Deathcheater

Abbicus hadn’t laughed in years.  She’d grown tired of it.  And even though those around her found joy out of little, meaningless things, she didn’t see the point.  That was why tonight, when her face did break out into a smile, it felt strangely warming and somehow right. 
        Abbicus had been alone since she was a small child, something she blamed for her quirkiness and moods.  Her parents had died in an apparent accident, according to police reports after the fire at her home had been investigated.  How wrong those officials were.  But Abbicus remembered the real story.  She remembered as though it had happened only yesterday.  And that was the worst part.
        She was always in That Room again.  Her parents were in front of her and each member of that little family were doing the impossible.  Laughing.  The lighting was dull, dimming the eyesight, obscuring the vision.  Candles and incense were lit to create a tranquil, placid mood, filling the air with smells pleasing to the senses, unknown to each one that the serene September’s night was about to be torn to shreds, shattered into a thousand pieces like glass.
        The thuds in Abbicus’s memory were duller now than they had been that night, but perhaps the reason being she had relived this moment a thousand times and more.  The door crashed open, slamming as it was kicked in, hitting the wall.  The scene before the family’s eyes changed quickly and violently.  The air seemed to swarm thick with black, as if the window had been left open and night itself decided to enter.  Men, afraid to show their faces behind masks, screamed and yelled profanities at them.  There were to many to count, an unknown number still to this day. 
        Their commands still did not make sense to Abbicus’s confused mind.  The masked men were grabbing her again, their hands clammy and rough, dragging her away from her parents.  She saw her mother lunging for her only to be stopped by the butt of a gun.  She could not see her father anywhere in her memory.  He had disappeared.
        The she was outside, cool air stroking against her bare arms, caressing her face with its soft hands.  That didn’t last long.  Lights tore across the deep black sky like a jagged scar viciously ripped by a crazed butcher’s knife.  Cries, wails, screams, all ripped through the once placid night, utter chaos dashed and devoured peace.  Abbicus was trailed along, too confused and dazed to do anything otherwise.  The little girl was hurled crashing to the soil, stones and dirt in her mouth leaving a bitter taste.  She spat them out, had been scrambling to her feet preparing to fight back.
        Had been.  Never did.
        The house exploded, the exact replica of so many years before.  The place she once called home, reduced to flames and ash.  The shockwave sent her crashing to the ground once more.  Debris fell hot around the child’s little body like Armageddon’s flames.
        That chilling second of remembrance still haunted Abbicus.  One glance around for her parents and she had her confirmation as to where they had still been.
        Inside.
        Her heart tore at the realisation of being alone, for what she had just lost and for all hope being snatched away from her at such a young age.  Abbicus may have deaden her senses to these feelings over the years as she grew older but there were still times at night she would wake up with the pain evident in her heart.  Only she knew why. 
        Abbicus jammed her eyes tighter, dispersing the mental image of the burning house from her thoughts.  Opening them only to be gazing directly into the flame of the fire built to keep each person in the near vicinity warm.  It wasn’t really making much of a difference against the chilling, frost laced night air, though, but something about it brought a tiny piece of restraint to Abbicus’s distraught mind.  The flickering was graceful, undisturbed and free.  She thought how strange the two extremes of fire were, dangerous, deadly and destructive yet calming, caring and caressing.  How it could take her parents away from her but give her comfort about the matter.
      ‘Abbicus?’
        Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice she knew well.  She shifted her focus from the fire to see a body sitting beside it, the light playing with the shadows on his face, making them dance in a tribunal ritual.  He sat hunched; his arms wrapped loosely round his knees in front of him. 
        His name was Darke.  Whether it was his real name or one plucked form his mind, no one knew.  He didn’t share much, rarely showed his emotions, and whenever asked about his past he claimed he could not remember.  But Abbicus could see the pain in his eyes when she talked to him about such matters no matter how well he masked it.  He was the sole reason she was still there in the world.  Even battling with his own demons, he had not given up on her, and she would often hear him wake at night from bad dreams and nightmares.  Many a times he would put her first, sometimes giving up his own nights sleep just to watch over her and keep her safe.  If he were to be honest with himself, it was her who had kept him in this world.
      ‘Abi, are you alright?’ A concern present in his voice, the only emotion he could not suppress.  Abbicus nodded wearily, a smile toying at the edges of her lips.
      ‘Come into the light.  Let me see your eyes.’
        Abbicus lifted her light frame from the ground.  She had been resting against a brick wall and now her back was numb from the cold.  She moved closer, as Darke had told her to, coming into the soft glow of the dancing flames and positioned herself in front of him. 
        Now that she was closer, she could see his exhaustion evident in his features and realised he had been watching her while she had rested.  His dreadlocks hung thick around his face, set off by his dark skin.  His deep emerald eyes, a startling contrast of colour, eyes he tried so hard to keep emotionless for her sake, searched hers for signs of a troubled mind.  He always told her that the eyes were the windows to the soul, they told a story about a past, a present and a future.  Sometimes, those three were one.
      ‘You had the same dream, didn’t you?’ Darke finally asked.  Abbicus turned her head slightly to look at the fire, which had suddenly become very interesting.
      ‘Abi?’
      ‘Yeah, okay, I did,’ she looked up piercing him with her brilliant blue eyes.  ‘But no biggie, eh?’  Fact was, that single memory haunted her most nights and it was a ‘biggie’.  Abbicus sighed and gazed up at the starlit sky above them.
      ‘You bored?’ asked Darke.
      ‘Who appointed you statesman of the obvious?’ Abbicus laughed.  A grin broke through Darke’s exterior.
      ‘Well, I think I know of somewhere where there might be a bit of action tonight.  And it’s the kind of action that you would do anything to get…’ he hinted mischievously, his eyes smiling at the presence of excitement in Abbicus’s.
      ‘Can we go now?’  Abbicus was practically bouncing.  Her blue eyes had regained their natural up-to-no-good demeanour, the wildness that matched the bright red natural colour of her hair.  It was severely cut and deliberately uncombed, falling into her eyes that were a blue as oceans and as pure as skies.  All past memories were gone, if not forgotten. 
      ‘Yeah sure, don’t wanna miss anything do we?’  Darke rose to his feet, Abbicus scrambling to hers just a quickly.  Walking over to a few heaped piles of clothing on the other side of the fire, Darke began to kick the sole of what appeared to be an abandoned boot.  But it wasn’t as abandoned as it had first appeared, as it started to move and a head with a scraggy blonde mop for hair appeared above the rags.  The boy wiped his hand over his face, pulling on the bottom of his eyes to try and wake himself up.
      ‘What d’ya want?’ he mumbled tiredly, glancing at Darke who was standing hands in pocket, patiently and Abbicus practically jumping with excitement on the spot.  One glance and he had the answer to his question but he still allowed Darke to proceed in replying. 
      ‘We’re going to the Square.  You wanting to come along?’  The boy nodded towards Abbicus.
      ‘You racing again?’ he asked her.
      ‘Uh-huh,’ she replied.  He sighed again.  Then smiled.
      ‘Well, I haven’t got anything better to do so why not?’  He hit a body beside him.  ‘Markus!’ he called.  There was a groan from another boy who rolled over and who had obviously just been woken from sleep.
      ‘Leave the monkey out of this…’ he mumbled.  Jack glanced quizzically up at Darke and Abbicus who just shrugged their shoulders. 
      ‘Markus,’ Jack called again and shook him lightly.
      ‘What now, Jack?’ he moaned almost falling asleep instantly again.  Jack thumped him on his side again.  ‘Ow!’ Markus yelled, automatically striking out catching Jack on the shoulder.  ‘Just answer the question and don’t beat me up!’ 
      ‘We’re heading to the Square if you don’t wanna be left behind.’  Though there were a few other people in the area.  It was a place that was safe from cops at night.  Many times, when the police spotted them, they were just ushered on.  Resistance was not an option and some were known to have lost their lives by defying ‘police orders’.  The problem- no one noticed a homeless teenager disappear so the police got away with it.  They weren’t wanted anywhere so a small yard at the back of an abandoned warehouse was perfect as no one bothered them there nor even knew about it. 
        Markus looked at Abbicus. ‘What you gonna do for a car? You crashed the one you had last week.’
          Abbicus’s eyes narrowed. ‘That wasn’t my fault!  That loser made me lose control!  He slammed right into the panel.  To crash was the only option I had!  You know, Jack.  You were in the car with me that week.’
      Jack looked round at Markus and shrugged his shoulders.  ‘T’is true, mate.’
      ‘Might as well,’ sighed Markus not appreciating he had been woken up so abruptly.  They moved their stiff bones into positions where they could rise without causing permanent injury to themselves.
        They took the shortcut through the forest that was over the back wall of the yard.  As they plunged into the darkness, they seemed to disappear, becoming shadows among shadows.  Abbicus wiped the perspiration from the palms of her hands on her oversized hoodie.  It was too big for her slim, light figure but she had been in too much of a hurry to get out of the shop unnoticed with it.  That was how most of her clothing had been attained, from the hoodie to the tight leather trousers right down to the old pair of boots she had found on the street.  Money was tight.  So tight, there was none at all.  Since she began living on the streets, a life of petty crime is what she had lived and was still living though she had found a new passion now.  One she had skills for that enhanced her performance in it.  Drag racing.
        That was where she was heading to the Square for.  Abbicus was a master handler of cars, especially when travelling at the highest of speeds.  She was also an expert when it came to hot-wiring.  Both came in handy if she wanted to make a little sum of money so they could at least afford money.  Living on the streets was meant to be every man for himself, but she couldn’t just abandon her friends.  They wouldn’t do that to her. 
        Just as her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, they left the trees behind and entered into a small, deserted car park only a short distance from the Square. Abbicus glanced around and spotted a lone car parked in the shadows so as not to be noticed.  It hadn’t worked.  She approached the car with Darke.  Jack and Markus were keeping look out over the poorly lit street in case the driver returned early to his car before the chance to remove it had happened. 
        Abbicus ran her hand over the smooth, black body of the car, fingering the lock, getting a feel for what type it was.  She hooked her fingers behind the handle and pulled sharply.  It was just as she expected.  Locked.  She patted her pockets.  There was nothing in them that was of any use to her.  She needed something quite slim to fit into the car lock.  She turned towards Darke, whose face was hidden behind his dreadlocks as he searched his own pockets for something she could use.  Nothing.  He looked up and shook his head. 
        Abbicus slammed her fist against the lock and swore under her breath.  It would have certainly made the night more interesting had she been able to get in and hot-wire the car.  Seemed unlikely now. 
      ‘Wait here,’ hissed Darke, darting to where Markus and Jack stood in the shadows on the sidewalk. 
      ‘Where else am I going to go?’ came Abbicus’s annoyed reply.  Darke came back, his face straight.  Abbicus’s frown deepened as she interpreted this as nothing having been found.  Darke circle the car and knelt beside Abbicus.  Bringing his hand out of his pocket, he produced a long, thin clip between his thumb and forefinger.
        Abbicus squealed in delight, her eyes lighting up with renewed determination.  She took the clip from Darke and pulled at the bend, making in straight and even longer for a better grip and accuracy.  She didn’t realise she was holding her breath slightly as she slipped one end of the clip into the lock groove.  Abbicus moved the clip about slowly until it hit the locking mechanism and turned it ever so gently so as not to slip the clip.  There was the telltale noise of the lock going up inside the car and she removed the clip and placed it into her pocket for safekeeping.
        With a smile on her face, she once again hooked her fingers behind the handle and pulled, this time the door opening with ease, and slipped inside, crouching on the floor.  She was in but she still needed to start it.
        Darke was still kneeling on the ground outside, holding the door partially open with his side as Abbicus’s nimble and expert fingers worked their magic with the wires.
      ‘Come on, come on,’ she mumbled to herself as she tried and tried again to make the wires start.  Darke made a fist in triumph as the engine purred seductively into life.  Abbicus sat up on the driver’s seat and checked the gauges.  The oil was a bit low for her liking but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.  Not after they had come so far.
      ‘Hop in,’ she laughed to Darke who circled the car and slipped in bedside Abbicus on the passenger’s side.  Abbicus put the gear into reverse and swivelled in her seat, throwing her arm across the passenger seat, to see where she was going.
        She pressed her foot lightly on the accelerator and swung the car in a wide arc.  She slipped the car into gear and drove towards the exit of the car park.  Markus and Jack clambered quickly into the backseat behind Darke and Abbicus.  Glancing up in the rear-view mirror from where he was sitting, Jack could clearly see Abbicus’s eyes.
        And he liked the crazed look he saw.
        The Square was near to where Abbicus had picked up the car.  Floodlights that had been installed long ago to deter criminals were now the perfect lighting for the groups and gangs that met regularly.  Police had tried to clear the area time after time but were always afraid of being overpowered by the numerous amounts of teenagers.  Guys swarmed around in trousers half way down their butts, adorned with tall, leggy girls in microscopic skirts and tights tops.  It was a real hotspot for drugs and dealing and a lot more illegal and illicit crimes.
        But the main interest for most was the drag racing.
        Known among them as Deathcheater, Abbicus had built quite a reputation for herself. She had managed to cheat death an incredible amount of times by her expert handling and she still pushed herself to the limit.  There were mutterings that someday it would be beyond.  As Abbicus pulled up by the curb, Jack and Markus jumped out.  As much as they enjoyed racing, the thought of being in the car with the Deathcheater was enough to make them enjoy watching even more.
      ‘They’re here,’ said Darke fixing the vanity mirror to bring a silver car into view, the bodywork equally as streamlined, the car itself equally as stolen.  It pulled up beside them and the window began to lower silently. 
        It exposed a boy about the same age as Abbicus.  He had tatted black hair.  The driver sat on his far side.  He fashioned a blonde crew cut and determined blue eyes.  His lips were set in a hard line as he glared across at Abbicus and Darke. 
      ‘Hey, Paul,’ winked Abbicus.
      ‘Abbicus,’ replied the driver gruffly.
      ‘I’ll overlook that you never use my pet name and concentrate on the fact of me beating you tonight,’ goaded Abbicus, hanging out of the window towards the other car.
      ‘You sound sure of yourself.’
      ‘Oh, believe me, I am.  But you no what would make this race a teensy bit more exciting?’  She raised her fingers to show just how small it would be.
      ‘And how do you intend to do that?’ scoffed Paul.
      ‘You come from a decent background, don’t you Paul’?  It was true.  Paul’s father owned a diamond mine and made use of many others.  They inhabited a costly mansion complete with its own gardens and lakes.  Paul’s parents were loaded.  With money and other types of payments.  So a little betting for the sake of a petty street rat thief wouldn’t hurt anyone.
      ‘You could say that,’ replied Paul, cautiously, not sure what to expect from this girl with fiery red hair and a reputation that matched.  Instead of Deathcheater, he thought Deathchaser was more apt for her.
      ‘Then what about betting, say… oh, I don’t know… one hundred quid… winner takes all?’
        Darke spluttered beside her. ‘What are you, nuts?’  Abbicus turned and glared at him.
      ‘Calm down, Darke, I know what I’m doing.’
      ‘Oh, you know what you’re doing, do you?’  Sarcasm was big tonight.  ‘What if you lose?  Huh, Abi?  What then?  We live on the streets; sleep wherever we can hole up.  News flash: We don’t have a hundred quid!’
      ‘Darke,’ she stared calmly into his eyes.  Perhaps he had got somewhere.  Perhaps she would call off the bet and just race.  ‘Since when have I ever lost?’  She began to grin in her insane but natural way again a turned back to Paul.  Perhaps he should keep wishing.  ‘So… Paul! What do you think?  Do you accept?’
      ‘Yeah, why not?’  Paul yelled back.  ‘I could do with the extra cash.’
      ‘Then how about raising it by two hundred?’
      ‘Have you lost your mind?’ choked Darke.
      ‘No, I sold it on e-bay,’ came the reply though her eyes remained on Paul. 
      ‘You’re running into risky waters there,’ cautioned an unconcerned Paul, ‘so I accept.  Three hundred it is then, no wait… lets make it five.  I just hope you can pay in cash.’
      ‘Listen, dude, the only money that will be in your hands will be that being handed to me.’
      ‘You wish…’
      ‘Yeah I do, so let’s start this thing!’ interrupted Abbicus.  She stuck her hand out of the window and banged on the roof.  A girl with long legs and the tiniest skirt ever, tottered out to stand between the cars.  ‘Countdown,’ shouted Abbicus.
      ‘Five!’ yelled the girl. Abbicus gripped the steering wheel tighter.
      ‘I still don’t know about this, Abi,’ cautioned Darke.
      ‘Four!’
        Abbicus sighed.  ‘Look, Darke, we’re not gonna lose. And five hundred is a lot of money to turn down.’
      ‘But it’s a lot more when you don’t have it and can’t pay it.’
      ‘Three!’
        Abbicus glanced across at Paul.  It was going to be easy money.  She didn’t know why Darke was worrying.  She never lost, usually.  They needed the money and it would barely make even a scratch in Paul’s pocket let alone a hole.
      ‘Two!’
        She turned her focus back to the road beyond her windscreen.  Her foot was paused over the accelerator, ready and waiting.  She glanced at Darke and all his thoughts that he had spoken before were now just a memory.  He was caught up in the anticipation. 
      ‘One!’
        This was it.  Abbicus felt the excitement build inside her, the adrenalin coursing through her veins.  One last glance at Paul.  The tension rose.  The revving of the engines was loud, growling like a fierce dog not being able to wait his release form his leash to attack.  She could feel the vibrations in her hands, her body.  The last second seemed to last a lifetime…
      ‘GO!’
        Both cars shoot forward simultaneously.  Abbicus floored the accelerator slamming their heads back against the headrests.  The speed was exhilarating; this was what she lived for.  She stuck one hand out of the window and yelled a wordless cry of joy. 
        She returned her hand just in time to take the first corner.  Swinging in tightly, she cut smoothly in front of Paul, applying a little brake.  Paul had to apply a lot more to prevent form causing a crash and putting them both out of the race.  He lost control of the car, swinging from side to side before gaining it again.
        Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Abacus tutted and smiled and applied more pressure for speed.  Darke grinned at her.  ‘Cheap shot,’ he yelled above the engine.
      ‘Well, it worked, didn’t it!’ she yelled back.  Darke laughed and let out an uncharacteristic whoop.
        The buildings outside flew past, a blur of colours, streetlights streaking the night sky.  Abbicus changed gear and swung round the second bend.  She applied more pressure on the accelerator, willing the car to go faster.  Petrol fumes raised in the air, through the windows, the trademark scent to this fast paced madness.  Abbicus glanced automatically in the rear-view mirror.  She could see Paul behind her, trying to overtake.
        She reduced a little speed and took the next corner wide, swinging tightly for the fourth.  Not a single cross over of her hands either.  She reapplied the pressure staying ahead of Paul at all times.  Abbicus laughed out loud as she allowed the car to slide wide around the U-bend in the road, swinging them almost perpetually to one side.  As the road straightened up, she could see the Square in front of them, just a stretch of road between them and the finish line. 
        Abbicus glanced to the left expecting to see just buildings but got a shock when she saw Paul and Asher pull up beside her.  She floored the accelerator instinctively.  She could see Paul’s smug little grin on his face and felt a sudden urge to mess it up badly.  She couldn’t let him win.  She changed gear and willed the car on loudly, shouting out now.  She couldn’t afford to lose.  Literally.  Like Darke had said, they didn’t even have one pound to their name, let alone five hundred of them.  She could see the finishing line and everyone from both sides cheering on their own car.  Abbicus tried to apply more pressure but the accelerator was already floored. 
        Like a bad nightmare, black smoke began billowing out from the engine.  Thick black smoke.  It caught in their throats, as Darke started coughing madly.
      ‘No!’ she screamed.  ‘Not yet, please, not yet!’  And she swore she saw the gleam in Paul’s eyes through the misty haze.  Was he pulling ahead of her?  No, it couldn’t be.  She wouldn’t, couldn’t, let that happen.  She couldn’t see properly because of all the smoke stinging her eyes, obscuring her vision.
      ‘Abi!’ yelled Darke.
      ‘I can’t see!’ she screamed back.
      ‘We need to jump!’
      ‘No!  I have to finish this!’
      ‘Abi!’
        All of a sudden, the car took a burst of speed and shot out by Paul and over the finish line. They would have cheered had circumstances been different but they had more important things on their minds.  Abbicus pulled the steering wheel into a tight lock to the right and slammed on the brakes.
        Darke swung open the door at the same time, grabbing Abbicus and jumping form the still spinning car.  It slammed into the looming brick wall and exploded, the blast sending Darke and Abbicus careering to meet the hard tarmac of the road.  Darke sheltered Abbicus from the debris and flames with his own body.  The heat was intense, smoke still stinging their eyes and caught in their throats.  They had to get away form the wreckage. 
        Darke stumbled to his feet, pulling Abbicus up with him and, keeping her protected, ran towards the groups staring in disbelief.  They gathered around the two worriedly. 
      ‘Stupid car,’ mumbled Abbicus.  Darke was at her side her holding her shoulders. 
      ‘Are you alright, Abi?’  He asked, out of breath. 
      ‘Yeah, I’m grand.  What about you?’  Apart from a few scratches on his face when the shockwave had thrown him the ground, he was okay.
      ‘Deathcheater cheats death again!’ grinned Jack as he and Markus made their way through the crowd.  “And that’s only today’s headline!”
      ‘What happened?’ quizzed Markus.
      ‘I gunned the engine too hard, didn’t I?’ she glanced at Darke who had his placid face back in place, framed by his dreadlocks, as if it were permanent.  What he couldn’t hide from her, though, were his eyes. 
        They both knew it was to do with the low oil but neither said anything about it.  It sounded more daring this way.
      ‘Next time, don’t go so mental,’ scolded Darke playfully.
      ‘I can’t really promise anything on that one,’ she laughed, ‘but you have to admit, it was one wild ride!’
      ‘I s’pose so,’ said Darke, staring thoughtfully at the burning remains of the car.  ‘One thing I am sure of, though, is I doubt the owners gonna agree with us when he finds the state his cars in.’ 
        Abbicus laughed.  She hadn’t laughed in years. 
        But it felt strangely right.