August 21st, 2016

It was late afternoon when I drove back home. I had made one stop to fill up some gas. Betty had never been better. If the old girl could smile, she would.

The rearview mirror was shining. I hummed a tune as I waited in the traffic. It was my only entertainment since the car was quiet. I stopped by the front of the old Chelston School. The dull blue paint and fading white walls were a testament to its age. I stared at it for a while, transfixed by my memories, then I saw Ash leaving from the gates. She was alone, her hands clung to her bag straps. I blew my horn to grab her attention. She didn't seem to notice, so I parked myself on the side of the road and got out of the car. I crossed over the street, weaving through the tightly packed cars.

"Ash!" I shouted as I made my way towards her.

She turned, realizing that I was trying to grab her attention, and walked in my direction.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Foster," she responded.

I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask her, but this wasn't the best place.

"Do you want a lift home?" I checked.

"No," she replied.

"Oh," I said, "Do you have plans for later?"

"No, I am just heading where I would normally go before I go home."

"Well, at least let me take you there. I wanted to ask you a few questions as well if you don't mind."

"No," she said again, "I will walk." She started to walk, leaving me behind.

"Wait!" 

There was a change in her tone. "Mister, there is something different about you," she said. There was a pause as her eyes met mine. "Did you sacrifice someone?"

I didn't know how to answer. I wanted to say no, but the old man and Martini's faces haunted me. I did send them both to that world. I did condemn them.

"I—."

"Goodbye," she said. I watched her walk away.

There was something different about her eyes. It was as if she was a different person.

It took a few moments for me to become aware of the activity around me. The traffic kicked up a cloud of dust into the air. The birds in the tree twittered their melodies. The children busily chatted as they left Chelston School and walked on to the road.

I headed towards my car and got in. I still had some extra cash. There was only one place I wanted to go now.

6 Monthaonca Bar.

***

I parked my car in the regular car park, glanced over at Nelson Street before I headed into the bar. Despite the small number of cars outside, there were quite a few people in the bar. I didn't see any familiar faces, and my seat by the bar was taken, forcing me to sit in one of the chairs normally reserved for those having something to eat.

I gazed around the bar as I tried to figure out my current situation.

How did Ash know what I had done? Why did we have the same marks? I knew that hers was the same as mine. There were more people like us. The Marked Ones, like Rainbow, had called us. We seemed connected to Samael somehow, but what did he want from us?

The more I thought about it, the more my head ached. The waiter was now in front of me, and I placed my order without waiting for him to ask.

"Bacardi and coke," I said.

He nodded as he scribbled on a pad and moved briskly away to the next table.

I rubbed my hand across my face.

Was it worth thinking it all over? I was in control, right? I could still cheat that place, and now I had help, somewhat.

At least it was bound to me by contract. I didn't want to know my fate if it wasn't.

A woman gave a loud shout. It vibrated across the room as she fell to the ground. A group of armed men in black ski masks moved forward and physically shoved anyone out of their way. Those that didn't scamper were struck with the weapon that they held in their hands.

Screams rang out but surprisingly, I was calm, despite the panicked look of those around me. I ducked under the table and watched as people moved out of the way. One man stood by the door, and the other three went to the bar.

"I hoped this would all go smoothly."

"My gun doesn't have bullets."

"These girls look lovely. I really need my fix."

"I am going to get the phones and wallets."

I heard voices as the men passed me. I looked at them, but their lips didn't seem to move.

The man pointed a gun at Zora. Her body shook. The others started moving around to other people close by.

"This girl is hot..."

"Dump all your wallets and phones in here!" he hollered as he passed around the bag.

"We can probably get some extra money on the side after we sift through the wallets."

The other man peered outside of the door to make sure no one else entered. The last man had gone back into the kitchen.

"I hope it all goes well. I really need this money."

This was stupid. How much money did they really expect to get from us? The gunman was now pointing his gun at me, motioning for me to place my stuff inside the bag. I complied, placing the meagre money I had inside, along with my Nokia phone. Still, why could I hear their thoughts?

My gaze returned to Zora. It seemed like the man wasn't too happy about the money that was taken from the till. He motioned his gun to the bartenders menacingly. His hands looked unsteady. He pointed at one of the drinks in the bar and I couldn't make out what he was saying as it was handed over to him.

This is not what I expected. I don't know what to do from here. Maybe we should just leave before things get worse. It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing.

It seemed like it would be all over now.

Nothing was ever that simple. A loud scream thundered as someone was dragged from the bathroom. A struggle went on. A shot went off. My ears rang. I covered them and lay flat against the ground.

A siren blared. Shouts and whimpering filled the bar. People fell to the floor. A man struggled with one of the gunmen. Another shot was fired.

I looked around. The fight was still ensuing between the man and the shooter. The other man at the door seemed distracted by what was outside. I took my chance.

"The cops are outside. I didn't sign up for this. If they catch us, we're done. What do I do? What do I do?"

I counted in my mind: one, two, three.

I rushed him, my sudden burst caught him by surprise. His hands were trembling. It was as if he had never held a gun before. The assault gave me the advantage, as I quickly pinned him to the ground. I heard a shot and felt a burning sensation in my skin. It wasn't sharp. The police rushed through the door, putting a bullet in the head of the man that was still standing by the bar. The other was still struggling with the man and now, with the arrival of the police, he was easily taken down. A police officer put handcuffs on the hands of the man I was on top of. From what I saw, the last man was cornered in the bathroom.

I got up, and scanned for Zora when the pain finally kicked in. My hand and eyes darted to my arm I had been shot in the shoulder. Noticing my wound, the police officer asked me to stay down as he placed pressure on it with a cloth he had retrieved from the bar.

"Are the people in the bar safe?" I asked the police officer who seemed more interested in my wound.

"They should be fine," he said.

Looking around, I saw a few people who had been shot and were on the ground. I tried to make out the faces, but couldn't. The paramedics came in and checked them over for injuries. There was a hesitation in their faces and voices at the mention of going to the hospital to being checked.

"Domenic," Zora called to me.

I felt relieved as I finally saw her coming towards me from the bar. She seemed fine, only shaken. She came to me and put a hand over her mouth when she saw the blood that covered my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" a voice said behind me as the paramedic's face came into view and he looked at my shoulder. "Fred we might need a stretcher! Before placing a hand to guide me. "Come with us, sir."

The paramedics quickly took me up. Zora followed me to the hospital, along with some others that they had taken into an ambulance van. Their faces seemed bleak not from the minor wounds that they had but from what they were likely to expect at the hospital.

"The bullet went straight through. Can you move your arm?"

"Yeah, I can still feel my arm."

"That's good. How is the pain? It's still bleeding quite heavily."

"Despite its bleeding, I don't feel much pain at all."

How was I going to pay for this medical bill? I was broke until tomorrow. It was not unheard of for hospitals to throw people out if they couldn't afford to pay. If they pulled up anything on my credit, they would know that I am heavily in debt.

"Is this wound really that serious?" I asked.

"Well, we have to make sure. If it had hit a large blood vessel, like an artery, you could have died."

"Die? Then where would my soul go?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself."

I felt every bump and curve in the road. I heard the crying and muttering of those who were in the van until we finally made our way to the hospital. There was a sudden rush as urgency took over. The doors opened. I glimpsed Zora in her car as we went inside.

The guards at the front were taken up by protesters who had gathered outside. They were shouting and pushing their signs at the unfair practices that the hospital was doing to the citizens.

Before I knew it, I was on the bed.

Bright lights. Beeping sounds. A doctor was standing above me. All sorts of tests and experiments, it seemed, were done on me. Many questions were asked about my wound and my pain.

Zora had managed to find me, although she still looked pretty shaken up. Despite that, she stayed with me all through the process, leaving the room and returning when she was allowed. Now, a drip remained in my arm. The room felt bleak as I lay upon the bed.

"Wonderful news, Mr. Foster," the doctor said, "it's only a flesh wound. We were concerned about brachial artery or brachial plexus damage, but luckily that doesn't seem to be the case."

I just looked at him blankly. "Does that mean I am okay?"

"Yes, you're fine. Treatment for your wound will be sufficient. You will be released later tonight."

"Great," I said, as I lay on the bed.

Zora had a bright smile on her face as she held my hand. It felt nice, but I don't think her reason for doing so was the one I had in mind.

I saw an old freckled woman distraught was written on her face and her shirt was pinned with the tag Hospital Administrator. She entered alongside the young male doctor, from the look on his face and hers, I immediately knew what was going to happen here.

"First all of this trouble outside with those bloody protestors and now these patients that slipped in. I certainly don't get paid enough for this job. This one, in particular, he looks broke, maybe I should have gotten security to come with me one time as well."

She gave a fake smile."Right. Mr. Domenic. How will you be paying? We understand that this happened during a robbery. Could you give us your last three-digit numbers so we can place it in and receive your credit score?"

"Probably going to have to throw him out."

I paused. I knew that if I told the truth, I would be thrown out or even jailed. They wouldn't believe a word from me about my fortune without proof.

"It's fine. I will be paying for his medical bills."

The unexpected words made me turn to Zora, but despite my shocked look, she gave them her information. I waited for them to depart before I asked,

"Why would you do that for me?"

"I knew exactly what would happen if you didn't pay, and I have seen you long enough to know that facial expression. You couldn't afford to pay, Domenic, but that's fine. I know you will figure out a way to pay me back later. Your health and safety are far more important, especially after what you did today. If you didn't do what you did for the police to come in, more people could have been hurt. You don't need to be burdened with something like this. It's the least I can do to say thank you."

I stood speechless. This was the first time someone besides my mother had ever done anything for me.

She chuckled."You don't have to stare." 

"Sorry," I replied, "I am just a bit surprised. Thank you."

She smiled.

I noted it deep within my mind that I would definitely repay her for this kindness.

Finally, I was discharged. As I got up, Zora guided me all the way out of the hospital. It was almost as if I was a child. As soon as I stepped outside, I was greeted by a crowd of flashing lights and a string of questions poured out from a variety of faces. One caught me. It was her—the woman I had heard over the radio so many times.

She was here and for the first time, I was the featured story.