Chapter 22. "Red Heat"
A few years ago
Neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean
In the middle of the raging ocean, a lonely girl with curly brown hair walked along the side of the sinking ship, holding the body of a woman in a white medical gown stained with blood. She slowly sat down at the water's edge, bent down, pushed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her creator on the forehead. She cradled the body in her arms, unable to part with it. Carefully lowering the body into the water, she released it, and it slowly sank into the bottomless depths of the ocean.
- "My dear Tatiana..."
When she got up to leave, she noticed a photo that had fallen out of the pocket of her robe and picked it up. It depicted two people. Her dear Tatiana, and next to her is a tall smiling man with graying hair and a strange pattern on his neck. She folded the photo carefully and put it in the pocket
of her army jumpsuit. Everything will be underwater soon. She sat cross-legged in the lotus position and waited. After all, she is a mermaid, and water is her element.
West Virginia, 20 minutes to hour X.
- "Have they come to kill us?" "They sat in a room and waited for people who were going to come to their home and cause them severe pain. Sarah sat cross-legged next to her bed and pretended nothing bad was happening. Nigel sat next to her and they watched a stupid late-night TV show.
- "Don't worry, they will come to their funeral."
Nigel took one of the remaining candy bars and opened it. - "Last night I was thinking about how you saved me... I will never forget it. Then Carroll and I stood on the street and heard screams coming from the house..."
Sarah listened to him, licking her fingers stained with chocolate: "Well, maybe I overdid it then. It's just... No one should offend the weak. This is especially true for children, I couldn't leave these freaks alive."
He hugged her tightly, making her giggle happily. She covered his hand with hers and gently ran her fingers through his hair. At that moment, Caroll entered the room and asked him to help her. When he went downstairs, he saw a large, skinned carcass on the kitchen table, which she was about to cut up for freezing.
- "My prey was on the hunt yesterday. I only got to her today. Will you help me? It's just that the others are busy..."
A press passed by with a rifle, went to the window and began to hammer it with boards. Carroll ignored him, picked up a large butcher knife and placed it in Nigel's hand. - "Come here, take a closer look... the internal structure of a pig is closest to a human one.
She led Nigel to the fresh carcass: "Here..." She put a knife in his hand and poked the tip into the side of the carcass: "...Kidneys."
"But here," she jabbed the blade higher, "into the heart." Don't hit through the sternum... You don't have the strength, the bones are thick there. Turn the knife to the side and strike at this level between the ribs. Let's try...
Nigel grabbed the handle of the knife and plunged it up to the hilt in the place where Carroll was pointing.
- "Well done... These wounds are fatal. Strike these blows only as a last resort."
She turned to him and grabbed his hand, squeezing it until it hurt. Nigel tried to pull away from her grip, but she was like steel. "What are you doing?"
"If a stranger grabs you on the street, then cut yourself below the elbow with a knife. There are arteries there. Let the bastard bleed." She looked at him expectantly.
- "Carroll, I won't cut your hand!" Nigel tried to pull away again, but she tightened her grip on his hand, and her smile turned into a smirk.
- "Then I'll break your arm!" - the pain in his arm became unbearable, and Nigel no longer felt it, then he shouted: "Leave me alone!"
Slashing her hand with the knife, he finally broke free from her grip. Blood gushed from the severed arteries and veins to the floor, but the wound quickly healed, and there was no trace of the cut. The click of the shutter made Nigel look at Press, who was aiming at Carroll's head.
- "Let the guy go!" The press took a couple of steps towards her. "You're completely crazy!" Carroll raised her hands and turned to him, "I'm sorry... I just wanted to teach the guy how to protect himself. Sometimes it's necessary..."
"You're a murderer! And you decided to make a monster out of a child!" - The press lowered the rifle and looked at her with hatred: "And yet I was right..."
Carroll laughed, picked up a knife and began butchering the pig carcass: "Who's telling me this? The mercenary who burned children with a flamethrower? And... what I said about the weapon."
The press wanted to approach her, but restrained himself, realizing that now was not the time for internal squabbles: "Yes, it was a mistake! But don't pretend to be an angel, you're just as guilty as I am."
Carroll grabbed the knife with all her might and threw it towards the press, it flew a centimeter over his head and firmly stuck into the wooden board. - I paid for everything! So shut your dirty mouth!
Nigel was still looking at the bloody knife in his hands and at the bloody palms. Carroll noticed this, took a stack of paper towels, sat down in front of him and began carefully wiping the blood from his hands. "I'm really sorry. These are hard times... And I don't want you to be weak. Not all people are kind, there are complete bastards who will want to make you feel bad. And in times like these, it's important to let them know that you're not easy prey, that you're also a predator and can eat them."
At that moment, the last preparations were being completed in the garage. After loading everything he needed into the truck, Paul leaned against the open trunk and thought. Dean walked up to him and pulled out the gun that Sarah had given him after the last night they finally spent together.
- "Have you heard this song?" Paul looked at him, waiting for an answer.
Dean checked the cartridges. - "What? What song?"
Paul - "There, in the clearing... I heard the song. Such sorrow, sadness. She's so hurt and lonely. It's similar to what Carroll went through."
Dean was standing next to him and looked confused, "Dude, I didn't hear anything. Are you sure?"
Paul - "Yes! I heard it with my own ears!"
Still trying not to smile, Dean stood in front of him, "Hey, don't be nervous. Let's face it, it was a lot of fun with that bag of weed. Was it an auditory hallucination?
Paul - "I don't know... But it was as if I heard her voice from the depths."
Dean - "Depth?"
Paul - "It was like I was somewhere underwater in the ocean and I heard it."
Dean clutched his head, trying to digest everything his friend had said to him - "Listen. I suggest giving up weed. Sarah was bothering me about it too."
Paul laughed and decided to check again if they had everything in the Hummer-"Oh yes. I heard sounds from your room. She decided to take full advantage of you."
Rolling his eyes, Dean left - "Shut up!" Although I didn't mind at the time."
Ten minutes later, a gray van pulled up to the house, from which six heavily armed men ran out and lined up, pointing their weapons. Two entered through the garage, the others through the main entrance.
- "Hands, quickly! So that I can see! Raise your damn hands!" — the face was not visible under the mask, but the voice was young. No older than 35 years old. The man pointed his Ithaca37 at the head of a brunette with short curly hair, who was cutting meat in the kitchen and did not seem to expect this visit. Raising her hands, she walked out from behind the counter.
Shouts came from the garage: "Dean Ashland is here!" He's here."
The leader of the mercenary gang, a tall and muscular blond man with stubble and tattoos on his arms, armed with a PLR-16 assault rifle, approached the woman and took aim. "Where's the other bitch?!". The woman looked at the short machine gun in his hands and laughed: "Shorty? The trunk is gone. Or have you already chosen your size?
A strong blow made her turn away and press her hand to her cheek-"Shut up, bitch! Where's the other one? Speak up and we'll leave! Search the second floor!
Carroll slowly turned her gaze to the drops of blood running down her cheek: "You're going to pay for this!"
Grabbing a knife, she cut the leader's arm and plunged the blade into his neck, leaving him bleeding on the floor. At that moment, the closet door swung open, and Press fired a long burst from his rifle, killing the second bandit. Running up to the garage, he kicked open the door and shot several times at two mercenaries standing outside the door. Paul jumped up and attacked the second one, breaking his neck. When he saw the Press, he took a fighting stance and released his claws.
"Hey, kid, be careful." He heard only a low growl in response. Dean was nearby and had already taken the G3 rifle from one of the corpses. There are two more on the second floor.
Nigel and Sarah were still sitting on the floor in front of the TV when one of the mercenaries burst through the door, holding them at gunpoint with an AK-47 assault rifle without a butt - "If you take another step, you will die! Nigel, close your eyes."
Sarah covered him with herself, and her hands began to slowly transform and release claws. The mercenary retreated to the wall-"Who are you? What are you?"
The roar of the machine gun filled the house with the sounds of gunfire again, but then subsided. A blow from the claws tore off the hand holding the machine gun. And the second blow tore his throat.
- "Hold the deuce, you idiot!" Sarah, like a boxer in the ring, clenched her fists and froze in a stance, watching her defeated opponent fall to the floor.
- "Is everyone alive? Do you need help?" - The journalists looked into the room and saw what Sarah had done to her enemy. - "Oh my God! I'll never get used to it."
Gathering below, they dragged off the bodies of the mercenaries, and Carroll spat viciously at them, leaning her hands on the table. It seemed that everything was over. There was even a slight disappointment. She thought they'd send someone cooler than a squad of morons with homemade guns. Eva stood next to him and wiped her hands - "Is that all? Don't they have any power over us anymore?"
Sarah clenched her fists: "I think they didn't count on resistance."
There was a growing rumble outside. The headlights of dozens of cars surrounding the house fell on the windows. The bullet shattered the glass of one of the unclosed windows and hit Eva in the forehead. In the next second, hundreds of bullets turned the entire ground floor of the house into a sieve. The machine guns of the first two Humvees from the column of armored special forces vehicles opened fire.
Carroll grabbed the press and threw it on the floor, hiding behind herself. Paul covered Dean with himself and pushed him under the car. Eva, caught in a hail of bullets of various calibers, took them on herself, and splashes of her blood covered her clothes, floor and walls.
The explosion shattered part of the front wall of the house and covered them all with shards of boards.
Eve began the transformation process by releasing her beast, and her clothes turned into rags. A row of sharp spikes protruded from her back, and her hair was darkened and tangled in bunches of dreadlocks. The pupils blinked vertically, and her eyes turned into vertical slits emitting a light blue glow. Her fingers with thin nails lengthened into sharp claws, her chest was covered with armor, and now all the bullets were just an empty place for her. Her body was fully adapted and could withstand any lead overdose.
Sarah saw Nigel on the stairs and rushed to him. Her back was already torn apart by a burst of armor-piercing bullets. She grabbed him under her arm and ran down the corridor as if on a runway, picking up speed, and jumped out of a window on the second floor. After making a long, lingering jump, she landed on her feet and ran towards the forest. Screams, explosions and gunfire were heard from behind. Nigel was held tightly by an armoured arm with sharp blades on his shoulders and elbows. He could hear her threatening heavy breathing. The speed was very high. It was like he was driving a race car without a helmet. Finally she stopped and let him go. It was the first time Nigel had seen her like this, and to put it mildly, he was clearly in shock. In front of him stood an alien that looked like a biorobot. She looked into his eyes, and they seemed to her like bright lanterns in the middle of the night forest. Nigel took a step towards her, but she held out her clawed hand to him.
Sarah – "Run..."
Her voice didn't sound human. A brutal, rough bass, in which it was difficult to make out the word. It was more like a set of sounds in which one could guess the motive.
Nigel shook his head - "Where to? There's a forest here. I'm not leaving you."
He tried to run up to her again, but she jumped back and put out her hands. Her body began to take its usual shape, and she could speak with her voice.
Sarah – "Run as far as you can. Remember how we walked in the woods, I taught you how to make a fire and what you can eat. I'm sure you'll succeed. I'll find you, I promise!"
Nigel covered his face with his hands - "Are you... are you leaving me? Why? You can't do that either! I want to stay with you."
Sarah closed her eyes, and he saw that it was hard for her now, too. There was a roar from behind and the screams intensified. "Find them!" A squad of soldiers was already nearby. A shadow flickered between the trees. Several bullets knocked out pieces of tree bark above his head. Sarah changed her appearance and rushed at the soldier, tearing him to shreds. Nigel covered his eyes with his hands as he watched her tear off limbs and tear apart the torso, scattering entrails everywhere. The rest of the soldiers began to retreat in panic after seeing this picture. Someone started hysterically calling for reinforcements on the radio.
- "Sarah?" - his voice trembled.
She turned around when she heard his voice and moved forward menacingly. Nigel took a few steps back, sensing that she was not in a peaceful mood.
- "Sarah?! It's me, Nigel!" - he tried to take a step towards her, but she took a stance and hissed. Then he was deafened by a furious scream. Turning around in horror, he ran away hearing her chasing him. Several times it seemed to him that her claws were about to tear him apart. Tears poured down like hail, it seemed that the end of his suffering had come. Let her kill him and it would be over. He ran until his strength ran out. Falling down and feeling his heart ready to burst from his chest, he turned around to meet her face to face. But there was no one. An empty forest. Absolute silence reigned. Only the echoes of battle could be heard in the distance. After catching his breath, he began to pound the ground with his hands. "She betrayed me! I became just food for her. Why did she do this to me? I thought I had become a friend. What a jerk I am." Wiping the moisture from his eyes with his sleeve, he got up and continued to run on.
When the boy's back disappeared behind the trees, she looked after him. "I'm sorry… It's necessary…You have to live." Putting aside all thoughts, she returned to the battlefield. The house was almost burned down and flames were everywhere. Had to hurry. Her mother was fighting a lot of people and she needs help. Rushing into the thick of the battle, she used all her strength, released all her inhuman anger, she tore them, bit them with her teeth, cut with her blades. She was like a living meat grinder, none of these people, evil and cruel, who came to destroy their world, their family. No one will leave here alive. Now it is her will, her law. She's passing a death sentence on them all!
A few years ago
Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
One of the old fish markets in Yokosuka was quite noisy. Crowds of townspeople, fishermen from villages, ordinary workers and tourists scurried back and forth and constantly got in the way. Nikolai and a couple of his assistants made their way through the crowd to their destination - a small shop on the outskirts of the market. Alexey is a tall and strong man dressed in an expensive suit and coat, a representative of the Russian embassy in Tokyo, and Mickey is their Japanese attache and friend, a man of medium height, with a short beard and stubble, with dark skin and tenacious eyes. He was aware of everything that was happening on the islands, and no important information passed him by.
They knew about the tragedy at sea that happened a couple of months ago. Nikolai was only able to get rid of his affairs now and flew to Japan to personally sort everything out. He didn't believe in these tales of storms and tsunamis. It was all nonsense to hide the truth. Mickey had information that a couple of fishermen had caught something strange in the sea. There was no exact data, but they managed to identify these fishermen. I had to pay a round sum to get them to agree to meet and talk. The store was empty and cool. An elderly man saw them enter and immediately hurried to close the doors. He invited them to sit down and put small cups under the sake.
- "Thank you... I don't drink at work." Nikolai pushed the glass away from him and offered to get right to the point.
Mickey acted as an interpreter, and after the old sailor finished his story, he thanked him and turned to the others to tell them what had happened. "He says there was no fish that day. Generally. They wanted to swim away when a human body got caught in the net. He was terribly disfigured, he was wearing black clothes and an unmarked mask. They just cut off the net and sailed away. They don't need problems with the law, because they fish illegally."
Nikolai listened to the story, took out the other half of the amount and put the money on the table: "Tell him thank you. And ask, where exactly did they find the body?"
Mickey translated Nikolai's question, and the man quickly hid the money and showed on the map where it happened. When they went outside, Nikolai lit a cigarette, and Alexei approached him - "You're thinking... Did they attack the ship?"
He shrugged and walked back to the parking lot at the entrance to the market, where they had left their car. -"I don't know... Black uniform. I've heard that the Navy Seals can use it to conduct covert operations. It's a pity that we can't swim to the crash site and dive in to see everything with our own eyes."
Mickey caught up with them near the parking lot and got behind the wheel. - "It's a pity that there is so little information... I'm sorry, Kolya."
Nikolai slapped him on the shoulder and threw the cigarette out the window. Their next stop was a small village. The story that happened there seemed completely incredible. About a week after the tragedy, a girl washed ashore near this village. She was found by a local fisherman, who at first thought she was dead. But the girl quickly came to her senses and went on as if nothing had happened. She was wearing torn clothes, and kind people offered to help her, thinking that she was just crazy or something had happened to her. The girl was given shelter, clothes and food. She lived in the fisherman's house for a couple of days and learned to speak the local dialect. There wasn't much she could say about what had happened to her. Then something very strange happened. A local gang came to the house of this fisherman, to whom he owed money. They wanted to kill the old man or beat the money out of him. They're just complete bastards. But, according to the fisherman himself, the girl literally tore these bandits apart. All that was left of them were bloody scraps. After that incident, she just left. And the locals began to worship the sea goddess Ningyo. They mistook this girl for a local deity.
Nikolai managed to take a short nap while they were getting to the village.
A dozen fishing huts, boats standing on the shore - that's the whole settlement. Nikolai walked along the sandbank to the place where there was a small altar made of burnt logs and bricks. There were several candles burning on it. Hieroglyphs were carved on the bricks. Apparently, this is the place where the sea threw the girl. She is worshipped here now.
The old man invited them to his modest house, and Mickey began to listen attentively to his confused and emotional story. After a while, he began to translate everything the old man said to them.
"...They came to kill him. He promised that he would give them the money when he had a catch. It wasn't his fault that all the fish seemed to have gone to another sea. But when they were preparing to chop off his hand, a girl entered the hut and, seeing what was happening, released long tentacles like octopus tentacles from her hands and tore these bandits apart."
The old man showed them the scar from the bandit's knife on his arm. Nikolai listened attentively to his stories and asked Mickey to translate his question - "This girl... What does she look like?"
Mickey said a few words in Japanese, and the old man, actively gesticulating, began to describe to them the appearance of a mysterious stranger. – "Very beautiful, young, doesn't look like a Japanese woman. A foreigner. Brown curly hair, a slightly swarthy face and slightly narrowed eyes. At first, she spoke the same language as you. But then she started talking just like us."
Nikolai stopped Mickey and, squinting, asked - "Stop! Did she speak Russian? Has he heard this language before?"
The old man listened to the question and again actively began to explain to them, his story was accompanied by Mickey's translation - "She hardly spoke. At first we thought she was mute. She said she sailed from the center of the ocean. She told me that she was born on a big ship."
Nikolai was impatient, and he sat down on a chair next to the old man - "What did she say in Russian? What are these words? Do you remember anything at all?" He looked at his friend. - "Mickey translate for him."
The fisherman tries to pronounce words he does not understand in another language - "Море... Гореть... Корабль... Кровь...Плохие... Татьяна..." ("The sea... To burn... Ship... Blood...The bad ones... Tatiana...")
In disbelief, Nikolai grabbed the old man by the shoulders. – Татьяна? Did she say "Татьяна"?
The fisherman nodded his head - "Татьяна... She was saying that word. She cried when she said it." Mickey had already translated the last sentences for him. But the old man pronounced the name "Tatiana" clearly in Russian.
Sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands, Nikolai tried to pull himself together - "Where did this girl go?"
The fisherman pointed to the rice fields in the distance.
Nikolai turned to Mickey - "Find her. Any money. She was the last person to see my daughter... Be careful with her."
On this foggy evening, the marina was empty. From this pier, the ships had a magnificent view of the US Navy base, which was located in this city. Alexey approached his friend, who was standing on the pier and looking in the direction where two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were visible on the starboard side, and the tops of the masts with antennas and flagpoles were perfectly visible.
Nikolai – "A wonderful evening. Do you like fishing?"
Alexey stared into Nikolai's eyes, clearly guessing why he had set up a meeting here: "Don't make mistakes. It won't bring your daughter back, and besides, we don't have confidence that this is the work of the Americans."
Turning away, he walked to the edge and looked at something in the water. Alexey ran up from behind and saw Nikolai taking the remote control out of his pocket. A small black carbon fiber boat floated out from under the pier. Alexey knew that this was one of the latest models of marine drones, and there were several hundred kilograms of explosives inside. He grabbed his friend, taking the remote control away from him: "This is a declaration of war! Did you fucking want to start World War III?"
Nikolai pressed the remote control button - "Today is July 4th. Independence Day. These bastards took my daughter from me and are rejoicing on their fucking ships. It's time to show them what the "Red Heat" is. We'll fry their asses."
Alexey took him by the hands and turned him to face him: "Listen, we've known each other for a long time. I know you're a reasonable person. I'm sorry for your grief, but we don't know exactly who did it. Even if it was the United States, we must punish those responsible. Ordinary soldiers and sailors serve on those ships that you want to blow up. Someone's children, husbands, wives. Their families are waiting for them, they are not to blame for what happened. They just love their country and serve it. Just like us."
Putting his hands on his friend's shoulders, Nikolai tightly squeezed his fingers and stared into his eyes with his tenacious gaze. Alexey did the same – "We will find them, I promise."
Colton, Oregon
A small safe house was not far from the city. Here, according to Nikolai's assurance, you can relax and forget for a while that you are running away from everyone. In the late afternoon, Arthur finally managed to get enough sleep, and he decided to talk to Nikolai. After listening to the story of his search for his daughter, he was genuinely interested in his story and he wanted to know if they had managed to find that mysterious girl. Arthur remembered that Eva had also gone to look for her daughter. He hoped they were all right now.
Arthur - "Did you manage to find this girl?"
After finishing peeling the potatoes, Nikolai took a large saucepan and put it on the stove to warm up - "No... Mickey searched all the islands. Not a trace... As if she had sunk into the water"
Taking out his folding knife, Arthur took a place in front of a bowl of unpeeled vegetables -"Did she have a name?"
Nikolai sat down next to him - "That fisherman said that she kind of called herself Daria. I looked at the list of employees on the ship. There were several women with that name. And they are all listed as dead."
After peeling the vegetables, Arthur threw away the excess peel and added the root vegetables to boiling water. It remains to deal with the meat. Nikolai took out two already cooked shoulder blades and began to quickly cut them into large pieces. Arthur stood next to him-"Who do you think she was?"
Nikolai - "I do not know"
Arthur helped him get rid of the meat and put it in the water- "If the fisherman's story is true, then maybe she's a hybrid."
Nikolai sat down wearily on a chair and took out a cigarette – "Impossible. My country prohibits any genetic experiments."
Arthur – "But why? Why didn't you use the message?"
Flicking a lighter and putting his feet on a stool, Nikolai looked at Arthur and blew out a thick stream of cigarette smoke – "Because we know about the consequences..."
Route 85 - Georgia
It wasn't the best day of Jesse's life. More precisely, it was the day when all the black stripes that happen in life decided to connect in one place and on one day. First, her boss called her and said that she was fired, and when she returned to the rented house, she found her boyfriend in bed with another. Shock, pain, anger, resentment, a kitchen knife that came to hand and her athletic skills combined well with each other. And now she was pumping 80 miles per hour out of her 1982 red Pontiac Firebird. Most likely, by this time the cops are already searching their house, and she is the main suspect. She knew that there was no excuse for her actions and she would be punished, but life is often too cruel to us...
The sun was rising above the horizon, and its rays illuminated everything around, like a glimmer of hope. Lowering the curtain, she thought it would be better to see the road, but only blocked the view. Ahead, a figure wrapped in an army jacket was walking slowly along the sidewalk. Judging by the look of the guy, he didn't have any things with him. Of course, taking fellow travelers in her circumstances is a crazy idea. But by taking one life, perhaps she can save another, or at least just help. She caught up with him and opened the window
- "Hey, do you need a ride?" - The guy didn't seem to hear her and just kept walking stubbornly without looking back - "The weather is shitty today! I'm going to Atlanta... I can give you a ride".
Stopping, he leaned towards her window - "I don't have any money..."
- "I don't need it... You can go further along the highway if you want, but I suggest more comfortable conditions". - She tried to look friendly. She stopped and opened the door for him. Sitting next to her, he looked at the car, the dashboard, and seemed to study everything as if he had never seen it before. Jessie noticed his shifty gaze- "The first time in the car?"
"No, it's simple... I haven't traveled for a long time." -They drove the next hundred miles in silence, listening to music. They were lucky that great songs were playing on the radio...
[Adams Brian - "Summer of '69"]
[Ratt - "Round and Round"]
She was driving and enjoying the beautiful music, trying to hide from her feelings. She was carrying a good man, even though she was a murderer. She could have just turned around and walked away... But emotions did their job. And now comes the shame, the self-loathing, the realization of the horror that she has created.
- "Where do you want to go?" - She looked up from her thoughts and looked at the passenger seat.
The guy with short black hair shook his head. She noticed that he was a real handsome man. A manly face, thin lips, warm blue eyes, broad shoulders. There were bulges of muscle under the jacket. He looked like the guy on the cover.
- "I wonder what such a handsome guy is doing alone in the middle of the road?" She forced a smile and slapped the guy's knee reassuringly. It was nice to see his embarrassment and humble smile. Therefore, his face looked more like a boy's than a man's.
- "Yes... I do not know where I need to go. I'm just traveling". - His voice sounded confident, but it was difficult for him to speak, as if he couldn't find the right words. – "Can you take me to Atlanta?"
She thought for a moment - "Yes, of course". She hoped that they would be able to get away and the police would not catch them on the way.
The music drowned out the engine noise and other sounds. During the next few hours of the trip together, she managed to get her silent companion to talk. His name was John, and he was just traveling around the country. He said he lost his memory during the disaster and remembers little about himself and his past. He seemed like a pretty stern but sweet guy.
- "Why do you often look in the side mirror? Are you admiring yourself?" She playfully pushed him and looked in the rearview mirror. Right behind them was an old brown Chevrolet chevelle was driving right behind them for quite some time.
John kept his eyes on the car:"I don't like it.
Jess thought his behavior was strange, but she didn't say anything -"I think they'll just drive with us to the next interchange on the highway."
Without answering, he checked something in his pocket, and she heard a click.
- "What is it? What have you got there?"- In response, John turned sharply around, and she saw the car chasing them accelerate, shift to the right and start overtaking. She wanted to slow down, but John noticed it –"Don't slow down! Speed up!"
The car roared like an animal, and the speedometer needle passed 120 miles, approaching the maximum mark. She had never driven a car at such a speed. But the pursuers did not lag behind. John was watching the next car that drew level with them, and a man's leather-gloved hand was sticking out of the window, clutching the handle of a Glock. They heard a rude voice telling them to stop - "Stop the car! Quickly!"
Jess's hands were shaking on the steering wheel, and she looked at the hand with the gun in fear. John put his arm around her shoulders and moved closer. The man fired several times at the wheels. Their car began to lurch sharply to the left and right. Grabbing the steering wheel, John whispered in her ear, "Slow down, stop."
She took her foot off the gas pedal and started to brake.
"But..." - He didn't say anything, but it was clear from the look in his eyes that he had a plan and was determined to make it happen.
- "Trust me."
When they stopped on an empty shoulder in the middle of the highway, she saw her traveling companion take a mac-10 out of his pocket, and felt her legs stop obeying her.
John shushed her, and she felt his strong hand on her back. A car stopped in front of them and the doors swung open. Two men, a guy and a girl, got out of the car, holding pistols in their hands, and walked towards them. John quickly assessed the situation, and his hand on Jessie's back tightened.
- "Get down" - he bent Jessie down so that she would not be injured during the shooting, and, sticking his machine gun out of the window, fired a short burst in the direction of the approaching robber. The guy fell, and the gun fell out of his hands. The girl, his partner, took a step to the side, rushing to her bleeding boyfriend, when the second burst tore her chest and throat.
Shifting the machine gun to his other hand and getting out of the car, John slowly moved forward, holding a man who was holding on to a broken hip at gunpoint. He was desperately trying to reach for the gun and was looking at his partner, who was lying dead next to him.
– "Glenda... No... No" - he looked at the guy who was moving forward, not taking the barrel away from him - "Bastard! Die, you brute!
With the last of his strength, he made a last desperate attempt, and his fingers almost touched the butt of the pistol that the girl was clutching in her hand. John reacted instantly by shooting him in the head, and now the two bodies lay side by side, and the guy's hand lay on the fingers of his beloved even after death.
After putting away the machine gun, John went to their car and took out a thick wad of cash from the glove compartment, there were remnants of ampoules with substances and used syringes on the back seat. Turning away in disgust, he pulled the ignition key out of the lock and threw it as far away from the road as possible. Returning to the guy lying on the ground, he picked up the gun and checked the cartridges. A thin gold chain with a small pendant was visible from under his partner's bloodstained shirt on his chest. Bending down, he tore it off and read the name. The same one was in that guy's pocket.
- "We're leaving" - he said shortly, and returned to the car. Jessie was still shaking from the shock. Her hands were shaking on the steering wheel. - What was that? Who are you?
He looked into her eyes, and she saw the icy cruelty in his gaze. He turned away and hid the weapon - "I can leave if you want... I'll understand... I just had to go through a lot..."
She swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to calm down. Everything that happened was a nightmare, but he was protecting her. She had no doubt that if she had been alone, these criminals would not have left her alive. She had heard about the brutality of road robbers. After a few minutes, she managed to get everything under control. They were simply forced to protect themselves and their lives. She was not sinless and cannot condemn him -"I'm sorry... Yes, let's go. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."
John was sitting with his head down and holding something in his hands, his gaze was blank - "Hey, is everything okay?"
He took one last look at the pendant, which was connected from two halves. "Tommy&Glenda." Turning it over, he read "Forever" again. Sighing heavily, he rubbed it with his finger and put it in his jacket pocket.
- "Yes... Let's go..." - They would arrive in Atlanta in a few hours, and Jessie knew they could spend the night at the same motel where she had been before. And then they'll decide what to do next.
Atlanta, Georgia
Jess opened a bottle of wine and sat down on a chair next to Johnny, who had been staring at the gold pendant in his hands for more than an hour. She looked at him and encouragingly handed him a glass filled with a cheap semi-sweet drink: "Drink it, it will feel better."
Picking up the mug, he took a sip and grimaced - "Very sweet... But I like it. You know... This is probably the first time I regret what I did... They loved each other."
Jessie came over, sat on his lap and wrapped her delicate fingers around his manly strong hand - "You're not a murderer, I don't think so. You were just protecting me. This couple knew what they were doing, a crime never ends well."
He hid the pendant and squeezed his palm just as gently. - You don't know me at all.
"For me, it was enough that I had already seen. Moreover, I also have something to hide. I'm a fugitive from the law... I... killed my boyfriend. Now the former one. I'm a real killer here..." She turned away so as not to see his gaze. She expected him to judge her, and he had every right to do so. But instead, he put his arm around her shoulders - "Did he do something bad to you?"
Jessie took a glass of wine and drained it before answering - "I didn't mean to. Simply... I came home and he was in our bed with another woman. I started screaming, and he was yelling back at me, too. Then he tried to kick me out of the house, hit me in the face a couple of times. Then everything is a blur. I remember grabbing a kitchen knife and just stabbing him."
John listened to her story and nodded. She could see that he was considering her story, as if weighing everything. - "You were defending yourself... He treated you abominably, it's not your fault."
She got up, went to the light switch and dimmed the light. As the room began to darken, she noticed a slight glint in his eyes. Like blue sparks, it seemed so unusual and beautiful to her. - "I think it's time for us to go to bed... I'm tired." Unbuttoning her blouse, she took it off and looked at John, who turned away and headed for the exit. - "Change your clothes... I'm going to check the car. I'll sleep on the seat. Good night".
She stopped him by taking his hand - "No. Stay with me..."
Her hands slid under his T-shirt, feeling the soft skin. Rising, she touched his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. They both need it... After all, no one should be alone, everyone has the right to a second chance and to love...
West Virginia
A day later
It was scary and lonely. He had never been all alone in the wild before. He walked forward all day until he came to the shore of a small river that descended from the hills and flowed through the forest. On the other side, towers were visible, entangled with wires. An SUV was parked next to one of the towers, and a married couple was spinning next to it. A middle-aged man and a young woman. When he reached the riverbank, he shouted tiredly to get their attention. The man noticed him and ran towards him.
- "Hey, kid! Where are you from? Where are your parents?"
Unable to speak, Nigel fell to the ground. "Why is she doing this to me? ... I just wanted to be her friend...I thought I had found a friend... for what? ... I didn't do anything to her...She sent me away... For what?"
The man touched his forehead and gently lifted it. Returning to the car, he put it in the back seat and shouted to his wife - "Irene! Come here! I need your help!"
I'll tell you what's going to be more interesting next. As you can see, the fight was serious, our team will temporarily have to split up and each company will have its own adventure story. But don't worry, they'll get back together later. I feel sorry for Nigel. The poor guy thinks Sarah betrayed him, but she just saved his life as best she could. If you could write your words of support to Nigel, what would you write? I am waiting for your answers in the comments.