Death cheaters

Death cheaters - Direction changed chapter 6

Lara and Dan stare at each other. They say nothing. Both of them understand what's happening.

Dan offers a hand to help Lara climb down the few stairs standing. Lara wouldn't usually accept help, but she's still feeling like the ground is made of jelly.

Lara still holds Dan forearm while walking by the rubble accumulated on what used to be the lobby. Lara steps almost blindly in spite of the light of the day. She's more concentrated on getting out to the street than watching where she's stepping. Some pieces of concrete that seem to good for sure footing end up being unstable, like placed over a water bed.

"What the hell's wrong with the damn floor? What's below this?" Lara asks annoyed.

"Bodies." Dan answers with a serious stare.

The answer makes Lara feel angry with herself for asking a fairly stupid and insensitive question in front of someone who seems to be quite conscious about what surrounds him.

"How long have you been...seeing things?" Dan asks without looking Lara to the eye.

"Six years. Six years today." Lara answers with calmer voice. The answer makes Dan stare at Lara again.

"Same here." Dan answers with a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Lara asks irritated.

"I don't know about you, but I try to enjoy it. You know, the chance to beat a God." Answers keeping the grin on his face. A grin of defiance.

"No one can beat a God." Answers Lara, now angry.

"May be. But at least I will use this gift and mock it enough for it to remember me."

"This curse. I wish I didn't have it."

"Suit yourself. I'd rather know when a piano is going to fall over my head and live through the day, than living with the false believe that I have life ahead and get it taken away at the least expected moment."

Lara feels a unexplainable need to throw a blow at him. Not because of Dan's cavalier attitude towards Death, but because he's right. And it clashes against Lara's belief of enjoying life with the mystery of death.

Now she feels ambivalence. She feels anger but also attraction. There's something about Dan that makes her not want to let his arm go. The idea of having found someone who shares her curse, her lifestyle.

They walk until they reach the street, or what's left of it. Now is all covered in rubble, bodies, paramedics, police men and civilians walking, running, screaming.

"Excuse me, sir!" Lara yells at a police officer.

"Yes, miss?" A short thin blonde man answers.

"Is the bus station working?"

"Yes, all three, miss. But you should hurry, it will be jammed soon and you'll not be able to get out today." The police officer's radio mutters something about a building collapsing somewhere in the city. "Gotta go, miss. If you wish I can take you to the station you need. But we need to go now."

"Thank you very much, but I need to go to my hotel before leaving. The Grand Hotel down the street"

"I'm sorry to say it miss, but that hotel is no longer there. It also collapsed."

"Well, f**k! At least I was smart enough to bring spare money and my phone." Lara says hitting a piece of wall at her right. "Well then. I guess I'll take your offer." Says stepping away from Dan

"Wait!" Dan shouts. "What's your name?"

"Lara" Answers smiling

"Will... will I see you again?" The question sends a warm feeling through Lara's body.

For a moment she feels compelled to stay. But her gut also tells her she should go now, this is not where she wants to be right now. She'll leave the chance of seeing Dan again to their will, and fate.

"I'm pretty sure we'll meet again. Now, go. I need to catch a bus, and you need to contact your family. See ya soon, Dan."

The officer has already started walking. Lara walks fast down the street to catch him. When she does, she cannot help to look back. Dan's already gone.

Lara and the officer Lane (according to the tag on his uniform), reach the patrol car.

They don't talk on the way to the station, the officer is too busy answering his radio and driving fast through the few clear streets left. Lara is busy trying to breathe deeply to stay calm. She is claustrophobic, and the police car feels somehow like a coffin.

Finally, they reach a big old looking building with a big round clock on the front.

"This is the nearest bus station." Lara doesn't look convinced. Even when she feels desperate to step out of the car, this old building doesn't seem like a trust worthy point of departure. To her ti seems like it may fall at any time, no matter how solid it looks.

"Don't worry miss." Says the officer when he notices Lara's insecurity. "When the nuclear war ends, cockroaches and this building will be the only things standing." Says the officer smiling. "Also, you'll find any destination here. I can bet my badge on it. Here." The officer pulls a card out of his wallet. "If you still feel insecure, call this number and I'll help you if you need it. Deal?"

Lara now feels better. Ignoring the fact that this man seems to be hitting on her, it may come handy to have a police acquaintance.

"Deal!" Says Lara forcing a smile. "Thanks a lot." Then she steps out of the car.

When Lara enters the station, she finds a very busy and perfectly preserved place. It takes her a couple of minutes to find a bus that will take her back home. Cheap enough to leave her some money if needed. The bus leaves at 2:20pm, and her silver wrist watch marks 2:05pm.

She walks to the boarding platform. She sees a man on blue jeans and black shirt walking back and forth nervously. She feels worried and looks for her bus to board it.

She finds it quickly. Takes her seat and wait. The anxious man she saw before now starts to argue with the bus driver responsible of her ride. She yawns, forcing herself to close her eyes. When she opens them, she is seeing herself running through the city, way faster than she has ever been able to.

She stops at the front of the bus station. And looks at the clock on the top. 2:10. Her breathing is not HER breathing. It's a man's breathing. She's seeing someone else's vision. The man looks desperately for the right boarding platform.

The man runs to the boarding platform. There's a clock. 2:13. Without stopping, the man runs to tackle the anxious man arguing aside from Lara's bus. A gun falls to the floor. The vision owner tries to grab it, but the man on the black shirt grabs it first. They start wrestling for the weapon. In the struggle, a shot is fired. The vision owner grunts and falls to the floor.

"Dan! No!" Lara hears herself scream, but the scream comes from somewhere else. The vision owner looks at the bus door. Lara sees herself through the other man's vision.

"Good. You are OK." Dan's voice says. "I never thought that I'd risk my life for someone I just met. But I guess I was wrong."

Dan starts to close his eyes. Lara's voice becomes like an echo in the Grand Canyon. Then, is all black.

Lara wakes up. She looks at her watch. Her watch just changed to 2:14. She stands up from her seat and runs to the front. From the bus door, Lara jumps over the man that is already trying to pull his gun out if his pants. She misses. The man strikes her right in the face with her gun and points it at her.

She hears a loud buzzing. Warm blood comes gushing down her forehead, but Lara is still standing.

The man yells something that Lara cannot understand and receives another blow that puts her on the ground.

She's afraid. She might die right now.

Suddenly, she sees the shadow of a gun falling right in front of her. Something made the gun fall from the man's hands. It's now or never. Living or dying.

She reaches for the gun and holds it as firmly as her pain allows her. She knows how to do it. She had practised in a shooting range for fun before, and she's pretty good at it.

She aims. Her swollen and bloody eye just allow her to see a blurry black and blue figure. Good enough. She remembers the man was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Lara pulls the trigger. The man in front of her falls to the ground. Then she sees something odd. Another figure in blue and black lying right next to the one she just shot.

"No..." She whispers.

Dan hasn't appeared. Or has he? Was the man she shot Dan? Did she killed the man who was trying to save her?

Her hands become numb. A massive headache springs from nowhere. Everything becomes even more blurry. She feels sleepy. She feels pain and anger. No visions. She's not going to die. But she wishes it. If she killed Dan, she thinks she better be dead too.

All goes black. As her thoughts. As her hopes. "Please, don't be dead." Is the last thing she thinks, before blacking out completely.