Chapter II: Eddie

TWO: EDDIE

Mara was only a block away from her apartment building when she finally had enough. Her good mood had long since left and all that was left was a deep annoyance.
Her eyes had long ago adjusted to the dimness of the nights. Making it easy for her to spot the alley up ahead. It was narrow enough so only one person could go in at a time. On reaching it she turned and walked inside, hoping her stalker would follow her. She rested her guitar and speaker on the ground before turning to face the exit. Soon she heard the footsteps speed up and grow closer. Preparing herself she struck with the metal guard of her knife the moment the person stepped in front of the opening.
Caught off guard her stalker had no chance to react before the metal slammed into his face. He went flying and landed face first on the ground with a loud thud. Grimacing she walked out and wondered if she might have hit him a bit too hard. Minutes passed by before he moved. The man had long ragged yellow hair, a sad excuse for a mullet to be precise. He rested his palms on the ground and pushed himself up. As he stood he turned to face her and dusted off his white shirt and black pants. With the palm of his hand he wiped away the dirt and blood from his lips. He looked up to glare at her and she caught sight of a small stream of blood going down his nose. The left side of his face was red and swelling. Even in the dimness she knew who it was.
“What do you want now Eddie?” she asked, exasperated. She rested her hands on her hips but kept her knife out in plane sight.
His left eye twitched in annoyance at the sound of his name.
“It's Ed bitch”. He said.
Mara laughed. She had deliberately said his full name. She knew he hated it.
“It's either Eddie or Rat Bastard, you choose.” she replied.
“Shut up bitch!”
“You sure have a short vocabulary.”
He growled and lunged. She pulled back into the alley and struck out with her right foot. The metal over her boot tip slammed into his abdomen sending back to the ground. Ed sat up a few seconds later, clutching his stomach and shouting insults.
“Give it up man, you'll loose tonight.”
“And why is that?”
She couldn't help but envy the man's stamina.
“Because you're injured.” she replied.
“I'm not.” He growled.
“Sure you're not. I guess that's not blood soaking through your shirt huh?” She pointed to the left side of his waist.
He attempted to conceal the injury by covering it with his left hand. However, the blood was quickly soaking through the white fabric of his shirt, making the fact that he was injured harder to hide.
“You should see a doctor.”
“Don't tell me what to do!” her growled.
“I'm just worried about you.”
“Shut up!”
“Sorry for caring.”
“You're so full of shit!” Ed lunged at her again and caught Mara's leg when she kicked out. Shocked, she didn't have enough time to react. He yanked her forward to the street behind him. But before she hit the dirt she curled herself up and rolled once before jumping back to her feet. The man wasn't at his best. She could tell he was tired by the way he gasped after every attack. His shoulders shook as he turned towards her.
“Why are you overexerting yourself when you know you should be resting?!”
He ignored her and charged again.
She dodged.
I can't fight him when he's like this. He needs a doctor.
He stalked towards her and flung his fist when he was at arms length. Concentrating she grabbed a hold of his shirt after dodging. With enough force she punched him in the lower stomach while being careful not to hit his injury. The blow knocked him unconscious. However she wasn't prepared for his weight and almost lost her balance when he fell over her.
Once she had a firm hold on him she scanned the area. No one was there. Scanning her memory she tried to remember where the nearest physician lived. She recalled that Doctor Yi –an elderly man of sixty– lived a couple of blocks back. Hefting his weight and that of her instrument and speaker over her shoulders she began walking towards the doctor's house.
Mara stopped to rest after going halfway. Resting Ed against the side of a building she sighed, placed her things on the ground, and stretched her arms, legs and back to rid herself of the dull ache that had developed in her shoulders.
“Damn it man I think its about time you go on a diet.” she looked down at Ed's unconscious body. Blood now covered most of his stomach, making her worry. Frowning she knelt down before him and pulled up his shirt. His injury was hidden beneath poorly wrapped bandages now completely red.
He must have treated it himself.
Sighing and shaking her head she lowered his shirt and stood up again. Chills suddenly ran down her back and made her shudder. The familiar sensation of being watched came over her. Turning to face the empty street Mara gazed into the darkness trying to see if she could spot anyone hiding in the shadowed rooftops or alleys. She felt the eyes on her but no one stepped out into the open. Mara felt the presence nearby but as much as she tried she could not pin point a location. After several minutes she finally gave up the wait.
Deciding that Ed's health came first she hefted the man's weight over her shoulders again. If the person watching her had wanted to hurt her he or she would have attacked by now.
However, Mara felt the eyes on her the entire way to Doctor Yi's. By the time she reached the house the sky had already begun to lighten.
The elderly man lived in a small concrete house on the corner of the street. The building, like all the others, was overrun with ivy. The Doctor's house was one of the few in the block whose glass windows were still intact. It's walls were painted a light yellow and several potted roses were scattered on both sides of the door. After placing her things, and Ed, against an empty piece of wall next to the door, Mara knocked three times and waited. The sound of shuffling footsteps from within the house told her the doctor was home.
“Coming!”
A moment later the door was opened. The light from within the house flooded out into the street. She blinked and lowered her head. After the momentary blindness subsided she looked back up. The man standing before her was only five feet tall with wispy salt and pepper hair and a small mustache. The elderly man's ashy pale skin and wide eyes reminded her of a corpse. The old blue robe he wore didn't improve his appearance.
“Mara? Why are you up so early?” He looked up at her, confused. “You aren't hurt again are you?”
“No, sorry for waking you up.”
“Don't be, I was already awake. What seems to be the problem?” The elderly man had a husky voice that shook now and then. A while ago he had told Mara it was due to a sickness he had had as a child, a throat illness he knew little about.
“I brought someone for you to look at.” She stepped away from the entrance and motioned to Ed with her right hand. The doctor stepped out of the house and wrapped the robe tighter around his thin form. Looking down he saw the unconscious man and his eyes grew wide. Kneeling he checked the injury like she had done earlier.
“How did he get this?” He asked.
“I don't know, after he attacked me I noticed the injury. I guess it reopened when I hit him.”
Doctor Yi shook his head in disapproval. “He should have gone to a doctor.”
That's what I told him.
“Kids these days. Now, you said he attacked you?” He looked up at her then, his bright black eyes on her face.
“Lets just say we're rivals.”
Once more the man shook his head. “You must have a lot of them then.” She knew he referred to her past. Doctor Yi was the man who dressed her injuries after fights and also those of the people she fought.
After helping Doctor Yi take Ed inside Mara excused herself.
He stopped her with a question. “So how are you doing?”
She knew he was referring to her injury. She glanced down at her right side. A phantom pain passed over her waist and thigh for a fraction of a second.
“I'm fine. It doesn't hurt a lot anymore.”
“That's good. Come back whenever you want alright. Be careful.”
“I will Doctor, thanks.”
By now the sky had lost its darkness, it was now illuminated by the first rays of sunshine, making the entire sky a rusted red hue. Even though she knew it was because of the pollution from the city, she couldn't help but think it beautiful.
Mara turned to face the direction of home. She bent down to pick up her speaker with her left hand, and slung her guitar over her shoulders so her right hand was free. It unconsciously went over her side, over her injury, as she began to walk. Even though the bandages had been removed a week before, the flesh over it was still soft and pink. It was sensitive to the air, making her shiver from the morning cold. Even though it had been shallow enough to avoid serious complications the injury was still deep enough to leave a permanent scar. The scar ran from just bellow her ribs to the top of her right thigh. She was still confused about its origin. As much as she tried Mara could not remember how she had gotten it almost three weeks ago. She knew it was some time in the beginning of the month, but everything was a blur.
When she reached her apartment building the sun had already peaked out from the horizon, making the sky golden-red. Even so Mara was still uneasy. The eyes were still watching her. As much as she tried she cold not spot anyone in the streets or rooftops. The sudden wave of exhaustion that swamped her made her momentarily forget about the stalker and wish for her bed.
Finally, she reacher her home.
It was a four story apartment building of antique design. The exterior was made of concrete. Everything inside was made of wood. It was covered in ivy and several of the windows on the second and third floor were broken. They were covered with wooden planks or plastic bags. Since the building was furthest from the city it had no electricity. Several oil lamps hung outside the windows and two hung on the sides of the entrance. Since the day had arrived they would soon be put out.
After one more scan of the area she went inside. It was a good thing the lobby windows were tinted. That way only those inside could see the street, those outside could only see black. The feeling of being watched left her and she was finally able to rest her tense nerves. Her landlord was already up. The elderly woman of fifty was seated at the table next to the large window, looking out at the street. He had dyed red hair and a light tan to her wrinkled skin. Before her was a cup full of a steaming liquid and a plate with strangely shaped pieces of what Mara assumed was bread. She quickly recognized Angie's cooking. Angie was a tenant on the second floor. The phrase “looks bad, tastes good” fit the woman's cooking perfectly.
“Long night at the Alley's eh?” The elderly woman's green eyes rested on Mara's equipment, her right eyebrow raised in amusement.
Mara nodded. “Morning Abigale.”
Abigale smiled. “Good morning. Now go to bed you look like hell child!”
“I will.”
She resisted the urge to remind the old woman that she was already twenty two. Instead she smiled at Abigale before going to the flight of stairs in the far back of the small lobby. With one final wave to her landlord she began ascending up to the third floor.