《ALWAYS TOGETHER》Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 3: Their Return

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Agony, depression, and suffering had Danny locked into its chains, held down tight on the hospital bed. He’d been through a lot by crying every night and having nightmares of that dreadful night. Worst of all, he had his own voice torment him, reminding him of the failure he was for allowing his backdoor to be open. That very realization brought out the worst type of guilt anyone could’ve thought. But at least his friends were there to comfort him at his worst.

Sitting up straight on the bed covered in stitches, bandages, and still healing from his wounds, Danny sighed. “Fuck my life… fuck it all.”

Even with his current mindset, Danny managed to apologise to Anna about everything. She accepted his apology with a taste of his own medicine. He allowed her to give him a real good punch to his arm and in doing so, it was enough to make everyone smile from his reaction. Sarah’s jokes were enough to keep him laughing too, even if she still disliked him. Though Sarah wasn’t a heartless person, she couldn’t really treat him the same in his current situation.

“That was yesterday, today’s now. I still feel like shit,” he said, letting out another sigh. “At least having Veronica by my side really cheers me up.”

Speaking of Veronica, she knocked on the door and welcomed herself in with a smile on her face. “Hey Danny! How are you feeling today?” She closed the door and walked up to Danny.

Stopping next to his bedside, she pulled a nearby chair closer to him and sat down. Danny still had his head hung in shame. It was obvious he still blamed himself for not locking his backdoor. Veronica didn’t enjoy his current mood and felt bad, so to cheer him up she grabbed his hand and massaged it. It actually worked in her favor because Danny raised his head and grinned.

“Hey Veronica?” he asked.

“What is it, Danny? Need something?” she replied with a brighter smile.

He was about to say something, but he hesitated, then moaned. “Nah…”

“What? Tell me.”

His grin widened. “I-I just wanted to thank you guys. For everything.”

“Of course! We’re friends, after all.”

Friends… That word triggered Danny for a moment, which made him clench the bed sheet beneath his palm.

Veronica noticed his growing agitation and felt confused about it. Before saying another word, Danny placed his other hand above hers. “Yes, you’re right. We’re friends. But… I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Veronica. For a while actually.”

Veronica felt confused, more awkward at that. She glanced around and a single drop of sweat trickled down her face. “Uh… wha-what do you mean? What are you trying to say?”

He leaned close towards her. “Since we’re alone this is the perfect opportunity.” He started blushing and smiled.

She felt a little uncomfortable and nervous, so she decided to slightly lean away from him. “O-Okay…?”

He took a good deep breath and his eyes narrowed. “I’ve always liked you Veronica. And more than a friend.” He became as red as a tomato. “I’ve always felt this way… ever since we were kids.”

She retracted her hand and looked down. “Is that so?” she asked with a forced grin. Looking away, she stared at the window. “That’s really sweet.”

Danny’s eyes were wide, sparkling, and quaked out of nervousness. “D-Do you feel the same?”

She continued staring at the window, gazing at the sky as birds flew by, leaving Danny in silence. His breathing felt heavy, and the weight of a rejection placed pressure on his chest. His heart beat rapidly, eager to hear her answer. She finally turned to look back at him and the face she had made his heart sink into depression.

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Veronica was frowning with disappointment. “I’m sorry… I can’t give you an actual answer because I have feelings for someone else, or should I say…” She clenched her skirt. “Why do I still feel this way?”

Danny got upset and he too expressed disappointment. “Tch… Let me guess? You still have feelings for Jack, even though he’s been dead for like, what, five years?” he said in such an aggravated tone that it made Veronica frown even more.

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Yes… Look, I’m sorry. I know that sounds stupid, but I’m sure one day I’ll lose these feelings…” She looked out the hospital window again, staring off to the city skylines. “Yeah, someday.”

Was Danny hearing that right? Or was he being played and being treated like a fool? How could someone possibly still have romantic feelings for someone who’d been dead for that long. To Danny, the thought alone was utterly ridiculous.

Feeling played and rejected, he forced a convincing empty smile enough to fool Veronica to temporarily object to his growing annoyance. “Well, I guess when that day comes,” He gave her a thumbs up and winked, “please give me a meaningful answer!”

She grinned and clenched her skirt even more, hiding her frustration. “I promise…” She hesitated for a moment, but sighed instead, expressing a genuine smile afterwards. “I’ll give you a proper answer.”

They both laughed, though Danny’s was artificial. They both started playing charades, but shortly after Danny remembered something. “Hey Veronica, about the guy who killed my sister yesterday.”

“Yeah? What about him? Did you figure something out?”

He nodded. “That guy had a friendship bracelet. He was definitely the guy we met yesterday at the bus station.”

She gasped and looked serious. “Are you sure it was him? I mean, when I looked into his eyes he didn’t seem like that type of person?”

Danny’s inner conflicts came out in a loud, aggravated sigh. “Oh come on, Veronica! You can’t base judgement just by looking into…?” He paused and started thinking. “No wait, you’re right and wrong. When I looked into his eyes, he had the eyes of someone who had no emotions.”

Veronica took out her phone. “We gotta tell the police. It’ll give them more details on the investigation.”

Danny agreed, and they both notified the investigator. They informed him of every detail they knew about the suspect, how he looked, height, and of any marks or tattoos. The investigator knew who it was right away just from hearing the description they gave of his height and eyes. They were both relieved and shocked that this person was already infamous, especially at an early age too.

That bummed Veronica out, knowing someone close to her age was already living a life of crime. She thought the stranger was quite attractive and seemed friendly, but nonetheless, no one should judge a book by its cover.

Veronica informed the other two girls by text about the situation. It was a relief for everyone, especially knowing that the criminal had a reputation. They intended to keep investigating themselves too, but as for now it was best to just focus on recovery for Danny.

Both Danny and Veronica enjoyed the rest of the day playing games, eating, and laughing about the past. As it was getting late now and Veronica had to go, Anna had texted Veronica that she would come later to accompany her home and when arriving, she’d wait outside to take the bus home instead of walking. She pointed out that it got dangerous around that time, so it would be safer to go with a friend than being alone.

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“Bye Danny. See ya later,” Veronica said, waving.

Danny waved back. “Yeah, see ya.” Watching Veronica leave and close the door behind her made him feel like she’d closed the door to his heart.

Danny sighed and stared out the window, gazing at the sky as gloom overshadowed the joy he’d shared with Veronica. He clenched his blanket, ground his teeth, and a single tear of rejection slipped through his eye and ran down his face. Danny whimpered. The feeling of being rejected by the person he’d loved for so long felt more painful than the life he’d just lost. Not only had he lost his last family member, but the person who he loved had crushed his heart, all because she still had feelings for a person who was no longer in this world.

Veronica arrived at the entrance of the hospital door and saw Anna standing at the edge of the public sidewalk at the hospital’s main entrance. Veronica ran to her shouting her name. Anna heard her and looked to see Veronica approaching. Both girls smiled once they were together and held hands for their safety. They weren’t close to home nor were they far from it, but they were close to the dangerous parts of Detroit, the place riddled with crime. They knew that if they held hands they wouldn’t lose each other or worse, get abducted.

After walking for some time they arrived at a bus stop. Veronica pulled out her phone to see if it was the right one that would lead them to their area, but as the bus pulled up Anna dragged her, not realizing that Veronica was checking the bus route.

Both girls walked towards the back of the bus, passing scary looking strangers who were eyeing them real hard. “Pay more attention, Veronica. I almost left your ass behind,” Anna said softly as she guided her almost to the back, but close to the nearest door. They both sat down and sighed.

“Sorry, I was just checking the bus route,” Veronica whispered, though both girls stared forward. A couple of men glared at them with perverted eyes.

Anna noticed and quickly looked sideways and stared out the window. “Man… I feel so unsafe, but what about the bus? What now?”

Veronica looked at her phone and turned pale. “Oh no!”

Anna closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. “Let me guess… we’re on the wrong bus, aren’t we?”

Veronica nodded, her half smile twitching. “You should’ve listened to me, you impatient buffoon.”

Anna glanced at her, then groaned. “Damn it. I’m sorry, okay? I overreacted.”

Though it was frustrating how they were on the wrong bus, both girls checked to see where the next bus might lead them. It got even worse from the routes they saw on Veronica’s phone. From one of the routes it was heading to, the bus was heading deep into the outer city limits near one of the worst areas of Detroit. Another led to the inner city but it’s not a good decision to stop there from how much of a hotspot it was for drive-by shootings. In Veronica’s mind it’s best to just take the next stop before the bus would go deeper into the outer city limits where they might face more potential dangers.

Veronica pointed her finger to the stop they’ll hop off to Anna. “Is this fine with you or would you rather face danger Missy because if we skip this stop you can kiss our innocent white butts goodbye.”

Anna frowned and knitted her brows. “I guess so, we don’t have much of a choice anyways.”

They both sighed and took the time to relax. The less they thought about the situation, the more they stayed calm and didn’t overreact, though it was difficult doing such a thing when there were a bunch of strangers still staring at them, licking their lips while giving them a couple of winks here and there.

As the bus drove through the broken streets of Detroit, Anna tapped Veronica’s shoulder. “Say Veronica?”

Veronica tilted her head. “Yeah Anna?”

“Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?”

“Hmm?” Veronica looked around the bus, freaking out from the perversive eyes still gazing at them. “Oh, I don’t know, Anna. You tell me.”

Anna shook her head. “No silly, not these perverts. I mean, like a scary, ghostly feeling of being watched.”

“Well, now that you mention it I have had a couple of occasions.”

Anna sighed with relief. “Good. I thought I was the only one who felt that feeling. What a relief!”

Veronica smiled. “I wonder if Jack’s watching over us in heaven.” She yawned and leaned against Anna’s shoulder.

Anna smiled as well. “Perhaps it’s not a far stretch, but I don’t believe in that religious crap about heaven and such. You already know my reasoning.”

“Sorry, I forgot you’re not religious anymore. Not that I blame you, but I still believe in it.”

They both laughed. Anna pulled out her earbuds from her pocket to listen to some tunes. “You want to listen as well?” she asked, looking at Veronica.

Veronica accepted her offer. The two shared an ear piece each and listened to their favorite band. After a couple of minutes that felt like forever, they decided to get off the bus and start heading to a bus stop that would hopefully take them home.

As the two girls walked, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy and scared, especially on an awful sidewalk like this. It was riddled with the pinnacle of crime at every corner such as prostituition, drug addicts, and beatings. Not only that, they also saw a potential murder where a stranger in a hoodie causally walked by a man and pulled a knife out to rob him but the person they were robbing was armed, pulling out a gun and scared him off as he pointed it at him. Both girls felt completely out of place due to what they were wearing.

It was even more noticeable when they were being called out by creeps. Just now a random guy tried grabbing Veronica from around a corner. Luckily, Anna knew how to defend herself. It helped that Veronica did martial arts as a hobby. Giving the guy a good punch to the gut then kicking him in the groin, both girls ran as fast they could in case he had anyone else with him. Finally being away from that danger, both girls walked away, clutching each other’s arms.

However, Veronica felt terrified. “Anna, I wanna go home!” Her grip on Anna’s arm tightened and her hand shook violently.

Anna stayed close. “Don’t worry, Veronica. We’re almost there, I think?”

“You think? Oh boy, we’re screwed.”

“Oh shut up, you big baby. What’s our status? Are we close to the bus stop needed to head back home?”

Veronica checked her phone again. “I-I think so. Wait, yeah! I definitely think so!”

They continued walking, but the closer they got to their supposed destination, the more dangerous the area got. They held each other’s arms so tight that they both felt like they could snap each other’s arms in half.

As the two continued their cautious walking, they were heading into a long dark alley. Once they set foot in front of the alley, they spotted multiple people in the long tube of flickered darkness. It all looked organized and suspicious. There were men in groups, vehicles lined up, and trunks full of suspicious items.

“Uhh Anna…” Veronica said nervously.

“Y-Yeah, Veronica!” Anna replied, gulping afterwards.

“I-I think they’re doing bad stuff here… like really bad stuff,” Veronica said while slowly pulling her phone out. “I-I think we should notify the po-police!”

Anna grabbed Veronica’s hand, making them slowly retreat. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here.”

“Just let me dial 911.”

With a trembling finger, Veronica started dialing until loud screeching tires made her jump in fright. From the sounds of how those screeching tires came to a halt, it was definitely behind them. The unbearing amount of fear they were experiencing made both girls shake so violently that it almost made Veronica wet herself. They were terrified of what was parked behind them in such a hurry.

Swallowing fear and slowly turning around, they saw people exit from multiple vehicles. Both girls were stunned with shock and couldn’t move.

The group of men stopped and observed the two, then they chuckled and walked past them. They immediately turned back, noticing Veronica’s phone light up in her hand and the number she was about to call. They quickly surrounded the girls, making them hold each other for their safety.

It was terrifying for the two. Veronica clutched onto Anna’s arm to the point Anna made a yelp from how tight her grip was growing. Her eyes felt pulsed, her vision blurring, Veronica’s breathing started sounding shortened from how much fear’s swelling up.

This is it we’re dead, no wait! They’re going to rape us, that’s ev-even worse! Veronica’s eyes dimmed for a second and her knees felt weak.

Just the thought of what those strange men might do to young maidens like them made Veronica want to pass out.

One tall individual walked up behind them and placed his rough hands on their tiny shoulders. They were too scared to look back to see who was touching their innocent shoulders.

He gently gripped them, scaring them more. “What are you girls doing around in this part of town?”

A long sigh passed through his lips and recognized Veronica right away from her hair. “Oh, you must be the cute girl I met yesterday. Wait a second?” He leaned closer to her ear. “You’re not here to screw with me again like you did yesterday, are you?”

Veronica quickly shook her head. “N-N…”

“Oh, okay then. By the looks of it you guys seem lost. Need directions?”

He was about to extend a finger to point where they needed to return, when Veronica’s phone brightened and he spotted the digits she came close to dialing. He reached and grabbed her hand, which made her yelp in embarrassment.

He grabbed her phone and turned it off. “There we go, we don’t need to get those guys involved, do we?” He slid her phone back into her hand. “My fault for being too touchy. I just had a proper reason.”

Anna quickly looked over her shoulder and glanced at his wrist, noticing the friendship bracelet right away. “N-Nice bracelet yo-you got there.”

That didn’t work in her favor, though. Instead, he patted her shoulder and made her gasp. “Thanks for noticing. I like your hair, Ms. Blondie. You remind me of someone I once knew.” He stopped talking and examined her backside, which reminded him of his past. “Huh, I’m sure I’ve seen ya, but where? Oh well, the past is the past. Now is forward.”

He glanced at Veronica’s hair. She also reminds me of someone, but who?

He sighed, turning their shakened bodies towards the direction they needed to walk down, and pointed. “If you keep going that way I’m sure you’ll get to the bus stop you’re looking for.” He let go of the two girls and the group of men laughed again, but the girls were still shakened. “Sorry for scaring you girls like that, but you two don’t belong here, so beat it.”

Anna couldn’t bear her emotions, so she turned around to confront the man who killed Danny’s sister. “Why?” she shouted. “Why did you help us when you’re something worse than what you are?”

Veronica grabbed her arm. “Stop Anna! Let’s go already before he actually kills us!”

He raised his hand without glancing back at them and flailed it around. “I’m trying to help you get out of here, or perhaps I’m just misleading you.” The group of men laughed and they all disappeared into the darkened alley.

Anna felt a little irritated. The mystery behind him made her curious. But for now, she had to let it go for their own safety.

The girls started walking to the direction he’d pointed at, and soon afterwards their adrenaline exploded. They disappeared quickly from the scene, yet Anna couldn’t help but feel something familiar about that guy. She just couldn’t put her tongue on it.

The group of men didn’t even bother to look back as they continued walking down the alleyway. Instead, they made fun of the situation. “Yooo!” one guy shouted.

“You scared the fuck outta them, Jack!” said another.

Randolph sighed and softly punched Jack’s arm. “To be honest my boy, I think you could have handled that better. You’re still taking advice about girls from these fools I see!” He turned around to the group, pointing angrily at them. “You guys intimidated the poor girls!”

“Man, why you blaming us? We were just fucking around?” the one with dreads said.

“Yeah Randy, chill man,” the one with a black hoodie said.

Randolph scolded the group and pointed at Jack. “Uh, don’t think you can just mess around with anybody, especially you big dog! I know you scared them on purpose, not to mention that cheesy compliment Eric taught you.”

Jack looked to Randolph. “Yeah… you’re right. But if I didn’t do that then she would’ve called the police on us.”

One of the men pointed ahead. “Jack, boss man is here.”

Eric stood before them, a very tall black man built like a boulder with tattoos across his body, a white tank top, jeans with sneakers, and he had a physique like Hercules. They all walked up to him and greeted him with handshakes and shoulder taps. Jack didn’t care, he wanted to get this over with.

“Jack, remember your manners, fool,” Eric said angrily.

Jack sighed. “Why does that matter when I already know the boss and live in the same household as he does?”

Eric slightly pushed Jack and aggravated him. “Just because you live in my house doesn’t mean you can act like some punk ass bitch.”

Jack laughed and so did Eric. They both walked together and confronted the other group of men who were awaiting their arrival. They all talked to one another until Eric commanded the other members to go to seperate groups.

They all split into three groups, one did the drug dealing where a car with an open trunk was just a foot away, the other bought the supply from a SUV past the drug dealer, and the last one bought the weapons where a man has a table set up just down the middle of the alley and behind him was his own van parked. Jack volunteered to go alone to buy the weapons but Eric wanted him to have someone with him. Jack refused. Eric had no other choice and ordered him to make it quick since he knew what type of person Jack was. He reminded Jack not to do anything reckless or stupid.

Jack walked off to the gun dealer and waved his hand, ignoring his advice as he approached the gun dealer’s table.

Eric sighed and confronted the turf leader. “Sorry for the wait. Let’s do this.”

They began negotiating more plans, as well as making future investments. It was great that everything was going alright so far. No fuses, no arguments. But most of all, no one had been hustled. One group had already finished their deal, but they stayed put while waiting for the others. To kill time they started chatting with the rivals about last night’s American football game.

Jack, on the other hand, took his sweet time by examining a couple of firearms. Though he wasn’t doing anything suspicious, the dealer didn’t like his aura because. he felt uneasy being around him. He even went as far as forcing a smile to try and convince Jack that he was not afraid of showing any signs of nervousness. What gave the dealer such an ominous feeling towards Jack was due to his stone cold eyes, hesitation while examining a gun, and then Jack making sudden movements. It scared the poor guy.

The dealer cleared his throat and spread his arms out to all the guns displayed on the table. “Sooo? What are you boy’s looking for today? Hopefully I’ve got everything you guys need!”

Jack continued examining the same gun. “Hmm, I see… I see,” Jack said in a cold tone.

The dealer leaned over the table and hovered a hand near his mouth. “I even have the super illegal stuff too you know.”

Jack didn’t hear a thing he said since he was only focused on the firearms. He stopped examining the weapon in his hands and placed it back on the table, setting his sights on other guns. “Hmm? You’ve got a nice set of toys here so far, especially,” he picked up a shotgun, “this one. I really like this one. What is it?”

The dealer couldn’t hide his nervousness anymore and started sweating after hearing Jack’s serious tone. “Uhh, it’s a Benelli M3! She’s a beauty and also super expensive too!” He pointed at the firearm. “She even has a pistol grip too. You don’t see that often on shotguns!”

“Hmm…” Jack suddenly aimed it at nothing and pulled the trigger, startling the man. “Is that so? Interesting. If I heard you correctly,” he lowered the gun and looked back at the dealer with an icy stare, “you said it was expensive, right?”

The dealer backed away. “Yes! But at half the price.”

A sadistic grin grew on Jack’s face as he lowered the gun to his waist. “Fine, we’ll take ten rifles, fifteen hand guns, and five fully automatic weapons.” Jack went back to examine the shotgun with suspicion.

“That’s all? Okay umm, let me pack those up for you real quick!” He began packing up the weapons into black duffel bags and cases. “We’ve finished early it seems, so I guess that’s good.”

As the guy kept talking to himself, Jack held the shotgun in one hand and used the other to reach into the back pocket of his pants. The man noticed Jack fiddling around.

“Hey, um, you’re making me kinda nervous there buddy,” he said in a shaky tone.

“It’s fine. I’m just scratching my butt, that’s all.” Jack’s grin faded and he proceeded to reach deeper.

The dealer hurried back into packing the guns before Jack grew even more suspicious. In doing so, Jack got his cue. He slowly pulled out a shotgun shell and pumped the gun. The guy presumed Jack was still testing the gun, so he was oblivious but he still hurried his process. Jack made sure the guy wouldn’t look, so he waited for another cue.

The man was so nervous that he accidentally dropped a gun and had to bend down to pick it up. Jack took the opportunity to load the shell into the open chamber and coughed loudly so he could retract the pump to make his intentions go unnoticed.

Even though Jack coughed to cover his suspicion, the dealer still heard something slide into the chamber of a gun. “What was that?” he asked, fear embedded in his voice.

The man still had his back turned and didn’t see Jack’s sinister smile. “Nothing, I just wanted to say thanks for the free stuff, pal.” Jack pointed the loaded shotgun in the guy’s direction.

Jack pulled the trigger and the man fell face first from the intense blast. Everyone around them pulled out their weapons and arguing ensued, with the end of Jack’s gun smoking.

He couldn’t help but smile. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

The rival gang presumed it was a timed ambush and started attacking Eric’s men. Eric’s gang fought back by disarming the men while punches and bodies were thrown. Some blood spilled but no one was killed.

Eric quickly knocked the leader out and his gang managed to knock the others out. Even though his intentions were not to kill them, he’d wanted to build a relationship. Sadly, his efforts went to waste.

Jack placed the shotgun on his shoulder and walked towards the guy’s dead body to collect the keys to his vehicle. Jack presumed everything was fine for him, but he didn’t notice Eric was walking angrily towards him.

Eric stopped behind the table and shouted, “Yo Jack! Was that you?”

Jack grabbed the keys and turned around. The smile on his face had disappeared. “I don’t know?” He swung the shotgun back into his hands and pumped it, then ejected the shell. “Perhaps it was boss.” Jack started laughing without expressing happiness, which aggravated Eric.

Eric furiously clenched his fists and rushed towards Jack as he laughed, then punched him in the face. Jack flew backwards and landed on the cold wet ground, completely knocked out.

Eric took deep breaths to ease his anger and once he did, he ordered Randolph to carry Jack back into the SUV. Randolph listened and picked Jack up, then took him towards the SUV Eric ordered the rest of the gang to pack everything they’d bought and to make sure to get rid of the body Jack had made. They followed their leader’s order and started grabbing all the weapons in the duffel bags.

Eric face palmed over the entire situation, regretting that he’d brought Jack along. Now he wondered that if he hadn’t brought him, then perhaps everything would’ve gone smoothly.

Randolph threw Jack into the SUV and got into the driver’s seat. “Oh Jack!” he shouted in a humorous tone. “You just had to piss off the boss man, didn’t you?” Randolph started the vehicle and not long afterwards, Eric hopped in the passenger seat.

Eric leaned back and sighed, looking very annoyed. He slammed his hand on his thighs. “Man! What’s wrong with that fool?”

Randolph started driving and the rest of the crew followed. “I don’t know man? He ain’t right. Ever since he turned thirteen, he began acting all messed up! Ya feel me?”

Eric crossed his arms. “I guess you’re right. I just wished he was more like his sister.” He pulled his phone out and texted Angela. “Say Randolph! You got her food, right?”

Randolph pulled out a bag of fast food and shook it with a sarcastic smirk. Eric pushed him in a friendly manner and they headed off into the night.

After a long drive, they arrived home. The rest of the crew went to their homes and dropped all the goods off at the main trap house. They both carried Jack back into the house and dropped him on the sofa. They both glanced at Jack in disappointment, but they heard someone rushing down the steps.

“Uncle Randy and Eric!” Angela came rushing towards them, embracing the two.

“My sweet lil princess!” Eric exclaimed as he pushed Randolph aside. He picked Angela up and held her in the air.

Randolph smacked his lips and pretended to whimper. “Shit boss, let me embrace my little sweetheart too!” Eric laughed and handed Angela to Randolph. He swung her around and made her fly like an airplane.

Angela’s smile and her laughter was so contagious that they couldn’t help but smile gracefully.

“Come on guys, I’m not a kid anymore. But I still enjoy your warm welcomes!” she exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. “Okay, please put me down now, Uncle!”

Randolph obliged and put her down. As soon as she was put down, Angela noticed Jack was passed out on the couch with a huge swollen bruise on his cheek.

“Oh my god! What happened to my brother?” She rushed to Jack’s side and massaged his bruise. Touching it slightly made him moan.

“Your brother behaved badly, so I punished him.” Eric laughed and walked upstairs.

She frowned, but smiled again. “Oh brother, you gotta stop being so reckless.” She then turned to Randolph. “Uncle, could you please fetch me a wet towel?”

Randolph went to the kitchen and got what she asked for. “Here Momma, fresh steaming towel covered in last night’s dirty dishes.” he said, handing her the towel.

“Oh Uncle, stop. But thank you anyways.” She started pampering Jack and hummed a song.

“Say Angela?” Randolph asked.

“Yeah, Uncle Randy?” Angela replied, wiping blood off Jack’s lip.

Randolph walked behind Angela and stared at Jack. “You know he doesn’t deserve someone as great as you. I’m jealous he has someone like you.” he said, rubbing Angela’s back.

“Well, you may think that way about him, but to be honest…” She paused and rested her hand on his cheek with a gentle smile. “I don’t deserve someone like him. Without him, I don’t know where I’ll be. He’s everything to me.”

Randolph sighed but quickly smiled. “I understand sweetheart. Anyways, I’m going to bed now so don’t stay up too late, okay?” Randolph patted her back, walked out of the living room, and walked down the hallway into his room.

When Randolph’s door closed, she made a quick run to her room and brought her drawing equipment downstairs, where she sat down beside Jack and started drawing. Angela placed headphones over her ears and listened to her favorite music as she drew. Rocking back and forth, she hummed her favorite song as she drew, concentrating to the fullest so she could replicate Jack’s sleeping position onto her art.

She stopped drawing for a second to stare at Jack’s screwed up face. “You look so goofy, but at the same time this is the most peaceful I’ve seen you in ages.” She giggled and continued drawing.

Thirty minutes later, Jack finally woke up. He slowly sat up and felt an ice pack fall off his cheek. It was still throbbing so he massaged it. He also noticed the taste of dried blood on his lips. He looked to his left and saw Angela concentrating on her drawing. She was bouncing to her music and moving her arms to the rhythm. Jack smiled despite the pain and placed his hand on her head, which surprised her.

She quickly turned around and looked at Jack with a huge smile on her face. “Hey! You’re awake, sleepy head!” She got up and embraced Jack.

“Ow, not too close. It still burns.”

“Sorry, it’s just that you guys have been gone for a week! You made me worried!” she exclaimed, then pouted her adorable little face.

Jack smiled. “I should have just been gone longer then.”

She got annoyed and stood up. “Oh, is that so?”

“An-Angela?” Jack said nervously.

She grinned smugly and jumped on him. They both screamed joyfully and laughed, but it didn’t take long for them to stop their silliness. They laid there quietly for a moment until Angela yawned.

“I’m sleepy now,” she said, then yawned. “Uncle Eric sounded mad, you know.”

Jack lay an arm around her. “Yeah, it’s my fault.” He closed his eyes and frowned. “I did get carried away, but did he have to punch me like that?”

She felt embarrassed and turned red. “What bro?”

Though his eyes were dead, his smile towards his sister felt genuine. “I missed you sis…”

She smiled softly and lay her head on his beating chest. “I missed you too, bro. Please be more careful though. You’ve been getting hurt a lot lately.”

“Heh, I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look, remember?”

She rolled her eyes and clutched his shirt. “No kidding. You’re scary as hell. Your eyes aren’t the same as they were when we first met. Not to mention how lifeless you sound too.”

“Angela…”

“It makes me question if you’ve truly fallen into the hands of depression.” She bit the bottom of her lip, feeling the urge to cry but she resisted.

Jack noticed and rubbed her arm. “Don’t worry, I’m not anywhere near that state. I may sound like this, but I’m still the same upset kid you met all those years ago.”

Angela slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. Jack sighed softly and picked her up, then carried her up the stairs so he could put her into her bed. He opened the door and walked in, laying her down and covering her with her blanket.

He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, baby sis.” Then he slowly walked to her doorway and turned the lights off.

Jack closed the door and walked downstairs, back to the living room. He jumped back on the couch, set his legs on the coffee table, and noticed right away that Angela’s drawing stuff was still on it. He picked it up and looked at the drawing she was working on. He shook his head and laughed. Eric walked downstairs and saw Jack examining the drawing pad.

Eric stood in front of Jack with his arms crossed. “Why did you kill that man?”

Jack sighed and smacked his lips. “You’re still on that?”

“Of course I am, you dumb son of a bitch.”

Jack flailed his hand. “Hey, at least we’ve got a nice set of new toys, right?”

Eric pointed at Jack. “That’s not the point, you dumbass. We were trying to build a friendly relationship and wanting to gain more partners. These streets are growing more gruesome by the day, so it’s beneficial to have more eyes out for our advantage.”

Jack stretched, showing how he didn’t have a care in the world. “You should’ve said that early on. Oh well, you can’t undo the past. What’s done is done. Am I right?”

Eric was starting to get more annoyed and walked back up the stairs to get away from the pointless conversation. Jack took a deep breath and got up. He walked outside and gazed at the stars, sighing as he smirked.

Sure is a nice night. Too bad the colors I see are black and white, but none of that matters. So long as Angela’s safe, I have no other worries.

Jack lowered his sights to look at the friendship bracelet that belonged to Alexandria. Even after all these years he still missed her, but more importantly, he wished she was still here. For the past five years he’d wondered why he’d changed so much. Jack wondered if he was just wasting his life or if he’d find an answer to his sad new life. He hoped that he could change to ensure a better future for him and Angela.

With all the self thinking and agony on his shoulders, as he was pulling a cigarette out he heard something mysterious; a very faint playful sound . Jack looked around with the cigarette still in his hand, but saw nothing.

“Huh? Where the hell is that sound coming from?” Jack noticed the noise beneath him. He pulled out his pistol and cocked it.

He slowly walked off the patio and placed his finger on the trigger. Whoever it is, you better show yourself or I’ll blow your damn brains out.

“Jeez… with a tone like that I’m glad I only heard it in your mind and not out your mouth,” a very familiar, soft girly voice said.

“Show yourself. If you’re some desperate whore, then come out or I’ll end your miserable life.” He aimed the gun at the porch steps.

Coming out as a shadowy figure through the bottom of the porch steps, made of blackened smoke, was a girl with long black hair wearing an odd white dress.

“Sorry for startling you. I didn’t mean to,” she said innocently.

“Oh…” Jack said, lowering the gun, “it’s you.”

Jack walked back to the steps, then sat down and indicated for the girl to sit next to him. She nodded and sat beside him. Throughout the years her appearance hadn’t changed much. Her hair and height remained the same, but her voice had grown more soothing and mature.

She clasped her hands and rested them on her knees. “Beau-Beautiful night we’re having… isn’t it?”

Jack placed a hand on his face. “What do you want? Wait, who am I kidding? You’re probably here to confuse me more.” He laughed and looked away.

“No! You’ve got it all wrong… I-I just wanted to see you, that’s all.” She leaned on his shoulder and sighed deeply. “We rarely see each other in this world. Remember how much you—”

“Yeahh, yeah!” He gazed up at the stars again. “I could care less about your feelings, because the majority of the time you try giving me nightmares but fail to do so.”

She rubbed herself on his shoulder. “Sorry… I don’t mean to do such things. Like I’ve mentioned in the past, when I can’t help myself I lose control and do it.” She got off his shoulder and looked up at him.

“I could care less. You still haven’t answered my question from long ago.”

She started poking Jack’s face. “I can’t just say it, you know? It’s not as simple as answering a math equation. Don’t forget about the promise you made about us.”

“Mhhm,” Jack said, glancing at the girl. “Say… would you know why I’ve become the scumbag that I am today?”

She leaned closer towards his ear. “Well as long as you’re alive, no matter your personality, you’ll always be the person I fell for.”

Jack suddenly woke up confused and looked around. He was still on the couch. He scratched his head. “Another dream with her, huh?”

He stood up and stretched, then pulled out his phone to look at the time. It’s time to wake Angela. Today is the day I promised to take her to an ice cream shop.

He walked to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, showered, and walked into his room. He put on a new set of clothes and made sure he was carrying extra mags on his belt. Strapping on his carry holster that was underneath his left arm, he stored his gun in the holster.

“Alright, everything is all set.” Walking upstairs, he heard Angela’s electric piano. He smiled.

He slowly opened her door and peeked inside, spotting her playing on her electric piano. It touched his heart and the beautiful sound she played made his ears relax. Watching her move her body to the art she was creating made Jack realize just how special she was to him. She was the last piece to his dreadful life, the only thing keeping him from killing himself and falling into a void of depression. Without her, Jack couldn’t think what else he could do.

Bringing out half a smile, Jack said, “Hey Angel. Whatcha up to? Practicing?”

Hearing his deep dead voice, Angela got surprised and stopped playing. She dragged a hand on her bangs to fix them, turned around and showed a genuine smile with an embarrassed look on her face. “I-I didn’t think you’d be awake so early.”

“I wouldn’t forget a promise, remember?”

She shrugged. “I know I suck at playing.”

Jack chuckled. “Don’t be silly. You sounded great.” He walked next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She fixed her bangs again and hugged him. “Thanks for remembering the promise we made.”

“Yeah, now go get ready and I’ll wait inside the car.”

“Okay!” Angela flipped her bangs and started to change.

Jack walked out of her room, down the stairs, and out the front door to get to the car. He hopped in, patiently waited for Angela, turned the radio on, and listened to recent news reports. As reporters told their stories,he couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing all the reports were all his doing.

Angela finally came outside, hopped in, and buckled her seatbelt. “Did I make you wait?”

"Nah, you were pretty quick. You ready?” Jack asked, turning on the car.

“Heck yeah I am!” Angela exclaimed, shooting out a fist from excitement.

“But before we go, remember our rules?”

Angela sighed, then extended a finger for every rule that he’d applied. “Yes I do. Rule one: don’t wander off. Rule two: never leave your side, and… Rule three: don’t talk to strangers.” She closed her fingers into her palm, tilted her head sarcastically, and smiled.

Jack patted her head. “Good girl. I’m just making sure because we still don’t know who is still looking for you, so we have to be cautious no matter what.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Say, can I order another shirt?”

“Maybe or perhaps not. How about when I die?”

Angela smiled and shook her head. She looked out the windshield and saw how beautiful the day was. It made her feel fuzzy inside, especially since she was spending the day with her brother. She put her headphones on and started humming the music she loved to go, along with the beautiful changing scenery. Jack looked at the rear view mirror and grinned.

They drove out of the neighborhood and headed towards the next town, hoping to find a nice ice cream shop with no crime around.

In the direction they were heading towards was a town strived in safety, life, beauty, and crowds of people covered the sidewalks. But in that crowd were two girls, Anna and Veronica. Both girls were still shaken by last night’s event. The thought of them being killed or potentially sexually assaulted drove them mad, especially Veronica who’d had nightmares about it last night. Anna herself did have a dream, but only about her typical scenario of reuniting with her fallen best friend Jack. As they walked down the busy sidewalk, they couldn’t help but talk about it again.

“Last night was scary as heck! I thought we were gonna die, Anna!” Veronica held Anna despite being out of harm’s way.

Anna seemed annoyed and tried pushing her off. “Please let me go. I can hardly breathe, girl. We’re safe now so relax.”

Veronica let go of Anna. “I’m sorry! It’s just that I can’t believe we ran into Danny's killer last night. Eek, I still have goosebumps!” She held herself and shivered.

“Yeah, but I didn’t really get a good look at him, only his back. I was just too afraid to continue questioning him if I’m being honest.”

“Well, I did get a decent look at his face when I first ran into him with Danny that day.”

“Strange, you did say he was attractive and had nice eyes.”

Crossing her arms, raising a finger, Veronica rebuttetled to Anna’s statement. “That’s true, but his eyes were lifeless and the color in them was flat, but something about them made my heart race.” Then she lowered her arms and sighed. “However, that doesn’t erase the fact he’s also a scary, murderous delinquent!”

“Well, at least you can tell Danny’s investigator about it.” Anna stopped and pointed at an ice cream shop. “You want some cream of ice, Veronica?”

Veronica looked at her blankly and raised a brow. “Why did you say it that way?”

“Because I can, you dope!”

“Why do I have a feeling there’s something dirty behind your wording.” They both laughed and walked towards the shop.

Meanwhile, Jack and Angela arrived at the same location. He made sure he wasn’t identified too easily so he wore his jacket to hide his tattoos and had a cap on to hide his face. Angela quickly stormed out of the car and her eyes glittered with excitement. She hadn’t been around a nice peaceful town in a while, especially one this nice. The mom & pop stores looked wholesome, the sidewalks weren’t too dirty or covered in litter, parts of nature grew in some areas and glistened with life, but most of all there was a huge park in the middle. Today seemed especially busy from the amount of people walking by, crowding the streets, and coming out of these mom & pop shops.

“You ready, sis?” Jack asked as he took out a smoke.

“Am I ever!” she shouted and hugged him. “Thank you so much!” Angela shouting happily formed a small crowd around them from people casually walking by.

The small crowd awed and couldn’t help but be mesmerized by Angela’s adorable innocence. That rubbed Jack the wrong way. He grew uncomfortable and hated crowds as well as attention. So to get away from the puppy dog eyes and pampering awes, he grabbed her hand and dragged them away from the crowd.

They both walked across the street to get to the ice cream store. Jack stopped and looked around, spotting a corner, and noticed a few suspicious men.

He gave the money to Angela, surprising her momentarily. “Bro-Brother? What’s going on?”

“Go on without me. It appears business has followed me and wants my full attention.”

She grew a bit upset. It was something she wanted to do with her brother, but she understood what he meant by business.

She nodded and clutched the money in her hand. “O-Okay. Be back soon.” She then expressed a fake smile, feeling unhappy about the situation.

Jack patted her head. She gently slapped it away in a playful manner, then pretended to walk happily inside the shop to convince him enough that she was fine. She knew it was too good to be true, no matter where they went. There was always crime around every corner of Michigan. Poor Angela only wanted to hang out with her brother, but alas she guessed his busy life would always intervene in their moments.

Jack turned to the men who were around the corner and walked in their direction, prepared to do business. “I hope this ends quickly. Poor Angela, I know you’re upset. I want to express anger, but sadly… I’ve been angry for over four years.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and disappeared into the crowd of people towards the corner.

Angela and Veronica walked outside of the same ice cream shop and sat at one of the tables next to it. They talked and laughed about the usual things in their lives. Everything was going well until they both spotted a girl sitting all alone. She was eating a sundae made for two. The forced smile on her face was evident and didn’t go unnoticed. Both girls knew the poor little girl had a saddened aura around her. They felt bad so they decided to get up to sit and try to start a chat with her to brighten her day.

They both walked to the little girls table with smiles on their faces. Angela didn’t notice them at first because she was basking in the flavors of the delicious ice storm freezing her taste buds. Her eyes were closed as she kicked her feet in joy to endure every delicious flavor. They waved in front of her and upon opening her eyes, they got her full attention. They stood in front of the table and politely said, “Hi!” The girl stayed frozen with a spoon in her mouth. She began shaking and felt quite scared. She didn’t even know how to react to their greeting.

Veronica saw her arms trembling. She got a little worried and tried calming the poor girl down. “Oh, we’re sorry if we’re scaring you. We just wanted to say hello, that’s all.”

Anna looked at the girl and her jaw dropped from shock. “She’s so…” She approached the girl, flabbergasted by the girl’s cuteness. “…adorable!”

Anna tried attacking her with a hug, but Veronica quickly caught her before she did something inappropriate. “Calm yourself, Anna. Sweet mercy, I pray for thy devil to relax.”

“I-I… can’t help it! She’s so cute… I need to hug her, argh!”

Angela looked at the two with a frightened expression and stayed quiet. Veronica managed to calm Anna down and silence came between them. They all just stood there quietly, not saying a single word. Veronica giggled, then scratched her cheek. Anna continued staring at the girl’s face, directly into her big blue eyes of beauty.

Angela removed the spoon out of her mouth, set it down, then clasped her hands together and raised her shoulders. “Hi-Hi? Ho-How do yo-you do?”

Both girls were stunned by her cuteness, especially Anna. She pushed Veronica off of her and rushed to the girl’s side to sit beside her.

Veronica gave up and sighed, then sat next to the girl as well. “Sorry about my friend. Uh, what’s your name?”

Drooling, Anna said, “Yeah! What’s your name, cutie!”

“You’re gonna scare her more, you know?” Veronica tried grabbing the girl’s hand, but the girl retracted and trembled. “I’m sorry. You probably don’t like strangers touching you, huh? Hehe, I don’t blame you. Wait, does that make me a…” Veronica gasped.

Angela shook her head. “I’m not… allo-allowed to ta-talk to… stran-strangers.” She hung her head.

Anna couldn’t help herself and grabbed the girl’s hand. “How old are you? What’s your favourite show? Music, hobbies? Ahhh!” Anna was on the verge of fainting from the girl’s hypnotizing cuteness.

Angela blushed and allowed Anna to touch her. “Ell-Elleeven…”

They both gasped in adorable shock. Anna’s mouth drooled like crazy and Veronica was flustered.

“You’re so tiny, I love it! Can we be friends?” Anna suddenly hugged the girl and started touching her black hair.

Veronica laughed. She’d never seen Anna this happy about something in awhile. “I wouldn’t have guessed your age. I thought you were younger. What a shocker!”

They all giggled except for Angela, who stayed quiet. But something felt off, knowingly how the girl stared at Veronica with an empty expression. Veronica noticed her empty glare and felt a little freaked out.

The girls heard someone calling out for someone out in the street. Angela got up and out of Anna’s grasp. She started to walk away from them.

“Hold up! Where are you going?” Anna exclaimed, reaching out. “Please tell me your name!” Anna tried to follow her, but she was stopped by the girl who had her hand out, indicating the two to halt.

Her eyes that were once glittering now showed no glimmer of life. She looked at Anna with an empty smile. “Maybe some other time…”

An eerie wind blew behind her and breezed past the girls. A single crow landed beside them with purple eyes, which freaked out Veronica and forced her to clutch Anna’s arm.

Anna covered her face. As she dropped her hands down, the girl’s eyes were a different color, and had a glint in them. “What in the…?”

“In the meantime, take care, Annabelle.” Angela’s tone changed and her voice sounded different from before. It was more mature, calmer, and relaxing.

Anna was shocked. The hurtling wind grew so strong it forced the girls to close their eyes, but as soon as they opened them again, the girl had vanished.

Anna was shaken and left speechless. She looked at Veronica, even though she too was stunned and left surprised.

Both of them glanced at the spot she stood at before disappearing. It wasn’t the first strange phenomenon they’d experienced. Both questioned if they were having a hallucination or if she were just an illusion? The question of her realness came about for the two as they stood there with their mouths dropped open. The girls had no clue what had just happened. They went back to their table and pretended nothing had happened.

Angela joined Jack and they both headed inside the car. Jack questioned Angela’s hour and how the ice cream tasted. “It was good, but it would’ve tasted better if you were there by my side. Hmph!” she said, crossing her arms and pouting.

“I’m sorry sis, but I had to take care of a few errands.” Jack started the car up and proceeded to drive out of the parking spot, then out the town.

“That’s okay. At least I had fun!” Angela replied as she took out her drawing pad and started illustrating what she’d experienced.

“How so? You were by yourself, right?” Jack asked suspiciously.

Angela looked up and tapped her pencil against her lip. “Two girls came up to me and started talking. They were really friendly, though. I gotta say it was a rather interesting experience.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk to strangers?” He sighed, relaxed his shoulders, and lay back more into the car seat. “Well, if they came up to you, then I guess that’s fair.”

“Yeah, they were trying their best to make me feel comfortable, but unfortunately for them they failed. Muhaha!”

Stopping at a stop light, Jack looked over his shoulder at Angela. “Heh, what a smug attitude to have. What were their names?”

Angela grinned and gazed out the windshield. “I didn’t get the chance to ask for their names, but I think I might have a hint as to who they might be.” She went back to drawing and her smile faded. The only thing Angela could hear was the girl in her nightmares who’d given them to her for as long as she’d lived.

The girl started giggling inside her mind, seeming to enjoy teasing Angela’s emotions. “One day, I’ll take back what’s rightfully mine, girl.”

Angela’s fingers trembled and her eyes grew wide. She ignored the girl and brought out her headphones to get rid of her voice. No matter how loud the music was, or how much noise was around her, to ignore her existence entirely—Angela would always hear her gentle, soothing voice.

    people are reading<ALWAYS TOGETHER>
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