Chapter 7

Beau stared at Jackie in confusion. His heart started beating against his chest as he stared at the one person he loved the most in the world as she stared at him like he was a monster. “Jackie. It’s me. I know I look different but I’m still me.” He said.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are. Don’t touch me, freak. FUCKER! You lied to me. Your not Beau. Your just a fucking freak!” Jackie screamed at him and spat in his face.

Beau stared at her in shocked awe. He couldn’t believe what was happening. It was the second shocker to his life. “I’m Beau Lucas. Your high-school sweetheart. We grew up together in Texas. We lost our virginity together in the backseat of my Daddy’s pickup truck on my 16th birthday. Jackie. It’s me.” He said.

Jackie shook her head. “No. Beau is dead. I watched him die in my arms. He was speared with a steel bar. Get the fuck away from me you lunatic freak.” She said.

Beau tried to hold her but she clawed his face with her nails. She screamed at the pain holding her own hand. She glared at him.

“Your not Beau. Your just some crazy lunatic pretending to be him. He’s dead. I saw him die with my own eyes.” She said.

Beau turned to Rider. The other man stared back at him before turning to Jackie. “My friend is a little sad about losing his fiancée. You kind ah look like her. Sorry if he scared you. She died in his arms too. You can go now.” He said.

Jackie softened looking at Rider’s handsome face and believed him. Beau turned his back on them.

“Oh. Well. I can understand but-” Jackie said and Beau could hear that intimate purr to her voice that let him know with shock that she wanted to have sex with Rider then and there.

“You can leave now.” Rider said in cold voice devoid of any warmth now. “I’m sure you have a family to get to and your boyfriend’s family will want to hear about what happened to him?” Rider said dismissing her.

Beau said nothing. If he couldn’t convince Jackie he was who he was there was no way in hell his family would believe him. He had known Jackie all his life. Just like that he knew. He could never go home again. It was over for him.

“Oh. Yeah. Thank you all for rescuing us. What’s your name by the way?” Jackie said.

Beau felt sick hearing rising sexual interest in her voice directed at Rider. She was totally ignoring Beau completely like he was a strange or another fixture in the room like a lamp or table.

“My name is Rider. Your free to leave. Please go home to your people. Try your best to get out of the city it isn’t safe right now for people like you. My two friends will guide you out and protect you until you get back to your people. Goodbye.” He said.

“The fuck we will and we ain’t your friends asshole. Yo. Blue Techno wizard fuckhead.” Eddie cut in. “Get this fucking collar off my friend. A deal is a deal.” He said.

Beau snapped his fingers and the collar fell off easily from around Vince’s neck. “You take the ladies out to safety I’ll do right by you. The Doctor is in central park. I hear they came to harm on your watch I’ll be on your ass. You get me?” He said.

“Fuck. All you black dudes are all the same. Alright. Come on Vince.” Eddie said.

“Oh. Thank you. I’m sorry about hurting your friend. I-” Jackie said but she paused saying nothing. Beau looked at Rider to see a look of disgust on his face.

“Goodbye Miss Daniels.” Rider said dismissing her.

“Goodbye then. Thank you for rescuing us.” Jackie said.

Jackie started walking away following Eddie and Vince. Beau didn’t turn to watch her go. Rider came up beside him and stood with him looking at the city as most of it was still on fire and they heard gun shots and screams.

“I got some news from Doctor E. She did some tests on me. She says I have a couple more years until my body explodes from the alien energy. I don’t know how long it will take before the army and government to get shit back to normal. I figure I will keep going until they take their sweet time to getting to it.” He said in a tone that carried little emotion about it.

Beau nodded. “You got some time to keep your promise to your brother. She say anything about me?”

“Your condition is stable but she’s worried about the psychological effects this shit will have for you long term. I have a condo and some money in a safe. It’s yours when I go. Sorry I can’t be much help to you otherwise. You helped me out greatly I appreciate it.” He said.

“She didn’t recognize me. I told her everything I knew about her. She just acted and looked at me like I was a freak.” Beau said staring at nothing now as he felt a coldness creep up inside of his body. His soul felt scared and he was broken now completely.

“The same way she looked at me.” Rider said.

Beau turned to glare at Rider only to see him looking at his scared glowing forearms in disgust.

“She wanted to fuck you, Rider. She would have let you fuck her if you had been alone.” Beau said angrily.

“She knew who you were Beau.” Rider said softly.

“What?” Beau said acting like he didn’t hear him.

“I heard her lie about seeing you die. I saw her shaking her head and acting like she couldn’t hear you telling her facts only you could know. She knew. She just pretended not to understand or hear you. She looked at you the same way she was looking at me.” He said looking up at Beau. “She was just using me to ignore what happened to you and the fact she ran away leaving you to fucking die like the coward she is. I’ve seen that look on people’s faces enough over for the last few days to know rejection. No matter how many I’ve saved it don’t matter. I’m still a freak to them. It’s only lucky I’m not doing this job for them.” Rider said.

Beau stared back at his glowing eyes and scared face. He saw a broken man haunted by the nightmare of the hell he was still enduring. Barely. Only one thing could pull him on and not think of the pain of loss and knowledge he had a ticking time bomb in his body. Rider had no family or future only one thing could keep him going. A promise and a will to keep on fighting until you had nothing left.

Beau understood now. Rider was a man that lost everything and he couldn’t see a way forward or had a future. All he had was a fight and a promise to keep. Beau he was maybe going to live past this shit and go on or die in a few hours. He looked out over the city hearing cries for help and fires burning. It was a war before him. He was a warrior.

“Let’s get to work, brother. We can sleep when we’re dead.” Beau said turning up his hoodie and turning his gaze to the city with one flick of his wrist his weapons came to his hands.

Rider snapped out of his own pain and looked out over the city. “Your right. Fuck sleep. We got a job to finish.”