Bad Moon Rising

Bodhi finished the note and handed it to the Kiowa, who showed it to Moon. He read it, but didn’t touch the paper. He said, “Excellent.” The Kiowa returned the note to Bodhi and said, “If you’ll move to your parent’s graves, we can finish this.”

The three women pushed Bodhi to the graves, and the blond one sheathed her knife and pulled a small pistol from her pocket. While the other two held her, the blonde raised the pistol to shoot Bodhi in the head so she would fall on the graves. The brunette giggled, “Such a tragedy, poor girl killing herself on her mommy’s grave.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juan step close to Hondo and push his hand against my friend. Hondo looked down at the touch. Hondo held his other hand out so I could see, and used hand signs: I attack forward, u back.

Hondo’s arm flashed up and forward, and I glimpsed a small penknife twirl across the distance and the blade buried itself in the exposed armpit of the blond woman with the pistol. She grunted and staggered sideways as her arms flailed the air. The pistol came out of her grip and disappeared in a hedge.

Hondo leapt forward and I heard the two black men behind us gasp. I spun and launched a blistering-fast roundhouse kick to the closest one, catching him solidly on the side of the neck. He fell backward and I heard his head hit the concrete path.

I continued my move around and sent kicks to the knee and groin of the other big man, following it up with an elbow to his temple as he bent forward.

I heard an explosion and felt the puff of a bullet. I turned to see the Kiowa pointing a large pistol at me.

He didn’t get off a second shot. Hondo hit him so hard, I saw spittle fly from his mouth. He staggered back, but didn’t go down. I glanced at the women around Bodhi, but they ran away as Hondo charged. Moon’s hand came out of his pocket with a pistol, but by then Juan reached him and bit his arm like a small attack dog.

Moon screamed as he pushed on Juan’s head, trying to pry the small Mexican loose.

Hondo shoved Bodhi toward me, “Run!” He said.

Moon finally pried his arm from Juan’s mouth and shoved the smaller man from him.

He shot Juan in the face.

I saw Juan’s hair fly with the impact as he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. Hondo charged Moon, but the man dodged and ran beside the Kiowa, who aimed in my direction.

Bodhi reached me and I pushed her behind me.

Troy ran towards us and I started to punch him in the throat when he said, “Help me!”

A pistol exploded and Troy staggered. Blood showed on his shoulder.

The Kiowa was the shooter. He yelled, “Traitor!”

Hondo said to us, “Go!”

He kicked the pistol from the Kiowa’s hand, and they went at it. Moon tried to shoot Hondo, but my friend struck with a spinning back-fist to Moon’s wrist that sent the pistol sailing into the darkness.

The Kiowa hit Hondo a good one, and he wobbled. The Kiowa and Moon ganged up, but Hondo bobbed and covered, and a second later launched his own counter attack, punching and kicking.

The two black men stirred. I grabbed Bodhi’s hand, “Come on!” Troy followed.

I raced to the wall and hopped on top, then pulled Bodhi up and over to the outside. Troy struggled to climb, his wounded arm almost useless. Behind him I saw the two huge men stand, still holding their Uzis.

I reached down, grabbing Troy by his good arm and his collar and lifted him enough so he could have his stomach on top of the wall.

The two men turned their Uzis our way.

I glanced once at Hondo and saw the Kiowa and him battling like enraged lions. Moon stood apart and glared at me.

Troy groaned and I pulled him hard so he fell outside the wall just as two Uzis fired on full automatic, sending bright red lines zipping all around me and into the wall below my feet. Tracers.

I dropped outside the wall, pulling Bodhi and Troy across open ground, going toward the looming nearby mountains. I heard Moon yell, “Let’s get them!”

Bodhi kept up with me, but I half-carried Troy. Glancing behind us, I saw the two black men and Moon coming over the wall. I said, “We need to go faster.”

Bodhi struggled, breathing hard, but keeping up as Troy moaned and leaned his weight on me, saying, “It hurts, it hurts.”

I hoped Hondo won his fight with the Kiowa. It bothered me that I abandoned him.