Velvet Dogma

chapter 24



They moved her to a new room, but other than having a bathroom with a shower, it was identical to the one she'd left.

Two hours later, Kumi returned with new clothes, toiletries and a few other odds and ends, not the least being an old fashioned bar of vanilla-scented soap. Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed. Kumi sat on a sofa that had been pushed against the wall that, were this the other room, it would have held the diagnostic equipment.

"It took some doing, but we were able to find a bar." Kumi passed the soap over to Rebecca, who immediately drew it to her nose and inhaled. "Why'd you want it anyway?"

Rebecca shook her head. "You'll think it childish."

"After all you've been through, the last thing I'd think is that you're childish. I'm just curious."

"If you must know, my grandma used this kind of soap. I remember when I'd have a bad day, she'd hug me, and sometimes she'd hold me on the couch for hours, and the smell of vanilla was always there. The smell makes me feel better. It makes me remember that there are those out there who care about me."

"It's funny how the things we smell key different memories."

"They say that smell is responsible for the way food tastes. Without smell, there would be no taste."

"I've heard the same thing. Funny." Kumi touched her nose with her fingertips. "I've always hated my nose."

"Me, too." Rebecca touched her own nose. "I mean my nose."

Kumi gestured towards the clothes. "When you get cleaned up, put those on and I'll get you out of this place. I bet you're ready to get your life started finally, aren't you?"

Rebecca remained silent for a moment as she replayed the last few days at hyper-speed. "I am," she sighed. "I just want things to be normal, like I was just anyone with no past and no predetermined future."

"That's how it should be." Kumi started to leave, then turned back. "One more thing. A policeman will be stopping by to ask some questions. I've spoken with him and he knows what happened, so don't be at all worried that you're in trouble. It's nothing at all like that, I promise."

"Then what is it about?"

"They want to talk to you about Abraham."

"Who?" Rebecca knew who, but needed time to think.

"They say you went to the City of the Eaters of the Dead where you met Abraham. They want to know about him. They're hoping you can help them find him."

"What could they possibly want with him?" With no arms and legs how much of a danger could the poor boy be?

Kumi shrugged. "That's not my area, sorry. I'm just the messenger here. Tell you what—when the policeman comes, we'll both ask him."

Rebecca shrugged, then watched Kumi depart. She didn't look forward to talking to the police, but she'd known it would happen sooner or later. Part of her was happy that Kumi was on her side and speaking for her, but another part wondered about Abraham. She'd genuinely liked him. It was clear that he'd been raised to be the Day Eater's spiritual leader and their politics notwithstanding, she didn't want him to come to any harm.

And that was a predicament. Could she protect him? She wasn't sure.

She grabbed the stack of clothes and toiletries and took them into the bathroom. Placing them on the counter, she ran the water until billows of steam obscured the mirror. She undressed and took the soap into the shower, where she spent half an hour beneath the hot water, long enough for her mummy-wrinkled skin to radiate vanilla and figure out the rest of her concern.

A hollow thud filtered from the hallway. Or was it a door slamming shut? She turned her head toward the sound and heard three more muffled thuds, closer than the first. The lights dimmed, but remained on. What was happening?

Rebecca struggled into her pants and stepped from the bathroom. She looked around the room, then headed for the door. She tried the knob, but the door was locked. An explosion knocked her off her feet. Concrete dust fell from the ceiling as the lights blinked out. She coughed as she climbed to her feet, and stood, but in the pitch blackness didn't know which way to go. She took a tentative step with her arms out in front of her, and after several steps she finally found the foot of the bed. She used it for reference and turned towards the door.

Realizing that she was still topless, Rebecca took a moment to shrug on the shirt she'd been holding in her hands. She glanced around the ruthlessly dark room. She couldn't see anything– no trace of light, not even the small service light embedded in the fire alarm. Nothing. What type of natural disaster could kill the power from even the battery back-up? It didn't take her long to figure it out.

Day Eaters.

They'd sapped power with EMP bombs. The next question was why? For a terrible moment Rebecca imagined them after her, as if they somehow knew she was about to be questioned about Abraham and his whereabouts. But that was impossible—even if they did know, she found it hard to imagine that Abraham would do her any harm. She could still picture his beatific smile etched across his face.

Another thump shook the building and she heard escalating screams through the stout metal door. Someone pounded on it from outside, then moved away.

Rebecca found herself shifting into a combat stance, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at the ready. If they were coming for her, she wasn't going to go gently. Remembering a book she'd read, she closed one eye. If they shone a light in the room, she'd be blinded. The closed eye was held in reserve, to be opened if the room darkened again so that she could operate in the dark.

She could taste her heartbeat–- kerthump kerthump -–the beat filling her mouth, her head. Nervous fingers scraped the back of her stomach.

Suddenly something struck the door shaking it on its hinges. There were more muffled shouts, then a yell of victory. The door shook again. Blinded by the darkness, Rebecca strained her every sense trying to figure out what was going on, trying to be ready. The door shook mightily, then was pushed inward. She tripped back to the edge of the bed as it plummeted to the floor in front of her.

Still she couldn't see. She'd hoped that the power outage was limited to her room, anticipating there would be light in the hallway, but the power loss seemed to be wide scale. But she could feel the open doorway; like someone at the entrance to a cave can feel the airy potential of unknown spaces, she felt the hallway and beyond gaping wide.

A creaking sound jerked her from her trance. Someone was creeping across the surface of the door! Rebecca brought her hands back up and squeezed her fists tightly enough to hurt. The pain made her concentrate. Someone was there in front of her. She wanted to call out and see who it was. She wanted to call for help. But no—she held her tongue. If they were coming for her, this would be how they did it. Determination sprung from her core. She wasn't going to let herself die in this dark and dreary room.

Another creak. Then a breath.

She tumbled to her right where she knew the floor was clear. Her shoulder hit harder than she'd wanted, but she was able to somersault herself to the wall, where she managed to stand again. Listening for her pursuer, Rebecca pressed her back against the wall, her hands in front of her.

Then another sound filled the room.

"Don't move." A man's voice, void of emotion.

A flurry of blows was followed by a groan, then a crash as a body hit the floor. Rebecca turned her head left, then right, hoping her ear would recognize the next sound. Who was it?

Another blow was followed by the sound like that of a stout branch snapping, then silence. She knew what had just happened and swallowed hard. The question was whose neck was just snapped and had he been here to attack or rescue her?

There were footsteps headed towards her.

"Hu—hu—hello?"

Nothing. Not a sound.

"I have a knife." She somehow managed not to stutter.

A man chuckled three feet from her.

She stepped to her left.

He mimicked her movement, his feet shuffling across the floor.

She stepped back to her right.

His feet shuffled so she could hear.

"Don't come any closer. I'll sta—stab you."

He chuckled again. "No, you won't."

She jumped to her left and crouched down.

The man mimicked her, then chuckled again, this time the sound coming from her level.

He'd even crouched like her. What kind of game was he playing? Who was he and what did he want?

"I have a knife!" she warned again. But her breathless words held no threat. Her heart hammered desperately.

"No, you don't." He stepped close enough so she could smell his breath, the taint of fish and coffee.

She covered her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her right hand both to keep the stench away, but also to keep from screaming. There was no denying it. He could somehow see in the dark. She rose slowly, and as she did, so did her courage.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"I was hired."

There was so much threat in those three words. She felt her courage wan. That someone wanted her dead so badly they would hire an assassin made her heart stutter. It was unthinkable. She'd been a simple girl. She was just a woman. Why kill her?

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again. This time her voice wasn't as strong.

"Because you deserve to die."

She inhaled sharply as she heard the man lunge.

But instead of attacking her, he screamed as the sudden sizzle and snap of electricity shook him uncontrollably. Sparks lit the room and surrounded the man in an arcane green aura. Sure enough, he was Hei Xin. He wore PODs over his eyes. His body was covered by a black material except for a space at the back of the neck, where the working end of a guard baton was held fast. She followed the slender lance to the hand that gripped it, the arm that wielded it, to the face she knew so well.

She sobbed. "Andy."

The Black Heart fell to the floor.

Andy flicked on a light he'd brought with him, shone it on the dead man and kicked a wicked stiletto from the man's outstretched hand. Rebecca heard it skitter away into the darkness.

Eyes fixed on her, Andy rose slowly. A belt cinching his waist held grenades, a POD and another baton. He wore black and gray rags lashed tightly around his body like a Day Eater. His matted hair clung to his head. He had a knot over his left eye and a scrape along his left cheek. He looked like he'd been through war.

Was he out to get her? Was he going to take her to the Pacific Rim Amalgam? She took one look into his eyes and knew that she'd been had. She'd believed Kumi, but the lying bitch had been fooling her since the beginning.

"Where were you?" she fell into his arms.

"Trying to find you." He petted her hair as he stared into her eyes.

"I was here all along." She grinned.

"I just didn't know where here was until this morning."

Rebecca buried her face against his neck and squeezed him tightly. She'd never thought of herself as a woman who needed a man, and she never would, but she'd missed Andy terribly. He complimented her, and her him.

"Now that you've found me," she said, "Let's get the hell out of here." Grabbing his hand, she moved to leave.

Suddenly a voice shattered the moment.

"Not so fast, Velvet Dogma. You have something I need."

They both turned towards the voice and saw Kumi illuminated in the doorway holding a baton in each hand. When she smacked them together, they sparked madly. The maniacal glee in her eyes, the savage grin on her face, her white-knuckled grip on the batons—it told the tale of another Kumi altogether, one who would never let their lives end with the solace of And they lived happily ever after.