Bitesize 1.7

Bitesize 1.7

Ed dreamt again that night. Maybe it was because his previous dream had been interrupted unfinished or maybe it was the half bottle of spiced rum swirling through his system but he found himself back in that night once again.

He'd called his Dad the moment he got home told him what he'd seen. When he mentioned how the attacker had seemingly disappeared through solid brick there was a long silence.
"You still there, Dad?"
"Yes. I'm here. Are you sure that's what you saw?"
"Believe me. There was nowhere he could have gone."
"I believe you Ed. Listen. I'm gonna call a couple of friends of mine, have them bring you here."
"No need Dad. I'm fine, really. I'll drive over and see you tomorrow."
"It has to be now Ed. I'll explain when you get here. You can trust these guys, I work with them."
"At the office?"
"Kinda. They'll be with you soon ok?"
He hung up at that point, leaving Ed feeling very confused. it was one thing for his Dad to worry about his safety, but why the rush? Maybe he wasn't feeling too good. Ed's Dad had developed a wasting disease two years ago and was bed-ridden. He could still get a round but his mobility was really poor. He had a full time carer at the house but Ed still spent as much time as he could spare looking after him, keeping his morale up. They needed each other.

A short while later there was a knock at the door. It was like the police knock, all business. He opened the door to find two men waiting for him. The knocker was an older gent, maybe a little over fifty. His hair was dark but grayed at the temples and he wore old style black rimmed glasses with thick lenses. Just behind him was a large guy, Indian Ed thought, or maybe Bangladeshi. He wore Kurta paijama. Ed was familiar with the garments from a Muslim he'd known at university.
"Ed Baxter?" asked the grey haired gent, rhetorically. "I'm Alf Bennington. This is Kamran. We're friends of your father." He motioned with his head, "We have a car."
Ed followed them in silence. He could certainly see Alf working in the office with his father. He looked the kind of man who worked long hours from home sorting the accounts for a stock trading company, but Kamran? He didn't look the type. they reached the car and Kamran got in the driver's side, Alf in the passenger seat. ed climbed into the back.
"Buckle up please Ed." said Alf, "We'll be driving quite fast. Please refrain from panicking. I assure you, Kamran is an expert driver."
ed had jsut about clipped in his seatbelt when Kamran hit the gas. They took off in a squeal of rubber and pelted down the road. Ed gripped the handle of the door tightly.
"Jesus! We can get there in one piece. It's only an hour away."
"We may not have an hour." said Alf. "Don't worry. Kamran was trained as a pursuit driver. We're quite safe."
"A pursuit driver? Why would... Wait, we may not an hour? What's wrong? Is Dad ok?"
"Your father is fine Ed. We're just in a bit of a hurry. This trip is quite time sensitive."
Kamran took a left turn in a powerslide and Ed gripped the handle even tighter as he slid slightly along the seat.
"Yeah, shit, whatever." he said, watching Kamran. The big guy never took his gaze from the road, didn't even move his head. just weaved in and out of the traffic with the precision of someone who was more than familiar with this kind of thing.
"What if we get pulled over?"
"This car has been modified. It can outpace any police vehicle."
"They send choppers out for this kind of thing you know."
"Ed, just relax. You're in safe hands."

The rest of the journey passed in silence and a little over thirty minutes later they pulled into the driveway of Ed's father's house. It wasn't a mansion, but it was a large and secluded country house, paid for by his father's long hours of toil at the office. Kamran slid the car into the driveway and pulled up right at the front door. The three got out of the car and Alf opened the door to the house and led them in. There was an entry hall that opened out into a large room, dominated by the double staircases that ran down either side. They went up to the landing and on to another hall to the left. At the end of the hall a set of double doors on the right marked Ed's father's room. Alf pushed open the doors and the three men went in.

Ed's father lay in his large four poster bed. A drip was set up at the side of bed, feeding him painkillers at the push of a button. He nodded wearily at Ed.
"What's going on dad?" asked Ed, going over to the bed. "This is some seriously messed up shit going on. Why'd you have these guys race me here?"
Ed's Dad shook his head and Alf stepped in.
"There isn't time right now." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out two guns. He tossed one to Kamran and together they turned to face the door they'd come through, holding the weapons, ready to fire.
"What the fuck!" Ed swore.
"Ed." said his father. "The man you saw. His name is Raddick. He's... he's coming here we think."
"We know." said Alf, "Two more reported dead. I called everyone else in. They're safe while they're moving. The only one who couldn't be evacuated was your father."
"Evacuated?" Ed was starting to get annoyed at the deception. "So what the fuck's going on? That guy's coming here? Why? What the fuck are you gonna do? Shoot him?"
"You can't shoot someone like Raddick with a normal gun." said his father.
"A normal gun? What the hell Dad?"
"This weapon fires a high voltage shot of electricity Ed. Now sit down and shut up." said Alf. His tone was clear, his instruction to be obeyed. Ed gave in. He sat down in the chair at the side of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. No one spoke a word. For a half hour there was just silence, Alf and Kamran facing the door with their weapons, not shifting their stance. And then it happened. As if from nowhere a man appeared in front of the wall near the door. Alf and Kamran fired simultaneously, multiple shots. the shock on the man's face was evident, as was the pain as the 'bullets' slammed into him, spreading out into a blue electrical charge that seemed to fire around his body and then he dropped to the floor motionless. There was no blood, no wound. Alf was on the man in a flash. He pulled a collar from his jacket and fitted it to the man's neck. Ed stood up.
"Ok, seriously. I wanna know what the fuck's going on. Now."