Chapter 6: Rabbit Season
I woke up at a bar. Most lights were off, just the backing that illuminated the bottles gave the place a faint woody hue. I looked up and saw the bartender, I thought I recognized his beard, that bushy profile. I shuddered. He was still covered in shadows, so maybe I was just imagining things.
I leaned up straight.
"Your order?" the shadow asked. Their voice was a man's. Husky and raw.
"Dealer's choice." I said.
"Very well." they said. With a wave of their hand a hardball glass with colorful liquid appeared. Gin, cherry, lime, a hint of Benedictine. I never expected to find myself drinking a Singapore Sling. But yet here we are, in a place I probably shouldn't be.
"So, am I dead or what?" I asked.
"Merely asleep." the figure said. They leaned forward, and I saw the faintest hint of his eyes. Dilated and blue.
"Then who're you? My conscience?" I demanded.
The shadow almost laughed, "Not at all." it said, "I'm simply coming to you with an offer."
I interrupted, "If there's one thing I always try and do before I even hear a deal, it's background on the client. You tell me your name or I'm not signing on."
"All in due time." it said calmly, "But consider the fact that I have summoned you here anyway. You are not dreaming, yet you are not awake. Right now, your companions need you, and the more you question the longer they'll suffer." He gave me a toothy grin. Pure white, immaculate.
That shut me up.
"I merely want you to work for me. Consider this the first and only time I'll ask nicely." it said, "When you find the Bolt and the Helm, do not make for Olympus."
"And why would I do that?" I asked.
"Because I have the power to make everything better for you, your mother, and your city. The leaders there cannot dream of the possibility that I hold in my hands. Crossing my vision wouldn't be a wise choice. I know quite a lot about you Perseus. My appearance should tell you that much." it said. He wasn't wrong on the last part. I recognized the man, I'll tell you alter.
"So, work for you or die is what you're saying." I said. This thing needed a good shit-kicking.
"If you want to put it so barbarically." it said.
"You're the one behind all this aren't you?" I said, "First you organize the thefts and now you want a war."
"What I want is an end to the arrogance of the Olympians young man." the shadow claimed, "I want to restore the Golden Age that came before them."
I almost burst out laughing, "You're Kronos aren't you? You're like the one guy I remember from Chiron's little book. If there's one motherfucker with a grudge, it's you." I was more at ease now that I knew who I was dealing with.
"You got me." it said, "Does that preclude your answer?"
He hasn't shut me out yet? Surely if I've found his identity without agreeing to help, I'm the biggest threat to him. What a dumbass. Maybe I could trawl for information. I positioned my hands under my chin, and made it look like I was thinking hard.
"What would I even do anyways?" I asked in a smaller voice.
"You would assist my other agents for the time being." Kronos said, "You could say that things are fluid."
"What's the overarching goal then? What is it I'd be working towards?" I asked.
"That will only be revealed once you swear to join me." Kronos said.
"That's hardly a fair deal." I said.
"Nothing is fair." Kronos said.
"I'm well aware of that." I said, "I just want to know what I'm dealing with is all. I'm hard on all my clients, not just you."
The thing almost seemed to laugh, "No worries." it said. I waved its hand again and my glass refilled, "Let's just say that I too have had problems with betrayal."
"Cheers to that." I said lightly. I lifted my glass and took another sip.
"I suppose I could tell you that you have already encountered two of my agents since arriving in America." Kronos said, "They've both received bountiful boons for their services so far. One shall become my right hand, to be destined for glory. The other is gaining a second chance at life. These are guarantees from the almighty, young man. These are not flukes. Even in my current state I can grant you whatever you desire."
"Your current state you say?" I said, "Is the goal to restore you properly?"
"As I said, more shall be revealed." Kronos said.
I sighed and finished my drink, "Let me think on it."
"Do not dwell. As a mercenary, you should know that not every contract is open forever." Kronos said.
"Before I go, you can prove to me something." I said.
"Try me." the shadow said.
"Where exactly am I in reality? I remember seeing a pyramid and a city on a lake." I asked.
It was almost like the shadow was confused at my question.
"I cannot exactly comprehend your exact state. I can only sense your companion's distress." Kronos said, "I might have to investigate further. But I think it pertinent to get back. I apologize for my shortcoming."
I gave a fake smile, "All good. Send me back."
"Of course." Kronos said, "And do think about my offer. I will only give you one more chance. Something I never do lightly."
I didn't even see what he did to return me. But I was out with a start. I bolted up and immediately saw Lou.
"Thank the gods you're alright!" she said before tackling me in a hug. I held onto her as well and looked around the room we were in.
It looked like a shack of some sort. Barely enough room for two people. I was sitting on a mat, and Lou had been sitting by a window. Crimson light flew inside and reflected off the metal of her rifle. Beside the gun were our backpacks, my pistols were thankfully still at my side. Hopefully the limited supplies we'd brought weren't too waterlogged.
Lou pulled away and knelt beside me, "Annabeth and I had to drag you out of the water. You hit really hard coming down."
"Did you find the entry wound?" I asked.
"What?" she asked.
I checked myself. I lifted up my shirt and found no trace of the bullet I'd taken earlier.
"I took a shot back up there." I said, "Guess the water healed me, still feels sore though. Are you and Annabeth alright?"
"Oh, Percy." Lou said, she grabbed my hand. With her other hand she grabbed some ambrosia from one of the backpacks. I nibbled it a little, it tasted like mom's curry. Lou's face was sullen, "We both got down the ladder before the explosion. She's out scouting."
"Do you know where we are?" I asked.
"Annabeth said that this could be the true ruins of Tenochtitlan." she said. She squeezed my hand a little. "She said that the city had been built on top of a lake, and that it was supposed to have dried up hundreds of years ago. But we're here anyways."
"And what about the light coming from the pyramid?" I asked.
"I sense a lot of magic coming from it." Lou said. She glanced out at the red glow some more before turning back, "It's completely foreign to me. Nothing like the magic I get from my mom."
"Are we alone at least?" I asked.
Lou's face got even more worried, "No." she said quietly. "There's ghosts here."
"Ghosts?" I asked.
"They're not like the ones from Greek myths." Lou said, "They're more like zombies I think."
"Gotta make a bingo sheet at this point." I said. She smiled at that. I didn't want her to lose it completely. "I think whatever we do, getting to that pyramid is the goal."
"Definitely." Lou said. She pulled in closer to me and gave me a peck on the cheek, "I was really worried about you. Don't die on me just yet."
I smiled back at her, "Don't worry about me. It's all going to be okay."
I stood up and looked out the window. We were in what looked like a big fishing dock. There were desiccated boats, nets, and fish bones scattered for about a hundred meters along a shabby pier before hitting the open water. I could vaguely see the walls of the cavern in the red light. They extended up hundreds of feet if I had to guess. It's a miracle that a rope ladder could extend that far. Or possibly this place didn't follow the rules of physics. That seemed much more likely.
I looked around the town and saw several one-story houses made of what looked like clay or stucco. They were mostly white with a few chipped lines of paint in various colors. Along the shore I saw one building that looked like it had been ripped in half. Beyond it into the water were some wooden pillars and other bits of rubble sticking out of the surface. I wondered if this was the whole city, or just a part that hasn't collapsed back into the water.
But sprouting out of the field of buildings was the pyramid. It was built steep and stepped hundreds of feet into the air. At the top was a red beacon of light. Despite this being one of the only sources of light I could see, it wasn't painful to look at. It looked no brighter than the lights you'd see blinking off radio towers.
"Which way did Annabeth go?" I asked. Lou and I went outside with our gear.
"Somewhere down this street and to the left." Lou said, she led the way, "Just be really quiet Percy. These ghosts don't like noise. And they haven't come close to the docks yet. They're in the streets mostly."
"Noted." I said quietly as we went into town.
The atmosphere in the streets was oppressive. There was a soupy haze that I found hard to adjust my vision to. The glowing beacon from the pyramid was the only thing that cut through. We'd picked up on a trail of scratches that Annabeth had made with her knife presumably.
We reached what looked like a small wet market when Lou pulled my shoulder down into a crouch. She had a bronze knife out. I equipped mine too. She pointed into the splintered stalls, and I saw figures. They had tan skin that looked a little grey from rot. They were dressed up in different animal skins.
Three total, one was in a golden fur skin. He carried a shield and a wooden sword with shards of black rock embedded on the edge. The other two had feathered suits and also had shields. Slung over their shoulders were short spears with some sort of handle that they held at the ready like a sling.
"I'll take fur-boy, you get one of the others. We'll gang up on the last guy." I whispered.
"On it." Lou whispered back. I motioned to the left and she went along the rows of stalls, staying hidden. I did the same thing on the right. The three were positioned near the center of the market in a clearing. They seemed to be talking about something, in a language I couldn't make heads or tails of. I saw Lou at the other side of the clearing, and I counted down from three.
I dashed out from my cover, and buried the knife into the back of the furry guy. We toppled forward as he howled in pain. He didn't burst into dust, but I couldn't feel any blood leaking out either. I pinned him down and withdrew my blade. I stabbed down again into the base of his skull. He made a final gasp before going limp. I scrambled up and saw Lou slashing the neck of her foe. The last feather man stumbled backwards and turned away. He jumped onto a stall and his shoulders tensed up.
On pure instinct I took the pen out of my pocket and pulled the cap. As the bronze blade emerged I felt the black-tipped javelin get deflected. The guy had launched it somehow with the device on his shoulder. I dashed forward and got close. I kicked the table within the stall and the warrior stumbled around. I put more pressure on the table with my foot and it went backwards.
He fell forwards onto my blade. Right in the heart.
I withdrew and capped my sword again. It felt good to use.
"Good work." I said to Lou.
"Yeah, I thought there would be more in a place like this." she said.
"Strange that they don't disintegrate or even bleed." I said. I crouched down next to the fur warrior and looked at the stab wounds I'd given him. Lou crouched on the other side.
"Lookie here." Lou said. She turned the guy's head and tapped a tattoo on the guy's neck. That symbol that Frank was talking about. The one for the Aztec death god.
"So, these were cultists?" I wandered out loud.
"If cult's the right word." Lou pondered, "Let's try turning him over." I helped turn the warrior on his back.
Lou took out her knife and cut the front of the fur to expose the guy's chest. There was a huge scar running from the top of his stomach to his collarbone.
"Aztecs sacrificed people, right?" Lou said.
"Yeah." I said quietly, "So, the cult is sacrificing people, and then bringing them back?"
"For what reason? And how?" Lou said.
"We should keep moving." I said.
"Agreed." Lou said. We stood up and I looked at the weapons the warriors had dropped. I picked up the wooden sword.
"You familiar with these stones?" I asked Lou. I gave her the sword and she ran her fingers along the shards.
"Obsidian for sure." she said, "But it's not normal. There's something wrong with it. Usually when I use obsidian for alchemy it has a distinct energy. You can pick it out of a lineup instantly. But this doesn't match."
"How so?" I asked.
"It's angry." she said, "That doesn't make sense, but that's the vibe I'm getting." She strapped it to her backpack as I went towards the other bodies.
I looked at the spears and devices that the feather guys were using. I picked them up from Lou's guy and examined them. The spear had obsidian as the head, and the shaft was made out of a light colored, sturdy wood. The device was a stick, maybe two feet long. On one end was an antler that was carved to a rounded point.
I mimicked the way the warrior had launched the spear at me earlier from the stall. I slung the device over my shoulder and placed the end of the spear on the antler, there was a little nook at the end of the shaft too that allowed it to rotate somewhat. I mustered some strength and threw the thing. The dart launched into a stall and embedded itself into the wood deep.
"That's wild." I heard Lou say behind me.
"Loads of velocity on that." I commented as I tried to get the dart out of the wood.
"That'd be a good stealth weapon." Lou said, "There's more darts here." She picked up a small quiver from the belt of a fallen warrior. She also grabbed the device from the other guy and now we both had a silent ranged option. We both took a few practice shots before moving on.
We wandered silently through the streets some more before I spotted a building with some whispered voices coming from it. They were speaking English. Lou heard it too and we crept up to the house. There was a cracked window, and I peeked inside. Annabeth was sitting around a fire with a man. They seemed to be deep in conversation.
I opened the window and waved to her.
"Oh gods, get in you two!" Annabeth said quietly.
"Friends of yours?" the man asked in a Mexican-tinged voice.
"Of course, they aren't dead." Annabeth said as she went to the door. Lou and I went inside, and we made sure to lock up the house tight before settling down. The man hadn't moved at all.
He was dressed like a maintenance man of some sort, and his face had a big bloody patch just below his right eye. At least he wasn't a zombie.
"I'm glad you're up." Annabeth said as we sat down over the fire.
"Me too." I said, "We ran into some of those zombies on the way here."
"I see that." Annabeth said.
"Do you know how to use those?" the man asked, nodding to the device I'd picked up.
"Not even sure what it's called, but we took some practice shots on the way here." I said.
"It's an atlatl." the man said, "And you'd best get used to using it. Those guns of yours would attract all sorts of trouble."
"How come?" Lou asked.
"We're in a New Fire Ceremony gringa." the man said, "In the five days before the ceremony is completed, there cannot be any unnecessary noise. Something those things out there can't stand."
"A New Fire Ceremony?" I asked, "And what's your name anyways?"
"As I was telling your friend here, I am Carlos." he said, "I was a member of that damn cult before they hauled me down here. I thought I was just going to repair some of the generators at the dig site, but I was knocked out and taken to the pyramid."
"So, the cult has a free pass to roam around here?" I asked.
"Not exactly, to be honest I was a new member, and I didn't know a lot." Carlos said, "They had me locked up with some of the other new guys and explained that we would be sacrificed for the good of the new cycle. That our souls would reside in heaven with Huitzilopochtli and that we would return with his rebirth.
"I only joined because the cult has lots of influence, and I was looking for connections. I barely know anything about Aztec myths. Anyways, I managed to escape before they ripped my chest open, I cut off that damn tattoo, and I found your friend here not too long ago."
"And I was about to ask some questions." Annabeth said, "Do you know anything about the Heart of Copil?"
"I heard something about an artifact that was recovered by the cult." he siad, "The higher ranked guys were really excited about it, but I never got clued in on what exactly it was about. Something to do with this ceremony, I know that much."
"I see, and why are the other people here roaming around like they are?" Annabeth asked.
"They were all sacrificed like I was meant to be." he said, "They're in a state where the only thing that can control them are the cult's priests, who are the only ones who can command them."
"Do you know what exactly the nature of this place is?" Annabeth asked.
"These are the true ruins of Tenochtitlan." he said, "From what I was told, this was the only patch of lake that the old Aztec priests could save and using magic they tricked the Spanish into destroying and draining a copy of the main temple and lake. The rest of the original city and lake were demolished. This is all that's left."
"So, how many sacrifices are down here?" I asked.
"No more than a few hundred if I had to guess." Carlos said, "Before I came to Mexico City, there was a project that lots of other members got assigned to, and I was sent on the same detail and saw no trace of others I knew who were assigned before me. And I knew of a lot of them too."
"That's tough." I said.
"It seems to me that the solution to this is on that pyramid." Lou said, "We should try to get to the top."
"That's what I would recommend." Carlos said, "But you should take out the priests. There's three down here I think. One at the pyramid, and two in the town somewhere."
"Why not go straight to the source?" I asked.
"Because I'm willing to bet that as soon as you try to climb up, they'll send all they got at you." he said, "Killing the two priests in town would help you disorganize the sacrificed."
"Good point." I said.
Carlos stood up and grabbed one of the obsidian swords from a corner in the room. "I'm going out for a piss." he said.
"Alright, we'll be waiting." I replied. He left the house.
"Zombies are one thing. We're going to kill real people?" Annabeth said quietly.
"I don't see any other way to go forward." I said, "Either way, we'll have to track them down so we can interrogate them. We still don't know how to get out of here once we have the Heart."
"I agree." Lou said, "Besides, I think it's justified if they're forcing people to be sacrificed. We might even be able to save some other people like Carlos if we're lucky."
"When the time comes, let me kill them." I said, "I've already got blood on my hands." Annabeth shuddered but seemed to relent. Lou just looked solemnly at the floor.
"Anyways." Annabeth said after a short pause, "With all of this, is it safe to say that the Aztec pantheon exists?"
"I think so." I said, "I wanted to tell you two after the quest, but I know that the Japanese and Hindu pantheons exist." That seemed to come as a shock to both of them. "Before I came to America, there was a man that my crew picked up who is a son of a Japanese kami, a loose equivalent to Athena I think. He said that he knew of the Greek and Hindu pantheons at least. And that Chinese and Buddhist deities had largely faded when Communism and Islam displaced the old religions. I also know of a relic they'd found, but I'm still murky on that."
"And therefore, Aztec mythology can exist too." Lou said.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Annabeth asked.
"I wasn't sure how to, and if I ought to." I said, "I knew about the Bolt being stolen before I came over, I figured there was already too much on the Greek plate to bring up any other pantheons. Besides, I don't know if our gods know about the other pantheons. And I'd hate to see how they'd react to other deities trying to control their domains. It's one thing for the seas to fight themselves, but what about the concept of love fighting itself, or the sun and the moon? Those answers aren't ones I want to find out from experience."
"That's a good point." Lou said, "Regardless, we should talk about this later. We need to get moving."
"Agreed." I said, "Are you two feeling alright? I had some sleep, but you two haven't."
"We only got down here about an hour ago Percy." Lou said.
"Really?" I asked.
"At least I think so." she admitted, "I left my phone with our luggage."
"Alright." I said, "If you two need a break, just let me know. But I think we need to move hard and fast on these priests. If they figure out or plans, they'll be gunning for us."
"Let's do this." Lou said, "Annabeth, are you good to go."
Annabeth's face looked overwhelmed. Then again, she'd been through a lot recently. I leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be okay." I said, "This will be hardest thing we do on this quest by a long shot."
"I'm just feeling flustered is all." Annabeth said. She buried her face in her hands and kneaded her cheeks. "I never thought a quest like this would lead to a place like this."
"We just have to roll with it." I said, "Lou and I have your back. And I'm sure we can find some answers at the end of all this."
"I know, and I appreciate you two." she said, "I'm also wandering about the guy who made us come here. There's no way he didn't know about some of this."
"Totally." I said, "We're gonna bust his balls once we're out of here." Annabeth seemed reassured and I turned back to Lou.
"Where's Carlos at?" she asked, "Seems like a long time to pee for."
"Yeah." I said. I stood up and took out my knife. I crept to the front door and leaned into the wood. I heard several muffled footfalls and shuffling coming from the street outside. I placed a finger on my lips and the girls equipped their weapons. Annabeth slipped on her cap, and I saw a windowsill move. I handed Lou my knife so she could dual-wield. I uncapped Riptide and placed my hand on the door.
I cracked it ever so slightly and saw a horde of warriors outside. They left a little room in front of the door and through to the wall of the house across the street. There was no way we'd get out that way cleanly.
I slid the door shut and pointed to the window Annabeth took. Lou and I crept to the window, and it faced what looked like a small lot with a wall separating the next house. I saw Annabeth there and she waved us over. I let Lou go first before I did. Just as we hopped the wall I heard the door break down and shouting. I dared to peak over the wall and saw a zombie staring directly at me through the window.
"Run."
The three of us bolted past the side of the house and into the next street. I capped my sword and took out the Bastards.
"Noise attracts them Percy!" Annabeth said as we ran.
"Then stop yelling about it." I replied calmly, "Our advantage is range. If we can keep them held off, we're in good shape to shake them."
We reached a T-junction and swung right. The red light off the pyramid was almost blinding. As if it was chasing us too.
We tucked into another street. I could still hear the hollers of the warriors behind us.
"Percy, we need a plan." Annabeth said.
"There!" Lou said, she was pointing to a house with overgrown walls.
"Let's climb up." I said. Annabeth scrambled up first, Lou followed. I was last and I slashed the vines behind me with Riptide as the squad of warriors caught up with us. Lou and I made sure there were no other ways up, and thankfully the roof was built down a bit, so the walls acted as a little bit of cover from any atlatl darts.
"What now?" Lou asked. I peeked over and counted how many warriors had shown up. I saw about a dozen. Easy with guns, hard without.
"We'll have to use guns." I said, "No way we're beating them in a melee."
"Can't we just run again? Go back to the docks maybe?" Annabeth asked. I could tell from her tone she was starting to spiral.
"Look at them down there." I said, "These zombies don't sweat. They don't breathe. They barely even speak. We will get tired before they do."
At that moment the warriors started to rearrange their lines into that of a corridor. Two lines facing each other down the street. They all bowed simultaneously and from around the corner I saw a man walk. A real one. He was dressed in a cloak and a huge feather headdress. This must be a priest.
"Here's our shot." I said, "Let me talk to him, Lou, keep that rifle trained on his guards. Annabeth, get your cap on. Don't let him hear you. When I snap my fingers, try and incapacitate anyone who isn't close to him."
"On it." Annabeth said shakily. I grabbed her arm.
"You got this, I'm counting on you." I said. Her jaw set and her eyes steeled. She was ready. Her cap flipped on, and her body vanished.
"Lou, aim for the guards that will be nearest to him and pick off any that Annabeth can't get. I'll try and shoot his knees so we can interrogate them." I said. I loaded one of my pistols with lead and kept one with bronze.
"Okay, I'm with you." Lou said.
By this point the priest had stopped about twenty yards from the rooftop. He was flanked by three warriors.
"Who are you?" he said in a booming Spanish, "You disgrace this place with your presence. Show yourself coward!"
I stood up straight, Lou got her rifle steadied on the wall. I kept my lead pistol aloft in one hand. My other one was ready to quickdraw.
"Hola senior." I greeted, "We were just busy killing a bunch of your buddies upstairs. I've been told you're next on the list."
"How dare!" the priest declared, "You think your gunpowder can match the might of the jaguar? Or the ferocity of the eagle? I shall have your heart and return it to the sun from whence it came!"
"Yeah dude, whatever." I replied, "Why are you, as a man, wearing all those feathers? You're about one dress away from doing the can-can. Or do you like cosplaying or something? That's kinda weird man." I made my face cringe as hard as I could force it to.
"How dare you mock our sacred rites. You shall burn!" the priest said.
"Yeah, at the drop of a hat." I snapped my fingers, and it kicked off.
I leveled my pistol and shot out the priest's knees. He went down in a screaming mess. Lou's rifle started going off and his guards fell shortly before other guards started being taken by Annabeth's invisible blade.
I jumped down the wall and ran towards the priest who was writhing around the ground in agony. I kicked him to his back and pointed my pistol in his face.
"For someone so flashy you really are a pussy." I said in Spanish, "I thought the Aztecs were meant to be a hard people. But everyone I've seen so far has been a disappointment." I injected as much venom into my voice as I could. I heard enough speeches from Balalaika to pick up a thing or two. But the look on the priest's face was intense, steeled and secretly scared. I felt divine as I looked down on him.
I stomped down hard on one of his knees and he screamed out.
"Now, I'll let you run away from this place. I can tell from your eyes that you don't believe in this cult shit." I said, "All's you have to tell me is where the other priests are. Deal?" I dug my heel into the guy's knee, and he yowled in pain. At this point the gunfire had stopped, and I could see Lou and Annabeth off to the side. I glanced at them, and they looked disturbed at what I was doing. But there wasn't any time to be nice.
"You'll never get me-" the priest started to say. I dug in more and crouched down. I pinned a knee to his chest, and I could hear a rib crack. His eyes became glassy, and his face softened, maybe he went into shock.
"Tell me!"
"The Heart, it shall make us whole again!"
"The priests, where are they?"
"The Heart, a final sacrifice."
"You're fucking useless."
"We will be great once more!"
*CLICK*
"The pretenders shall be overthrown."
"Look away, both of you."
"And we will return, into our glory."
"Last chance…"
"Peace, forevermore!"
BANG!
The first time I'd killed someone. The second ever gig I'd done for the Lagoon Company. It was a raid on a tanker ship. Mom had sent me out with a bagged lunch. Revy tried to tease me about it until she was given one too. Italian sub, a bag of chips, an orange, and a can of coconut water with pulp. Just how I liked it.
Dutch had talked them down over the radio. We were just there to collect one thing from one container. A hard drive hidden amongst a shipment of clothing. There wasn't any need for guns to be drawn, let alone blood be spilled. Back then it was just Dutch, Revy, and I. They left me on the boat to keep the engine warm.
I wasn't entirely sure what I was meant to do. I wanted to cover the others with a rifle, but I was still pretty bad with it. I'd only just gotten the hang of shooting a single pistol well enough for Dutch's okay to go out sailing. I still had to use both hands, and my grouping still wasn't very tight. Mr. Chang had offered to teach me a few tricks. But Balalaika shut down the suggestion. Not wanting him to curry too much favor with my mom. Revy kept me on a tight regimen regardless.
I'd seen one of the crew act weird near the railing just above our boat. He was close to the rope ladder we'd hung up there. He started climbing down. In his waistband I saw the handle of a pistol. I didn't know his goal. To play hero? To bargain? Escape?
My iron felt heavy, more than it ever had. It was a Glock, the gun I was most comfortable with at the time. I don't even remember racking the slide.
The guy probably didn't know I was there. He might've underestimated us. But he tried his best to undo the hatch to the cockpit. I was posted behind Dutch's pilot chair. It had a solid steel back.
It didn't stop me from shaking though. I saw the man's legs climb down. I saw his back turned to me. I saw his face.
White guy, brown hair, small bushy beard. A mole was just under his left eye. He had a dusting of freckles. There was a bald spot on his chin.
He drew on me.
I shot him.
Two in the chest, one in Dutch's chair. I was safe.
He slid against the wall and sat there.
Blood flowed down his high-vis vest. The hardhat he wore was a little crooked. The gun was lying out in front of him. His fingers twitched a little bit. It was only later when we dumped the body that Dutch said I'd probably hit his spine.
His chest went up and down. Slowly, and slower still. I lowered my gun and stared at him. Was he the deer, and I the headlight? In the moment it was the reverse.
I could see his eyes clearly then. Bloodshot from working a double shift. Pupils dilated from stimulants. A faint ring of bright blue was there.
His teeth were immaculate for a sailor. He only opened his mouth twice. Once to breathe between his teeth. Once to leak some blood.
He stared at me. He knew he was dying. Bleeding out off the northeast coast of Sumatra. At least he wouldn't be alone.
He stopped breathing, I don't know when. His blue eyes, that small bushy beard, those immaculate teeth. I still see them sometimes. Something still held on.
They say you never forget your first. But that's said for a happier occasion.
When that priest's head hit the ground. When his rambling ceased. All I felt was recoil.
When I looked at Annabeth and Lou, I saw them for who they were. Annabeth had looked away, her shoulders shaking. Lou had watched it all happen. Her expression sorrowful. Pained. I wish she hadn't seen that.
But behind them both.
The only one I'll never forget.
The only one I'll never regret.
That small bushy beard, his blue eyes, those immaculate teeth.
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