Hiraeth {Book 3 in The Emerald of Annihilation trilogy}

(7). Do I know you?

Lily's POV. 

My heart pounded. Blood surged to my ears and the shouting of the burly male in front of me was drowned out as my mind whirled. His gun aimed at my head, his forehead was beaded with sweat. Probably because he was used to his victims obeying right away out of fear and what not. 

I had to admit. That gun was pretty intimidating the way it was aimed directly at my head. His finger twitching on the trigger. I glared into his eyes, my face straight. I made a mental note that I had at least .02 seconds to move as soon as he pulled the trigger. 

My muscles flexed as I prepared to run at him, but I didn't move. All of the surroundings seemed to move while I remained frozen in time. ( Matrix anyone? )

Suddenly the door to the coffee shop opened with a CRASH! I forced my gaze off the offender and to my left to look at the newcomer. I barely had time to see his face, besides his sharp jawline and press-thin lips. His head was coved by a hood. The gunman whipped his head to look at the oncoming young man who charged him. 

I took this chance to leap forward, catching the unsuspecting thug by surprise, and taking a grip on his M16, twisting it down and ramming my shoulder into his chest which didn't do much but knock him back a few steps. 

Something had caught my eye. A gold stitching on his jacket shoulder sleeve. A silver crest above it. A crest.....of an open-mouthed Viper....... My eyes squinted as I stared at it. So that was the 'government' terrorizing the city. Viper! But.....Houston was in jail? Who could be commanding them?

The ma-Viper agent wrenched the gun from my grip and slammed the butt into my shoulder. I yelped out in pain and stumbled back, clutching my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes shut as I hissed in pain, looking up to see what was happening. 

The young man, grabbed the older man's gun, pushing him back, and at the same time wrenching the M16 from his grasp. 

The Viper cursed at the young man and reached into his belt pulling out a military hunting knife, jabbing it's jagged edges at the younger, making him leap back. 

I helped Natalie up and told her to go to the back of the shop and stay there. "I ain't going nowhere, kid! what you think you gonna be doing out here? Watching that boy get killed?!" I pushed her towards the back. 

"Please Nat. I need you to go there. I'll call you when it's safe to come out." She took one glance at the two men grunting and at each other's throats, literally, and rushed to the back.

I turned and saw the Viper toss the boy into a table. The younger groaned, holding his side. My eyes widened as the silver-haired, Herculean man raised the knife above the younger man, a smirk pulling at his unshaven face. 

I thank mom and Uncle Jack for the quick thinking that saved the boy's life. I lunged for the M16 on the floor that had been dropped minutes before. I charged up behind the Viper and wielded the gun like a baseball bat. 

The stocky villain didn;t have time to react as I brought the butt of the M16 down on his crew cut head. I grinned victoriously as he grunted and fell forward, his meaty hand reaching the back of his head where blood began to flow.

The young man took his chance and stood, landing an iron-like fist on his face. 

Just like that, he was out/down for the count. The young boy stood and whipped a small amount of blood from his lip. I tossed the gun and looked up at the young man to thank him. My heart stopped when I saw his face. 

His hood had fallen off during the fight, revealing soft, overgrown, brown hair that fell a little past his eyes. Deep brown eyes and golden, tan skin. The way his tongue moistened his lips when he was nervous and because they were half covered by blood made a lump rise in my throat. 

"D-Dylan......?" 

He took his gaze off the Viper goon and met my gaze, his features seemingly angelic int he sunlight. His head tilted a little in confusion. "Do I know you?"

I almost broke down right then and there. Half because I was glad he was alive, and half because he didn't know who I was...

No.

He knew who I was. He...just....didn't remember. that's it. He didn't remember! I decided to play along and win his trust if I could. 

'But wait, Lily.' My conscience triggered, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. 'What if he's the psychotic serial killer?'

I shook the thought from my head. If he was, I still had a job to do. Find the killer. Bring him in. And the way the police chief talked, he wouldn't mind him in cuffs or in a body bag. I took a deep breath and looked down.

"N-no, we haven't met. You just reminded me os someone I knew for a second." His eyebrows arched. "You knew someone named Dylan?"  I nodded. "Yeah, but that's not important. We have to get this guy out of here." 

We both grabbed both of his arms and dragged him out of the back door of the shop into the ally, lifting him up and dumping him into the large green garbage bin.

"Thanks." He wiped the remaining blood from his lip and gave me a small smile. I let out a slight chuckle. "You? Thanking me? I should be thanking you! You saved my life back there! Thank you."

He waved it off as if saving random girls was a usual routine for him each day. "Not a problem. The way this city is upside down....people need something that brings even a little flicker of hope. And those bastards deserve it."

I leaned back onto the brick wall. "I won't argue with you on that."

He grinned. "I've gotta be honest, I've never seen anyone ever stand up to the government guards." 

'So he didn't remember Viper at all.' I wondered. I wondered if he even remembered his poor mother and his childhood of running for his life from Houston. I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and smile.

"Well, I've always hated bullies." I reached up and scratched the back of my neck nervously. How ironic. Dylan and I had first met in a cafe. Now history was repeating itself, only to him, this was our first time meeting.

"That's a good thing." He looked out at the street a couple of feet away. "I should get going now. I'll see you around then...."

It then hit me. I hadn't introduced myself. "Lily." I gave him a weak smile. He smiled back. Comforting, sincere, and warm. "I like that name..."

"I'm Dylan." 

He smiled and turned, walking out to the busy sidewalk. "See you around....Lily."

Chapter 7 out!! hope you all enjoyed it!!!