Potent Potential

Potent Potential - Six - Recovery or Resignation?

Six – Recovery or Resignation?

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“Jax?”

Throb, throb, throb. Yuck, please let me go back to sleep. My whole body felt like it had been dipped in wax, burning in certain spots and stiff in others. My entire face felt like it was two times its normal size. No, ten times.

“Jax, you need to wake up now.” The voice sounded resigned, as if I were being obstinate by staying unconscious.

I opened my eyes, or tried to. One eye opened easily, the other was swollen shut. I could see a sliver of light through it but no shapes. I had to rely on my left eye for vision. And right in front of my face was a scowling Ash and an emotionless Kale. Aw, it was like I had two dads, and they both looked so worried about me. Bollocks.

“Hi guys.” Gross, my throat was so dry and my mouth had all this mucky stuff sticking to its inner walls. It was like there was a second, slimy skin in there.

“What the hell, Jax?” Ash grumbled, raising a hand to express his confusion and frustration. Whoops, had I just gone and done something as totally irresponsible as getting ambushed and all cut up? My bad.

“Ash.” Laker’s voice came from the other side of the room. Sure enough, the boss was casually sitting on the recliner. Wow, did I feel special. Two caring dads and my uncle. Perhaps I was still unconscious and I was imagining how cool it would be if I was treated as if my injuries had worried someone.

“Aye, boss,” Ash said sarcastically, “you can ask all the important questions you like. I’ll just hold my tongue.”

“So courteous, Asher.” Laker stood and walked smoothly over to my bedside. Kale and Ash retreated to the other side of the room. It was like a dance. I snorted softly.

“I’m glad you can find something amusing from this predicament. Would you care to reveal who trussed you up so neatly?”

What I really wanted was to ask for a drink of water but… oh damn, Laker still scared me.

“Sure, I’d love to.” I closed my eyes, it hurt to keep them open, my right eye straining. I pushed the pain from my mind and thought back to the events that brought me to this situation.

“I was walking home, my usual path. Crow, most likely the leader of the group, said something like ‘he was right about me taking the same path home’.”

“So ‘he’ is? And what group are you referring to?” I opened my eye to see that Laker was rigid where he stood, like a statue. It was making me feel tense. But I couldn’t very well tell the boss to chill.

“Oh, he is the Black Skull boss, I think. And Crow’s group are a couple of Ghosts. So, like I said earlier, I was walking home. Taking my time, I’ll admit. Now that I think about it, yesterday was not a good day for me, not at all.”

“Jax!” hissed Ash. “Quit the roundabout chattering.”