Neon Grave

Chapter 21 The Wicked Witch 2/2

Jessica shifted in the foam as a wave of depression swept her body. Like rubber bands around her arms, her muscles slowly regained sensation. The ringing in her ears faded out, swapped by the sound of slow, guttural breath. Valerie was fast asleep next to her, the girl's face carved in the dark like everything else. Jess had company yet no windows for the isolation. She rose out of the sleeping bag, if for no other reason than to shake the stress. A cup of water at the single faucet, a ration for the bill. Then, she laid her chin on the one table, thinking about memory. Mentally, she was drowning. A fresh air yearning carried her out of the room.

On the upper deck, nothing but a railing guarded her against a brush and the rest of the world. But there was more to this view than tree silhouettes wrapped around a cheap motel block, this illusion of wilderness amid a concrete jungle. She was right, just not in the way she thought. One little, familiar flicker meant someone was holding a lit cigarette a few doors down. Flashbacks of Beelz, then a little inhale, made Jessica guess again. With a mild highlight on her chin, Lyudmila's face lit up briefly.

"Time for a nightly cigarette?" Jessica said hushedly.

"I'm still, technically, on the job," she puffed.

"Which is?"

"Watching you sleep."

Fake laugh time. "Huehuehue."

"We could all use some extra security."

"Yea, yea, but who's watching you?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Okay, who's going to watch you take care of yourself?"

"Hmm. You have anyone in mind?"

"Raptor's crew. Jackie's great, and Dexter too."

"Ah, yes. Little D still sulks over you, ya know?"

"Again with the little—what? Listen, that's an old equation."

"I'm not prying." Lyudmilla flicked her cigarette bud and leaned on the guard rail, to watch neon glints dwindle behind fake leaves. It was like watching stars in the countryside. "Anyway. I'm not worried. Well, I'm a little worried after today, but a little non-sleep isn't going to derail my marching orders: watching your back, that is. I know we only just met, but I already feel like I can rely on you, and I'm not just saying that. Everyone pretends they're worth a damn until the talking stops and the safety's off. You're not a talker; you're an investigator, Jess. There's something about you that belongs in two places at once. It's the only reason we've come this far."

"Right..." Again, this little thing called praise had all the beat of pressure. "I'm just Jessica."

"'Just Jessica' is a million times better than no Jessica."

"Okay, then replace Jessica with Lyudmila, or any other name you know, and remember what you just said. Keep it when you're in a tough spot. In the end, I'm as human as anybody else."

"I see where you're coming from, Just Jess. You can watch my back if you want."

"Good."

"Just keep your eyes where I can see them."

"If you want the cheesy jokes, that position is already taken."

"Darn..."

Lyuda turned somber all of a sudden. Nothing on her face, just a change in the air. You could hear the cars zoom on the distant superhighway. That classical traffic ambiance was as eternal as gravity. "You've got some loyal friends at your back."