My new life was super tiring, but ultimately more fulfilling. Most days I was up at five so I could be at work at five-thirty. Blood Shadow pulled some strings to get me hired on as a greens keeper at a golf course he frequented. All I really did most of the time was mow lawns. It sounded boring at hell, but I found there was a Zen quality to the constant buzz of the mower. Time seemed to fly by. My peace was only ruined was when some jack-off hit my mower with a golf ball.
Being out in the sun was great as well. Having spent my entire working life inside I didn't know how great it was being out in the sunshine. I was never out there when it was boiling hot, since we had to get our chores done as quick as possible so we didn’t impede the customers too. For the first time in my life I had a tan. It still weirded me out. I was used to burning the shit out of myself then instantly going back to pale white. Granted, I was getting the tan even though I was wearing the highest SPF sun block I could find. Without it I would probably be in a burn ward somewhere with my smoking skin sloughing off my bones.
Most days after work I came home, showered, then went off to class. I was taking all my pre-requisite credits at the junior college with the idea to transfer them to a university later. This was an easier way to get back into school. I was amazed by all the stuff I'd forgotten since I'd graduated. Despite my years working at a bank there were levels of math which atrophied outside of school.
I figured it was a nice compromise. I was still moving forward in my life, making active changes to better myself, but I wasn't anchoring myself to something I could possibly not like. Dana was very easy about the money, but going to a junior college first instead of a university made it so I wasn't racking up so much debt so quick.
Not that I was exactly hurting for money at the moment. My company gave all the people who quit after the attack at the office a generous severance package for pain and suffering. I wondered how many people took that offer solely for the money compared to who actually was too traumatized to return to work for fear that, at any moment, two super-powered people could start a brawl in their cubicles? It made quitting much easier for me. Nothing looked suspicious, I was just another person who couldn't handle the stress.
I still took the greens keeper job to avoid the gap in employment on my résumé and also needed to stay busy. Something I learned in the past year was that being idle lead me down a dark path of too much introspection. Between the job and the classes I was beat. But it was a good type of tired. When I went to sleep it was after a full, satisfying day of work. This wasn't like when I was so depressed I laid down on my bed and drifted off to sleep, praying that I wouldn't wake up again, only to spend the rest of the day feeling tired.
It was Friday so I didn’t have any classes. My plan was to shower, nap, then meet up with Blood Shadow to catch the second game of a doubleheader he was excited for. I think we were planning on meeting Dana afterwards for drinks.
I was stripping off my sweaty shirt when someone knocked on my door. Something about it made me nervous. It was the middle of the day, Wade always called before he stopped by, mom no longer cleaned my apartment since I wasn't depressed anymore and I wasn't expecting any packages.. I stood in my bedroom waiting to see what would happen. Someone dropping a package off would do one courtesy knock and leave. A few moments went by before the person knocked again.
Now I had to make a decision: answer the door or pretend like I wasn't there and hope they would go away. After the past year of weirdness I'd been through I couldn't be blamed for not wanting to invite any more of it into my life. I knew was being cowardly again. It was just someone at the door, maybe a new neighbor introducing themselves, more likely it was a kid trying that annoying "buy a magazine subscription" scam.
So, answer the door, but be cautious about it. The person knocked again. I went to my bedside table and pulled out the pistol Blood Shadow gave me; a Glock 19. I switched the safety off and walked towards my front door. Since I quit my job I'd been training in self-defense with Blood Shadow and Dana at their insistence. They both decided that since they weren't going to be around me all the time to protect me I would have to do it myself. Blood Shadow focused mostly on teaching me how to shoot. We spent a lot of time at the range on the weekends.
I was mostly hopeless at all the martial arts Dana tried to teach me, but I at least learned blocking and finally could throw a decent punch. I was never going to master Krav Maga or Judo, but now I could reasonably protect myself from it.
All of their talk about preemptive action was why I was so paranoid about opening my door now.
Whoever was outside was persistent. If it was me needing to talk to someone I would've done two rounds of knocking before giving up. Even if I knew they were inside I would presume the person really didn't want to talk to me. This person knew I was home and really wanted to talk to me.
There had been peace for the last few months. Dana assured me that her therapist had put Sarah on a new medication. What she had been going through was a manic episode when she'd gone off her meds. Apparently Sarah was having a blast when she was sending me all those texts. She had actually convinced herself that were had been flirting and I was playing hard to get. Once the episode ended she and Dana had a talk.
I felt bad because Dana told me that she had to stop Sarah from killing herself out of shame. I didn't like her, I didn't like what she had done to me and I doubted I would ever be able to forgive her even though I knew she had problems. I may not have liked her, but I didn't wish her dead.
I also didn't want it to be Kylie. It appeared that Dana’s warning stuck and she hadn’t contacted me for months. With all that went on at the office I didn't blame her.
Back to the matter at hand, I gripped the door handle with my free hand while I looked through the peephole. I saw someone wearing an orange sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and giant aviator sunglasses. They weren't looking at the door so I couldn't immediately identify them. Their head was turned to the left looking down the hallway. Their face blurred as they turned their head to look right. I decided not to answer the door. Way too risky.
I was about to go call Blood Shadow when the person looked straight at the peephole.
It was Beth.
I clicked the safety back on and put the gun on a chair. I opened the door.
I was stunned. It didn't matter. She didn't bat an eye. She ran into my apartment, wrapped her arms tight around me, and started kissing me. I couldn't get a word out as she peppered me with kisses I couldn't help but return. She kicked the door closed behind her.
So many questions floated around my head, but I couldn't ask them. Finally she let me up for air as she pulled away from me and tore her hoodie off.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she said.
She came in and started kissing me again. The next time she pulled away it was to start fiddling with my belt.
"How did you get out of prison?"
"Doesn't matter."
"It kind of does."
She unzipped my fly and pushed my shorts down to my ankles.
"Not right now it doesn't," she said.
I couldn't argue with that. I stopped thinking and went with it. Within seconds she also had her pants off and had shoved me to the ground. There was no foreplay whatsoever. She straddled me and slammed herself down onto me. She dug her hands into my chest and rode me. There was nothing romantic in any of our movements. It was the most intimate experience of my life.
She came half a dozen times before I did. There was no way my neighbors didn't hear us; she screamed so loud I thought someone would call the police. I was beyond caring. Even when she was done she stayed on top of me, panting, and sweating. I liked the familiar pressure of her weight.
It only took until we both could breathe before we started again. This time was slower, more sensual. There was no need to be as intense as before. We rolled around on the floor and she ended up on bottom. She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me in tight. I kissed all over her face and she kissed me back. As I pushed deeper into her I nuzzled my face into her neck. She bit my shoulder, biting harder with each of my thrusts.
After we were done with that session we moved to the shower. We were both filthy. Even before rolling around on my dirty carpet we'd each needed a shower. The dirt from my job rinsed off me and swirled down the drain. To look at Beth someone would think she was also a greens keeper. I didn't know why she was so dirty. Yet another question to ask when I got the chance.
We scrubbed each other until we were both pink. The hot water turned the bathroom into a sauna. We both knew what was going to happen. That simple shower turned into our third round. My penis was sore from the previous two times, already I felt the bruises forming on my torso where she grabbed and bit me. I relished the familiar pain. It reminded me of happier times. As the water washed over us it felt like the past few years melted down the drain.
I knew where to touch her to get a good response. Even that was a revelation. I knew that sex with Kylie had been bad, I just hadn't realized how bad it was until I was reminded what it was like to have an active partner.
I didn't finish the last time, but I didn't care. Being close to her was enough to satisfy me. When she came she went weak in the knees and leaned against me for support. I shut off the water and toweled her dry. I carried her to the bed and tucked her under the covers. I slid in next to her and held her and we drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up I didn't know how long I'd been asleep. I sat up thinking my alarm was going off, but I hadn't set one. It was my phone ringing; the phone was out in the living room, still in my pants.
Careful not to wake Beth I eased out of bed and padded to the living room. I found my pants draped over my television. I picked them up and fished my phone out of my pocket. I was worried it was my landlord calling to tell me that I had a noise complaint. Instead the number read *blocked*.
Oh, shit. I completely forgot. Understandably.
"Hey, Blood Shadow," I said, "I'm sorry. I know I should be at the stadium. I'm not going to be able to make it."
Blood Shadow laughed, "I know. It's alright."
"You know?"
"I figured with Black Hat showing up you wouldn't have time for the game. I wanted to know if you two were up for going out for drinks still. Unless you two are worn out."
"You know Beth is here?"
"I made a logical assumption. It's been all over the news."
"I've been mowing lawns all day. I haven't had time to check the news."
"Well, turn on your TV or check your computer. Call Dana later if you want to drink," Blood Shadow said then hung up.
I turned my television on and switched to a news channel. It was a helicopter shot of a billowing cloud pouring from a building I recognized. The blurb at the bottom of the screen read "Biggest jailbreak in nation's history." Police cars and Army trucks surrounded the Iron Kitchen while fire trucks maneuvered between, spraying jets of water at the flames.
As the helicopter circled around the prison I could see more of the damage. It looked like someone drove a truck through it. There was a straight gouge taken down the middle. The reporter didn't have any solid information. The prison hadn't yet been able to send word since they were still trying to quell a riot inside. The reporter said the Rescueteers were on site, but, for legal reasons, could not help with efforts beyond catching any prisoners who managed to make it through the cordon.
As I watched, Beth came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. She rested her head on my shoulder.
"Wow. The Unstoppable Force sure did a number on that fuckin' place," she said.
"That's who broke you out?"
"He didn't break me out. He came for his boyfriend, Jetpack Pat. I took advantage a' the prison having a few more openings and slipped away. My escape plan was gonna' be a lot more subtle, more like how they used to do it when convicts escaped in laundry trucks. This way is actually a lot better fer the both of us."
"I don't see how all this mayhem is good for us."
"Heh. Mayhem. All a' this is fucking great for us. If I escaped by my lonesome I would’ve been found out when the guards did their nightly headcount. There would be a national manhunt for me and only me. This way it was a complete clusterfuck. I'm far and away from being the only person who they gotta' track down. Low priority, also, since I don't got powers. By the time they get around to finding all the powered people and counting up all the dead people at the prison I'll be safe. All I gotta' do is keep my head down for a little while until someone else becomes public enemy number one. Then Black Hat can make her triumphant return."
"Blood Shadow called. He wanted to know if you wanted to go out with drinks with him and Dana," I said, "Don't think that would be such a good idea."
"Let's do that! Been a while since I've had anything to drink except for pruno."
"So much for laying low."
"Hiding out is for Black Hat, not for Elizabeth Amarillo."
"Amarillo? You told me it was Alamo."
"Not since that identity got arrested for murder. Luckily I had things set up in advance so if I ever got pinched all my business and properties would automatically switch over to my new name. I didn't want to deal with a lotta' bullshit when I went back to my life. If this identity ever goes up in smoke I plan on becoming Beth Austin. That's the one good thing my lawyer ever did for me. The less said about her the better. She'll get what's coming to her. Let's go out! I'll put on a proper dress and get a good meal and we'll meet up with Dana and Shadow!"
"I think we should have a talk before that, Beth. I've got something to tell you about," I said.
"Can't it wait until later? I just got out, ya' gave me a great welcome back fucking, and I'm in a good mood. Please don't spoil it for me, Luke."
"I slept with another woman while you were in prison," I blurted out. When she didn't respond I followed it up with, "And we were kind of boyfriend/girlfriend. In her eyes, not mine."
"So you had sex with someone while I was behind bars? Just one person?" Beth asked.
"A lot of times. And, no, not just one person. Technically. That one wasn't my fault!" I winced. Not completely because it was embarrassing to say to the woman I loved, but also because I was afraid she would hit me. Which I deserved. I was slime. I should've been faithful. That would've been the right thing to do.
"That's fine," she said, "I don't give a shit."
"Really? I thought you'd be pissed. I've been feeling guilty about this for months! Ever since it happened. The stress has been killing me."
"I was in prison for damned near two years. I didn't expect ya' to stay celibate. I actually would've felt bad if ya' hadn't gotten laid at least once. It's not like I went dry the whole time."
"What's...what do you mean?" Immediately I thought the worst: Wyatt. I felt sick. No wonder he was so smug when we met at the prison. He'd been having for the last year what I'd just experienced again.
"It wasn't Wyatt," Beth said. "You're so transparent. It was all over your face."
"Oh, thank God. I think I could handle you sleeping with anyone. Just never him."
"Nah, he ain't ever gonna' stick his pecker in me again. If he tries I'll shoot it off."
"So was it a guard?"
"No. Sleeping with a guard is too much trouble. I already had a target on my back when I first got there. Fucking a guard woulda' made me look like a snitch. I was with this gal named Anne. Cute kid. She had some idol worship going on. Big fan a' mine."
The images in my head were enough for me to stiffen up again. I didn't want to share her with anyone, but the thought of her with another girl turned me on. I couldn't help it. Beth noticed it happening and wrapped her hand around my member and started tugging.
"Oh, yeah, she was hot, too. Don't worry about that," she said.
As nice as the feeling was I thought about something and instantly deflated in her hand.
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"What do ya' mean?" she asked.
"About her. What are we going to do when your prison girlfriend finds out where you live? She's probably going to come looking for you."
"Calm down, she didn't make it outta' the prison during the escape. Last I saw a' her was her pinned under a giant piece of concrete. Looked like was still alive, but she might be dead."
"What about when she gets released from prison?"
"She ain't getting out for a long time. She's locked up for seventy years because she stabbed a girl nineteen times. They wanted to lock her away for life, but since the girl didn't die they could only slap her with the maximum sentence for attempted murder. Though she did mention she could get out early for good behavior..."
"That does not make me feel better," I said.
"She's not gonna' bother us. Good behavior isn't something she's good at. Just be happy. I'm free!"
I turned the television off and we returned to the bed. We didn't do anything because both of us were too sore and worn out. All we did was cuddle, enjoying each other's company. I'd never been happier in my life than that moment lying in bed in my apartment while the woman I loved spooned against me and ran her hand up and down my chest. Soon we would have to get up, go out and I would have to share her with the world. Right then everything was perfect.
"Tell me about the gal ya' replaced me with. Was she prettier than me?" Beth asked.
"What? No!"
"That's good."
"It is?"
"I didn't want ya' getting too cozy with someone who was better'n me."
"That's a weird way to look at it."
"The gal after the first one could be better than me. That's my plan. That way you wouldn't be comparing her to me, you'd be comparing her to the middle one."
"So you wanted me to always compare Kylie negatively to you and then the girl after I would compare positively to Kylie?"
"Yep."
"Well, it worked. She was worse than you at pretty much everything," I said.
"Sounds like ya' picked a real winner."
"She wasn't supposed to be anything serious. I was drunk and depressed and it was nice having someone there. I didn't really like her and I wouldn't let anything grow between us because I never stopped thinking about you."
Agitation crept back in. I thought once I had Beth back in my arms I wouldn't have to think about anything else. Now I was talking about it and all the guilt and shame and depression from the past year tumbled back in like it was all happening again. Here I was: I finally got what I wanted back the most and I couldn't help but imagine her having to leave again. Leaving me alone.
I didn't think I could survive that. It made me feel sick to my stomach even considering it as a possibility.
Beth saw me working myself into a state. She cuddled up closer to me.
"Calm down, calm down. I'm here now, I ain't angry. I was only teasing."
"No, I'm sorry. You're the one who went to prison. I should be the one calming you down. All I did was mope around."
"Ya' did relax me. Sex with Anne was okay, but there was nothing satisfying to it. I've been waiting for a nice, hard dicking for a while and ya' obliged me. It's also nice to sit in bed and not have to worry about your lover sticking a shank in ya.' So there's that."
We lapsed into silence, though it wasn't the comfortable kind I was hoping for. There was still so much to talk about. Now that we'd broached the subject it seemed absurd to ignore it. The elephant in the room grew bigger and bigger, almost like it was a real thing pushing all the air out of me as it sat on my chest.
I had to know. Even if it hurt me.
"How much of what Wyatt told me was true?"
Beth recoiled from my touch like I'd shocked her with electricity. She sat up on the bed and wrapped the blanket around her. I was left naked. She armored up in the comforter and I was defenseless to any arrows she was about to sling.
"What are ya' talking about? What did Wyatt tell you? Ya' talk to him while I was in prison? When?"
I breathed deep and told her about my visit to the prison. By the time I finished she was literally shaking with rage. I reached out to touch her and she slapped my hand away. She stood up off the bed and the comforter slipped from her shoulders. She quickly paced the length of my room and back again with her fists clenching and unclenching. Her mouth was pinched up in a grimace as she held back a scream.
I wanted to tell her to let it out. Nobody would mind. My neighbors had already been listening to her scream all afternoon anyway. They would only think we started having sex again.
When she did finally speak it was definitely a lot less decibels than I expected. It was barely a whisper. Had I not been holding my breath I probably wouldn't have heard it.
"That motherfucker."
She turned and paced again, all the while repeating her mantra of "that motherfucker! That motherfucker! THAT! MOTHER! FUCKER!" She punched a wall. Her fist went right through the drywall, covering her face with plaster dust. The apartment shook from it. Slowly she withdrew her hand from the hole. Her knuckles were bleeding, her arm trembled.
I bounded out of bed and into the bathroom. There was a first-aid kit stashed there. One of many Blood Shadow built and gave me to have around. His were much more extensive than the plastic, store-bought one I used to have which were really only rubbing alcohol and Band-aids. When I came back into the bedroom Beth was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her bleeding fist. Rivulets of blood dripped down through her fingers and onto the carpet.
I cleaned the cuts. Beth winced at each touch of the disinfectant. I applied the bandages until everything was covered. I replaced the first-aid kit to the bathroom. When I returned again she was flexing her hand, making sure the bandages weren't too tight.
"This is really good work," she said.
"Blood Shadow has been showing me how to do stuff like that when we hang out."
"Sounds like you and Shadow have become best friends. Anything I should be worried about?"
"Can't two guys just be friends without it being weird?"
"Just wanted to make sure ya' didn't start riding side-saddle on me."
"I think I proved I earlier that I hadn't, thank you."
"Ya' sure did."
"No, I think Blood Shadow enjoys my company..."
"I'm sure he does," she winked.
"Quiet. Because he's bored. He doesn't seem to have any friends. All he talks about are guys he works with. He says that he sees them all down at some bar, but I've never been to it."
"Ya' never will. It's villains only. They'd murder you."
"...oh. That explains it."
"Luke, Wyatt was lying to ya'."
"Yeah?"
"Not about everything, just the important things. I did have to meet with him almost every day. I never wanted to. Legally I wasn't supposed to have to see visitors if I didn't want to. But you saw. He had most everyone in his pocket. So I went. If I made a fuss then the guards would lock me up in solitary.
"Every day it was the same thing: how much he loved me, that he forgave me, that we were gonna' get back together, and move back to Texas. He talked all about how he had some hotshot lawyer that was gonna' get me outta' prison early.
"It was all bullshit, a fantasy he'd made up. Wyatt is a terrible liar. All the cracks in his stories started to show whenever he started talking about ya'. He never kept a story straight. One day he'd tell me that ya' moved ta' Idaho, sometimes it was New York to get back with your ex."
"He knew about her?" I asked.
"Wyatt's got a real hatred for ya' and access to a giant database at the Rescueteers cloud fortress. I betcha' he spent some time while he was supposed to be on guard duty using their resources to research ya'. At least he only used that information to fuck with us. Not like he could do much else with it. Before ya' met me, your life was ordinary and boring. Not even a parking ticket."
"You researched me, too."
"Hell, no. I listened. Probably got all the same information he got, mine just came from pillow talk."
"Wyatt is going to be a problem. He's going to be out there looking for you. This isn't like your prison girlfriend."
Beth was silent for a while, "We'll burn that bridge down when we come to it."
"I love you, but I can't stand the idea of him getting you locked up again."
"That ain't ever gonna' happen. We lost too much time because a' him already. Good or bad, I'm with ya' to whatever end we have."
It finally felt safe to touch her again. I sat down on the bed next to her and draped my arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me and rested her head on my chest. For a while we sat in my room doing nothing, comfortable to be close to each other once again. There wasn't anything between us anymore.
Except for one thing. Sarah.
Thoughts of future problems popped into my head, but I forced them out. I concentrated on the now. I was trying to be like Beth. All those other problems could wait. I had already covered the Kylie situation, I didn't want to shit on Beth's freedom already with stories of her friends screwing her over.
We held each other until it was uncomfortable. My arm was numb and my hand was cold. I withdrew it and shook some life into my limbs. Beth bounded off the bed and started for the living room, presumably to get her clothes.
"Get a move on, cowboy! We gotta' get ready to meet Dana and Blood Shadow! I'm gonna' go get some clean clothes from my penthouse and you gotta' shave."
"Not a fan of the beard then?" I asked as I rubbed it.
"Ya' look like a hipster and it feels like I'm kissing a cactus. Shave it off or I'll hold ya' down and do it."
I thought about the scar hidden beneath the beard. I still wasn't comfortable with it being visible.
"I kind of like it. Maybe if you gave it a day or two it would grow on you, too. Heh."
She came back into my bedroom. She had her underwear on and was snapping her bra closed, "It's gross. If ya' don't shave it off I'm going to stop shaving, too. And I don't mean that I won't go bare anymore, I mean I'll let it grow out into a giant bush. Just grow a big ol’ 80s bush. If that don't persuade ya' then I'm also gonna' stop shaving my legs. Then my armpits. Unless that want to be dating a sasquatch, a sasquatch who will still expect a good fucking every night, then you'll go ahead and ditch the beard. And don't start thinking you'll be keeping a goatee or moustache! Those'll make ya' look like a child molester."
"I don't like shaving. That doctor wasn't able to fix everything so I have a scar. It feels like everyone is staring at it when it's visible," I said.
"Who gives a shit?" she shrugged and walked back to the living room to grab her pants.
"I care."
"Quit hiding! Especially behind a beard! We all got scars. Except for Dana. Lucky bitch and her healing factor. Ya' know she never even breaks out? Or gets a rash? Completely unfair. She can wear all the make-up she wants, even sleep in it, and never gets a blemish."
"I'm not hiding," I said, "and I'm not comparing myself to Dana. I just...people have got to notice it. I'm not comfortable meeting people when they can see it. They're always asking how I got it. Kylie never let up on it."
"She was also sucking on your face, so she was pretty close to ya'. Once you shave I'm sure I won't even be able to tell where ya' got shot. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill. Besides, I think you're handsome. That's all that matters." She kissed me.
"I guess you're right about that."
"I'm always right. I thought ya' were cute the first time I ever saw ya', back when I was casing your bank. All the other times I came in, we'd talk and it was so cute how shy ya' were. I knew that ya'd never have the guts to ask me out so I took the initiative, decided to do it while I was robbing the bank. Kinda' killing two birds with one stone.
"It's not like I've fondled a man in every bank I robbed. That was only for ya'. It was really stupid, too. There were a lot a' people working there and I really needed both guns to corral 'em properly, but it all worked out in the end."
"Strangely enough, it did. For all the weirdness that happened afterwards and the PTSD I probably picked up from your introduction I do think that was probably the best day of my life," I said.
"So far!" Beth said. She leaned in close and kissed me again, "We got time again, our second chance, let's not fuck it up."
She squeezed my penis one last time then left the apartment. I went and showered again. When I got out I trimmed away the beard until it was short enough I could use a razor. I did heed Beth's warning about the facial hair, but I had fun first. I wanted to see how I would look like with mutton chops or a goatee or a moustache. She was right. I did look awful with any sort of facial hair.
I rinsed the shaving foam off my bare face. I felt good. Clean. It did feel like a brand-new start. Without my beard it was like looking at a stranger in the mirror. No, not a stranger. It was like seeing an old friend I hadn't seen in a while. I smiled.
