“You’re an idiot.”
“Excuse me?”
“It was a horrible accident. But it was still an accident. It’s not like you meant for it to happen. Yet, you shouldered the guilt all by yourself and threw away your entire life in the process. To me, that’s idiotic.”
“I —”
Cold, stiff fingers wrapped around my neck, choking off my reply. My head flew to the side, bashing into the door.
Foggily, I reached for my belt.
But my machete was missing.
With my head plastered to the door, I twisted my eyes to the side, seeing a murderous gaze staring back at me. My eyes bulged as they caught a glint of light.
It was my machete.
I didn’t know the man who held it. But I knew what he wanted.
He wanted to kill me.
And he was going to use my own blade to do it.
Chapter 15
The machete flashed forward, its sharp blade gleaming in the dim light. Desperately, I tried to jerk myself away from the door.
The blade tore through my flesh. Searing pain gripped my shoulder and I tensed up. My mouth tried to scream but the hand over my windpipe cut it off at the pass. Familiar voices rushed into my brain.
“Cyclone! Come quick! There’s been an accident.”
I frowned. “An accident? But that’s impossible.”
“A wall fell on them. Tim, Abe, Cody…”
The light dimmed…
Colors, bright and vivid, exploded in my eyes.
No, not now. Please God, not now.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to fight two battles, one against myself and one against my attacker. Twisting violently, I struggled to free myself from the iron grip. But my attacker countered every move, thwarted every attempt to breathe.
I snuck another look at him. The attacker smiled, showing off a mouth of cracked yellows. His eyes looked dull yet fiery. His cheeks drew in and out rapidly, like a puffer fish.
Abruptly, he reared back, the tendons on his arm twitching with anticipation. The machete plunged toward me.
I saw nicks in the blade.
Gouges on the spine.
Splotches of deep red blood.
My blood.
I jerked away from the door again. This time the machete missed its mark. I kicked my feet up and bent my knees. My boots soared behind me and touched the subway car. Extending my legs, I pushed as hard as I could in the man’s direction.
I flew forward and landed hard, my body smashing into the larger man beneath me. The grip around my throat loosened. Turning my face, I bit down hard on a hairy arm.
The man yelped and suddenly I was free. Rolling forward, I leapt to my feet and spun around.
I looked for Beverly, but before I could locate her, my eyes fell upon the mammoth man.
Slowly, he stood up. I judged his height at an inch or two shy of seven feet. His powerful arms bulged everywhere, as if he were made of baseballs. He clearly was a man who inspired awe, even fear. But I felt no fear. I felt nothing. Nothing but cold, silent rage.
Suddenly, pain erupted in my forehead. Caught by surprise, I flinched. It shot its way through me, invading every inch of my body.
Colors sparkled in my eyes. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t move.
And then a fist crashed into my skull.
My feet lifted off the ground and I spun through the air like a rolling pin. Air whooshed out of my lungs as my back smashed onto metal tracks. The colors in my brain flashed, sharpening and dulling, sharpening and dulling.
Squinting, I saw the vague outline of the giant standing over me. His mouth twisted into a scowl. His eyes hardened. They looked like the eyes of a dead man, incapable of remorse or feeling.
I shifted my eyes to search for Beverly. But before I could spot her, the man lifted his knee. His boot crashed down, directly at my head.
I rolled out of the way and lifted myself to a sitting position. Grabbing hold of the giant’s arm, I yanked. Caught off balance, he lurched toward me.
The man tried to fight me off but I was ready for him. My legs rose up, meeting his crouched frame. I wrapped one around his waist and the other around the front of his neck. Then I yanked my arms and pulled my legs.
He toppled like a redwood, causing the ground to tremble in the process. His head snapped back, bashing against metal tracks. Blood flowed onto the ground. He looked unconscious, but I wasn’t about to risk it.
Lying perpendicular to the giant, I draped my legs over his body, pinning his left arm to his side. His right arm, clenched in my hands, was caught in the narrow space between my legs.
Leaning back, I pulled with all my strength. His arm bent awkwardly toward me. My fury increased and I pulled even harder, determined to break it.
Something swished. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow on the far wall. It flitted back and forth for a moment before vanishing into darkness.
Slowly, I turned my head in a circle. Strange eyes stared at me from the darkness.
They started to move.
Slowly at first, then faster.
And then even faster.
Body odor and dried urine filled my nostrils. Hands grabbed at my shirt, pawed at my arms, scratched at my face.
I released my grip. Rising to my feet, I found myself surrounded by hot, sweaty bodies. Eyes flashed at me. Bruised faces quivered with anticipation.
Punching wildly, I connected hard against a fleshy surface. A face vanished but another one rose to replace it.
They pressed against me and I fell backward, blanketed by the bodies. Amongst the mess of flesh and hair, I saw tiny, revolting details.
Crippled hands with bent, inflamed joints.
Clenched toes lacking nails.
Severely peeled, discolored skin.
Toothless, rotten mouths.
Who are these people?
And what the hell happened to them?
Desperately, I attempted to push my way out of the mess. But my breathing was labored and my strength depleted. It was all I could do to keep from passing out.
I looked around, searching for Beverly. This time, I spotted her. Two men held her in firm grips. She struggled mightily but her efforts were futile.
Thrusting her from my mind, I tried to calm down, to concentrate. I needed a plan. But my brain hurt and I couldn’t think.
The air burst. Something popped loudly in my ear.
My vision vaporized into white light. Blinding pain struck my head. The ground swirled underneath me. The bodies vanished, along with everything else.
Panic rose in my chest. “Are they…?”
“They’re dead, Cyclone. Oh my God, they’re dead.”
Chapter 16
The stabbing headache was gone. My eyes saw only darkness. My mind felt clear. My emotions no longer raged underneath the surface.
Stirring, I opened my eyes. Immediately, I recognized my pistol. It was clutched in the arthritic fingers of a withered hand.
And it was pointed directly at my face.
“Don’t move.”
The voice sounded uneven and scratchy, yet packed with raw emotion. Shifting my gaze, I saw a haggard man kneeling in front of me. From all appearances, Father Time hadn’t been kind to him. His posture, even while kneeling, was stooped beyond his age. His face, covered in wrinkles, looked ancient. Only his eyes, which sparkled with an odd sort of energy, retained any vestiges of his lost youth.
Colors flashed around the edges of my gaze. I took a few gulps of oxygen, sucking it in greedily. My lungs quickly filled and after a few seconds, the colors disappeared.