Parallel

Chapter 9: The Way Home (Part 2)

I stood slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements as I put the saddle bag onto my shoulder.

Discord brought his hands up in gesture to all the people he had apparently gathered there. With a hop and a skip he was standing in front of me, "isn't this interesting? Violence is a very delicious form of chaos, in this form... it is so rare to find it like this in Equestria."

"What do you want?"

Discord laughed, "I just told you, I want to have fun! I can't exactly have much of that being encased in stone. I woke up here a few days ago, and all these fine gentlemen agreed to be my comrades, isn't it touching?"

My life was in the hands of someone who was completely insane. On the battlefield I knew who was trying to kill me and why, but in that place, emerging from Equestria greeted by a warehouse full of gangsters armed to the teeth...

I didn't know what I was dealing with, and something told me I never would.

"You see William," Discord stepped forward, setting a hand on my shoulder, "I have a teensy tiny little problem. Those ponies that you've gotten so close to are a rather persistent bunch, and lo and behold THIS place isn't free of their presence either. I find this..." he grabbed me by the collar and shoved me away from him, "Extremely annoying."

I scoffed, "Maybe you did something to deserve being encased in stone."

The back of his hand met my cheek. It didn't feel like a slap; it felt more like a brick hitting me in the face. Surprisingly I didn't lose a tooth. Discord stepped forward and grabbed my left shoulder, digging his thumb into the still healing bullet wound.

I screamed.

He laughed.

"This presents a problem!" he shouted, digging his thumb in deeper and kneeing me in the stomach, "So I had your little friend Twilight get into a small accident."

My body moved on its own.

My fist connected with something and Discord went stumbling back.

The gangsters all moved forward, but Discord held up a hand, halting their movements.

"I hired someone to hit her," he said with a grin, wiping blood away from his nose. "You should have been there when the screaming and panicking started." He took a deep breath through his nose, "It was exquisite."

I narrowed my eyes, getting to my feet and ignoring the ache in my shoulder, "So what now?"

I felt a gun press against the back of my head.

I heard Arabic words that I knew weren't coming from the guy pointing the gun at my head.

A cold sweat pooled on my forehead, and I felt the heat of the desert and the sand in my boots.

Even if I wanted to take the guy out my own mind thwarted any movement I wanted to make.

"You take a nap," said Discord.

I felt the butt of the gun connect with the back of my head, and my world went black.

The tent was quiet that night, and my people and I were set to head out on a convoy within the next hour. No matter where you were, no matter what you were doing, there was always the chance you could die out in a sea of sand. I knew it signing up, and I knew it then.

My friend Clark, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits.

"You think there's IEDs out there?"

I sighed and laid down in my cot, staring at the top of the tent as it flapped in the desert wind.

Someone turned the lights out from the entrance and I let out a sigh, "Won't know until we get out there. Let's talk about something else, you got anybody waiting for you back home?"

"Yeah," he said, "My fiancee, and my little brother."

"Parents?"

"We don't talk anymore. My Mom and my Dad kind of ran off in their own directions. How about you? Anyone special?"

"Yeah... yeah. My girlfriend Megan."

My head felt like it was about to split open, like there was something violent inside trying to break out.

"Make sure you hold onto those meds."

"Hey yo am I the only one that thinks this Discord nigga outta his mind? We ain't gotta be workin' with these other gangs man."

"What's it matter?! He's givin' us the money we fuckin' need, that's all you should care about son!"

I looked up and saw two men dragging me along like I was a dead body. I could barely move, and I seriously doubted I could struggle. As my head cleared I started to remember what happened.

The saddlebag... I caught a good glimpse of the saddlebag on that guy's shoulder. He readjusted his grip under my armpit and let out a grunt, "This white boy's heavy as fuck."

Six feet tall, plain red bandanna covering his mouth like in those old spaghetti westerns, corn rows, caramel colored skin, brown eyes.

"Hey yo he's wakin' up!"

Another blow to the head.

My grip on the phone tightened, "You're joking right?"

The grey walls and the queue behind me completely disappeared.

My one phone call home and I was greeted with THAT.

"I'm not happy."

Her voice was like ice.

I let out a harsh laugh, "You're not happy? So much for waiting for me, right?"

"I can't do this William, there's someone el..."

"Shut the fuck up. I don't even... I don't even want to fuckin' hear it. I don't need your excuses."

I hung up the phone, and for the first time since I joined the military I started to cry.

I felt a couple of hands on my shoulders.

They knew what had happened.

They understood me.

They were in the shit, just like I was.

They were the only ones I could trust.

"No time. In a hurry... can't be late!"
"Oh no! Don't push yourself."
"Hey, you're in a safe place. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
"You look like you've been through a lot, give those hooves a rest."
"I know it's selfish, but it would be really neat if you got to stay here for a few days, and I think you'd like it."

My eyes snapped open and I lashed out from my sleep for the first time in months. My right fist hit a brick wall and I heard something crack. I hissed in pain and brought my hand to my chest. After a second the pain subsided a bit and I took a look at the damage.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it wasn't broken.

I decided to look around myself.

The building we were in had obviously been abandoned, considering its dilapidated state, and not even mentioning the portal to another world.

The state of the room I was locked in showed this as well.

A large iron sliding door separated me from freedom... not just iron though.

I turned and saw a window boarded up with wood, just wide enough for me to squeeze through.

Below the window was a a rusted metal folding chair.

I sneered.

"Idiots."

I walked to the metal door and kicked it, "Let me out!"

A long moment passed with no response.

I turned and made my way towards the window, picking up the chair and folding it together. It was still pretty sturdy, just enough, and that wood looked like it was about to fall apart.

I wedged the chair legs in between two of the boards and started to pry.

It took some sweating, but with a resounding crack the boards came loose and fell apart like nothing.

The window was still there, but it was just pure glass, which was a relief.

I took the chair to that and it shattered.

With a little more help from the chair I scrapped the glass off the edges of the window sill.

I threw my tool down and hauled myself through the window, letting out a hiss of pain when a stray bit of glass cut into my arm.

The night sky and a large fenced in area greeted me. I felt the dirt on my hands as I started to pull myself through the rest of the way.

"HEY! WHADOYA THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

I panicked.

I could almost feel the adrenaline shoot through my system.

All my little aches and pains vanished as he approached, pointing a handgun at me the whole time. I could tell this guy was different than the ones that had carried me to the room.

A different gang, and a different accent that my brain wouldn't let me place tripped out on adrenaline.

He pushed the barrel of the gun against my head.

That was his first and last mistake.

"Get back in there!"

My hands reached out and pushed his arm away.

The gun went off.

That would attract attention.

I rolled onto my back and planted my hands on the ground behind me, pulling the rest of my body from the window and standing just as he managed to get the gun leveled on me again.

I tackled him to the ground and the gun went off again, this time into the sky.

He rolled us and tried to pin me.

I responded with a kick to the groin.

He choked and dropped the gun.

I grabbed his collar and threw him off me, grabbing the gun as I managed to stand up again.

He pulled a knife from his belt and charged me.

I pulled the trigger twice, sending two cop killers into his chest.

The dirt beneath my feet became sand, and I stalled for a second, breathing heavily.

I fell to my knees, my head pounding from the sound of gunfire and the memories it brought to the forefront of my mind.

"There he is!"

'Not now, not now, I have to get moving.'

I managed to stand again, staggering from the courtyard and away from the panicked voices of the gangsters that were coming to get me.

Would the police be there the next day?

Would they find my prints on the chair and my DNA on the man that I killed?

I kept the gun, not only for self defense, but also because if I left it there it would only make things more difficult.

I heard the gangsters behind me grow louder and start to move faster.

Then I heard the infighting and gunfire start.

I had to get home, I had to...

Applejack stepped forward with a few small bottles in her mouth and planted them in my pack, "There's the medicine Twi needs, yer gonna save her, right?"

"God dammit."

I turned back around and made my way towards the warehouse.

I could see the gangs killing each other. Both of them seemed to be on the retreat. I made my way along to fence line of the area they were fighting in, trying to avoid the crossfire and stay behind stray concrete barriers and construction supplies. I made it back to the warehouse no worse for the wear, to what seemed to be the rear door.

The gunfire started to die down, but was still going pretty strong.

I flung the metal door open to the sight of the wide open warehouse area where I had been captured.

I leveled the gun.

One on my right drawing a weapon.

Trigger twice, two bullets in the chest. Six rounds left.

Left side, no weapon, running away.

Center, two thugs charging me with butterfly knives, one leveling a gun.

Two rounds in the guy with the gun.

I turned my aim towards the thugs with the knives, one of which was holding my saddlebag and wore a bandanna around his mouth. They dropped the weapons and backed off.

I could feel my heart about to explode through my chest.

"Drop the saddlebag!"

"Al... alright man, j... just cool it."

"FUCKIN' DROP IT NOW!"

The bag hit the floor.

"Get the fuck out of here!"

They ran the opposite direction, and I shouldered the saddlebag and made my way out of the warehouse.

I walked all the way to the hospital once I found my way back to the main roads in the city.

Didn't even bother to hail a cab.

By the time I got there it must have been around midnight.

I saw Nurse Hart walking to her car in the parking lot as I made my way towards the rear of the hospital.

"Nurse!" I shouted.

She turned towards me and gasped, dropping her keys. She was on me in an instant, putting her hands on my shoulders and frowning, "What happened to you? Ms. Shirley and Ms. Daniels were so worried about you? You look like you've been through hell. Is that a gun in your belt?!"

I felt like I was about to collapse. "I need to... I n... I need to get into the hospital."

"But it's midnight, you can't..."

"Please." I could feel my consciousness slipping away, "I got something that can help Tammy, you just gotta trust me."

"Mr. Jenkins, you're asking me to risk my career."

I opened up the saddlebag and retrieved the three bottles of medicine that Applejack had given me. "I'll be out as soon as she takes these, just..."

"Alright, alright."

"Thank you Nurse Hart."

She blushed and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

After retrieving her keys we made our way to the second floor of the hospital, Tammy's room.

The medicine the girls had given me was all liquid, and taken orally according to them, so it was easy enough to get Tammy to take it.

I waited a few moments, trying to keep my eyes open.

"Mr. Jenkins, what is going on? I want to help you I really do. I know you wouldn't hurt Tammy, but what did you just..."

The nurse let out an audible gasp.

Tammy's eyes slowly opened.

She didn't say a word.

She looked toward me, and then she closed her eyes again.

It looked like the medicine worked.

I collapsed on the floor of the hospital room.