HAUNTED
nine

9

The car screeched to a halt. Jacob opened his door and she scooted out the same door. “Hey,” Old John said as he got out, “where are you…”

“You want us to go in right,” Lex said.

“We need to be inside to stop this and gain our innocence, or whatever,” Jacob could care less.

The cop went silent, they walked through the gates, “can you teleport us inside,” Lex asked when they were out of police view.

“I can only teleport to places I have seen or can see,” he stopped walking, “what’s your plan,” turned to face her.

“Get people out, blow the place up and vanish,” she took a deep breath, “and stop Sam.”

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to evacuate a hospital,” he was right, “last time I had to teleport so many people about… it was unpleasant and painful. I could have died, yesterday!”

“Get close enough teleport Sam to another place,” she suggested.

“The bomb?”

“We will figure it out.” Then silence…

“I’m sorry I kissed you just to get some ancient memories,” he said as they had started to walk round to the hospital back entrance. It was quiet too quiet.

“Okay,” she said she didn’t turn back to him. There was silence again. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.

“Are you okay,” she tugged her hand away from him.

“Yeah,” she pulled her eyebrows together, “why?”

“Nothing,” he ignored the hurt in her eyes.

“Let’s just get this done.”

“Let’s…” he didn’t know what to say. It’s like she had flicked a switch inside her to be emotionally disconnected and do what had to be done. He walked ahead of her, without another word. Into the hospital without a shudder of fear. Parts of the hospital were already abandoned.

“Sam!” he yelled.

“He bombed the school because he hated the social systems. The police probably because they never did anything really. The hospital for revenge… he should be with the surgeons.” She walked to a wall that had the hospital map. “The thirteenth floor.”

“Here’s to walking to our deaths, again,” he said with an enthusiastically over done grin and thumbs up.

“Ha ha ha,” she fake laughed with a smile. He smiled back as the pressed the elevator button. They walked in the elevator tones where too cheerful.

“Want to dance,” Jacob asked.

“Why?” she really was puzzled.

“I’ve never danced with a girl before… in this life,” he smiled trying to lighten the mood, “can’t just die without.”

“We won’t die,” she said, “I would have felt death coming. Death only takes people when they don’t want to go,” seriously. He stopped the elevator, she turned to him.

“What?” she asked puzzled he looked hurt.

“I know you don’t give a crap weather you die or not… but I do. I don’t know why much like I don’t know half of what is going on…” he stopped took a breath and with a worn look in his eyes he said, “I care,” she looked away when he spoke she couldn’t handle the intensity in his eyes, “I watched you die once. It’s not something I want to see again and I sure as hell not going to. We need to finish what we started or else it will never end.

“You have probably been through hell… and I’m sorry for that.” He remembered the headlights and just as it turned into the tree he vanished back home again, he lifted her chin so she would look at him tenderly. “I’m sorry.”

“I watched you die and it hurt like hell,” a tear stained her cheek, as she heard the pain in his voice. She wiped it away with the outer part of her hand… she hated the weak feeling tears gave her. He embraced her instinctively. He was comfort, A comfort she felt she didn’t deserve.

“The past can’t be helped,” she pulled away slightly, kissed his cheek and his soul felt warmth, “we have to fix today.”

“Hope for tomorrow,” he added, she smiled and wrapped her around him again. He kissed the crown of her head. Cheek to cheek they stood for a moment.

He pulled away and took something from his pocket, an odd-looking cartoon plastic pin. “I need to pin this on your jacket,” she opened her mouth to say something then didn’t, “I have a plan that doesn’t involve just bursting in and blowing stuff up.”

The elevator started again, “no matter what happens when we get there trust me,” they reached the thirteenth floor, doors opened. “Stay close,” he ordered, “just in case we need to… um… worp out of here.”

She nodded and they walked out, “SAM!” she yelled startling Jacob.

“That’s one way to replace him,” a girl with a huge gun came stumbling around the corner.

“Hi,” Lex spoke first, “we want to talk to Sam.”

“You two, again,” she said, she was clearly suspicious of their involvement.

“I didn’t want to be here either but seeing how we are both being blamed for your mess, I couldn’t help it.”

“I actually commend your work. Finally, someone doing something to rid the world of its impurities.” Jacob sounded so incredibly convincing.

“Where is Sam?” Lex asked. She gestured forward with the gun. Like hostages they walked at gun point to a large room. The surgeon and doctors common room. There were about 20 or so people huddled together in the middle of the room, looking scared. Sam sat on a desk with an automatic machine gun in his arms. Arrogantly gazing at the life savers who had failed to save a life he valued. He smirked in distant thought.

They walked in, “You two again,” Sam said surprized, “why did the cops send you?”

“They think we did this?”

“So, we were wondering. Do you want to take credit for it or…”?

“These people killed my mother,” that’s all he said.

“I understand that,” Lex said, “the need to avenge her death on every living person who failed to do something when they could have,” Jacob coughed a little guilt choking him. “So, tell the police you did it.”

“She wants to be proved innocent. I want to help you,” she glared at him after his comment, “what,” he added, “he is doing great work. Ridding the world of the worthless.” He walked casually towards Sam and took a seat beside him. “So, Sam what’s the plan?”

“You think, you can fool me?”

“Right,” Jacob pulled his eyebrows together in thought, “I need to prove myself to you. Weapon please,” Sam seemed in thought, puzzled.

“You really think I would give you a weapon,” he glared at Jacob furious.

“Who do you want me to kill first? You need proof,” it was a glaring standoff.

“Jacob,” Lex said concerned. Jacob turned to her as if she had tugged at his heart, weird, he thought.

“Shoot her,” Sam said pointing at Lex.

“Ahh come on!” Jacob complained, “If I shoot her she will never agree to be my girlfriend. Would you Hun,” he smiled cheekily. He was oddly pulled together, words came easier, and far from the wordy mess he was when he spoke to her.

She walked right to him under the careful watch of the other girl. She thought of what to say. She didn’t particularly feel like defending her life. She sighed, “If you shoot me you will never live to see the end of it,” she winked, “Hun.”

“You in the corner,” Sam yelled at one of the doctors in the room, “yes you in the blue,” he wore a blue t-shirt and jeans, like he had just accidentally run into the doctor profession, he didn’t look like a doctor or at least as serious and hot as doctors look on TV.

The guy stood up, “stand right there,” Sam ordered. Between him and Sam was the rest of the huddle of life savers that needed saving, “shoot him,” he barked and handed Jacob a small revolver that stripped him of all masculinity.

“I’m not a good shot. I should warn you,” he frowned at the gun, “the least you could have done was give me a cooler looking gun.”

“Just shoot him,” Jacob held up the gun. The awkward doctor shuddered and closed his eyes.

“Wait,” Lex interrupted, “think this through,” she reminded Jacob.

“I have,” he sounded cold, heartless.

“Okay,” she walked towards the dude with the blue shirt, “what’s your name.”

“Lawson,” he answered calmer.

A shot rung through the room and the doctor fell to the ground and she went down with him…