Tortured Souls
By Dee Allen
Part VII – Forsaken Passion
As the marine layer cast a shadow of darkness across the bay, they lay together ignited
in fevered passion.
The phone rang.
“You have got to be kidding me!” She said breathlessly.
“Just let it ring.” He said trying to revive the moment.
“I can’t.” She said reluctantly pulling herself away, pulling her sweatshirt on. “I’m on a
deadline.”
“It’s Saturday! Who works on Saturday?” He asked exasperated.
Laura shot him a look, answering her phone quickly. “Hello?”
“This is Orion Courier Service calling to confirm your pick up for 10:00am today.” The
voice on the other end said.”
“Oh...yes...” She looked at the clock; 8:30am. She jumped up getting dressed, causing
him to throw his head back on the pillow rolling his eyes. “I’ll meet you there.” She
looked at him and mouthed ‘sorry’.
She quickly hung up. “Oh my God!” I completely forgot! I have to get the second draft
ready to send to Mr. Linderman.”
“And you are the one that can do it?” He asked annoyed. “You have close to 100
people employed and nobody else can do it? What about your secretary?”
“That’s Administrative Assistant. And she is in Yosemite with her family.” She answered
getting her things together.
“Lucky her.” He said sarcastically.
“I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.” She embraced him kissing him softly.
“Go!” He told her reluctantly. “I need to get some work done anyway. But when you get
home...your all mine!” He returned her kiss.
“I can’t wait.” She broke herself away and out the door.
He stood there looking where she had just walked through the door. No sooner than
she left, she walked back through.
“You have 15 minutes.” She playfully jumped back on the bed.
***
Only left a moment ago she had left him. He could still feel her against him; her scent
still lingered. Turning onto his back, he remembered her promise that she would give
up her search for her powers. But he knew even then that she would not be able to
keep that promise. seeing her with Mohinder Suresh at the pub a few days ago. “What
are you keeping from me, my love?” He said aloud. “Why don’t you tell me about my
friend Mohinder paying you a visit?”
The phone rang. He turned looking at it. Raising his finger he flipped the switch
sending the call to her answering machine. “I’m not going to be sitting around here
listening to your phone ring all day, my love.” He said aloud. He jumped up and began
putting his clothes on.
He could hear the caller leaving a message.
“Laura, this is Greg!” The voice sounded panicked. “I tried to call you on your cell, but
you aren’t answering....”
He saw her mobile phone sitting her dresser. “Oops!” He laughed sarcastically.
“Listen,” the message continued. “My date with the FBI guy paid off. I found Sylar! I
know what he looks like. I have pictures you need to see.” He looked up panicked then
ran to pick up the call.
“Greg!” He said excitedly picking up the phone. “This is Michael, Laura’s boyfriend.
You actually have pictures of this Sylar guy?”
“Oh, hey Michael!” Greg replied to him. “I was beginning to think Laura was making you
up.”
“I am more real than you think.” He said attempting to be humorous. “Look, she is on
her way to the office. She left her phone here. I don’t have any way to get hold of her
right now. But we need to stop this guy before he finds her.”
“Yeah, we do. Are you going to be there for a while?” Greg asked him. “I could come by
and give these to you to give to her.”
“Oh man, I’m not going to be here much longer. I have an appointment in the city.” He
replied. “Wait! Where do you live?” He smiled an ominous smile.
***
She quickly put the plans into a mailing tube just as the courier entered the office.
“I’ll have these ready for you in a second.” She shouted to him from her office. “I just
need to put a label on the front.” She looked down continuing what she was doing.
She heard her office door shut loudly and a young man was standing there looking
lasciviously at her.
“Well, look at this.” He said taking her all in. “A hot young lady all by herself. Aren’t I the
lucky guy?”
She looked up at him. She did not flinch. “I take it you’re not the courier?”
“No, but I am hoping to be your dream date this afternoon.” He leered at her.
“Look, you really don’t want to do this.” She warned him.
“Oh, yes I do.” He laughed viciously. “And I can’t wait to have a taste.”
“Believe me.” She tried to drive home her point. “You don’t know who you are up
against and you really do not want to fuck with me.”
“Oh, but I do.” He said coming closer. He grabbed her and tried to throw her on the
floor.
“Ok...” She said sadly. “I tried to warn you.”
She turned and punched him in the kidneys. He let out a scream. Undaunted, he
continued to come after her.
She picked up the mailing tube and hit him over the head. He fell to the floor. He got
up quickly and pulled out a knife.
“Please!” She looked at him snidely. She turned in a spinning side kick sending the
knife out of his hand. He grabbed her leg. She took her other leg and got him in a
scissor hold around the neck. He managed to recover and throw her off of him.
He took out a gun and fired two shots at her. Instinctively, she jumped up and hovered
in mid air. “Another new one.” She thought to herself. She kicked the man in the face.
He fell down but quickly recovered. She lowered herself to the ground.
“You must enjoy pain. You want to keep going?” She asked her foe.
He found his knife and lunged at her again. Again she jumped in the air and did a
forward flip right over him. She found a mop in the corner and before he recovered,
she grabbed the handle from the mop and came after him. She jumped landing right in
front of him. She spun around and him in the groin with the handle. He fell to the
ground screaming in pain.
She stood over him. “I am going to give you one more chance to get out of here.” She
warned him again.
He responded by kicking the mop handle out of her grasp and pulled her down to the
floor. He tried to rip her clothes off. She grabbed him by the collar in a firm grasp.
“Now you’re just pissing me off!” She told him angrily. She put her legs around him and
brought her heel down into the middle of his spine.
She took the opportunity again to get away from him. She heard something whizzing
through the air. She turned around and saw two knives hurling toward her. Her first
instinct was blocking stance. The knives separated and flew out of her path. “Cool!”
She thought to herself.
He came running at her one more time. She ran up the side of the wall flipping
backwards, landing behind him. As he stood there looking for her, she kicked him in
the lower back, then she grabbed his shoulder and sent him flying through the glass of
her office. He lay there weakly trying to stand up. Laura approached him once again
carrying the mop handle.
“Get out!” She ordered him thrusting the mop handle in the middle of his throat
causing him to gasp for air. He stood up and limped out the door.
***
The doorbell rang. Greg stopped fidgeting and ran to answer it. From his peephole, he
could only see the back of a man’s head.
“Who is it?” He called out.
“It’s Michael, Greg.” He answered.
Greg quickly opened the door. As he opened, the man turned around and to his horror,
Greg instantly recognized him from the pictures he had found. There he stood. Arms
folded against the wall. Oh, he was handsome alright. But he looked at him with an evil
smile that sent chills down his spine.
“You!” Greg barely choked out.
Sylar pushed past him walking inside.
“Well, I assume I need no introduction” He laughed in a sinister way.
“YOU are Michael?” Greg asked horrified.
He put one finger on his nose and pointed at him with the other. “Very good!” Sylar
laughed sarcastically.
“What are you going to do to me?” Greg asked fearfully
“I haven’t really decided yet.” He replied thoughtfully. “But I must admit, you have me
in a bad position.”
“Look, you can do whatever the hell you want to me. I don’t care. My biological family
disowned me when they learned I was gay. But one of the very few people in life that I
care about is Laura. She is the only family I have. She is just like a little sister and I will
be damned if I am going to let you hurt her.”
“I can assure you…” Sylar told him plopping down in one of his recliners. “I won’t hurt
her. Despite how this perceptibly seems to you, I love her. I would rather die myself
than allow anything to happen to her by me or anybody else.”
He leaned forward. “But I am still in a pickle with what to do about you Greg. I don’t
want to kill you. I like you. You are Laura’s friend. That makes you my friend.”
“You are not my friend, asshole!” Greg retorted. “Do whatever to me it is that you feel
you have to do. But sooner or later you will be caught.”
“Do you think I give a damn about being caught?” He laughed. “Please, there are no
walls that can hold me. Humans are no match for me. What I care about is Laura. She
loves me. I don’t want her to learn that I am a killer. That will destroy her. Oh and of
course...she would drop me like a rabid porcupine and that would kind of suck for me.”
He gave a smirk.
He stood up and walked toward the window.
“I came here to kill her, you know.” He continued. “Oh yes. I had a list of names. She
was number 27 on the list. The same number as her age. It all worked out perfect. It
was fate in its most perfect form. I killed the real Michael Walsh in Chicago, he was on
his way here, so I decided to take his life in every way. And how in the hell did it end up
that he was moving into an apartment owned by somebody else on the list. There it was
again! Fate!”
He turned his eyes toward Greg. “But the very second I saw her face, I loved her.” He
closed his eyes. “She looked like an angle. I lay beside her at night wondering how
such an ethereal woman could love me. I know someday she is going to find out who I
am. But I am not ready to let that happen yet.”
He got his composure back and looked at him. “So you see Greg, I am sure you can
appreciate my position. And you leave me with little options.”
“Fuck you!” Greg yelled spitting at him. “Are you even listening to yourself? I don’t
give a shit about your position! Laura Ryan is the most amazingly selfless woman I
know. I known her since she was a teenager and you have known her for what...three
months? You don’t know SHIT!!!! I was THERE when her father died. I stood beside her
every second. She cried, I wiped away every tear! She was given the task of running
her fathers company when inside she was, for all intents and purposes, a child. But
she took the challenge and handled it boldly with dignity and grace. Something a damn
coward like you could not even possibly begin to identify with. Every day she walked
through those doors a frightened little girl on the inside. But when people looked at
her they saw a lioness! There was no way she was ever going to let her father down or
the people he called his friends. She had hopes and dreams of finding a husband and
having children. She still does. With your sorry excuse for an ass!”
Greg folded his arms and stood directly in front of him. “You say you love her. You
DON’T love her! You only want to control her. You are not worthy enough to breathe
the same air, let alone share her bed. She is crazy about you. It is easy to see why. You
are devilishly handsome with a smile that would melt diamonds and no doubt when you
aren’t sucking gray matter out of people’s heads, you are probably quite the charming
lad. She told me once she melts every time she looks in your eyes. Well, I am looking in
your eyes now and all I can see is evil and pain. So you son of a bitch, go ahead and kill
me! But if you really love her, remember this. The girl you say you love has had nothing
but heartache in her life when it comes to love. Her mother died when she was just a
child, then her father. She has felt abandoned by everyone she has ever loved. She is
afraid you will leave her someday. And now you are murdering her best friend. Do you
even care what this is going to do to her? And do you think it is going to do to her
when she finds out; and she will; that the man she has given her heart to completely is
nothing but a killer who would have killed her had things been just a little different?
Yes, ‘MICHAEL, she will find out. Our girl is anything but stupid and it is only a matter of
time before she knows what really are. So do her and the entire world a favor when
you leave here today. Go find a bus and stand in front of it! Get out of her life today!!”
Sylar stood there in the moment. He knew that everything Greg had said to him was
true. Laura did deserve better than him. And this would deeply hurt her. But he could
not let her go. Not yet.
He turned to Greg. “I’m sorry. I do not wish to do this.”
“Then do what you have to do. But please make it quick.” Greg pleaded of him starting
to cry.
Sylar cried once again. “I’m sorry Greg.” And with a quick swipe of his hand he sent a
kitchen knife into Greg’s head, killing him instantly. He never felt a thing.
***
The man came limping out of the building into the parking garage. He came to a stop.
The air around him shifted transforming him; in his place stood Candice Wilmer. She
approached a figure standing in the shadows.
“She is ready.” She told the mysterious person.
“Are you quite positive?” He asked her.
“Look, I have a dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs and I am damn sure I am going
to have to get my spleen removed. So yeah, she is ready!” Candice responded hostilely
.
Mr. Yamagati stepped into the light. “Most excellent!” He smiled.
***
In the darkness he sat alone waiting for her to come home. The fog did not lift this
morning. It was dark and cold in her apartment. It was late fall and this would be an
idealistic afternoon to spend basking in each other, but he could not ingest his guilt
knowing he had just murdered her best friend in cold blood.
Turning on her tv, he watched the news. So far there were no reports of a murder in
Pacific Heights. A fact that would likely change any moment, but for now he was safe.
Why did he have to do it? He knew she would be devastated by the news; this would
surely cause her pain. In the end she would learn the cruel truth, but he was not ready
to let go of her.
Looked out over the darkness, the water was as dark and cold as his soul. Would he
ever be able to let go? He knew he never could. She was the only person that ever
loved him unconditionally. His father loved him, but not enough to take him away from
his overbearing mother. Of course his mother loved him, but had unrealistic
expectations of him. As he thought of his mother, he closed his eyes. Why could she
never just accept him for the way he was? He did not wish to be anybody special or to
do great things. He only wanted to be Gabriel. He tried and tried to please his mother,
but there was just no making a miserable woman happy.
Sitting down hard on the couch, he put his face in his hands. No matter how he
struggled, Greg’s words taunted him; the cruel reality was Greg had spoken the truth.
He did not deserve her. She needed a good man. Someone better than he. He was a
liability in her life and he hated himself for making it so. If he stayed, he would only
succeed in making her life unhappy. God, he wanted to be the man she married. She
wanted a house by the waterfront with children. He sadly smiled as he remembered her
talking about getting a Rottweiler and naming it Zeus. But he knew he could never give
her that life. And if he stayed, she would never find the man that could.
Standing up, arms folded behind his head, he walked toward her bedroom. He looked
at the bed where he lay holding her every night. He closed his eyes. The thought of his
life without her brought agony to his heart.
“By staying here, I have made her life hell.” He thought to himself. “I know what I have
to do.” Again the tears filled his eyes and he wept uncontrollably.
He heard her key in the door. Quickly he regained composure and lay on the couch
pretending to be asleep.
Seeing him laying there, she smiled. She walked over putting a blanket over him,
kissing him softly on the forehead. To her surprise he pulled her on top of him and
kissed her intensely.
“He’s awake.” She smiled lying next to him snuggling. “Have you been here all day?”
“I took a ride to the city to meet with a client.” Again he lied to her. “I just got back a
little bit ago. I missed you.” He told her kissing her again. He saw she was covered with
bruises. He sat up in shock looking her over. She looked like she had marks all over
her body. “My God Laura!” He said shocked. “What happened? Here, lie down!”
“No, I’m fine. Really.” She smiled sitting up.
“Like hell you are!” He disputed her reassurance. “Where did you get those bruises?”
“I’d rather show you.” She stood up. “Throw something at me…anything!”
“What?” He asked taken aback.
“Michael, just do it.” She demanded. “If it makes you feel better, throw something soft.”
“Ok.” He replied out of curiosity. Looking around, he picked up a pillow and tossed it at
her. She raised her arm as if to block it and without touching her, it went flying the
other direction away from her.
He stood astonished starring for a moment. “That’s incredible!”
“That’s nothing.” She said enthusiastically. “Pick up one of those knives and throw it at
my feet.”
“Are you crazy?” He replied angrily. “I am not throwing a knife at you.”
“Michael, I won’t get hurt. Please. Just do what I ask.”
“Are you sure about this?” He asked her.
“I wouldn’t ask you to if I wasn’t.” She replied.
Reluctantly, he picked up a large kitchen knife. It brought back memories of Greg, but
he did as she asked and hurled it toward her feet.
To his amazement she jumped up and hovered in mid air for a long moment, then
lowered herself back down.
“How in the f…” He was completely incredulous. “That’s fantastic! Did you just uncover
this power?”
“Yes, and it explains the bruises.” She smiled.
“Somebody missed with the hard objects?” He laughed.
“No.” She replied continuing. “The courier came in to the office this morning and
decided he liked my package better than the one I was sending with him.”
He became angry. “Who was he? Did he touch you?”
“Calm down baby. He didn’t have a chance to do anything to me. I kicked his ass and he
ran away screaming like a little girl!” She smiled. “Besides, I have a feeling it was like a
test of some sort.”
“A test?” He repeated confused.
“Just call it intuition. I don’t know how else to put it.” She responded. “I guess I feel
like I am getting these powers for a reason. I think this is a gift and if true I will be
tested for worthiness. Besides, I called my local contact with the Linderman Group and
they did not send a courier.”
He smiled. “I am glad to know my girl can take care of herself.” He embraced her.
She snuggled into his arms. “I like having you take care of me better.” She kissed him
gently.
“Really?” He kissed her back.
“Um, hmm.”
“I’m not doing anything right now.” He kissed her neck, tantalizing her. “It seems a
shame to waste a dark afternoon.”
“You must have powers too.” She said coyly. “You read my mind.”
He picked her up and carried her, laying her gently on the bed.
***
They lay silently wrapped around each other. He thoughtfully stroked her shoulder.
“You’re quiet.” She broke the silence. “I’ve been telling you all about my day, but you
haven’t talked much. Are you ok?”
“I’m better than ok.” He lied. “But, you’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”
She sat up and looked at him. “What?”
He sighed. “I have to fly to New York for a few days. I’m leaving in a few hours.”
“You have to go away again?” She asked him sadly.
“Yeah.” He pulled her in and kissed her softly. “I’m sorry.”
“I hate it when you have to go.” Snuggled next to him. “Only a few days?”
“Just a few days.” He smiled. “And when I get back, there is something very important I
want to talk to you about.” Again, he lied to her. He didn’t know if he was coming back
from where he was going.
“Then you had better go so you can hurry up and get back here.” She replied sadly.
“You just be here when I get back, ok.” He kissed her deeply
“Ok. Go!” She replied. “I want you to go before I start to cry.”
“I love you Laura.” He kissed her once again and started walking toward the door.
“Michael.” She called to him.
He turned and looked at her. “Yes?” He replied.
“I can’t shake the feeling that I am making a mistake letting you go? Why do I have a
horrible feeling about this?”
**End of Part VII**
By Dee Allen
Part VII – Forsaken Passion
As the marine layer cast a shadow of darkness across the bay, they lay together ignited
in fevered passion.
The phone rang.
“You have got to be kidding me!” She said breathlessly.
“Just let it ring.” He said trying to revive the moment.
“I can’t.” She said reluctantly pulling herself away, pulling her sweatshirt on. “I’m on a
deadline.”
“It’s Saturday! Who works on Saturday?” He asked exasperated.
Laura shot him a look, answering her phone quickly. “Hello?”
“This is Orion Courier Service calling to confirm your pick up for 10:00am today.” The
voice on the other end said.”
“Oh...yes...” She looked at the clock; 8:30am. She jumped up getting dressed, causing
him to throw his head back on the pillow rolling his eyes. “I’ll meet you there.” She
looked at him and mouthed ‘sorry’.
She quickly hung up. “Oh my God!” I completely forgot! I have to get the second draft
ready to send to Mr. Linderman.”
“And you are the one that can do it?” He asked annoyed. “You have close to 100
people employed and nobody else can do it? What about your secretary?”
“That’s Administrative Assistant. And she is in Yosemite with her family.” She answered
getting her things together.
“Lucky her.” He said sarcastically.
“I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.” She embraced him kissing him softly.
“Go!” He told her reluctantly. “I need to get some work done anyway. But when you get
home...your all mine!” He returned her kiss.
“I can’t wait.” She broke herself away and out the door.
He stood there looking where she had just walked through the door. No sooner than
she left, she walked back through.
“You have 15 minutes.” She playfully jumped back on the bed.
***
Only left a moment ago she had left him. He could still feel her against him; her scent
still lingered. Turning onto his back, he remembered her promise that she would give
up her search for her powers. But he knew even then that she would not be able to
keep that promise. seeing her with Mohinder Suresh at the pub a few days ago. “What
are you keeping from me, my love?” He said aloud. “Why don’t you tell me about my
friend Mohinder paying you a visit?”
The phone rang. He turned looking at it. Raising his finger he flipped the switch
sending the call to her answering machine. “I’m not going to be sitting around here
listening to your phone ring all day, my love.” He said aloud. He jumped up and began
putting his clothes on.
He could hear the caller leaving a message.
“Laura, this is Greg!” The voice sounded panicked. “I tried to call you on your cell, but
you aren’t answering....”
He saw her mobile phone sitting her dresser. “Oops!” He laughed sarcastically.
“Listen,” the message continued. “My date with the FBI guy paid off. I found Sylar! I
know what he looks like. I have pictures you need to see.” He looked up panicked then
ran to pick up the call.
“Greg!” He said excitedly picking up the phone. “This is Michael, Laura’s boyfriend.
You actually have pictures of this Sylar guy?”
“Oh, hey Michael!” Greg replied to him. “I was beginning to think Laura was making you
up.”
“I am more real than you think.” He said attempting to be humorous. “Look, she is on
her way to the office. She left her phone here. I don’t have any way to get hold of her
right now. But we need to stop this guy before he finds her.”
“Yeah, we do. Are you going to be there for a while?” Greg asked him. “I could come by
and give these to you to give to her.”
“Oh man, I’m not going to be here much longer. I have an appointment in the city.” He
replied. “Wait! Where do you live?” He smiled an ominous smile.
***
She quickly put the plans into a mailing tube just as the courier entered the office.
“I’ll have these ready for you in a second.” She shouted to him from her office. “I just
need to put a label on the front.” She looked down continuing what she was doing.
She heard her office door shut loudly and a young man was standing there looking
lasciviously at her.
“Well, look at this.” He said taking her all in. “A hot young lady all by herself. Aren’t I the
lucky guy?”
She looked up at him. She did not flinch. “I take it you’re not the courier?”
“No, but I am hoping to be your dream date this afternoon.” He leered at her.
“Look, you really don’t want to do this.” She warned him.
“Oh, yes I do.” He laughed viciously. “And I can’t wait to have a taste.”
“Believe me.” She tried to drive home her point. “You don’t know who you are up
against and you really do not want to fuck with me.”
“Oh, but I do.” He said coming closer. He grabbed her and tried to throw her on the
floor.
“Ok...” She said sadly. “I tried to warn you.”
She turned and punched him in the kidneys. He let out a scream. Undaunted, he
continued to come after her.
She picked up the mailing tube and hit him over the head. He fell to the floor. He got
up quickly and pulled out a knife.
“Please!” She looked at him snidely. She turned in a spinning side kick sending the
knife out of his hand. He grabbed her leg. She took her other leg and got him in a
scissor hold around the neck. He managed to recover and throw her off of him.
He took out a gun and fired two shots at her. Instinctively, she jumped up and hovered
in mid air. “Another new one.” She thought to herself. She kicked the man in the face.
He fell down but quickly recovered. She lowered herself to the ground.
“You must enjoy pain. You want to keep going?” She asked her foe.
He found his knife and lunged at her again. Again she jumped in the air and did a
forward flip right over him. She found a mop in the corner and before he recovered,
she grabbed the handle from the mop and came after him. She jumped landing right in
front of him. She spun around and him in the groin with the handle. He fell to the
ground screaming in pain.
She stood over him. “I am going to give you one more chance to get out of here.” She
warned him again.
He responded by kicking the mop handle out of her grasp and pulled her down to the
floor. He tried to rip her clothes off. She grabbed him by the collar in a firm grasp.
“Now you’re just pissing me off!” She told him angrily. She put her legs around him and
brought her heel down into the middle of his spine.
She took the opportunity again to get away from him. She heard something whizzing
through the air. She turned around and saw two knives hurling toward her. Her first
instinct was blocking stance. The knives separated and flew out of her path. “Cool!”
She thought to herself.
He came running at her one more time. She ran up the side of the wall flipping
backwards, landing behind him. As he stood there looking for her, she kicked him in
the lower back, then she grabbed his shoulder and sent him flying through the glass of
her office. He lay there weakly trying to stand up. Laura approached him once again
carrying the mop handle.
“Get out!” She ordered him thrusting the mop handle in the middle of his throat
causing him to gasp for air. He stood up and limped out the door.
***
The doorbell rang. Greg stopped fidgeting and ran to answer it. From his peephole, he
could only see the back of a man’s head.
“Who is it?” He called out.
“It’s Michael, Greg.” He answered.
Greg quickly opened the door. As he opened, the man turned around and to his horror,
Greg instantly recognized him from the pictures he had found. There he stood. Arms
folded against the wall. Oh, he was handsome alright. But he looked at him with an evil
smile that sent chills down his spine.
“You!” Greg barely choked out.
Sylar pushed past him walking inside.
“Well, I assume I need no introduction” He laughed in a sinister way.
“YOU are Michael?” Greg asked horrified.
He put one finger on his nose and pointed at him with the other. “Very good!” Sylar
laughed sarcastically.
“What are you going to do to me?” Greg asked fearfully
“I haven’t really decided yet.” He replied thoughtfully. “But I must admit, you have me
in a bad position.”
“Look, you can do whatever the hell you want to me. I don’t care. My biological family
disowned me when they learned I was gay. But one of the very few people in life that I
care about is Laura. She is the only family I have. She is just like a little sister and I will
be damned if I am going to let you hurt her.”
“I can assure you…” Sylar told him plopping down in one of his recliners. “I won’t hurt
her. Despite how this perceptibly seems to you, I love her. I would rather die myself
than allow anything to happen to her by me or anybody else.”
He leaned forward. “But I am still in a pickle with what to do about you Greg. I don’t
want to kill you. I like you. You are Laura’s friend. That makes you my friend.”
“You are not my friend, asshole!” Greg retorted. “Do whatever to me it is that you feel
you have to do. But sooner or later you will be caught.”
“Do you think I give a damn about being caught?” He laughed. “Please, there are no
walls that can hold me. Humans are no match for me. What I care about is Laura. She
loves me. I don’t want her to learn that I am a killer. That will destroy her. Oh and of
course...she would drop me like a rabid porcupine and that would kind of suck for me.”
He gave a smirk.
He stood up and walked toward the window.
“I came here to kill her, you know.” He continued. “Oh yes. I had a list of names. She
was number 27 on the list. The same number as her age. It all worked out perfect. It
was fate in its most perfect form. I killed the real Michael Walsh in Chicago, he was on
his way here, so I decided to take his life in every way. And how in the hell did it end up
that he was moving into an apartment owned by somebody else on the list. There it was
again! Fate!”
He turned his eyes toward Greg. “But the very second I saw her face, I loved her.” He
closed his eyes. “She looked like an angle. I lay beside her at night wondering how
such an ethereal woman could love me. I know someday she is going to find out who I
am. But I am not ready to let that happen yet.”
He got his composure back and looked at him. “So you see Greg, I am sure you can
appreciate my position. And you leave me with little options.”
“Fuck you!” Greg yelled spitting at him. “Are you even listening to yourself? I don’t
give a shit about your position! Laura Ryan is the most amazingly selfless woman I
know. I known her since she was a teenager and you have known her for what...three
months? You don’t know SHIT!!!! I was THERE when her father died. I stood beside her
every second. She cried, I wiped away every tear! She was given the task of running
her fathers company when inside she was, for all intents and purposes, a child. But
she took the challenge and handled it boldly with dignity and grace. Something a damn
coward like you could not even possibly begin to identify with. Every day she walked
through those doors a frightened little girl on the inside. But when people looked at
her they saw a lioness! There was no way she was ever going to let her father down or
the people he called his friends. She had hopes and dreams of finding a husband and
having children. She still does. With your sorry excuse for an ass!”
Greg folded his arms and stood directly in front of him. “You say you love her. You
DON’T love her! You only want to control her. You are not worthy enough to breathe
the same air, let alone share her bed. She is crazy about you. It is easy to see why. You
are devilishly handsome with a smile that would melt diamonds and no doubt when you
aren’t sucking gray matter out of people’s heads, you are probably quite the charming
lad. She told me once she melts every time she looks in your eyes. Well, I am looking in
your eyes now and all I can see is evil and pain. So you son of a bitch, go ahead and kill
me! But if you really love her, remember this. The girl you say you love has had nothing
but heartache in her life when it comes to love. Her mother died when she was just a
child, then her father. She has felt abandoned by everyone she has ever loved. She is
afraid you will leave her someday. And now you are murdering her best friend. Do you
even care what this is going to do to her? And do you think it is going to do to her
when she finds out; and she will; that the man she has given her heart to completely is
nothing but a killer who would have killed her had things been just a little different?
Yes, ‘MICHAEL, she will find out. Our girl is anything but stupid and it is only a matter of
time before she knows what really are. So do her and the entire world a favor when
you leave here today. Go find a bus and stand in front of it! Get out of her life today!!”
Sylar stood there in the moment. He knew that everything Greg had said to him was
true. Laura did deserve better than him. And this would deeply hurt her. But he could
not let her go. Not yet.
He turned to Greg. “I’m sorry. I do not wish to do this.”
“Then do what you have to do. But please make it quick.” Greg pleaded of him starting
to cry.
Sylar cried once again. “I’m sorry Greg.” And with a quick swipe of his hand he sent a
kitchen knife into Greg’s head, killing him instantly. He never felt a thing.
***
The man came limping out of the building into the parking garage. He came to a stop.
The air around him shifted transforming him; in his place stood Candice Wilmer. She
approached a figure standing in the shadows.
“She is ready.” She told the mysterious person.
“Are you quite positive?” He asked her.
“Look, I have a dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs and I am damn sure I am going
to have to get my spleen removed. So yeah, she is ready!” Candice responded hostilely
.
Mr. Yamagati stepped into the light. “Most excellent!” He smiled.
***
In the darkness he sat alone waiting for her to come home. The fog did not lift this
morning. It was dark and cold in her apartment. It was late fall and this would be an
idealistic afternoon to spend basking in each other, but he could not ingest his guilt
knowing he had just murdered her best friend in cold blood.
Turning on her tv, he watched the news. So far there were no reports of a murder in
Pacific Heights. A fact that would likely change any moment, but for now he was safe.
Why did he have to do it? He knew she would be devastated by the news; this would
surely cause her pain. In the end she would learn the cruel truth, but he was not ready
to let go of her.
Looked out over the darkness, the water was as dark and cold as his soul. Would he
ever be able to let go? He knew he never could. She was the only person that ever
loved him unconditionally. His father loved him, but not enough to take him away from
his overbearing mother. Of course his mother loved him, but had unrealistic
expectations of him. As he thought of his mother, he closed his eyes. Why could she
never just accept him for the way he was? He did not wish to be anybody special or to
do great things. He only wanted to be Gabriel. He tried and tried to please his mother,
but there was just no making a miserable woman happy.
Sitting down hard on the couch, he put his face in his hands. No matter how he
struggled, Greg’s words taunted him; the cruel reality was Greg had spoken the truth.
He did not deserve her. She needed a good man. Someone better than he. He was a
liability in her life and he hated himself for making it so. If he stayed, he would only
succeed in making her life unhappy. God, he wanted to be the man she married. She
wanted a house by the waterfront with children. He sadly smiled as he remembered her
talking about getting a Rottweiler and naming it Zeus. But he knew he could never give
her that life. And if he stayed, she would never find the man that could.
Standing up, arms folded behind his head, he walked toward her bedroom. He looked
at the bed where he lay holding her every night. He closed his eyes. The thought of his
life without her brought agony to his heart.
“By staying here, I have made her life hell.” He thought to himself. “I know what I have
to do.” Again the tears filled his eyes and he wept uncontrollably.
He heard her key in the door. Quickly he regained composure and lay on the couch
pretending to be asleep.
Seeing him laying there, she smiled. She walked over putting a blanket over him,
kissing him softly on the forehead. To her surprise he pulled her on top of him and
kissed her intensely.
“He’s awake.” She smiled lying next to him snuggling. “Have you been here all day?”
“I took a ride to the city to meet with a client.” Again he lied to her. “I just got back a
little bit ago. I missed you.” He told her kissing her again. He saw she was covered with
bruises. He sat up in shock looking her over. She looked like she had marks all over
her body. “My God Laura!” He said shocked. “What happened? Here, lie down!”
“No, I’m fine. Really.” She smiled sitting up.
“Like hell you are!” He disputed her reassurance. “Where did you get those bruises?”
“I’d rather show you.” She stood up. “Throw something at me…anything!”
“What?” He asked taken aback.
“Michael, just do it.” She demanded. “If it makes you feel better, throw something soft.”
“Ok.” He replied out of curiosity. Looking around, he picked up a pillow and tossed it at
her. She raised her arm as if to block it and without touching her, it went flying the
other direction away from her.
He stood astonished starring for a moment. “That’s incredible!”
“That’s nothing.” She said enthusiastically. “Pick up one of those knives and throw it at
my feet.”
“Are you crazy?” He replied angrily. “I am not throwing a knife at you.”
“Michael, I won’t get hurt. Please. Just do what I ask.”
“Are you sure about this?” He asked her.
“I wouldn’t ask you to if I wasn’t.” She replied.
Reluctantly, he picked up a large kitchen knife. It brought back memories of Greg, but
he did as she asked and hurled it toward her feet.
To his amazement she jumped up and hovered in mid air for a long moment, then
lowered herself back down.
“How in the f…” He was completely incredulous. “That’s fantastic! Did you just uncover
this power?”
“Yes, and it explains the bruises.” She smiled.
“Somebody missed with the hard objects?” He laughed.
“No.” She replied continuing. “The courier came in to the office this morning and
decided he liked my package better than the one I was sending with him.”
He became angry. “Who was he? Did he touch you?”
“Calm down baby. He didn’t have a chance to do anything to me. I kicked his ass and he
ran away screaming like a little girl!” She smiled. “Besides, I have a feeling it was like a
test of some sort.”
“A test?” He repeated confused.
“Just call it intuition. I don’t know how else to put it.” She responded. “I guess I feel
like I am getting these powers for a reason. I think this is a gift and if true I will be
tested for worthiness. Besides, I called my local contact with the Linderman Group and
they did not send a courier.”
He smiled. “I am glad to know my girl can take care of herself.” He embraced her.
She snuggled into his arms. “I like having you take care of me better.” She kissed him
gently.
“Really?” He kissed her back.
“Um, hmm.”
“I’m not doing anything right now.” He kissed her neck, tantalizing her. “It seems a
shame to waste a dark afternoon.”
“You must have powers too.” She said coyly. “You read my mind.”
He picked her up and carried her, laying her gently on the bed.
***
They lay silently wrapped around each other. He thoughtfully stroked her shoulder.
“You’re quiet.” She broke the silence. “I’ve been telling you all about my day, but you
haven’t talked much. Are you ok?”
“I’m better than ok.” He lied. “But, you’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”
She sat up and looked at him. “What?”
He sighed. “I have to fly to New York for a few days. I’m leaving in a few hours.”
“You have to go away again?” She asked him sadly.
“Yeah.” He pulled her in and kissed her softly. “I’m sorry.”
“I hate it when you have to go.” Snuggled next to him. “Only a few days?”
“Just a few days.” He smiled. “And when I get back, there is something very important I
want to talk to you about.” Again, he lied to her. He didn’t know if he was coming back
from where he was going.
“Then you had better go so you can hurry up and get back here.” She replied sadly.
“You just be here when I get back, ok.” He kissed her deeply
“Ok. Go!” She replied. “I want you to go before I start to cry.”
“I love you Laura.” He kissed her once again and started walking toward the door.
“Michael.” She called to him.
He turned and looked at her. “Yes?” He replied.
“I can’t shake the feeling that I am making a mistake letting you go? Why do I have a
horrible feeling about this?”
**End of Part VII**
