Mind's Echo

Quincy

Quincy knew something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it. There had to be a logical explanation for the loud banging and fleeing shadow which had led him and Eva to meet with the others.  Same for the crazy way Alex and Shelly were starting to act, too. Drugs? Shared psychosis? Hallucinations brought about by environmental pollutants? Maybe any minute, the rest of them would start acting like lunatics.

Quincy shuddered. Maybe they already were. Maybe, just maybe, there were no banging noises or shadows darting about. Quincy shook his head in a vain attempt to rid himself of negative thoughts. 

As Quincy watched Eva rub at her temple and wince in pain, he started to fear she would start acting oddly, too. He shouldn't care. He should just leave them all to do whatever it was they were doing and get on with his mission. He didn't need to concern himself with the pretty redhead who was looking at him with wide gray eyes, begging him to be saved. Yet the only real reason why he still felt the sense of urgency to find the vault was so that he could then offer to run away with Eva.

Suddenly, all he wanted to do was whisk her away to the Virgin Islands, far, far away from here. In order to do that, though, he had to finish this one last job. His instincts told him to just take her and get out of there immediately, but he knew there was no way she'd would want to be with him.

She wouldn't want a guy that had to fall off the grid for weeks, sometimes months at a time, or worse, could possibly get killed on a job. She would want someone who could provide a nice, safe, stable life for her. She probably even wanted kids someday.

Yeah, she'd definitely run for the hills if she knew him, really knew him, and the life he was currently living. He could change that, though. He could be rich and able to offer her anything and everything she had ever wanted. 

And there was still this feeling that he had to try, try to save her. In order to save her, he would first have to stay alive. Things were getting violent and out of hand. Preservation of life had become an urgent priority, his and hers. He wanted to save her now, get her away from this horrible place and these unhinged people, and then he wanted to start working on a future ... with her.

He smirked as he thought about the insanity of wanting a future with a veritable stranger. Maybe he was crazy, but if he was going to retire from his dangerous existence, and have a life suitable for a wife, he had to find those damn documents!

Eva looked up at Quincy from her sitting position and mouthed, 'What should we do?'

He hated to, but Quincy shrugged. He needed time to think, to come up with some kind of plan.

Shelly came back to Eva and offered her a bottle of water. Eva took the proffered water, twisting the cap off and taking a long swig. She smiled reassuringly at Shelly and nodded. Shelly nodded back and walked over to Alex. She knelt and began whispering to him as she rubbed his head. Quincy took the opportunity to move in closer to Eva who had stood up once Shelly's attention had shifted. He leaned in close to her, smelling her perfume even over the musty smell of the room. 

"Should we make a run for it?" she questioned, those wide eyes transmitting trust in his decision.

"Are you going to be okay?" he whispered, lightly touching her arm. "Do you think you can walk ..."

Without warning, Eva crumpled to the ground at his feet. A shock raced through Quincy. What the hell? He looked to see if either Mark or Shelly had noticed, but they both seemed very focused on Alex.  Quincy quickly picked Eva up and held her while the others were distracted. He needed a moment to think, figure things out. Just as he pulled her in close, Shelly looked over her shoulder toward them.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" she inquired. "Are you feeling any better?"

Her mouth formed a surprised 'O' when she saw a limp Eva nestled in Quincy's arms.

"She said she is really tired," Quincy said, smiling in an attempt to play it cool.

"Oh, dear, we should get her into bed so that she can rest and be monitored properly. I'll go prepare ..." 

She started to stand, but Quincy shook his head.

"I got it," he insisted. "Two steps ahead of you. I'll find a bed that she can lay down on while you gather all the supplies you'll need."

Shelly smiled. "How very helpful of you. I'll be right there just as soon as I finish up with Alex here."

Quincy nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

As Shelly turned back to Alex, Quincy hurried out of the room with Eva. He figured some type of recovery area would be nearby since they had just been in the OR. He checked one of the rooms close by and found an empty bed. It was dirty, but he considered it a better alternative to the floor.

Quincy laid Eva down on the bed and began trying to figure out what to do next. He tried to gently shake Eva awake. It didn't work. He looked at the single sink in the room, wishing there was running water so he could either wet a piece of fabric to place on her forehead, or splash water on her face. He should've picked up the bottle of water Eva had dropped. 

"Shit."

He thought about leaving her and trying to find the vault. He would come back for her. He wasn't going to leave her here indefinitely. He didn't want to leave her at all. Not for even a short period of time. What if those loons did something to her?

He could try to secure the room so that they couldn't get to her. He looked at the dilapidated door, barely hanging on its hinges, and noticed it didn't have a lock. It also swung out rather than in, so he wouldn't be able to block it with furniture, even if there was furniture with which to block it.

He scowled. Securing the room was probably not an option. There was no way he could carry her for too long. She wasn't heavy, but he needed to be able to move quickly and without hindrance if he was going to complete his mission and get away from this place.

He leaned over Eva and whispered to her, "I don't know if you can hear me, but you have to wake up. It's easy. Just ... you just ... wake up. Please."

Then, not knowing what else to do, and feeling more than a little silly, he placed a kiss on her lips.

Why had he fallen so hard for this woman? Why did the thought of leaving her side scare him? Why did he want to protect her? Why did he feel like Alex and Shelly, and possibly Mark, were not just acting weird but actually dangerous, life threateningly so? Why did he suddenly feel as if he was experiencing deja vu?