Marie (Teumessian Trilogy Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter 19

It was a long ride from the club. Tyler was trying to stay conscious but he was losing blood and was in pain. He was not sure where they were or where they were going. They pulled into a dirt road and took it down to a small run down farm house; it looked like it had been abandoned many years prior.

Marie pulled up to the large tree by it and got off, “Let’s go,” she helped Tyler off the bike. He started to make his way towards the house, but Marie stopped him. “No, this way” she said guiding him towards the field. Tyler followed trying to keep his mind clear. She walked up to a patch of hay and started to move it out of the way. As she did it revealed two doors. Marie unlatched the metal clasp holding the doors together and opened the doors and stepped down onto the first step. “In here.” She helped Tyler over the step into the cellar. He followed her down the ten steps and into a large open space. The steps led into an open common area. To the left was a small kitchen area with a sink, refrigerator, and counter space with a small hot plate on it; to the right was a metal bed and a small drawer set and directly ahead of him was a bathroom with shower.

Tyler looked around, “It’s a bomb shelter!”

“You’re quick” Marie laughed “Sit before you bleed all over the floor.” She pulled a metal chair from the small table from the kitchen area into the common living space. She went into the bathroom and got out a small black box from under the sink and returned to the living space and kitchen and placed the black box on the kitchen table.              

“How did you find this? And how do you keep it running? Does it have running water, does it have actual working plumbing? How about electricity are you on the grid or off it?” Tyler asked in quick succession.

“That’s not important none of that is. Sit still and let me look at that.” She approached Tyler and took his satchel off his shoulder and dropped it on the floor and tore open his shirt to examine his injury more closely. “It will take a couple stitches but you will survive.” Marie smiled.

“Stitches! Oh no no no you are not stitching me up.” Tyler stumbled through his words.

“Relax, you big baby, I have done this before.” She opened up the black box and pulled out a large needle and thread. “Just relax” she said as she positioned herself over his right thigh and pinched the wound together preparing to stitch it up. “You know for a dork you take pretty good care of yourself.” Marie said with a laugh as she examined Thomas’s surprisingly fit chest and abs.              

“Just because I am not some killer ninja, doesn’t mean I don’t take care of myself.” Tyler was agitated.

“You are a pretty judgmental guy aren’t you?” She began to thread the needle through the skin around the cut.

Tyler flinched, “I am not judgmental” Tyler tried not to show his pain from the needle going in and out of his skin.

“Yes, you really are you think that because I kill people on a regular basis. Somehow that makes you better than me because you don’t. Well, hate to bust your bubble, but death is necessary in this world and sometimes it has to be at the hand of someone not always something.” Marie completed the fifth stitch to his wound. “There you will live.” Marie got up off Tyler’s thigh.

“Were you hit too?” He noticed the blood on the white tank top on Marie’s back.

“Some of that is you and some is me, but I will be fine.” Marie responded

“It’s true isn’t it?” Excitement came through in his voice.

“What’s true?” Marie placed the needle back into the black box that was sitting on the kitchen table. Tyler got up out of his chair and walked up behind her and reached out to touch her back. Marie felt his presence behind her and quickly turned around and grabbed him by the throat with her right hand, “Don’t even think about touching me.” Marie calmly ordered as she pushed him back. “So I take it everyone knows. I guess I should have figured considering all the ‘visitors’ I have had over the past four years. I guess I didn’t have to save you, you know nothing that’s a secret.” She turned back around and closed the box.

“You realize what your abilities mean, right?” Tyler rubbed his neck.

“They mean I don’t need a band aid.” Marie replied sarcastically.

“No it means you are the key to solving diseases, helping people heal from major injuries. You could save millions of lives.” His voice filled with excitement.

“Yah, not for me. I don’t save lives, remember, I end them. It’s much easier for me, plus I’m pretty good at it.” Marie walked towards the bathroom and returned the box to its place under the sink. Tyler took a deep breath, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple to get her to help or even to understand what she could do for the world besides add new graves. He reached down and picked up his satchel and placed it on the kitchen table. He opened it up and started to get out one of his US Army t-shirts to put it on.

“Nope, you are not putting that on.” Marie ordered as she walked back from the bathroom.

“So what do I walk around with no shirt on?”

“As much as I am enjoying the view sweetie, the US Army gear is a no no. I would prefer to not be seen with any of you.” She walked over to bed and reached under and pulled out two large metal ammunition cases, measuring about three foot wide by two feet long and one foot deep.              

“You sleep with ammunition cases under your bed?!” Tyler exclaimed.

“No, idiot but they work great for storing things, like things you find.” Marie smiled and dragged the cases to the middle of the room and flipped them open.

Tyler gazed inside the cases and saw a large supply of various weapons, knives, guns, grenades and clothing, men’s clothing, that is. “Whose clothing is this?” Tyler questioned picking up a long sleeve black turtleneck.

“That one, no clue. I find things and I keep them. You never know when things will become useful. Find something that will fit. I’m taking a shower” Marie walked back to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. 

Tyler just stood there with the open cases in front of him, ‘did she just leave me with all of this?’ he thought to himself. Is she just trying to show me her accomplishments or what? Tyler was confused but started to look through the first case. He found several dark colored shirts and found one that would fit. He found several logos on shirts for groups that he couldn’t identify, ‘how many enemies have you made?’ he questioned to himself. Among all the weapons in the second case, Tyler saw a six inch blade sitting in a black holster. It had a beautiful inscription, so he pulled it out to examine it further. The inscription was in German or at least he thought it was German. ‘The Germans, the Chinese, and who else? Is the whole world after her?’ he thought to himself. Tyler sat back down on the chair and continued to examine the knife. It had been used. There was dried blood on it but not recent blood. Tyler began to swing it in his hand. It was easy to move.

At that moment the bathroom door opened and there stood Marie in nothing but a grey bath towel.

“Like that knife?” she questioned, leaning on the door frame leading to the bathroom.

Tyler quickly placed it down on the table, “It is very nice, where did you get it?”

“You ask a lot of questions, you know that. Some things are better that you not know.” Marie responded walking towards her bed.

“I just would like to know what I am getting myself into.” Tyler responded confidently “I think it would be more helpful if I know what is going on here if I am going to help.”

“Sweetie you are information and nothing more. You do not need to know my life story.” Marie said with a laugh as she dropped her towel and moved to her drawers. “And just for your information if I even get the hint that you are trying to cross me I will end you. Is that clear?”

Tyler heard the words but didn’t register what she was saying. He just gazed upon her naked body. He saw them, the scars. They littered her arms, her back, her stomach were all covered with scars. A large burn scar riddled her left breast, Tyler quickly turned his head to look away, “Please let me know before you do that again so I can turn around.” Tyler nervously replied

“Never seen a naked woman before?” Marie questioned with a laugh as she pulled a grey t-shirt and grey pants from her top drawer and threw them on her bed.

Tyler hesitated then took a deep breath, “I have. It’s just manners.”

“Liar,” Marie laughed, “I’m very sorry to have offended you.” Marie replied sarcastically as she pulled a black bra and underwear from the second drawer and put them on.

Tyler started to turn around, “its ok I am sorry that I looked.” Tyler then noticed she was in nothing but her underwear and quickly turned around again. “Just tell me when you’re dressed please.”

“Ok, sir,” sarcasm filled her words. She finished putting her clothing on and walked up behind Tyler who was still nervously standing as still as possible. “Boo” she said in his ear with a laugh.

Tyler jumped and turned around, “Not funny” he barely got out of his mouth as he caught his breath.

“Relax, if I was going to kill you, I would have done it already. And for the record so far you haven’t given me a reason to kill you.” Marie walked over to the table and started to open his satchel. “Now what do you have in here?”

Tyler quickly moved to the bag and took it from her, “That is mine. I am not going through your things without your permission,”

“Ok, my bad, but it’s time to put your cards on the table.” She sat down on the second metal chair at the table and crossed her legs. She pointed at the satchel, “Show me what you have.”

Tyler took deep breath, “I know you have six targets left from the company and you want all of them dead but you cannot go anywhere near the facility or you will be spotted immediately and that is probably why you have avoided it for the past four years. Their residences are secret and getting to them requires you have intel on them and last time I checked you have been very poor at making friends over the past four years.”

“Interesting theory. Ok, give me the intel then.” Marie put out her hand.

Tyler smiled, “It’s up here” he said, pointing at his head. “I have some of the basics information on each of them on paper but I have the rest memorized.”

“Afraid I would kill you after you gave it to me?” Marie laughed.

Tyler hesitated, “No I just don’t like to have a paper trail that is all.”

“Yah ok whatever works for you but I would like to get going on this.”

“Where do you want to start? You took a long enough break from them. Why did you just leave them alone all those years?” Tyler questioned as he pulled the files from his satchel and placed them on the table.

“I was busy that is all you need to know.” Marie reached out and separated the files from one another, there was one for each, Ethan, Dr. Jones, Ivan, Henry, Bruce, and Justin. Marie picked up Justin’s file and opened it, “He’s still alive?” she questioned as she flipped through the pages of Justin’s file.

“Yes, he is and living here in Los Angeles.” Tyler looked over her shoulder at the papers.

“I figured he would have killed himself or they him by now.” Marie replied closing the file and placing it back on the table. “Where is he?”

“Like I said he is here in Los Angeles.”

Marie looked agitated, “Really, are we really going to have nothing but conversations like this, I mean an actual location not just a city. Are you really this dense? I’m starting to question my decision to let you live.”

Tyler straightened himself out, “I will take you to him if you want.”

“Fine, let’s do that,” Marie got up from the table and walking over to her cases on the floor. She knelt down in front of them and began going through the contents of the one with weapons. She pulled a black holster that held two knives in it and strapped it on to her back. She then reached in and grabbed the black holster that went with Frederick’s knife that Tyler had been holding earlier and threw the holster at Tyler. “Here is the holster for that, strap it on.”

“Oh I’m good I won’t need a weapon…..will I?” Tyler asked nervously as he attached the holster to his right hip.

“You will always need a weapon. Here,” she said throwing a 9mm pistol at Tyler. He nearly dropped the gun as it came at him.

“Are you nuts throwing a gun?!” Tyler exclaimed trying to catch his breath and repositioning the gun is his hand so the barrel was facing the ground.

“Relax, you gigantic baby, the safety is on” Marie replied “Add that and this to your outfit.” Marie threw a brown gun holster to Tyler.

Tyler took the holster and attached it to his left hip and placed the gun in its place. Marie pulled out another 9mm pistol and racked it before holstering it in the back of her pants.

“You gona add the knife to that holster?” She asked.

“Whose was it?” Tyler looked at it still sitting on the table.

“Seriously again? Don’t worry about it. He’s dead. He isn’t coming looking for it.” Tyler slowly picked the knife up and placed it in the holster on his right hip.  “Well your passable for tough I guess.” Marie said with a laugh looking at Tyler.

“I am not like you, you know that, right? I am not cut out for killing people and running around like some spy. I am here to help you find them, not to become your accomplice.” Tyler stood straight up and adjusted his black shirt.