The trip to the hospital did not go well for Angel and Vaggie. The wait was long, they were surrounded by people who were either diseased or hypochondriacs, and Angel was being difficult when the doctor looked in on him. On the plus side, Angel only had a few bumps on his noggin. Nothing serious. On the way back, Vaggie tired to help him remember what exactly gave those bumps to his noggin.
"I'm telling you I don't remember." Angel said. "I was out on the boardwalk and then bam! I got hit and everything turned black. I guess I was mugged or something."
"Was anything stolen?"
"No. I still had my wallet and everything."
"That's weird. You were attacked by a mugger but he didn't steal anything?"
"Maybe he got scared off by a cop before he could pick me clean."
"No because a cop would have brought you to the hospital."
"Maybe he was scared off by someone who he thought was a cop. Drug addicts get spooked by their own shadow."
"If it was a drug addict. If it wasn't even an attempted robbery. Which I don't think it was."
"Well what do you think it is?"
"I don't know Angel but something is off about this place. Ever since we've arrived here I've had this uneasy feeling that we shouldn't be here."
"No offense but I've heard that line countless times."
"Angel you can't deny that this town is not normal."
"Well yeah but I'm from Brooklyn, you think that place was normal?"
"What I mean is, this town is not just another smalltown. It's hiding something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Maybe a secret sex trafficking ring or drug smuggling?"
"I don't think so toots. I'm familiar with both and this place isn't exhibiting any of the signs."
"What signs?"
"Well for starters, if this was a drug operation we would have at least found something by now. Like maybe cocaine powder stains, a smell of weed, someone walking around high, I haven't seen any of that in the house or at the boardwalk."
"Sex trafficking then?"
"Nah, Al is no pimp. Though I think he looks like one in a certain light."
"How do you know?"
"Remember the night we met him and you told him that you were a female boxer?"
"Yeah and he didn't approve. Thought I was too weak, trying to put in my head that I'm not strong. Just like a pimp."
"No you have that mixed up with domestic abusers."
"What's the difference?"
"Domestic abusers target one person at a time. They keep them private, keep them away from other people, use a traditional form of manipulation. They get their victims thinking that they're too weak to make it out there without their abuser. That they can't hold down a job or a career. Pimps prey on more than one target at the same time and they use a modern form of manipulation."
"Modern form?"
"They don't want you to catch on that you're basically their property so they try to keep you thinking that you're the one in control. That you chose to work for him. Smiles says he can't bear to see a woman exposed to violence. Now if he was a pimp, he wouldn't have said that because plenty of customers who deal in that like it rough. If he was a pimp he would have prepared you for the violence ahead. Played up how strong you are and say things like 'you could probably take anything anyone throws at ya.' You know, try to convince you that being a prostitue isn't so bad because your tough enough to take it."
"How do you know all this?"
"As I said I'm familiar with both operations and I just don't think our host is involved with either. He's too discreet. Sex and drugs would attract too much attention and he wants to avoid that. But you're not completely wrong, I do think somebody is up to something. I just don't have any idea of who's up to what yet."
"Part of me is starting to think leaving Charlie to go out with that creep was a bad idea."
"You don't give her enough credit babe. She's smarter than ya think."
"I'm not saying that she isn't smart, she's just...She doesen't know how dark the world can be."
"Because she grew up in the Ritz?"
"Well...Yes. She didn't grow up on the streets like we did. She lived a completely sheltered life."
"I get what you're saying but sheltered doesn't mean she's going to get herself killed. Don't forget, her father's a ruthless business man. She's probably had a few lessons on scum. You need to not worry so much."
"Excuse me for trying to look out for my friend."
"Look out for your friend or be her mother?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Again no offense, but you do tend to treat Charlie like she's a kid. Same with me. There were moments where I couldn't tell the difference between you and my mom. Ugh, now that's a scary thought."
"I'm not trying to be anyone's mother."
"I know you don't mean to but you are and no one wants a friend who's contantly doubting them and fussing over them. That's what parents are for. Charlie's do it especially."
"I just don't want her to end up snatched by some murderous pervert. You know those type of sickos are everywhere."
"Yes and so does she. That's your problem, you don't trust people. You're always looking for the worst in them, you never give them time to explain, and you draw your own conclusions. Then you make mistakes because you didn't give your brain room to consider that maybe you're wrong."
"Are you talking about Charlie or you?"
"Don't make this about me."
"I think that's what you were trying to do."
"I was not."
"Good because I know I didn't make a mistake about that. I know what I saw that night."
"Do you really?"
"Well if I did make a mistake, why not correct me, huh? Explain yourself."
Angel got mad.
"Like you would let me explain. You didn't let me explain back then, why should I believe you'd do it now?"
"Ugh! This is stupid! We already settled this matter years ago! Can we please focus on the issues happening in the present?"
"Seems to me that your issues are still present."
"I'm warning you Angel, push me too far and you'll find yourself getting sent right back to that hospital."
"Whatever."
Angel huffed and turned to look out the window of the passenger seat. As he watched the vehicle go up the road, he caught sight of someone walking on the sidewalk. Someone that triggered a memory from last night.
"Holy shit! Dead man walkin!" He gasped.
"What?!" Vaggie cried, almost startled into steering the car off the road. "Don't shout like that! Are you trying to get us killed?!"
But Angel could barely hear what she was saying. At the moment he was in complete shock and disbelief at what he had just seen. When he saw the man on the sidewalk, it brought back the last memory he had before he was knocked out. It was the very same man he had seen get attacked in that alleyway. The one who looked like he had one foot in the grave and was then dragged off to be killed by God knows what.
But today, he was not only alive but he looked healthy. Instead of being terribly scrawny and decayed looking, he looked well fed and had some color in his cheeks. Not to mention his body was completely cleared of bruises, cuts, scratches, scars, or any other form of injury marks. Yet, how was that even possible?
"Angel?" Vaggie called when she noticed the confused and slightly spooked expression on his face. "Angel? Earth to Angel? Are you okay?"
"Vaggie when that doctor looked me over, he didn't mention finding any drugs in my system did he?"
"Shockingly no. You were clean. Why do you ask?"
"Because I don't know any other logical explanation for what I just saw."
"What are you talking about?"
"Vaggie I just remembered something from last night. Before I went down for the count, I saw someone getting attacked an alleyway. A man. This guy was hideously unhealthy, looked like he had been completely drained of life or something. If he lived, he would definitely be in the hospital for weeks. But just now, I saw that man on the sidewalk and he looked like he had never been injured in his life."
"Are you sure it was the same man?"
"Positive. Now I never went to medical school but I'm pretty sure you can't look like a decaying corpse one day and then look healthy as a horse the next day. Tell me, I'm wrong."
"Maybe he didn't actually look healthy as a horse." She suggested. "Maybe you just didn't get a good look at him."
"It was good enough for me to see that he didn't have so much as a scrape and I know I saw him getting roughly dragged across pavement. In shorts! That had to have left a mark!"
"It's probably not the same guy."
"I never forget a face Vaggie. It was the same guy."
"You forgot all of what happened last night until now. You're recovering from a slight head injury. Your memory is probably not going to be that great for awhile."
Yet Angel couldn't believe that the man he saw on the sidewalk was someone else. He was willing to bet every Penny that he had saved that the man he saw in the alley last night and the man he just saw now, were one in the same. But now came the real brain teaser, if it was the same guy then how did he end up looking so healthy after nearly dying the night before?