Yuko
November 22, 2007. 9:41 a.m. Road to Vivian’s house.
Viv woke me up bright and early to drive me back to her place. I’ve got on one of my nice dresses for the Thanksgiving party. It’s casual and comfy enough to be a sundress, but nice enough to be a fancy dress. It’s simple, but it’s all I could think of… Didn’t want to dress too nicely.
Viv on the other hand is wearing her usual sneakers, jeans, and purple jacket combo. Even has some stylish sunglasses to boot. The glasses look more expensive than the rest of her outfit. Maybe they’re prescription? She’s been driving the whole time listening to some weird guitar music I’ve never heard before. The best way I can describe it is cold, relaxed rock? She’s just been driving in silence the whole time. Usually she’d be commenting on my dress or trying to play twenty questions, but nope. Silence. She doesn’t look angry. Is it boredom? Or is it just her driving face?
“Hey, Yukes.” Viv finally speaks up.
“Yeah?”
“You worried about something or do you just have nothing to say?”
“What would I have to be worried about?”
“Getting along with my family.”
“...” I slink back into my seat and glance out the window. “If they’re like you, I don’t have to worry…”
“Attagirl.” Viv smiles and turns right.
Before I can think of anything to talk about, she pulls into this street that looks like the kinds of streets my parents told me to avoid. Thin roads, old cars all around the curbs, and sidewalks that look like they haven’t been fixed in forever. Viv pulls into a cluttered driveway, pulls off her sunglasses, and looks at me. I can’t help but flinch every time I look at her face. I thought it’d get better, but nope. Still looks scaly ever since Chicago. It honestly hurts to look at. “Ready to go, Yuko?” She smiles and turns off the car.
“Wait. What?” I look back at the house. It’s just this small little one-story square that looks a little smaller than my mom’s garage. The paint’s chipping off a little and the mailbox is rusted as all hell, but the lawn is taken care of. Even has some lavender growing by the mailbox. “You live here?”
“Yeah.” Viv gets out of the car and closes the door. “It’s no palace, but it’s home.” She bends down and looks at me through the window. “You waiting for something?”
“No.” I shake my head, get out, and follow Viv to the front door. “Sorry. Seatbelt was hard to get off.”
“Hah yeah. Car’s a piece of garbo.” Viv takes out a key from her back pocket and opens the door. “Hey, mom. I’m home.”
Wow… uh… Huh. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t this. There’s crosses and a bunch of photos of Jesus on one of the walls and two brand spanking new black couches by a massive TV. There’s an old man sleeping on each of the couches while Indiana Jones plays on the TV and a mess of boxes behind one of the couches. Dunno what’s in them and I don’t care. Three doors lie on the wall behind the couches. They all look damaged, but have a fresh coat of paint on them. There’s a kitchen to the left of me behind a counter. Damn near looks and smells like a fast food kitchen. Viv’s mom is busting her ass making - like - three different things at once. The kitchen and the living room put together are smaller than my room back home. Why the hell would Viv wanna come back to this?
“Vivian!” Viv’s mom turns off the stove, turns around and picks her up in a big bear hug. “Oh my goodness I missed you so much!” she begins pelting her forehead with kisses.
“Blegh! Blah! Mom! Mooom!” Viv resists and laughs. “Stooop I’ve only been gone half a semester!”
“That’s longer than you know!” Viv’s mom puts her back down and chucks an orange at the old man.
The orange bounces off the geezer and he springs awake. “Bwah! Damn makapili!” he turns over to us and his callous face melts into a smile upon seeing Viv. “Aaaaw there you are!” he gets up off the couch effortlessly and practically tackles Viv into a hug. “Holy hell, Vivi. Where did you get that shiner?”
“Dad.” Viv’s mom sighs. “You watched her fight those moon bunies on tv.”
“Eh?” The grandad stops for a sec before shrugging. “You mean that wasn’t a movie?” he gives Viv a hearty pat on the back before pulling away. “Hot damn.” he pokes her cheek. “Ah, just put some spit on it and it’ll be better in no time.” Grandpa turns over to me and backsteps a little. “Who’s this Goliath?”
“Name’s Yuko.” I wave down at him. “I’m Viv’s friend. Pleased to meet you?”
“Pleasure’s all mine.” he shakes my hand by force and damn near crushes it with a smile. “Konichiwa. It’s nice to finally meet a friend of Vivi’s.”
I see Viv cringe a little. “Anyway…” Viv coughs. “Mom, do you need help with anything?”
“Don’t you worry about a thing here, Viv.” Viv’s mom gets back into the kitchen and keeps cooking… something. “You go get ready.”
“Sweet! Thanks, mom!” Viv pulls me by the wrist over to the center door behind the couches, opens it, and leads me into her room.
Now this is a bit more like what I was expecting. The first things I see are a mountain of games and dvds in the corner and a small TV with an N64 atop an old dresser across from her bed. Her bedroom’s immaculate, though I’m pretty sure her mom took care of that. Her bed is covered by dark blue and purple sheets, pillow cases, and blankets. There’s some real old looking bootleg posters on her door and walls. Long mirror by the window. Small spinning fan with lights in the center of the ceiling. Petite closet with not much in it. It’s simple. It’s Viv.
I go over to her closet and check what little outfits she has. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to wear that for a Thanksgiving party…”
“What’s wrong with it?” Viv chucks her shoes off and jumps onto her bed. “You’re the one that’s overdressed here.”
“You’re joking.” I turn to face Viv.
“Nope.” Viv lies spread out against her bed. “My family likes to take things real casual.”
“You could’ve told me that before I got dressed up.” I sigh.
“I know. I just thought that dress looked cute on you.”
Vivian
November 22, 2007. 12:20 p.m. Outside my house.
Everyone’s finally here. And I mean everyone. The grandparents, the cousins, even the cousins’ cousins. We had to get the extra tables out and move the lunch outside just to fit everyone. I snag two heavy plates of spaghetti, fried chicken, and eggrolls and book it back to my seat next to Yuko at the long table. Everyone else is already devouring food. Yuko’s not talking to anyone. She doesn’t look happy either… Is she shy? Or is it just a withdrawal? I hope food solves whatever’s ailing her...
Plop the food and a beer down in front of Yuko, pull up a chair next to her, sit down, and begin wolfing down mom’s cuisine. God… damn… I missed this. The grease. The flavor. The meat. I glance over to Yuko with a noodle hanging out my mouth. She is also digging in. Good.
We eat and eat and eat. I capped out at two plates. Yuko had three beers and four plates. I wish I could eat more… there’s always dinner I guess.
I wipe my hands on a napkin before sliding my hand under the table and rest it on Yuko’s thigh.
She says nothing, but brushes my hand off.
I lean over and whisper, “Want to hold hands at least?”
“No. Thanks though.” Yuko says without looking back at me.
“Gotcha… Sorry.” My chest deflates and I slide back into my chair.
Aunt Christi and Uncle Jerry are sitting across from me. They’ve also finished eating and are just leaning back and letting the pasta digest.
“Hey, Vivian.” Christi speaks up. “Who’d you bring home?”
“This is Yuko!” I tap Yuko on the shoulder. “She’s my teammate and roommate.”
“Sup.” Yuko says before taking another deep sip of beer.
“I see.” Christi nods. “Is she your best friend?”
“Yeeeeup.”
“Hah.” Uncle Jerry sneers.
“Damnit.” Christi takes out a ten and tosses it on Jerry’s plate.
Everyone but the people around me keep talking and drinking. Do something. “So… Jerry. How’s the missionary work going?”
Uncle’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Heh. You’re the first person here to ask me about that. We finally managed to convert some former members of the Lunar Legion.”
“Eh? How did you manage to do that!?”
Jerry chuckles. “Turns out everyone needs a good chaplain, regardless of what planet they’re from.”
“Hah… fair point.”
“Mmhm.” Jerry nods and folds his arms. “Even got them to come down to one of our masses. Just, uh, don’t tell the feds about that.”
“I won’t.” I chuckle. “Don’t you worry.” I glance over to Yuko. “What do you think, Yuko? Isn’t that kinda cool?”
“Hmm.” Yuko grunts and takes another sip of beer.
I turn back to Jerry only to be hit in my cheek with a card. “Ouch! What was that for?”
“Sorry.” Uncle rubs the back of his neck. “Was aiming for the table. Consider that your little getting better present. Sorry I couldn’t visit you sooner, kiddo. The archdiocese just had to have another meeting.”
I immediately tear open the envelope and dig a card out. Looks handmade. Complete with super bright construction paper and calligraphy that’s so lavish I can’t read it. I pretend to read it and nod. Even if I can’t understand the words, the sheer amount of effort put in says more than any words can. “Thank you so much, Uncle… I really needed this.” I press the card to my chest. “I’ll add this to my card collection.”
“Glad to hear it.” Jerry nods and leans back in his chair. “Where’s your dad by the way? I wanted to talk to him about something.”
“He should be golfing right now. He’ll probably be home in an hour or so.” I lean over to Yuko and show her the card. “Dude, check this out? Ain’t this rad?”
“I guess.” Yuko barely even looks at the card and takes another sip. I can’t tell what she’s even looking at.
“Ah darn.” Jerry shakes his head. “Guess I-”
Next thing I knew, I was grabbed off my chair. Four big meaty hands had grabbed my waist and chucked me into the air. “Bwah! What the?!”
“Hahaha!!” Dad’s voice tears through the sky. “There she is! America’s next top hero! WOOO!”
I look down and see Dad. Salt and pepper hair. Short, well trimmed beard, four arms, unusually fit for a man his age. “Dad! Don’t! Scare! Me! Like! That! Please!” Each word is interrupted by bits of laughter.
“I’m sorry! I can’t hear you over how much fun you’re having! Hiyyaa!” Dad chucks me high into the air. I don’t know how high, but I can see over my entire neighborhood. Got the jammed main street, the closed down Grease Burger, and even the smog.
I can see Yuko from here too. She’s just lying her head on the table looking completely dead. Please don’t be drunk… Please don’t be drunk. My arc soon completes and I fall back to Earth and land safely in Dad’s arms. My hair’s over my eyes. My breath is racing. My stomach contents are all jacked up… I wanna go again.
“How’s that scar doin’, champ?” Dad brushes the hair out of my eyes and pokes my cheek. “Feel that?”
“I can feel the pressure, but not much else.”
Dad’s smile stays steadfast, but I can see sadness pour out from his eyes. “I’m sorry…” he pats my head. “You wanna get it tattooed? One of my friend’s brothers can get you a real good de-”
Mom stretches her tongue out from the other end of the table like a whip and bops it against Dad’s back. “No tattoos!”
I see Yuko slide a cig out of her shirt.
“Aw come on!” Dad laughs trying to playfully smack the tongue away. “She’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.”
“No tattoos and no smoking!” Mom’s tongue retracts into her mouth. “Those are my only two rules.”
Yuko promptly returns the cig into her bosom.
“I was just joking.” Dad laughs and puts me back in my chair. He leans down and whispers, “We’ll discuss this later.” and stands upright again. “By the way,” he turns towards Yuko. “Who is this young lady? Have I met her?”
“Nope.” I smile and pat Yuko on the shoulder. “Dad, this is Yuko. Teammate, roommate extraordinaire, and savior of my ass on several occasions.”
“Really? Her?” Dad kneels down and tilts his head. “Huh. Thought she would’ve looked… nerdier. Regardless,” he extends two arms to her. “Pleasure to meet you, Yuko.”
Yuko sighs and gets out of her chair. “Excuse me.” she leaves without another word.
“Yuko…” I rub my temple. “Mind if I excuse myself?”
“Go right ahead.” Dad smiles.
“Thanks.” I get out of my chair, slide it in, and run after her.
Yuko
November 22, 2007. 12:34 p.m. I’m sitting on the toilet seat of this dingy bathroom. Generic brand hand soap on the counter. Towels that looked too old for my grandma are hanging on the walls. Bathtub just looks… gross. There’s no mold on it or anything. Hell, it looks cleaner than the dorm bathtub. It just looks... bleh.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Yuko!” Viv knocks and nearly makes me crap myself. “Are you okay?”
“Jesus Christ, Viv! I’m taking a dump!”
“I don’t believe you. The bathroom would smell way worse if you were.”
“Well too bad. Leave me alone.”
“What’s wrong?” The doorknob begins to rattle. “You’ve barely said anything all day. Did one of my grandparents say something mean to you? Did I do something bad?”
“No. Viv, chill. Just leave me alone, okay? Go have fun.”
“Nope. I’m coming in.”
“Good luck with that. Door’s locked.”
Ten seconds later, the bath mat in front of the bath shrinks and Viv grows to full size in front of me.
I fall off the toilet seat and nearly punch her in the gut. “Viv. Don’t. Do that…” I bang my head against the wall. “without warning me.”
“Sorry.” Viv helps me up and refuses to let go of my hand. “What’s wrong? Please. Tell me.” she looks up at me with that same face she always does. Even with all the scars, it’s still Viv.
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“Just… there’s too many people out there, okay? I don’t like it.”
“Do you have a migraine?”
“No.”
“Did someone say something mean to you?”
“No. Just leave.”
“... Are you not used to family parties?”
Who the hell does she think she is? She thinks she can just say that? “Just…” I sigh. “I don’t know Viv… I just don’t feel like I belong here.”
“Yuko, whatever’s telling you that, tell it to shut up. You belong here. No matter what.”
“How can you just say things like that? That’s not fair.” I throw her hand off and she recoils against the wall. “We’ve barely known each other for two months and you think it’s okay to just say things like that?!”
“What do you mean like that?” Viv groans and rubs her shoulder. “My friends will always be welcome at my home.”
“Oh, so now we’re just friends, is that it?”
“You tell me.” Viv reaches up and points at my face. “Yuko, I am 100% down with whatever you want to be.”
“I… I….” I damn near kick the toilet in half before sitting down on the bathroom counter. “Why are you so nice to me? What are you after?” I cup my chest. “Is it these you want?”
Viv looks ready to cry. “No… Yuko… I just care about you. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Why?! What’s so special about me?”
“I have your back. You have mine. Is anything else necessary?” Viv says without blinking.
“That’s enough for you?! Are you just desperate?”
Viv’s face contorts when I say ‘desperate’. “Yuko. I just feel happy around you. You feel the same, don’t you?”
“I-” my throat is starting to close up. “You feel different from everyone else to me and it scares me. It really, really scares me. I just don’t get it…”
“Yuko.” Viv pulls me into a hug. “Do you want to slow down? It’s okay to feel that things are moving too fast.”
“No…” I shake my head. “It’s okay.” I reciprocate the hug. “Just give me time, okay? I’m sure I’m just being stupid…”
“Yuko. Even if it is stupid, you’re feeling it, so it’s important.” Viv looks up at me and holds my cheek. “Got it?”
“Yeah…” I wipe a tear away. “Does this make you like me less?”
“Not at all.” Viv smiles. “And before you ask, yes I mean that. Got it?”
“Yeah…” I wipe my face and pull away. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this, kay?”
“My lips are sealed.” Vivian smiles and stretches. “Want some more spaghetti?”
I blow my nose on some nearby tissue. “Hell yeah...”
Will
November 22, 2007. 1:07 p.m. My humble abode a little East of El Paso. Home… Sweet… Sweet home. Clean air and stars that illuminate the sky once the sun goes down. Nothing but horses and cattle for miles. What better company could a man ask for? I’m in the dining room sitting between Dad and Daryl. In case you’re curious, Dad looks like a rancher… because he is a rancher. Daryl looks like a lumberjack because he is a lumberjack.. Never seen him without his hat and as far as I know, he only takes his spurs off in the bath. Dad cooked a six pound steak, some mashed potatoes, grilled corn, and gravy that may as well be blessed by Jesus himself. We’ve been sitting in blissful silence watching the news and eating our food for the past two hours. I haven’t been this happy in three months. There’s nothing quite like a father, a father’s roommate, and a son enjoying some steak in silence in front of a tv. I don’t know what heaven’s like, but I imagine it is something like this.
The newscaster takes a deep breath before shuffling some papers on her desk. “A woman in Ruckersville, Virginia was found dead in her home just yesterday. The body was discovered when a mailman went to deliver a package to her address. Upon knocking on the door, the door opened and revealed the woman’s corpse lying upon heaps of garbage and clutter. Police are currently trying to identify the victim, but her face has decomposed and there are no known family members or friends to contact. The coroner stated that the mass amount of bug bites, signs of electrocution, heart strain, abysmal diet, and bruises makes it hard to identify the exact cause of death. The lack of any struggle and the signs of electrocution could make this the fifteenth murder in a string of similar murders across the nation. We will have more information as the story progresses.”
“You hear anything about that, Will?” Dad asks before biting a huge chunk of his steak.
“This is the first I’ve heard about it… but then again I haven’t been keeping up with the news lately. Been super busy.”
“Understandable.” Daryl comments. “Think you could take that killer down?”
“I’m sure I could.” I say before shoveling mashed potatoes in my mouth. “But could we not talk about work right now? I just got home…”
“Totally.” Daryl pats my head and smiles. “You earned this rest.”
“Hold on now.” Dad interrupts. “I ain’t done. I got some more questions.” He slurps up some mashed potatoes. “How’d the Chicago thing go for you? I didn’t see you in any news reports.”
My neck tenses and my stomach churns.
“Oooh you were there too?” Daryl asks. “Thank God you’re okay… Didn’t 300k die during that?”
“No way it was that much… The Alumni and I were able to save a ton of people.” No matter how much I try, the image of Vivian getting blasted with that laser won’t leave my mind. “And I don’t really control who the news decides to cover.” I look at Dad before looking back at the TV. “I was too busy saving people and looking after my teammates.”
“Hold on.” Dad chuckles. “Teammates?” His eyes are snarky, but his smile is genuine. “Haven’t heard you say that word since you got back from Iraq.”
“Mmhm.” I grunt and shrug my shoulders.
“How many of those wascaly wabbits did you take out?” Dad leans in closer to me.
I grunt and shrug my shoulders.
“How many people did you save?”
“I said I don’t know. Why does it matter?”
“Because you always came back from a job with exact stats. What’s gotten into ya? You ain’t gettin’ soft are ya?”
“I’m fine.” My voice raises for a second. “Sorry… Just… never hit a job that big before… and I think I’ve hit another plateau in my training.”
“Aw, that’s it?” Dad chomps into his steak. “That’s nothing. You’ll fix that on your own by the time the week’s done.”
“... Could you spar with me?”
Dad licks sauce off his cheek and grins. “Thought you’d never ask.”
Janelle
November 22, 2007. 1:12 p.m. Mom’s house. Little sister’s room. Posters upon posters of hot, feminine anime boys litter her walls and a small mountain of textbooks lie around her desk. Sis made a good turkey. It’s only a pound, but it’s all she could afford. Mom canceled Thanksgiving this year and no one else in our family was willing or able to host the party. Got some instant mashed potatoes and simple salted corn on the cob as well. The watery potatoes remind me of my med school days… We’re sitting in her room on her bed with tv trays just watching some Naruto.
“Thanks again, Jess.” I wipe some mashed potatoes off my lip with a napkin. “You really didn’t have to.”
“Hey, man.” Jess bites a big chunk of corn off her cob. “If none of the adults are willing to nut up and cook a turkey, someone’s gotta do it. Does it taste alright?”
“Best turkey I’ve had.”
“Aw, come on. Don’t pull my leg like that.”
“I mean it.” I say before scooping another spoonful of mashed potatoes in my mouth. “Plus, it’s nice to have someone cook for me for once.”
“Damn right it is.” Jess groans and lies back down in her bed. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed your cooking… Mom doesn’t even want to drive out any more.”
I feel my heart submerge into my stomach. “How’s she doing? Did she go to her support group meeting?”
“Nah.” Jess sits back up and keeps her eyes glued to the tv. “Keeps insisting they’re trying to brainwash her into something.”
“That’s… awful.”
“Yeah.” Jess shrugs. “Wait, didn’t you meet that Doc person?”
“Yeah… Why?”
“Think you could get her to heal mom? It’d help get that stick out of her ass.”
“Haha… um… that’s… not exactly a good idea and I’m not at liberty to discuss why.”
“Damn. Fair enough. She some villain or something?”
“Kinda? It’s weird.”
“Gotchu. Gotchu.”
Must. Change. Subject. “How’re your college acceptances going? Hear back from anyone?”
“Ye.” Jess replies with no change in tone. “Got a full ride to my top three picks. Haven’t decided which one to go to yet.”
My jaw tightens and my nails dig into my palms. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.” Jess cackles. “You should’ve seen the look on mom’s face when she found out.”
ding ding ding
I hear the microwave go off back in the kitchen. “Is that mom’s meal?”
“Yeup.” Jess says without looking back at me. “Want me to take it to her?”
“That’s okay.” I take another bite of turkey, slide the table tray out, and begin heading out. “I got it.”
“Love you.” Jess chimes as I shut the door behind me.
I walk over to the kitchen and stare in front of the microwave. My fist crashes against the granite countertop again and again and again. Don’t make a noise. Don’t make a sound. Don’t you dare make a single so- before I can punch the countertop again, my entire body catches aflame. No. No. Please. No. I can’t set off the alarm again. Damnit… If I wasn’t so awful, this would never have happened.
Just think of Will. Think of Will… and nothing else… As long as he believes in me… I know I’m good… Calm down. Calm down. Breathe in. Breathe out. Tranquility… Peace… Don’t drag yourself down even further. You may be trash… but you aren’t garbage. Will wouldn’t love garbage.
Next thing I know, my fire disperses and flows back into me. I look down and see my hand is bruised pretty badly. It hurts, but I don’t mind. Penance is supposed to hurt. I retrieve mom’s plate of turkey and corn from the microwave and begin heading back to her room.
I knock on mom’s door. “Hey mom… Jess made you some turkey. Want any?”
No response.
“Want me to just leave it here?”
No response.
“Okay, I’m just going to slide it in.” I open the door and bend down.
“Get out!” My mother bellows. A gust of wind shoots me off my feet and pushes me down the hallway. The wind slices my arms and cheeks as if I’m caught in a blender. My body slides down the hallway for a few seconds until the wind stops suddenly and my mom’s door slams shut.
I look up to see Jess holding my mom’s door shut. “You okay?”
“Physically? Yes.” I rest my head back on the dirty ground where it belongs.
Angela
November 22, 2007. 1:17 p.m. Dorm room den. Been sitting at the kitchen counter for about half an hour now. Josh said he’d be back five minutes ago… He better be okay. If he’s dead, I’m going to kill him.
knock knock
“Angela. You there?” Josh’s voice rings from the opposite end of the dorm entrance.
“I’m here, darlin’.”
“Good. Close your eyes. I wanna surprise you.”
“Will do.” I rest my head in my arms like I’m playing Heads Up Seven Up. I hear the door open and Josh walk in. The sound of paper and plastic crumpling against each other graces my ears and the smell of salt and oil blesses my hairy nostrils.
“You can look now.” Josh pats my head.
I look up and see a plethora of McDonalds food. Ten burgers of varying size and quality, a tray of still hot salty french fries, an assortment of every dipping sauce, and a pile of chicken nuggets resting on a torn open bag. There’s gotta be at least five chickens worth of meat in that pile. A liter bottle of cola rests on the counter between me and Josh.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” Josh says before taking a nugget.
I feel tears stream down my face.
“Angie?” Josh rubs my back. “Did I get the wrong thing?”
“No… This… this is just the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thank you… Happy Thanksgiving.” I give Josh a quick peck on the cheek and a real tight hug before inhaling nuggets like the fatass I am.
Suzy
November 22, 2007. 1:42 p.m. My office. Got my butt on my sleeping bag and some good plates of food and a small mountain of newspapers beside me. This is the good stuff… Nothing like some good microwave lasagna and tater tots to soothe the soul. God I needed this… No edgy students. No annoying parents. I got my tv on and filtered my internet to avoid any meaningless content. I’ve already done my research. I don’t care what city’s blowing up or who’s killing who today. This is my vacation day. I’m going to read all the bad newspaper comics I can… after I update my students.
I call Vivian. She answers four rings in. “Hey… Suzy. What’s up?”
“You alright? You sound out of breath.” I kick my feet up onto my desk.
“Yeah… just… uh… Kinda was busy. What’s up?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Tell Yuko I said hi.”
I hear something squeal in the distance on the other end of the line. “So…” Vivian clears her throat and catches her breath. “What’s up? Happy Thanksgiving by the way.”
“Very Happy Thanksgiving to you too.” I smile. “I got some intel regarding the Chicago incident. You got time?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Don’t worry by the way. This line’s been secured. I assume you’ve heard the death tolls on the news, right?”
“Yeah. They said 300k died if I remember correctly.”
“I had the Alumni make their own assessment and they only counted 300. Even then, that was mostly due to car crashes.”
“Really!? Only 300? How’s that even possible?”
“The Alumni are pretty good. Only took them a week to rebuild Chicago.” I twirl the phone wire around my finger. “But Doc deserves a lot of credit too. We couldn’t have saved nearly as many people without her.”
“Why would the news say 300k then…” Vivian hums. “That doesn’t make any sense…”
“It gets weirder.” I continue. “Cameron found the bodies for all the local Chicago reps, Illinois reps, and Illinois senators under a bunch of rubble.”
“What?” I can hear Vivian smile through the phone. “How can that be? I just saw the mayor give a speech yesterday on TV and no one’s reported on that either.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I shake my head and shrug. “He couldn’t identify a single cause of death. The bodies were wildly mangled then shoved under rubble. If it weren’t for Cameron’s eyes, we wouldn’t even be able to identify those bodies.”
“What the hell’s going on…?”
“I dunno yet. I’ll keep you posted, but if I had to guess it’d be some elaborate mass assassination attempt.”
“Really? Doesn’t that seem a bit overboard?”
“People have done worse for less.” I yawn.
“This is true…” Vivian muses.
ring ring
“Hey, sorry. I’d love to chat more, but I got another call coming in. Have some fun, alright?”
“Will do.” Vivian hangs up.
I change the line. “Yello.”
“Ma’am.” A very tired voice answers from the other end. “Thank you for finally getting back to us.”
“Of course. What can I do for you?” I rest the phone between my cheek and my shoulder and begin picking at a hangnail.
“We’re calling you today to inform you of your violations regarding your aid to Chicago. You can’t just enlist your rogue heroes to run amok. You have to seek approval from the appropriate FEMA department first an-”
I hang up and resume reading my newspaper funnies. Let’s see here… Oh Marmaduke… bland as always. What else do we got? As I flip through the paper, I see ‘Ruckersville, Virginia’. Wait… Isn’t that where Angela’s from? I give it a read. Ohohoo that’s a grizzly murder story. Oooh and a fat 30k reward too. Her orbituary’s two pages over. Barbara Cobb Age 71… Angela’s last name is Cobb. This warrants additional research. I take my internet filter off and do all the research I can. If this is connected to those murders, my students could enjoy the reward money as a nice little Christmas bonus.
“Angela Cobb, please come to the Headmaster’s office.” I speak into my desk’s microphone. “Angela Cobb, please come to the Headmaster’s office. I promise it won’t take long.”
Angela
November 22, 2007. 1:51 p.m. Headmaster’s Office. Josh better not be hogging the fries… I’m standing in front of Boss’s desk with a belly full of nuggets and cola. She’s eating microwave lasagna out of a tray with her bare hands. “Hey, Angela. Thanks for coming. Sorry to interrupt your Thanksgiving break like this.”
“Just make it quick, Boss. I don’t wanna eat cold fries.”
“I shall.” Boss swallows a mouthful of lasagna. “Does the name ‘Barbara Cobb’ mean anything to you?”
I close my eyes, grit my teeth, take a deep sigh, and wait a little before I can bring myself to talk. “Yeah. That’s my mom’s name… why?”
“She was just found dead in her home.” Boss slides a newspaper obituary page over to me. At first I thought it could just be another Barbara Cobb, but no… the age is right and the city’s the same.
“Good.” I cross my arms and smile. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all year. Who killed her?”
“No one knows yet.” Boss chucks a tater tot into her mouth. “Police are still investigating. They think it could be connected to the Shock Murder Spree going on right now.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it… Why they call it the Shock Murder Spree?”
“Because all the victims die by electrocution. Your mom’s the fifteenth one.”
“Goddamnit.” I groan and rub my forehead. “Anyone else seen at the scene?”
“Nope. In fact there was no sign of a struggle either. Why ask?” Boss dunks a tot in coffee and eats it.
“The murderer could be my brother.”
Josh
November 22, 2007. 2:26 p.m. Dorm room. Angela’s been ranting, pacing, swearing, and snacking on fries ever since she got back from Headmaster’s office. I’ve never seen her like this. It’s cute, but terrifying; like a chihuahua with a shotgun.
“Hey… Angie. You okay there?” I lick some bbq sauce out of a packet. “What did Headmaster tell you?”
“My pissant brother’s probably a serial killer and just offed my mom.” Angie shoves a fistful of fries into her mouth and continues pacing.
“Oh… uh… So… Do you want to deal with him or just leave him alone?”
“Just… Dude… I never wanted to deal with him or my family ever again. I thought I was done with them, I thought I was free, but noooo the bastards just had to mess it all up again!” Angela crushes a nugget in her hand then licks the crushed chicken off her palm.
“Well you don’t have to do anything, you know. I’m sure there’s plenty of other heroes to take care of this.”
“We’ll see about that.” Angela rubs her temple. “I’m going to do some investigation into this.” She cracks her knuckles and starts heading over to her laptop on the table in front of the sofa.
“Want me to come with you?” I take a good sip of cola.
“Trust me.” Angela turns back to me and smiles. “You don’t want to.” She waves goodbye and shoots herself into the laptop.
More fries for me.