[fiction] When Angels Deserve to Die - Act 4

Act IV:  On the Grey

The mall.  Surprisingly safe.

At least, it felt safe.  Whether the...the authorities has positively identified anyone in the most recent car chase was uknown.  That Craig Capulet was doing everything he could to pin the heat on Eric was Biff was known.  Still, the large airy cooridors, white walls and glass ceilings that allowed light to flood in did make one feel safe.  And the people.  No member of the capulet family could act here.  Not with these people, and not with the camera.

Saudade walked with her arm linked to Eric.  She had specifically manoeuvred them paste the Bath and Body stall three times.  She loved the smell.  She loved the way Eric wrinkled his nose even more.  Biff was in front of them, with a girl in each arm.  "He's really milking it, isn't he?" said Sauda.

"Don't let him fool you," said Eric.  "The guy is crushed.  He tries not to show it but I think its pretty obvious.  Hey lets duck in here."  The photo booth.

When they were inside Eric didn't put money in.  "I'm moving against the Capulets this afternoon."

Sauda looked at him.  His eyes.  Eyebrows.  Hair.  Face.  She shook her head.  "I never wanted you to get involved in this.  It's my fight."

"We're not having this discussion."

"Yes we are."

Eric studied the photo booth's simple payment mechanism with great intensity.

"I'm going to go away.  I need you to not follow," said Sauda.

"I want to be with you."

"You of all people should know that this is a bad time."


"True," admitted Eric.

Sauda squeezed his hand.  "Let's take a picture."

Biff walked by the photo later and saw a picture of them lying on the ground.  He scooped it up.  When he saw it more closely he stopped walking.  It was Eric and Sauda, smiling.  Biff didn't realize anyone was calling his name until one of the girls poked him.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

"Eric why are you taking me candy shopping.  Fuck."  Biff hated the word candy.

"Biff you can't flip out every time you hear the word candy.  I know you--wait how long had you been dating her?"

"A week.  And a half."

"A week and a half," said Eric.

"You know that's a long time for me.  Here chocolate covered cherries."

"No they must be grapes.  Keep looking.  Is this the first time you've lost someone?"

"Yeah I guess.  Its like that sinking feeling after sex, but worse, and it won't go away," said Biff.

Eric stopped walking.  "You're not supposed to get a sinking feeling after sex."

"You're not?"  Biff changed the subject.  "They're not here bro lets just get whatever.  Why the fuck are we buying candy--aw dammnit."  Biff saw the woman at the register glaring at them.  "Sorry."

Eric said "Yeah they don't have them.  We'll get the chocolate here and some grapes from a supermarket.  Let's roll."


~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Biff was hungry.  He made the poor, poor decision to dump all of the chocolate and grapes in the damn dog bowl.  Stupid mutt didn't need all of it.  And now his stomach was growling.

There was a handheld citizen's band radio on the dashboard.  It had a minor obfuscation on it, but that was only to clear the channel between you and any of your friends who also wanted some $20 radios.  It wasn't real encryption.  So they were using code names.

Biff heard the a click from his radio.  Might have been static.  Might have been someone pressing the talk button for a split second.

Biff picked up his radio.  "Captain Crunch to Batman.  Come in Batmam."  No response.  "Captain Crush to Batman.  The frosting is on the flakes.  If you know what I mean Batman the frosting is on the flakes.  Nudge nudge wink wink."  No reply.  "Sky captain to princess.  Sky captains callking Pink Peach Princess.  Come in Princess."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ...captain...fuckhead."  Eric's voice was unmistakeable.

"The eagle has landed," replied Biff.

"I don't know what that means," said Eric.  "Did the thing happen that I wanted you to tell me about?  Is the target on his way?"

"Well...no."

"Then shut the fuck up."

Biff held the radio with his thumb and forefinger and dropped in in the front seat.  Cranky ass.

Sometime later Biff saw Brighton Capulet hobbling out of his apartment.  He had like a cast on one leg, a sort of crutch, and he was somehow hobbling with his dog in his arms.  And his face!  Biff laughed out loud until he remembered Eric's description of Candy's appearance.  Then Biff just felt sick to his stomach.  Maybe he was better off hungry.

Brighton secured his dog in his car.  Fucker had a Lotus Elise.  What the hell did he do to get that kind of money?  Biff waited until the guy was pulling out to start his Boss 429.  Biff grabbed the radio.  "Fucker's on his way."

"Understood."  Eric's voice sounded scary.  Made Biff never want to cross him.  Brighton drove fast.  Biff kept up.  Darkness fell.


~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Elmira Johnson was not on call for the vetinary clinic.  At least, she wasn't supposed to be, but one of her customers and call her hysterically.  It was the only reason she dragged herself out on a saturday night.  She was waiting in her car in the parking lot.  Even so, she was only giving this guy ten more minutes before she drove away and turned her phone off.

Brighton showed up.  He drove his car straight up to the front door, ignoring the parking lines entirely.  And there was a dog in the car.  Elmira sighed and got out of her car.  Actually, she only got as far as putting her hand on the door handle when she heard screeching tires.

A large cadillac veered off the road and drove straight into Brighton's car at more than twenty miles an hour, crushing the smaller car into the entrance of the building.  Elmira fished into her purse for her phone.  As she did so she glanced back up and saw a tall white male get out of the second car.  He was walking casually, like he meant to crash his car.  And he was carrying something.  Elmira froze.  That something looked like a gas can.  The man was pouring it on--into the first car.  Elmira slid down her seat as far as she could go before her knees ran into the firewall.  Then she folded her knees and slid down further, until most of her body  was curled up between the pedals and the driver's seat.

Biff parked on the side of the road, out of sight.  When he arrived at the vet clinic, Eric had apparently just finished pouring gasoline all over Brighton's car.  That was...that seemed like a little much.  Then Biff thought of Candy.

"Let me do it," he said.

"Suite yourself."  Eric handed Biff the lighter.

Biff opened the lighter.  Then he closed it again.  Then he flicked it open.  He forced himself to think of Candy, using his mental picture of her bloodied and broken body.  He lit the lighter and held it out in front of him,  grimacing and keeping his head turned with every step toward the gas-soaked vehicle.

Brighton was making a lot of noise.  Talking, or begging or something.  Maybe it was crying.  Biff closed his ears to it.

"Oh fuck no," said Eric.  Eric snatched the lighter from Biff's hand and tossed it towards the open window.  The gas vapors lit before the lighter even passed through the window.  The explosion was deafening and bathed them in a flash of scorching heat.  Eric and Biff stumbled back.

The howls of pain--both man and beast--were unmistakable, and loud.  Biff knelt on the ground with his hands over his ears.

"Time to go," said Eric.  He looked down at Biff.  Eric grabbed Biff's wrist and yanked the kid to his feet.  Biff had fifty pounds on Eric but somehow Eric didn't appear to have the disadvantage.  Eric hauled Biff to the Boss 429 and put Biff in the passenger seat.  They didn't talk until the clinic was miles behind them.

"Pull over,"  said Biff.

"Why?"

"I said pull over, man.  Pull the fuck over.  Its my fucking car, pull the fucking over."

"Alright," said Eric.

Biff spilled out of the door.  He got to his feet and stumbled away from the car.  "I can still hear him.  Oh fuck me sideways I can still hear him screaming."

Eric got out of the car.  Glanced up and down the road in both directions.

"FUUUUUCK" screamed Biff.  "How could you do that?  And the dog.  The fucking dog!"  Biff fell to his knees.

Eric looked up at the stars.  It was a pretty rural area.  Wasn't much light polution.  The sky was beautiful.  He sighed.  "Do you know what that dog did to Candy?  Brighton wasn't--"

Biff vomited.  Pizza and soft pretzel remants spilled onto the ground.  Then he vomited again.  More pizza.  More soft pretzel.  Little bits of carrots.  Biff looked at Eric.

"Don't look at me like that," said Eric.  "You knew what you were getting into.  This is why Ed never let you ride with us."

"Ed never pulled shit like that!"

"Yes he did," said Eric.  "He did worse."

Biff screamed and launched himself at Eric.  There was a punch.  Eric dodged out of the way and let Biff's momentum take him into the car.  Biff grunted and came back swinging again.  Eric blocked.  Eric danced.  Biff tripped.  He was on the ground again.

"You never knew what we were like.  Ed never wanted you to know.  Do you get it now?  Charlie's Angels?  The Angels part was a joke.  It was a double joke;  we weren't hot girls, and we sure as hell weren't Angels.

"No," said Biff.

"Yeah buddy.  And I'm sorry you had to hear it from me.  I wish you'd heard it sooner though.  A lot sooner.  You can't really love someone when you idolize them."

"Ed was a fucking hero."  Biff felt how tears cloud up his vision.  He bent his will towards not throwing up again.


"No.  He wasn't.  In real life when you start doing this you're not a hero.  You're never a hero.  You're just a vigilante.  And in real life, vigilantes die young."

Biff didn't answer.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~


John Capulet was in a conference room when he was told what his soon-to-be-dead wife's new fling had done to Brighton.  Not that there was any proof.  That was small consolation--that the police were unlikely to get in his way.  He threw his phone against a large glass window mid call.  He turned to his personal assistant, a wiry man who was the white collar equivalent of a henchman.

"Give me your phone," said John.  The assistant did so with out hesistation.  John threw that one into the wall also.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Biff was chopping wood.  He had been chopping wood all night.  It was all he could do.  Couldn't eat.  Couldn't sleep.  Couldn't fuck.  Couldn't even think about fucking.  So he just chopped wood.  He had a whole tree to go through, and he started burning it as he cut it.  The wood fire was completely different from the hellfire they'd started at the clinic.  He got a third of the tree chopped before he even needed his first break at 4 am.

Sauda was sitting on the floor, inside, watching Biff through the glass paneled door.  Eric joined her with two mugs of hot chocolate.

"He's a sweet kid," said Sauda.  "Childish and chauvanistic, but sweet, somehow.  I don't like him getting involved."

"It was his girlfriend.  Besides:  too late."

"No."  Sauda took a sip of her hot chocolate.  "Its not too late.  I'm going to end this," she said.

"Saudade...."

"His family--my family, I guess--they won't leave a single stone unturned."

"They still won't find you."

"Yes, well.  They'll burn down every house in this neighboorhood.  In every neighboorhood.  I won't have that on my conscience."

Eric rolled his eyes.  "So lets go on the run.  They'll know you left.  You can divorce him from the road if you need to."

"Eric I can't."

"Why not?"

"I already made a deal with John's brother.  They call him the dragon.  I'm going to meet him in the white forest tomorrow evening and sign my way out of this.  He said I can give up my half of the--"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Eric.  "You know they are just going to kill you."

"So be it."

"What the fuck, Sauda?  Seriously.  What the fuck?"

"This is my fight.  I'm going to end it."

"No.  You're not."

"Says who?  It's my fight.  You shouldn't even be involved.  What do you care?  They probably won't kill me."

"I love you," said Eric.  "That's why I care."

Sauda sipped her hot chocolate and looked away.  "Ugh, this is too sweet."  She set the mug down beside her.

"Yeah, I said it.  I love you," said Eric.  "You probably wish you didn't hear that."

"Eric..." Sauda looked like she wanted to say something but instead she just held her head.

"Yeah, I know.  Not a good time.  Thing is, I don't think it'll ever be a good time.  I think this is going to drag on.  I think there's always been some reason you thought we shouldn't get together.  Different schools, different colleges, then I lived too far away, and then I lived too close.  I don't think you want to ever be with me--I think you just like having someone you were into once.  You want to hang out and think bittersweet thoughts about what could have been.  Well I call bullshit."

"Stop," said Sauda, "just stop.  If you care about me as a friend, you'll let me end this."

"I don't care about you as a friend."

"What?" said Sauda.  Her pupils were dialating.


"Sauda we can be strangers on Earth, or enemies in Hell, but I will never, ever be your friend.  Your self-righteous suicide isn't going to change that.  Isn't going to make me finally have you.  So whats the point?  If one of us is going to get killed by the dragon, well then I volunteer.  You might as well stay on and make somebody happy."


Sauda clamped her hand on his forearm.  "What the fuck did you put in my drink?"


Eric smiled.  "Sweet dreams, sunshine.  I'll call you."  In answer to her question, that time it was a sedative.

Sauda collapsed in his arms.  Eric looked up to see Biff standing in the open doorway.

/* note: the other one gets left somewhere interesting.  also possibly shift this scene to a lighthouse. */

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

The white forest was so named for a relatively flat place south of the river, full of flowerless trees that were perpetually dying a slow death.  At one point they had been a beautiful orchard, but a blight had scarred the land, and now there were little more than white husks.  It was an eerie place; felt like a graveyard.  Eric loved it.  He and Sauda had played there as kids.

Now his grey Hayabusa screamed through the hills.  There was no time to waste;  the dragon was on his way to kill Sauda.  Eric needed enough time to set up on him.  Eric arrived at the white trees and stashed his bike.

He was running.  Past half a dozen trees before even thinking about taking his helmet off.  He never got a chance.

Pain exploded in the back of his head.  Pieces of his helmet fell away.  The gunshot echoed.  Eric dropped to the ground and crawled to the nearest tree.  He had a rough idea where the shooter was.  Fucking dragon dipshit.  Eric wasn't sure if whichever of the Capulets was up there on the high ground getting his gun off, but he did know one thing.

Eric was fucked.