cabinets and a large refrigerator.
What really caught his eye though, the black Oni mask with yellow lines on it and Japanese writing. The scarlet tie hanging on the hook near it also bore Japanese writing. Or kanji (Japanese letters system).
Jael stood up, walked toward the Oni mask and tie.
“Wait,” said a voice.
Jael turned and saw a bald man wearing a Lebron James Cavs sleeveless shirt, and white shorts.
“That mask and tie have special powers, too strong for anyone but me to control.”
“Wh-who are you?”
“I'm a friend. My name is Terrel Gibbs, and I own this place.”
“What happened to me? I hurt all over, and I don't remember much of what happened.”
“You were attacked by three police officers.”
“What- wait, I think it’s starting to come back to me.”
Jael concentrated, trying to remember the incident the stranger mentioned. His thoughts were a bit cloudy, making it difficult to focus and pull forth the particular memory.
“I remember I was walking home from a friend's house, entering my neighborhood. This cop called out to me.”
“What did he say?”
“He used a racial slur, said I shouldn't be coming into his neighborhood.”
“Did you say anything back?”
“I-I told him that this was my neighborhood. I lived here all my life.”
“Is that when he attacked you?”
“No, I-I was struck from behind. I remember hearing curse words and they started beating on me.”
Terrel poured Jael a drink of water in a clear glass. “Here, drink this.”
“They could have killed me. Did you save me?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Why?”
“Because, there is too many bad things happening out there and I think maybe I can do something about it.”
“You said that mask and tie have powers, what do you mean? Are you some kind of superhero?”
“I don't know if I'd go that far.”
Jael smiled. “You saved my life, I don't know how I could possibly repay you.”
“Wait until your wounds heal, and we will try to get in touch with your parents.” Terrel started up the stairs. “I'll bring you something to eat.”
“Okay, thank you. By the way, my name is Jael, Jael Stern.”
“Nice to meet you, Jael.”
“Nice meeting you, Mr. Gibbs.”
“Just Terrel.”
“Okay.”
-
Four days went by quickly. Jael had called his mom and Terrel explained what happened minus the part about the vigilante actions involved that had saved her son’s life. Twenty-five minutes later she showed up at the Closet. Wearing her pj bottoms and a sleeves shirt with flowers decorating it. Her flip-flops clacking on the hardwood floor.
“Jael, are you sure you are okay?”
“Yes, mom – I'm fine.”
Jael's mom looked Jael over, pulled him close for a hug.
“Thanks for helping my son. I was worried sick.”
“It was no problem,” said Terrel. “He should be fine with some more rest; his arm will need to stay immobile to allow the bone fractures to heal.”
“Well, he will be doing that. No more hanging with his friends for a while.”
“But, mom--”
“Don't but mom me, young man.”
Jael's mom led him out of the club, giving him an earful. Walking toward the green Saturn wagon, a cop car drove by. Officer Byrom in the passenger seat.
“I'll be damned,” he muttered as he recognized the boy. “Listen, Murray. Could you do me a favor.”
“What?”
“Could you follow that car that is pulling behind us.”
“Why?”
“I wanna run the plates.”
“I didn't see any violations.”
“Just do it will you,” Officer Byrom said more forcefully.
“Okay, fine.”
Murray pulled into an empty driveway and pulled back out when the coast was clear. Following the Saturn going the other direction. Officer Byrom wrote down the license plate number for reference.
“Murray, thanks.”
“Thanks for what? I don't see why you need to run those plates.”
“Don't worry about it, its probably nothing.”
-
The night came quickly, Terrel put on his dark clothes, the Oni mask and the tie. Out the secret entrance he walked, disappearing from sight. Like magic, perhaps the darkest kind. Where he walked, a different plane of existence taking him where ever the strongest emanations of evil were. He reappeared beside an alley way. The dive bar nearby had a drunken man harassing a woman. Terrel followed them, his method of travel allowing him to interact with the world. Nothing could interact with him unless he allowed it. Such power, always comes with a price.
The would-be rapist struck the woman with a meaty hand; she fell on her side, her hands out to keep her head from smacking against the street. The drunk got on top of her, pulling at her shirt, to tear it open so he could get at her breasts. Terrel took the fat drunk by the cuff of his neck, and tossed him onto his back. Terrel's boot struck the ribcage, blood came freely to the drunks mouth. The drunkard looked around, seeing no one else save him and the woman he tried to rape.
“What the hell?” he managed.
An invisible hand seized the drunkard by the throat, lifting him of the ground easily. The woman watched all of this in a mixture of horror and disbelief. She crawled away until she could bring herself to her feet to run away from the madness.
The drunkard felt a fist hit him once, twice, the third time knocking him out. The drunkard slumped in Terrel's grip and he laid the man down on the paved sidewalk like hippo spread out. The markings on the Oni Mask glowed making Terrel's eyes turn from the tinted yellow to a brighter yellow. Turning on his heel, Terrel left the man to wake up stupefied.
-
Officer Byrom, Jacks and Lennon pulled in front of the old house that Ms. Stern and her son lived. They rode in a black van with fake license plates. Byrom sat in the passenger seat, Jacks drove, and Lennon sat in the back getting their gear ready.
Byrom said, “Everyone should know their part. We get in, we take the kid, and we burn down the house. “
Lennon giggled. “With this old house, should be easy. A fire trap in the making.”
“Me and Jacks will head upstairs then. We have ten minutes to do this.”
The third officer smiled. “Then I call it in use and this voice modulator I picked up.”
“Exactly, Jacks. Let's do this.”
The three men made it across the street. Carefully, keeping out of sight except to a dog in the neighbor's fenced in yard that noticed them. It didn't bark, just laid its head back down. Byrom checked the door knob to see if it was locked. It turn easily and he slowly opened the door. Using caution, he crept into the house, mindful not to make noise. Lennon went to the back of the house, looking into the electrical junction box on the outside. There was a padlock on it that he removed with a crowbar. He looked around, the ski mask only showing his eyes and lips. He reached into his bag and with his electrician tools set up the short to cause the fire.
Jacks went by the staircase that led upstairs. Seeing with his green eyes the door five feet from the staircase. He opened it slowly, finding only a closet filled with jackets hung up. Closing the door, Jacks looked to the kitchen. Sneaking in there, the floors creaked so he made some noise until he figured out which spots were sturdier in the hardwood floor.
Byrom checked the first room to the right of the winding staircase. An attic filled with some pl
astic boxes with their lids tightly closed. He moved to the door in the center. It had a poster of Kobe Bryant on it. Byrom opened the door gently. Seeing Jael in bed, eyes closed, he entered, dodging some of the dirty laundry on the floor. He put his hand over the kid's mouth, waking him up.
“Make a sound, and you and your mom are dead.”
Jael blinked a few times, getting up at Byrom's instruction. Byrom had a pistol at Jael's back. Jael's arm was in a sling after being broken. He moved delicately not to wake his mom. Byrom quietly led him downstairs.
Jacks found in a cabinet near the back door a metal cash-box filled with money. He pried it open, finding nearly six hundred dollars in it. Stuffing it into his pocket, he put the cash-box back.
“That is not yours,” said a voice by his ear.
“What the hell?” Jacks said in a lowered tone.
Someone hit Jacks in the back of the neck. He fell to his side, holding his neck in pain. No one else there but him when he looked around. The kick that hit his chin nearly took his head off. Jacks blinked a couple of times, the inkiness of an unconscious state rapidly swallowing his vision.
Terrel made toward the staircase as he saw Byrom leading Jael down the steps by gun point. The other plane of existence he moved in allowed Terrel