There Can Be Only One (#4)

Phil ran up a sidewalk that led into the college campus. He had to hide in the trees next to a building to keep from being seen from the street.

Carefully, he looked out to see if he had been followed. In the streetlight, there was a man with almost frizzy blond hair wearing a trench coat. He was slowly walking toward him, but was not holding a weapon. Before he came close enough to see Phil, he stopped. In a voice that was just loud enough for Phil to hear the man said, “I know you’re here, but this is no place for our business. Tomorrow night I’ll be at the Dwarf’s Playhouse by two in the morning. If you don’t show, I don’t want to see you on the campus again.”

He began to back away toward the street. In a moment, he turned and headed for a car that was parked on the street nearby.

Phil guessed that the immortal worked at the college. Maybe he was a teacher or something. He was sure he had come from one of the faculty buildings.

When he was gone, Phil made his way back to his campsite.

…….

No man is an island.

…….

The next afternoon, Phil was on David Palmer’s porch sitting in one of the lawn chairs as his host handed him a Pepsi.

“So what is this Dwarf’s Playhouse?”

“Let’s go there now. You can see it for yourself,” suggested Dave. He reached inside the front door of his house and brought out a Japanese sword—a katana.

Dave placed his sword on the back seat of his black Honda Accord as the two strapped in.

The Dwarf’s Playhouse was a cement block structure at the end of a street that would have dead-ended in a large fallow field if it hadn’t been built. There didn’t seem to be anything special about the building until Phil ducked into the low opening that was its entrance.

At first, the interior walls seemed to be covered with graffiti, but after a closer look, these were fine lined painted drawings of funny looking humanoid figures, animals and landscapes. These were not the spray painted gang symbols, initials, and obscenities that Phil had expected to see.

“Kids come here with flashlights at night to walk through this maze of cement blocks and look at the strange drawings you see,” said Dave as he came in behind Phil.

“There doesn’t seem to be electricity in here. I guess it would be pretty eerie here at night,” responded Phil.

“When so many kids show up at the same time, it kind of spoils the effect,” laughed Dave. “It’s like a line to ride the roller coaster that runs through here on some nights.”

“I can’t see this as a place for a fight,” declared Phil.

“You don’t intend to meet that guy, do you?”

“I can’t run forever. I should face him.”

“You’ll die.”

“I’m supposed to be dead anyway. I’ve lost all that I used to have and even the memories of who I was.”

“You can make a new life for yourself,” said Dave. “I can help you.”

“How can I know who I am unless I remember something? How can I remember unless I am in familiar surroundings? I can’t go back home because I’m supposed to be dead.”

“You’re alone too much. Why don’t you move in with me? You’ll have a room and the freedom to come and go, as you like. It’s starting to get cold at night. At least spend the winter at my house.”

“Maybe I will move in.”

“Anytime you’re ready.”

“Do you think he wants to fight me here?” asked Phil changing the subject.

“Many immortals play the game their own way. Maybe he thinks he has an edge by fighting you here. You should always try to pick your own ground for a battle. Has your sword come yet?” asked Dave.

“My instructor has it, but he wants all the money first,” replied Phil.

“Let’s go get it. You can pay me back as soon as you can.”

…….

A quickening is supposed to be a violent transfer of an immortal’s strength to the immortal who takes his head. Doc had told Phil that the jangling, electric feeling an immortal gets when coming near another of his kind, is only the barest whisper of the feeling when receiving someone’s quickening.

Phil understood that if he took a head, he would be stronger and able to stand a better chance of survival in the deadly game all immortals sooner or later are compelled to play.

He had begun to think it wasn’t worth trying to live this way. When he had discovered the immortal at the college, the man had come right to the point and challenged him. Phil had some training now, but he felt very inadequate to hold his own in a fight to the death—which meant the taking of a head.

He had wanted to live when he had met that girl at her party—Andrea. If his life had someone like her in it, he knew he would want to live even with the strange immortal rules. Yet, she was just a new acquaintance. There was nothing more than friendship potential between them that she could easily cast aside. Her doing so would mean little to her and much more to him because he was so lonely.

Yesterday, Dave Palmer had offered to share his house with him after he had expressed his thought of just giving up his head. Maybe Dave just felt sorry for him, but a definite offer of friendship was made.

A flash of memory came to him. Someone had told him, “To make a friend, you have to be a friend.” It had been his Dad.

Phil decided he would be a friend to Dave. Trusting someone was so much easier than trusting no one.

More to come....