Chapter Three - The Discovery - Cont'd

The Wraith.

She liked the sound of that. It sounded… empowering.

Maggie had asked her if she was a superhero now. Why not? James thought. Someone to right the wrongs, to offer assistance when in desperate need, to avenge… avenge what? Scorned women? The lovelorn? Unrequited love?

Maybe just to be a hand in need when a woman doesn’t realize what’s in front of her. Maybe someone to help her escape an inescapable situation. Someone to prevent the damage before the damage is done. James knew a lot of damaged women, being one herself.

The idea intrigued her. But, really, a superhero? She didn’t read comic books. She liked movies based on comic books, if they were well done. Most weren’t. And why did they always wear spandex? No lycra for the Wraith.

James walked to her closet, peering inside. Wraith. What does one wear as a wraith? Wraith, she knew, was an apparition, sometimes something that appeared to portend one’s death. Sometimes defined as a spirit over the waters. She had done a bit of research herself while waiting to hear from Maggie. Portend one’s death. Hmmm, sounded interesting.

Inside her closet, which had been severely pruned, nothing appeared terribly superhero-like. She picked out what had become her favorite outfit – jeans, white cotton man’s shirt, boots. She was just about the close the closet door when something caught her eye. She reached way in the back, pulling out a long, dark riding coat. A leftover from him. She hadn’t been able to part with it yet hadn’t been able to figure out why. Now she knew. Part of the man who had killed her – almost killed her—was to figure into this escapade somehow. She pulled the coat on, snapping the collar to attention. It covered her face quite nicely. I need a hat, she thought. Something dark and low, leather, maybe. She’d have to find something.

Looking in the mirror, she was stunned by what she saw. She seemed taller, broader, more… substantial. The collar hid her face but her dark red hair was startling above it. Maybe she could do this. Be a superhero.

She laughed out loud. Okay, get real. A superhero. Yeah. Right. But she looked in the mirror and that’s what it seemed like.

Suddenly, a vision hit her that she couldn’t avoid. Her knees buckled and she grabbed on to the dresser to hold herself up. No vision had ever hit her this hard. She could see a woman, standing at her window, a car idling outside. She could hear the woman saying, “go away.” That’s all she got before it was gone.

She couldn’t get to her car fast enough, something driving her and guiding her. She wheeled down the precarious driveway, narrowly missing the walls on the way down. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew she had to get there.

*********************
James arrived just in time. The car was idling but he wasn’t in it. He was standing on the curb, the woman’s wrist clenched in his hand, his dark leather cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. She was trying to get away and he clamped his hand over her mouth before she could scream.

He never knew what hit him. He just saw the sidewalk coming up to his face too fast for him to stop it from breaking his nose. The next thing he saw was a beat-up red leather boot – or at least the toe of said boot – holding his neck to the ground. The shadow looming over him seemed huge, the coat flapping like something out of a John Woo film.

“See, it’s guys like you that piss off women like me.”

“What?” he tried to say but his windpipe was almost closed by her foot.

“She’s not interested in you anymore. Take the hint and shove off.”

He mumbled something angry and she just laughed.

“Did you just tell me to fuck off?”

He grunted again.

Her foot cut that short. She somehow knew when to let the pressure of so as to not kill him, just knock him out cold.

“They never learn.”

James turned to the woman who was cowering against the stairs. She slowly sunk down next to her, checking the woman’s wrist. The woman pulled away, shaking her head.

James stood up and flipped open her cell phone. She dialed 9-1-1. When they answered, she explained about the assault and assured the dispatcher she’d be waiting.

The woman stood shakily, reaching for James’ phone.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why?”

“It won’t stop him. I’ve tried that. There’s a restraining order and he just keeps showing up. The police hassle him, he goes away, but he always comes back.” Her haunted eyes roamed over his prostrate body.

“Sounds like he needs to learn a lesson.”

James smiled slowly, an idea growing in her mind. The woman wasn’t sure she liked that smile.

***********************

When the police arrived, there was nothing there but a smudge of blood on the sidewalk, not enough to interest them.

***********************

The man woke slowly, his vision blurred from the lack of oxygen. He stared at the shadow in front of him, not being able to make out exactly what it was. But he knew the voice.

“You need to understand the meaning of the word ‘no’.”

“What do you mean?”

“The lady told you not to come around before, right?”

“What?”

James spoke very slowly. “The – lady – said – don’t – come – ‘round, - correct?”

“Yeah, I guess, but she didn’t mean it.”

“You are going to learn that she did.”

Suddenly, he felt a great pain in his groin. Then he realized that he was hanging upside down and his hands were tied. He realized this because he couldn’t use his hands to release the vice grip on his nuts.

“Stop!”

“I don’t think you mean it.”

The grip tightened.

“Stop!!”

“I don’t think you really mean it.”

Tighter.

He couldn’t say anything and the world swirled in front of him.

“Do you now understand that she meant it?”

He tried to nod but his head hurt when he did it.

“I’m sorry, I guess I was wrong and you don’t understand.”

Unbearable pain.

“No, stop, please!”

“Is that what she said to you?”

“What?”

“Did she say, no, go away, I don’t want you to come around?”

“Y-y-yeah.”

“What?”

More pain.

“Yeah!!!”

“So you now understand what?”

He couldn’t speak.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you.”

“No. She said no. She said don’t come… not anymore.”

“And do you think she meant it?”

“What?”

More pain.

“Stop! No. I mean, yes, I mean. Yes, she meant it.”

“And what does that mean to you?”

“Go away. Don’t come back.”

“And you’re not going to come back, are you?”

He whimpered a “no.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understood you.”

“No, not coming back.”

“Cuz I’ll know if you did. And I’ll make you understand even better about the concept of not coming back. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

His breath was coming in pain-filled gasps now.

“Yeah, I got it.”

He came down with a thud. The sound of her bootheels echoed in his head and he noticed that she had his hat as he lost consciousness.