Free Radium Halos by W.J. May Page A

cue against Dipstick’s neck. Bright red blood began
running and staining his white shirt. The guy’s heart rate exploded
into a rapid rhythm.
    I held my
breath. We all did.
    Kieran hissed,
his head close enough so only Dipstick could hear…and me. “Give up,
or I’ll shove this up yer ass ’n pull it out the other end.” The
tone and venom in Kieran’s voice scared the crap out of me. College
dude went limp. Kieran straightened. “Funny ’ow things change when
yer on the other end, eh?”
    The
bleach-blonde, his pants still around his ankles moaned and pushed
himself onto his knees. “What the hell? You freakin’ high school
pricks think,” he paused to cough blood and something white flew
out of his mouth. A tooth? “I’m gonna kill all of you and
then piss—” Without a second thought, I grabbed an almost empty bag
of potatoes and swung. The distinct thunk against his head and back
felt gratifying. He fell face first into the dirt floor,
unconscious again.
    I looked at
Skinny. He sat huddled in the corner, hugging his knees, his eyes
bloodshot and terrified.
    “The guy by the
door?” Seth called out.
    Rylee turned
around, and stared up the darkened stairs. “He must’ve taken off. I
was watching him—”
    “You can see in
the dark?” Seth asked.
    “Yeah. He was
there a second ago when I checked, barely moving. I turned when Zoe
slammed the guy with the diddlydee potatoes.”
    About to ask
her what the heck she meant, I saw the brand label on the bag. Diddlydee’s? Figures . A car door slamming and engine revving
distracted my train of thought. I held my breath and focuses on my
ears. The guy from behind the door . His car pulled out and
my ears had no trouble catching the sound of squealing tires. “He’s
gone.” Sirens . The police are coming.” I shivered, either
from the dampness of the basement or the horrific scene around me.
I didn’t know which.
     
     
    “What did you
say happened, um…” The policeman flipped back a page in his little
notebook. “Kieran?”
    Kieran shifted
and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Those college guys
were drunk when we got ‘ere. The waitress seemed uncomfortable
and…and when Heidi didna see her and those losers disappeared. We
got paranoid an’ decided ta check if everything was alright.”
    Brent stepped
forward. “We saw the door to cellar open and heard Abi’s cries.” He
shrugged. “We did what we had to do.”
    “The door was
open?” The policeman’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s got an automatic
shut-release.”
    Oh no.
How’re we going to explain this? I heard everyone of my
friend’s heart rates speed up.
    Seth laughed.
“No shit?” He coughed. “Sorry. I just meant those dudes must’ve
broke it.”
    The policeman
crossed his arms over his massive chest. “It’s just surprising you
heard them and noticed everything going on. It’s very keen
for…for—”
    “For a bunch of
high school kids?” Kieran finished. Nice one!
    The policeman
closed his pad, having the decency to look embarrassed. “If we need
any more information, we’ll contact you.”
    After the
police left, Max set us up with on-the-house hot chocolates. He
thanked us profusely for protecting Abi and his bar. We sat in the
same booth again, sipping from our mugs.
    “Could use a
beer, instead,” Seth muttered. He sat between Heidi and Rylee,
swirling the dark liquid with a spoon.
    “Me, too.”
Kieran sat beside me, Brent on the other side.
    “I can’t
believe that just happened.” Rylee rubbed her eyes. “My folks are
never gonna let me out of the house again.”
    “Tonight was
probably just a fluke. Nothing ever happens in this town. What are
the chances?” Brent reached over and patted her hand.
    “I don’t agree
…” Seth spoke slowly, twirling the liquid in his mug. “I…I think
we’ve an obligation here.” His face serious. “We’ve got these
super-natural senses now. I think we need to do something. You
know, like train and