Escape to Earth 1: Running From Fate (4 page)

Lucas listened and almost lost interest until he heard the young man that worked in the store say, “Let me tell ya, I believe in using a wax with paraffin.”

Lucas’ mouth fell open and he followed the two back into the store. The two men went to the back of the store to a display that read CAR DETAILING. The worker took a can and handed it to the car owner. They walked to the front of the store and Lucas walked over and lifted one of the cans. He read the ingredients and pressed the button on his wrist unit, “Guess what I’m holding?”

“What?”

“It’s something called car wax.”

“I know what that is. It’s used to make a car’s surface shiny. You don’t need it; I can make my surface shiny without it.”

“One of its major components is paraffin.”

“Say what?”

“Paraffin.”

“BUY ALL THEY HAVE AND BRING IT HERE NOW!!”

“Don’t get excited. There’s more than sixty cans of this stuff. I’ll buy four or five and bring them to you.”

“HURRY!”

Lucas purchased five cans along with a car cover just like the one the young human purchased in front of him. He exited the store and began running up the hill. He saw the three humans that planned to attack him later and they stood up from the wall as he sprinted by them. They watched him disappear up the hill and shook their head. That dude had run up the hill faster than they could downhill.

Lucas arrived at the parking lot and the rear hatch popped up as he arrived at the rear of the car. He tossed all five cans into the converter and the back hatch closed. He watched the car and after ten minutes the Pod said, “All of my scanners are blocked. I’ve installed a passive antenna in the rear bumper but from this moment on, the Stalkers, even the Sentinel, will not be able to see me.”

“I couldn’t believe they have paraffin.”

“You need to find some for your head.”

“Do you think they have it for humans to put on their bodies?”

“As much as these human males love their machines, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’ll look tomorrow. First I need to finalize the rental and then we’ll discuss our next steps to survive.”

“Call me when you’re done.” Lucas nodded and walked toward the street.

Chapter Three

“You know you can’t hide in there forever?”

“I am going slowly insane watching all of these television broadcasts. These humans really are conflicted.”

“You’ve been watching too much Judge Judy.”

“I suppose.”

“I’ve checked the beauty products you ordered and I’ve managed to create a paraffin powder that you can massage into your scalp and forehead. I really think it will block most of your brain activity. It will also seep into your pores and will remain even if you wash your hair. Just don’t rub your scalp too hard.”

“Block all of my brain activity? That’s just as bad as not enough. If I’m scanned and no electrical activity is detected, the Stalker’s computers will single me out.”

“No, it blocks eighty five percent out. If I used a stronger mixture it would block everything but I think this will do the job.”

“I’ve grown attached to the Paraffin Lavender Cream from Glamor Image.”

“It blocks too much. I would recommend that you wash your hats in the powder as well. You need to get out and find a place to work.”

“I can continue to sell the gold you create.”

“Too much of that will draw attention from the locals.”

Lucas sighed, “I’ll come down and get the powder.”

“Why don’t you do just that?”

Lucas went to the Pod, which was now covered in a paraffin coated car cover and lifted the cover off the rear. The hatch popped open and he took out a can from the converter’s side door. The hatch closed and he pulled the cover back over it. He went back to his apartment and took a bath. He kept a hat washed in paraffin cleaner on until he washed his hair quickly at the end. He toweled it dry and sprinkled the powder on his scalp and massaged the paraffin Aloe Vera into his forehead.

He dressed and walked down stairs. He walked down the hill and just nodded to the three men who didn’t even stand up. They knew they wouldn’t catch hm. He walked to the public transportation center and boarded a train. It was late fall and the temperatures were starting to drop. The wind was blowing and he pulled his jacket’s hood over his head as he exited the train and walked up to street level. This new body didn’t tolerate temperature extremes like his old one did. He looked around at the hundreds of students moving around the square and knew that classes were ending for the day.

He sat down on a bench and stared at the storefronts along the street next to the small park as he pushed his hands into his jacket’s pockets. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly; it was good to be outside. He never spent much time indoors on his home planet; the weather was good all year round. Even the cold didn’t take away from his pleasure of being out of the apartment. Of course serving on a Welken Battleship kept him confined inside for months at a time. He had to admit this was better.

He had only met one human, other than the building owner and pawnshop employees. A young woman lived next door to him and she took the trash out the same time each Wednesday. Her name was Kathy and she was a student at Harvard. He always said hello and she responded but that was all they ever said.

His English had improved tremendously. Watching TV familiarized him with most of the language idioms and he talked to the screen to improve his pronunciation. The golf channel announcers taught him how to speak in a British Accent and he liked the way it sounded. He used it most of the time now. The Comcast cable he purchased allowed him to rewind the shows and repeat the phrases over and over until he had them right. He looked across the street and saw a man step outside of a restaurant and put a sign on the glass. Bus Boy Needed. What is a bus boy? He focused and saw it was a person who cleaned off tables in restaurants or other food establishments. He stood up and walked over to the man who had finished taping the sign, “I’m interested in the job.”

The man looked at him, “Are you a student?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Can you work flexible hours?”

“If you’re asking if I can work anytime, yes.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty one.”

“When can you start?”

“How about right now?”

The man smiled and put out his hand, “My name is Jack.”

Lukas thought for a moment and then took his hand and shook it, “My name is Lukas.”

“Come inside and I’ll have Tony teach you what you have to do. He’s picking up some night classes and won’t be able to work four nights a week. If you demonstrate you can keep up with the work load, I’ll give you the job.”

Lukas went inside and started working with Tony. In less than three hours, Lukas was doing the work without being supervised by Tony. Tony told Jack he could take down the sign as Lukas was his man.

Jack took Lukas in the back office and had him fill out his employment papers. The Social Security Number was an issue but the Pod assured him the account was good and would not be noticed. He listed his home address on Calumet Street and his education level as high school, whatever that was. He saw Jack was satisfied with the information and gave him a schedule to start working the next day.

“Do you mind if I help Tony until closing? There’s a big crowd and I think he can use the help.”

“I won’t be able to pay you for today.”

“That’s ok. I need the time to learn everything.” Jack nodded and knew he had found a good worker. Lukas went out and began bussing tables. At the end of the night, Tony offered to share his tips from the waitresses. Lukas shook his head, “No, keep it. I needed your help to learn everything. It is I that should be paying you.”

Tony laughed, “We’re a good team, Luke. Welcome to our staff.” Lukas nodded and went back to work.

• • •

Lukas left the restaurant and rode the train to his stop. He pulled the hood over his head and started walking up the hill. The wind was blowing twenty miles an hour and it made the air feel like twenty-five degrees. He decided to go out and buy a heavier jacket the next day. He was halfway up the hill when he heard someone crying. He looked to the right and saw the three aggressive men had someone pinned to the ground. The largest of the three was on top of a female and the other two were cheering him on, “Do it, Moe. Teach her what she needs to know!” Lukas focused on the three and saw that it was his neighbor Kathy that was crying.

“You should stay out of this.”

Lukas shook his head, “I can’t just ignore this.” The Pod remained silent and Lukas walked over to the three attackers, “Why don’t you leave her alone?”

The three all jumped at his voice; they didn’t see him walk up on them in the dark. The big man looked at the other two, “Well look who’s here, Likidy Split. Teach him to not bother us when we’re busy.”

The two men walked away from Moe and separated as they approached Lukas from two sides. Both of them pulled long bladed knives out of their pockets. Lukas felt his metabolism speed up and he focused intently on their movements, “I really don’t want any trouble; why don’t you just let her go and walk away.”

The tallest of the three sneered, “You should have run!” as he rushed in and pushed his knife at Lukas’ stomach. The other attacker rushed in from behind Lukas as Lukas stepped inside the front attacker’s lunge, grabbed his arm, and swung him into the shorter attacker coming from behind. The shorter attacker had extended his knife as he rushed in and it entered the tall attacker’s chest and penetrated his heart. Lukas released the tall attacker and hit the other with a palm under his chin hard enough to lift him off the ground. There was a loud crack as the short attacker flew backward and stayed on the ground. Lukas turned toward the large man on top of Kathy and walked quickly toward him. Moe watched as his two associates were easily handled and he saw Lukas’ expression. He jumped up and ran away. Lukas reached down and helped Kathy to stand up and she collapsed into his arms. He picked her up and carried her up the hill.

She wailed, “They’re going to come back and kill us! “They’re going to kill us both!”

“Why would they do that? They’re the ones that attacked us.”

“They’re members of a gang. They’re going to come back and kill us. The one that escaped will go and bring the others! They will punish me and you.”

“You’ll be safe in your home before they arrive.”

“They’ll stay here every day and wait for me…and you. They’re going to kill us.”

Kathy wailed all the way back to her apartment and Lukas carried her inside. He put her on a couch and said, “You will not be bothered by them.”

“You just don’t know! You just don’t know!”

Lukas went out the door and closed it gently. “I told you to stay out of it.”

“Did you see where the big one went?”

“He’s going to a warehouse about a mile from here.”

“Can you scan it and hear what they’re planning?”

“Give me a few moments.”

Lukas went back down the hill to the two attackers and saw that both of them were dead. He had hit the second attacker too hard and had shattered the vertebrae in his neck as his head snapped back. He looked around and wondered what he should do with the bodies. “They’re coming back here with a…van to pick up the bodies. They’re planning to do some rather drastic rearranging of your vital organs tomorrow.”

“What about the girl?”

“You don’t want to know what they’re planning for her.”

“Come and pick me up. I want to be at that warehouse when they return.”

“On my way.” The Corvette came down the hill and slid to a stop. Lukas jumped in and the Pod accelerated down the hill, passing a white van as it started up the hill.

“Did they see me?”

“No, I darkened the glass. Just what do you intend to do?”

“I can’t just wait on them to make a move.”

“Do you think you can handle all four of them alone? I can provide you with a stunner.”

“No, I think I’ll have surprise on my side and I am a little faster than they are.”

“Did you say, ‘Little’?”

“Just be ready to fire at the building if it gets out of hand.”

“I’d prefer not to do that.”

“Why?”

“The ones that come and investigate this will know that the fire was started with a flame hotter than anything on this planet.”

“Even so, just be ready if I have to run.”

“You’re the boss.”

“Boss?”

“Look it up.”

He thought for a moment and shrugged, “Get me to the warehouse.”

• • •

“What do you dumbasses get yourselves into?”

“Goat, that dude must be some kind of Green Beret or somethin’. I never seen no dude move that fast.”

“He did catch you; where the bodies at?”

“Stop here!” The van squealed to a stop, Moe jumped out, and ran to the two bodies lying on the grass between two houses. “Here they are.”

“This looks like shorty’s blade in Taco.”

“It is; the dude threw Taco on it.” Moe looked around, “They couldn’t have gone far.”

“Why not?”

“I beat on her legs real good. She wasn’t going anywhere fast. They live at the top of the hill.”

Goat looked up the hill and pointed toward the van, “Throw them in and let’s see if we can find em.”

Moe and Kong threw the bodies in the van and Gilliam accelerated up the hill. They arrived at the top and didn’t see anyone. “Where do they stay?” Silence greeted Goat’s question and he turned around and looked at Moe, “I asked you a question.”

“I don’t know. I always seen them walking up and down the hill.”

Goat rolled his eyes and then shook his head, “I want this hill staked out starting in the daylight, you understand! Shoot the dude and bring me the wo.”

“They may not come out after what went down.”

“I don’t care if you wait a month, you will do as I tell ya!” Moe nodded and slinked down in the back of the van. He looked at Kong and saw him sitting on the dead bodies eating a sandwich. Goat looked out of the front glass, “We need to go back home and wrap these dead in plastic for Charles to eat. Just make sure there’s enough weight to feed him well.”