Big Bangs, Prohibition, and a Sugar Daddy

Eyes Go Dark

I was upstairs with Clara and Rita. We had a little party upstairs to celebrate my recovery, I was helping to clean up. Well, supervising since no one would let me clean. An explosion occurred at the doorstep of the house. It was loud enough to echo through the house. I ran down stairs. The windows in the front foyer were broken or cracked. The door appeared to have been blown open. I saw the figure that was once Allie Nala.

The explosive package had blown away her hands. Burned her face and clothes. Like Clara and Rita, I stared a moment at the human wreckage that had been someone I once knew. After that moment I reacted. I went to the broken body to find that she was still alive. I screamed at Rita and Clara to bring me clean towels, hot water, and the medical kit in the kitchen.

I cradled Allie's head. Burned hair crinkled and smelled. I think she was wearing some sort of hair cream or spray which had burned during the explosion. Her dark face had bright red blistering burned mildly charred in places. Allie's lips were moving.

"Don't try to talk, Allie." What she wanted to say I didn't know. I suppose I never will. As Clara and Rita arrived with the towels and other medical items Allie died.

Luke was right. The eyes simply go dark. I closed the empty eyes with my fingers. I gently set poor Allie's head onto the doorstep. Stood up. Calmly brushed away the remnants of Allie's burned hair from my skirt. Turned towards the house, away from the body. Once I entered the foyer I began to vomit. Supported by Rita and Clara I was taken into the kitchen and seated at the table. Sara was there quietly crying.

As Rita, Clara, and Sara comforted each other. I finally stood up and walked back into the foyer. I hadn't cried. I was too numb to cry. I picked up the phone and called Luke. I informed Luke in a monotone voice what had happened. I didn't answer his panicked questions, simply hung up. I stood there until Joey Hanson came into the foyer and guided me back into the kitchen.

Joey and Mike Jones had come into the house to investigate the noise of the explosion. They had found Sara and the two girls crying in the kitchen. As Mike tried to question the crying women, Joey had come in to find me standing in the foyer simply staring at Allie's body. After he brought me into the kitchen Joey came back into the foyer and phoned the police.

Luke had to deal with the police. It was dismissed as an attack from one of the other members of the 'gang' that Luke 'dealt with'. A hard boiled mug of a detective suggested that Luke might want to rethink his activities. Until they found the piece of paper in our mailbox.

"Capitalist criminal, we are the Red League of Justice, stop your capitalist criminal activity or we will revenge ourselves on you." To the detective this was proof that this was a crime committed by Anarchists who were jealous of Luke's financial situation.

After Luke essentially bribed the police to go away. All except the detective who seemed to be incorruptible. He left after he carefully examined every inch of the crime scene. Using a pen and paper to make his notes. Normally I'd admire a man with such a work ethic, but I just wanted him to go away.

I was in my bedroom. A wet rag on my forehead. Sara, Rita, and the two men had gone home. Clara was in her room. She wanted to stay with me, but I felt she needed to lie down like I did. Luke came into the room and sat on the bed beside me.

"You were right." I sat up, putting the rag aside. My headache for some reason. I suppose that it was simply the stress. "When a person dies, their eyes do seem to go dark. They just seem empty."

"I'm sorry you saw that. I wish Allie had been killed instantly to spare her the pain. To spare you the memory of seeing a life slip out of existence." Luke shook his head. "I've had to kill, I will most likely kill again. But, I can't stand to see an innocent person die for no reason. Allie died for no reason."

"That bomb was met for you or me." I turned in the bed and put my hand on Luke's. "Poor Allie died because someone wanted to kill one of us."

"I know." Luke squeezed my hand. "That makes me angry."

"I think it's time we begin to take this as a little more than coincidence." I said to Luke. "I don't see why the Anarchists or Communists would have that much of a grudge against us. We both know who did this."

"You may be right." Was all Luke said.