Unfortunately, well maybe not, I had been injured badly enough to warrant two weeks of bed rest. I had already spent one week in a coma, so that left a lot of time to think over this recent revelation. Gavin had been my literal guardian angel, and sinking feeling of what could only be convoluted horror was setting in. Maybe D.W. was right… he couldn’t be killed. Despite the humored efforts of D.W. and Sakura, I couldn’t get the disturbing thoughts out of my head. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or terrified, and a strange sensation of both gathered in my heart. A few days came and went for me, spent either sleeping, eating, or watching D.W. argue with Dr. Sandy’s constant sarcasm. The comic effect was only amplified by Sandy’s unique European accent and Sakura’s giggling in the background.
It was the afternoon of my third day of consciousness. My wounds were still aching, but not as terribly as the past week. I had spent the majority of the day questioning Dr. Sandy about his practice and why the police hadn’t raided us at the operating table. He refused to answer, giving me only a wink and a smart-*** “Just be grateful…” in response. I was in the middle of a short meal, some god-awful lump of ham and jello. D.W. was checking up on Peanut at the moment, and that left a sleeping Sakura sitting in the corner, keeping me company. She’d been my constant sentinel in the night, keeping watch for any ill-meaning visitors. As I lay back, force-feeding myself, a polite tapping came to the door. Sakura didn’t move, she was out like a light. I looked on for a moment hesitantly and checked for my odachi lying against the bed.
Staring on for a few more seconds, I finally spoke up. “Who is it?” I waited for an answer.
“A well wisher.” a smooth feminine voice replied.
Anxiety set in and my palms began to sweat. The hell with it… I thought. “Come in.”
At that, the door swung open slowly and I gripped my right palm around the handle of my odachi, hoping this wouldn’t warrant violence. An elegant, high-heeled foot stepped into the room, connected to a smooth, stocking covered leg. A beautiful, yet professional young Asian woman appeared before me. Dressed up in a skirted businesswoman’s suit, dark-framed glasses bespectacled her youthful face. Dark black hair was pulled up into a bun on the back of her head, held in place by black sticks. “I trust you are the one called… ‘Boss’.” she spoke clearly, straight to the point.
I raised my eyebrow in a slight scowl. “Who’s asking?” I must’ve sounded like a real dick.
She replied unfazed. “My name is Erica. I come baring an offer from my employer.”
“And who would that be?” Sakura snored loudly at that point, destroying any chance at setting an intimidating mood I had.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of him. A gentleman named James?” The world dropped from beneath my feet at that point.
“….. Are you here to kill me?” I whispered fearfully. Sakura at this point had leapt to her feet, a small Beretta held in her hand.
“Heavens no. I’m here to make you an offer in your best interest.” she replied calmly, despite the gun pointing at the back of her head.
“And what would that be?” I looked to her left hand as she motioned towards the small briefcase held in it.
“Two Million Dollars… upfront, no questions. All you have to do is give up the hunt and the money’s yours.” I eyed the briefcase intensely and began debating in my mind.
“Why me?”
“Well…” she drifted off into her mind. “… You are thus far, the most ‘successful’ pursuer of my client. Mr. James wants to keep his life, and he figures you’ll take this money instead of the great many troubles that you will be facing if you so choose to continue hunting him.”
For a moment, we stared off, the sunlight from the window glaring in onto her calm, collected figure. True, I’d like nothing more than to give this job up, retire ‘early’ and have a little cash in my pocket. But something ate away at the back of my mind as I became more intent on the idea. Something heavy…. Shame, maybe. Something wasn’t going to let me simply ‘cop out’ and give up. The voices of my past and the deaths of all the assassins whose lives I’d taken…. They had to mean something more. I couldn’t just give up.
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to decline… I’ve been through too much to give up now!” Saying those words made me feel slightly stronger healed almost. I felt a boost in my body’s state. “Tell James to send his best at me…” I stared her down.
She hunched her shoulders almost like a little girl and shook her head in a careless manner. “Heh… he already has!” with that shout, she flung back her briefcase into Sakura’s chest and landed a heavy turning shin kick into her gut. Sakura flung back into the wall with a whelp, her pistol misfiring into the air. Erica leaped at me faster than my mind could comprehend. My body, however, was already on her. Lifting my odachi up from my side, I brought it across my laying body to scare her off.
It didn’t work. She was already spiraling into the air, her back to me, a short-heeled shoe flying towards my face. I ducked quickly and rolled off of my bed, and onto the cold hospital floor. The impact caused a disgusting pain to wrack my body and I nearly vomited onto the floor. Fortunately, I didn’t have the time to get sick, rolling as I dodged a series of dropping axe kicks from the furious woman. Picking my self up lazily, I shoved my back against the wall and held my sword out in a sloppy defense. Erica smirked arrogantly and readied herself in a formal Tae Kwon Do L-Stance guard. She edged towards me slowly, causing me to gulp loudly. My hands began to shake; my body was failing on me. I couldn’t take her on, not at the moment. I was too weak…
I might die…
“Freeze bitch!” Sakura’s voice thundered through the room. Both mine and Erica’s eyes shot over towards her. She was holding the Beretta steady, aiming directly at Erica.
Erica began chuckling as she stepped back towards the window. “Hah… you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, kid…” Her back to the window, Erica slammed a backfist into the glass, causing the window to crack all over on impact. Suddenly, it shattered loudly all onto the ground and out onto the street. “Maybe this’ll convince you.” she produced a small black remote-control from her jacket. A detonator. My eyes widened and focused on the black briefcase in the center of the room. Erica jumped backwards from the window. Thinking quickly, I ran across the room and pulled a baseball slide into the briefcase, causing it to shoot out the window. Before it could fully exit the ground-level window, a great explosion through me and Sakura across the wall yet again. Debris and broken glass slammed across our bodies, but we were alive.
Sakura picked herself up, then helped me to my own feet. Dusting herself off, she looked out of the destroyed window in question and pondered to herself. “Who the hell was she?”
I coughed hoarsely and patted my hospital gown down. My body was killing me, and I knew that a few stitches had to have broken. “I dunno… but hopefully I won’t have to deal with the bitch again.”
“We’re lucky to be alive… but we gotta be on the move.”
“You don’t have to remind me….” I crossed the room and picked up my odachi’s scabbard. “…. Where should we go?”
“My place will be good for now, as long the cops don’t follow us.”
“That sounds-“ I stopped mid-sentence as my eyes glided across the room and settled on a small white piece of paper. Walking over to it quickly, I picked it up. It was a business card. The Vigor – 3435 Castle Ave. I held the card up and showed it to Sakura.
“….we need to go here.”
