Stark Grey

Stark Grey

I’m nobody, who are you?

Cold and still taking sheltered by a under pass as rain falls. I sit staring upward into the sky. Thunder rumbles across and it rains harder.

A figure sits next to me dark and small looking up along with me.

“Who are you?” I ask it , but only hear lightning cracking.

Blurred shadows travel against the decaying wall as the subway train runs by.  The six thirty five D train my alarm on time pushing me out of slumber and into reality. I sit up and greet the morning.

“  @#$& you morning!” I shout at nothing hearing a metallic echo.

The windows bright and the floor rotting like milk in the sun. Life becomes unfriendly fast. Sink or swim in rapids constantly shifting and swirling getting you tired with every stroke, then the last breath leaves you in bubbles rising to the surface beyond you.

I get up from the cot bumpy and thin thinking that rocks would be a better substitute. I walk to my computer desk in the corner of the living room and glance over my Iphone seeing that it is only two thirds charged. The generator I have in the basement must have died. The morning greets me in the same manner as I did.

I head to the kitchen hearing the floor squeaks and moans all the way to the fridge. I pull the door and find no power. I take out the milk and pop the top then whiff. The morning then slaps me in the face as I pull my head back regretting the action. I quick try to breath out the stench, bit it stains.

“Well, no cereal.” I say to myself looking up on top of the fridge seeing one very large rat’s rear end sticking out of the only cereal box. It pokes its head out then starts staring at me. “I don’t suppose you don’t want some sour milk with that would you little guy?”  The large rat hisses then disappears to the back of the fridge.

I look at the cereal and the spoiled milk: Better than nothing!

I serve myself in a dirty bowl and take a seat at my crooked table.

The only company I have at the time is a small pink plastic pony with matching synthetic hair and large eye staring at me intensely.

“You are making me very nervous!”  I say to the inanimate object then turn her to the opposite direction. “I think I had better company with the rat.”

I live in a house rotting to its foundation. The bottom was a practice hall for undergrad musicians and drama student from the local college. Now it just hold a old wall piano and a acoustic guitar with the paint chipping away.

After force feeding my self, I get dressed, put on my helmet for my construction job , grab the pony and my wallet  then headed out the upstairs back door trying to catch the bus. Seeing the city cold and grey as the clouds covers the heavens and wind chills . Autumn passed and winter made it self know. Seeing my breath swim through the air makes me smile. It’s just a time I enjoy.

I walk down the stairs and see the apple tree still growing it’s fruit. It’ll stop soon, but until then; it’s my eating reserves. I pick some of the fallen apples, even the ones that has rolled to the little shed. I place them in a tin bucket and take them back up the stairs , back to the room and set them next to my bed. I head back out through the wooden fence with a combination lock. 23.9,32. I reset the lock on the other side and leave.

Half way to the bus stop I feel for my pocket noticing that it’s flat. I forgot my phone. I hate mornings .And the rest of the day!

The building reach out high as I waiting at the bus stop (patiently I may add) along with crowd. In the middle of everyone, but still alone. They chat with each other with idle conversation about themselves trying to pass the time till the bus arrives. Others just pass by walking along the concrete. I close my eyes trying hard to block them out. If I had my Iphone I could just listen to music and easily ignore everyone, but I’m forced to make due.

Think about my dream, but only remembering fragment. Dreams never entirely make sense when you are awake.

“ Heeeeeyyy!” A familiar mousy voice, I turn around and see Mina wrapped in heavy winter clothes with little Ellen waving at me with one hand as Mina holds the other. Ellen giving me a wide smile and jumping with every step close. My smile almost dies as I see the wool cap knowing that there is no hair underneath.

I bend over. “Hey Ellen! My, you gotten bigger since the last I saw you,!”

“ It’s my birthday !” She says with a energetic enthusiasm.

“That explains it then! What are you now? Fifth-teen, twenty?”

“No silly! I’m five!”

“Yes and thank God for that!” Mina say.

“Five, Really? Me here thinking I would teach you how to drive.”

“You don’t have a car!” Ellen replies.

“And you’re barley old enough!. How old are you?” Mina adds.

“Seventeen on the outside, nine on the inside.” I reply. I look at Ellen. “Then we’ll ask the bus driver to teach you” She giggles.

“Oh, I got a surprise for you!”  I dig into my pocket and pull out the pony. She Gasps and jumps some more.

“It’s Pinky!” She shouted.

I hold my finger at her. “She is yours, IF you promise to take care of her, love her! What’s that Pinky?” I hold the toy to my ear and pretend to have a conversation. “And listen to your mother!” I take a glance at Mina mouthing “Thank you.”

“Do we have a deal?”

“I promise, I promise, I promise!” I hand over the pony and she embraces it tightly.

I stand back up look at Mina and ask. “What are you doing this early in the morning?”

“I’m taking Ellen here to her final round of KIMO therapy.”  We look down at Ellen as she looks back at us in good spirits. It hurts to see some one so young in her condition.

“Hey look Mina, the bus is late I can run there faster than the bus can. Take my bus pass.”

“Are you sure? You’re not wearing warm clothing and you don’t have a lot of meat on you for that natural warmth for the walk.”

“I’ll be fine; the cold doesn’t bother me as thin as I am.” I turn back to Ellen. “Hold on to that pony. You don’t want it to fly off.”

“Pinky can’t fly!”

“You never know, I hear ponies can do a lot of things now a days.”

I hand my bus pass knowing that she would need it more than I would. She tells me to eat more often. I tell her If you thin I’m thin, you should see my wallet!

I take off my helmet holding it in one hand and run to the nearest alley and sprint. The freezing wind pushing against my face and flows into my lungs with every breath.

I always use free running as an escape. Nothing matter but following the rhythm and flow, listen for what your body wants to do. My job is just a couple of city blocks away so it’s not a big deal. I see a closed dumpster resting against a building with it’s top low. I listen to my body and jump on the dumpster, throw my helmet over and then reach the building top with my hands quickly pulling myself up then roll to catch my footing. I grab my helmet and then I’m back to running.

Several times I toss my helmet onto a small building top then jump with every muscle in my legs. I run. I run until I’m running on fumes and my veins pump battery acid.

I hit the end of the block then climb down a fire escape out of breath and muscle weak still attempting run. I now see the construction site; the skeleton of a skyscraper stands thirty-four stories tall. A friend of mine used to tell me the construction sites are just naked buildings.

I dip my toe into the past, and then suddenly the sky roars and rapidly darkens.

Please don’t rain! I need a good check.

I juke through people on the side walk and as soon I get a clearing I see the bus pass ahead of me with Mina and Ellen waving at me. I feel like a good hearted idiot as I wave back.

I run into the site seeing one of my supervisors Leo frowning like a bulldog.

“You goanna be late!” He shouts.

I quickly respond ‘No I’m not!” as I pass him.

I make it to the office trailer and punch in just before the whistle blows. I get my tools belt (even if I don’t need it) out of my locker put on my work gloves, safety glasses then straight to the gathering mess of co workers. The head of the construction managers stands at the center of attention looking overwhelmed.

“Okay, it’s about to rain and we need to get as much as we can done. You got that! A hundred and ten percent from all over you.

On a sour note, We are also receiving pay cuts.” Everybody groans as I digest the news forgetting to react. Nothing I can do about it. “Look every body is goanna feel it, I’m feeling it too! From my check and from you guys.”

One female employee shouts “What about us chicks!”

“Look, I’m already married , I get enough lip at home from one woman!” the crowd laughs , I just smile.

“Okay, stop standing around; we got to beat the rain!” The manager shoos us way breaking the assembly.

I see Leo and he points at me. “Grey! Twenty-fifth floor!  Concrete mix. Get to it!” He spanks a clip board then aims it at the stuffed elevator. I give him thumbs up and start running to a beam and plant my foot on it and place my hand on the side griping the ridge. I start climbing up. I hear in the background faintly “ You goanna get me fired pendejo!” Which I’m thinking it mean “You goanna get me fired you stupid idiot!”

We get a half days work done before the rain falls and blurs the rest of the city. It’s beautiful, yet costly. We all start to head down. Some disappointed that we didn’t have full day, some relived, others cursing under their breath. I lightly kick a puddle of water watching it splash. Then I hear a stampede of boots headed to the side of the building. I follow, then every one else. A line of workers at the edge leaning on the wooden barrier looking down and the air drowned in mumbles.

“What’s going on?” I ask a group of them.

A female worker replied “One of ours fell off a receiving ramp as it was being loaded and landed on a beam carried by the crane.”

“Can’t the crane maneuver him on a floor or ground?” I ask.

“Power is out!” I rush to the edge see a man dangle on the side of the beam three floors down. ”He’s not going to hold on for long especially in the rain.” The female worker says then looks back at the man. “If his family sues the company we are goanna get an even bigger pay cut.”

I back off the edge and see the rappel rope that the welders use for the pipe dangling on the side of the building. The beam is not more than tweenty feet away from the building but three stories down. I think of something unbelievably stupid and head to the nearest rappel rope then Leo blocks me with his hands out.

“What do you think you are doing?” He asks

“Something very stupid.”  I respond and continue to the beam.

I go over the side of the barrier and Leo behind me.

“Grey!” He says as I grab the rope.

“Don’t talk me out of it you’ll get me nervous.” I reply looking at him with my heals over the edge.

“No, here!” He holds out a rappel belt. “It’ll make it easier for you not to die, you’ll get me fired!”

I wrap it around my waist having trouble keeping my hands steady. Leo reaches in and quickly fastens the belt tight then clips the rope.

“You know what you are doing?” He asks

“The beam is less than twennty feet away, with a high jump I should be able to reach the beam, tie the rope to the cable and you guys pull us to the building” I answer.

“That’s the dumbest thing I heard!” He responds.

“It sounds better in my head.” A lot of things do right now.

“I can’t let you do this.” Leo protests.

“You’re not.” I reply and start to head a couple of floors up to get a better jump and my inner thought joins my plan. I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid!

I look down at the man holding on for dear life now five stories down and people stare at me as the rain hits me hard. My clothes soaked at every inch. I close my eyes take a deep breath trying close the world around me. I hear a phrase in my head in an most familiar and missed voice.

Sometimes a leap of faith is all you need to act, even if you can’t see the ground!

I bend my knees with my helmet touching the building then…I jump.

I turn around mid air, the wind howling against me I feel the quick drop as I hold my hand out for the cable. So close to the beam I grab the cable with both hands feeling the heavy tug of gravity on my muscles. The glove smoke as I slide down the cable till I feel the burn in my palms. I briefly let go and my feet hit the beam slipping on the water. I roll off the narrow path way, but my hand reacts faster than I could think grabbing for the edge of the beam.

I holding on with one hand I look for the man and see he is as well.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” He yells through the hiss of the rain. I’ve been asked that too many times already.

“FORGIVE ME! I JUST WANTED TO SAVE YOU!” I yell back

“NOW WE BOTH ARE STUCK UP HEAR!”

I pull my other hand grab the edge of the beam and shimmy my way to him.

“WHY ISN’T THE CRANE MOVING!?” He asks.

“POWER IS OUT!” He now has both his hands back on the edge

“JUST MY @#!%ING LUCK!” He says.

I swing one of my arms under the beam and grip the other edge then pick my legs up to nest them in the spaces. My hands let go slowly, shaking. I hang upside down on a bean hoisted over a hundred feet in the air.

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” I ask.

“MATT TOMASIE! LOOK MAN I CAN’T HOLD MUCH LONGER!”

I take off the rappel belt and wrap it around him tight!

“WE’LL BE OUT OF HEAR SOON, I WANT YOU TO HOLD ON TO THE ROPE AND YOU ARE GOANNA-“

Something snaps and the beam drops a bit and bounces. my legs looses their grip ,but my hand grabs the edge of the beam again. I look up at the cable and nothing but silver dollar rain drops and a hazy view of the crane. We hear metal moaning and look at each other both with wide scared eyes. The cable breaks and we fall.

I see Matt flailing his arm and the beam falling to the ground faster than we are. It happens slowly, or it seems to me that it is. The clip on the rappel belt breaks off. Matt doesn’t even notice, nor does he have time to. I fall with the rain as my chest tightens and everything blurs, then to black: I fall in to the stark as thunder roars and lightning explodes.

My body feels heavy as all I see are smudges black and grey with little light, and little gold. Golden eyes staring into mine then leaves and I fall back into darkness.

I dream of a family, a better life. I dream of smiles, warmth and comfort that come with. I dream of them: Still alive, with me. I want to stay in this memory.

I awoke in a paramedic stretcher rolling me into the vehicle. In there they ask me if I have any pain.

I respond in a weak voice, “Did Matt make it?” He bites his lip then shakes his head. I close my eyes again. This is reality, not a fantasy.

They take me to the Methodist hospital and quickly release me due to no injury but minor burns to my hands and no health insurance.

The rain paused and the clouds still linger over head. Outside the emergency parking lot is Leo. I wave at him with a bandaged hand. He tells me that he’ll give me a ride. I accepted. My home is far and I don’t fell like walking.

As he drives off he tells me “You are a lucky son of a bitch you know that! Lightning struck right next to you as you were falling over twenty stories high.” How could he call anything that happened luck. “ They found you on the fifth floor, far from the ledge and the barrier broken.”

I tell him I don’t remember anything between the fall and the paramedic.

“Construction is at a halt right now. There is going to be an investigation on the accident. Nobody knows who the guy that tried to save Tomasie.” Leo says. No know who I am because I don’t stand out. Not even in the fake paper work in the office that has my name and address.

“You can pull up right here.” I say. He pulls to the curb and I get out. “Thanks!”

“I’ll call you when the construction is back up” He yells out the window.

He drives off and I walk around the block to my rundown home. It decaying and withering beyond help and prayer. It used to hold whimsical melodies and poetic drama rehearsals, now it’s a dreadful shell of what it once was.

I go to the front door and see a note.

• Your generator was out of gas. I refilled it. Be bye to see you later on. -Dunney

I twist the handle and the door was unlocked. He broke in. I can’t even smile for a kind gesture, or the felony. I close and lock the door and put a chair against the knob. I look at the empty practice hall dark and ghostly. Fond memories turned in to a scene from a horror movie. The shop windows painted black to block viewers pressing their noses against it. Parts of the paint chipped away. Light breaks through the black with bits of dust drifting in the air. I know there could be a metaphoric meaning for it, but I just don’t see it right now.

I head up the stair way, I can’t see, but I don’t mind the dark right now. I move through my room out of memory feeling the wall and hitting the cot with me shin. I drop in the cot then kick off my boots. At this moment the jutting spring are soft fluffed cotton. The physical pain is softer, but the emotional; It’ll probably hit me later.

Eye lids become heavy and my body feels detached. A sudden slam startles me. I sit up looking for where the noise came from. I see city light beaming through an open window. I quickly get up and search outside. Nothing but a quite neighborhood in the south side of Queens illuminated my orange septic street lights and shrouded in darkness. I close the window and walk back to my bed. I drop on the bed with my face buried in a beat up pillow.

The flash of Matt’s scared face enters my mind. His eyes scared and confused

still staring at me. The plunge, Gravity became our enemy yet, I’m still alive. How? Why? Why me?  This too much to take. I sleep and hope this isn’t real. That I’ll wake up tomorrow and he’s there, working.

The dreams were not pleasant. Environments change with every turn, people with unfamiliar faces and some with none at all crowd around me as I panic. I turn around and I’m back at work watching the rain on an unfinished floor. I see the beam comes down as dose Matt and I follow. I run to the edge and lightning strike close to where I’m falling. I only see Matt descend with the beam. I’m gone from the scene. I look up and see nothing. I can’t see what hides in the darkness.

“I’m sorry.” A soft voice whispers and it plays over and over sounding sadder each time. Thunder roar and a cry is heard.

Lightning crack near as the house trembles. I sit up surprised forgetting where I am. I realize I’m home. I’m at the birth place of my invisible scars, hidden with a shaky bravado. I move to the edge of the bed with my hands coving my face. I lower them and take a deep breath.

Lightning flashes brightly illuminating the room. Including a small black figure with round eyes staring at me from the left corner of the room. I’m really hoping a dog snuck in here or that the rat got bigger.

I freeze while my jaw starts to quiver.

“H-hello?” I ask the darkness. I expected a bark and not.

“Hi!” It replies.

I bolt to the light switch forgetting that the generator is off, but trip on my boots hitting the floor hard instead. I crawl away; pass the light streaming through the window onto the floor.

“Wait! I didn’t mean to scare you!” A squeaky voice pops behind me. I turn on around. The dark figure lays before the lit floor shrouded by night.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“Nobody!” The small voice replies. I stare at the figure: studying it.

“Okay, what are you?”

“Is that multiple choice?”

“No! Now answer or I’ll find a blunt object.” I threaten the dark figure yet, it seems unfazed.

“There isn’t any around you.”

“Why are you here? Can you answer that?”

“Which question, the “why” or the “can”?” I see it’s head till to the side.

“ANSWER!” I cry out!

The figure lowers it’s head than sighs.

“I wanted to see how you were doing.” It answers in a stern tone.

“Why, I doubt that I know you?”

“You were unconscious when we met.”

“When?”

“Earlier today,”

“Okay, I’m looking for a bat!” I start to push myself up.

“There was two of you. You tried to save him which was valiant of you.” I froze at that moment staring onto the floor boards. “I didn’t have the ability to save the both of you. I had to choose.” Its voice cracks in the end. On my knees I turn to the figure.

“You chose the wrong person.” I stand up and it shouted at me.

“You think it was easy! I was too weak to save him!”

I see it. Black, stand firmly and short on its front legs with angry eyes both watery and golden. I didn’t get a chance to fully look at the rest of it as I ran down stairs right after I said “F@&$ this!”

I trip on the last couple of steps and tumble over them. I land on my ass dazed. I grab my head in pain.

“Are you okay?” The creature asks right behind me.

Scared, I dart into the practice hall attempting to get as much space from it as possible. I it gets any closer the floor boards would squeak.  It’s logical! Keep rational thought!

“Why are you running?” Logic was a liar. A embarrassing slap to pride as the creature snuck it’s way right next to me and I scream.

“I didn’t know human were so fearful or is it just you?” I see the creature approach me through the dark. I back up only to find my back against a wall.

“Not a lot of humans encounter something like this every day.” I slide down the wall, abandoning all resistance.

“You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. Now I’m going to turn on the lights and you are not going to run. Okay!”

“Okay, but the generator is.“ The light brightens the hall. Seeing the creature, I spontaneously scream again then quickly cover my mouth with both hands.

“Sorry!” I say though my hands meeting the creatures gaze. I lower my hands. “What are you?” I ask.

“A pony!” The creature head tills to the side smiling.

“Not like any pony I’ve seen: Or heard.”

“I got hooves!” The creature raises one front leg.

“Also, I have the forelock and the mane.” The creature bobs its head back flipping its golden blond hair.

“I got the muzzle” The creature moves its mouth and twitches its nose while its eyes cross looking that it.

“And horn and wings!” The creature proudly displays its wings stretching out then with a quick flap; I feel a gust of wind hit my face.

“Ponies don’t have wings!” I respond.

“Really!?”  The creature’s faces quickly change to prideful to befuddle. “What kind of ponies do you have here?”

“The quite flightless kind.” I reply.

“That’s so weird. I never meet a pony that couldn’t talk!”

“Whatever you say.”

The creature moves it’s head closer to mine.

“See. You are not scared any more.”

“I have come to the sudden realization that. A: I died, or B: I am in a coma.”

“I don’t know what’s a coma, but you’re not dead!” The creature smiles with manufactured joy in its large round eyes.

“Or C: I have suffered a severe mental trauma that my mind chooses to cope with a very hyper active figment haunting my warped reality. Hence you, here, concerned!” The creature’s joy is now replaced by contempt.

“This isn’t a dream or coma (Whatever that is), you are not dead or imagining me!” The creature bites my hand and I grunt in pain. I pull my hand back looking at the teeth impressions through the bandaged.

“See! That hurt!” It says.

I rub my hand. “Pain can be manifested by the brain in order to keep the subject from the realization.” I respond.

“I have no idea what you just said.”

“I have an idea!” I get back on my feet and head to the front door. “Follow me.”

I remove the chair.

“What are you doing?” The creature asks as I open the door.

“Seeing if I am dead.” I look out side and find an elderly woman walking in the rain with a transparent umbrella across the street.

“Excuse me, madam!” I call out to her. She turns to me.

“Do see this thing here or is it just me!?”  I gestured to the creature as it pokes its head out the door way. The elder woman drops her umbrella and scurries away down the street screaming.

I stare at the neighborhood. “Okay I’m not dead and she saw you.”

“One point to me!” The creatures walks back in the practice hall. I head back inside close the door and place the chair against the knob.

Yeah, you win that one…Unless.” The creature turns back to me.

“Unless what?” The creature asks

“Unless she was a figment of my imagination as well!” the creature narrows its eye at me.

I head back up stairs with my arms slumped.

“Where are you going!? The creature asks.

“Back to bed! If you are still here in the morning, you win!”

I drop flat on the floor next to the bed. I just lay there to tired to say “OW!”

I hear the creature’s hooves stepping against the floor boards until it is right next to me.

“Where do I sleep?” It asks.

“You can take the bed, I’m fine right here.”

Springs bounces as the creature finds a comfortable spot to rest.

“What’s you name?” I ask with my face pressed against the floor.

There is a awkward pause.

“Stark!” The creature answers.

“Stark? That is a bleak name.”

“What’s yours?”

“Grey!” I answer.

“Grey? That’s a bleak color.”

The six thirty-five D train screeches and howls as it passes by the house shaking the floor in waking trembles. I push myself up and wipe the drool off my cheek. A strong head ache pulses as I position myself, sitting besides the bed: empty. No sign of the creature- I mean Stark. Did Stark leave, or was Stark here at all?

I try to recollect last night, but still seemed to clear to question.

“Aaaaahhhhh!” A high pitch scream comes from the kitchen; I get up and quickly enter seeing Stark backed up to the wall with her head down frightened.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“There’s a rat on the table! It hissed at me!” Stark cries, then hides behind me. I walk to the table and shoo the rat away. It jumps off the table and then goes behind the fridge again.

So that’s where you are hiding! Clever rodent!

I look at Stark hiding behind the door way.

“It’s gone” I said. Stark steps back into the kitchen slowly.

“ I was hungry so I went to check what you had , then the rat popped on the table! I’m sorry I woke you!” Stark looks down then back at me with puppy dog eyes and pouting lips.

“It’s okay,” I point the fridge with a thumb. “The fridge is empty and the only food I have are apples.” Starks sits straight up .

“Apples!” Stark smiles wide as if I said the magic word and forgot the about the rat.

“Yeah, there’s plenty in a bucket by my bed. Help your self!” The sentence ends and Stark runs to the bucket. I follow and see Stark dip in to the bucket and pops out with a apple in her mouth then jumps on the bed with wing flapping.. Wait, her mouth?

I walk up next to the bed figuring a way to ask, but there is not polite way.

“Sooooo, Stark! Feel free to get after me, but I have to ask. Are you a mare, or a stead?” Stark’s eye narrow looking annoyed then bites the apple held between her hooves, chews then swallows.

“I think I preferred you asking if I was real.”

“Sooo!?” I shrug my shoulders.

“I’m a girl! I would throw the apple at you head for being rude, but luckily for you it’s delicious!” She takes another bite still holding the narrow stare. I could make this moment less awkward by not talking, but it’s payday.

“ I got to go right now and pick up my check, I can trust here, right?”  She looks down again.

“I have no where else to go.” Her tone filled with melancholy and burdens.

“I’m not asking you to leave. You can stay for now.” She looks up at me wide eyed.

“Can I have another apple?” I chuckle.

“You can have as many as you want.” She swiftly dips her head in to the bucket and pulls out another apple clinched in her mouth and rolls it on the bed. She smiles and continues eating.

I put on my shoes and step out the back down the stairs into the shed and scream my lungs out until my throat is raw. I still don’t understand what’s going on. Crazy or sanity intact the situation is obscure and complex. Do I take meds or…What is the alterative if she is real? Rational thinking has left me.

I get out the shed through the high wooden fence, set the lock then to the bus stop. I need my check right now. I need to feed Stark and myself. What dose she eat? She is not the usual pony with a herbivore diet. She seems to enjoy apples quite a bit, but that can’t be the only thing she eats.

I feel my pocket flat. I forgot my Iphone again! I could have used a café’s wi-fi and look up a horse’s diet. I’m to far go back and I didn’t charge it because the generator was off. I continue walking and mentally beat myself for being an idiot. Luckily, I currently have my wallet

I wait for the bus stop, this time alone. The city moves around me. Cars drive by , people walk as the sun slowly travels across the blue morning sky reflected by towering buildings. Leaves changes to warm colors and fall. The city moves around me, then passes. A brisk breeze nips at my skin, while I stand at a bus stop, going crazy over the thought that I am crazy.

“Hey, Grey!” Mina waves; walking across the street with thicker clothing and by herself.

“Hey, what are you doing here again?”

“Just here to give you, your bus pass back.” She hands me the pass.

“Where’s Ellen?” I ask.

“Roger is with her at home. The KIMO takes so much out of her but the doctors are optimistic that she’ll enter remission.” Her eyes become watery and I see her fight the tears. “I’m just so happy that she is getting better.” I fight my tears as well.

“That is the best news I’ve heard in a long while.” I tell her.

“Roger said, to tell you “thank you!” Thank you so much for everything you have done.” Her voice becomes compromised with emotion. She looks down and sniffs then back at me seeing the tears over powering her resolve while trying to smile.

“It’s no problem at all.” I tell her.

“No, Roger and I said that we would find a way to repay you for everything,”

“I’m not looking for reimbursement. I never was and don’t you try.” I tell her and she laughs.

“Thank you for giving my daughter a fighting chance and the pink pony you gave here, she has not let it go since you handed it over. She holds it so tightly as if it would fly away.” She says.

“Thank you for the bus pass, I needed it to pick up my check, so your timing was perfect.”

“I didn’t want you to be out of breath like you were yesterday.”  I blush remembering that I was an idiot yesterday.

“Talking about your work, I heard that a man fell several stories during and accident and was killed at your work yesterday and that a other worker unnamed was sent to the hospital for also suffering a fall. Something about a rouge beam? Roger and I heard it over the news and we were immediately worried. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” My mind goes strait to Stark saying the same sentence.

“It was some crazy guy trying to do something stupid, but he’s fine. No severe physical injury.” I hide my wrapped up hands in my pockets. Better to tell a lie than how I survived.

“That’s still terrible to hear about the other worker though.” She says as my facade feels more like a knife twisting in an opened wound.

My bus arrives. The breaks squeak and the door opens.

“Here’s my ride. Thanks again for bringing back the pass.”

“You welcome, now have a nice day at work.”

“No work to day.” I say at the step of the bus. The doors shut and she waves.

The bus’s engine runs loud as I find a seat in the back. I am humbled by Mina’s gratitude, but feel that it is undeserved. I gave her a sum of money I came into after a death. I remember her crying over the results of a medical test. I was trying to distract Ellen from her mother’s tears as I played with her in a doctor’s office. Ellen didn’t know what was happening at the time. She was just happy to play.

I arrive at my work avoiding avoid eye contact and conversations. I’m just here to pick up my check. It’s not like everyone knows who I am. Four hundred employees working on a cramped schedule and I’m just a prop in the background. So, no need to act inconspicuous if you already are.

I enter the supervisors’ trailer with boots loudly stomping on hollow flooring. Leo raises his head from filling paper work; black bangs dangling in his view.

“Payday!” I break the ice uncomfortably.

“It’s right here.” He ruffles through a thick pile of envelops picking one out. He hands out the check. I grab it, but he still holds a grip to it.

“How are you doing?” He asks.

“I have been asked that to many times now.”

“Not by me.”

“I’m fine.” My chest tightens and I feel suddenly cold.

“You’re sure?”

“I won’t have come here if I wasn’t.”

“You know you are goanna have to talk about this to someone. It’s not healthy to keep it in.” He lets go of the envelope.

“I’ll find a shrink to tell me what I already know.”

“Which is?” He asks.

“Sorry, patient confidentiality.”

“You close tighter than a clam”

“See you later Leo.”

“Can I ask you something?” He asks to many question.

“Shoot!”

“Why is you name just Grey? No last name. Dunney brought you here and I hired you based on his word and I know nothing about you or how you know Dunney.”

I pause for a minute.

“Kids who are adopted get a last name.” I first honest thing I’ve said all day.

I left, no more questions, no more sympathy. Just silence with my check clinched my hand and a head filled with anger.

I cash the check in a grocery story store close to the house. I made a good amount. It’ll really help with the bills and expenses.

Oh crap, Stark! I grab a miscellaneous selection of veggies and fruits and pay. I fumble with the bags unlocking the gate and resetting it on the other side. Up the stairs I open the door out of breath. Stark still laying on the bed with the tin bucket over her head.

“Are you okay?” I ask her kneeling next to the cot. She looks at me depressed .

“Too many apples.” I take off the bucket and place it on the floor not seeing any evidence of the apples.

“Stark, did you eat the entire bucket?”

“Even the core, which I regret right now.”  She sniffs.

I serve her a glass of water with a soda tablet dissolving at the bottom. I tell this would help. She holds the glass with both hooves then gulps it down. Her forelock tussled in front of her eye. She is adorable, no denying that.

“Did you finish you errand?” She hand, or hooves the empty glass.

“Yes I did.” I answer, taking the glass and the groceries into the kitchen. I hear her follow with light clops. Her version of tiptoeing I guess. I start to put the groceries in the powered off fridge.

“You not are calling me a figment anymore.” She says standing behind me.

“The lady saw you last night and my hand still has your bite mark.”

“I also thought you would ask me why am I here.”

“You wanted to see if I was okay. I am and thank you for your concern.”

“I meant in this world.” I turn to her.

“Are you disappointed?” I ask.

“Surprised, you first react strangely when you first see me and now you are accepting it a little to well.”

“I figured that you would eventually tell reason that you are here. We can’t ignore the elephant in the room for much longer.” She looks around the room then back to me.

“What elephant?” I chuck as she grows frustrated.

“It’s a figure of speech.” She looks puzzled, lost in metaphors. “I have to teach you a lot!”

I restart the generator in the basement and head buck, grab my charging Iphone. Starks jumps on the bed bouncing up and down. I go in to my Netflix account and pick some kid shows. I play “How to train your dragon” and rest it against the pillow. Stark looks at the phone tilting her head.

“What is this …Thing?”

“Well, right now your entertainment. It show you stories.”

“Like a book?”

“No, you see characters go through the adventure.”

“Like a play!”

“Exactly! Wait, you know what a play is?”

“Yes.” She says enthusiastically. She looks at the screen. “ We do have a society.  Our worlds are connected between space, yet both greatly differ from each other, We do have some similarities. Mainly due to travelers, Or so I’m told.” She crawls closer to the phone with curiosity over her face.

“Amazing!”

“Wouldn’t you technically be one of said travelers?” I ask a question beyond myself.

“I never thought of it that way. I’m a traveler!” She happily rocks.

“How did you get here?” She looks up

“I’m not really sure how.” I hear her emotionless tone and the gears in my head start moving, how she answers me can speak clearer.

“I want to ask you a question.” Stark looks down at the cot at he faded patterns.

“Shoot!” I say.

“Can I stay with you?” She asks a question with weight. I don’t pause, I don’t even think.

“As long as you need.” She jumps up and wraps her front legs around my waist.

“Thank you!” She lets go and nestles back in front of the phone. I walk to the first floor mentally kicking myself for not saying the truth. She can’t be here. In all of the movies that the protagonist hides a creature unknown to the public, things go wrong: Fast!

Two hours pass and Stark becomes restless.

“Can I go outside?” She says nervously shifting in place.

“Can you be seen?”

“No, people would probably react with hostility, or with fear. Just like  how you did when you first saw me.” I look away blushing. “Don’t worry! I great at hiding! No one is goanna see me and It’s just for a bit.”

I fight with it in my head, but she is not my prisoner. She came here for shelter, but why? And why me? I point my finger at her!

“A bit” I say opening the door and she rushes passed me. I try to quickly follow as she swiftly heads downs stairs. I become relived that no can see over the high wood fence.

The air braced me with a violent chill, but I press on. The sky still shadowed by gloomy clouds, yet she is not oppressed by the weather.

Stark runs around the apple tree with a skip, smiling as she looks around. Her wings flap and she glides across the yard.

“You feel better?” I ask.

She stops and sits.

“Not just yet!” Her wings spread and quickly disappears as a small plume of dirt assaults me knocking me over. I sit up and see Stark far up in the sky where she appears as a speck in a river. The sky roars then the sound of an explosion. She moves even faster soaring though the clouds beyond vision! She’s gone.

I sit outside where I fell for a while. I wasn’t keeping track of time nor did it seem to pass outside. I kept asking myself if she would come back. If she didn’t I would carry on my life forever in the background of the city. Living in a normal life.

But, if she dose come back? if she dose, I don’t know what would happen. I would have feel better knowing if she was. I don’t know why I do.

I block out yesterday. I feel it wale inside me. I cross my arms feeling the panic rush from within the depth. I rock back and forth as memory forces it’s way out through tears. I think of beyond yesterday, ghosts become solid and pain physical. I find it strange how happy thoughts can hurt more than the bad memories can.

Rain starts to fall again hitting against my skin felling like sandpaper rubbing harshly. The rain comforts me, as dose the cold. I hold out my hand cupped letting the rain pool. Drops slip through my fingers.

I hear a splash already knowing the cause.

“Why are you sitting outside, in the rain?” She asks. I smile and look at her.

“Waiting for you! While I did, I’d thought I’d take a shower. Kill two bird with one stone.”  The rain masks my tears and I’m grateful for that.

“I need a bath!” She shouts through the rain. I gesture to the rain.

“I’ll get you a scrubber!”

“I’m serious!” I see her shiver.

I wipe the mud off my ass and walk her upstairs. In the house I grab a clean towel from the closet. Stark sneezes and sniffs as I dry her. Her hair and coat frizzy. She shake off the rest off the water spraying me. She apologizes.

“I’ll set up the bath. You can take care of everything yourself?” I ask.

“I’m big enough to bathe myself!” A question pops in my head as she stare at me angrily again.

“How old are you?” I ask. She looks away for a moment.

“Hmmm, twelve!”

“How old is that in you perspective?”

“I’m no longer a filly if that what your thinking?” She walks around me.

“I have no idea what that means.”

“I’m not a kid!” She gives another angry glare.

“So you are a teen?.” I say to her.

“I have no idea what that is.”  She past the stairwell into the one room; I hear the shower bath turn on and wonder how she did that and the look she would give me if I asked. I hope there is still warm water.

The situation has become strange. I no longer have rationality, which I believe that has become overrated at this point.

The thought entered my mind that she must be hungry. I start to gather some ingredients for potato soup. It’s warm and a vegetarian meal which I assume she is.

I stir the soup as Stark enters the dim kitchen.

“Do you have a brush I can use?” I pour the soup into a bowl grab a spoon and set it on the slanted table.

“Yes I’ll get it.” I pass the stair well and enter the room: their room. I brush of the thought and head to the dresser where she would keep her knickknacks. I find a thick bristle brush trying to feel emotionless. All I feel is that I’m invading space. I turn and see the king size bed untouched for some time.

“Put it behind you!” I mutter to myself then walk out leaving a bit of me in there.

“I got the brus-“ I freeze in place stunned to see Stark sitting at the table with a spoon in her hoof eating the soup. ”How are you holding the spoon?” I ask.

“With my hoof.” She replies taking a bite of a large potato chunk.

“But you don’t have fingers?”

“ Short answer is magic. Great soup by the way! “

“Thanks, and I’m sorry for asking so many questions.” I tell her. I sever myself a bowl of soup and sit across from her as uncomfortable silence drowns the air. I takes a while till one of us breaks.

“Can I ask you a question?” Stark broke the awkward air.

“I’ve asked you so many, it’s only far that you ask some.”

“You have a lot of books in that room, I was wondering if I could read some.” She’s talking about Sarah’s little library of books stacked in a corner of the room over and under an end table.

“I’ll make you a pile that you can read.” Some are to mature for her. I’ll stick with the classics.

“I have one more. Why do you sleep in that awful bed when there is that big one that room.” She blindly struck a nerve.

“Not my room.” I look down at the table.

“Oh, there is another person living here?” She asks. I now long for the silence.

“No, just me, alone!” I push a potato around in the bowl wanting her to stop.

“May I be honest?” What now?

“Sure.” I embrace for the worst.

“Humans are weird.” I laugh and she looks stunned.

“That is some thing we can agree on.” She starts to looks half a sleep then she drops her spoon on the table. She shakes herself awake.

“Sleepy?”

“No, just a little tired. I was searching around for too long.”  I raise from the set and her eyes become fully closed and her body limp. I pick her up in my arm feeling her breathing. I carry her into the room and lay her on the bed then covering her with the fluffy blanket. She buries her head in the pillow with a smile. She can sleep here for tonight.

I clean up in the kitchen pouring the soup into a container for later then placing it in the fridge.

I walk to the living room and pull out a soap box from a linen closet filled with ruffled clothes. I quickly change from my moist clothes in to a sweater and loose sweat pants. I knock aside the dirty work attire that I have worn through work , hospital and rain for the past two days.

I go into the bedroom and take out a few book from the stack and take them to the living room to see what I got. A poetry book, Dracula, Frankenstein, and H.G Well’s War of the Worlds. It seems like a nice pick. A bit on dark side though. I set them aside for her on my computer desk.

I fall into bed limp then cover myself with a thin cotton blanket with the cold piercing though. I close my heavy eyes and replay a phrase that Stark said. “I was searching for too long.” I sleep with the echo bouncing around in my skull.

I stare into a bleach mug of coffee.

“Fighting is not for violence, but in survival , to stride for peace.”

“So, I punch out a guy in the name of peace?”

“Fighting doesn’t always involve fists.”

Where am I?

“What about kicking?”

“Learning martial arts is more about being passive.”

“And you teach  how to fight to not to.”

“Your aggression betrays you. The best weapon is the one you’ll never have to use.”

Miles sips his coffee. His hair slick with a shine; Denim jacket ruffed and faded ,polo shirt unbuttoned at the neck.

“Intimidation.” I reply.

“Yes, but if that doesn’t work you could always run away!”

“And if I’m backed into a corner?”

“Protect yourself. Just know why you are fighting. Just remember to react to your opponent’s action. Intercept his action with yours.”

“You are just trying to lose me with riddles”

The train passes screeching waking me with drool dribbling on my pillow. I fight waking up keeping eyes closed, but something feels…different. Something on my back curled up under the covers.

“Is that train goanna arrive at the same time every morning?” Stark asks.

” Only on weekdays. On weekends it passes at 7:50.”

“I’m too sleepy for it to be morning.” She comments.

“So, why are you on my back? Literally.” She slides between me and the wall with the blanket hooded over her head.

“I’m afraid of the dark and I didn’t want to be alone.” I get up from the bed, her eyes half shut l try to look up at me.

“I’ll make some breakfast ,any requests?

“Pancakes!”

“Easy enough.”

The smell of syrup ,strong coffee and melting butter sets a peasant aroma that has not been present in some time. I thank Aunt Jamima waiting in a cupboard for me and her easy just add water recopies.

I’m still amazed that she can hold the fork and butter knife without finger, then again, I’m amazed that a creature like her exists.

As I drink the bitter coffee, she is reading a book from the pile I made her while she eats then the light in the kitchen flickers out.

Stark places the utensils on the table. ”I’ll take care of that!” She shake her forelock uncovering her spiraled horn. It glows bright as small orbs of light fill the kitchen, floating through the air. The hair on my neck electrifies , then the orbs scatter at all directions. The light turns back on and my mouth is left opened. She continues eating the pancakes with a smile.

“That was nothing less of amazing!” I comment.

“Thank you!” I look around wondering of anything is going to explode.

“You are just chalk full of surprises.”

“It’s just basic magic.” She says it as if was normal. Maybe where she is from.

“Magic doesn’t really apply here, or it’s not supposed to. I don’t know anymore.” The “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” saying never could have a more strange personification.

She tells me about her world. Equestria, which sounds like a metal band from Germany. It filled with an array of creature thought to be mythological, but exist in a world inside the one I live in, between space. She elaborates on the established monarchy and the kingdoms. A fairy tale could be told through this. I hold my skepticism, but recall that the third level theory of parallel universes. Universes reside in the same space and time never seeing one another. Each one having their own set of physics, yet she basically bent this world’s laws.

I don’t stop her talking. I become entranced with every word that I forget that my coffee is getting cold.

“Do you understand anything of what I’m saying?” She asks.

“Connected world, magic is real, and I’m freaking out because it makes sense, through a scientific perspective, or science fiction perspective.” I like to think the massive collection of comic books for both expanding my mind and rotting it, but how much of Doctor Who theories hit the nail on the head and how much is a hit and miss. Quantum mechanics and particle physics are not in my view of understanding at the moment. I should stop read junk science and continue on Albert Einstein. Then again, science may not matter to her if she can go beyond them.

“You are taking this a lot better than our first meet.” Stark leans back in her chair and smirks.

“If you were made up in my mind, you would have sudden absences and I wouldn’t need to feed you. I like to think my imagination is more lax.”

“Magic is not common here I take it.”

“No, just illusions. The false appearance of magic.” I grab my fork holding it horizontally with my hands on pressing on each end. I close my hand together and she bats an eye. I raise my hands showing that it is gone and no sleeves for it to hide.

“How did you do?” I point at her and she stares at my finger.

“There is more to magic than what you see. Look on the table.” She looks at the fork lying in the middle of the table.

“I thought you said there’s no magic?” She tilt her head with one ear bent.

“I dropped the fork on my lap and distracted you with my finger and placed the fork on the table?” I confess my trick.

“How did you know that I would look at you finger and not the table?” She asks.

“The eye is drawn by action. Notice how you always look at fly hovering around your head. Instinct forces you to look directly at it.” I pick up my fork and continue eating.

Our breakfest ends as my phone rings in the living room. I leave the kitchen and pick up the phone seeing that it is Leo. I hesitate for a moment think about if the construction site is up already. Press to answer.

“Hello?” I ask.

“Hey Grey, I got some investigators here wanting to know if you are okay to come in and answer some questions?”

“Oh, Leo…I don’t know right now.” I respond.

“Look man, if you don’t come in they want to meet you at your house. They are very persistent about seeing you.” He whispers with a concerning tone. They can’t come here for obvious reason.

“How did they find out it was me?” I ask.

“They contacted the hospital you were taken to first.” He replies and I feel anxiety creeping.

“I-I’ll come in, just give me an hour to speak with the cops.”

“That’s just it. They’re not cops or insurance investigators. They are from the company that is constructing the building for and they look intimidating. They already paid a fat settlement for Matthew Tomasie’s death to the family when they didn’t need to get involved.” Something ominous lingers over my shoulder.

“I’ll come in, don’t worry.” I hang up with a shaky hand.

I tell Stark that I need to go for a bit and that I leave her the phone. I quickly teach her how to answer it if needed then I put on a demine jacket and leave.

I sit in the bus think about me getting fired. Anxiety tightens my breathing. I wouldn’t be able to provide for Stark, and she would be forced to find a new place to stay that could accommodate her needs. Or would she stay? I feel comfort thinking that she would, but that wouldn’t be best for her. I remember her fighting to stay awake and she mutters “No, just a little tired. I was searching around for too long.”

A pin drops in my head loudly ringing. What was she searching for?

I get off at my stop and walk with tense nerves to the site. I enter the office trailer and am greeted by Leo looking as nervous as I am. I see three men in expensive black suites standing and giving me a very icy stare. Two of the men are incredibly muscular with broad shoulder standing with a hand cuffing their wrists. One with a crew cut and the other shaved, but both with an expression of aggression. I know what Leo meant by intimidating.

The third man approaches. “Hello, mister?”

“Grey!” I answer.

“I thought that was first name?”

“It’s just Grey.” He runs his fingers around his mouth and smirks sardonically.

“Shall we get this stared!” He gestures to the chair in front the desk. He turns to Leo. “We’ll inform you when we are done, You may leave.” His word polite , but his tone was demanding.

Leo pats me on the shoulder and whispers “Good luck!” He closes the door behind him. I know I need any luck at this point..

I take the seat as he takes the one behind the desk. He is leaner than the other two. He holds himself with confidence and his posture straight. His light brow hair receding, lime green eyes dull.

He takes out a pen and a leather note pad from his vest pocket.

“My name is Hugo Weaving, as you are probably wondering, my associates and I are from the Vision Guard Security.” The other men move behind me, neither of them not saying a word.

“You are here you question me and they are here for moral support.” I try to break tension but only making it stronger. Mr. Weaving smiles.

“My colleagues and I just want to get the facts straight. Do you know what Vision Guard does Mr. Grey?” I try to look unfazed forcing and stern face.

“I do not Mr. Weaving.”

“Vision Guard is a privatized security company, one of the largest in the United States.” Every word he says the more I grow unstable.

“And you took the time to speak with me, how considerate.”\

He leans forward with his hands cuffed together and elbow resting on the desk, the desk lamp brightly illuminating his face.

“We understand that the death of Mr. Tomasie is a tragic loss to you and the company along with his family. A string of unfortunate events that we wish that never had occurred.

We also understand that you tried to save his life, while endangering your own. A very valiant and noble deed you don’t see every day Mr. Grey.”

“Are you a lawyer Mr. Weaving?” He pauses.

“Yes I am! Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering why I’m not speaking to the police about the incident?”

“We like to avoid any unnecessary confrontation when the matter can be quickly aided and resolved through direct means.”

“So that is why you are here, to resolve the matter.” I respond.

“And to get some information on what happened that we hope you could provide.”

I tell him everything I did to save Matt Tomasie.

“I used an rappel rope to try to reach him by jumping off the building and onto the rouge beam. I stumbled off the beam and gripped the side; I shimmied to him where I tried to secure him in the rappel rope.”

“You took off the rappel rope off of you and set it on Matt Tomasie? What was your plan to get yourself safe?” Mr. Weaving asked. He place his chin on top of closed hands.

“I wasn’t really concerned about myself, sir.”

“Continue Mr. Grey.”

“As I secured the rappel rope on Matt Tomasie, the cable holding the beam broke and then…we fell.” Mr. Weaving is expressionless, almost seems uninterested.

He opens his note book and starts writing.

“You where found around thirty feet away from the ledge with the barrier broken, as if something saved you.” He looks at me with eye brows raised.

“I wouldn’t know. I black out in the fall and woke up in an ambulance.”

“No recollection on how you survived?”

“No sir!” I lied, I remember seeing Starks round eyes through a foggy blur then she ran.

“You are a very brave and lucky young man Mr. Grey.”

“I don’t feel like I am.”

“That is a normal reaction. Thank you for your time Mr.Grey, We’ll let you know if we need to contact you. You are free to leave.”

I get up and the two large men move for me to pass. I get to the door and stop. I turn to Mr. Weaving.

“I have one question?” He gives a charming smile.

“Go right ahead.”

“What is the building going to be?” I ask and the two body builders look at Mr. Weaving.

“It’s going to be Research and Development for Vision Guard.”

“Must be nice to be a stock holder for a large company expanding.”

“Shares raised twenty points after the construction of the building was announced.”

“You have a nice day Mr. Weaving.:

“Likewise, Mr. Grey.”

I gestured at the other two men still silent.

“And you two were very engaging.”  They look at each other then at me with no emotion.

I leave with the urge to vomit and the energy to walk out of here fast. I don’t see Leo as I exit , I just hurry up the sidewalk.

The deafening symphony of running vehicles and honking suffocate any attempt to calm my nerves. Mr. Weaving seem was more interested on how I survived. Think! What was he trying to do? Those two big guys are more physical then mental; a business would be more about appearance. Lawyers are more slick and intelligent ( At least the good ones are) and they utilize those traits to win a case or get ahead.

Those guys were muscle, but why? Was it a scare tactic? No, cool your head, you are over thinking it.

I pass a parked black van with tinted window and it starts up. I try to reassure myself that it is just a coincidence. I keep an eye on it through the reflections on the shop windows. It follows me to the end of the block , so I take a right turn. It still follows but keep it’s distance. This is no longer a coincidence.

I made a mistake. The street I entered is empty. Hardly any cars parked and no people walking. Just people in stores and apartments buildings, not a lot of witnesses to see.

I decide to run to the nearest alley thinking that I could loose them if I scale a pipe to a building top. I hear tires screech behind me giving me the motivation sprint. Why did I have to be right about the van?

I look back and see the jet black van gaining on me. I try to push harder, but the van is now besides me. The slide door opens and I’m pulled in. I feel and arm around my neck cutting the airway as I am lying down on the floor of the van. The unseen man tries to use his foot to close the van door but I use mine to keep it open.

I try to pull off the arm choking me but the grip is too strong. The driver is yelling for the unseen man to knock me out. I raise an arm then elbow the unseen man feeling him flinch. He looses his grip , I use the other arm to elbow his face. I pull away and roll out the moving van.

I tuck and roll feeling the asphalt scrape my skin until I come to a stop lying on my stomach in the middle of the alley. My arms bruised from the impact. Tires wail as I push myself up. The van braked and the unseen man jump out running at me wearing a black body suit covering from head to toe with a pair goggles over his eyes.

I take a stance readying myself for his first strike. He comes at me at a amazing speed then effortlessly jumps over me with a flip. I try to turn but stopped by the blows to my kidneys. I stumble forward and turn back

He throws a jab but I block and he quickly hits my ribs hard with the other fist. A hollow hit with a rib cracking then another hit to my face knock me down. On my hands and knees I kick his shin bring him down on one knee then I raise a leg and come down with my shin to the back of his head. He shakes it off quickly and lunges at me. I roll forward and see the driver running towards me, So I run towards him. I punch him in the stomach and turn around to hit him with an elbow to his temple. He goes limp and crashes to the ground.

The man in the suit grabs me by the jacket tosses me over his head. I land on my back several feet from him. My body aching and struggling to move, I try get up slowly as the man in the black suit strolls to me.

Everything seems to slow down. My heart beat becomes loud but calm, breathing is shallow and all other sound becomes muffled.

The man picks me up by the collar of my jacket and starts to drag me to the van.

I taste blood on my lips, and I feel swelling on my face. My limbs are paralyzed by pain, but that doesn’t matter. I think about Stark, her smile, her laugh. I hear her voice in my head.

“I have nowhere else to go.”

Pain doesn’t matter anymore.

I plant my feet and hit the man in the suit in the stomach, he lets me go. I come at him with quick punches, but he easily blocks them backing up to a wall. I grab his forearm and twist it but he rotates and hits me with an elbow. I lose grip of his arm and we stare at each other ready for anything.

The man’s head is slammed on the brick wall, he drops to the ground motionless. Dunney stands behind him looking at me with disappointment over his face.

“What did Miles and I teach you? Use your environment against your opponent. I have to admit that this is the worst I have ever seen you fight.” I wasn’t ready for this.

“Did you just watch me getting my ass kicked or did you wait for a dramatic entrance?” I shout at him felling frustrated.

“Look we could take the van over there and get out of here or we could kill time arguing till Snake Eyes here wakes up” I spit out some blood.

“Okay, but with these guys there has to be a tracer on it.” I reply.

“What did you get yourself into? Leo called me that you were in some trouble, but this?”

Dunney finds the tracer under the van and throws it at the unconscious driver lying face down in the alley then he drives off.

Things are too quite for comfort. He scratches his blond beard and run a hand over his bald head. He is wear a beat up blue outdoor vest over a white muscle shirt and a pair of blue jean short pants showing his thin legs. He also speaks with a southern accent.

I break the silence. “Are you going to ask me something?”

“If you don’t like quite, you could turn on the radio.” He glances at the rear view mirror.

“You are too calm about this it’s eerie.”

“I figure if you’re goanna tell me, you’d tell eventually”

“Your southern wisdom I take it”

“If a horse wants to eat, it’ll eat. If a horse wants to talk, it’ll talk.” I feel like the universe is messing with me.

“I can already see that you are in over your head Grey” He looks at me then back to the road. “If you need anything, you know I would help.”

“Take me to home.”

Dunney parks three blocks away from my house and we walk the rest of the way. He follows me to make sure I’m not tailed. I open the gate and tell him that I’ll be fine, but he does not but it. He enters the back yard and everything comes close to crashing down.

“You still have the apple tree growing.”

“Yeah, alive and strong.”

He goes up the stairs and I follow. I unlock the door, but hold the door closed.

“Dunney, I can take it from here, I-I’ll be fine.” I try to convince him.

“You think that I’m going to leave you alone after what just happened! That would be irresponsible of me.” He opens and enters the door and I wince waiting for it to hit the fan.

“What the hell!” He yells and I enter thinking I would see Stark and Dunney surprised. “This place is awful, you really let it go! I feel like I’m going to get stabbed here.”

I look around and don’t see Stark anywhere. Is she hiding or did she leave? Now I’m thinking she apart of my imagination again.

He sits on the cot grabbing an apple off the ground. I go to the kitchen to find Stark but seeing it empty.

“Holy mother-!” I renter the living room seeing Stark with an apple in her mouth scowling at a frightened Dunney on the floor crawling backwards.

Stark places the apple on the cot and continues to hold her angry gaze.

“These are my apples!” She says.

Dunney gets up and hides behind me.

“What the hell is that?!” He asks pointing at Stark biting into the apple.

“Oh, so you see her too?”

“Yes! I see the talking dog with wings!” He shouts shaking with his eyes wide.

Stark approaches with her wings flapping looking more pissed.

“I’m not a dog! I’m a pony!”

“Not like any pony I’ve seen!” Dunney says backing away.

“Why do all human react the sa- Whoa! What happened to your face? Did you let a cow dance on it?” She flies up looking at my face closely.

“First let’s start with introduction! Stark, Dunney. Dunney, Stark!” She glances at Dunney and nods her head.

“Nice to meet you Dunney! Now what happen to you?” I smile at her.

“Where were you hiding?” I ask her.

“I was under the cot until.” She flies around me and stares down Dunney face to face. “I saw this guy about to eat one of my apples!” Dunney backs away from her with hands up.

“I don’t want no trouble.” He tells her.

Stark turns back to me with sincerity showing in her round eyes.

“Now what happened to you?”

“It’s a long story.” I tell her. She lands back on the floor giving a stern leer.

“I’m not going anywhere, I have time.”

Dunney stands right next to me with his arms crossed.

“I would like to know too man! And how this… creature and you are playing house?”

I rub a hand over my face. I knew this was going to get complicated; I just wish I knew where to start.

I tell Dunney about what happened in the construction site a couple of days ago, about Matthew Tomasie. There is not a happy face in the room.

I tell them about the interview: or integration. Mr. Weaving focused more on what saved me than anything else. The two large men who should lay off the steroid added protean shakes: and the Vision Guard Security company.

“Where those guys that attacked you in the alley?” Dunney asks looking just as baffled as Stark.

“Attacked!? You were attacked?” Stark say for the first time looking frighten.

“Yes I was attacked. And no, they were different from the guys in the office. They followed me for two blocks then they just pounced. Goggles really ruffed me up, he was wearing a survival body suit or something. They almost went off with me.” I tell them.

“You haven’t known the pony long right?” Dunney asks me.

“I just met Stark the night in the incident.”

“So, are they after her?”

“Why!?” I say then look at Stark and her eyes water and gleam.

“Grey the first human I ever met!” She shouts with her voice cracking in the end. “I have not been in this world long and I have been here for the most of it.” Tears form but don’t fall.

“I don’t know man, she is the only variable” Dunney gestures at Stark,

“I don’t care.” I step in front of Stark, my bravado stands in front if me..

“They tried to kidnap you! What if they took you, huh? What if I wasn’t there to save you!?” His voice gets louder.

“I am not going to let them take her!” I shout back.

I hear the door slam open and panic that I do not see Stark. I run outside and see Stark fly off then vanishes with a thunderous boom. The clouds darken quickly and rain comes again. I just stand at the porch staring into the gloomy clouds.

“Let her go!, Maybe she’ll go back to her world.” I shake off his words. I go back in the house to find my phone and head back outside. I walk down the stairs and then feel a hand over my shoulder holding me back.

“Where you going!?” Dunney shouts through the rain.

“To find her! I can’t leave her out there alone, she is just a kid!”

“Why are you doing this?” A million dollar question and I stumble.

“I don’t know!” I continue downstairs; as I open the gate Dunney stops me.

“I coming with you.” He says huddled against the cold water falling.

“Why!” I ask.

“She is your friend and you don’t have many!” I let him through the gate.

“We’ll take the van!” he says.

“No, she won’t know it’s us.” I reply.

“Then how do we find her?” I project her emotions in my head.

“She is sad and overwhelmed. She’ll most likely find a place with seclusion to gather her thoughts. I just hope it’s not a building top!” I think of a plan and all I get is that we should split up.

“You get the van; call me if you see anything that could tell me her position. Look for anything suspicious. A strange formation of clouds, the sound of a jet/ Hell, I’ll take a UFO sitting sighting!”

“You got it!” He responds.

We take separate paths. I take the Upper East Side, he takes the lower.

I keep my eyes on the sky as the rain falls making every one flee for cover. I just walk casually through the shower. I just feel that I should take this direction.

I worry, I panic, I dread the thought of the men who are after her, find her. This is a ghastly world where we fear that what we do not understand and there is a cruel history in man and how they react to the unknown.

I find myself next to a entrance of a large park. I enter hoping to find her. The wind grows stronger the deeper I go. The rain starts to assault me as it becomes more violent, I try to push through with a arm shielding my face. I can’t see anything beyond the harsh streams if water.

I hear whispers through the wind circling around me. I maneuver different directions trying to find my way, but I become disoriented as the whispers grow stronger and multiply. My head starts to pulsate with tremendous pain and the whispers transform into screams.

I fall to my knees in the muddy ground partially flooded. My cries in agony are muted as I hold my head trying to prevent it from splitting.

The voices speed rapidly as I crawl further and further.  My hands dig into the mud and grass until I feel cool air instead of water drops.

The screams revert back to soft whispers and the pain dies. I fall on my back then hear one last whisper is breaths through the calm. “I’m sorry!”

There is someone sobbing: a girl. There is a tree standing over me with light shining through its dark green leaves. They rustle as moist droplet if felt on my nose.

I hear the sobbing emitting from above.

“Stark! Please let that be you!” I plead.

“Grey!?” Stark pokes her head out from a branch bewildered.

“Oh, great! I thought for a second that the tree was crying!” She smiles.

“Trees crying is a strange concept even to me!”

“Well, ever since I met you, I’ll believe anything that sounds extraordinarily peculiar.”

Her smile disappears into a firm expression then she retreats back into the branch.

“You should leave me alone! You’ll just be hurt!” She shouts.

I pick myself up and rest against the tree trunk. The storm circulates as if I was in the eye of a tornado; staring at the border of calm and chaos.

“Did you make a mini hurricane?” I ask her as I gaze at swirling wall of rain and wind.

“My magic goes haywire sometimes with certain emotions. At times I can’t control it.”

I rise and start to climb the tree until I see Stark lying on bulky branch depressed. I find a branch of my own that can support me and sit with my back against the tree.

I look at the storm border.

“It’s weird how beautiful it is. How it’s anarchic, yet peaceful.” We don’t speak for a while; we just look at the storm.

“I wasn’t supposed to learn magic. Everyone thought I was destructive, but I couldn’t help it. I would lose control. You like the storm but I didn’t even try to make it.

My mother would try to teach me but… with every fail some one would get hurt because of me. I don’t want to hurt anybody!” Her tone very disheartened.

“I didn’t have parents growing up, I was an orphan going through foster care.” She turns to me puzzled.

“It’s a system where adults would take care of you, but they weren’t parents: they weren’t even friends. Well, I would be transferred around every month because of my temper. It  got away from me. Sometimes I went to far and I would be punished very harshly.

That all changed when I turned eleven  and I was housed by Miles and Sarah. Miles taught me to focus and think instead of act. He taught me a lot. Emotion is a hindrance towards rationality. So he built up my rationality with books and books. He made me achieve in school.

Sara taught me to be patient which was a lesson needed. She taught me to channel rage into creativity.

I lost them both.”

Stark appears to be stunned as her eye are widen. The storm weakens.

“I just thought since you shared something personal with that I would as well.” I tell her as she still stares at me. “Can you say something? You are making me uncomfortable,” I tell her and she looks around.

“I don’t know what to say?”

“Yeah, not a lot of people do.” I respond.

“Why did you look for me?” She asks with hesitance.

“I wanted to know if you were okay.”

“I’m okay. I can take care of myself” She looks away again and the storm lightens.

“I don’t doubt it, but it would be easier on me if I knew that you were fine.” She turns back to me looking away.

“Do you really think that people are after me?” She asks.

“I don’t know, but I’m not going to let them hurt you.” She gladly stares back at me and the wind becomes noticeably weaker.

“You promise!” She says softly.

“I promise!” The storm breaks in relief: and alarm.

We both stare and a group of men in black tactical uniform and goggles placed over their helmets closing in around us with assault rifles shifting aim. We are surrounded by branches with thick leaves and they are not immediately attacking. They creep up silently; I could even hear one of them on a radio.

“The weather anomaly as ceased, approach with caution, we don’t know what this one can do. Use tranquilizer rounds.” One of the men says over a radio.

Stark backs up to the tree wide eyed and frightened. She starts to shake, as do I.

Think damn it! Why is nothing coming up. I pullout my cellphone and quickly send a text to Dunney telling him where I am and my stupid  plan, I turn on the GPS then I hand it to Stark.

She starts to breath rapidly.

“Stark take this with you and fly off.” I whisper to her as her eye wonder in a panic.

“What? Why?” She frantically asks.

“You need to get out of here. There is no way they can follow you in the air, you’re too fast for them!”

“What about you?” She starts to cry.

“Don’t worry about me. Their focus is all on you, they are more likely to try to find you but, by the time they leave, you should be with Dunney. I turned on the GPS, Dunney can use that to find you so hold on to it, okay!” The tears stream down her cheek and she starts to lightly sob.

“I-I-I don’t want to leave you!” Her voice cracks.

“You have to. I just promised you that I wouldn’t let them hurt you!” I wipe the tears from her face.

“Now promise me that you will listen.” I whisper with quivering lips. She nods.

“Please be okay?” She takes the phone into her mouth with the sides sticking out.

“I will be!” A lie never hurt worse.

Stark spreads her wings then with a single flap she soars up into the grey sky. The tree branches shakes as the men aim their guns upward then seeing in disappointment as Start goes beyond sight.

“The target has the ability to fly! We are unable to pursue” One of the men says while holding a finger into an ear. My worries feel liberated.

“Roger that! We’ll continue in a perimeter sweep.” He says as my burden intensifies.

They start moving closer to the tree that was in the eye of a mini hurricane, the tree that currently I’m hiding in. I can’t climb up; it’ll make too much noise and unwanted movements. I’m covered by the thicket of leaves but if one glimpse of me and… well, I don’t want to dwell on that thought.

Some of the men spread out but the others still focused on the tree. With every step they take my heart pulsates and my limbs tremble uncontrollably. Fear brings in the cold.

Two armored vans roll in and pull the attention away from me. They stop with the men crowding in preparation. More men come out of the trucks in heavier armor and bigger guns. My outcome looks more bleak and unpromising as it progresses.

A very larger man wearing long beige trench coat comes out of one of the vehicles. He is one of the muscular men from this morning. His is face still emotionless while he consults a man standing in front of the crowd.

“Report!” He exclaims.

The leader stands firmly.

“Sir! We entered the anomaly, as we came closer to the center it ceased. We proceeded in search of the target but it took off in flight from the oak tree behind us at fourteen thirty-five. We were unable to pursue, sir.” The leader answers.

“So it possesses magic and flight.” The large man asks.

“From what we can assume, sir!”

“Sargent, need I remind you that these creatures usually have one or the other. We have never come across with one that possesses both. So, from what I can assume there is one more in the oak tree behind you.” The large man tells the leader and he turn to the tree and puts on his goggles and directly stares at me.

“Men three meter spread!” He shout and the men fan out once again surrounding the tree.

I have nothing to play at this point, nothing to bargain with, no way out.

The large man casually strolls behind the men.

“Come out now, make this easier for you!” The large man shouts.

I slump over in defeat.

“I’m coming out! Don’t shoot!” I shout back.

I climb down and raise my hand in the air.

“You got me!” I say with hesitance.

The large man smiles for the first time then loudly laughs.

“This! This is funny! Mr. Grey back as the center of attention! You know we actually thought you weren’t worth looking into, but man! Here is a sweet moment in serendipity that I just want to bask in. Taste better that wine.” He laughs even louder and I grow more annoyed. “What happened to you face?” He asks.

“I let someone dance on it. Where did you get the new personality?” I fire back.

“That’s nice. You see, in times of intimidation, I hold a very serious façade.” He waves his hand over his face changing expressions.” But you, there is a lot more to you than what we see.”

“I’m not hiding. I am the same on the inside as I am on the out.” I say.

“Well, we are not here for you. We are here for what else is hiding in that tree.” He point at it.” Come out! We don’t want to hurt your friend here!” He yells at the empty tree.

“There is no one there!” I tell him. He gives a smirk.

“I know what I’m saying. One creature flew off and the one that made the storm is hiding in the tree!” He becomes bitter.

“He is right sir! Thermal is not picking anything up!” One of the men says as the large man looks stunned. He walks up to me and I put my hands down. He towers over me

“You tell me where it is right now or things are going to get really unpleasant!” His voice reached a unique baritone. I know he is not lying. Thing are going to get unpleasant.

“I don’t know what you are taking ab-“ I’m interrupted by a incredible punch to my face that propels me yards away from him. I roll several times thinking that I was just hit by a car.

I’m picked up by two of the men in uniform. They bring me back to the large man wit my feet dragging on the wet ground.

“I am trying to be professional about this. Please tell me about the creature!” He asks nicely. So I tell him.

“Well, it’s crude vile thing with a hump on its back, very ugly! It might have been your mom!” He doesn’t take that joke with grace, but I take his hits to my face, to my body. I hear cracks and pops as he just lets loose.

The men drop me seeing me convulse in pain and choke on blood. I turn over and spit some of it out. My mouth feels like I was chewing on razor blades.

“You still want to be a smart ass!?” The large man asks me standing over me.

The sky roars and the ground quakes. No, you said that you would listen!

“Leave him alone!” The large man steps aside and I see Stark angry with her wings spread out and her head lowered pointing her horn at the large man.

The guys in tactical uniforms instantly raise their guns at her, but the large man signals for the guns to bet lowered.

“This keeps getting better!” Says the large man as he smugly chucking.

“Back off now!” She says. Her horn starts to glow and the men aim their gun at her.

“I don’t think so.” The man replies then he steps on my head pushing me into the mud. I try to claw at his massive boot as I groan in pain.

“STOP!” Stark screams.

“Give me one good reason that I should.” He replies.

“I’LL GO WITH YOU!” She shouts and the boot stops crushing my head. “I’ll go with you, just leave him alone.” She becomes distraught as her ears tuck backwards.

The large man raises his boot off my head.

“No fuss?” He asks.

“None.”

One of the men pulls out a bulky collar and another one unravels wide belt.

They tie down her wings and snap the collar on, she winches and her ears tuck back. I reach out to her but the men escort her to one of the armored vans.

The large man still stands over me.

“It’s better this way. You could go back to your life and forget all about this.” He tell me and walks away.

I lay motionless on the mucky ground as the vans leave. Everything starts to blur together, grey tones smeared on a canvas. Then black surrounds me.

I lay staring into blue skies with plumed white clouds, but it is still raining. I feel the warmth of the sun and cooling beads from the rain.

“Beautiful isn’t it? Opposites together in harmony, the tranquility is aweing.” Miles tells me; him sitting on a bench directly in front of me untouched by the rain.

“You are not really here are you?” I ask him.

He smiles.

“Only if you believe that I am, then I am. But you don’t so I’m not.” He says leaning back into the bench.

“Could you be any more vague?” I reply.

“I could be direct with you, then you wouldn’t mature. You have to earn it.”

“And all I have to do is listen to the subtext as my mental projection displays a father figure ambiguously advising me.” I tell him as his eyes widen.

“Wow, you become incredibly bitter!”

“Your way of telling me to be calm.” I reply.

“Don’t let your emotions control your action.”

“Think with my head. Observe and assess.” I reply.

“All types of knowledge, ultimately mean self-knowledge.”

“Yeah, I get it!”

“Then why don’t you know what you are fight for?” He asks.

“Come on man! Wake up!”

I see the interior of a familiar van and fell hard slaps to my face.

“There you go!” Dunney says as he helps me sit up.

I groan in crippling pain doing only the slightest movements.

“You gotta get up man!” He puts my arm over his neck and raises me off the floor. I stumble as he drops me into the passenger seat. I curl up feeling the bruises and welts over me. One of my eyes is swollen shut.

Dunney sit on the driver seat and starts the van.

“They took her!” I tell him in a very weak voice.

He falls back on the seat biting his lip.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s beyond us now.” He drives off.

We stay silent for a while. The rain pours down on the windshield and we are stuck behind traffic in Fulton street. A buzz goes off and Dunney picks his pocket for his phone. He looks at me puzzled.

“Why did you text me that you are sorry?” He asks.

“I don’t have my phone.”

“Then who does?” I feel a mental kick in the head.

“Stark!” I reply.

“What?”

“I gave Stark the phone before she was taken: and she figured how to text!” I shout ignoring the pain as I move to the edge of my seat.

“You think she can tell us where she is?” Dunney asks.

“She doesn’t have to. I turned on my GPS. You could track it with even the basic phone. Give me your phone.” Dunney hands it to me and I quick go to work.

“How are you going to track it?” He asks.

“I just have to text the GPS program I set up and it’ll text me the back location via text message.”

“You can do that?”

“I modified my phone.” I confess.

“You still flash phones?” He ask?

“No, just ones I find.”

The phone buzzes and I open the message.

Phone tracker serv. 3.1

Your phone has been located at by this address.

1835 Plum street, China Town , NY.

“She is in building China Town! Why? They could have gone much farther than that.” I ask.

“Extraction!” Dunney exclaims. Traffic moves as if it was on cue. “We are not that far. He shifts the van in gear and we head to find Stark.

“Do you have a plan?” Dunney ask me nervously.

“Look at my face.” I point at my face. “This is what planning has gotten me!”

“I’ll take that as a no then!”

We circle around Plum street seeing a lot of building towering and sandwiched together.

“Look for an abandoned building.” Dunney says strangely calm.

I look around with my good eye scanning though every detail I can find. Graffiti, worn out structure, police tape, boarded up windows.

“What was the number to the place again?” Dunney asks as I keep an eye around us.

“1835. Why?”

“Cause it’s right there!” He point at a apartment building boarded up, burnt, and a commended notice taped to the entrance.

We park a couple of blocks away.

“You ready?” I ask fighting agony and torture with every movement.

“Not yet. We gotta take care of that eye.” He replies.

He pulls out a knife and a tube of crazy glue. The construction worker’s medical kit on the go. I nod and took a deep breath.

He grabs my face and cuts painfully above the swollen brow. My cries are muffed by my hands. He dabs the flowing blood with a handkerchief then lays the super adhesive over it. My eye start to open.

“Now are you ready?” I ask.

“Yeah sorry, I couldn’t deal with that Frankenstein monster look.” He replies.

We try to causally walk to the alley connected to the building, but it’s kind of hard to avoid attention when you look like you went a round with Mike Tyson with you arms tie to your back. My flesh feels tenderized and a couple of joints are jammed. I use the thought of Stark as a painkiller and a drive to push my synapsis wanting instinct to take over.

I peak over a side of a neighboring store and see the two armored vans that rolled on the park stationed in front of the back exit of the condemned complex with two men wearing mall cop uniforms keeping a look out.

I turn to Dunney.

“They are here, but they changed from the tactical apparel into basic security uniforms.” I tell him.

“So they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves. That’s not going to last for long. It’ll get suspicious that they are parked behind an abandoned building with armored vans with no company logo.” He comments.

A garbage truck honks facing the front of the vans and the men turn away. We instinctively take advantage and run across the alley as low, quickly and as quietly possible to the side of the complex.

Dunney points at the fire escape then squats with his hands linked between his legs. He mouths the word boost and I realize that I have no better opportunity.

I step on his hand and he throws in the air just enough to catch the latter. I climb to the first platform; Dunney jumps on the wall with one foot then launches himself to the latter.

We silently run up the stairs pausing at every window and peak in. On the fifth floor I signal Dunney to stop and use hand signs to tell him that there are two men patrolling. They pass and we continue up the stairs.

On the next floor, I to peer through a window only seeing an efficiency Swiss cheese drywall exposed wires and busted doors and two men in uniforms laying on the ground. I try to carry onward but a familiar hand pulls me in the room.

I’m pinned to the wall with a forearm pressing on my throat. Goggles and I face to face then lightens the pressure. Dunney pulls him off me and forces him against the opposite wall. I try to catch my breath as Goggles knees Dunney in the stomach knocking him back. Dunney lunges with a punch , but only hitting through the wall as Goggles moves around.

“Now you’re getting me pissed!” Dunney whispers aggressively pulling his arm from the wall with a puff of dust following.

Dunney steps towards Goggles then throws a jab, as Goggles dodges , Dunney follows with a spin swinging his elbow hitting Goggles in the face.

I lean against the wall overwhelmed with pain seeing the two trading hits. Dunney is able to go toe to toe with this guy, while I struggled to even stand when I faced him.

Suddenly Dunney falls after a kick to the head. I push myself off the wall and give a forceful kick to Goggles in the chest. He is thrown back to the wall creating a hole. He sits in the hole dazed. I raise his head with one hand and strike him hard as I could with the other.

Goggles goes limp still in the hole. I look at Dunney on the floor recovering from his hit. I offer a hand and pull him up.

“You need to work on your timing.” He says rubbing the side of his head.

I roll my eyes then look around the efficiency.

“You think anybody heard us?” I ask.

“I don’t know?” Dunney replies. “Looks like he took down some of the men for us.”

We stay quite hearing nothing but the eerie silence. Dunney starts to pull Goggles from the wall then caries him to the restroom dropping him in the tub. He drag the other unconscious men into the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

“Why did you do that?” I ask.

“Just in case they patrol this floor later, we don’t want them to know that we’re here.”

We skulk through the hallway cautiously observing for any threats and anticipate for any surprises. Dunney places a hand on my shoulder and signals that we head up.

Why does that feel wrong to me. I get the urge, the need to follow my instinct. I shake my head and signal that we should go down. Dunney raise a bushy brow and nods.

We stop at the stair way and hear a man talking over a distorted radio just beyond the corner..

“Sigma team has taken the armored vehicles and dropped off the cover ones. Inform Mr. Emerson and prepare for extraction.” The radio relays.

“Copy that! Bravo team readying for extraction.” A unseen man says,

At that moment Dunney walks down stairs and turns the corner before I can react. I rush down the stairs to him and stand at the bottom stunned. The swift movements that Dunney lays out as the two men are on the defensive. He hits one of them in the throats and the man grabs at his neck, Dunney turns his attention at the other. The second man throws a punch, but Dunney grabs it and twist the guys arm and slams the guy’s head against the wall. Dunney picks up the rifle that was strapped the knocked out man’s back and aims it at the other as he tries to recover. Dunney fires the gun and all is heard it a quiet “zip” and he man convulses and grunts. He collapses to the ground like a live doll suddenly became inanimate.

Dunney walks over to the man he shot and bends over him picking something off of him. Dunney turns to me looking at a tiny object between his fingers.

“What the hell?” He says and then the object sparks and cracks. Dunney yelps and flinches shaking his hand then puts finger in his mouth. “God damn shock rounds!” He grunts.

“So he is not dead?” I ask.

Dunney looks at his burnt fingers.

“Nope. He lucky though. I didn’t know they were shock rounds.” He says then looks around. “We should hurry, They are about to clear out.” He unloads a shell from the chamber. “I’ll take point! Just tell me where to.”

I hear silent whispers in the back of my head.  I turn around into the hallway and try to pin point what direction that it’s coming from. I point to my left.

“Their!” I tell him.

Dunney walks ahead of me with rifle at the ready. Hear the whispers more louder but still unclear. I touch Dunney’s  shoulder and signal to the room to his right.

He puts his back against the next to the door and mouths “1,2,3!” and storms in with the rifle aimed. I poke my head out seeing Dunney stand in the middle of the large room with is gun aimed at the large man with his hands crossed and smiling. I enter the room standing right behind Dunney.

“Well, you are very persistent, aren’t you Mr. Grey?” He says calm and collective. I’m not.

“Where is she?” I ask.

“Who?” He replies.

“I better do what the boy says, or I’m goanna have fun with the gun here till you do.” Dunney interrupts.

The large man step aside and reveals Stark stunned to see me then she enthusiastically smiles.

“Here she is.” The large man says.

I start to carefully walk to her keeping an eye on the large man. Dunney gestures at him to move aside. He abides and I rush to her, but feel a strong tug on my jacket. I’m lifted in the air.

“Put him down!” Dunney yells then a couple of zips follow.

“Gladly!” The large man says joyfully than he tosses me to the back of the apartment hitting the wall hard enough that I go through it. I hit something solid in the dark and hear ceramic break and chip while Stark yells for me.

I go through the hole I made shaking off the pain that my body screams. The large man continuously getting hit with the shock rounds and not even flinching after every hit. He swing a massive arm at Dunney but is dodge as Dunney leans back and throw the empty rifle at the large man’s face not once winching.

I run to Stark sliding on my knees.

“How did you find me?” She asks.

“I tracked the phone I gave you. How did you texted me?” I reply

“Magic. So, did you want the phone back?” Stark questions.

“Yes, I came all the way here to get my phone, but since I’m here I might as well rescue you!” I answer while pulling off the belt wrapped around her. Her wings quickly flutter and the large man turns his attention to me. Dunney jumps on his back, but is swiftly knocked back. Oh shit comes to mind.

I try to find a way to take off the heavy large collar then attempt to pry it open as the large man approaches.

“Hurry!” Stark yells.

Everything slow down again. My finger bleeding over the collar, Stark terrified, the large man right over me about to crush me with a massive arm raised ready to come down.

Sometimes a man is defined by what he chooses to fight for. So what do you fight for?

What do I fight for? FOR HER!

I feel the collar pull apart and Stark’s horn illuminates then flashes. The large man stumbles back with his chest smoking.

“Get out if here!” I tell her pointing at an open window. Stark hesitates then darts out with the air cracking.

The large man gets back up with a hole burnt through his clothes showing a chard spot on his chest.

“You are going to regret that!” He says infuriated and his face shows it. He balls his hands into great fists.

“I don’t think I am. It’s better this way, you can go back to bouncing at clubs or scare little children with you face and forget all about this.” I reply accepting the consequences.

The large man runs up to me with his giant feet stomping the floor. I don’t move, I just smirk at peace. No matter what he does to me, he still lost. Stark is safe.

He is stumbles forward as Dunney wraps an arm around the large man’s neck from the back punching at his temple repeatedly. The large man twists his body slamming Dunney against the wall, but still keeps the vice. The large man slams Dunney again knocking him out cold. Dunney slides on the cracked wall and onto the floor.

The large man chuckles as he observes Dunney motionless against the wall.

“How you two got the better of me is beyond me.” He says.

He grips me by the shirt and lifts me over his head and crashes me to the ceiling over and over. Then slams me against a wall again and again then throws me straight across the room breaking through to the hallway.

I am on the floor feeling old pain along with some new. I heard my ribs crack , maybe that is why I am struggling to breath. I can’t lift my arms nor move my legs. I still feel them though; crying out banged and bruised and possibly broken.

A black figure stands over me obscured by my foggy vision. The figure comes into focus and I stunned to see Goggles tilting his head at me then changes his attention through the hole in the wall. He steps over me and enters the room.

I try to pick myself up, but my body turns against me. Limbs feel they are incased in concrete. I sluggishly pull myself over the rim of the hole I made and see Goggles taking a stance, ready to fight the large man.

The large man throws several punches, but Goggles remains untouched as he dances around the large man’s strikes. Goggles nimbly jumps in the air hitting the large man hard in the chest with a knee and launches off with a back flip catching his ground. The large man comes at him with another barrage of punches, but unable to land one. Goggles stays on the large man’s outside volleying at his ribs and liver.

Goggles kicks at the large man’s head and is troubled to find it caught by him.

The large man lifts Goggles in the air by his leg and swings him to a wall breaking through the corner. Goggle claws at the floorboards but is dragged by the large man still gripping his leg. Goggles is once again raised into the air and slammed to the ground repeatedly until Goggles is absolutely still.

This guy is inhuman. He does not flinch at the shock rounds that Dunney fired straight at him, a blast from Stark to his chest, and a fight from Dunney and Goggles, yet he is unfazed.

The large man saunters to me. He lifts me up by my jacket then grabs at my throat and pins me to a wall. I am unable to retaliate, enervated by the day.

“You have become an enormous prick to my side!” Spit shoot between his teeth and squeezes my windpipe. “I am going to enjoy this as much as I can!” He tightens his grip and I choke trying to gasp for the slightest bit of oxygen. Everything flutters to black and back.

I think of the lie I told Stark. That I would be okay. I wiped her tears and lied.

The sky roars and room explodes enveloping it in dust blinding me. My throat is released and I fall on my hands and knees with debris raining upon me. I gasp for air tasting the dust in the back of my throat. I cough and feel a nudge at my side. This dust settles and there’s Stark standing next to me stressfully smiling.

“You promised me that you would protect me, right?” She asks.

“Y-yes!” I reply. I look around not seeing the large man in the room but another large hole on a wall to my side.

“Did you mean it?”

“Still do.” I answer as blood seeps through my teeth.

She helps me up to my knees.

“This might hurt.” She tell me then stabs her horn into my chest, yet I don’t feel pain: just warmth.

I look down and see light shining from my chest. A surge of hot electricity courses through my body and my heart explodes into a race. Stark pulls out her horn with worry across her face as I wrap my arms hugging my torso rapidly breathing.

The pain fades along with the fatigue and a rush of adrenaline pumps through veins.

“Are you okay?” Stark asks.

“What was that?”

“A contract.” She replies,

“A what?”

The large man reenters the room with his trench coat shredded to ribbons. He looks at Stark and grins.

“Girl, you must like getting captured.” He says walking to her. I stand in front of Stark not knowing my next move.

He punches in the face and I fly back into hitting withered bookshelf.  It topples and I recover quickly and lunge back at him with a blow to his stomach. He groans as he holds it baffled at what just happened. I look at Stark puzzled.

“What was that?” I ask.

“The contract.” She replies.

The large man stand back up infuriated then charges at me like a rhino bursting and Stark flies back out of the way. He hits me in the face again knocking my head back. The punch hurt, but not like before. I raise a leg and forcefully kick the large man hitting him again in the stomach. He falls back and rolls gaining his footing.

“She made you her guardian didn’t she?” He asks.

I look at Stark and she wonders her gaze over the apartment looking guilty.

“I goanna say, yeah.” I shrug my shoulders.

“That’s a shame. Now I gotta take both of you in.” His words became a nail to the head, a sudden realization of appending doom. I got no smart mouth remarks, no quips.

I know how to fight; it’s all I did when I was younger. Untrained and violent, brash and aggressive, but even with my training this brute still bests me out of strength and experience. I don’t know what Stark did to me. I just hope it’s enough. No test. Best way to learn to swim is to be thrown into a running river.

The large man quickly leaps and throws a right hook. I raise my arm curled to block, then feel like a wall being hit by a race car. The air blasts from the impact and my ears pops.

I push his arm away opening his stance then punch him in his rib. He flinches back, I take advantage by stepping on his bent leg and jump striking my knee to his temple. The large man fumbles back and shakes his head, He snorts looking pissed.

I’m a pup going against a rabid pit-bull on a roid-rage.

The large man quickly grips my shirt and pulls me to him then continuously pounds my face. I try to kick off but his vice remains.

I pull my body up and start to kick the large man in the face repeatedly. He drops me on the ground. I attempted to get up but s boot stomps on my chest knock the air out of my lungs.

“You feel that energy? You feel able to free do anything.” He was right. I was Super-man on drugs. I thought myself to be formable. I was more like a psycho on Xanax, a reality check melting my wings as I flew to close to the sun.

He presses harder and I begin sink into the floor breaking under me. I can’t breathe. Then something starts to tug at the large man pants growling.

“Rite m go!” Stark words are muffled as she pulling at the large man’s pant leg.

I try to tell her to get away, but no air to voice it.

The large man grabs her by the neck. She squirms with her hooves pushing against the massive hand, wings flapping. She grunts as he lift her up.

“We got some special thing in store for you.” The large man says to her. Stark’s eyes widen with fear, as do mine.

My fears turns into anger, my anger turns into fire. I make a fist balled up as tight as I can and hit the large man at the side of his knee. It twists and bends as he collapses releasing Stark. She flies away from us.

I gasp for air and jump back on my feet. I listen to my anger as it builds up. I grab the large man from his tore trench coat and lift him up.

My jaw quivers, muscles urging, heart racing. I feel blinded and possessed.

The large man looks frightened and befuddled. I roar and charge running through apartments with him as my battery ram. Drywall shatters, wood splinters, wires snap. him feeling every single one of them. I hear Stark shouting my name, but I can’t stop.

Brick and mortar break into dust as we burst through the back of the building. Once again I fall., this time slowly descend down into an alley with a man forced before me winching. I look below and see vehicles parked. We crash onto one.

I do not see. I do not hear.

I lay in tall grass brushing against me as it gracefully sways with the wind. Sun sets on the horizon painting the sky in pink and blue with orange lighting the clouds in their slow motion travel.

I know I’m not really here, though it’s probably better that I believe that I am.

My eyes lids are heavy as they open. Foggy, bright, obscured my vision settles. I’m on my cot with the thick blanket covering me as I lay flat on my back. I try to raise then feel Stark curled up on me. She is softly breathing, her heart beating in a calm pace.

Then the pain seeps in.

I couldn’t keep still enough not to wake Stark. Her eyes flutter and widen.

“You’re up!” She enthusiastically exclaims.

“Yeah, kind a wish I wasn’t though.” I move back and rest against the wall where my bed is placed.

“Careful. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Any more than you already have that is.” Says Stark jumping off the bed.

My arm throbs striking in pain. I lean forward and cradle it noticing that it’s casted nesting in a band looped around my neck. I turn to Stark.

“How’d this end up on me?” I ask.

Dunney walks in the room apprehensive.

“Hey you’re awake. You’ve been out for awhile.” He says rubbing that back of his neck.

“Yeah, how did this end up on me?” I ask again point at my casted arm.

They look at each other not saying a word wearing uncomfortable faces. Dunney points his thumb behind him. Across the room in a chair sit Goggles read a newspaper. He folds it down staring at me through is green tinted goggles and waves. Then he returns to read the paper. I turn to Stark and Dunney.

“Okay… Why is he here?” I whisper aggressively.

“To make sure you recover, Mr. Grey?” A woman dressed in a black suit with matching pants .steps out of the kitchen. Her red hair short and curly, the creases around her mouth, wrinkles on her forehead. Her eyes absent of and glimmer. Another business type.

“I assume you are with Hugo Weaving?” I ask her as she walks closer to the bed. Stark and Dunney make way for her.

“I am not with Vision Guard Security Mr. Grey.” She puts her hand to her back.

“So you are a competitor then.”

“In a way, yes we are. Though, we do have greatly different goals.” She replies.

“And what are they?”

“To insure the safety of you and your friend.” She gestures to Stark.

“Okay, I was not expecting that.” I tell her.

“You are this here creature’s guardian, right?” She asks.

“Newly appointed.” I answer. She smirks.

“You see Mr. Grey-“

“Just Grey! I’m an tired of hearing Mr. in front of my name.”

“You see Grey, these creatures, like your friend, has very special and unusual abilities and are unable to return to their world. In the world we live in, that is dangerous for their wellbeing. They can appoint guardians as protector. ”

“How do I know that you are not lying to me about your conflict with Vision Guard?”

“If we were with Vision Guard, you’d already be in a test facility going through evasive trails.” She replies. I remember Goggles fighting the large man. They wouldn’t be fighting if they were on the same side.

“So you company does not have a test facility?” I ask her.

“Oh, we do! We just ask your consent before any test.”

“How did you find Stark in the first place.” I ask.

“Though you. We intercepted a report on your accident in the company. The situation fit the parameters of contact. We detected a sudden weather change the day of your accident. A weather anomaly added to a miracle of you surviving. We just put two and two together, as did Vision Guard.

We also reviewed your records. You have none. None that’s not falsified that is.

A social security number with no history, no medical records, a post office box that is addressed to another box. No known parents.” She explains. The last sentence hurt a bit.

“That would be my doing.” Dunney intervenes with his hands in his pockets. “I have contacts after my military days. After his foster parents…pasted. Foster care was going to take him away. He didn’t want that, so I helped.”

Stark concerned trots to me then jumps back on the bed laying her head on my lap. I pat her head and she smiles.

“That explains the forged identity, though we did find his foster records. We suppressed them before Vision Guard could retrieve them. They wouldn’t be able to find you like we did.” The woman elaborates.

“What happens now?” I ask her.

“Well, that is up to you and your friend Grey. You could live under our protection still residing at this house. Since you are unable to return to your previous job, we would supply you with income for taking care of Stark. And I’d throw some extra in for a remodel. This house is dreadful.” She responds.

I look at Stark resting on me.

“It’s your choice.” I tell her with my good hand going through her forelock.

“I get to be with you?” She asks in a mousy voice.

“Yup, you’d be stuck with me.”

“Then an emphatic yes!” She emphatically replies.

“Yes then.” I tell the women.

“Then welcome to the protection of Over Watch. I would be assigned to you as a handler. I will return shortly with some provision. Mr. Fisherman will keep an eye on you until I return.” She points at Goggles. “Good-bye Mr. Grey.” She leaves out the back door.

The three of us sigh in relief and disbelief.

Dunney claps his hand.

“I’m making pancakes in celebration!” He say with a large grin. Stark’s eyes light up. “I’ll take that as a yes!” He leaves to the kitchen and stops in front of Goggles and flashes hand signs at him. He does the same back. “Oh, yeah. He can’t speak.” Dunney gestures at Goggles who continues to read his paper.

The woman returns with the promised income and provision along with some extensive paper work. Her and Goggles leaves us. Dunney follows shortly after we eat the pancakes he made. Stark enjoyed them very much.

We go outside to the back and sit under the porch looking up the grey bleak sky shielding us from the sun. Chilling the city and us.

Stark nudges at my shoulder.

“I-I’m so sorry for everything that happened.” She looks down and away.

“I can’t forgive for something that is not your fault.” I reply picking up her chin.

“I feel like it is.” She pouts.

“Well, whatever happens next. Just know, you’re worth the trouble.” She goes under my good arm and leans on me.

“Is a poem I liked in you pile” She says.

“Which one?”

“I’m nobody, who are you?”

“Are you nobody too?” I add.

“Then there’s a pair of us, don’t tell-they’d banish us, you know.”

“Why do you like that one?” I ask her.

“I just connected with it.”

Snow starts to dance their way down from the sky shifting and swaying before us. She gallops to the middle of the yard jumping in the air as the snowflakes move around her whimsically. She prances and laughs. Her wings flaps and the flakes explodes in all directions.

She hasn’t told me why she is here, or how. But she’ll tell me: eventually.

The End.