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| Art by: Mark Kokopelli Watkins Contact him for original Angel Hunter art or his other works http://www.artsinirvington.com/artists_artisans/watkins_mark/watkinsmark.html http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=70733 |
After fleeing my house and catching a cab, I went back to the charm shop. I had not yet known that Jacob was chasing me and that he was the one who was going to get me my memory back. At the time, I had little memory of the events in the journal at all. I had woken up with only the memories of losing my family and the other events not related to angels or Morning Stars. I don’t think I would’ve run that morning and gone to the charm shop if Jacob hadn’t shown up. I had serious doubts about needing the journal until that morning.
I couldn’t believe what I saw when I got to the address in the journal. The building had been completely demolished. I expected to find nothing, or maybe that it had been shot up with bullets and boarded up, or something, but instead only a crater remained… a dead end.
The taxi driver snarled, “Ten bucks, mac.”
“Keep the meter running.” I didn’t know how I was going to pay. My pockets were empty. I was lucky that I had remembered my shoes.
I roamed the outside of the crater looking for something, but nothing was discernible. There was no ash, just a pile of debris that was too small to be the remembrance of an entire building. It was like something demolished the building and then removed most of the pieces.
The same black man that I had seen at my house stepped out of a white BMW. I got ready to run, but he shouted, “Chill, Drew!” There was something about the way he said, “Drew.” I remembered the only reference in the journal to someone calling me Drew. No one else has ever called me that. I waited.
Jacob paid the cabbie. “We need to get outta here. The Morning Stars are keepin’ tabs on this place after what happened yesterday. Come on. It’s not safe here. Your memory’s got holes. We need to get you fixed up if we’re gonna save Avery.” Jacob led me to his car.
I had nowhere else to go. “I can’t remember yesterday, or you.” I was so confused.
“I know. And I know how you can get it all back. Runnin’ from me again would just make it take that much longer to find Avery. We need to find her.”
I had no other place to go. I had to follow what the journal told me to do. I had to follow Jacob. I got in his car. As soon as we pulled away from the curb, Jacob lit up a joint as though it was a cigarette, calm and cool. “I’m gonna hafta bring you in all the way. See, angels erase your memory once you know they exist. You have to lose your Watcher first. To find your daughter, we have to remove your Watcher, get your memory back, and get you to remember the GPS coordinates Jenna gave you. I told you to write down the coordinates and stick them in a secret place and then not write it in your journal. Just in case we needed them again. Do you remember?”
“No.” I said as I eyed the door handle. I wondered if I would be able to run after I hit the pavement.
Jacob stabbed me with what seemed like an EpiPen. It clicked and I felt a needle go through my pant leg and into my thigh. He was strong as an ox and held it in. I froze for just a second and made a move to grab his hand. He nailed the breaks and whipped out his piece pushing it into my face all the while keeping that joint securely between his lips.
“It’s easier this way.” He took a long drag. “You’ll be awake before you know it. Just think of it as taking the red pill, but it ain’t something lame like a pill. It’s a special mix of barbiturates. You’re goin’ into a comma. I’ll revive you as soon as your heart stops.”
I blacked out. I had an amazing dream that I hope I never forget. I was in our bed on a Sunday morning trapped between Heather and Avery. Their combined heat radiated around me. I was sweating, trapped uncomfortably between them as the warm morning sun heated the room. I was so uncomfortable… and so happy.
I jerked awake. ….and screamed.
“Easy Drew.”
Jacob was over me. I was lying on the pavement of an empty parking lot.
“Let’s get you in the car.” Jacob helped me. “You smacked your head pretty hard with that last shock.”
I looked around and saw some paddles like those you see on those TV doctor shows. “What’re those?”
“A defibrillator. Usually, the second injection brings you back, but your heart needed a little extra. Just relax.”
As soon as Jacob was driving down the street, he complemented me, “Good job takin’ it easy. It’s important to stay calm afterwards.”
“Go fuck yourself. Hey, next time you kill me, do you mind not getting high first.”
“Helps keep me focused.”
“I really don’t care. Take me home.”
“You’re not thinking clearly. We need you to get your memory back. If we gonna do that, we got to get you to go see an angel. If we gonna do that, we got to get rid of your Watcher. See….. if your Guardian Angel knows you saw an angel, he’s gonna send Seraphim to erase your memory again.”
Jacob talked for a long time. The way that I understand it is that Jacob is part of a group called the Moring Stars. They go around answering prayers for people who need help. He says that I’d be surprised to know how many people are really in need of help. Society is not equipped to help people like me. In fact, society rewards evil. The Morning Stars work under the radar. They don’t like to be noticed, especially by angels. Angels don’t seem to like their work, but generally leave them alone as long as they don’t make a big deal out of it. Typically, they keep their clients in the dark. They let the angel erase their memory and go back to their normal lives. In my case, Jacob believed he had no other choice if he’s going to help me find Avery. It understood my need for closure, to find her myself. But he’s paying for it now. His gang doesn’t like it. They don’t like the fact that he attempted to use a jinni and got me involved. They’re afraid more angels will get involved. Jacob assured me that he will stop at nothing to find Avery.
At that moment in the car, I believed him. I decided to follow him until the end. The passion in his eyes. He is either crazy or on the right track. Now, it’s easier to follow him as my memories are returning. But then, in the car… I had nothing else to go on, but his passion. Maybe it was the fact that he stabbed me and brought me back to life, but I really believed it was his honesty. I have to find my little Avery. I’ll do anything, and Jacob is my only chance right now.
