Barcode: Cavern of Youth (39 page)

It’s pretty funny to hear her version of that story. We got into plenty of arguments because of the way she’d call me “daddy”. That wasn’t a term of endearment. It was what she’d say to let me know that I made her feel small.

Though we’re best friends, we also argue and fight constantly. Any little thing can start a punching war between us. I’d probably start one now for old time sake if I could.

Angie removes the cards and massages my neck. Chills run laps around my spine when she kisses my cheek.

Her nose brightens a bit as she sniffles. “I’m not going anywhere until you get up.” She marches her fingers across my torso until they reach my chin. “I’m actually not going anywhere after that. You left me for a year without permission and let me think you were dead. You’re stuck with me now.”

When she thumps my face, I flinch. Covering her mouth, she says, “Sorry.” Then, she bends down and kisses my jawbone. Right next to my ear she whispers, “You let Carmen lick you, right? I want to try.” Her tongue doesn’t get within an inch of my face before an involuntary muscle reacts.

Angie looks between her legs and teases, “I
knew
you were attracted to me. I’m telling Carmen about this one.” She starts moving away, but stops. Air rushes to my lap. I didn’t notice how warm she made me. The heat returns when she sits down again. “No, I’d rather stay for a minute.” She moves her hips gently, which turns me on even more. “Whoa, Kode, I guess that wasn’t affected by the bandages.”

Data courses through my blood and I feel alive again.

Naturally, my hands jet towards her face the second they can move. With my eyes still closed I say, “Carmen’s going to kill me if she catches us like this; you have to get up.” I push my thumbs over her lids. “I hate tears.”

Once I remove my hands, she widens her eyes comically. Then, she makes one larger than the other. The expression forces laughter from my gut, and her goofy high-pitched voice only adds to my chuckling. “Okay. I won’t cry, but you have to admit that I’m sexy. You said it on the field, but I thought you were someone else. That doesn’t count.”

“One month, huh?”

“You owe me a lot of dates.”

“I’m already taken.”

“Bull! I went through this with Carmen. She says you’re
married
. I couldn’t care less. You belong to me. Any girl can kiss on you, take you out, and think they have you, but you and I both know you’ll always come back to
me
.”

With my hand still on her face, I bring the idiot closer, completely hiding us under the covers. “One thing.”

“Shoot.”

“Be honest. You’re upset that I murdered Spencer.”

She presses her nose against mine. “Kode.”

“What?”

“I would’ve killed him if you lost. If I wasn’t injured outside the arena, I would’ve done it in order to stop him.”

I laugh under my breath. “Hug me.”

“Is that your first request after returning from a coma? I heard you still haven’t kissed Carmen. Don’t you want to skip to that stage? Actually, I already have you right where I want you. We can go all the way.”

“Angie!”

“Yes, papi?” she mocks with a Spanish accent.

At the very moment she finishes, Carmen slams her grocery bags on the ground and dashes across the huge space. My heart stops. Carmen’s eyes flash as she barks,“Slut! What the hell are you doing?”

Angie grins and winks while working her hips and moaning, “Oh Kode. That feels good. Right there. No there. Oh. I missed you so much.”

Carmen releases a frantic scream. She rushes to the bed and snatches the covers off Angie’s back.

Angie playfully sticks out her tongue. “Just kidding. Guess who’s up?” But when she asks, she points between her legs.

During their hilarious fight, I stand on the bed and jump down to witness the pink walls that stretch for the entire ICU ward.

“Hey!” I shout as they scuffle a little more. “Hey!”

“Yes,
daddy
?” Angie croons just to get under Carmen’s skin.

“Don’t start that again,” Carmen fires back.

With my hand covering my mouth, I stammer, “What the hell happened?”

All the walls are blown away. There were at least twenty rooms in this area. Now, all that remains is debris and the pools.

“You did it so you tell him,” Carmen exhorts while pointing at Angie.

“See, what had happened was...”

Angie looks away and Carmen cannons, “Vince tried to get us to leave. Then, he found out I divorced him, and slapped me. Now, don’t be mad, but the only thing I did Kode was knock him through
one
wall.”

“So technically you started it,” Angie snaps. “She definitely knocked him through a wall and a half. He was upset and cursed her, saying that he was happy she was gone. Then, he grabbed my arms and said I needed to get home.”

“It was only
one
, but when Vince grabbed her they got into this big argument.”

“It wasn’t even that big.”

“Huge
.
She went all,
you can’t tell me what to do
. He was like,
I’m your father and you will obey
. But when your name got thrown in the loop and Vince called you a bunch of bad things, Angie went nuts and I swear her barcodes disappeared for a split second.”

“That was self-defense. I
wasn’t
leaving Kode’s side.”

“Why not? He doesn’t want you here. You’re just in the way of all the work Richard and I did.”

Walking through the ward, I announce, “I’m going to the dungeon.”

Carmen shoots Angie an evil eye. The gladiator princess responds by sticking out her tongue and following me.

Carmen catches up while interrogating me, “How are you even walking? Why aren’t you paralyzed?” She stops dead in her tracks. Her hair slices through the air as she spins around to point at Angie. “What did you do to him, slut?”

“Shut up! Shiva did it. I just sang.”

I find my clothes washed and waiting near the information desk.

Rushing behind me, Carmen licks my arm. She bursts into tears while covering her mouth. How can she read my thoughts if I’m blocking them?

I have your barcodes now. She woke you up?

I release a gust of air from my nose and reply,
I was getting up already, but the song helped.

She sang that seven times a day. I can’t believe that’s what woke you from the coma.

You all helped me. It wasn’t one person. I wouldn’t be healed if it weren’t for you.

I’m dressing, but Carmen’s legs are trembling.

Angie analyzes the situation. With her eyes focused on Carmen’s legs she says, “Is this the telepathy thing you said you two had? I want to know what you’re talking about.”

Carmen’s cheeks flush red. Her adorable expression reminds me of a child.

I continue trying to block her data, but she forces her way through.
You already chose her.

For what?

Love. She’s right, no one stands a chance on getting to you. I thought she was just teasing, but you really are hers. Why?

Do you really think I’m someone’s property?

“What are you two talking about?” Angie makes a squeaking sound. “Is it me?” She purposely worsens the situation, “He’s telling you it’s over. That’s why you’re crying? I warned you.”

“Love’s not really my thing,” I reply once my sneakers are strapped on. “I don’t think you both realized, but if you’re after me, you’re in for a lot of heartbreak. My life’s more about beating the hell out of people; let’s end the romantic crap.”

I walk over to Carmen and kiss her on the cheek. “I saved you from Vincent. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“And for you to love me.”

“I do.”

“Forever.”

Angie replies, “Not happening.”

We both snap, “Shut up.”

“What? It’s not. If you want his demonic ass, you’ll have to fight. You don’t have the balls for it.” Carmen’s mouth falls open, but Angie doesn’t ease up one bit. She stalks her prey until Carmen backs into the nurse’s counter, which is mostly rubble. “I’m just being honest. He’s going to turn you down every day for years. He won’t bring you flowers and he’s not going to cry with you. You’re after a brick wall. If you want him, you’ll have to ignore everything he’s telling you.” Angie pushes me away and kicks me down the hall. “Let him go to the dungeon and I’ll teach you how to stop crying over
everything
.”

Carmen looks back and sobs, “But I need him.”

“You need a spine. I don’t want you to turn Kode into a wimp that holds you when you’re down. Let him go for now. I’ll find him when he gets out anyway.”

With my back to the girls, I profess, “Don’t pretend like we’re more than friends. You kissed Monte. Right?”

Carmen releases a sigh of relief and Angie sucks up all of her anxiety. Her heart beats uncontrollably and her barcodes radiate lightly.

Once I’m out of the ICU, I debate between the stairs and elevator. My legs say automatic ride all the way, but I ignore their request.

The school is packed with tourist on the first floor. The arena makes a lot of money by opening up the hallways for people during the summer.

There are too many people. It’s difficult for me to exit the stairwell’s door. I attempt to squeeze between the crowds, but a small kid tugs on my arm and shouts, “Kay!” Strangely, everyone recognizes me. Large groups form that clamor about the blind Ape that “won” during finals. Cameras click all around me and hands are thrown in my face begging for autographs or simply for me to shake them. Supposedly, I’m rumored to be the next big thing in Gladiator Sports Entertainment.

Someone rushes me with a camera. It’s Janet Moreno. Great, she just so happened to be here today.

Janet continues speaking to the camera, “It seems that the rumors are true. Kay, the winner of Colt Academy finals is actually on the campus grounds. Some say that he was seriously injured during the wolves’ attack, and it seems we’re the first to interview him after the recovery.” The snobbish woman barges through the crowd and stands next to me. “I’m extremely honored to interview you, Kay. There’s so much people want to know about you. What’s your last name? Where are you from? And how does it feel to win the first team tournament in fourteen years?”

I consider walking away, but I like to talk. Why not respond? Graciously, I smile while leaning into the mic. “Well Janet, the tournament was a team match. I didn’t win. My team did. And it’s actually disturbing to know how magnificently ignorant all of you
enthusiast
are.” I point to her and direct my finger to the crowd. Finally, I aim at the camera lens. “You’re not complimenting or mentioning my opponent. You haven’t acknowledged that I was nearly beaten twice by her in one round. Not to mention, the match ended in a draw.

“If it were Spencer or Arnold on the field with me, you’d beg for a rematch. But because Angie’s a woman, you think there’s no need to recognize her. You’re all worthless pieces of poop—I’m sure I can’t cuss on this program. You’ll praise me now and turn against me the second I lose. But if you’re dying to acknowledge true strength, find Seth Pena or Angie Colt. They both provided the best matches of the year. If you can’t see that, die.”

Feeling accomplished, I continue my stroll to Casey’s classroom. I make sure to lock the door to prevent any “fans” from following me.

Without hesitation, I enter the dungeon. I miss the unbearable heat. While making my way down the stone steps, I notice bodies lurking in the darkness. At the halfway point, I send Dennis an emergency text.

He responds with, ETA 3 minutes.

My descent takes some time, but I eventually step onto the bottom floor. I reach in my pocket and find more lollipops than I care to count. After unwrapping one, I bellow, “Are you planning on attacking me from the dark or do you want to talk? I’ll tell you now that I’ve destroyed the cells in my body and lost all my strength. As long as I’m in these bandages, I’m no challenge for you.”

Jay Jay reveals himself on the far end of the cave. Damn, he’s ugly. With all the wounds he’s suffered, his body looks like a 3D map.

Not long after his reveal, Talib shows his face. He’s not wearing his cloak, which is odd for liminal beings when they’re out in the open. I guess down here isn’t considered open.

The fearsome growl he emits is enough to scare Jay Jay, but I continue walking until I find a large rock to lean against. The dense clouds creep up my leg on their own and surround my body. They seep into the few cuts that Shiva left, completely sealing them off. Eventually, the fog makes it to my nose and I inhale it with one long breath.

Though it heals me a bit more, it’s still not enough to take me back to being normal. My body is pretty bad.

Jay Jay stomps towards me and grabs me roughly by the neck. He doesn’t look upset, just following orders. I slowly raise my hand up to his head while clenching my lollipop between my teeth.

Shiva slowly converts into a new weapon. Once her form solidifies I pull the trigger and push a massive bullet through his skull. The back of his head blows off and I realize that Shiva’s learning how to stop spilling blood on me. Nice.

The fog nearly swallows Jay Jay whole before he fully hits the ground. Talib’s eyes widen.

“I said I wouldn’t be a challenge. I didn’t say I’d go quietly.”

The lion roars and charges me. I hold up my index finger and shake it with my gun pointed at him. He stops in his tracks. “Don’t you have something you want to talk about?”

“Not when you’re going to die!” At the end of his sentence, Dennis lands directly behind him. I can’t believe Dennis jumped from the top of the stairs. Even I’m not that daring.

With his possessed arm, Dennis grabs the back of Talib’s neck and throws him far away from me. The wounded beast jumps to his feet after skidding across the floor. I’ve seen Takashi fight many times in my life. I don’t think Dennis would be a match for him, but Talib isn’t an animal king. Maybe Dennis stands a chance.

Talib rushes back towards Dennis with his nails lengthened, his speed is too advanced. He ducks below Dennis’ punch and slashes him on the back.