Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

“Moth seems very nice,” Gabriel noted.

“I bet you say that about all the girls who lick you on their first meeting,” Ginny replied, chuckling.

“Well, I won’t say it wasn’t nice,” Gabriel said.

“Just don’t get used to it ... well, not from Moth, anyway,” Ginny suggested.

Gabriel had finished off drying the dishes, and they had left the flat to go for a little walk.

“I often just go for a bit of a walk at this time of night,” said Ginny. “It clears my mind.”

“Anywhere in particular?” Gabriel asked.

“No... . just round the block.”

“What if it’s raining?”

“I get wet.”

“Oh. Ok.”

They turned a corner. Four guys of about Gabriel’s age were hanging about under a streetlamp.

“Pete’s looking out for you, mate,” one of the guys shouted.

“Do you know them?” Ginny said to Gabriel.

Two guys left the group and started walking over towards Gabriel and Ginny, one on their left, one on their right.

“You might want to keep walking, girl,” Left advised Ginny.

Ginny grabbed Gabriel’s hand, tugging him along with her.

“But not you,” Right said. “Why don’t you stay here with us ... let’s talk about old times, eh?”

“Come on Gabriel,” Ginny said, continuing to tug at his hand.

Gabriel looked at the two men. They were standing about twelve feet away. Both looked about the same build as Gabriel himself. Tallish, slim, wiry. They looked confident in themselves.

The other two seemed content to stand by the streetlamp for the time being. They didn’t look nervous about a confrontation. Maybe they were just standing back to give the first two a chance. Just to see how it panned out.

“I think you had better go, Ginny,” Gabriel said. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

He unclasped Ginny hand from his. She struggled to hold on to him.

“Get the fuck out of it, bitch,” the guy on Gabriel’s left said.

Ginny was looking very frightened now. She looked like she didn’t know whether to stay or to run.

Gabriel pushed Ginny behind him, then turned to the two guys standing in front of him. He walked purposefully forwards, closing the gap. He was now three feet from them, and Ginny was about six feet behind him.

Left was standing marginally closer than Right.

“I’m guessing that you don’t need any help,” Vicky whispered. “I’ll just stay out of your way.”

Gabriel half-turned towards Ginny. He could see that she was trembling.

“Catch you later,” Gabriel said.

Before Ginny had time to respond, Gabriel turned around to face the two guys. He canted his head back slightly ... then brought his forehead crashing down onto Left’s nose.

He heard Left’s nose crunch.

Gabriel stepped back and crouched down.

Left was clutching his face with both hands.

Gabriel snapped his right arm forwards, smashing Left in the balls.

Gabriel stepped up and back ... just in time for Right to land a punch on Gabriel’s upper right arm. Gabriel cursed. Not at the pain from the punch. More because it might slow him down. He always tried his damnedest not to get hit ... to not go down too soon.

Once you were down ...

Gabriel flung himself back ... back and away ... trying to give himself some space ... some space between himself and Right.

“Let’s hold it right there, gentlemen,” a voice boomed.

Right stopped in his tracks.

Gabriel cast a brief glance in the direction the voice had come from.

It was Slammer.

“Evening, Ginny,” the voice said, in a more conversational tone.

“Evening, Paul,” Ginny said.

Slammer looked over to Gabriel and nodded to him. Gabriel nodded back.

Slammer gestured to Right ... a ‘get the fuck out of it’ gesture.

Right stepped back. He walked slowly back over to the other two guys who were still standing by the streetlamp. He had made no effort to help Left up, who was still lying on the ground, one hand on his nose and the other clutching his balls.

“Your boyfriend’s not afraid of a little scrap, is he?” Slammer said to Ginny.

“Get going,” Gabriel whispered back to her.

“You don’t look like much, mate,” Slammer said to Gabriel, “but I admire your style, and your guts. You’re like a little fucking rottweiler ... you just get in there, don’t you?”

Gabriel said nothing. He didn’t know whether this was the end of the fight or just a brief interlude before Slammer got involved personally. He was ... seemingly ... a friend of Pete’s.

But Slammer remained standing about twelve feet away.

And he was showing no intention of coming any closer.

Slammer turned to the three guys standing some distance away. They seemed uncertain as to what to do.

“Why don’t you lot fuck off,” Slammer said. “You can tell Pete that you made your little play. Tell him you warned this lad here. Tell him ...”

Slammer turned back towards Gabriel, then back to the three guys.

“Oh, tell him whatever you fucking like,” Slammer said. “Pete’s a complete tit anyway ... he deserved the kicking he got.”

The three guys remained standing there.

“Now fuck off, you lot. And leave this lad alone. He’s working for me now.”

The three guys turned and walked slowly away. Right was looking back occasionally. His adrenalin had kicked in ... and he had nothing to use it on.

Slammer turned back to Gabriel and grinned. “You won’t want to work for me ... and that’s ok. You don’t need this shit, and I respect that.”

“Cheers, Slammer,” Gabriel said.

“I’ve given you a bit of breathin’ space, is all,” Slammer said, turning to go.

“Oh, and me and Ginny go back a-ways, don’t we girl?” he said. “I wouldn’t like to see her bloke come to any harm.”

Slammer sauntered away. He didn’t look back. He looked like he owned the streets.

Gabriel guessed that Slammer didn’t need to care what was around the next corner.

Ginny stepped up to Gabriel and took hold of his hand. He turned to look at her.

“So, you and Slammer ... Paul ... you go back a-ways, eh?” he said.

“Yeah,” Ginny said.

“Oh.”

“We’re really close,” she said, smiling.

“You’re still really close?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok ... well ...,” said Gabriel.

Ginny chuckled. “He’s my cousin.”

“Oh.”

“He’s the reason I can walk round here and not be afraid of the werewolves,” she said.

“I guess so,” Gabriel said.

“And now I think he’s extended the protection to you,” she said.

“Very kind, I’m sure,” Gabriel said.

He took hold of Ginny’s hand, but as they were about to turn away, the guy still on the ground made a grab for Gabriel’s trouser leg.

“Don’t think that fucking means anything ... you’re fucking dead, mate,” Left said.

Gabriel let go of Ginny’s hand. He leant down. He grabbed hold of the hand clutching his trousers. He prised the grip open. He kept a tight hold of the hand. He splayed the fingers wide.

“I’d forgotten about you,” Gabriel half-whispered.

He twisted Left’s wrist savagely, twisting his arm up behind his back, forcing the guy onto his stomach.

“Sometimes,” Gabriel said, “it’s wiser just to keep your fucking mouth shut.”

“Fuck off ...,” Left said.

Gabriel wrenched Left’s arm up behind his back.

He pressed down, putting his full weight against it.

He felt and heard the joint crack.

Left screamed.

Gabriel levered Left onto his back. Then he punched him in the face, smashing his fist down onto Left’s already broken nose.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God, no, no ... don’t,” Ginny said.

Gabriel looked up at her. She was standing six feet away. She was looking completely horrified. She started walking slowly backwards ... backwards away from him.

“Ginny ... Ginny ... wait,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel noticed that his fist was covered in blood. Blood from the guy’s shattered nose.

He wiped his fist on the guys hoody jacket.

He stood up.

Ginny was gone.