Nighthawk Unchained: The Lost Bird

Part 10

"Hey, Dad. Vi here. Listen, I don't have much time, but you need to listen to me for once.

"I'm in the asylum, underground? It's one of the bombing bunkers from the sixties. I'm wait-"

Kyle sighed, shutting off the monitor. He scrubbed his face with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut.

In, out, up, down; in, out, up, down; in, out, up, down.

In, out, up, down. In, out, up, down. In, out, up, down.

In. Out. Up. Down

In.

Out.

Up.

Down.

He opened his eyes and checked his phone.

Two texts from Hyperion: "Going to a party tonite" and "wanna come?"

He couldn't reply. His hands were too heavy and his eyes were drooping.

He missed the party.

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Mark waited for two hours, but he didn't get an answer. Eventually, James ended up pulling him away from the corner and throwing him at the bar. He got a cheap beer and downed a couple of them before Al came over.

"Hey," Al clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm just worried about Kyle," Mark wrung his hands, twisting and tugging his fingers. His eyes kept flitting to his phone.

Albert caught on and scowled. "That's not him again, is it?" Mark didn't answer. "God," he pounded his hand against his temple.

"I just thought that things would get better." Mark dropped his head in his hands. "I mean, it's been like seven years."

"Seven. Years." Al swiped Mark's can and downed it. "That guy needs a therapist." He waved down the bartender and ordered two more beers. He popped one open and offered it to his friend.

Mark took it, taking a long gulp before rechecking his phone. By this point, his eyes were so misty that he couldn't see anything. He couldn't even feel the weight of his phone in his hand at this point.

"Don't let him dump his crap on you," Al pushed away from the bar counter.

Mark sighed. "Al, you don't-"

"Don't." Al growled. "Just don't." He fixed him in a glare, but it was the look that an older brother would give his younger one, to make sure that he wasn't going to do something stupid.

Mark didn't know how to respond.

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He pulled her up to him, kissing her. She pulled back after a moment and gave him a coy smile before rushing back in. He didn't remember pulling her dress off, but they ended rubbing skin to skin.

Kyle did remember grumbling about her ripping his suit.

Julie retorted that he could afford it, that he had bad fashion taste and that she did him a favor.

Kyle pulled back and glared at her.

She smiled, leaning up and rubbing her nose on his. "C'mon, Blue Boy." She pulled back, resting her head on his shoulder. "I wanna ruffle your feathers," she ghosted her hands over his skin. He sighed and let her be.

Afterward, he pulled out some bourbon.

"How's Baby Bird?" She took a bottle, took a sip, then offered it to him.

He took a sip and moved to put the bottle away before taking a deep gulp. "I don't understand him," he took another swallow. "I don't know what to do."

She smiled. "I think he reminds me of you," he gave her a weird look.

"How would you know?"

She shrugged, pulling the bottle away from him. "Marcus told me he reminds him of you." She tipped the bottle back, letting the liquor burn the back of her throat.

Kyle didn't respond for a while. He threw himself onto the bed, throwing an arm over his eyes. Julie snuggled into his side, tapping her fingers on his chest. It was kind of ticklish, prompting him to squirm away.

She giggled at that, pulling another bottle from the shelf.

Whatever happened next, blame it on the alcohol.

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She lured into her apartment, draping her body across the plush futon by the window.

"I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed working with you these past months. I used to be very spoiled," she held a hand out towards him. Unsure what to do, he hovered his fingers above them.

She took his hand. "I was an heiress. I had everything..." She smiled at his hand, rubbing her thumb over the knuckles. "I turned to crime because I craved excitement and felt I was so much better than everyone else." She gave a delirious laugh, kissing his fingers. "I could get away with anything."

He laughed with her. It was a light chuckled compared to her blatant gasps for breathe, but she smiled at him nevertheless.

"So I just want to thank you for giving me the chance to do something that feels..." She pulled him down next to him, scooting over to the edge. "Real somehow." She stroked his cheek, teasing along the seam of his mask.

"You've made a new woman out of me." She kissed him.

He knew it was unfair, but he wish she did the same for him. He inhaled a mass of blonde hair. It was darker than he remembered.

A cold hand fell on his collarbone. "Shame you haven't changed," she laughed blithely. "But that's you, isn't it?" Her nails scratched at him lightly. "You've haven't changed in sixteen years." Her fingers brushed against her neck.

He froze. He met Mink five years ago.

"Don't you remember me Kyle?" Mindy smiled at him. "Don't you remembered how you killed me?" Her lips twisted into a snarl, nails digging into her neck. She sat up on his chest, jerking her arms back and forth as she gripped his neck.

He wanted to pull away. He didn't know if he should pull away, if he deserved to. Maybe the lack of oxygen was finally getting to him.