He wanted to go with the Harley; yet with all the stuff that he stole from this place -- he'd have to stick with the S.U.V. Stacks of suits, raw meat (found in a small cooler no less) and ten thousand dollars in cash (found in a nice small suitcase) were packed into the back seat.
He smirked as he picked up all of these items while not watching where he was going. He could've stepped on some bodies or that crunch could've been something else.
Now he was driving in a silent S.U.V. In the passenger seat, the ghost of Jubilee sat staring at the dashboard -- not saying a word. He smiled as he recalled the argument right after he announced he was taking the kid home.
+ + +
He went through piles and piles of crap as he searched the offices. The specter showed up in front of him with a unpleasant look. He must've hit a nerve.
"He ain't got a chance where he's at," She practically got in his face about it, flailing her hands in the air. She tried to grasp at straws that became brittle, "his father let that N.A.M.B.L.A guy take his son."
"And ya think I'm a better, the kid almost died tonight," He knew what direction that Jubilee would try to put him in. Trying not to smirk, he gave his full attention to the apparition.
"I was there for him --" the trap has snapped.
"Yeah, ya were there fer him, but where was I, hangin' by threads," He pointed to his arms and legs.
"But I --"
"Ya know what Jubilee, I think yer right," he obviously tapped his chin, "I coulda done anythin' 'cause yer too busy with the brat." This was an undeniable truth. He would risk losing a way to get rid of her; but he got a feeling that things weren't what they seem with that boy.
Jubilee faded into the floor. All he could do is grin from ear to ear.
+ + +
Looking at his mirrors, he smirked as he noticed another sullen form. The youthful feral could only stare at the ground.
"Yer buckle ain't on boy," he growled at the boy. He enjoyed the scent of fear that came with his subtle intimidation.
The boy buckled up automatically, not moving his gaze. The boy's action reminded him of when he talked to the boy -- one and one.
+ + +
"Uncle 'Tooth," the boy walked behind Creed, "I don't want to go home!" The kid had the audacity to confront him.
After talking to Jubilee, Creed thought she would go to the boy, but she wasn't around. He had to make this quick.
He picked up the boy and slammed him against a wall, "Don't sass me boy."
The boy squirmed under his grip. Oh how he wished he could gut this poor excuse of a feral from belly to chin, but that'd be too much of a hassle to deal with, "I don't like ya boy, Hell, I hate ya." The boy tried to breath but only whimpered.
"Suddenly ya appear out of the middle of the blue, able ta see my ghost -- then ya lead me ta this place ta get captured! Now ain't that convenient," Creed connected the pieces. Usually, any regular folk would either do one of two things: they'd tell him the truth cause they aren't stupid or they'd try to lie their way out -- and his senses would detect that -- and he'd "coerce" for the truth. The boy stood frozen, shaking within his grasp.
"C'mon boy say somethin'," he yelled at the boy, teeth bared. The boy wasn't sent to kill him -- he knew the truth. He might as well instill a little life lesson before he'd send the boy on his way.
"Yer Auntie Lee ain't here ta protect ya, and if she didn't," he popped out a claw, "and if she wasn't here ya reward would've been a one-way ticket that ain't yer home boy," Iggy's face started to turn blue. He knew if he held him there a couple more minutes, the boy wouldn't be breathing; but that would go against his plan.
He dropped the boy as Jubilee entered from the floor.
"Iggy what happened?" she asked as she floated towards the gasping boy.
"He choked on some meat that's all," Creed answered for the boy. Jubilee just glared at him, turning her attention to Iggy.
"Is this true?" her concerned voice asked the composed feral. Iggy made eye contact with him -- who was he not to make sure he got the point?
"Auntie Lee, I need to go home," he replied as he left the room with her. All Creed could do is smile.
+ + +
In the S.U.V, he got the directions to Iggy's house. That was about twenty minutes ago, and from what Iggy told him, it'd be another twenty.
"Hate the silence," he muttered loud enough for both of them to hear. He turned on the radio, pacing through all the crap -- he found the perfect station.
"Ya like the man in black kid?" his arrogance pointed out with every word.
The car hummed with "A Boy Named Sue," as he kept driving as the boy didn't look up or say a word.
Sneering he focused on the road, the boy would be be "rewarded" for the humiliation he went through soon.
After some time, they got closer to Iggy's home. He saw the house in the distance between dying trees and the night sky. As the sound of the radio filled the air of the S.U.V. he knew that without it on, silence would take all three forms. The huge car pulled up to gravel filled driveway.
The directions he got were accurate, yet he didn't expect it to be in the middle of nowhere. He had to go off-road for most of the trip and he didn't mind that. He smiled when he heard a thud then squealing whenever he drove over a particular part -- there were no objections from his passengers.
"Yer stop kid," he didn't look behind him. He heard a door open and close. He saw the specter get out of the seat and phase through the door, "where da ya think yer goin'."
"Can't a girl say her goodbye's," she gave him a weak smile as she walked with the youthful feral to the door. He huffed as he crossed his arms. He didn't want her to go, but what could he do. She wasted valuable time for him to get rid of her and since he let this lead go -- the sooner he found another one -- the better.
He looked to his side as the boy approached the door. The timid little knock as the door opened. Even from this distance Creed could smell the whisky, he growled a little -- the same crap that his father drank.
A pair of arms pulled in the boy and slammed the door. So that was it. He turned on the engine and put the gear to drive. Where was that specter anyway? He looked back at the door; she wasn't near the dimly lit porch.
He tapped his claws on the dash. How long would he have to wait? All the girl had to do is say goodbye. He didn't want to get up and get her. That'd be wasting energy he could use to drive.
A crash of glass shattered his thoughts. He smelled the whisky in the air. He took another whiff -- blood, and it smelled of Iggy. He didn't care. He turned off the engine and closed his eyes. It'd be a while till Jubilee came out.
A yelp and a thud echoed in his head. He looked at the house. A dreary place with broken windows and bent frames reminded him of something he'd rather not remember. His couldn't tear his gaze from the place. This atrocity made him remember.
A voice, her voice, screamed at the boy to run -- to do anything. Her screams like those of years gone by. He didn't care -- he shouldn't care. She represented his "conscious" part of him that he killed a long time ago. He wanted to leave her behind. He looked around, why was he out of the S.U.V?
Time moved slowly now, a small body flew out of the front of the house, glass shattering everywhere. He recognized the slash marks on the front and back of the body and the tears the streamed out as the hard thud engrained into his mind.
The bloody and battered form slowly got up to his feet. With each step, Creed only heard a snap -- glass breaking on bare feet.
Snap
"I'm sorry..."
Snap
"Father..."
Snap
"It's my fault,"
He heard the small form whimper out those words.
Snap
The boy kept going towards the door, having barely enough strength to push it as he fell to the floor. Creed hesitantly followed the boy inside to see a man rushing towards the boy with a broken whisky bottle. He took a close look at the man -- it was his father!
Snap
A man he didn't recognize fell from his hands. He looked down to see an unconscious Iggy and to the left of him was the specter that could only look in awe.