Purge of Babylon (Short Story): Mason's War Page 14
“It’s better this way,” the voice said. “You’re better on your own. Less incentive to be stupid.”
Maybe you’re right…
“All right, kid,” Mason said when she reached the door. “I’ll see you around.”
“That would probably not be a good idea,” she said, grinning back at him.
He laughed. It hurt, but he didn’t care. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. Safer for me.”
“That’s what I meant.” She started to leave, but stopped halfway through the door and looked back at him. “So who was she? Angie?”
Ange, Mason thought. Her name was Ange.
“She was a friend,” he said instead.
“Just a friend?”
He shrugged. “Maybe she was a little bit more.”
“I thought so.” Rose hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something else, but the only thing that came out was, “All right, Mason. It’s been real.”
“Stay away from guys with knives,” Mason said.
“Like that’s gonna happen,” she said, smiling back.
He watched her leave through the battered door and listened to the sound of her footsteps on the balcony outside, then moving quickly down the steps.
A minute later, a car door slammed.
Then an engine came to life.
And finally, the sound of a car driving away, then gradually vanishing, until it was no longer there.
Mason didn’t bother getting up to check if she had actually left the marina. He was pretty sure she had, because the kid was a trooper. Maybe that was why she had reminded him so much of Ange, even if they didn’t look anything alike.
Ange had that same spirit, that same fight in her that the girl did. You didn’t have to see all of them to know it—you just felt it.
“But she’s not Ange,” the voice said. “You did all of this for nothing. You threw away your life for nothing.”
“Maybe not for nothing,” he said quietly to the empty room before lying back down on the floor.
Mason didn’t care if he ever got up again, or if anyone from T10 eventually returned to finish the job. He was too hurt and too weak to do anything about it at the moment anyway, and frankly, well, he was just tired.
He took out the bottle of Tramadol and gulped down two more pills.
“So go to sleep, peckerhead,” the voice said as it, along with the rest of the world, faded into the background. “I’ll see you on the flip side…”
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR
Thanks very much for reading Mason’s War: A Purge of Babylon Story! And Mason appreciates it. That is, if he’s still alive at the end of the story.
Is he? Isn’t he?
You tell me if you want this “bad guy” to stick around. Maybe he’ll show up in a future Babylon book. Or maybe he’ll just slip away into the cold dark night, never to cause trouble again?
What do you guys think?
Drop me a line if you’re so inclined, but until then please take a moment to leave a review for Mason’s War at a bookseller of your choice. Even a very short review would be tremendously appreciated!
Until next time…watch the skies!
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Table of Contents
Copyright
The Completed Purge of Babylon Series
About Mason’s War
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
A Word From The Author
Fun Stuff