HL50 - Prompt- Dragon
This is my story for the Dragon prompt. I don't own anything, I'm just playing for a little while.
This is set before Richie's Immortality is triggered by the events in 'The Darkness'.
Chasing the Dragon
Richie hadn’t been back to his old neighbourhood in too long. He had bumped into a few of his old friends in the last few months and he was feeling guilty about losing contact. He felt especially bad that he hadn’t spoken to Aaron for almost a year.
If anyone was going to make it out of that hellhole, it was going to be Aaron Eckhart. He was a great scholar, starting quarterback for the school team, and a wizard on guitar. In fact it would be really easy to hate the guy, if he wasn’t so damned nice. He didn’t have a bad bone in him and he was one of the most popular guys in the neighbourhood.
Richie smiled as he pulled up outside Aaron’s building and got off his bike. Aaron had been granted both football and academic scholarships by several colleges, but he had decided to stay at home for his mom’s sake. His father had died when he was younger, and he was an only child, so he didn’t want her to get lonely. That’s so like Aaron, Richie thought to himself as he ran up the steps and pressed the bell.
Aaron’s mom opened the door, and she smiled as she recognised Richie, but she looked pale and drawn. “Hello Mrs Eckhart, how’re you doing? I came by looking for Aaron, but I guess he’s in class or something?” A shadow passed over Mrs Eckhart’s face.
“You had better come inside Richie.” Confused, and concerned, Richie followed her inside. She sat down on a chair and motioned for him to do the same. “I’m sorry that nobody told you this Richie, but Aaron passed six months ago.” Richie was dumbstruck; he didn’t know what to say. He just couldn’t process this information. Mrs Eckhart pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes before continuing. “He had taken a job bussing tables at a Chinese restaurant to get a little extra cash. He was such a considerate boy, he knew that his scholarship wouldn’t cover more than his tuition and books and he didn’t want to be a burden. But the restaurant was also a front for a group of opium smugglers. One night, he was cleaning up when a rival gang opened fire on the store front. I don’t think they intended to hurt anyone, just damage the property, but my Aaron was too close to the window…” she trailed off, sniffing back the tears, and looked at Richie. He reached over and took her hand.
“I’m so sorry Mrs Eckhart. I’ve been out of touch for a while, I had no idea. Is there anything I can do for you?” She shook her head.
“Not unless you can catch the men responsible.” Richie looked at her intently, then shook his head. “Then thank you, but there’s nothing you can do.” But privately Richie was thinking to himself, I will try to find them. He stood up, still holding Mrs Eckhart’s hand.
“I am truly sorry for your loss. Aaron was a great guy, and a good friend. I’m going to miss him.” Mrs Eckhart sobbed and nodded as Richie gently let go of her hand. “I’ll see myself out. Goodbye Mrs Eckhart.” Richie walked back into the sunlight, fighting back the tears and the rising tide of rage inside him. Yes, he was going to find Aaron’s killers, with or without Mac’s help. God help them when he did.
Back at the antiques store, Richie told Duncan and Tessa what had happened to Aaron. Tessa was immediately the concerned mother; she hugged him and told him how sorry she was. Duncan on the other hand, was decidedly quiet. Richie turned to him and asked,
“We’re going after these guys right Mac?” Duncan looked at him.
“Why Richie? Do you think one of them is Immortal?”
“No. But that’s what we do isn’t it? If somebody does something, someone who thinks they’re above the law, we find and you kick butt.” Duncan was shocked by Richie’s attitude.
“We don’t take the law into our own hands, Rich. And I don’t make a habit of killing mortals.”
“That’s bull and you know it Mac. I’ve seen you dispense your own private justice lots of times, and not just on Immortals.”
“This isn’t about justice, Richie; it’s about your thirst for vengeance. That never solves anything, trust me. I’ll help you look for the men responsible, but if and when we find them, we’ll hand them over to the cops.”
“No, the cops can’t touch people like that. I’m going to find them and I’m going to fix this for Aaron.” Duncan knew there was no way to dissuade Richie when he had that determined look on his face, so he let him walk out. Tessa made to follow, but Duncan stopped her.
“Mac! He could get hurt!”
“Don’t worry. He probably won’t find anything out, and in a few hours he’ll have calmed down a little and be willing to listen to reason. I won’t let anything happen to him.” He took her in his arms and held her, his firm grasp reassuring her.
“Merde. Why do you always have to be older and wiser?” Duncan looked down into her eyes and smiled.
“Nothing I can do about the older. And I’m not so sure that I’m wiser.”
Duncan kicked the nearest thug in the chest and cursed Richie for getting him into this mess. This morning when he had woken up, he was looking forward to a relaxing Saturday with Tess, yet now he was knee deep in Triad goons, fighting to keep Richie alive. The sadistic part of him was willing to walk away and leave Richie to face these guys alone, but he was too young still, and besides, Tessa would never forgive him.
This boy has a knack of attracting trouble that rivals Amanda, he thought to himself as he punched another thug in the throat, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Then he mentally cursed Connor for letting him take responsibility for the boy.
The boy in question was lying in a crumpled heap a few feet from Duncan. He had tried his best to help in the fighting, but had been knocked unconscious pretty quickly. I must start training him soon, thought Duncan, if only so he doesn’t get knocked on his ass so often.
Soon, the bad guys were all unconscious on the floor, with the evidence of their drug trafficking and the guns to tie them to Aaron’s murder neatly sat beside them. The police sirens could be heard about a block away, and Duncan placed the still unconscious Richie into the T’-Bird and slid into the driver’s side.
“Did we get them?” Richie murmured groggily.
“Yeah Rich, we got them.” Duncan smiled at his charge and gunned the ‘Bird out from the warehouse toward home.