Peppermint And Gunpowder

Chapter Nineteen: I Shall Die Twice

I don't remember what happened that next morning. Everything was normal--or as normal as can be. Poison and I woke later than we regularly do, after our confessions we'd falled asleep again. Instead of waking with the morning bird, we woke to Gracie's laughter in the backseat as she made Kitty and Dottie dance about the old seats.

Kobra wasn't there, Gracie said he'd already gone inside. I should have realized that something was going to go wrong because everything was going too well.

Poison had said something about going to see the others, to see if they'd made any progress on the fire, anything other than Val Velocity igniting it. He'd kissed me softly as Gracie laughed in the backseat--she'd only heard of this type of romances in fairy tales, the stories one of the boys would tell her on nights where she couldn't sleep.

I wonder when I'll kiss him again, or even see him. I wonder if I'll see any of the boys again, see Dr. D or Show Pony, or Bandit. I wonder if I'll ever fall asleep in his embrace again, wrapped tightly in his arms, safe and protected.

But now it is I who must be the protector, not the protected. Tears stain Gracie's dark cheeks, her hands twist in knots as she hides herself in my side, burying her face in my shoulder.

I should have known something was wrong when there was a knock on the window of the Trans-am. A distant knock, something I'd never heard before. Gracie had gasped, covering her mouth to hide a smile. She giggled and I played along, pretending as if we were not there--expecting one of the boys to open the door, to smile and laugh along. We expected Jet's fumble of frizz to appear, or Kobra's red jacket, or Ghoul's smile, or Poison's tanned face.

Oh, how wrong we were.

We turned, still laughing and smiling, and was met with the unfaltering mask of a Draculoid, a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W by his side. Instead of a fumble of frizz, a red jacket, a smile, or tanned skin, Gracie and I stare down the barrel of a long rifle.

"Be silent," A deep voice growls. He points the tip of his gun toward Gracie, nudging a small, single curl out of her face. "You make a noise, you scream or so much as breathe too loudly, I will shoot her. Then I will shoot you."

His hands are gloved in white, not a speck of dirt, despite being in the California desert, where there is nothing but dirt. His gun is polished, as if he'd woken up and cleaned it more than normal because he knew today would be a day to use it.

"Get out of the car," His voice is rough. We do as he said, sliding across the worn seats, Gracie before me, each with a gun barrel pressed to our foreheads.

The boys are still in the house. Maybe they're working on the problem at hand, or maybe laughing at some foolish joke uttered under the breath of the one sitting in the corner, twiddling a pencil in hand and unimpressed smile upon their lips.

The boys are still in the house, oblivious to the terrors outside.

Gracie walks before me, too afraid to even look back at me for comfort. The S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W holds a pistol to her head, treating her like a dangerous criminal, like a threat, despite her being no more than six years old.

A hand stops my walking. The Draculoid with a smell of gunpowder and aura of evil holds an arm out before me.

"Listen to me," He says. "You are going to do as we say. You scream, you signal, you do anything, I will kill the child. But not you, not yet. First I will take her dead corpse into the house before the cowards in there, then kill each of them--slowly, painfully--before your eyes. But not your little lover, no, I will kill him last. Then and only then will I kill you, but not before I make you bleed out in his arms. Then I will kill him. Do you understand?"

I do not speak, just walk straight ahead. He stops me again.

"Drop the gun." He gestures to my holster strapped to my hip. "Don't think I didn't see it."

Reluctantly, I pull the gun out of the holster and hold it out to the Drac. He gestures to the ground, as if mouthing drop it again under his mask.

The blue and black striped laser gun falls to the dirt, and it is the last thing I see before the butt of a gun slams into my temple and I find solace in darkness' embrace, just as I did so many years ago.

* * * *

Poison found her gun half buried in the California dirt an hour later. Near the front tire of the Trans-am, the rubber peeling and dirt crusted in the creases, a little doll bound in blue fabric lays unmoving.

Kobra's hand rests on his brother's shoulder as they both kneel in the dirt, tears welling in their eyes but never falling, while Kobra assures Poison they will find Mercury and Gracie.

"Could Val have done it?" Jet does not look at anyone, just the spray painted spider on the hood of the Trans-am. "He never did like Mercury."

"He would make sure we knew it was him. Besides, if he really wanted to get in someone's head, he'd get in Mercury's by taking one of us. She barely has a will to live anymore, only us. If you wanted to break her, you break us first." Poison says. Arrogant as it sounds, he's right. Val would have just played mind games or shot her on the spot.

"But who would take Gracie? She's six years old, damnit!" Jet slams his hands on the hood, dirt and dust puffing into a cloud. "She's just a baby..."

"I know..." Poison murmurs, tears finally dripping down his cheeks. He doesn't bother to wipe them away.

"Could this have to do with the note?" Ghoul whispers, his first words spoken since the gun was found half buried in the dirt. "Remember? The girl, the girl, what's so special about the girl?"

"That makes the most sense. But which girl?" Poison's eyes dart to Ghoul, studying his ebony hair and blemished skin. "Gracie is a baby, Mercury is grown. Neither really have anything BLI or anyone would want. Other than the fact losing them would break us worse than if we were killed."

Mercury was right, Poison thought. We do finally have something to lose. And my something is you.

Oh, my love, you must live. His mind was a mangle of thoughts. You must live, if you die, I shall die twice.