The Mysterious World of Eddy Shade

Chapter 2: Questions

     "The man was actually struck by lightning!?" exclaimed Eddy's friend Xander as they stood in the kitchen of Eddy's apartment. Xander was a tall man, almost a good half foot taller then Eddy. He had brown skin and absolutely no hair. Even his eyebrows were almost nonexistent, like some one had over plucked them or something. 

     "That's just it" Eddy said with his head in the fridge "I don't think so." Pulling out, he brought with him a package of lunch meat, a slice of cheese, and was barely holding onto a jar of mayonnaise. He then promptly went over and set them on the counter. "I mean it looked like lighting, but it was a clear night. I mean there was not a cloud in the sky." 

     He dropped the mayonnaise which rolled over and hit the toe of Xander's black boot. Xander bent over and picked it up and set it on the counter in front of his friend. "Ball lightning." 

     "What?" Eddy questioned looking up from finding a knife in the drawer. 

     "It can happen when there are sudden pressure changes in the air. No clouds needed" Xander explained. 

     "Okay . . . But we were under an over pass. How does someone get struck by lighting under a bridge?" Eddy questioned. 

     "Lighting can crawl down trees, like a big Jacobs latter, can't it?" 

     "Yes." Eddy paused and thought about that one for a bit, "but that's a tree, this is a bridge. That's like getting hit while being indoors." 

     "Electrical discharge from a power converter maybe?" 

     "No Xander! Come on really? You are as bad as the guy's at the station. Except your reasons sound a lot more rehearsed." Eddy looked up from the sandwich he was making to see an almost worried look on his friend's face as if he was trying to think of another explanation. Eddy then gathered up the things off the counter so he could put them back into the fridge. "Can't you come up with something else?" Eddy was starting to get worried as he arranged the food back in his fridge. He was starting to think Xander might almost know what had happened, but if so why not tell him? Why all the excuses? 

     "I don't know! Magic maybe?" Xander blurted. 

     Eddy began to laugh "Yeah right. That explains it. I saw a man get hit with magic lightening." He closed the fridge door and looked at the tall man, and then quickly stopped smiling. Xander was not laughing, not smiling. In fact he wore the most serous expression Eddy had ever seen on his friends face in all the time he had known him. 

     "Why not?" Xander answered flatly. 

     "Why not? Gee, I don't know. Maybe because I don't live in a fantasy world." Eddy frowned "so you don't believe there is more to it. Fine, but you don't have to make fun of me." 

     "Your right. I'm sorry." Xander responded quickly, looking more relived then sorry. 

     Eddy smiled and shook his head "No, It's okay. I'm just frustrated. Everyone seems to think I am just over analyzing all of this. Maybe I am. I mean, I was even starting to think you were trying to throw me off on what really happened, rather then trying to help me find an answer that actually makes some level of sense." 

     "I wouldn't do that." 

     "I know that" Eddy said. "I am just jumping at shadows here. I guess the whole thing has me pretty shaken." 

     "You're right, you should just drop the whole thing" answered Xander with a smile. 

     Eddy shook his head and managed an "Uh um" from around his bite of sandwich. "I never said I was going to drop it. The man was arguing with some one." He put his sandwich down. "The look on his face as he ran towards me, pleading for me to help him . . ." Eddy looked at the floor. "I can't get it out of my head. I became a cop to help people Xander. How can I just let this go?" 

     A worried look was on Xander's face. "Eddy I really think you should let it go. It's over. There is nothing you could have done. It sucks, but there is no way you will find out what happened to him. Its probably better that way." 

     "Better that way? How is it better that way?" he spat. Eddy was starting to get mad now. 

     "Calm down, that's not what I meant" tried Xander, in a failed attempt to placate his friend. 

     "But that is what you said" exclaimed Eddy, pointing a finger at the tall man accusingly.

     "I just meant—" 

     "You just meant what? That I should walk away? Let the mans death go as yet another unsolved case? This was no lighting strike!" Eddy paused as his eyes went wide "You know what happened don't you?" 

     "Of course not!" Xander yelled. "How could I know anything? I wasn't there. Or are you trying to claim that I, your best friend, had something to do with it! I am just trying to keep you safe. It's safer if you don't know." Xander started to look like he was going to cry. 

     Eddy however didn't notice, he was too mad at this point to even care. "I'm not saying you were involved, but I am starting to wonder. Why would it be safer for me not to know? What is safer for me not to know Xander?" Eddy grabbed Xander's narrow shoulders "For crying out load, what do you know? What are you not telling me?"

     Xander put his hands on the sides of Eddy's head. "Fine you really want to know?" 

     Eddy calmed very slightly. "Yes" he answered. 

     "Even if it might get you killed?" 

     "Oh for crying out load Xander, I am a cop, the risk of getting killed is kind of part of the job. Yes, I want to know." Eddy's eyes glanced at his friends hands "why are you hands on my head anyways?" 

     "Because Eddy, I am about to do something really stupid." A look of panic began to run across Eddy's face. "But it clear it's the only way to stop you." 

     The panic in him began to increase as the thought that his friend might really know something, and was going to now kill him for asking too many questions. "Xander, what are you doing?" 

     Xander's grip tightened. "This might sting a little." With that his eyes lit up a brighter blue then normal, as if they were lit from behind with some unknown source. Eddy felt his head start to tingle, as if his hair was standing on end. Then there was a sharp stinging like when his leg would fall asleep, only it was all concentrated in his head. Then every thing suddenly went dark, and then he felt nothing as he fell from Xander's grip and hit the floor.