JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 24 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 The household was in total chaos. Natalie and Just Jan had been released from the hospital after a visit to their rooms by Kelly. The four bodyguards, Ling, Kelly, Lucy, and Just Jan were at the house with Ken, Lisa, and Tim. William was nowhere to be found and no one had a clue as to his location. Allowing herself to act like a mother, Kelly paced around the living room with an expression of worry on her face. Although Kelly was worried, Ling was not. In fact, she was furious. Growling at everyone she saw, she would occasionally stop her prowling to announce to anyone who would listen, “I’m going to kill him.” The bodyguards were doing their best to stay out of Ling’s way while dealing with a minor crisis of their own. Natalie was coming to grips with how she had been healed. Coming out of a coma to find a woman between her legs had been traumatic, but nowhere as traumatic as the orgasm Kelly had triggered. Nicole kept trying to explain to Natalie that it didn’t represent a desire on her part, but the young woman was firmly convinced that she had turned into a lesbian. Colt and Rock stayed out of the conversation on general principles, fully aware that anything they said would be misinterpreted. Just Jan was uncomfortable being in the house. She felt that she was ruining the furniture just by sitting on it. She kept looking at the front door wanting to run away. The only thing that kept her in her seat was that Lucy was holding her hand. Lucy was searching for some way to let the bag lady know how much she appreciated the old woman’s help. Lisa was attempting to play hostess, but she had run out of guestrooms in which to put people. After offering coffee to everyone and finding no takers, she retreated to the kitchen. It was the one room in which she felt comfortable chasing out anyone who visited, even if that person was Ling. Ken was trying to keep Tim from stirring up more trouble. Tim was sure that something neat was going on, he just had to find out what it was. For the second time in less than ten days, the ringing of the doorbell rang surprised Ken. After looking at the bodyguards, he went over to answer it. Opening the door, he found Cole frowning and stroking his medallion. Without saying a word, the green robed Druid strode into the room and came to a halt with his feet shoulder wide and his hands one his hips. All eyes were drawn to the powerful appearance he presented. Spotting Natalie, he turned to face her and said, “Your orgasm was not the result of a woman touching you. It was a result of the Goddess letting you know that you had been fully healed. Get over it. Go make love to your man and remember what it means to be a woman.” Turning to face Just Jan, he said, “Stand up and face me.” Unable to stop herself, Just Jan rose and said, “Yes, sir.” “For two decades you have been homeless. Now you have a home. Stay with Lucy as a companion and friend. You have a great need for her. She has a greater need for you.” “Yes, sir.” “Go with her to the pond, wash, and then return a new woman. She will take you to get new clothes. Your old life is over.” Wide eyed, Just Jan staggered back as if punched. She looked to Lucy, but Lucy was staring at the Druid as he stepped in front of her. Looking down at her, he said, “Lucy, you have accepted responsibility for this woman. It is time for you to act responsibly.” Lucy nodded, stood up from the couch, and took Just Jan by the hand. Following his instructions, she led the bag lady out the back door pausing only long enough to pick up two towels. Just Jan allowed herself to be led by the younger woman. It seemed that with each step, the past dropped from her and her spirit grew lighter. The Druid watched the pair leave the house before turning to face Ling. His presence seemed to get even larger. Shaking his head, he said, “Relax. Trust his prescience. He knows far more than any of us.” Ling nodded feeling the power of the man. She knew that power, having felt exactly the same thing when John Carter or Ed Biggers would make a pronouncement from the Gods and Goddesses they served. It would be a stretch of the imagination to say that she actually relaxed, but she did stop her pacing and take a seat. Walking past a stunned Ken, Cole went to the kitchen. Sticking his head through the door, he said, “Lisa?” She looked at him wondering what words he would want to share with her. Awed by what she had heard from the living room, she asked, “What?” “Could I please get a cup of coffee from you? I really need one,” he answered as his hand dropped away from the medallion he had been holding. “Sure.” Pleased that someone wanted a cup of coffee from the pot she had brewed, she filled a cup and handed it to him. Smiling, she asked, “Cream or sugar?” Taking a deep whiff of the coffee, he smiled back at her with just enough of his smile visible over the rim of the cup for her to see. He answered, “Thank you very much. Black is fine.” When he returned to the living room, a smiling Kelly asked, “What? You have nothing to tell me?” “You’re a Druid. You wouldn’t listen to me anyway,” he answered with a laugh. His laugh provoked a similar laugh from Kelly. Sitting down, he looked over at Nicole and Rock. They looked as exhausted as he felt. In a soft voice, he asked, “Shouldn’t you be in bed or something?” Surprised, Nicole looked over at Rock and answered, “I guess.” The pair left the living room to get as much sleep as possible before their shift started. Cole sat back and took a sip of his coffee. Upon swallowing, he hummed in contentment and said, “This is perfect.” Ling, having been briefed on the presence of the Druid, asked, “So how is the neighbor girl?” “Better. She’s eating with a reasonable appetite. After my coffee, I’ll go back over there to work with her some more,” Cole answered. His hand went to his medallion and stroked it. It had brought him over to the house. Curious, Kelly asked, “How long have you been working with her?” “What day is it?” “Wednesday.” “Ten days, I guess,” answered the Druid realizing that he’d lost track of time. He took another sip of his coffee, savoring the taste. He sighed at the thought of trying to make up more than a month of school work and said, “We need a Druid who can deal with this specific kind of problem. William was more correct than he probably knew when he said there was nothing he could do to help her. She is almost beyond my ability to help.” Nodding her understanding, Kelly said, “All gifts have limitations.” “Lisa makes a great cup of coffee. That’s a gift every servant of the Gods and Goddesses should envy. Consider just how much pleasure a cup of coffee, served in the right circumstances, can provide,” Cole said. Looking over at Ken, he said, “You’re a lucky man.” Surprised at the attention and how good it made him feel, Ken said, “You’re good. You’re really good.” “What?” “You come in here and made everyone feel better. I feel ten feet tall right now.” Laughing, Cole shook his head and said, “It was just an honest observation.” *** The blond haired woman ran down the dark street looking over her shoulder. The past two hours had been the worst of her life. She’d been heading to a local bar to talk to a man about taking care of Lucy when the kid had appeared. Since then, she hadn’t been able to get rid of him. No matter where she went, he was there tapping her on the shoulder and looking at her with eyes that seemed to see deep inside her. She had tried to hit him, but she couldn’t touch him. At the corner, she stopped to catch her breath and looked around. A hand touched her on the shoulder. She spun around to find him looking at her through narrowed eyes. Impossible as it was to believe, he wasn’t even breathing hard. She screamed, “Why are you doing this to me?” “You tried to harm my fiancée,” he answered without anger or malice in his voice. The woman ran off into the dark without waiting for his answer. William watched her go. He reached down to the length of leather hanging from his belt and tied another knot in it. There were now a dozen knots tied along its length. He sprinted off in a different direction from the one taken by the woman. On reaching a corner two blocks away, he stopped and stepped into the shadows. Missy ran, taking random turns hoping to lose him. She ran for a couple of blocks and then turned back. Side aching from the effort of running for such a long time, she stopped to catch her breath. She didn’t understand how the kid was doing it. She’d run from place to place and each time he was there. She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Turning to face him, she shouted, “Leave me alone!” “You know where the police are. They are waiting for you. All you have to do is turn yourself in,” answered William staring into her cold blue eyes. “Never! I’m not going to jail because of that bitch!” “You can’t get away,” William said. He pointed in the direction of the main entrance of the university. In a soft voice, he said, “They’re waiting for you down there.” The woman ran off in terror with no real destination in mind. She couldn’t return to her dorm since a cop was camped on her doorstep. She couldn’t leave through the main door since a police car was parked there. The other exits were blocked by homeless men who wouldn’t let her pass. She couldn’t even scream for help as that would bring the campus police and they would arrest her. All she wanted was a chance to rest so that she could come up with a plan. William tied another knot in the leather strip while shaking his head. He took off towards the student center knowing that she would end up going there. He’d have ten minutes to reach the building. He could take his time, but she’d run almost the entire way via a circuitous route intended to lose him. She hadn’t figured out that he didn’t need to follow her to know where she was going. Ten minutes later, William stepped out of a men’s room and tapped her on the shoulder right after she had passed it. She spun and glared at him. Her anger overcame her terror for a moment. Furious, she asked, “Why are you doing this to me?” “You tried to harm my fiancée.” “Bastard, leave me alone.” William shook his head and answered, “I can’t do that. I have to stop you. You had plans to hire someone else tonight. I can’t allow you to do that.” “That goody-two-shoes! Bah! She deserves to die,” screeched Missy unable to believe that he had known what she was going to do. The handful of students engaged in a late night conversation in the student center turned to look at her. “If you turn yourself in, the police will help you,” William said pointing to the main entrance. With her fear so thick that she could taste it in her throat, Missy ran away. In her mental fog all she wanted was to find some place where she could be alone and think. William tied another knot in the leather strip. Shaking his head, he said, “Only four more to go and then she’ll turn herself over to the police.” He moved towards the football practice field. She would try to climb the fence there to get off campus. If he wasn’t such a good guy he’d let her, but he knew she’d get hurt if she actually made the attempt to climb it. He settled down by one of the bushes to wait for her to arrive. Fifteen minutes later, he spotted her creeping towards the fence in an attempt not to be seen. Her head darted from side to side as she sought a sign that the kid was there. She reached the fence and looked up at the arrow points atop the iron rods set into the rails. Swallowing at the thought of accidentally falling upon them, she had just moved to climb the fence when she felt the dreaded tap on the shoulder. Tired of being chased around campus, she swung out to strike him. He was just out of reach of her hand. She threw herself at him intending to scratch out his eyes, but he wasn’t there. Off- balanced, she fell to the ground. Looking up at him, she wondered if he was some sort of ghost. Terrified, she said, “Leave me alone.” “I can’t do that,” William answered. Pointing to the front gate, he said, “Turn yourself over to the police. They’ll make sure that you get the psychological counseling you need.” “Bastard, I’m not going to jail for that bitch!” William watched her run off into the dark. He tied another knot in the strip of leather. He headed towards the parking lot in an easy jog knowing that was her next destination. Upon his arrival at the parking lot, he dug into his pockets and took out the contents. He ducked behind a car to wait for her. Ten minutes later, Missy walked through the parking lot confident that she was going to get rid of the kid for good. A tap on her shoulder and she turned around to face him. Holding the gun in front of her, she aimed at his chest and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She pulled the trigger several more times with the same lack of results. Furious, she threw the gun at him in frustration. He stepped out of the way and moved back to his position so quickly that it almost looked like the gun had flown through him. William held out his cupped hand and said, “It won’t work without these in it.” Missy stared at the bullets and then back at the car whose window she had just broken. There was no way he could have gotten the bullets from the gun, but it was empty and he had bullets in his hand. Open mouthed, she asked, “How?” “I know everything you are going to do. You can’t get away,” he answered as he pocketed the bullets. “It’s not possible.” “Yet it happened.” “Get away from me,” she screamed as the level of terror she felt increased ten-fold. She stared at him as if he were some character out of a horror movie. “Turn yourself over to the police. They’ll help you,” William said. She looked around and decided that she’d steal a car. The homeless scum at the gate wouldn’t stop her if she was in a car. She started to move away, but froze when he said, “It won’t operate for you.” She looked at him terrified that he could read her mind. She wondered which one he thought she was going to steal. She looked at a car and saw that it was unlocked. The fact was that she didn’t know how to get around the security features of a car and she knew it. “It doesn’t matter which one you try to steal. It won’t operate for you,” William said knowing that she wouldn’t try to steal any of them now that he had mentioned it. It occurred to her that he had somehow gotten the bullets out of the gun using magic. That he would use magic to keep the car from operating for her scared her even more. She turned and ran into the dark. Her heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst. William tied another knot in his leather strip as a policeman walked over to him. Pointing to the ground, William said, “The gun is there.” “I saw her break into the car and take it from the glove compartment. How did you know?” the cop asked looking at the gun on the ground. “It doesn’t matter,” William said with a sigh. “I’ve got to get back to the football practice field. She’s going to try to go over the fence again,” William turned and jogged away. The cop bent down and picked up the gun using a pencil. He slipped it into an evidence bag. He watched William disappear at the far end of the parking lot wondering why he was ordered not to arrest her for breaking into the car and attempting to shoot the kid. Nestled in some bushes, William waited for Missy to arrive. This time, she ran straight to the fence and started to climb without pausing to check it out. She fell off when he touched her shoulder. Staring up at him from the ground, she lost control of her bladder and crab walked away from him. Voice tight with fear, she said, “Keep away from me.” “You can’t get away. Turn yourself in,” William said looking down at her with pity. “You’re not a real person. You’re a fucking ghost…” “They are waiting for you at the gate.” She scrambled away from him, tripping and falling several times. She ran without even looking at where she was headed. Passing campus landmarks without being aware of them, she was lost. She missed her step and fell over a curb skinning her knee. Tears of fear and frustration blinded her. Sobs emerged without her being aware that she was sobbing. William tied another knot in the leather strip and moved to the far exit. He knew that she would show up there next. Once he arrived, he waved to Fat Fred. The big man waved back and left the gate to return to the park and bed. William slipped into the darkness near the gate. It was twenty minutes before a limping Missy made her way to the gate. Seeing that the homeless were gone, her heart skipped a beat. As she approached the gate, she thought her ordeal was over until she felt the tap on her shoulder. Stumbling back, she fell to the ground sobbing uncontrollably. She managed to ask, “Why?” “You tried to harm my fiancée,” William answered. Leaning forward to ensure that she could hear every word he uttered, he said, “You wanted her beaten, raped, and then dead. You had it all planned out.” She stared at him in horror. “You hired two men to beat her. You wanted her to feel your pain. You wanted her to know what if felt like to be a human punching bag for some thug with no one better to hit.” She couldn’t breath. “You planned to hire another man to rape her after she recovered from the beating. You wanted her to know what it felt like when your step-father used to come into your room at night. You wanted her to know what it was like to feel dirty and used.” Her body started to tremble uncontrollably, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. “You planned to kill her at the end of the Spring semester right before you would leave the school for good. Although she would have been the one who died, you wouldn’t have been killing her. You’d have been killing yourself.” Hearing her plans coming from his mouth convinced her that she had died and gone to hell. The kid standing over her wasn’t human; he was a demon sent to torture her for all eternity. That was the only explanation that made sense. From deep within belly, she let loose with a wail that woke students and terrified all who heard it. Leaning against the gate adding a knot to the leather strip, William said, “Go to the front gate and surrender to the police.” Too exhausted to walk, Missy crawled away on hands and knees. She collapsed and looked back in the direction from which she had crawled. The gate was open and he was nowhere to be seen. She considered trying to get through it, but knew it was hopeless. For five minutes, she didn’t move. Lying on the ground, she cried until no more tears would come. Standing, she staggered towards the far gate where the police car was waiting for her. Her legs didn’t seem to work right. Her hands trembled so much that she had to tuck them under her armpits. Every sound made her jump. She expected to feel his tap on her shoulder with every step. She reached the police car and beat on the window. Babbling, she said, “I did it. Arrest me. Get me out of here. I’m in hell. A demon is torturing me.” The cop seated in the passenger’s seat got out of the car and opened the back door for her. Before he had a chance to cuff her, she climbed into the car without complaint and curled into a fetal position on the backseat. She shivered the entire drive to the station. After a few minutes at the station, they took her to the hospital. Watching her get into the car while leaning beside a tree, William shook his head in pity. He walked over to the bench where the Chief of Police was seated and sat down beside him. With a sigh, he said, “It’s done.” “That was cruel.” “It was necessary,” he answered. “Necessary? You terrified her out of her fucking skull,” retorted the Chief of Police. The anger in his voice was unmistakable. “There were three possible futures for her. This was the only one in which she lived. At least now, she’ll get help and recover,” William said. “This was the only one in which she lived?” asked the police chief. He looked over at William with respectful skepticism. He’d dealt with William on several occasions. The young man would stop by and inform him that something was going to happen if something wasn’t done about it. After the first few times that he’d ignored the warning and seen the consequences of his inaction, he’d come to believe the young man. He’d never been proved wrong. “There were two other possible futures with minor variations. In one, I would have not informed you where she was and my mother would have killed her when she went after Lucy again. If I did tell you where to find her, then I would have had to kill the man she hired and she would have been killed in jail,” William answered. “How can you say that?” “The Two-Sided One showed me,” answered William. This was the first time that he had to face someone who was so weak that their weakness made them strong and a danger to others. The Chief of Police didn’t know how to react to that announcement. If anyone else told him that voices told them to do something, he’d be locking the person away for a long time. “Did he tell you to do what you did?” “I had to choose her future. I chose the happiest future for her despite the fact that she wanted to kill Lucy,” he answered defensively. To distract himself, he held up the leather strip and traced the knots on it. Having noticed William tying knots in the leather strip over the course of the evening, his curiosity got the better of him. The Chief of Police asked, “What’s with the leather cord?” “Counting coup,” answered William, although putting knots into a leather strip wasn’t normally done as part of counting coup. Seeing the puzzled look on the other man’s face, he explained, “Sometimes in battle, warriors would intentionally touch an enemy with a hand or a stick without causing injury. They were risking their life since it was possible that the enemy would react violently. We call that counting coup.” “This was not a battle.” “Yes it was. It was a battle of wills and I had to break the will that wanted Lucy dead,” William answered. “You drove her insane!” The man was angry because he had been a part of it. Initially, he had gone along with William’s scheme because he knew it would go better for her if she surrendered herself to them willingly. It would show proper remorse and would possibly allow her a better deal with the prosecutor. The judge would have definitely taken it into account. It wasn’t until he had watched the events at the gate that the full impact of what William was doing had become obvious to him. Now, he was disgusted with himself and angry at William. “She was already insane, but she would never have been treated for it. Now, she will get the treatment she needs,” William said. Seeing her future as clear as if watching it play on a movie screen, he pursed his lips and said, “She’ll get treated and come out of the hospital healthy. In a couple of years, she’ll get married and have children. She’ll live a long life as a model citizen and be happy.” “How can you say that?” “The Two-Sided One showed me,” answered William as he looked across the great lawn. It had happened while waiting in the hospital for his mother to arrive. After he’d seen a vision of Missy’s early life, he’d seen the three possible futures for her. His anger had turned to pity. When the Two-Sided One had asked him to choose, it had been easy to choose the compassionate route that looked anything except compassionate. The Chief of Police sat quietly on the bench for a moment and then asked, “How did you manage the whole gun thing?” “Earlier today, I waited for the owner of the car to arrive and asked him to unload it. He gave me the bullets.” Raising an eyebrow, the Chief of Police asked, “How did you know that she would take that gun out of that car?” “The Two-Sided One told me,” answered William. “You don’t serve the Two-Sided One.” “Not yet,” William answered. The sound of impatience and frustration in his voice was obvious to the Chief of Police. William looked up at the sky and shouted, “When?” The image of a fat woman flashed in his head and answered, “When it is your time, little one.”