Valerie (2)

I spent the next week testing myself both physically and mentally. I found that I could lift the front of my car off the ground with relative ease, it felt like when I used to deadlift about sixty percent of my maximum lift. As for mentally, I tested myself by reading through some of medical textbooks early in the week and trying to recall as much as I could at the end of the week. By the end of the week I was still able to not only remember everything I read word for word, but I also had a deep understanding of the content, far deeper than I had previously. It was like everything just clicked. As I expected, my brain cells must have increased in number whilst decreasing in size as well, providing me with a greatly increased mental capacity. Despite this, it was still a shock to have that level of recall and processing. I had always been good, but this was on a whole other level. It was going to take some getting used to.

When Sunday finally arrived, it was time to meet Valerie in the city for a coffee catch up. I had chosen somewhere crowded to prevent the whole situation getting to personal, I just wanted her to feel like she had repaid her debt and move on with her life. To be honest I wasn't sure what to expect, I may have just been blowing it out of proportion in my mind. After mulling everything over during the uneventful drive into the city I decided that I was over thinking things and she probably just wanted to chat to someone who would understand about had happen. It was a short walk from the carpark to Coffee Hut, the large coffee shop I had chosen. When I arrived, I found her sitting outside at one of the tables, it was a clear warm day and she was making the most of it. I wasn't prepared for what I saw when I got closer. I was assaulted by her beauty, that night in the alleyway I could tell that she was beautiful despite the fear in her eyes, the darkness and her makeup smudged from her tears, but I was not prepared for this. She was a wearing a florally summer dress that finished just above her knees, her wavy golden-brown hair was like graceful waterfall traveling halfway down her back. Her lips were a dark red and eyes were pool of deep green that you could easily get lost in. Her eyes and lips were accentuated by the flowers of reds and greens on her dress. Valerie's skin was an intriguing mixture of pale white that had been kissed by the sun, giving her a beautiful golden glow all over. To say that she was beautiful was to say that ocean is kind of big or that the sun is a little hot, it just didn't do her justice. Her beauty was unrivalled, it was worthy of Venus or Aphrodite. Before I could dwell on it too much longer, she noticed my presence.

"Zach" Valerie called out gleefully, as a brilliant smile spread across her face and she waved at me. I smiled and waved back as I walked over.

"Hi Valerie, how has your day been?" I asked with a smile.

"It's been good, I've been enjoying the sunshine. It's good to finally see you again."

"Ah yeah, sorry about that it's been difficult time for me recently, so I've been a little out of it."

"Because of the police questioning?"

"No, that was fine, unfortunately my wife passed away almost four months ago, and I haven't been dealing with it particularly well."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'm sorry I pestered you so much…" Valerie trailed off with the sound of guilt seeping through her voice.

"Don't be sorry, you weren't to know. Anyways, I'm here now so what say we get a coffee. What would you like to drink?"

"No, you can't get them, I'm supposed to get the drinks to say thank you. So, what would YOU like to drink?" she said with a cheeky smirk.

"Ok, sorry I forgot. Can I please have a flat white?"

"Sure" she smiled as she waltzed off to the cashier.

Just as quickly as she had left, she returned and sat down opposite me.

"Thank you very much for the coffee." I smiled.

"You're welcome, thank you so much for coming to our aid."

"No worries, I couldn't just leave you in a situation like that, I'm sure anyone else would have done the same thing. Anyways, how have you been coping since then?"

"I've been alright thanks to you, thankfully you came before things could get out of hand…." Valerie trailed off as she slunk into her chair and her vibrant personality faded away.

Maybe she saw something or someone that scared her.>

I nonchalantly turned and looked over my left shoulder to not raise any attention to my movements. Standing about four hundred metres behind us was a group of four outlaw bikers, they looked like they were searching for someone.

I questioned Valerie about the bikers, she had been reluctant to say anything at first but after I kept pressing her, she finally opened up. She told me that her ex-boyfriend, James, got deep into methamphetamines and ended up with a large drug debt to one of the outlaw biker gangs. He knew that he couldn't repay them and that they would kill him if he couldn't repay them, so he decided to skip town. Unfortunately, he didn't tell his sister this or to lay low while they were looking for him. Instead he left her in the lurch in his steed. He like any other drug addict was only concerned with feeding his habit and didn't care who he hurt in the process, which made it hard to hate him, but also made it hard to like him. Apparently, since he had gone missing the outlaws had been chasing Valerie for payment and had even threaten her life if he couldn't pay up. Of course, he wasn't there to hear any of this and instead Valerie had been left in a very dangerous place.

"Ok, let's go for a walk" I casually requested as I saw the outlaws identify Valerie and start to move toward us. Valerie nodded and we left for the closest alleyway. As we entered the alley, I could hear the footsteps of the four outlaws approaching.

"Valerie, I want you to keep going, go to my car and wait for me. It's two blocks down and to the left." I called to Valerie as I threw her my keys when we were halfway down the alley.

"Ok"

"Hey Valerie, whatever happens, whatever you hear, don't look back and keep moving forward. If you don't see or hear from me in thirty minutes, then leave and never look back."

I stopped halfway along the alley and watched her run away. As she disappeared from sight, I could hear the footsteps grow much closer.

"Can I help you gentlemen with anything?" I asked nonplussed.

"Get the fuck out of the way boy!" One of them shouted back at me.

"Mmmmm….nah I'm good." I smiled. Two of them drew hunting knives and one of them drew a 9mm pistol in response.

I smiled as they drew closer. One of the outlaws swung at me with his knife.

"Too slow" I laughed as I subtly stepped aside and redirected his blade into his heart. Not a moment after the blade penetrated his chest, his face twisted in agony and he fell lifeless to the ground. The unarmed man slowly edged towards me in a fighting pose, looking like he was ready strike at any moment. I casually walked in his strike zone and he launched an all-out attack against me.

"Pathetic" I taunted him as not a single strike caused me any feeling. As he recoiled in anguish, I threw a punch with all my might and landed it squarely in the middle of his forehead. Squish! There was a wet sound as the punch landed and his head left his body in tiny fragments scattered throughout the alleyway. The other two outlaws stood there in complete disbelief at what had taken place before them. In a fluid movement that felt almost instinctual I closed the distance between to the other two. I grabbed the barrel of the pistol and crushed it like clay in my hands, before I spun a kick to the knee of the knife wielder. As his knee buckled and hit the ground, I relieved his hands of the hunting knife and gave both his and the other outlaw's brain a firm introduction to the idiosyncrasies of its blade. After I had enlightened them, their bodies slumped to the floor and I cleaned the blade and stashed it away on myself as I left for the car.

When I reached the car, I found Valerie cowering in the corner of the carpark, clutching both her knees.

"It's ok, I'm here and they're not to bother you anymore." I called out, Valerie was shaken back to reality and almost jumped out of her skin as she heard my voice. She looked at me with tears streaming down her face and fear deep in her eyes.

"I didn't think they would let you go" she cried.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. How about we head to my house and lay low for a while. I'll organise for your car to be towed to my house in a couple of days." I reassured her. She nodded a slow nod in acceptance, and we made our way towards my house.

Not too long after we arrived at my house.

"Sorry the place is a mess, you take the bedroom and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out."

"Of course, the couch is surprisingly comfy anyway."

Valerie smiled and walked to the bedroom and went to sleep. I smiled back and set up the couch.

While I was sitting on the couch, I started searching the internet for anything of use and before too long I stumbled across the United States Marine Manual for Disarming IEDs thanks to a few torrents and questionable websites. I printed off the manual and read through it as I fell asleep on the couch.

My slumber was interrupted the sound of footsteps quietly working their way towards me. I slowly positioned myself to see who was coming towards me without making it obvious that I had noticed them. I was prepared for almost anything to be coming at me, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw next. Valerie was standing at the end of the hallway, illuminated by the moonlight coming through the nearby window. Her golden-brown hair was so entrancing in the moonlight it seemed to be glowing. Her skin danced with the moon, following her beautifully feminine curves as it went and was only interrupted by an inviting set of black lacy lingerie that left very little to the imagination. The site of her standing there beckoning me with her deep green eyes was more than any man could handle, could this woman really be human and not a goddess or an angel.

"Zach…..Would it be ok….if I joined you tonight...I'm scared to be alone." She shyly asked as her deep green pools pleaded with me.

"Valerie, you're not alone. I'm right here, I'll keep a watch over you. Go back to bed, everything is going to be ok."

"Please…." For the first time I could see the terror in her eyes. The last time I saw eyes like that was the moment before the accident when I told Amy that I was sorry and that I loved her.

"I can't…" I muttered deeply conflicted.

"Please…" she pleaded with tears welling up in her terror ridden eyes. Eyes that the deeper I gazed into the deeper I got lost and the more I saw Amy standing there.

"Fine, but can you at least put a shirt on. I haven't shared a bed with a woman for a while and I'm just not ready to be that close to anyone yet."

She nodded in acceptance, put on one of my shirts and crawled onto the couch with me. There was barely enough room for one person of this couch, so things were far closer than I would have liked. She saddled up next to me as I lay on my back staring at the ceiling, trying to distract myself from the feeling of her body pressed up against me. I tried to ignore it but before I block everything out, Valerie broke through my defences and kissed me on the cheek as she thanked me and rested her head on my chest and went to sleep.