Chapter Three (Part Two): New Alliances

Who is Eli? is a story that is set directly following the Let Me In film. Owen casually finds one of Abby's puzzles and notices the name "Eli" etched upon it. Abby decides the time is right to reveal more of her mysterious past.

Here's the long awaited Chapter 3 Part 2. Sorry it took me so long to get this to you! After I release Chapter 4, or at least part of it, I'm going to be including another set of short chapters that I'll likely call “Abby's Notes” which give you some insight into what she's thinking as the story continues. Look for this in the very near future. Part one is complete, but I'm waiting on releasing it until I release the next chapter of “Who is Eli?”

Chapter Three, Part 2: New Alliances

After a few moments had passed, Abby turned to face Jonathan once again. The expression of deep sorrow was beginning to leave her facial expressions. As she turned, she slipped her hand quietly into Owen's.

Jonathan blinked his eyes a few times in an attempt to snap back into reality. After a few seconds, he ran his hand over his face as if he were waking up from a very deep and restful sleep. Turning his eyes slowly towards Owen then Abby, and asked, “Where do you plan to go?”

Owen's lips curled into a frown as he slowly turned his head in Abby's direction. Abby gently squeezed his hand and offered a small, reassuring smile as she spoke, “Far away from here. Do you have any ideas?”

Jonathan turned his eyes upwards towards the ceiling, pondering the girl's question for a moment. He sighed, “I'll think about it.”

Abby's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing his words and asked sharply, “Are you going to think about it while you drink?”

Owen's head snapped back in the direction of Jonathan, the look of uncertainty in his eyes becoming worse as he pleaded, “We don't have time for that! Please help us!”

Jonathan turned his eyes to gaze directly into the face of the boy and swallowed deeply as he slightly nodded his head, “You're right. We don't,” his eyes slowly drifted over to the girl as he continued to speak, “I need to get out of here as much as you do. I don't know who,” he paused a moment to clear his throat, “or what you are, but I'm going to help you. Give me a day to think about it, because if we aren't careful, very bad things will happen. I know I may seem like a total screw-up to you, but I'm a lot more capable than I look.” Jonathan paused for a moment, a great sadness settling in over his face, “I wasn't always this way.”

Abby fixed her eyes upon Jonathan's face, “You'd better not tell anyone about us.”

Jonathan's eyes also narrowed, the seeds of anger beginning to grow within him, “I'm not going to say anything to anyone,” he paused a moment in an apparent attempt to calm himself, ”and I'm not going to drink anything either.”

Abby nodded her head, “Then we'll see you tomorrow?”

Owen had began to relax, the look of uncertainty beginning to melt away from his features. For the first time, a small, timid smile began to form on his lips.

Jonathan turned his head yet again to face the boy and studied him for just a moment before nodding his head, “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

Abby had slipped her hand free from Owen's grasp and began making her way to the back of the small room. Towards the bathroom.

Owen timidly nodded his head in Jonathan's direction and glanced towards the door of the small room. After several moments, Jonathan looked back towards the girl before slowly making his way towards the door and exiting the room. Thankfully, with Jonathan's back towards the children, he missed the Abby deftly slipping into the shadowy refuge that was the bathroom, narrowly managing to avoid the onslaught of sunlight that flooded into the room.

It was going to be a long day for Owen.

***
“Owen, I know this man says he can help us,” Abby began as she turned her eyes from the cards held in her hand to Owen, “But we gotta still be careful. I don't trust him fully.”

Owen turned his ever-growing hand of cards (she always wins!) over and placed them carefully on the ground so that Abby could not see what he held. “Yeah. He can at least give us a ride. But he'll want to know why you only go out at night.”

“I know,” Abby sighed, “but for now, we need to get out of here. We're still too close to Los Alamos”

“Yeah. Will we be safe traveling?”

“ I think so. But if its a really long drive, how will I stay out of the sun?”

“You can get in the trunk. We can't leave it.”

“But Owen, that's going to make him wonder even more.” She frowned.

“Maybe we can stop at another motel like this. Pay for rooms again.”

Abby nodded, considering the idea. “I like that.” Abby once again considered the fact that all people were motivated by something. Initially when they had met Jonathan, she looked at him as a drunkard, someone that could perform services for the two of them in exchange for money which would then be used to purchase alcohol or drugs. She had dealt with that type many, many times over her long existence. She knew that as long as she had money, her needs could be met. After all, everything has a price, doesn't it? But then, she realized that she was confused by (perhaps even mistaken about) their new friend.

Abby always prided herself on being an excellent judge of a person within a short time of meeting them. It enabled her to survive and provided an extra defensive mechanism against the harsh realities of the world. In Jonathan's case, reconsideration of his character appeared to be warranted. She was desperate. Now that she was responsible for someone other than herself, things were even more complicated. This is why she opened herself to Jonathan so quickly, allowed him to gaze into the abyss that was her soul. She hoped that this would have been enough to obtain Jonathan's help, and luckily, it was. But when she had opened herself to him, she could tell that her initial thoughts of him were wrong. Perhaps he could be trusted to a certain degree. This would have to be evaluated further.

Owen idly waved his hand again in front of his girlfriend's face to try and get her attention. Abby had been staring blankly at the ground between them. “You okay?”

Abby blushed ever so slightly, “Yes, I--” her head shot towards the door of the motel room. Soft knocking was heard.

A look of intense fear clouded Owen's face as he also looked towards the door.

“Its probably that guy. Jonathan,” Abby reassured as she stood up and headed for the door. She paused for a moment before opening the door. It was Jonathan.

Abby quickly closed the door behind Jonathan almost immediately after he stepped into the room.

“Don't look so happy to see me,” Jonathan grumbled as he removed his coat, tossing it onto the bed next to him.

“So,” Abby asked, maneuvering herself (almost strategically) from around behind him to in stand at Owen's side, “What do you think?”

Owen kept quiet.

“You two are strange kids,” he began, “especially you,” he continued, pointing directly at Abby, “I think that you're in almost as much trouble as I am, and I'm way in over my head. I need to leave this place. Now. And I'm planning to go back to my home town. You two can come along if you want.”

“Where is your hometown?” Abby inquired.

“New Orleans,” Jonathan replied and held out a bus ticket, “Are you in?”

Owen looked to Abby, his face swimming in uncertainty.

“When?”

“Two hours. The bus stop is a fifteen minute walk in the direction of town.”

“We'll go with you.” Abby responded confidently, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

“Okay. I need to do a few things before we leave. I will come get you when I'm ready. When we get to the bus station, give me your money and I'll go buy your tickets. No offense, but it looks really strange two kids buying bus tickets alone at night.”

Abby nodded, “Okay. We'll get our things ready too.”

With that, Jonathan turned to leave. Abby followed him to the door and closed it quickly behind him. Just as she began to turn back towards Owen, loud commotion could be heard from outside the door. Abby froze for a moment, straining her ears to hear the details of the occurrence. Something was not right.

***

“Well, well, well... If it isn't my good pal Jonathan,” The man grinned in Jonathan's direction as he exited the children's room, “You have a whore in there? Or is this where you've been hiding?” Several other large men stepped out from the vehicle and quickly moved to stand beside the original.

Jonathan swallowed hard but just stared at the man.

“Where's my money, John? The ten grand you borrowed plus 25%. That should be,” he paused for a moment, pretending to calculate something in his mind, “thirty thousand.”

“Don't you mean twelve and a half?”

“You got the money or not?” The man asked, a cocky tone in his voice. The crowd of other men that stood at his side tried their best to appear menacing and dangerous.

“Tomorrow. I'll have it tomorrow.”

“Don't fuck with me, John. Pay the money now, or you die.”

“Please. Give me until tomorrow,” Jonathan pleaded, his head moving left to right, sizing up the crowd of henchmen surrounding the center man. He knew that if he was not granted a 24 hour reprieve to escape, this would likely be his death.

“You disappoint me, John.” The tall man turned and walked back towards the vehicle stopping briefly in front of a large pothole. He reached his foot out to kick at a small rock within the pothole. Moments later, he turned his head back to the men who had, more or less, remained standing at attention and commanded, “Kill him.”

Jonathan instinctively took a step back. Unfortunately, his step landed him into another of the gaping potholes and he fell backwards onto his rear, his head striking the ground. Laughter erupted all around him as his head impacted (yet again) with the ground. He was quickly surrounded by four men armed with various melee implements. The beating quickly began. Jonathan knew this was the end.

***
The first head came off relatively easy, a clean split at the neck. The sweet, liquid of life (or unlife) untimely wasted, spilled upon the ground. Moments later, the second goon directly across from the now headless was knocked back onto his rear as the creature swiftly moved in for the kill. The strike was calculated and brief. Abby sunk her pale white fangs into the man's neck, savoring the sweet vitae for a brief moment before ripping her maws away. Blood spurted from the vicious wound as the man fell to the ground to meet his swift death. She crouched down, her blood soaked hair concealing savage, otherworldly features. The remaining two men quickly backed up away from Jonathan.

The man leading the assault quickly spoke up, “It's just a little girl! Kill her too!”

The henchmen did not move forward. They continued slowly backing away from Abby as she rose slowly from her position and moved towards Jonathan, fighting with every fiber of her being to maintain control over the beast who was also fighting for domination. She knelt down in front of the battered body that was Jonathan. He was still alive, and conscious.

“Ru-,” he began to speak until he saw the blood covering her once angelic features.

Abby said nothing.

“Get the boy and go before they kill you both!”

And then it happened. Almost in unison, the sound of gunfire filled the air, and Abby was struck by several of the shots in the back. She crumpled forward onto Jonathan, bleeding profusely from the vicious wounds on her back. Jonathan instinctively captured the child in his arms. She weighed almost nothing, and he gently laid her face forward onto the pot-hole ridden pavement, unsure of what measures to take to try and save her.

“Finish them both,” the leader instructed with an air of arrogant confidence, as he moved to sit back inside of their vehicle.

The two henchmen nodded in agreement and began walking in the direction of Abby and Jonathan, their pistols drawn at the ready. The larger of the two began to walk faster, his pistol stretched out in front of him.

“I'll do her. She killed Marv,” absently stated the first man.

“Fine. Just hurry up,” responded the second.

He positioned the gun several feet above the wounded girl's head and smiled, savoring his victory. “I will enjoy this,” he said as his trigger-finger began to gently apply force to the trigger. As the trigger reached the point of no return, the result was much different from what he expected. Before his brain could register the outcome, he found himself laying flat on his back, the young girl sprawled on top of him with her jaws locked firmly around his neck. As he began to register the scene in his mind, he felt his attachment to the world slowly melting away.

The girl stood in eerie silence and turned her expression to the other, pistol wielding man who had begun to open fire upon her. She grimaced and stumbled backwards with each successful shot, but continued moving towards him at full speed after his gun registered its first bare click. It took no time at all before she was upon him, draining the content of his veins dry.

Jonathan propped himself forward with his arms staged behind the rest of his body. He stared at the sight in amazement as the man who originally lead the assault exited his vehicle and ran away faster than previously thought to be possible. Only one question remained in his mind: what the hell just happened?

He rose slowly to his feet and began to creep towards Abby who was kneeling down beside the body of the drained man. She was breathing heavily, her blood-soaked palms over the cheeks of her face. He could hear soft sobbing as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

***

What the hell do I do? What can I say? She just killed four men! She's not human!

She's a child, John. Probably one with some kind of extensive martial arts training or something. You're a rational person, go check on her!

BULLSHIT! She was shot no less than seven times! She isn't a child, she's some kind of monster!

Jonathan could see the face of the other child, the boy, peeking curiously from inside of the room he and the girl had shared. He turned back towards the girl who was on her knees beside the body of the last assailant. He sighed audibly to himself.

I need to see if she's alright, then we need to get out of here.

He stood and moved slowly towards the girl, still unsure if he should fear for his own life. Upon reaching her, he could hear the soft sobs of a broken child trying to comfort herself. As much as he hated children, there was no mistake about it, he felt as if he needed to comfort her too. He gently reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey,” he began as softly as he could, “Are you alright?”

Between sobs, the girl nodded.

“We can't stay here. We need to go.”

The girl nodded again and wiped her eyes and rose to her feet. Without a word, she began walking towards the room where she and her young companion had spent the last night. Jonathan watched her go.

I guess I should let them do their thing.

He then looked towards the abandoned, nondescript vehicle still parked in the center of the parking lot. He grinned evilly to himself. There would be no taking a bus tonight.

Several minutes later, just as the nervousness began to set in, the children emerged from the room and began to run in the direction of the vehicle. They carried nothing but the large trunk in which he had found the girl earlier that week. Jonathan ran to meet them as the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. They quickly loaded the car.

“Get in! We need to leave! Now,” exclaimed the now frantic Jonathan as leaped into the drivers seat of the still running vehicle. The girl, still soaked in the blood of the attackers, hopped into the car directly behind him, the boy to her right. Just as the children closed the door behind themselves, Jonathan pulled off through the exit of the motel and speed down the road back towards the train station passing a convoy of three police vehicles along the way. He let loose a sigh of relief.

The trio sat in silence for several hours until Jonathan eased the vehicle off the road onto the grass beside a stream of quickly flowing water. He paused for a moment, trying to take in all that had just happened. It was very dark along the abandoned country rode. He he had decided to take back roads to avoid detection. After a moment, he turned forwards the children and swallowed hard.

“Why not clean some of that,” he paused uncomfortably for a moment, “blood off of you.”

After a moment of silence, the girl slowly reached her hand up to the handle of the door and opened it. After a moment of pause, she slipped out from the vehicle and walked over towards the stream. The boy followed close behind her.

Jonathan broke into a cold sweat. He had grown used to living a nomadic, fugitive life, but this time, things were different. How he had in his “possession” two children. If that wasn't bad enough, one of the two children now qualified as a murderer. Yes, it was self-defense, but still, she had killed four people in front of his eyes. No telling how many witnesses there were.

I guess we should continue on to New Orleans.

Maybe I should try and talk to April again... What the hell will she think when she sees these two kids? Better question is … What should I DO with these two kids? I can't leave them on their own..

I'll focus on getting to New Orleans, then ditching this car....