Red Flowers

Chapter 2

When I came back to my senses, I went over and checked on Martin and Joe to make sure that they were unharmed then cautiously proceeded into the kitchen to see if Henry was okay. I found him hog-tying the two robbers that had brought him back there with twisted trash bags. Martin, Joe, and I helped him do the same to the three that were unconscious in the dining room.

The police arrived soon after we had finished. Apparently, someone nearby had heard the gunshots and called 911 to report it. The cops gathered up all of the robbers, put them in cuffs, and then shoved them in the backseats of their police cars. 

An ambulance had also arrived to treat any injuries on the scene.  One of the paramedics hurried over to me and brought me over to the ambulance. When I tried to tell them that I was fine they pointed out the gash on my temple from when I was struck by the guy who made me clean out the register. Thus, after having the paramedic clean and bandage my wound, I answered what I could of the questions one of the officers asked me. 

Shortly after that, I was escorted back to my apartment building where I flopped down on my bed and fell into a heavy sleep at 1:00 a.m. 

---

The harsh beeping of my alarm clock awoke me at 7:15 the next morning. My head throbbed to the sharp rhythm to the alarm, and when I reached up to touch my temple in confusion, I pulled back with a jerk suddenly remembering everything that had taken place the night before. 

After much debate, I forced myself to throw back the covers and get out of bed. I had Community College classes at 8:30, and we were going over new material in Nursing, so I needed to be there. I ate some toast, took some ibuprofen for my aching head, showered, got ready, and was out the door with my bag by 8:10. I made haste for the bus stop by my apartment building. I arrived a minute before the bus pulled up and got on with the other person waiting with me. The bus ride would be about 15 minutes depending on traffic. 

I sat back in my seat and stared out the window thinking about the night before. The memories increased my pulse so much that I could feel it in my ears, which did not help with the pain in my temple. I pushed the thoughts away and just studied the faint reflection of my face in the window. I was glad that my hair was dark brown because it seemed to hide most of the bruising. 

With that simple thought, the emotions that had been held back by the shock of the event last night started to make a quick rise. I could feel my throat tightening and my jaw clenching as I tried to suppress the oncoming breakdown. I forced myself to swallow and took a deep breath to steady myself. Facing forward, I closed my eyes and tried to think about other things.

---

Classes went by fairly slowly. I did my best to pay attention during Nursing, but my mind would still be called away to the memory of the incident last night. I thought about how those men could have done terrible things to me or even killed me. With these thoughts came the memory the creatures that saved us. What were they? Who were they? 

Those vibrant green eyes flashed across my mind. Those eyes that had stared so deeply into my own. I blinked and realized that I had gotten lost in thought again. I refocused on what my teacher was saying but struggled to do so for the rest of class.

Throughout the day, classmates asked me what had happened to my head. Instead of try to explain the complications of last night and get stuck talking about it for half an hour, I deflected and just said that I hit my head on a cabinet door.

I was exhausted by the time my classes were over. I took the 4:00 bus back to my apartment and tried to take a quick nap before I had to get up and go to work again. This time my sleep was restless and I eventually gave up and turned on the tv to watch the news.

They were doing a report on the attempted robbery on our diner. I immediately turned off the tv and went to take more ibuprofen. My head was beginning to throb again. I resigned to sitting on the couch and doing nothing until it was time for me to leave. 

---

The diner was empty when I got there and remained as such throughout my shift. Joe and Martin were unaccounted for, so there was nobody to serve. It was a little past 10:00 p.m. when Henry asked me to help him clean up for the night. 

After much mopping and scrubbing, I offered to take the trash out.

"Okay, you can just head home when you're done," Henry said. "I just have to empty the grease pan and then I'll close up." 

"Cool, thanks Henry," I responded, gathering the two full trash bags in each hand. I turned and pushed open the door with my shoulder, the light from inside the building illuminating the alley behind the diner. 

Standing probably eight feet away from me was a giant turtle. The trash bags dropped from my hands and hit the ground at the same time as my jaw. The turtle seemed to be frozen, not sure what to do. The door closed behind me with a soft thud. A strangled noise came from within my throat and I took a breath as if to scream, but  the turtle stopped me before I could.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't scream. I'm not going to hurt you," he said trying to quietly reassure me. His voice was familiar. A rough Brooklyn accent that signified a life living on the streets of New York. When I heard his voice my eyes immediately made contact with his. They were the same eyes that had stared back into mine last night, and his voice was the same from the vigilante's in the diner.

My breathing calmed somewhat but my mind was still reeling from the fact that I was facing a giant, talking, vigilante turtle.

"You- You were here last night," I said in a hushed tone. I took in more of his appearance, seeing that he sported a red mask, armor that looked like pieces of discarded football pads, tattered pants, and two sharp-looking weapons strapped on either side of waist. I took a hesitant step back. He claimed that he wasn't here to hurt me, but lies have been told before.

I looked back into his eyes, trying to read him. He shifted on his feet uneasily.

"Listen, you can't tell anyone that you saw me," his face contorted from shocked to angry, and he stood up straighter so that he loomed over me more than he already did, "If you do, I'll know. And I'll come back to deal with you."

Beneath his stony words and hardened expression, I could tell that there was underlying stress. The stress of someone who could get into a lot of trouble if I exposed him. I stood up straighter too. 

"Who are you?" My voice trembled a bit, but I held my ground and forced a glare into my eyes. His brow raised the tiniest bit.

"That's none of your business," he said turning abruptly to leave. He walked back into the shadows of the alley.

"It is my business. You and some others risked your lives to save me and three other people. I want to thank you properly," he stopped moving, looking over his shoulder the tiniest bit, "One of the others called you Raph. Is that your name?"

He stood silently for a moment, thinking.

"It's Raphael," and with that he jumped away and made his way quickly over the top over a nearby building into the night.

I stayed where I was for a while, just staring at where he had disappeared. Where Raphael had disappeared. I took a deep breath, listening to the sounds of cars moving by the diner, music blaring from their radios.

"Thanks, Raphael."