Chapter 30
Jack's Arrest
Lock, Shock, and Barrel were hiding behind crates, spying on Sydney and Jack.
"I can't tell you about the nightmare," Jack was saying to Sydney, "because there's too much detail. It would just be a lot easier if I showed it to you."
Jack placed his hand on Sydney's head. A flash of red light under his palm indicated that they had entered the nightmare.
"Sooooo…" Lock began, "how long do you think they'll be at it for?"
Like a bomb, Jack and Sydney were flung back several feet through the air in opposite directions by a blazing red orb. They both landed hard, sliding against the dirt road. Lock, Shock, and Barrel stared in awe as the red orb took a bolder sized form and rocketed into the sky. It flew into the clouds, disappearing into nature's white fluff.
"Duuuuuuudddde," Barrel breathed.
"Look," Shock pointed to Sydney and Jack's still bodies, "Now's the perfect time for the meeting."
"The what?" asked Lock.
"The meeting," Shock reminded him, "that Shadow wanted between us and Sydney. She said that she had something for her."
Lock pointed over to Jack, "Now we just have to get rid of old bones over there."
"Got any ideas?" Barrel asked.
"Just one," Lock said.
He rushed out to the street where the crowd was still huddled around the blonde pilgrim woman. She was conscious now, standing dazed while she held her forehead.
Lock ran into the middle of the street, "Hey!" He yelled to the crowd, "The hit and run guy's over here! He's drunk and unconscious, so we can kick him!"
The mob of concern suddenly became the mob of insane anger as the people left the blonde woman alone in the street, and ran past Lock into the ally.
Jack's body was sprawled before them on his stomach. Sydney was flat on her stomach too, a few feet further away.
"Is this the culprit?" an Indian asked.
A big, intimidating man at the front of the mob examined Jack's frail body for a moment. He had made his conclusion, "Sure, why not?"
That was good enough for them. The crowd yelled insults and kicked Jack while he was down, even though he wasn't fully awake. The men picked up Jack on their shoulders, and then the mob made a quick exist. It was all over just as Sydney woke up.
"Jack…Jack?" her voice was cracked. With effort and some pain, Sydney struggled to her feet. All was quite. Not even the wind blew. There was no noise except for the sound of Sydney's heavy breathing…and footsteps. Someone was calmly approaching the ally.
"Jack?" Sydney called to the source of the noise.
Louder and louder the footsteps became. They rounded the corner off the street and into the ally. It was a woman, her arms swinging gently by her sides as her long legs took seductive strides in Sydney's direction. Her smile was big with lowered eyebrows, making her expression sinister. She was the blonde pilgrim woman Jack had hit a few minutes ago.
"Sydney…" the woman spoke while walking. A sudden green flame engulfed her entire body, and then magically extinguished seconds later. Unharmed by the heatless fire, the pilgrim was gone. Now, the lady was dressed in a skimpy black leather bikini, thigh-high black leather boots, black leather gloves that extended to her elbows with the finger slots cut off, and a blood red jewel fastening the breast cups of her bikini. She was some kind of sexy demon with big, bat-like wings, and two small black horns protruding from the top of her wavy, waist-length, raven hair. Her skin was unfittingly pale for such a dark themed creature.
The demon stopped three feet in front of Sydney, hip popped to the side with her hands planted on them, "…we need to talk."