Title: "Revelations: Part 11 of 14"        

         The phone rang again. Matt stood over it, not knowing whether to answer it or not. It had already rang three times.

         "It might be Zero," Erica said, still sitting on the couch.

         It might be. Matt didn't know. He didn't know about anything that was suddenly going on today. He reached down to the phone on its fourth ring. He raised it slowly to his face. "Hello?" He didn't know what to expect.

         A man, gasping for breath as he spoke, was what he received in response. "Is this the residence of Matt Lee?"

         Matt had no idea who it was. " ...Yes sir, it is."          The man on the phone quickly replied. "My name is Fred Storm. I am Erica's father. Is she still there?" He took a breath. "This is urgent. I have to talk to her."

         It was all getting more serious by the minute. Erica's dad sounded hurried and worried, like he, himself, didn't know what was going on. "Yes... yes sir, she is. Let me get her."

         He lowered the phone and looked over at Erica on the couch. Knowing it was for her, she was already getting up. Matt handed her the phone. She spoke first. "Hello? Who is this?"

         "Erica, this is your father. Get in the car and come get me. One of our neighbors just called over here and told me that they saw a vehicle in our yard, and the lights in our house were on."

         Erica's eyes grew huge in panic. "Yes sir, yes daddy. I'll be right on my way."

         "Hurry Erica." He hung up the phone.

         She hung up the phone and turned to Matt. He was already wondering what was going on. "I have to go," she said. "My dad has reason to believe that our house is being robbed right now."

         "Erica..." Matt grabbed her arm just as she turned to go towards the door.

         She turned back around; her eyes were still red from crying. "I don't want to leave, Matt. But I have to pick..."

         "Let me come with you," he blurted out. "I'll help your dad if there's anything to be done." He looked at her seriously in the eyes. She hadn't expected that.

         "Ok," she said. "My dad won't mind. But we have to go right now."

         Matt looked down at what he was wearing. Pair of pants, shoes, a T-shirt. "I'm ready to go right now."

         "Ok... we have to hurry over there. Are you sure you feel up to going?" She said that as she turned to go towards his door.

         Matt was sure that the pain was being blocked. A combination of fear, emotions, and emergency had blocked his mind of the throbbing pain he was still feeling. "I'm fine. Let's go. I'm right behind you."

         She opened the door and they walked out. Matt turned to lock his door, remembering that Zero had told him to stay inside somewhere safe. Matt knew it was too late to retreat back into his house, though. He locked the door, and he and Erica quickly got to her father's car. She started the engine and they pulled out similarly to how Zero had pulled out almost eight hours earlier.

* * * * *

         "She said this was the street." Zero looked up at another street sign as he drove through the heart of Albany, California. He had driven at a manic pace along the freeway to get there. He was running out of time. He was well aware of that. He had to find her house.

         He passed by another street sign.

         Suddenly, he threw on his brakes. The car behind him swerved to keep from hitting him. A barrage of horns went off as the car flew around Zero's Blazer.

         He didn't even take a look over at the infuriated driver. He took another look up at the street sign, then down to the note that he had in his right hand. That was the street. He had been one way the whole time.

         He backed the vehicle up and turned down 3rd Street. He was looking for the Lawn Apartments, Lot B-27. It was hard to tell everything apart with only his headlights. There were a few apartment complexes down 3rd Street. Zero decelerated the gas, resorting to 10 miles per hour down the street.

         His lights caught a hanging sign. He didn't get the name of it, though. As he drove by, he rolled his window down. There it was. He had found the Lawn Apartments.

         He turned into the parking lot and began driving around the complex until he could find lot B. He had to find her. She would be waiting on him. This would be the only clear solution to the whole mystery. If only he could get it all done in time.

         He found Lot-B and her apartment number in less than five minutes. He parked his Blazer and stepped out. Resolution starting pulsing through his veins, causing his nerves to go off as well. He reached back into the Blazer and retrieved a cigarette. Lighting it, he took a large step towards the complex.

         He walked up the stairs to where her apartment would be. It wasn't hard to find. Number 27. He took a breath and knocked on the door. He flicked his cigarette down to the ground below. Right as he blew the last patch of smoke from his lungs, he heard the rattle of a dead bolt unlocking.

         She opened the door. Neither spoke at first. She was tall and slim. The bangs of her short brown hair were dangling in front of her face. She looked at Zero for a moment. They made direct eye contact. Zero looked back at her, not sure how to start the conversation off.

         It was she who spoke the first word. "Hello," she said.

         The voice in Zero rose up. "Are you Kate Winder?"

         She seemed to ask herself that question, confirming it before she could reply. "I am," she finally acknowledged.

         Zero nodded his head. "I am Lint Douglas."

         She nodded her head in acknowledgement. Opening her door a little wider, she replied, "I've been waiting for you." She motioned for him to come inside.

         Taking a step forward, his expression turned darker and more serious in hope. "I hope it's not too late."

         As she closed the door behind him, she said, "I hope not, too."

         The door closed, sealing the two inside of the apartment.

* * * * *

         Erica, Matt, and Fred Storm pulled up to the front of their house. Their car doors immediately flew open, as Fred was the first one out to inspect what was going on. Sure enough, tire tracks had ruined the front lawn. Fred bent down over the tracks, but Erica's hollers from inside the house caused him to get up quickly to see what the matter was.

         Inside, Erica was looking at what had happened to her house. Matt stood beside her in awe of the destruction. Their TV set had been busted, tables smashed, dishes cracked and thrown. Chairs had had the legs broken off of them.

         Fred came in at that moment and stopped at the sight. His whole house had been destroyed while he was away at a friend's.

         "Who do you think could do such a damn thing?" It was the only thing Fred could get out of his mouth. Even that was a choked whisper. He was still struck with the sight of his whole house destroyed.

         But Erica had yet to tell him about the previous night. It was one of the things that she had kept inside so he wouldn't worry. One of those things that she would never mention to him, just so he would have less to worry about. One of those things that she had hoped wouldn't come to the extremities as it had now. Because, she knew exactly who had done it.

         She looked to Matt and then to her dad. "Dad... I... I think we need to talk." She needed to tell him. She had to tell him. This was no longer an issue with teen love or hate. This was adult violence. And it was adult violence that had had a night to boil.

         Fred cocked an eyebrow amidst the confusion. He didn't feel right about something now.

         Erica turned to Matt. "We'll be back in just a second, Matt. Would you go see if anything was destroyed outside, as well?" She tried to smile, but nothing but confused fear was able to show through on her face.

         Matt looked at her, and then her dad, and then to their house. Suddenly, the pain in his arms shot through him. He tried to cover it up by quickly replying to her. "Yeah. I'll be right outside." He looked at them once more and then their house again. "And I hope whoever done this gets caught," he added. It was really sincere, but Matt wasn't sure well it had came out.

         Fred nodded his head at Matt in agreement. He then turned as he and Erica walked into the back rooms to inspect them. Also, so Erica could tell her dad the whole story of the past two days.

         Matt turned towards the front door as the other two started walking off. The thought never occurred to him that whoever had done this could still be outside. It hit him harder and harder, though, as he took a step closer to the door. But he had told Erica he would look outside. He had to. For her sake, he had to.

         He opened the door and took one step outside. He looked around into the night, but did not see anything. The neighbors' house, only no more than one hundred feet away on both sides, looked as if they had been untouched. It was only the Storm's house that this had happened to. Matt knew who it was all right. He knew it was the same guy who had beaten him up the night before. Patrick Balmore and the rest of his associated were responsible for this. He knew it.

         Suddenly, a gunshot went off.

         Matt fell to the ground as the bullet connected with him. The pain shot through him like a crooked knife; tearing away flesh like it was hot butter. He clutched his left bicep and let out an enormous groan of agony. Blood quickly trickled through his fingers. He glanced at the arm. Amidst the blood, he could see the flesh.

         Suddenly, Erica and Fred came running out of the house upon hearing the gunfire. Erica saw Matt, lying on their grass and clutching his left arm. She saw the blood. She screamed in terror and ran over to him, holding him, trying to talk to him.

         Fred saw him, but heard the screech of tires from down the road. He took off running, not even registering that they could shoot at him, too. But they didn't. And all he saw under dim streetlights was the outline of what appeared to be a blue convertible. People were sat in both the front and back. He chased after them until they were well out of sight down the road. Realizing it was a lost cause, he quickly turned back and ran up his lawn towards Matt, who Erica had clutched in her arms. Matt was bleeding badly.

         "Erica, you stay out here with him. I'm going to call the police. Then, we're rushing him to the hospital." He turned to hurry inside of the house, but then thought. He stopped, and turned back to her. "We need something to put over that to soak up the bleeding."

         Erica looked down at Matt, who was trying to block the painful expression from coming through on his face. She then looked down at what she was wearing. A T-shirt and a pair of shorts. She did not know what to put on him. She instinctually grabbed to take off her shirt to put over it, until her dad spoke behind her.

         "Here, wait, use this." She turned her head over her shoulder. Her dad had taken off his own shirt. A new shirt he had just bought the day before.

         "Dad, that's..."

         "Use it! We need to stop the bleeding somehow." He handed her the shirt and then went inside the house -bare chested and all- and located a phone.

         Erica took her father's shirt wadded it up thick. She told Matt to hold onto the shirt over his bicep. He took it and did so. He then looked up at her.

         "I... I guess the roles have changed from last night, wouldn't you say?" He smiled ever so slightly.

         She smiled through the tears that were beginning to manifest. "No. No, I don't think I could ever repay you for what you did for me last night. This isn't even close. I'm just here."

         "It still means a lot, though." Matt raised the shirt up a little and saw that the T-shirt had been almost completely soaked with blood.

         Erica watched him. "It'll be ok. My dad's about to take us to the hospital. They'll get you fixed. He also called the police, too. They'll find Patrick and his brother."

         Matt's face went sorrowful. "They won't believe us. You said yourself that people all believe him. They'll assume we either got the wrong color of the car, or else they'll believe whatever Patrick, and more so, Theodore, tell them."

         Erica looked up at the stars in the sky. "Well, let's hope that for once they'll hear the truth out." She looked down at him. "Just for once."

         Slamming the door shut but not even bothering to lock it, Fred came outside. He had thrown on another shirt, but had a pair of towels in one of his hands. "Here, we can use these, too, until we get him to the hospital." He threw them into the car and then walked over to Matt and Erica. "Matt, do you think you can stand?"

         Matt looked up at him, determined to stand up. "Yes sir, I do believe so." With a little help, he got up to his feet and began what seemed like a long walk to the back seat of the car.

         Once in, he applied a fresh towel to his arm. Fred started up the car, put it in reverse, and they were off to the hospital.

* * * * *

         In the Gilman apartments' parking lot, a vehicle pulled in. It's lights flashed about as it moved towards the far corner of the lot. Parking, the vehicle, an older model Blazer, shut off its lights and the front door opened. A cigarette was tossed out. Then out stepped Zero. He looked like he had been through living hell for the past hours that he had been away.

         He walked out of the Blazer, closing the door behind him. He went around to the back of the Blazer, and sat down on the back bumper. He pulled out a new pack of cigarettes, tossing the previous box out into the parking lot. Lighting one up, he sat there, almost as if he was waiting for something.

         He sat there for a few moments, looking up at what there was of the moon. He blew some smoke up into the sky. And suddenly, he remembered Matt. He had better tell him what was going on, and for him to be careful tonight.

         He got off the bumper and began to make his way through the parking lot, walking towards the back wall of the apartments. To his far right, he could barely make out the large wall that closed off the alley he was so accustomed to.

         He walked around the left side of the apartment and came upon Matt's door. He went to open it, but it was locked. Switching his cigarette in his hands, he knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again, but there was still no answer. He walked back to the side of the apartment and looked into the parking lot. If he was looking for something to change, it hadn't since the last time he had been out there just a few moments ago.

         He decided he could just go to his own apartment and call him. Zero figured Matt was still feeling the effects of the previous night and was either resting or was dead asleep. Either one, Zero figured he could still reach him through the telephone.

         He walked over to the stairs that led up to his apartment, but he stopped suddenly. Something was going up there. He could hear it. He stepped back off of the stairs and walked back a few feet to look at his apartment from ground level. As he did, it became apparent. Someone was in his apartment. He could see lights flickering inside of it. Things were being broke.

         Someone was either trashing his apartment or they were looking for something. Zero looked up at it, about to storm into it. But then, he suddenly remembered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glove he had found hours before in the alley. That was what they were searching for. Zero was sure of it. He was sure who it was. And if they didn't find it in the apartment, Zero knew where the next place would be where they would look.

         He looked around to see who all was around the apartment. No one was in the street. No cars passing by. There was but just a blue convertible parked along the street, sitting just about where the entrance to the alley was located.

         Zero turned, neglecting the people in his apartment. He started walking down the street curb, hurrying in his step with each he made. He had to get to the alley quick. Quicker steps. He was almost there. He finally reached it. He stepped inside of it, just inside of the shadow that encase the entrance. He tossed his cigarette out into the street and slowly exhaled what was his last drag. And he waited. He knelt in the alley entrance, hidden by the shadows, and waited.