The Behemoth
Chapter 5: Run, run away...
* * * *
Panic. His mind was frozen in sheer panic. Here, facing him, not two feet away, was
the spectre of his dreams. And John, or Shenlong, as he had just been called, was frozen
in fear.
Someone touched his shoulder, charlotte, and he was snapped from his trance, where a
pounding headache ripped through him. However, throwing this aside, he leapt to his
feet, gave his 'double' a kick to the chest, grabbed charlotte and ran for dear life.
As the two women who were with the other man were delayed, helping him, Shenlong
raced from the mall, and into the streets of the city on foot.
* * * *
"Long, are you alright?" Jane asked, helping him to his feet.
Shaking his head, Long stood, holding his chest. "Nothing a massage won't take care
of. Where'd he go?" he asked.
"He ran off down the corridor, lost sight of him as he rounded a corner. He's gone
now." Jenny answered, pulling her cell-phone out of her purse. "Should I call Alan and
tell him to-"
"No… we have a better way to track him anyway. If he was alone back there I wouldn't
bother with him, but it seems he has a hostage, you saw him grab that girl back there,
didn't you?" Long asked, looking at Jane.
"Well, yeah, I didn't hear her scream though… odd…" she replied.
"Want me to call Yugo's house?"
"Yeah, get Kenji on the phone if you can. And I just want him found, not killed." Was
Long's reply.
"No worries there, kenji changed after the whole ZLF episode…"
* * * *
Almost 2 and a half miles away, Shenlong and Charlotte stopped running in an alley,
where Shenlong fell on his knee's, trying to catch his breath.
"What in god's name happened back there John?"
"Shenlong…" he said between breaths.
"What…?" was her startled reply.
"My name… is… Shenlong…"
Her eyes opened wider. "That man back there said that… and he…"
"Looked like me… Yes…"
They were silent for a minute before she tried to get closer. As she was about to put her
hand on his shoulder, he spoke.
"Call Vinny." He said.
"What?"
"There's a payphone on the sidewalk, call him and have him pick us up, I'm not
walking all the way back to the other side of town… not when they might be looking for
me…" He suddenly clutched his head, his suppressed headache catching up to him.
"Sh… Shenlong…?"
"DO IT!" he barked at her.
Dashing back to the street, she saw the payphone, pulled out a coin, and dialed the
apartment.
"Come on… come on… pick up…" she whispered.
"Hello?"
"Vinny!"
"Hey, charlotte, what's goin on?"
"I need you to come pick me up Vinny, and fast, this is an emergency!"
"Ok, ok, slow down girl, where are you?"
She proceeded to tell him, then returned to the alley, where shenlong was sitting next to
the wall, holding his head.
"Shenlong…?"
"Stay away Charlotte… please… I don't…" a silent tear ran down his face. "I'm so
confused… what happened to me? Why is that guy trying to kill me? What's going on…"
Lost for words, charlotte stood there, watching him until she heard a car horn.
"That's Vinny… come on, let's go home, you'll be safe there."
He stood slowly, and followed her to the waiting vehicle, then lost consciousness as he
was about to sit down…
Chapter 5: Run, run away...
* * * *
Panic. His mind was frozen in sheer panic. Here, facing him, not two feet away, was
the spectre of his dreams. And John, or Shenlong, as he had just been called, was frozen
in fear.
Someone touched his shoulder, charlotte, and he was snapped from his trance, where a
pounding headache ripped through him. However, throwing this aside, he leapt to his
feet, gave his 'double' a kick to the chest, grabbed charlotte and ran for dear life.
As the two women who were with the other man were delayed, helping him, Shenlong
raced from the mall, and into the streets of the city on foot.
* * * *
"Long, are you alright?" Jane asked, helping him to his feet.
Shaking his head, Long stood, holding his chest. "Nothing a massage won't take care
of. Where'd he go?" he asked.
"He ran off down the corridor, lost sight of him as he rounded a corner. He's gone
now." Jenny answered, pulling her cell-phone out of her purse. "Should I call Alan and
tell him to-"
"No… we have a better way to track him anyway. If he was alone back there I wouldn't
bother with him, but it seems he has a hostage, you saw him grab that girl back there,
didn't you?" Long asked, looking at Jane.
"Well, yeah, I didn't hear her scream though… odd…" she replied.
"Want me to call Yugo's house?"
"Yeah, get Kenji on the phone if you can. And I just want him found, not killed." Was
Long's reply.
"No worries there, kenji changed after the whole ZLF episode…"
* * * *
Almost 2 and a half miles away, Shenlong and Charlotte stopped running in an alley,
where Shenlong fell on his knee's, trying to catch his breath.
"What in god's name happened back there John?"
"Shenlong…" he said between breaths.
"What…?" was her startled reply.
"My name… is… Shenlong…"
Her eyes opened wider. "That man back there said that… and he…"
"Looked like me… Yes…"
They were silent for a minute before she tried to get closer. As she was about to put her
hand on his shoulder, he spoke.
"Call Vinny." He said.
"What?"
"There's a payphone on the sidewalk, call him and have him pick us up, I'm not
walking all the way back to the other side of town… not when they might be looking for
me…" He suddenly clutched his head, his suppressed headache catching up to him.
"Sh… Shenlong…?"
"DO IT!" he barked at her.
Dashing back to the street, she saw the payphone, pulled out a coin, and dialed the
apartment.
"Come on… come on… pick up…" she whispered.
"Hello?"
"Vinny!"
"Hey, charlotte, what's goin on?"
"I need you to come pick me up Vinny, and fast, this is an emergency!"
"Ok, ok, slow down girl, where are you?"
She proceeded to tell him, then returned to the alley, where shenlong was sitting next to
the wall, holding his head.
"Shenlong…?"
"Stay away Charlotte… please… I don't…" a silent tear ran down his face. "I'm so
confused… what happened to me? Why is that guy trying to kill me? What's going on…"
Lost for words, charlotte stood there, watching him until she heard a car horn.
"That's Vinny… come on, let's go home, you'll be safe there."
He stood slowly, and followed her to the waiting vehicle, then lost consciousness as he
was about to sit down…
