Collision by Alyx D. Vacca (e ink ebook reader TXT) 📖

had cut it out. He could bleed to death! "Tobi, we have to get you to a hospital!" I told him urgently. He shook his head. "You could die, and you do not want to go to a hospital?" This is not one of the times when Tobi is the best person to love. He was incredibly difficult in the most dire situations! He coughed again and blood covered the sidewalk. People were staring now, I saw a few of them reach for their cell phones to call the ambulance or police. Well, if it was the police that they were calling, they could have saved their minutes. They were already here and after us. That was when adrenaline kicked in. I do not remember making the decision to pick Tobi up and sling him over my shoulder in the fire men's carry. But next thing I know, I am running down the street and in between cars doing just that. Cars were all backed up and the police were forced to go after us on foot. We ran between building and through alleyways. Suddenly an hand shot out from behind a garbage bin and grabbed my arm and pulled us into the shadows. A hand gagged me before I could let out a scream. "Do not make a sound," a rough boy-ish voice said from the darkness. I gulped and nodded, I could only assume that Tobi had passed out. The hand dropped from my mouth and on to my wrist. "Follow me." I had no other options. Either run from this person and to the police and who knows what (except Tobi, who I do not think will be able to tell me any time soon), or I could go with this stranger, who might be helping me. Or not. But at least this way there a chance that something good could come out of it. I followed the strange person through countless tunnels and sewers and alleys. Finally it seemed as if we had reached our destination, where ever that was. It was a room, sort of. Made of the walls of the surrounding buildings. There were sleeping bags and piles of blankets everywhere. This was definitely a place where many people lived. Now that we were in better light I could see my captor/rescuer. It was a boy with long-ish dark brown hair that looked like it could use a wash, several actually, he had big brown eyes and looked to be about nineteen. He also looked as if he did not spend all that much time, an in the sun, he skin was so pale, it looked to be on the verge of albino. His clothes were not much more than rags d made of what seemed to be a hundred different color, like a jester that was down on his luck. He gave a sweeping bow and said, "I am known as the great and unpredictable King thief, Bastion!" I stared at him for a moment, and then for some reason I still do not know, I started clapping. Random right? I guess it just felt natural, like after you see a really good performance. He looked up, startled. "Well that's a first!" He was smiling. "Your friend there needs help? You have come to the right place. Put him on the 'hospital' bed over there." He pointed to the one and only actual bed. I tried to, but all my energy seemed to have deserted me. As soon as I lifted up my foot to take a step toward the bed I lost my balance and fell heavily and weariness descended upon me. I struggled to keep my eyes open, losing finally to the deep and welcome darkness. As sleep came over me I felt Tobi being lifted off of me and heard people talking.


Chapter Ten

Oh The Places I Have Been, From the White House and A Palace, To the Den of Thieves.

When I woke up I was surrounded by people I did not know. I can not even begin to guess how many people there were. Possibly twenty, I could not count, they came and went constantly and my head was aching so fiercely that I could not think all that straight. But after lying there for about an hour I remembered suddenly that Tobi tongue was cut off and he was losing a lot of blood and was slowly dieing. I jumped up and the head ache that came with getting up to fast almost killed me. After moaning and cursing for about five minutes without stopping and getting a lot of odd looks, I wobbled over to the bed that held Tobi. Bastion was sitting next to him reading a large book. He when he looked up and saw me he frowned. "You don't look so good," he remarked. "You should sit down." He got up and gestured for me to take his chair. "Thanks," I said, my voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. I sat. "How is he?" I asked. "Bad," was Bastion's answer. "But I am confidant that he will live. That is, if we can get him to wake up." I turned around and looked at him, puzzled I asked, "Why? Wouldn't you want him to stay unconscious? Would it not be better for him to stay asleep so that he feels no pain?" He sighed. "The only way I can help him is if he consents to it, and I can not go into his mind and ask him." "Oh! Are you a wizard?" I was surprised, he did not look to be the wizardly type. "Of course I am not a Wizard!" I guess I was right. "I am insulted that you even thought that!" He glared at me angrily. "Um... Sorry?" "Sorry is right! All I did was help you and then you go and insult me! I am a Demon Healer!" I stared at him, completely baffled. "A Demon Healer is exactly what it sounds like," he said, in a painfully patient tone. "A Demon who is a Healer." "You are a Demon?" I was startled. I had read some of Moran's books on Demons. All of them said that they were evil, and would eat you once you let your guard down. So, if that was true, why was I still alive? "Yeah, yeah. I know what your thinking, 'why am I still alive? When is he going to eat me?' Well guess what?" He glared at me once again. "I am not just a Demon, I am a Demon Healer. There is a difference. The difference is, is that I do not eat humans, nor would I ever really want to. The other difference is that the only magic I have is for Healing. But I can only Heal if people say, 'Bastion you can Heal me', other wise I have to just sit there and watch them die." He sighed, "Rather depressing really. So do you think that you can wake him up? What are you twos names anyways?" I glanced at Tobi and then looked back at the Healer Demon. "I don't know if I can wake him up, but I can try. My name is Jayd and he is known as Tobi." "Toby and Jade huh?" "Tobi is spelled T-O-B-I and Jayd is J-A-Y-D," I said automatically. He nodded like he knew that all a long, "Of course, of course." I rolled my eyes and looked back at Tobi. "So if I can wake him up... You can Heal him?" "Well I can't give him another tongue, but you had better hurry. I have a clamp on what was once his tongue to keep it from bleeding to fast. But he is still bleeding." I nodded and turned back to Tobi. As odd a thought it was I still wondered what kind of kisser he would be now that he did not have a tongue. I shook my head and went back to the task of waking him up. "What have you tried to wake him up?" Bastion shrugged, "All the obvious stuff, shaking, making noise (you did not wake up from that either), we even dumped water on him." I turned and gave him a disapproving glance, "I had wondered why he was wet." I turned once again back to Tobi, "Hey," I said softly, shaking him gently. "You're going to have to do better than that," Bastion said, as he walked away. "I'll leave you to it then!" "Tobi?" I said shaking him again. "Come on, you've got to get up." I sighed, how was I supposed to know what to do to wake him up? I shook him again, I continued to shake him and call his name for hours. Finally Bastion came over and told me that it was night and that I should get some sleep. But I shook my head, I had to wake him up no matter what. I think I was starting to g into panic mode. Late that night, after everyone was a sleep except for the sentries and me, I finally got a response from Tobi. I had almost given up hope that I would ever wake him up in time, his tongue had started to bleed again. I started to cry. The tears fell from my face to his. "Tobi," I sobbed, I could barely stand it anymore, the waiting, the futile hoping. It felt as if nothing was going to work, and my best friend -who might have ended up to be more- was going to die, and I was helpless against it. My voice was getting hoarse from calling to him without break. "Tobi!" That was when I lost all of my will to be strong and I just fell on him and sobbed. About thirty minutes into my breakdown, I felt a hand touch my hair. A big hand that had touched me before and I knew who's it was. "Tobi?" I whispered into his chest. I looked up and saw his arm raised and felt his hand now on my shoulder, but his eyes were still closed. "Tobi?" I said again. "If you hear me nod, OK?" He nodded, just barely, but it was most definitely a nod. "Stay awake OK? I have to go and get some body." As I stood he gripped my arm tightly and shook his head. "What do you mean no? He can help you!" Still he did not relax his grip. "I will be back in next to nothing," I promised as I gently pried his fingers from my wrist. Slowly he took his hand away and I hurried over to Bastion. "Bastion!" The Demon Healer woke up and sat bolt upright. "What is it?" He asked. "Tobi is awake." He jumped up and raced to the bed. "Hello Tobi, my name is Bastion. I have a question for you.