Chapter 3

The nights were always bitterly cold and strikingly dark. In the summer, one could wear a coat and be comfortable for a short time. In the winter, if someone went out at night without covering his face, it would be chapped and maybe bleeding by the time he returned home. This night, Eden wore her black pea coat. Her platinum blonde hair shone in the lamplight, like stars woven into thread. In contrast, Adam’s dark brown hair and framed his fair face. His dark, deep set eyes on his fair complexion made him look ghostly. They walked briskly, Eden barely keeping up with Adam’s long strides. Eden glanced at Adam’s watch and caught the time. They had a little more than a half hour to go to the community donation box, before they would be at risk of breaking curfew.

Walking to the box lead them down Johnson Street where Eden was assaulted. Her breath hitched, Adam glanced back at her. He asked if she was alright, and she nodded in reply. It was obvious that something was wrong. He thought he may have been walking too fast, so he slowed down. Across street was the alley where Eden ran into the policeman; it was dark, too dark to see anything. Adam followed her gaze into that alley as they walked passed it. “Did you see something?”

“No, I can’t see anything in these alleys. I guess that’s why I get unnerved.” She laughed nervously.

“Don’t worry about it; big bro is always here to help. Always.”

            They were half way there, at the pace they were presently going, they would barely make it back before curfew. A few years ago, a neighbor was caught outside during curfew. He was not seen by the others for weeks, when he came back, he looked terrible. Soon after returning, he moved away, and wasn’t heard of again. Rumor around the apartment complex was that he was brought in for questioning, and was convicted of some crime. There were many reasons why Eden and Adam didn’t want to be caught after curfew, one of which was that they held a pet cat in their apartment.

            Just as they approached the meditation building, they saw figures from the shadows. After an initial curious glance, Eden recognized one of them.

            “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here, boys.” The deep, smoky voice was all too known to Eden’s ears. “We have the bitch and her pig brother. More importantly, we have cash walking up with them.” There was a group of chuckles from the shadows. It sounded like there were two other male voices. Mark stepped into the lamplight. As he lit his cigarette, his charcoal eyes glowed red.

            “Is that Mark?” Adam asked. “Mark, you thinned out; what happen to all that fat you had? Perhaps that negligent mother you have finally taught you some self-control. I suppose you would know what a pig or a bitch was more than anyone else here.” Mark’s handymen froze and looked at their leader to see how he would react to this insult. He stood there developing a snarl; he inhaled his cigarette, deeply. “Shouldn’t you run off back to your pen?”

            The cool night suddenly got colder. Adam, why did you rev him up? Eden tensed and looked around. Two against three, if Eden knew how to do anything more than running away in these situations they may have stood a chance. She looked at the two henchmen. She recognized Matt with his Mohawk. The other one looked like Jacob. He, too, was muscular like Matt.

            “You know, I was just going to ask you for the money and discuss this matter like civilized humans. Now, I will have to preform my role as a ‘scather’,” he emphasized, “and I will have to kill you.” His devilish glare turned from Adam, to Eden, who was at Adam’s shoulder. He chuckled, “Maybe, I will keep you alive just enough to see what we do to Eden over here, right in front of your cultish meditation building.” He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his knife. Matt and Jacob moved toward Eden and Adam. She was frozen. As Matt reached out to grab Eden’s shoulder, his arm was intercepted by Adam’s hand. As quickly as his arm was grabbed, he was flipped onto the ground. Adam finished the throw so that he broke Matt’s elbow in the process. Matt groaned loudly in pain, clenching his elbow, he saw blood and passed out. It seemed to be a compound fracture, and Matt was never good around blood. Jacob was quicker than Matt. He jumped at Adam.

            As Adam and Jacob began to fight, Mark took the chance to attack Eden. At this point, her shock wore off. She saw Mark moving toward her with carnal shadows in his eyes. As his unarmed hand reached for her, she ducked and grazed passed him. “Come one, little birdie, I have a proper cage for you. I’ll make you sing for me every day, and you will love it.” Eden shuttered, in this moment, Mark grabbed her and put the knife to her throat. Just as he did, Adam just choked out Jacob.

            “Hey, asshole” Mark whistled. Adam turned around to see Mark with his arm around Eden’s shoulders, and a knife at her throat. His face sunk. “Checkmate.”

            “I know you haven’t played chess a day in your life.” Adam was trying to keep Eden calm, and trying to make him seem in control.

            “Shut up,” he spat, “give me the money.”

            “Give me my sister.” Adam looked at the time. “Curfew is in five minutes, Mark. I know you don’t want to get caught.” Mark moved, and Eden heard his heartbeat quicken.

            A few moments passed. “I’m a ‘scather’ the big boys don’t have anything to do with me. You, on the other hand, have a reputation to uphold.”

            Adam chuckled. “You’re right, they will lock up one of their most important computer scientists for trying to donate money, and getting mugged while trying, but they will spare a scather that has been a thorn in the side of society for years.” Adam pushed his glasses up. “I can wait, Mark. We will see who is right.”

            Mark took a step back. “Dammit.” He hissed in Eden’s ear. His smoke-stained breath was making Eden sick, she started to feel lightheaded. This gave her an idea.

            “I don’t feel too well,” She wheezed quietly into his arm. She began to relax her body, and fain fainting. He grunted. Eden was not heavy, but Mark was week. His strength was in his manipulative wit, not in his muscles. As she relaxed, he struggled to keep her up.

            Suddenly, a high pitched horn came from the speakers around the city. It was the first of the three that warned the residence to return to their homes. Adam, began to sweat, but had to ride this through. “So what will it be, Mark?”

            “Fuck you!” Mark spat at Adam. “This is not over. I will destroy you both, and I will love every second of it.” He pushed Eden at Adam, and she ran over to her brother. Mark ran back to the shadows, his boys were regaining consciousness. The first note died off.

            “Eden we need to run, NOW.” With that, the two of them sprinted in the direction from which they came with the speed neither of them ever experienced. Eden moved like a gazelle through the streets of her city. Adam was just behind her, sprinting with intensity and adrenaline. The second horn began. They had just reached the halfway point. Adam was lagging behind.

            “Adam, hurry!” She yelled back breathlessly.

            “I’ll catch up!” Adam was not as fit as the ballerina.

            “No, I need you to get home.” Her heart was pounding. “What if you don’t make it back with me? Come on!” The second horn faded.

            With this, Adam somehow broke his wall of fatigue. He caught up to Eden and they continued. The apartment complex was in sight. “Go, go, GO.”

The third horn began. The pair ran up the stairs to the second floor. They reached their door; Adam fumbled with the keys, shaking with adrenaline. The third horn faded. The key went in, and they went inside.

            The two of them fell on the floor, eyes wide and mouths wider. They gasped for air and wheezed. Tears flowed down Eden’s cheeks, a reaction to the intense sprint in the cold night air rather than the emotional distress of the evening. Eden stood up and left Adam on the floor. She wobbled over to the kitchen and grabbed them both some tap water. When she returned, he was leaning against the wall. “Here is some water.” She gave him the glass.

            “Thanks,” he breathed. After a moment of drinking down the welcomed liquid he said, “Well, I learned a lesson.” Eden looked at him. “Carrying around money to bring to a donation box, can wait until morning.” He chuckled. “Damn, I feel like shit.”

            “I don’t know what to say.” Eden sighed. “I have never been more scared in my life.”

            “Of the scathers?”

            “No, of getting caught out during curfew.” She looked down at her empty glass. “The scathers were nothing compared to that feeling. What if we got caught? What if only you got caught? What if they came to our house and saw Abel?” Adam moved to say something. Eden ignored him. “I think there is something terribly wrong when grown people run from those who rule, like children run from the boogeyman.”

            “You’re right, E.” He put his arm around her shoulder in a side-hug, as they sat in the hallway. Abel came up to her and lay in her lap. “There is something severely wrong with it. This is the world we live in. For now, we can only try to survive.” Abel licked Adam’s hand, and Adam replied with a scratch behind the cat’s ear. “You are also right about Abel, here. There is no doubt in my mind that we were seen arriving seconds late for curfew. We need to hide Abel. He needs to go outside for the night.”

            Eden looked at from Abel to him. She knew he was right, but she did not want to comply. “I can’t do that, Adam, he will freeze out there.

            “He has fur, E. He can survive one night outside. You have given him plenty of food, and he has had plenty of rats in his life.” Abel looked up at him. “He isn’t stupid. Look, he knows that we are talking about him.  One night won’t kill him. Tomorrow, if no one comes, we can call for him. He knows his name.”

            Eden sighed. “Okay. Why are you always right?”

            “Because that’s my job.” He chuckled.