*And another BIG thanx to DARK (Man, I'm afraid they will keep on annoying u, sorry, lol), KAZUHA-CHAN, PRINCESS-DIVA06 & DYINGDREAD for ur wonderful reviews!! To anyone who hasn't seen 'Sixth Sense'; this chapter could contain a spoiler.*
'Now more than ever. Now more than ever.' Those words still reverberated in Clear's head as she got up. When they finally had reached the apartment at about two o'clock in the morning, she had just fallen into the bed like a stone, but had hardly slept one hour. Sitting up, she had found Carter at the balcony, for even after nearly having taken an overdose of the pills the paramedic had given to him, he couldn't lie down without having to vomit again, and therefore preferred to spend the rest of the night in a sitting position and in fresh air. After another half hour Alex and Liz had got up as well, so at the moment they were all sitting outside. The sky began to lighten up. Streaks of pink, gradually turning into red, had appeared in the light blue, heralds of the sun. It was going to be another warm, sunny day, but the four of them weren't enthusiastic about that.
"I really begin to hate these permanent meetings", Carter was the first one to break the silence.
"That doesn't count, cuz you basically hate everything except your car." A thought came to Clear's mind. "Which reminds me – you haven't been that mad at your broken car this time, I mean, remembering the last – "
"Aw man, one just gets used to it, okay? It's the sixth within the last seven years."
The only person who didn't know that, almost swallowed her juice.
"Okay, lets find out the damn new pattern, so we can cheat fucking death one more time 'n live in peace 'n harmony." All eyes turned to Alex, whose words had just sounded, as if there weren't any difficulties in that.
"Yeah well, why didn't I have that idea myself?!" The black-haired asked unnerved. "Okay, what is that right now? Is hell running out of innocent souls and therefore has sent his pro killers to finish some jobs that should've been carried out years ago?"
"Talking bout innocence; why should it be after you then?" Liz grumbled bad-tempered.
"Why did you use the plural?" Carter felt Alex scrutinizing him.
"What the hell do I know?! What?" He asked back, but Alex was already immersed in his theories again, and didn't answer for a while. "You know what we talked about that day – when Liz asked about who's on the other side? And you said 'us'?"
"Yeah of course, it – us." He shrugged. "Where's the problem?"
"I guess there are more than two sides, that are involved. Three at least. It's –"
"What I really wanna know", Carter interrupted him, being impatient a usual, but this time more caused by the severe headache he got, which was intensified by thinking the whole situation over carefully, "is why you don't have these premonitions anymore. I mean, that was your job in that freaky game."
"Sorry, would you mind telling me, what's yours?"
Carter shrugged again. "Am I the clairvoyant or what?"
"Couldn't it be possible that only the signs are not that obvious anymore?" Liz thought loud.
"What – like somebody trying to prevent you from receiving them?" the jock laughed, then fell silent, as the idea began to take shape. "So that's your third party, isn't it? You really think there's someone trying to help us??"
Now it was Alex' turn to shrug. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Look at all the things that happened to us, look at the order it's not following any more, the way something still desperately tries to fulfil that old pattern and can't, for whatever happens to us, isn't able to kill us."
"This is not 'Sixth Sense' and we are still alive." Carter mumbled. "So what have we become? Immortal?"
"Protected."
*Sorry, that's it for 2day, but I'll add more to that later okay? It's gonna be longer, K.-C. :o)*
"Protected?? By whom??"
"I'll promise you'll be the first one to know, but let me find out first. okay?"
"Whoever or whatever doesn't do the job very well. The word protection has a different meaning to me."
"At least you're still alive."
"Yeah, still."
"Any suggestions who it could be?" Clear wanted to know.
Alex scratched his head. "I have absolutely no idea."
"What about that creepy weirdo, that morgue-guy?" Carter proposed.
"Bludworth is a human, like us. All he ever did was talking, there weren't any actions, if you know what I mean. Nah, I really don't think so."
"What is so wrong with that idea, loser? Hey, he was the one who told you bout all that stuff, wasn't he? Like no coincidences, blah blah."
"He wasn't very helpful. Just like someone in a ghost train, being paid to scare people. Okay, he knew some things he actually shouldn't have, but, after all, I'm still of the opinion, that we would've found out about all of that even without him."
"Anyway, I think, Carter's right, we should talk to him", Clear insisted.
"Oh my God, what have I done to deserve this?!"
Instead of an answer, she just sighed.
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's book the flight back, man!"
"You wanna fly with a moderately severe concussion?!"
"A light one", he corrected, not caring about her doubting look. "So, pack your bags, what are you waiting for?"
"He isn't there." Alex said slowly.
"He - what?" Carter sat back on his chair. "Browning", he began in a warning tone, as being the first one to understand the meaning behind. "When the fuck you planned to inform us about that??"
"Could anybody please tell me what's going on?" Liz didn't get a word.
"Fucking Browning goes his own way! This is no single player mode, you jerk!!"
"You tell me??" He flared up.
"When have you found out?" Clear asked, trying to suppress the feeling of being hurt, because he hadn't even trusted enough in her, to tell her.
"A few days ago. Before that night at the cemetery. I …. I tried to call him up, but the morgue management told me, that he had quit his job two years ago."
"What else?" Carter asked sceptically, because Alex avoided any eye contact.
"As the secretary put down the receiver, she didn't replace it correctly and I could hear her talk to her colleague, like …. how strange it was, as the taciturn, but nice Mr Bludworth, who had never been absent from work for one day in twenty years, suddenly had disappeared from one day to another. I've searched the net, and besides that article about Noriega, I also found one about a drowned man, whose body was found a year ago somewhere in the docks of New York, someone identified him as Bludworth, but I've seen the photo: never him."
"Is there anything else you concealed from us?"
"Man, it only would've been misleading, okay? Look, he disappeared two whole years ago n only now it starts again?? Just in case, it's him we're searching for; what did he do all the time? Preparation for case of emergency?"
"Maybe we would've liked to find out ourselves", Clear answered calmly.
"Yeah, since when you are deceiving us?"
"I had my reasons. But the point is, even if it's him, we can be damn sure that we won't find him, until he decides to find us. And? Has he up to now? No. So what? We still go round in circles. This is not leading anywhere."
"Wait, waitwaitwaitwait, you had your reasons?? We can't trust you!! This concerns all of us!! Weren't those your words??" Carter moaned, and held his head in his hands. "Aw really, Browning you're giving me a headache!"
"Okay, I was wrong, I made a mistake, I'm sorry, just shoot me!"
"Maybe I should. Just to prove your theory of somehow-immortality", Carter grinned evilly.
"Aw guys, c'mon, not that again", Liz complained.
For the first time within the last hour, Alex looked Carter straight in the eyes, a somewhat tired and thoughtful look in his, the usual provoking one in his friend's, and he added in a low tone, close to mouthing, only Carter was able to hear the words. "Maybe you should."
****
For about one week nothing worth mentioning happened. The three others still were a bit angry, because of Alex' solo effort, but finally even Carter gave up the idea of a 'reunion' and the possibility of getting some answers to their questions. The atmosphere remained tensed and therefore it surely had been a bad idea to leave them alone that day. Due to Carter's constant accusations for years, even Alex' stock of patience had been used up. Though his concussion had nearly gone, Carter still couldn't cope with the fact that he nearly had been killed. Being the impatient character he was, and since they were obviously unable to escape the whole thing, he did what he always had done; he focused all his wrath on the only person that in his opinion took responsibility for everything. It would've been wrong to maintain that he was too stupid to understand that he was mistaken, in reality he just did not care about being unfair, as long as it seemed to ease his desperation and tense.
"C'mon Alex, hasn't that freak told u anything more interesting, like how we could get rid of it??" Carter put down his coffee on he table, with more noise than he had to. If they didn't find more about the new design soon, he -
"Stop calling him a freak!"
"N what would you like me to call him, huh? Weirdo? Jerk? Lo-"
"His name's Tod!" Alex really tried to stay calm and not to react to his provocations, but he felt anger grow inside of him each second.
"Nah, his name was Tod, don't you forget that, psycho!"
"Ya know what?" Alex burst out, "I really wish you would've been on the plane! I wish it would've killed you instead of Tod, George or Billy or even one of the others I didn't even know!! Man, I'm so sick of you and your griping! 'Aw, I survived a plane crash, n now death's after me n it's all that shithead's fault, yammeryammer!' I'M SORRY, OKAY?? I'M SORRY THAT YOU HAD TO EXPERIENCE THIS TERRIBLE CRASH, I'M SORRY THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND SNUFFED IT, I'M SORRY THAT YOUR LIFE'S GOTTEN TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL, I'M SORRY THAT YOU'RE LIVING IN PERMANENT DANGER SINCE THAT TIME, NOT SEEING A WAY OUT AND THAT YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT AND TRY TO DROWN YOUR SORROWS IN JACK-JIM-JOHNNIE!! BUT THAT'S NOT ONLY HAPPENING TO YOU, FUCKING SHIT, YOU DON'T GET THAT INTO YOUR HEAD?? IT'S HAPPENING TO ALL OF US, TO YOU, CLEAR, LIZ, ME AND THE OTHERS!!" Carter's eyes burnt into his as he continued. "I dunno what power was of the opinion you had to be saved. Believe me if I could turn back time to that moment where you – " He gave a cold laugh.
"Just go on", Carter hissed. "Be frank with me."
"Why am trying my ass off to get you through all the time?" He spoke more to himself than to the other. "You thought we'd become friends or stuff?? Forget it!"
Instead of an answer Carter just pushed him back a bit.
"Stop that!" Alex snorted with rage.
"Awwww, and what about me just doing it once more?" He pushed him back once again, this time more violently. Something exploded in Alex. Usually he was not the violent guy, but it was just enough and years of bottling his rage up inside himself, it vented all at once. Certainly Carter had reckoned on resistance, but the fist, that slammed into his face all of a sudden, made him reel back nevertheless. His head flew back and he felt blood spraying out of his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, staring at it. "You're so dead, man!!" He pounced on him and threw him to the ground. Without thinking, he started bashing him. He'd show him, he'd make a stretcher case out of that little loser. It was all Alex' fault, that shit-awful life they were leading, constantly being fleeing from something, which would catch up with them sooner or later and do them in. Though Carter was superior to him concerning strength, Alex somehow managed to shove him away and get back on his feet again. Blood was running from his nose and mouth, covering his shirt, but he didn't care about it. His breath panting and he felt as if he there was not nearly sufficient oxygen reaching his lungs. As hard as he could he could he kicked his ribs, thereupon flooring him with a scream of pain, but falling, he grabbed for Alex' leg, knocking him over as well. Full of hate they hit out at each other. Alex felt his forces gradually fade; he wouldn't prevent his opponent overlong from thrashing him into nirvana. He had to get back on his feet again somehow. Carter, in the meantime being quite shattered himself, tried to get his breath back for a moment. Alex took advantage of the seconds of inattentiveness, pushed him away and got up shakily. There was no space on his body that didn't hurt. He coughed and felt and felt a lot of blood running out of his mouth, but he had no time to worry about it, for he wasn't prepared for Carter's tenacity, who jumped up only a few seconds later, ramming his shoulder into his stomach with full force. Alex was careening into some easy chairs and a table in front of the sliding door that led to balcony. He felt the hard crack as his head hit the massive wood of the tabletop and blacked out.
Motionless Carter stood in the middle of the room. Only his thorax lifted and lowered under his heavy gasps. He looked down on his shirt; one couldn't tell what was predominant: the rips or the bloodstains. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Alex, who didn't appear to be a big threat to him momentarily. "Get up", he said coldly. No reaction. "Browning, I said get up!" Reluctantly he made some steps toward him and looked down on him sceptically. Man, he really had done a good job: Alex' shirt approximately resembled his own, only his face looked worse, which at least he assumed, since he couldn't judge it correctly that way. Without letting him out of sight, he went backwards to the mirror in the corridor, staring into it wordless. Perhaps his comparison was a bit misleading. He shot an angry glance towards the balcony door and went back. "Okay, you had your show. I won't repeat it once more, Browning!" But again his threat had no effect. His toe bumped into the boy's leg. One more time. But Alex' eyes remained closed, and he did not move in the least. "I'm warning you, man", he grumbled menacingly, as he, prepared for an attack each moment, bent down to him, struggling for breath, as a sharp pain shot through his leg. He shifted his weight, until it diminished. Unwillingly he shook him by the shoulder. He was still far too furious to be worried in the slightest, but that thing started to seem suspiciously to him. "For fuck's sake, Browning, stop that, will ya?!" He turned Alex head towards himself. It was like a short flashback. The blood on the floor didn't only come from the ruptured lips, the damaged nose nor the various scratches. He looked at the pool of blood under his head.
"Browning?"
He tried to ignore the feeling. He didn't need to get nervous because that wimp was a tiny bit hurt. They weren't friends, after all Alex had said that out loud. Automatically his fingers felt Alex' neck for a pulse, unable to locate any. He took his wrist, nothing, then he held his own back of his hand close to Alex mouth and nose, but he didn't sense anything; no breath, no heartbeat, absolutely nothing. His chest didn't lift or lower a millimetre.
****
"C'mon Alex. stop that fucking shit!" An inner voice told him, that Alex' breathing and pulse frequency actually had to be similar to a steam engine's, and had just leant forward to lay his head onto his chest, as he heard a low noise.
"Booh", Alex whispered and opened his eyes. Carter jerked back and stared at him. Alex got up, clenching his teeth, and tried to ignore the rising dizziness. His fingers felt the back of his head and he watched the blood on his hand, as Carter continued to stare at him quite dumbfounded. His nose twitching. "You fucking little shithead!" he gasped out, gritting his teeth, close to go for him again. Alex looked at him up from below, calmly, but it had somewhat lurking.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Carter's voice could hardly be heard. His opponent slowly raised his head. He had never seen him like that. He hadn't known how cold Alex could be. His blue eyes, that were usually so gentle, had got the colour of glacial ice. "Or else?"
"Else, next time I'm really gonna break your neck", he replied in such a casual tone, as if talking about the weather.
"Yeah?" Alex asked with an icy smile and got up, without averting the look.
Though one wouldn't notice it, Carter was confused by his behaviour. That wasn't that little high school loser Browning he knew. Though it went against the grain to admit it; something odd was radiating from him. He wasn't sure, whether it was dangerous. And for the first time in his life he stopped voluntarily, thoughtfully staring at the bathroom door that had closed behind Alex.
****
"Why didn't you have any pulse?" Carter asked.
"Maybe you're just too unable to take it. You don't use your thumb for it. Didn't you pay attention in first-aid-course? Oh no, wait, you were always so busy with practising your own private little mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
They were sitting in the corridor of the hospital, waiting for the nurse, to get them some painkillers out of the medicine chamber.
"Chic dressing, Browning, suits you excellently. Underlines your idiot image."
Clear and Liz exchanged astonished glances. Carter didn't react to the comment on Terry in the least. Superficially everything was the way it always had been; both of them hurling kind words at each other.
"So why don't you wear it then?"
But something wasn't right. Almost like an armistice, that could turn into chaos every minute. During the way to the hospital both of them had been silent and they couldn't find out from them, what their argument had been about. The atmosphere remained odd. As if the brawl had clarified the position. In a disturbing way.
