Landed Wings

chapter 25: ATTACK



ASHLYNN

Something wakes me up. Mocha is still sleeping, snoring

really loudly. There is a noise at the door, a soft noise that I recognize as someone turning, or trying to turn, the door

handle. It’s probably Ginger. Mocha told me that she always came at night. I began to lightly slap Mocha’s arm, trying to get him to wake up. The phone beside the bed starts beeping, Mocha turns off the ringer at night, and the doorknob-noise stops. I hesitate, unsure of what to do. I pick up the phone.

“Sweetheart?”

I stop breathing. I can’t believe it, there’s no way. There is a soft laugh on the other end, a laugh I recognize.

“I know you’re there. I’ve missed you. I sent some men over so I could have you back. Will you go with them darling?”

She never calls me sweetheart or darling. Only Ashlynn. The words sound foreign and odd in the voice that had mostly admonished instead of praised.

“No? It doesn’t matter. They’ll get you for me.”

There is a new sound, equally as unsettling as the laugh had been. A creak, then a squeak. These, I knew, were not the sounds of a house settling. These sounds were coming from the direction of the door. I hit Mocha harder, and lightly slapped his cheek. He groaned and started to say What? in a sleep laden voice, but I put a finger to his lips. He smiles.

“What’re ya doin Ash?”

His words slurred. I take the phone from my ear quickly and press it against his. It is quiet again and so I hear what my mother says to him.

“Soon, now darling, soon.”

The door opens, and Mocha’s eyes open wide, fully aware now. He gets up slowly and walks out into the kitchen. I don’t know what’s in there, but I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. The first quiet footstep creaks on the black cherry hardwood floor and stops. About fifteen seconds pass, and a second footstep touches down lightly. Mocha comes back into the bedroom and closes both doors, the one in the front of the room and the one in the back leading to the kitchen. In his hand is a sleek BB. The BB is a silent, lethal, powerful weapon, powerful enough to shoot through walls. And also illegal to everyone not in the Defense Forces and definitely illegal to the LandBound. They are always fatal. The BB is a bio weapon, if someone is hit, something not unlike a disease spreads through the body. It kills all cells instantly and spreads like a contagion. I guess it’s not entirely fatal. If it hits you in your toe, your foot has to be removed in 1 hour, and you’ll still live. But it’s called a BB because it is intended for the brain. It takes about three seconds for it to spread through the brain and then you’re done - dead. Mocha aims the BB it at the bedroom door after he reenters and waits. The men are farther in the house. I hear doors opening, and finally, I see the handle on the bedroom door start to turn slowly, so slowly. Mocha shoots through the door three times, starting from near the bottom and ending about three quarters up. I’m not afraid. I know that my mother didn’t want to hurt me. But they might hurt Mocha. There is a thud against the door. There are no more noises in the house. The phone rings again. I slowly pick it up. Her voice has changed. It’s hard as granite now.

“Sweetie…,” and a sigh, “I’m sorry I have to do this.”

The door bursts open, and Mocha starts firing rapidly. But they keep coming through. Two men, with BB-proof suits on. Lightweight and a dull metallic color and very effective against the BB. They have other weapons, swords. She is playing with us. These swords were different though. They look almost transparent, and shimmer slightly. One of the men, the shorter one, sliced off a corner of the dresser. It came off clean, a solid block of mahogany wood, sliced into the shape of a triangle. Clearly these aren’t normal swords. Both Mocha and I back up, out of the swords’ range. Mocha pushes me behind him and I start to back up towards the closet. A garbled voice rings out from one of the faceless men.

“Don’t move!”

I stop and one of the men begins to walk towards me. The suit distorts his movements, making him look alien or insectile.

“Don’t move. Now if your friend here gets any ideas, I slice him. Do you understand?”

I walk forward. One of the men slaps the back of Mocha’s neck and he falls forward onto his knees. He smiles and swings his leg out. The guy holding me starts to fall, then grabs the corner of the dresser that isn’t cut off. He has to drop his sword to break his fall. Everything happens so fast after that, it seems like it was over before it starts. Mocha picks up the sword, leaps off of the floor, sword in one hand, BB in the other. He hits the guy he’s taken the sword from in the head and the guy collapses. He moves swiftly, all of this happening in about five seconds. The second guy is backing up warily, sword outstretched. Mocha slices open the unconscious guy’s suit at the neck, tracing a thin line. A drop of blood rolls over the silver. Mocha yanks the guy’s suit back and exposes his head. Mocha aims the BB at his head. I stare at him, shocked. He shoots and the guys head blackens almost instantly. In a few hours, he will be nothing, as the cells die and break off. The last guy runs towards the door with Mocha running after him. I heard another thud and some rustling. Mocha comes back, his face calm and cold. I sit on the bed, frozen. We’ve been attacked and Mocha has just killed. He comes back, and I notice that the bodies are gone.

“Ash, we have to talk about this.”

I don’t want to talk.

“We have to move she knows where we were.”

I laugh and it is a pitifully weak sound, almost indistinguishable from a cry.

“What makes you think she won’t find us wherever we go? What’s the point of all this? Is this how it works? People die? Can’t you see? She’s playing with all of you Mocha. You think she doesn’t know when and where everyone is at all times? She called your number. She knows about you. All the information you think you have- all lies. It’s all pointless. Any battles you win, she lets you win. Because it benefits her. You ever think about that?”

“That’s not true Ash.”

“Then how did she they know?”

“Well we’re not really hiding, are we? Every chance you get, you’re spreading your wings, I’m surprised it took her so long to come for you.”

I am silent. He’s right, I was careless. There is another issue on my mind, one I can’t ignore.

“You’ve done that before, haven’t you?”

“Done what?”

“Killed.”

“I do what has to be done.”

A little laugh escapes from my mouth. I can immediately see the irony.

“You know, that’s exactly what she says when she hurts

people.”

“This is part of what we do Ash.”

“Not what I do.”

I walk out and lay on the couch, not even pretending to sleep, my eyes wide open. I hear Mocha get up and go to the door. I want to tell him they had used their swords to slice their way through. But I don’t say anything. There is nothing I can say to him right now. I close my eyes. Surprisingly, no tears leak out. My world has just changed, it will never be the same again. I know this is real and I can’t understand how that could be. As I drift off to sleep, I know there would be no peace for me, not in the waking world and not even in my dreams, dreams where I am doomed to relive the day I found out how different I really am.