat. He would only use it if he had to.
Taking a deep breath, Nadir emerged from his car. It was still very warm out. He paused to see if anyone noticed him, if the other vehicle drove off. It didn't. Nadir walked forward. It was quiet, and there wasn't much light. He kept an eye on all directions, gripping tightly to his weapon. Squinting, he couldn't make out anyone in the driver's seat. He picked up his pace, kicking up dust and praying he didn't step on a rattlesnake. Again, he glanced over his shoulder, feeling relatively secure. It was unlikely that Vaughan had found a gun by now, but he could have a knife or other sharp object.
Nadir reached the other car without incident. He glanced in the back.
Erik.
Nadir winced. His old friend appeared much worse than usual, if that were possible. Gaunt and yellow. Clearly unwell.
Nadir softly knocked on the window. Erik sharply looked up. Then the hollow eyes widened, perhaps softened, and a thin lip twitched upwards. The door was unlocked, so Nadir didn't have to make a show of breaking the window.
"Hello, Old Friend," Nadir greeted, his voice naturally warm.
"Took your damned time, didn't you?" Erik hoarsely replied.
"I stopped for ice cream."
"Peanut butter and marshmallow with a sprinkle of coconut?" Yellow eyes glimmered with amusement. "Disgusting."
"You know me far too well."
"Finally something we can both agree on."
"Let's get you out of here," said Nadir. "Then I'll deal with Nicholas. Any idea when he'll be back?"
"Fairly soon unless the idiot got himself caught. He's been gone for over two hours."
"All right. Do you have the strength to hold onto me?"
Erik sighed. "Perhaps."
Erik managed to turn over onto his stomach. Nadir leaned down and hooked Erik's right arm around his neck, and Erik weakly held on. He pulled Erik out of the car and dragged him half-upright onto the ground. Erik slumped against him but managed to keep slight weight on his feet, sparing Nadir the full burden of carrying him. "This is humiliating," Erik muttered although Nadir detected a hint of relief.
"Would you rather I throw you over my shoulders like a soldier in combat? Would that be more heroic?"
Erik told him to go do something that was physically impossible. With a chuckle, Nadir more or less dragged Erik forward, but Erik held on.
Already out of breath, Erik soon said, "Kahn, I don't really care if I make it out of this. But I am in severe discomfort, so I hope you won't leave me to a painful demise."
"Gabby is here. I'm sure she'll fix you up, find a way to get you some medicine."
"Gabrielle. You brought her." Erik's voice betrayed no emotion.
"I did." They were halfway to the car. Everything was looking better by the moment. Nadir's heart started to calm.
"I won't go to prison. You know that, don't you?"
"I…do. There are a lot of discussions coming up. I don't think now is the time for them. I don't have plans to take you to prison, so long as you…"
"Behave?"
Nadir sadly chuckled. "Yes."
"I have no plans to complicate your life. Beyond not going to prison, I don't care what happens next. Do as you like."
"What I want to do has become less relevant by the day," Nadir muttered. And yet he also felt a hint of - what was it? Happiness. Did he dare feel that? Did he dare hope that this all wouldn't turn into a disaster?
"What?"
"Well, I…" Nadir's eyes narrowed as he looked into the distance. "Sh. We'll talk later. I see Vaughan." They both froze as the figure crept past them toward the other car. Nicholas was about thirty meters away. In the shadows, they were thankfully difficult to see.
"I trust you are armed?"
"Yes." As they reached the rental car, Nadir again glanced up. Vaughan had obviously realized that Erik was no longer in the backseat. Nicholas was looking around furiously, throwing his arms into the air, yelling obscenities. Nadir smiled to himself. Vaughan would never reach them in time to stop them. They were safe.
He quickly helped Erik into the car, making sure he was lying in a comfortable position on his side. Nadir's mind drifted toward the ethical dilemma in front of him. It wouldn't be right to run over there and outright murder an unarmed Nicholas Vaughan. Yet Nicholas could very well tell the police about Erik as a form of revenge. Nadir would have to make sure that Erik was well on his way out of the area before contacting the authorities.
"Is Vaughan driving here now?" Erik suddenly asked.
Nadir sharply looked up. "No. He's still looking around. Why?"
"Thought I heard a car," Erik mumbled. "Perhaps I am losing my mind. Again."
"Let's get going. We'll figure out Vaughan later."
Nadir climbed into the driver's seat, closed the door, and started the engine. He shifted into Drive, turned the car around, and gave the rearview mirror one last glance.
What the hell?
His eyes widened as he struggled to understand the chaotic scene unfolding behind him. Nicholas was not alone now. Who was…? His stomach dropped, and he felt the urge to vomit. "Fuck," Nadir whispered.
"That's a rare word for you, Mr. Eloquent. What is wrong with you now?" asked Erik. "Is Vaughan coming? I am sure that you can handle the idiot. What the hell are you doing?"
Nadir quickly braked and switched off the ignition, deciding on a quieter and more flexible approach. He opened his door and said, "I am going to leave you here. Stay quiet."
"What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you doing?"
"I am not going to tell you because you will…not be happy with me, to say the least. I have to take care of something."
But Erik pushed himself up and glanced backward before Nadir could stop him. And Erik saw what Nadir saw. There was an awful moment of silence. And then, in a horrible voice filled with confusion and rage and terror - "What have you done? Get her away from there! What the hell have you done?!"
Nadir had raced forward before Erik finished screaming at him.
A gunshot sounded out into the night.
When Nadir had asked them to pull over, none of them had slept. They had faked it. They had been too suspicious. They had expected Nadir to betray them.
"What do you think changed?" Christine asked after Nadir first began acting strangely. "What's happened?"
"I don't know," Corey replied. "Maybe someone contacted him. Maybe Erik did."
Christine's hands were clenched into fists, and she was leaning forward. "I have a terrible feeling."
So did Corey. His back muscles were so tense that the pain had begun to creep up his neck and into his head. He ignored it and continued to drive.
Once Gabby was in their car, Corey asked her, "Do you know anything? Why's Nadir acting weird all of a sudden?"
"No idea," said Gabby. "He wouldn't tell me anything. He's being very quiet."
"I can't stand this!" Christine exclaimed. "We asked him to help us. And all he does is lie. He wants to imprison or kill Erik. That's why he's doing this."
"We don't know that," stressed Gabby.
"We don't know anything at all," Corey helplessly replied.
When Nadir suggested that they stop to rest, they had periodically closed their eyes for appearances but not slept. Gabby was the first one to see Nadir sneak away. She loudly alerted them both.
Christine cried out in anger. "Follow him!"
"Not closely," said Corey. "We have to stay far enough behind so that he doesn't know. I don't want to slow him down."
"You're right," said Christine. "We need him to lead us to Erik."
So Corey, with very limited experience in this sort of operation, followed Nadir at a distance. It was hard. Several times, Corey thought that they had lost track of him. Once, Corey was almost certain that he had, leading to tears from Christine. But then Gabby spotted him on a side road. Corey almost phoned Nadir to yell at him and demand that he stop this stupidity. Didn't he understand what he was putting Christine through? But he didn't, for the sake of Erik's life. Corey kept following.
They reached a town, and Nadir made a sudden turn onto the exit that led into it. Surprised, Corey jerked the wheel so hard that they all fell sideways.
"Be careful," said Gabby.
"Now where he's going?" Christine muttered.
"I don't know," Corey replied. Nadir was soon slowed down by some social event that was taking place in the town. Corey hid several cars behind him. Christine nervously wrung her hands together.
It all started to go downhill when a policeman began directing traffic as Corey drove up to a busy intersection. They were stopped for about two minutes. Nadir was well ahead of them.
"I should get out and follow him!" Christine exclaimed. She and Gabby were bending their necks out the windows, trying to track Nadir's car with their eyes.
"You'll be far behind him," Corey argued. "Just wait. They have to let me through sometime."
He was finally allowed to drive forward as the officer signaled for the crowds of people to stop crossing the street.
"He made a right," said Gabby. "I'm sure of it."
Corey followed her directions. "Now what?" he asked.
"I think another right," Gabby murmured.
"Are you sure?" asked Christine.
"No," Gabby admitted. "I thought I saw it, but it could have been a different car."
Corey made another turn. They headed past a bank, past a couple of subdivisions and away from civilization and into desert. They continued for a mile or so before Corey said, "I don't think this is right. I don't know. I should call him. We can tell him to knock it off. This is ridiculous."
"What if he doesn't answer?" Christine squinted. "Wait. I see a car! Out there off the road. Look!"
"Is it Nadir's car?" Gabby asked.
"I can't tell," she replied. "Maybe not. But we should take a look. Who else would be out here?"
"I don't know. Drug dealers?" Still, Corey slowly approached, his headlights off. He stopped about ten feet away from it. The car was clearly not Nadir's. "Christine, this is a bad idea. We should back off until we figure out what's going on."
"How are we going to figure anything out?!" Christine yelled, becoming more frantic by the second. "What if Nadir's already found Erik? What if he's killed him?"
"We don't know that!" Gabby shouted back. "We have no idea what he's done. He could be saving Erik's life. We just need to calm down and – "
"I am not calming down until we find them! We have to find them!"
Corey was startled into silence as her panic enveloped the car.
That was when Gabby said, "Wait. I see another car behind us. Look to the right, off the road. I see someone standing over there by it. Is that Nadir?"
Corey twisted around to look.
And Christine…poor Christine…she opened her door and climbed out. Before Corey could stop her, she was gone.
Corey jumped out next. "Christine, wait!" He grabbed the gun from beneath his seat and chased after her, nearly tripping over the sand. "Christine, stop!"
"What the fuck?!" screamed a voice in the darkness. An unfamiliar angry man's voice.
Christine cried out and stopped running. Corey quickly understood why. A figure was blocking her path.
"Who the hell are you?" asked the man.
Christine seemed to know who he was. "Where's Erik?" she shakily asked.
"I'm wondering that myself."
Corey realized that the younger man was Nicholas Vaughan. He froze as horror settled in. The gun felt heavy in his hand. He subtly switched off the safety.
"Wait," said Nicholas, taking a slow step forward. "I know who you are. You're that girl. That girl Erik kidnapped. What are you doing here? What the hell is going on?"
Likely knowing that she was in danger, Christine started to run past him. Nicholas lunged at her. Corey raised his gun, aimed at Nicholas's torso, and fired.
Christine screamed.
Corey missed.
Nicholas grabbed Christine. She tried to fight, tried to smack him in the face with her palm, but Nicholas was too strong. He held her tightly against him, her back pressed against his chest. Christine screamed again. Something glimmered in the moonlight against her neck. A knife.
Nicholas laughed at Corey's bad aim as he used Christine as a shield. Terrified of shooting her, Corey let his arm drop back to his side. "Let her go," he futilely pled. "She doesn't have anything you want. I'll put the gun down. Let her go."
Then Nadir appeared, also holding a handgun. Upon seeing him, Nicholas quickly backed up against Hope's car, clutching Christine tightly.
"Let her go," commanded Nadir in a much deadlier voice than Corey was capable of.
Nicholas chuckled. "And what do you plan to do if I don't? You've got nothing."
"It's not what I will do," Nadir replied. "It's what Erik will do to you."
At the mention of Erik, Nicholas's features twisted into the ugliest of masks. "That asshole betrayed me, didn't he? He called you all here to fuck me over! He screwed me! And it's all because of her isn't it?" He squeezed Christine's chest to the point of pain, causing her to cry out. "He'd be on my side if it weren't for her!"
"Your side?" asked Nadir with disbelief. "You're so very wrong. Erik isn't on anyone's side. He's on his own side."
"He's on her side!" Nicholas snapped back. "If I kill her, he'll - "
"He'll what?" Nadir asked. "I'll tell you what. He'll do things to you that I don't even want to mention in front of these nice people. And I won't stop him. I'll make sure you both live through this night, that Erik gains all his strength back, and I won't stop him. He'll find you, Nicholas. Unless you let her go. Let her go, Nicholas."
Nicholas pressed the knife against her neck. A choked sob escaped from Christine's lips, but Corey could tell that she was trying to be brave. "I get it," Nicholas replied in a soft voice. "Erik will torture me to death if I hurt her. How creative." Nicholas reached behind him and opened the car door. "I guess I'd better not live through the night." A pause. "But she's coming with me. You'll never see either of us alive again. Give Erik my best. Tell him that no one fucks with me and gets away with it."
Nicholas yanked her backwards into the car with him. He slammed the door shut and kept her in his lap, still using her as a shield. He shoved the key into the ignition and started the car. Christine stared at them all with a look of terror, silently begging them to help her.
"Shoot him!" Corey cried.
"I don't want to hit her," Nadir sharply replied as he attempted to aim the gun at Nicholas's left temple.
Nicholas sped forward. Nadir fired. The bullet struck the window with a deafening smash, but it didn't hit either person inside. Again, Nadir tried to aim, but he gave up with a growl of fury. The car drove away. A scream of rage permeated the evening air, a scream that only could have come from Erik.
Nadir cursed. He yelled at Corey, "Give me your keys!"
Corey obeyed without hesitation. Nadir ran toward the nearest car. Gabby had already climbed out and was watching from a distance, hands clasped over her heart.
Before jumping into the vehicle, Nadir threw a key at Corey and said, "Erik is over there in my car. Go somewhere safe with him. Try to help him. He's going to be furious, so beware - but he needs aid."
Corey nodded. With devastation, he said, "I'm sorry about this."
"So am I," Nadir replied with no malice. "So very sorry." He soon drove off, pursuing Nicholas and Christine.
Gabby was now crying, one had covering her mouth.
Stunned, Corey gently put an arm around her and guided her to where Erik lay.
Nicholas shoved her into the passenger's seat. He put both hands on the wheel and leaned forward, face twisted with fury.
Folding her arms up against her chest, Christine pled, "Please let me go."
"Shut up!" Nicholas snapped at her. "Say another word and I'll slice into that pretty face of yours. Got it?"
Tears dripped down her cheeks as she stared at the blackness passing by them. This was not the first time she had been kidnapped. But – she knew that Nicholas had no qualms about killing her. He was using her to hurt Erik. How did she get out of this one? How did she stop him?
"Look at you," Nicholas muttered. "There's nothing that special about you. You're just another blonde bimbo. God, I hate you. You screwed up everything." His fist slammed into her shoulder. She kept from crying out. "Look at you. You're pathetic. Go ahead and answer. What the fuck is so special about you?"
"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing is. I just…"
"You what?" Nicholas growled.
"I just wanted to save his life. That's all."
Nicholas paused and then laughed. "So you actually like the ugly freak. You really do. That's rich. I gave Erik a hard time, saying he was stupid to trust you. But you want him. That's hilarious." Nicholas shook his head. "Were you going to help him?"
"Help him what?"
"I don't know. Blow something up."
"No! What? We were just going to…"
"Going to what? Finish your fucking sentences!"
"I don't know!" she cried out in a tear-choked voice, infuriated by the way he spoke to her. "I don't know. Try to be happy. Live in a house and takes walks and maybe get a cat…and have some peace. That's it. That's all I wanted."
"That sounds boring. You wanted him to be boring. You wanted him to be like everybody else. That's why you ruined him. I hate you!"
"I didn't ask him to be anything! He wanted that. Erik wanted a different life. You don't know anything about us!"
"I know your type! Privileged little normal girl. Everything handed to her. Gets everything she wants."
Christine let out a sickened laugh of disbelief. "I grew up in near poverty. You had everything. My mom barely noticed me. Your mother fought for you. She did everything for you, broke laws for you, until you killed her."
"No, you dumb bitch," Nicholas snarled. "I'm not talking about money or whether Mommy hugged you enough or whether Daddy touched you. Fuck that shit. I'm talking about your head." Nicholas suddenly glanced at the rearview mirror. "That asshole is still following me." Then they both looked ahead into the distance and saw the flashing blue lights. Black and white cars. Nadir had called the police. "Shit."
Before Christine even had a chance to feel some semblance of hope, Nicholas made a U-turn over the grassy highway median. Christine braced herself, terrified that he was going to run into oncoming traffic. The tires squealed, and the car tilted. Nicholas accelerated. Christine looked behind them and saw that Nadir had smoothly copied him. Everyone was in pursuit of them now.
"Well, this is going to end soon," Nicholas continued. "Erik completely screwed me over. I thought he didn't fit, too…Finally, I thought he didn't fit! Everyone always tried to fix me, but I thought he got me. I thought he understood! But he was like everyone else. Everyone. He fucked me! I hate him. I hate you! I hate you!"
Was it better to stay silent and hope that Nadir saved her? What was Nicholas's plan? Whatever it was, she knew that he wasn't planning on coming out of this alive. Maybe she could at least keep him distracted with conversation. "Erik…it's not about fitting in. He wanted a connection."
"He could have had a connection with me!" Nicholas screamed. He was going faster and faster, pushing one hundred. Her heart pounded in her ears. She gripped onto the door handle, ready to vomit. "We could have sent out a message!"
"What message do you want to send?!" In her terror, every word was nearly a scream.
"That everything and everyone here is stupid and unimportant and they're all powerless losers."
Nicholas suddenly braked. She was flung forward, then backward. Her head spun. With a twist of the wheel, he took the exit back into the same town.
What was he doing?
"They won't get that message," she replied once she'd caught her breath. Her body was in flight or fight mode, but she couldn't do either. "The only message everyone will get is that you're the world's sickest person. They'll talk about what's wrong with you, what made you the way you are. That's it. That's what they did last time. And put metal detectors in my school. All you'll do is make them hate you."
To her dismay, Nicholas shrugged and replied, "I don't really care anymore. They can think what they want. I'm still sending a message." Nicholas turned and smiled at her. "And if he won't do it with me, Christine, then - you will."
"Where are you going?" she whispered as he headed down the main street. Sirens blared behind them.
"To make my last stand."
The earlier town celebration had likely just ended. People were beginning to leave, flooding the streets and sidewalks. There were crowds everywhere.
"What are you going to do?" she asked. "The kn-knife?"
He laughed. "You're so stupid. Don't you see? You're riding in the weapon."
"What?"
"You're the weapon, too. With me. We're the weapon! If he won't be with me, you will." He giggled louder. "You will, Christine! You'll be a weapon, too! Hold on tight, Christine!"
Finally, she understood. Nicholas was going to hit as many people as he could. He was going to make her watch him murder a bunch of people with the car. And then probably kill them both in the end.
There was no more time to plead or reason with him. She wasn't going to talk her way out of this one. His foot came down hard on the accelerator.
They sped forward toward the crowds, toward families and children. She didn't even have time to mourn what might be the final seconds of her life.
With one last deep breath, Christine leaned over and grabbed the wheel. She twisted it hard and held on for as long as she could.
Nicholas shouted in protest. A fist slammed into her cheek.
She shrieked as the car spun around, as the lights and colors blended together, as her head hit the window, as the tires squealed, as she tasted metallic blood on her tongue -
Crash.
