The Guardian Angel

Chapter-6: Leah

I laughed with relief as we sped down the road, my hair whipping in the wind, towards Jess' apartment. Which she said was on N 35th Avenue. So, there we went. She had rented a flat, a 2-bedroom one, so she offered to let me stay. She was a bit disappointed that I wouldn't be coming directly with her but instead, go to Paris first. Though she did agree that might have been for the best.

I woke up in the morning, surprising myself by being a bit disappointed that I hadn't had a dream. It was pretty entertaining. 

I was welcomed with a mug of coffee. I inhaled its scent deeply before sipping it. The bed hadn't been even half as comfortable as what I had had back home, but it was oddly soothing. Satisfying even.

Jessica had to go to work. She had to get some stuff done before accompanying me to Dallas. I'd told her it was completely unnecessary and I could go by myself. But she had insisted. So, I decided to fuck it and enjoy her company. I had also wanted to roam the city a bit, but she had strictly asked me to stay in the flat because my father's men would surely be searching for me. Mostly even Stephen's father.

I was bored to death. I switched through the channels almost dozing off. That was when something caught my attention. It was a news channel. The anchor was talking about an attack by terrorists at one of the camps the military had set up in Afghanistan. My mind flashed back to my dream. I shook my head, sat up straighter on the couch and listened intently.

She listed a few names, who had lost their lives in the fight.

.... Corporal Michael and Sergeant James, gave their lives to protect the camp. According to our source, the military had captured a terrorist and Sergeant James was in charge of bringing him back for questioning. This was when the terrorists retaliated to regain their lost comrade. But all they got was dust and blood. We thank the brave heroes who gave their lives to ensure we have a peaceful night of sleep. For more updates and news, stay tuned. We shall join you after the break.

A series of photos were shown. Including James'. 

My heart stopped beating. It was impossible. How could I have dreamt exactly what had happened in real life? The time of the attack was around 1 in the morning in Afghanistan. That meant around...... 1:30 in the afternoon for me? That had been almost exactly the time I had dozed off.

My heart thudded in my chest and kept getting louder and louder. Calm down, calm down I kept repeating to myself, as I kept pondering what it could mean. It wasn't like I had dreams about random people every time... it had always been about James. And now he was dead.

I looked back at the photo flashing on the screen. He had his arm thrown around another guy, an easy smile lighting his lips, eyes twinkling, as the two of them looked at the camera.

At the sight of that, my heart stopped. Then restarted. As to why, I had no idea. Prolly cause I had seen him die? Sort of? Ugh, I had no idea. I brought my knees to my chest and rested my head on top of them as I thought through everything.

I must have dozed off in that position. I guessed that because Jessica had come and shaken my shoulder to wake me up. I woke up and noticed that the T.V. was still rambling on. Jessica had made dinner and I was hit with a pang of guilt. I had just been sitting at home and I couldn't even make dinner for her. Jessica must have seen my expression because she tsked and said, "Don't do that Leah. You've been through a lot. This is the least I can do. Okay?"

I hugged her. "What did I do to have a friend like you?"

We sat and had dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs. It was amazing. My father had always emphasized that I eat healthy since I had to keep fit. He had allowed me to indulge now and then. Like birthdays or functions. So I dug in.

Later we laughed and watched a movie, then played some board games and finally, she grabbed a bottle of wine from a cabinet. I took a glass. She had..... quite a few. Later, she headed to bed in a drunken stupor. I laughed and headed to bed myself.

The next morning, I completely refused to stay at home. Jess tried to persuade me, but I flatly refused. I'd go crazy. The only thing I'd do all day at home was to sit and think about James. I didn't have much else to do.

So, she promised to be back home early and take me out to some club. Then I agreed to bite my tongue and stay back at home.

She came back later that evening and both of us together got ready for the night. I dressed in a black, bareback dress that reached to my thighs, hugging and putting a highlight on my modest waist and breasts. Black high heels to go with it, eyeshadow, some nail polish, and combing my hair and I looked perfect.

We drove down to the pub in Jessica's car. We reached the bar, when I noticed the enormous queue.

"How will we ever get inside?" I asked, shock transparent in my voice.

Jessica chuckled. "This is one of the best pubs in the city, Leah. It's not that easy to get into. But for us thankfully, I know the manager."

She waved to the bouncer, who in turn gave us a curt nod and allowed us inside. Much to the uproar of those waiting outside. Well, sucks to suck, I guess. I headed inside, laughing; I never knew Jessica was so well-connected. We headed over to the bar and ordered shots. We downed shots for a few rounds before we felt loose enough to head over to the dance floor. We danced together, moving hips in sync, spinning each other and generally moving to the beat. Then we again hit the bar. Dance floor. Bar again. On and on it went.

I started feeling uneasy, the alcohol taking its effect. I decided to get Jessica and head back home.

I started heading to the dance floor towards her when I saw Jessica grinding and kissing another guy in the pub. I left them and headed outside for some fresh air.

I sank into a dark alley. The alcohol made me a bit dizzy. Wait. No. Something wasn't good. I got up and braced my hands on the wall. Then threw up. Finally, I straightened and wiped my mouth, when I heard a shuffle behind me.

3 men jumped out. 2 blocked the way out of the alley and the other pinned my wrists against the wall. This was bad. Even if I hollered, Jessica couldn't hear me. much less anyone else. The streets were deserted.

"Wha weee have here?" The guy who pinned me asked, reeking of alcohol. The other 2 snickered.

I was fucked. Metaphorically and probably literally.

"Leave me alone." I hissed.

The guy brought himself closer to me. I concentrated all my strength...... and kneed him in the balls. He reared in pain and released me. One guy came and held my wrists. The other went to help their mortally injured friend.

That was when a figure materialized from the shadows with a chuckle.

The guy holding me, released me, staring at the new arrival. His face wasn't visible, the streetlight blocked by his figure cast a shadow over the four of us making him seem..... sinister. Before I could see anything else that was happening, my head spun wildly. Probably from the alcohol or the shock. Or maybe both. Either way, my eyes shut and I backed into the wall. It was probably for the better. Because I was hearing loud thuds and squishing sounds. I don't think it mattered who won here. It would either be those 3. Or the one guy.

It was a while before I realised that the sounds had stopped.

A hand brushed against my forearm, sending a shock through my body.

I slowly blinked my eyes open and saw 3 bloody bodies. They had been smashed. Noses broken, skulls caved in and bones broken in all weird angles. Bile rose in my throat again which had everything and nothing to do with the alcohol at the same time.

What shocked me more than that, was the face to whom the hand belonged. Before I could consider what was happening and if what I saw was real, my head spun as my vision spotted and I started slipping into unconsciousness. I felt a hand supporting me before I completely passed out.