Re: Gaultown - Sleepy Suburb with a Secret (Location 3)
In reply to Sue Steel (msg # 2):
Non- cannon battle post.
I got out of the rental and dashed over to the injured man.
“Are you alright?” I ask, “I can take you to hospital if you need it.”
“What are you doing here?” asked a menacingly gruff voice,
“Avoiding hitting you mainly.”
“But you shouldn’t be here,”
“why?”
“Who is it Al? This was a second equally gruff voice.
“It’s just some woman Burt, I stepped in front of her car and she stopped.”
I turned to Al “You did that on purpose,” I asked, “Why?”
“To stop you.” I ask Al a question and Burt replies.
“Stop me from what?”
“You ask too many questions babe.” Said Burt, suddenly picking me up and putting me over his shoulder and marching off up the street.
“Put me down! Put me down!” I shrieked and ineffectually kicked my legs for effect. Whatever it was these two were up to I wanted to know.
“What you got there Burt?” Another one, I thought, how many are there?
“It’s a doll Dan a real pretty doll.”
“Let’s have a look Burt.” Four! No way. All of them were practically identical, Hulking six foot brutes.
“Are we sharing?” FIVE! I thought, you’re pulling my pisser. Then flushed as I remembered I didn’t have one.
“Sure.” Said Burt, tossing me across the street to what must have been his brother. Deep guffaws and hollers rang around the group of men as they started playing catch with me. This was so unreal I was sure I’d wake up soon. I was like a rag doll being tossed around by these brutish clowns. Each caught me easily as though they had done this before, then they started showing off tossing me overhead with one arm. I tired of waiting for them to stop so halfway between brothers I used my flight power to adjust my body and land feet first against the chest of Burt. At least I think it was Burt. I add an extra burst of flight power to make sure I knocked him off his feet.
His expression changed in an instant. He frowned up at me all the raucous laughter behind me ceased. I stepped back of his chest as he swung a big muscular arm at me. I heard an approaching step behind me. Spinning on my heels I saw one of them bringing his massive fist down on top of my head like someone beating their fist down on a desk. I blinked, non-pulsed, Then laughter erupted around me and suddenly I realised I was a foot and a half shorter than what I was. Looking down I saw the reason the blow to the top of my head had actually forced me down into the asphalt as I noticed my legs from the knee down had disappeared below the surface of the road.
Looking up I was just in time to see a massive fist smash into my face. Being trapped by the asphalt there was no knock back the back of my head slammed into the road behind me. Immediately after the impact of both fist and road on my head I felt a massive influx of energy replacing that which had been expended at impact.It was like I was pulling energy right out of the air. My recovery then was instantaneous; this was to be my very first close combat experience outside of training.
“Dump her in the lake with the others.” Said Burt.
“What others.” I asked still lying in the road.
“Hay! She’s not dead Burt.” I was impressed with Al’s ability to keep up with real time events.
“Of course I’m not dead,” Said I pulling my legs out of the asphalt and getting to my feet. “You shouldn’t hit people like that you could hurt them.”
“You mean I didn’t even hurt you?” Asked Burt incredulously.
“How many people have you killed?” Repeating myself was not my favourite pastime.
“You ask too many questions, lady.”
“And you don’t answer enough.”
“And you’re going to the bottom of the lake dead or alive.”
“At least I’ll have better company in the lake.” I answered just as Burt grabbed me from behind. The others were closing in fast. I stomped down hard on Burt’s foot with the heel of my shoe and as he yelped I shrugged free of his grip, moving forward I grabbed a grasping hand of one of the brothers and ducked low pulling his arm down forcing him to stumble to the floor. A quick side step saw another brother charge past me leaving just two assailants.
Both were running well lumbering as big and heavy as they were. An easy block took care of a heavy punch and a side step put him between me and the final lumbering brother. I wondered how many woman they had assaulted and dumped in the lake. As another punch came my way a blindingly quick index finger stabbed its way into his eye forcing it into his brain. His body collapsed, but before he reached the floor a well-placed kick sent his body flying into his brother both flew back, disappearing into the blackness of the night.
Burt was out of it as he hopped on one leg and nursed a foot with his hands. “You broke me foot!” He exclaimed through a torrent of expletives. The one who stumbled past me was now charging at me. I braced myself and his hulking mass slammed into me so hard a “Huh,” of putrid breath assailed my nostrils. He stumbled back, looking dazed, stepping forward I brought my knee up into his groin. A cross between a gasp and a whimper came from Al as the blow I just delivered took him of his feet; he arched into the air still gasping his whimper as he crashed to the floor 10 feet away.
A new assailant was up off the floor swing his fists. Quickly stepping back I saw those big fists miss their mark though he continued his assault. Each of my movements was measured, executed to perfection using just enough force to accomplish what was intended or just enough flight power to keep me rooted to the spot. An instant reaction seemed planned as if the right thing to do. These thoughts flitted through my mind as blow after blow missed its mark by a whisper. Then something hit my back propelling me forward into the arms of my assailant. Whatever had hit me now propelled us in its direction we went crashing to the ground and sliding along the road. The something rolled over us its momentum taking it further than me and my assailant.
We came to a halt and I looked around at the smiling brother I’d kicked the dead body into. Looking over I saw the rental he’d thrown it at us. Shit that’s a hundred dollar excess. It was then I realised that the insurance excess should not have been the thing I was concentrating on as big clumsy hands pick me up bodily and hurl me at the car. I covered the distance to the car in less than a second not that anybody had a stop watch. Such was the force of the impact of my body hitting the car that it rolled three times with me wedged in the one side. The shock of the experience affected me more than anything but the thrill of the fight was exhilarating. The car was being lifted again and I managed to shrug myself free and I landed lightly on the ground. But seconds later the car was coming down on my head. A round house kick from my powerful legs sent the car spinning through the air both brothers still holding on to it. One managed to let go but the other went crashing through the window of a house across the street.
Rushing at the guy who had fallen I snatched him up into the air and in one swift movement brought him crashing down, back first, onto my knee shattering his spine. Though unable to appreciate it he was now somewhat double jointed able to touch his toes bending both backward and forward. Standing and turning I sought out Burt, forgetting all about the broken body before it even hit the floor.
Burt was limping toward me, eyes filled with anger, face contorted by hate. Now he knew something of the hurt he’d inflicted on the families of those he’d killed. As I stood my ground he reached out for me grabbing each of my arms just as my heel crushed the bones in his other foot, grinding it into the asphalt. Burt yelped in pain as his grasping turned into a holding. Taking his weight I let him use me as a crutch.
He looked at me and I asked, “Your all one person aren’t you? Like you’ve divided yourself up into five, It was one of your special abilities yes?”
“Yes.” He said through his pain, “but not divided, multiplied, each time my body mass and strength increased.”
“Multiplied? But not in the brains department?”
“No,” his pain softening the gruffness of his voice. “Couldn’t coordinate six, five was my limit.”
“And what are you protecting? Why is the neighbourhood deserted?”
“Could never find out, but it must be important. Enough to buy up almost very house in this district.”
“And you got rid of those that wouldn’t sell?” Burt nodded.
I picked Burt up and slung him over my shoulder heading for the house in front of me when I noticed his remaining brother emerging from the same house. He saw me heading his way and stopped to pick up a big rock with both hands. I shook my head in disbelief and continued my way to the house. He tried smash his makeshift weapon down onto my head, but I knocked it out of his hand, grabbed him by the throat and lifting him off the ground I carried both men into the house.
The room was dark and musty. Two bodies hit the floor and a neck snapped at a quick flick of the wrist and a slight gurgling sound of a crushed windpipe could be heard in the quietness of the neighbourhood. Soon all five brothers rested quietly in each other’s company.