CHAPTER 7

         For the past 2 days, the weather had been cool, it had rained continuously, and the pedestrians were always in a cover of umbrellas, on a day like this, Alice would rather have nothing more than a cup of hot chocolate and toasted bread, while watching the latest marvel movie. She enjoyed them for their blend of comedy and action, but even more because they weren't real, none of it was, not the gods, not the aliens, not the meta humans, they were all a product of an open mind, a rich imagination, literature would call it fiction, but this was the exact opposite of her life, everything was real, Mike's attackers were real, the wounds were real, her worries were real, his pain was real, and so was the ever present conciousness of a lurking threat, she had not wasted a second to tell him to get out, had practically kicked him out herself, he was heartless, cruel, selfish, but he was hurt, and as far as she knew, nothing would plague her conscience more, than the guilt of sending him out the door in his state, out to his death, he brought this on himself, he deserved nothing less.

The hospitals weren't safe, not even a drive was safe, anyone could see him, Fasting's goons didn't bear a mark that separated them from the general public, so everyone was a potential threat, no one could be trusted. Her life suddenly felt like a horror movie, with danger lurking on every side, it sounded like worthless rantings from a mad man, when Mike begged her not to involve the police, but soon, she came to find some sense in his madness, one thing was true, the system was worthless, cheap, tainted, the law belonged to the highest bidder, Fasting would only need to bribe the local police, and they would practically hand Mike over to him, it was a life or death situation, with uncertainties on all four sides, and Alice was right in the middle of it. 

The rain had stopped, the road was clearer, the drive from the pharmacy seemed to take forever, the quiet in the neighborhood wasn't unusual, it had always been this quiet, everyone minding their own business, except maybe for the few who would stroll down occasionally, it was a piercing silence, which made what happened after, all the more startling.

Alice packed the items from her car and carefully pinned it, heading for her door, with both eyes peeled for anything remotely suspicious, she got inside the house and gently shut the door behind her, glad for another day of peace in hiding, until she saw it, traces, leading down the corridor, a closer look, and her doubt was justified, nothing could be more real, it was there, it was red, it was blood.

Her heart skipped, she unconsciously dropped the items she held, and slowly followed the trace of blood stains, she fought with the possibility of her house being invaded, the sight of Mike's body lying lifeless on the floor, his wounds oozing out blood, it made her flinch, and a cold she had never known crept into her stomach, the traces continued into the kitchen, where she found the door partly ajar, everything seemed to be in place as she peered in from outside, a step, two steps, she counted, trying to combat the negative possibility with optimism, she reached for the frying pan as her choice weapon of defense, the option of a knife had crossed her mind, but as a weapon, the intentions mostly backfired, she might end up being stabbed with it, or worse if the chances were correct, and the chances at present showed the attackers were twice her size, with more experience in the stab, and kill, Mike was a witness, one who she hoped was still alive. 

Alice's fears hunted her as she stood half frozen, in a kitchen that probably had killers hidden in corners she didn't want to think about, what happened next was swift, unexpected, it was enough to cause the heart failure of an elderly person, she could only scream, and that she did, they had found her, ready to kill and bury her in whatever shallow grave they buried Mike, she wouldn't stand a chance, she would die an unfulfilled woman with a bad reputation, and if her killers were kind, they won't leave a suicide note that would dampen her image as a person even more.

The shock gradually faded when she turned around, only to find that the attackers she had envisioned, the knife throwers, and hell bent murderers, was only, a squirrel, an injured one at that, surrounded by shards of broken glass, ( the initial cause of her alarm, ) they mostly climbed the trees behind her house, and she had been careful enough to keep them out, at least when her sanity was still in check, that was when she noticed the windows, partly open, partly broken, it made sense, that explained the blood she saw earlier, it must have hurt itself trying to get inside, there weren't any goons, no one waited to kill her, and if an injured squirrel was a potential threat, then she was in serious danger, ( a thought that brought a smile to her face, ) before she could grab a hold of it, it raced for the window, and in seconds it was out of her sight.

Alice was yet to shift her gaze from the window, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, this was no squirrel, she wasn't imagining it, her action would be immediate, fast, no second thoughts, with a rapid spin, the fastest she had ever done all her life, and a swift, powerful, blow of her frying pan, she would go on the defensive, and before Mike could react, defend himself or even stop her, the bang of the frying pan against his head sent him reeling backwards.

" Oh my God ! it's you " she said not hiding the shock in her voice.

" Why would you sneak up on me like that ? " she questioned, hoping to burn out the panic she was currently exuding. 

" I heard the noise, I thought someone might have come in here, and I wasn't expecting to see you, " he replied while hissing from the pain on his head, as he placed his right palm on the side that had started to swell, she finally realised what had happened, and dropped the frying pan.

" Sit here, I'll put some ice on that, " she responded, as she headed for the freezer.

" I had no idea you were so good with the frying pan " he teased, exposing a gentle smile.

" You of all people should know when to tell a joke Mike, " she replied firmly, while getting a pack of ice from the freezer.

" Still, I could use some lessons when you're less busy, work on my self defense " he teased again.

This time she didn't respond, instead walked straight towards him and placed the ice on his head.

" Easy ! " he pleaded, winching at the sting that followed when the ice touched his forehead " hmm, " he complained, trying to bear the pain as she pressed it even harder.

" Sorry " she responded.

" I saw the blood, did you hurt yourself ? " he questioned, putting up a show of concern, ( at least that was how she saw it)

" Like you would care " she smiled wryly, still placing the pack of ice on his forehead.

" Alice, look, I know I've been a fool, I've been selfish, I hurt you, I don't deserve this, " he continued

" Yeah, tell me something I don't know " she replied, unshaken by his sudden address of his flaws.

" I'm ashamed Alice, I hate myself more than you could ever hate me, it was my fault you had to go through these past months like this, I couldn't even be there when you needed me, " he replied with his head bent towards the ground.

" And yet, here you are, again, putting my life in an even bigger mess, " the wry smile still on her face, as she placed the pack of ice on his hand and headed for the sink.

" I'm not proud of what I've done, if I could I would take it all away, I never meant to hurt you, I never meant for any of this, he continued, while walking towards her, till they were only a few metres away from each other.

" Well, I'm sorry it took you this long to figure that out " she replied, turning to face him, while wiping her hands dry with a napkin.

" I'm sorry that you couldn't see what was right in front of you " she continued, " I'm sorry, that I let you make a fool out of me, " she scoffed " But you know what ? I'm over it, " she replied, throwing the napkin in the air casually, as if using it to express her level of concern for him. " This, ended a long time ago Mike, " she responded, clearly unleashing her anger.

" But I'm not over it Alice, I know I have no right, but the truth is , I'm really, really sorry, I did take you for granted, and I hate myself for it every single day, these wounds are nothing compared to that, when I lost you, I lost myself too, but I still love you Alice, I still do " .

Alice was so angry before, that she couldn't see the sincerity in his eyes, he was a broken man, and not just physically, he didn't deserve forgiveness, but crazy as it was, a part of her wanted to forgive him, she didn't think it possible, had only started to process everything, when she saw it, tiny red lights, they weren't random, neither were they reflecting off anything, these lights weren't like the traffic red for stop, they only meant one thing, target locked, and what would come next would be a rain of bullets, without a second to waste, Alice jumped on him, and they both crashed on the floor, right before the downpour, glass, guns, game on, this was it, they had found them, and one thing was sure, win or lose, someone was going to die. 

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