Epilogue
#14 of Infected
TWO WEEKS LATER
"Are you sure this is where he lives, Amber?" I asked her in a skeptical voice as I stared at the music store named "Paradise Records". I looked at the arctic vixen, who chose to wear something reminiscent of Geno's style of clothing with a pair of jean short shorts that were attached to the bottoms with a pair of military belts and a tank top with the front and back held together by a single strap over her right shoulder, and sighed. She looked back at me and nodded happily before walking into the music store, leaving me out in the rain for a second before I followed her inside, my shoulders hunched as I threw up the hood on my jacket. I heard the bell tinkle over head and I looked around with a smile on my muzzle as I noticed some of the flair that was brought about by some memory of me; the silver garlands hanging off the ceiling, the palm trees in the corners, actual sand in some places and an fountain in the middle of the shop. Same old eccentric Jasper... I thought as I looked around for the badger, though I couldn't see Amber either, which made me a little apprehensive. I started towards the back of the shop after flipping the open sign to closed and silently pushed open the door she had left ajar when she had passed through. I slid out one of the knives I kept on me at all times, a small assassin's throwing dagger, and started up the stairs as quietly as possible, hugging to the walls to keep myself as invisible as possible. I didn't like the silence and it made me even more unnerved when I saw that the closest door was open yet no light was coming out of the room. I inched into the room and scanned it for anything strange, which was hard because I didn't know this space as well as I wished I did. I heard a couple of muffled voices from a side room and crept over to it, with every intention of going in when the door opened and a massive paw dragged me forward into the room.
"HAZEL!!!!" Jasper yelled happily as he drew me into a bone crushing bear hug, swinging me around a couple times before I hugged him back, laughing along with him as I wrapped my arms around his neck. When he stopped spinning me around, I heard Amber laughing at us from the bed and shot her a playful glare as he let me go.
After that, we talked about what we had been doing since I had left the dragon's tower. I was surprised to find out that Jasper had gone through sort of a berserk rage when he found out that I had been sent off and took on the dragon by himself, though it was amusing to learn that I lasted longer than he did. The same thing had happened to him, though he had ended up on a known planet that he had been to before and had some money stashed away to get an apartment to live in before getting a job at this music store. I was jealous of the fact that he had been able to carve out a good life for himself after he had gotten kicked out, but it did my heart a little good to know that he never stopped thinking about me for the first year and a half before Amber came into his life. At first, he hadn't felt anything towards her, still going through the motions of honouring our pact and fighting off the urges he had as a man. But, as time went on, they started talking to each other more and he found that they had much in common, as did he and I, but I wasn't going to point that out.
"...so one thing led to another and we kinda fell for each other." Jasper said as he took her paw in his, the way they looked at each other reminding me of how I stared at Felix when we together. Amber giggled with a blush and looked up at him before she gave him a peck on the cheek. I had moved to the wall and was sitting on the floor when he remembered that I was in the room. "That doesn't make you angry, does it Hazel? I mean... if you were in my position, you would do the same, right?" He asked timidly with a shy smile on his face. I stood up and brushed some imaginary dust of my black cargo jeans before walking over to him with a glare on my face before giving him an affectionate hug around the neck.
"How could I be angry with one of my best friends, Jasper? I've kinda moved on too, but I was so caught with all the stuff going on with me that I forgot about your feelings. I'm glad you found someone new to be with and as for you Amber," I let go of Jasper and turned my smile onto her. "You couldn't have fallen for a better man than Jasper McKinley. He was the best friend I had ever had and even though we fought sometimes, I could console in him with whatever problems I had. He'll be a great person to you, don't forget that." I said as I pulled my hood back up and turned to leave. Jasper got up off the bed and gave me one last farewell bear hug before I left the two lovers to their own devices, closing the door after myself as I got out into the hall. I wiped my tears off of my cheeks and sighed heavily before walking out of the shop, turning out the lights and locking up the shop for him with a lock pick set I started carrying around with me. I looked up at the sky, the gentle drizzle feeling refreshing against my fur as I stared up at the dark clouds, knowing that my life was, at the moment, just as calm as this rain. I walked off down the street in the direction of the spaceport, listening to the cars pass me by as they drove through the puddles of water, my paws in my pockets as I noted the number of furs passing me by on the sidewalk. The way some walked with their shoulders hunched against the rain while others held umbrellas above their heads, some talking to friends and some just rushing to get home and out of the rain. I grinned slightly at their antics and stopped off at a bar to get a drink, wanting to see if I could stir up something before I got back.
The bar was your standard affair; booths in the back for furs who wanted to eat and drink with their friends while a couple of pool tables were off to the side, some tables in the middle and a bar with a wide range of liquor and alcohol to choose from. There was a sort of smoky haze in the place that probably came from all of the smokers passing through and the few naked light bulbs hanging off the ceiling gave the whole place an orangeish tinge to it. Besides me and the bartender, there were a couple of furs playing pool in the corner and a few patrons in the booths, as well as a gang of furs harassing the bar keep; a young wolfess with blood red curls and grey fur that was mostly covered by a t-shirt that accentuated her figure from the hips up. Almost too easy... I thought with a sigh as I took a seat at a stool a couple of seats away from the one who was obviously the leader as he was the one making most of the jibes and remarks. He was a jackal by the looks of him and he didn't look to bright, but what he obviously lacked in brains he certainly made up for in brawn and numbers. He had around six other furs with him, though a couple looked as if they were there only to get a free piece of tail that night. They were all wearing black bandannas around their left forearms while the leader had a red stripe going through his, adding to the ease of what I wanted to do. I reached over the counter and made a big show of taking a beer from the shelf, knowing that the bar keep would take any excuse to get away from the jackal. As if on cue, she swiftly walked over to me and took the beer bottle from my paw before putting it back behind the counter on the shelf.
"If you want something, your gonna have to pay for it like everyone else." She said sternly. I caught the sidelong glance she cast at the gang and knew without looking that the jackal was moving to sit next to me.
"Okay then. Sorry." I apologized as I pulled a couple of credits out of my pocket and paid for it before pulling my hood back, making sure they got a good look of me. I reached out for my beer and felt the jackal grab my wrist in his paw, his grip light and playful, though I knew by the way he was looking at me that it could get a lot stronger if he wanted.
"What's a pretty girl like you paying for beer in a place like this, huh? Let me get that for you, on the house. Hey Marisa, give the nice lady her money back." The jackal barked, but I just shook my head and opened the beer with a flick of my thumb claw before giving it to one of the gang members standing around me.
"If you don't let go of my wrist in the next six seconds, I'm going to have force you to let go." I warned him, my voice barely above a whisper yet I knew everyone could hear me because they started laughing, the jackal the loudest.
"Oh really? I'd like to see you try." He threatened as he reached for my chest. I shrugged my shoulders and let a current run through my arm, causing him to yelp in pain and jump out of his seat before my fist collided with his stomach. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backwards onto the floor with a heavy thud, making some of the bottles on the shelf shudder. I took my beer from the gang member I had handed it to before giving it to the bar keep and getting up from my seat and was about to walk off when one of them grabbed my shoulder.
"Hey, lady, I don't know what you did, but nobody does that to Deuce and leaves in one piece. Now I know you're a girl and all, so I'm gonna take it easy on you." He said as he spun me around, getting an uppercut and a knee to the groin for the effort. Watching the second of them go down in as many as thirty seconds seemed to snap them out of their stupor, because the rest started pulling out knives to attack me with. I laughed and put my paws up to show that I was unarmed.
"You're going to attack a lone, defenseless girl who's unarmed? You should be ashamed of yourselves." I pleaded mockingly. I heard a whistle and turned to catch a pool cue that someone had thrown me. I backed away slightly to get more room and let them come at me before cracking one of them over the head with the cue, the stick snapping like a twig before I threw the other two pieces at the other two, catching them off guard and knocking them senseless with good shots to the temple. The last one just stood there with his knife on the floor and his paws up in surrender. I walked up to him and looked him dead in his eyes, my eyes boring holes in to his. I took another step towards him and he backed away a couple of steps. I made as if to punch him and he spun around and ran headlong into a support column. I caught him before he hit the ground and walked on his chest to get over him so that I was standing above the leader, Deuce. "Got any cold water?" I asked Marisa. She nodded eagerly and brought me a cup. I drank it slowly and then made the shape of a bucket with my paws. She nodded again and went into the back to get what I asked for before coming back to give it to me. I thanked her and dumped it all over the unconscious jackal's crotch, the frigid water making him bolt upright and howl in pain as the cold water seeped into his fur. Before he could run, I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down to my level so that he was looking at me eye to eye. "I believe you have some people to apologize to. For starters," I gripped his chin and turned his head in Marisa's direction. "Tell her your sorry for thinking you and your gang could rape her."
"Why the hell should I?" He growled. I chuckled darkly and slammed his head into the bar top before pointing him in her direction.
"Now, imagine that to your nuts with a bucket and I think we might have an understanding. Now tell her." I said calmly, turning his chin again so that he was looking at her.
"I'm sorry, Marisa, for thinking that me and my gang could rape you." He said in a rush. I slammed his head into the bar again to make him say it slowly and clearly so everyone could understand him before making him face me again.
"Now apologize to me."
"What for? I didn't do nothin to ya, though I should run you through right here and now for that little display." He snarled at me. I gave him a wicked grin and let go of him before stepping away from the bar.
"Alright then Deuce, if you think you can take me, then lets make a little bet. If I beat you down, you apologize to me and you and your gang never come to this bar again or harass Marisa in any way. If I lose, I'll become your gang's slave for however long you want me to be there. Deal?" I asked, unzipping my jacket and tossing it over to Marisa before unbuckling my gun belt as well as the few knives I had belted around my arms. I saw the glimmer of lust in his eyes as he saw the figure contained in the jacket and knew he'd agree.
"You got yourself a deal, slave." He said confidently as he took off his jacket and put his paws up in a boxer's stance while I stood with my arms at my sides, my body loose and relaxed. He lunged at me and I danced nimbly to the side before punching him square in the spot between his shoulder blades, sending him sprawling onto the ground. He jumped back up onto his feet and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles to fit of his fingers before taking a swing at me. I stopped his fist with the palm of my paw and smirked as I quickly switched the paws holding onto him and snapped his arm at the elbow with a quick push. I let go of his now limp arm and punched him in the stomach before grabbing his head in my paws and driving my knee into his skull, a satisfying crunch greeting me as I broke his nose. I stepped onto his chest and gripped his throat as I leaned down close to him so that he could hear me.
"Will you come into this bar again, Deuce?" I asked, tightening my grip on his throat slightly so that it was harder for him to breathe.
"No, you win. I can't breathe." He gasped as his face started turning blue underneath his fur. I let go of him and walked back over to Marisa and buckled my stuff back onto my body before putting my jacket back on. I slipped the Desert Eagle Felix had pulled on me himself the first time we met and pointed it behind me to stick into Deuce's muzzle.
"Never try and sneak up on someone infront of a mirror, idiot." I muttered as I spun my heel around and caught him in his ribs before bringing his head down onto the bar repeatedly until he was unconscious. I let him fall onto the ground and put the pistol back before zipping up my jacket and putting my hood back up. I pulled out a couple thousand credit notes from my pocket and handed them to Marisa, a smirk showing up from underneath the hood. "You shouldn't take that sort of crap from guys like that. Use that money to learn self-defense and kick the crap out of them if they come back. Also, you might want a new pool cue, cause I kinda broke the other one. Sorry bout that." I said as I turned for the door. I walked out of the bar and heard whispered thanks from Marisa before heading off towards the spaceport at a quicker pace, knowing that the cops would be there soon to clean up what I started.
It took another hour to make my way to the spaceport and fight through the throngs of furs to find the right dock that the Nomad was docked in. Felix was waiting for me, as usual, on the stretch of dock just infront of the exit. Even in the rain with his hair plastered to his head, he held a sort of breathtaking beauty that made my heart flutter happily. I sighed and jogged the last few yards to him, getting caught in a hug with him and giving him a kiss on the lips as my arms wrapped around his waist. He pulled away from me and wrinkled his nose playfully as he sniffed the air around me.
"Were you in a bar, Hazel? I thought you hated smoking." He teased in mock indignation as he let go of me.
"Just wanted to get a little exercise before Maxi makes me do double chores for shirking my duties." I groaned theatrically as I passed him and walked into the ship up the loading ramp, my hood falling as I waited for Felix to follow me.
"So... are you okay with this?" He asked as we walked back to the bridge to get our chewing out about chores.
"As long as he's happy with his choice, then I'm happy. I know I'm happy with mine." I said with a playful nudge to his ribs. He chuckled and let me go first into the room where Maxi was standing in her seldom worn flight uniform. She was smiling and her paws were clasped behind her back as she looked at me.
"Hey Hazel come here." She said as she pulled her paw from behind her back, holding a medallion on a silver chain with a symbol of a bleeding rose that was entwined around their Twilight fighters. I cocked an eyebrow and stepped up infront of her for her to drape the medallion around my neck.
"Okay, Maxi, you feeling alright?" I asked.
"You're part of the Forgotten Ones now, Hazel. And yes, I'm feeling fine. You, on the other hand, have double chore duty to look forward to." She said with a grin as she flipped back my hood.
"That's my first duty as one of the crew, chores? I was expecting something more extravagant, but I guess I'll have to cope." I said with a roll of my eyes as I snapped a smart salute and walked off the bridge, right into Felix's arms.
"So, my crewmate, what should we do first?" He asked. I giggled and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Oh, I've got a few ideas." I said seductively into his ear. We ran off to his room and celebrated like there was no tomorrow.
Now this is the end of Infected. I would like to thank Shadowfox for my use of Axel, Sonic Fox for the use of the Remnant, coyotek for Geno, and every copyrighted thing I have used in this story. I will be writing a follow up story to this one and if you want my honest opinion, this is the best use of my time I can think of. You all have made me a better writer and I hope you'll keep reading what I write in the future. Till next we meet, fellow soldiers of fortune and mercenaries alike, The Forgotten Ones are coming for you.