The Crippled

I was so absorbed by the closeness of Ezra that I didn't notice when she finished fixing my clothes and moved away, opening the door. "Your turn to help me with my clothes, handsome." She said, grinning and turning around, regaining my full focus.

My stupid mind was so blank I couldn't process what she had told me and I just stood there watching her pick some clothes, as if everything else was the last of her worries.

She walked back to me. "What are you still standing here for? Move, I need to change." She ordered before adding with a teasing voice "Unless you want to help me get dressed."

"O-of course not!!!" I yelled, stepping away and she giggled, closing the door.

I went to the mirror and admired myself. The shirt was so tight that I felt ridiculous. It looked like I wasn't wearing anything because every curve of my muscles was clearly showing through the fabric.

I look stupid in this. Why do rich people like to torture themselves like that? If I was to move too hastily, it will indeed be ripped apart.

"Hey, doc." Called the feminine voice from behind the door "You still there?"

"Where would I go?" I asked, still trying to fix my outfit.

"Which one do you think is better? Silk or leather?"

I turned around, narrowing my eyes at the door as if she can see me glaring at her. "You have been in there for ten minutes and you haven't decided what to wear yet?"

"Yes. Silk or leather?" She asked again, ignoring my reprimanding tone.

"I don't know. The leather, I guess? You're a young woman so I think it will suit you more."

"Yeah...I will just try both."

"Arghhh..." I grumbled.

We're going to stay here forever. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. If she can stay in there for the next two hours, we may not be able to make it to that opera and we probably won't die today. I reassured myself, sitting on a red comfortable sofa across the changing room and I waited.

I placed my head into my hand, leaned to the side and I realized how tired my body is. Travelling for eleven hours, being beaten up by 6 men, watching a man being cut to pieces, sleeping for 4 hours, following after a psycho... all of those can't be healthy.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy and my head kept sinking and jolting up until I dozed off. The next second, I found myself standing in the rain, with bushes and trees as tall as the sky, mud beneath my feet, and rocks everywhere around me. Looking up to the sky, I felt drops of water on my body even though the weather was warm.

Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes. I didn't have a chance to turn around when I felt a sharp pain pierce my right shoulder and chest. My gaze slowly fell on the painful area, and that's when I saw the grip of a large dagger held by a thin and small hand, with the greater part of the blade inside my body. I couldn't see the face of my assaulter because I didn't look up and kept watching the dagger coming out of my flesh with a waterfall of blood flowing quickly.

When it was all out, my body staggered backward and I fell into a ditch. The last thing I saw before my vision went all black was a thin figured shadow hovering over me. I wasn't able to distinguish anything from its gibberish speech.

"Hey...Hey!!!....HEY!!!" A sharp voice was screaming at me and I opened my eyes, hastily jumping on my feet, Instinctively taking a defensive position, but only saw Ezra standing in front of me, wearing a questioning look "You're okay?"

"Y-yeah...I just...had a nightmare...I think." I answered, looking at my hands which were shaking violently with a sharp pain striking me in my right shoulder.

"Seriously?... I know you men hate shopping but sleeping like this is just rude." She complained, turning around. "Wear your jacket. We're leaving." I wasn't focused on Ezra's words and kept looking blankly at my hands.

What was that? Why do I feel pain where my scar is? I'm sweating, shaking, and defensive...That's...trauma? Is it possible that I have been living with trauma all my life without noticing? And if so, what triggered it now? Was it because of my talk with Ezra? She said the scar wasn't from a fall and maybe that just got to my head. What I saw in my dream can't be true. Right?

"Doc!!!" the same voice brought me back. "What the fuck are you doing stalling over there?!! Come on!!!" I joined her, throwing my jacket over my shoulder and running towards the shop's exit door.

"You look stunning." I complimented the frowning woman in front of me. She really looked beautiful, with her tight brown leather skirt which was showing the gracefulness of her slender legs, and a white top, completing her outfit with a big white fur coat. No denying it, luxury suited her well. "I see you opted for the leather." I went on.

"Yeah...I look good in anything anyway. We're going to be late. Let's get it moving." She ordered.

"Whose fault is that?" I whispered to myself.

We climbed back into the taxi and continued our ride to the theater. A moment later, we arrived to our destination and went in. It was a huge historical building with a gothic architectural style. Once inside the theatre, a man wearing a suit greeted us and invited us to sit in the VIP seats on the balcony. Obviously, Roy pulled one of his stunts to get us those seats, I thought to myself, climbing the stairs.

We sat down comfortably and straight away, the lights were turned off and the theater became dark. I turned my head to look at Ezra. She was looking intently at the balcony seats facing us. "Is he sitting there?" I asked and she just nodded in response. "So...what's your plan to get to him and how are you going to make him talk? You don't have any weapon."

"I don't need weapons. My strength and those ropes will be enough." she said, pointing at the theatre ropes used to maintain the lighting system and other materials.

"Ropes? What are you going to do with them?"

"Hang him." She answered quickly without thinking twice.

"What?!" My surprise was disrupted by the starting of the show when loud singing resonated from the stage. Ezra stood up leaving her seat. "Where are you going?!...Ezra!!!" I called her but she was already gone.

"Arghhhh...Why the hell am I still trying to keep up with her? Forget it. I'm not going after her this time. Hang him? In a public place like this? That's a death sentence. Does she think she's invincible? Fuck this. I'm not going anywhere." I stayed seated and crossed my arms as a sign of my objection.

My eyes stayed on the stage and I tried to ignore everything, focusing on the show, but a voice in my head kept telling me that Ezra is going to do something foolish.

My worries were confirmed when I saw the men who were standing next to our target, moving, looking alarmed towards the lobby. Sighing deeply, I stood up fast and ran after her. I walked down the common lobby that connected both balconies, and got greeted by two men bodies on the floor. I walked toward the second balcony. Jumping over them, one of those men grabbed my ankle and I kicked him in reflex. They weren't dead.

I moved forward to see Ezra standing on a seat, delivering strong blows to one of the bodyguard's face while a man in a fancy suit was squatting, trying to hide. The bodyguard tried to carry her and throw her away but she held him tightly, climbed on his shoulders with a graceful move, and squeezed his neck between her thighs while pivoting her body, and cracked his bones. A lifeless body falling to the ground.

She stood up like a lioness on the hunt and looked at her next prey who was yelling at her in a foreign language. Ezra strolled towards him and grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him to the edge. She stretched out her body, grabbed the dangling rope and wrapped it around his neck.

"Do you know who I am, fucker?" She asked, holding him still.

"N-no....I-I...don't know you...who sent you to kill me?!" He said in gibberish english.

"I ask the questions here!!!" She yelled in his face and I felt like he was going to pee himself... because i feel like peeing myself. "I'm a hired assassin. I'm Ezra, the angel of death. Your people hired me on a job in the U.S. and stood me up. No one plays me so now, be a good boy and tell me whose order was it or I'm throwing you to become a bird... who can't fly." She threatened, shaking him.

"I-I don't know..."

"Liar!!! Speak. Now!!"

He looked at her with empty eyes and said in a barely audible voice. "The crippled is going to get back to you."

"The crippled? Who the fuck is that? Is he the boss? Where is he? Answer me!!!"

"I'm never giving my great master away!!!" He yelled back.

"Lovely. Then I'm throwing you down to hell!!!"

He looked up, moving his lips like he was saying a prayer before looking back at her face and screaming. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY MASTER!!! IF I'M GOING TO HELL YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, BITCH!!!"

He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and threw himself backward. She didn't have enough time to react and I witnessed a horrified Ezra and the man flying over the edge. I run quickly trying to catch her but didn't make it.

Fortunately, Ezra's reflexes acted and she managed to have a grip on the underside of the balcony. I tried to stretch my body to reach her but in vain, she was too far. She, on the other hand, was squirming and kicking and I didn't understand why she was fighting so much when she's in a dangerous situation, until I noticed that suicidal man holding her legs, refusing to let go, even with all the kicks he was taking to the head.

"Ezra!!! Ezra!!! Stop moving!!! You will fall!!!" I cried.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!" She yelled, kicking harder and I saw her beginning to slip.

Panicked, I pleaded her. "Please! Stop moving Ezra!!!"

She looked up at me and for the first time since that cursed day I met this woman, I saw fear and uncertainty in her eyes. For once, she didn't know what to do. "Help me..." She breathed.

I was in shock, I never expected to hear those words coming out of Ezra's mouth. "Alex. Help me!!! I know I deserve to die but I can't die now and especially not in a fucking opera!!! Do something!!!"

I turned around and moved my head from left to right and only found one solution. Walking carefully towards the bodyguard's body, I took his gun and ran to the edge again. I pointed it down and Ezra widened her eyes. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! PUT THAT SHIT DOWN!!! YOU'RE GOING TO SHOOT ME!!! YOU WON'T MAKE IT!!! STOP!!!"

I ignored her distress and my body took control of my mind, moving on its own. I aimed at Ezra's leg and saw her shaking her head violently in disapproval. "Don't do it..."

My finger pressed the trigger and the bullet left the gun to land into the hand holding Ezra down. The man screamed in pain and let go of her leg, continuing his fall until the rope ended and he became suspended in the air from his neck. He fought the rope for a few seconds, trying to free himself, but stopped when he took his last breath, his body becoming flabby.

Ezra took this opportunity to climb up and I took her arm lifting her. When she landed safely on the balcony, she looked down and then up at me, smiling. "Wow...I never knew you were a good shooter."

"Me neither." I answered, looking at the gun in my hand until the realisation of what I have done struck me. "Oh my God...I killed him...I shot someone...he's dead...Oh my God." I let go of the gun and passed both hands in my hair, pulling it hard while squating down.

"No.No.No. You can't have a mental breakdown right now. We have to leave."

"I killed him." I repeated.

She descended to my level and peered into my face. "You didn't kill him. Gravity and the rope I wrapped around his neck did and plus, you saved me, so stop whining and let's get out of here."

Abruptly, a woman's scream was heard and the music stopped while a commotion started among the spectators. They had finally noticed the body of a man hanging from the balcony. Ezra grabbed me by my arm with one hand and grabbed the gun next to me with the other. She stood up and ran to the lobby while screaming at me "Run, Idiot, Run!!!"

Two security guards were running in our direction and she took them out easily with two clean head-shoots. We kept running and were able to get out of the theater after getting away from the security.

When we reached the street, Ezra whistled for a taxi and we drove off quickly. She reached for her phone, dialed a number and placed it on her ear. "Roy!!! I'm in deep shit. Get your ass over here now!!!"

She hang up and looked back, making sure no one was following us, then moved her eyes to my face. I dropped my gaze to my arm where she was still holding me. She moved her hand away instantly and turned her head to the window.

Suddenly, a black car cut off the road in front of us and the front door opened with Roy behind the wheel. "YOU TWO. IN THE CAR. NOW!!!" He ordered. We jumped out of the taxi and ran towards Roy's car. He took off at full speed and we were out of the area in no time without any police car chasing us.

"VERDAMMT LASTIGES KIND (You fucking troublesome child)!!! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! WHAT WORD DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND IN 'DON'T MAKE A MESS'?! HANG HIM?! IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE? YOU ARE NOT CRAZY. YOU ARE MUCH MORE BEYOND THAT!!!" He roared hitting the steering wheel a few times.

Ezra reacted with a hysterical laugh. "What's so funny now?" asked Roy, annoyed.

"That was epic. Oh my god. One of the best killings I've ever done." She answered, wiping one of the tears that formed in her eyes from laughter.

"Unbeleivable..." he whispered. "One day you're going to give me a stroke. I'm too old for this shit." Roy said, rubbing his left chest.

"I was going to fall of the balcony with that guy. I was going to die in an opera. can you believe that Roy?" She went on while laughing.

"WHAT?!"

"The doc saved me by shooting him. This guy knows how to shoot somehow." She said, pointing at me and kept laughing uncontrollably.

"WHO did WHAT?!" He asked, his face changing from expression to expression and he glanced at me using his rearview mirror.

Ezra laughed for a moment as if she's having the best time of her life. "Did you finally go completely mad?" Asked Roy.

"I'm laughing because everything is so ironic. I was going to meet my end by falling from a theatre balcony because of a coward. I was saved by the doctor's miraculous new-found shooting talent. And to top it all, a man with a fucking stupid nickname of the crippled is after me for some reason."

The car stopped abruptly with the wheels squealing and Roy faced Ezra with a horrified look. "THE CRIPPLED HIMSELF IS AFTER YOU?!?"