Page 71 of Eden's Joker

The light’s blissfully no longer in my eyes. And even more blissfully, it shows me Tyler and his friend Scorpio. I wasn’t just imagining it. I’m saved.

“We’ve waited long enough, Joker,” one of the other guys says. “And now you’ve once again led abunch of us into death and for what? When we have her right here? For what?”

“I won’t explain myself to you,” Joker says. “Not here. She’s mine. You will back off.”

“She’s all of ours,” Brick protests.

Tyler’s eyes find mine. “No, she’s just mine.”

It’s like a ray of sunshine pierced the darkness as he said that, giving me the surge of energy I needed to stand up.

I don’t get to use it though. Because Brick shoves his cock back into his pants and pulls out his gun, pointing it at my temple.

“She’s our revenge,” he says. “And I’m gonna take it now.”

I feel the gun move as he starts to squeeze the trigger.

But he never completes the action. Tyler rushes him—I’ve never seen anyone move that fast—and knocks him and the gun away from me.

They fight on the ground, the other two join in, Scorpio does too. And for a while all I hear are grunts and fists hitting flesh. They’ve rolled out of the light and into the darkness.

I reach one of the discarded flashlights just as a shot rings out behind me.

The fighting has stopped. There’s just heavy breathing behind me now. And the groans of someone who can no longer breathe right.

I’m afraid to turn and shine the light on the scene. Afraid I’ll see Tyler mortally wounded. But I do it.

And actually laugh in relief when I see it’s Brick that’s clutching a bloody arm across his stomach and Joker holding a gun to his head.

“Did you get that shit out of your system now, Brick?” he asks.

“I need a fucking doctor, Joker,” Brick whines.

His two friends are looking on like they’d rather be anywhere but here. Scorpio has his gun pointed at them.

“And you’ll get one,” Joker says. “But first we gotta walk back.”

Brick groans and breathes through his teeth, but manages to stand on his own.

“How am I gonna walk all the way back?” he complains.

“Trip, Sonny, help him,” Tyler commands the other two. “And don’t try anything funny. Else there’ll be no need to carry any of you anywhere. You’ll all just rot right here.”

They seem to believe him and don’t say anything, just obediently pick up their buddy, who has also stopped complaining. Who wouldn’t believe his threats when he delivers them in that darkness-laced voice? His eyes seem to be full of that same darkness as he lets them start walking, followed by Scorpio.

Then he finally comes to me. There’s concern in his eyes as he examines the bump or cut or whatever isthere on my forehead that’s causing flashes of light in addition to the hammer bangs of pain in my head now.

“Can you walk?” he asks. Gently.

“I’ll try,” I say, but then wobble terribly as I take a step.

He wraps his arm around my waist and lets me lean on him.

“I told you not to leave the house,” he says.

“I guess I’m no good at being a prisoner,” I say.

I’m not about to apologize for running, even though I am kind of sorry I did.

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