Drifters (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Outside and after some extra convincing to the woman from the morgue, she took one thousand dollar check from Jeremy, we walked towards a small diner not that we were hungry, but we needed a place so Max can tell us the tale of who Alex really was. The diner was nothing special and it was full; as soon as we enter heads turned around looking at us. A tall man with a black suit, cheap but still, another man with a shirt tight to its body as if it was part of his skin and no shoes, and a red haired woman with freckles on her face and backpack strapped to her back. What a unique group, I thought. There was a booth at the far end and we walked to it as soon as everyone else started moving their heads back to their meals. Inside the booth Jeremy and Max were side by side, I was in front of them with the back pack to the window shading me from the sun that was now hot and high in the sky.

“Max,
Alex’s story, now.” Jeremy said.

“First let me tell you that he is not bad or evil.”

“We know.” I said

“Well two years ago I
went hunting with a friend, he’s dead now, when we found Alex walking in the side of the street and he seemed like a quite nice fellow and like you we gave him a ride. We talked all the way about how the hunting trip was going to be fun and we invited Alex to participate since he apparently knew the woods we were going quite well.” He said as a women came with a note pad in one hand and a pencil in the other.

“Ready to order” she said, Jeremy looked at her and order
ed black coffee, Max said he wanted orange juice and I ordered water. As soon as she left to get our drinks Max continued.

“Everything was going well, we lit a cam
pfire as soon as we got to the woods and sat around it talking, my hunting bow was perched beside a tree and my friend’s gun was loaded and ready. I started to get a fever and told them I was going to rest to start the hunt. Next thing I knew I had killed my friend and Alex was there. He bends down and looked at the corpse of my friend and ripped his head off with its bare hands I was afraid of him as he walked towards me, but he only put a hand on my shoulder and said welcome to the family.”

“What does that mean?”

“I never knew what he meant by it I am guessing it had to be something with the fact the he and I were alike.”

“You never asked him where he came or how he knew all of this.”

“I sure did, he only stated that for now it was ‘me to know and us to find out’, which was what we were here for.” Max said as soon as the girl brought our drinks. I remembered the fawn meal I had in the morning, an exquisite banquet, but that was not all that I remembered. Alex face with angry eyes glaring back at me with killer instincts, yet stable to speak. I looked at Jeremy, elbows to the table, and staring down at it as is staring he can put his troubles away while he burns a hole with his stare.

“You know him, don’t you?” I said as Jeremy looks up and stares ate me blankly.

“Stop playing naïve. I know there is something in your agenda you are not telling me.”

“Sara I can’t…”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your stupid lies now.” I said turning my gaze to Max and he was looking around puffin and inhaling rapidly.

“Max, max look at me,” I said, “look at me and think of someone you care subside the hu
nger.”

“I am not hungry nor am not in a state of confusion like Alex, I am just wondering where he is.”

“I saw him in the forest some hours ago, before we got to the morgue.”

“Had he turned?”

“What is this thing about turning I don’t understand?” I asked looking at Jeremy. His hands now were clasped on to a tight knot. Something had just been told that put him in an unease state.

“What, tell me know” I said as I was about to slap him again in my mind as I did before.

“You don’t remember when I found you?” he asked and Max for the first time looked at him with and aw.

“
Fifteen years, stuck in a lab been poked with needles every time, I could remember you and I remember the nurse, I don’t remember you finding me any place just the fucking Lab.”

“Sara you are the first we found with this and for your question in the morgue I did not
do such thing.” He said unclasping his ball of fingers and laying them on the table, “but I have to come clean to you, you deserve at least that.”

“Why?”

“Sara, you are my daughter, it doesn’t matter that I found you between two corpses, or that you are who you are. You are my daughter and that is it.”

“Fuck, now I am your daughter?
After all those needles and those scans? After all they did to me? Jeremy you are so full of yourself.” I almost screamed those words to him. I was infuriated, the whole idea of him talking as he was my father was nauseating even. Max was enjoying himself a big smile appeared on his face as if a joke was made and he was holding the laughter for the punch line.

“Okay,” I said rising my hands and lowering my head. The diner was busy, it was still half way the day and we were just stuck with
a undead man, a drifter and an old and weary federal agent named Jeremy, I wanted him dead. “What do we know for now, and you.” I pointed to Jeremy,” better start talking sense to me because right now you are losing, Max doesn’t even know what he is or what he is capable and he is making more sense than you.”

The diner we
nt silent as someone entered, My back to the door I could not see, but I knew it was someone important because all the hush and low whispers disappear. As Jeremy looked up and his eyes widen I turned my head over my shoulder and a man in black suit, same tie and same black glasses was walking towards us. I looked back at Jeremy.

NO, he mouthed the words a silent omen of things he had done bad in the past came fo
rwarding like a V.C.R. forwarding a movie and everything went fast.

The man
sits beside me talking exclusively to Jeremy about the score of the century, or so he said. He told him how the situation should be held and Jeremy only nodded. A man that had been director of a military lab, proud and straight all the time, now was just whimpering with its tail between his legs like a dog scolded for peeing on the carpet, he was now a laky for a new and more dreadful foe, which name his came as of a surprise.

We left the diner with
Jeremy’s broken pride, my broken hopes, and one new member missing, Max, since he was dragged away. His screams were highly emotive to me since I had screamed that way so many times. There was the time in Florida where Jeremy caught to my little joke and found the place I was staying, then there was the time in Puerto Rico where I stayed hidden in a cave that was like a labyrinth, I really thought that they would never find me there, yet I was posing as a tour guide in a place where there was none. 

Anyway the thing is that Max was taken away
, steel cuff in his wrist, those cold metallic things I hated so much, and put in a white van. I knew where they were taking him, another lab now by this old friend I use to have. I was worried, I was supposed to protect them, my kind, yet there was nothing I could do only stick to Jeremy the old withered man that only have some small window in his life, or so he said. This old friend turned to be more ruthless than Jeremy, even him was scared of him and his powers. I just had to ask.

“Targus is not dead?”

“No.” he said as I caught him in another lie.

“You want me to this thing for you, what happened, tell me the truth. I have never seen you like this. It is as
if you are another man.”

“After you escaped, he brought me to the board and I was torn down from the inside out, they just couldn’t trust me so he took over.”

“All this time, it has been him, not you?” I asked outside the diner as I saw Max inside the white van.

“Yes. Mariano had this Idea of replicating you, not as I did; he went to great lengths to do it. Remember the time in Puerto Rico when I found you in that cave and I told you I really need to let you know?”

“I remember that I lured you to a turn inside the cave that brought you to a halt.”

“That was smart of you and I was so very proud.”

“Stop it” I said my rage was getting out of control, Max was gone, Alex is still at large and turning even more to a mindless beast, while we just went on a remembrance road of how I escaped and how he got closer at times, useless information now.

The screams of Max could be heard as people gathered to see what was happening; my hands were crossed over each other and under my breasts. Jeremy was at my side as the troops gathered at the other side of the road.

“Why are they just taking Max and not me?”

“Beats me, you’ll have to ask Marino you
rself. Here he comes.” He said nodding towards my right and my head snapped. Marino the one who hold my heart so long ago, and Ironically the one who pointed out that I should check the northern part of the fence for a hole in the fence, more than fifteen years ago. He stood tall like a skyscraper, his hands behind his back as he walk straight and still the prince charming smile of his as he came closer to us.

He stopped several feet away as a uniformed man,
a cop from the town came to his side and spoke some words to him, only thing I could get was, we got the car, I think that was what he said. Marino looked forward as the cop turned around and moved away from his side. He came closer still with his smile.

“Hello Sara, It has been so long.”

“Marino.” I said my face not moving the dark situation, the only reason we all got together here, one for a chase, another by pure chance and another cause he was a prick. Still Marino skyscraper figure was so intimidating his broad shoulders strong on to his high build, his chest long and I could see the muscles trying to pop out of his shirt. His blond hair, now long, flew like a flapping flag, it glowed with the sun.

“Jeremy what have you gather so of now?”

“Its name is Alex two year on the run I presume, that one there is Max,” he said pointing at the white van as it drove away.

“Do you need him?” Marino asked

“He knows well the thing we are looking.” He said and looked at me as he had just made a mistake, I glared at him with my lips tight shut and my eyes looked like daggers were about to pierce through his body. I looked back at Marino.

“Hey, stop calling them as if they were o
bjects, they are human beings,” I screamed at them both.

Marino stood there looking forward. His hand still on his back as a looked of que
stioning came to his face. He looked up and let out a breath of air. He moved his left hand and put it inside one of his jackets pockets and I stayed alerted, I thought he would produce a weapon, but instead took out a small black radio. He turned as he spoke through it.

“Let the kid go.” He said as the van stopped and Max was let out.

“Why would you do anything like this after the trouble of putting him on the van? That was a stupid move.”

“Sara, I need to know how you would deal with it, not stupid, smart. If you would have attacked us you both would be in the van. You did not so I can trust you, for now.”

“What happened to you?”

“Marino, here comes Max now, I better watch out for him he already got his neck broken, you know how they get.”

“Would you two stop talking like that, it’s infuriating.” I said and started to walk away.

“Sara,” Marino said and I turned around, “would you mind getting a cup of coffee with me for a bit.”

“Yes, yes I would.” I left the diner where we were having our drinks since the commotion when Marino showed no one paid the bill of our three drinks, yet mine was probably free.

“Miss Sara, wait!” I heard someone scream and turned again, Max was running to my side as Marino and Jeremy were arguing about som
ething I could not get from the distance I was now. I could see how the arms of Jeremy flew rapidly up and down in front of Marino as he only nodded having his hand to his chin. Max gets closer and I waited. If I had a camera right now it would be a prefect picture of who’s been who in my life. Jeremy my father figure since fifteen because everything before that I really did not recalled, and Marino once the good lab technician, and kind soul that led me to a new life. I know I have not spoken of him at first but there are things in my life I really want to forget, Marino being now the most important thing I want to let go. My heart skipped a beat and blood started rising to my cheeks, I was blushing, or so it felt like it, I knew it was a trick of my mind since heartbeat I have none, and I wanted one.

“Miss Sara, are you okay?” M
ax asked.

I looked up surprised as Max puts a hand to my back. “Yes I am.”

“So, now what?”

“I don’t know?”

“Well the hotel is some place I can’t go,” he said moving his hand up and down like a lever, scratching the back of his head. Max looked like a child having fun always with his smile.