The Paladin: Lazarus

Chapter 2

Sunday

January 30th

Alicia. She was dead, but she wasn't. I knew she was, but there she was in front of me. No one else, just her. Just the two of us. I had my arm wrapped around her as we laid down like we used to. She felt so real in my arms. The smoothness of her skin, the softness of her hair, the blue in her eyes. It all felt so real. I opened my mouth to talk but the words wouldn't come out. Like the air had been stolen from my lungs. I was trapped, holding her. I wanted to tell her something, but I didn't know what. Did I want to shout at her for her betrayal? Did I want to apologize for how it ended?How I couldn't save her? I didn't know.

"What's wrong?" she asked me sweetly, touching my cheek tenderly. Her expression changed though. I looked down and saw her impaled on a sword, through and through. My sword. I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell. I wanted to pull out the sword but the damage was done. She was a dead woman walking. "Why did you do that, Booker?" she questioned, a betrayed look in her eyes. "Why Booker?"

"Booker!"

"Ah!" I screamed shrilly, sitting bolt into consciousness. A hot dose of reality hitting me in the form of a bright morning light, blasting me in the eyes as I awoke. Faced with a complete sensory overload I quickly jerked around away from the light, getting tangled up in the blanket I had on, and tumbled off the sofa where I was sleeping, landing on the floor. Thump! Ow! Ow! Ow! "God... Damn it," I groaned, wincing in pain. The cold oak floors pressing against my bare bandaged body. I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes to see Samantha looking down on me with a tea in one hand and a coffee in the other.

"Well that was manly," she commented wryly.

"Bite me," I replied from the ground. She squatted down next to me placing the cup of coffee next to my head. "Out of curiosity, where the hell are we?" I replied taking a look around. After taking a moment to process my surroundings and seeing my armor piled up at the foot of sofa next to me, I realized that I was in Samantha and Johnny's old safehouse, where I must have crashed for the night. "Oh shit?"

"Sounds about right. You seriously don't remember coming here last night?" she queried.

"No. In case you couldn't tell I was a little worse for the wear. Must've... wandered back and passed out," I figured, rolling up to my feet, grabbing the coffee on the way up. I took a sip. Cream, super sugary, just how I like it. "Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking? Somehow I doubt it was to do a coffee run."

"Wanted to talk. And after you didn't respond to my texts, I decided to take a page out of your playbook. Track you down and show up unannounced."

"Effective, isn't it? So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" I posed as I sipped my hot coffee.

"I realize that I was a bit... let's say, frustrated with you yesterday. And I think rightly so, after you, you know; destroyed Diego's nose with your skull."

"Not proud of that. I mean it was a sweet headbutt. But I do feel badly for doing it to Diego."

"Regardless. Talking with him after the fact, he told me you were nice to him and more importantly what you said. How you've wanted to apologize for awhile now but couldn't find a way to. How guilty you've been feeling," she explained.

"And your thoughts?" I asked, realizing a note that had been scrawled on the inside of my hand. Courtney 315-555-0159. Huh. Upon analysis to my body, arms and my legs, I also realized Courtney had done an amazing job with my injuries. Clean wounds, tight sutures, and fresh bandages. Considering I'd fallen off a building, I felt surprisingly well (not to say I didn't feel like shit). I might want to keep her on speed dial. I sat back down on the couch, sifting through my gear, until I found my medical kit.