Breaking Meredith

“Simon…” he starts to say, and I can feel his anger through the wooden wall between us.

“We’ll talk to them, get a time from them, and we’ll set the place. We’ll make sure it’s on neutral territory.”

“Good, because I’m tired of the funerals that have been popping up recently. The loss of Paul and now Peter… I had a lot of hopes for Peter…” he trails off.

“Just because of his attendance to church, Father…” I start to say

“He was one of the fallen who had a chance of redemption, Simon. The same chance you’ve all had. Dammit. All of you have had a chance at one time or another. He was one of my flock.”

Closing my eyes for a moment, I breathe in and out, then ask “What does that make us? The Fallen? Lucifer’s merry little band of Fallen men?”

“Don’t use that name here,” Father Coss says and for the first time that I can ever recall I hear a tinge of sadness in his voice.

“Don’t you want to try and redeem me?” I ask suddenly, and for the very life of me I can’t think of why it would even matter.

“Would you even want it?” he asks back.

“Any and all costs for the funeral should be sent directly to me,” I say as I stand from the post.

“Simon,” Father Coss says, but that’s all I hear as I pull the curtain shut behind me.

Heading down the aisle, I walk with long strides and grab at Meredith’s wrist. Pulling her up from the pew, I watch as she must be debating on whether to make a scene.

Thankfully she doesn’t.

Pulling her behind me, I cannot walk fast enough to get me out of this dark depressing place.

Almost bursting through the doors, I feel like I can finally breathe again.

Looking up into the sky, I smile for the first time today. Taking a deep breath of the freezing air, I smile. I hate this fucking city.

“We need to go,” I say as I look back down at Meredith.

“Okay…” she murmurs as if she’s not quite sure what to do with me.

Pulling her to the car, I first seat her then walk briskly around to the driver’s door. Checking out the lot, I still don’t see anything of concern, but the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Damn.

Two choices. Get in the car and risk an explosion or search the car quickly and risk being shot.

Squatting down close to the dirty asphalt, I do a quick bend over and search beneath my car. Nothing’s there. No little telltale signs of a bomb. Opening the door quickly, I pop the latch of the engine hood.

My hand goes to the pistol under my arm, yanking it out of the leather holster when I hear a loud noise.

A high-pitched motorcycle whine pierces the air as I pull the door closed across my chest. I hide my head behind the window. I don’t have enough time to jump into the vehicle as bullets draw a bead across the glass.

Six well placed shots slam into where my head is at and I flinch as each stops dead in their tracks.

Bulletproof windows, assholes, I think and then lean my arm around the protective barrier of the door.

The motorcycle starts to peel away from us and I can spot two riders on it. The one who was shooting is turned around, aiming his Uzi directly at the door again. I doubt he realized the shots were stopped by the glass.

I place three shots directly in the center of his side and spine.

The bike begins to waver as I place one more shot just the below the bottom of his helmet. I watch as blood bursts out from the collar of his tight-fitting leather jacket.

The guy that’s driving reaches back to try and hold the dead shooter on the back, but it’s too much of strain for him. He let’s go of the man and slows as the body falls off the bike and onto the pavement.

I shoot three more times, trying to hit the guy racing away on the bike, but only one of the shots comes close. It grazes his left shoulder. It might have hit his skin, but with the leather jacket he wears I can’t tell.

“Damn!” I shout as I stuff myself into the Escalade.

Slamming my key into the ignition, I debate for only the briefest of seconds on whether I should start it or not.

Flipping over the massive engine, I don’t give it time to settle in as I shift into drive.

“Simon!” Meredith shrieks as she grabs at my shoulder. “What is going on!?”

“Give me a moment!” I growl as I push down hard on the gas pedal.

Luckily the parking lot is empty as I fishtail the armored Escalade around in a circle. Heading in the direction of the body, I slam on the breaks as soon as I near it.