Misfortunes of War

[LuckyLadybug]

Misfortunes of War
By Lucky_Ladybug

This is what happens when I get silly. For anyone who read The Night of the Lazarus, this is the past incident alluded to near the beginning of chapter 6. Ouch!

Coley had told them to make sure of who was entering their hideout before they did anything. They were currently at war with another gang, one that was not above boldly marching into their enemy’s territory. But after some of that gang actually did infiltrate and were roaming loose in the area, all heck broke loose.

Two had already been caught as Lafe waited nervously behind a door, a piece of a wooden beam clutched in his hands. When the door was pushed open and someone started into what seemed to be an empty room, Lafe did not hesitate. He struck out, hitting the intruder hard with the beam. The man collapsed to the floor with a surprised and vaguely familiar yelp.

The beam clattered from Lafe’s hands. “Coley?!” he squeaked in horrified alarm.

The other gang members were soon rushing to the doorway, brought there by the commotion. “What happened?!” Whitey exclaimed. “Did you get another one?”

“I think I got Coley,” Lafe whispered, dropping to his knees next to the limp body and grasping the shoulder.

“You what?!” Another gang member lit a lantern and held it up. It was indeed Coley on the floor, falling lifelessly into position as Lafe turned him over.

For a moment there was nothing to do but just stare, their breathing the only sound as they tried to process what had just gone wrong.

“Is he dead?!” Whitey asked at last.

“No,” Lafe retorted. “I didn’t hit him that hard.”

“Then you’ll be dead when he wakes up and finds out what you did,” Whitey countered.

Lafe tried to ignore him. “Coley?” he quavered. “Are you alright?”

Coley groaned, fighting for consciousness. “Ask me in an hour,” he mumbled.

“Coley, I’m sorry!” Lafe cried. “I . . . I didn’t mean to.”

That jerked him awake. “You?!” His eyes flew open and he glowered at Lafe in the lamplight. “You did this to me?! You know I told you . . . !”

Lafe cowered. “I know!” he whimpered. “But after we got two of them, I guess I got reckless. They could’ve been anywhere, Coley! That’s what I was thinking. I had no idea you were coming through the door. Honest!”

Coley started to rise off the floor, prompting Lafe to flee in terror. “Get back here!” Coley yelled. “Lafe, when I catch you I’ll . . .” But he sank back with a grimace, dizzy and dazed from the blow.

“Maybe Lafe hit him harder than he thought,” one of the gang members hissed under his breath.

Coley was more than willing to agree.

****

Lafe steadfastly avoided Coley for the next several hours, during which time he helped round up the remaining real intruders into the building. Lafe was still keeping his distance by the time Coley felt well enough to seek him out. He flinched when he saw Coley coming.

“H-Hi, Coley. Are you feeling better?” he quavered.

“I could be worse,” Coley retorted. “I hear you helped get the rest of the other gang out.”

“Yeah, I did,” Lafe nodded, nervously shifting. When Coley took a while to come to the point, it often meant he was going to take someone by surprise in an unpleasant way.

“And I hear you did it well.”

“I tried, Coley!” Lafe exclaimed. “I . . . I mean, I didn’t want to hit you again, or Whitey, or one of the others. . . .”

“Good.” Coley struck out without warning, slapping Lafe across the face once, twice. “You could’ve killed me,” he snarled.

“I know!” Lafe wailed. “I’m sorry, Coley. I’d never want to hurt you. Please believe me!”

Coley leaned back. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly and his expression softened the slightest smidgen.

“I know you wouldn’t,” he said. “Come on.” He turned to go. “We still have to interrogate the intruders we picked up.”

Relieved that he had been forgiven, Lafe hurried after his leader. They walked in silence for a moment. Then, out of the night, Coley hissed, “Don’t do that again.”

Lafe shivered at the growl in Coley’s voice. “I won’t, Coley,” he said. “I promise!”

Coley seemed to accept that.