The Reincarnation

John got up. After showering, applying his makeup, and dousing himself with cologne, he left for the gun shop. He didn’t bother covering his face when he went in. With the makeup on, he felt more human, more natural, more passable.

The man in the gun store treated him amicably until he realized John wanted the gun today. But after some masterful negotiations on John’s part, the man actually called out, “That’s the latest and the greatest you got there buddy,” and, “Come again soon,” as John walked out and the man stuffed the wad of bills into his pants pocket, turning only when he saw his latest customer hide the gun in the trunk of his car.

John felt stronger. Whatever was pulling him, which he still assumed was the Corpsicle, was close now, and as he drew nearer, he felt his strength growing. It wasn’t exactly the same feeling that he got standing outside the man’s Lab room the night he scraped the “X” on the wall, though.

It now felt as though the man was aware of him, and wanted to give him the strength.

Grey was concerned. The tracker was picking up the signal stronger than ever – the signal Grey had determined would lead to the Golden Child – and he didn’t know if Johnny Rotten was going to stop. To Grey, it seemed like Johnny was hell-bent on his direction and constantly picking up speed the closer he got to his destination. Eager to stay on the right path, Grey was again concerned about what might happen if the paths diverged.

Finally, they did.

The signal from the tracker grew weaker, and Johnny Rotten kept driving. He drove right past the place where the signal was strongest, and didn’t even slow down. What’s he going on? Grey thought. Whatever Johnny was after must not have been the Golden Child, the one the Lab wanted. If Johnny were after him, he would have stopped driving when the tracker signal grew the strongest. It was the only conclusion that made sense to him.

Deciding it wasn’t his priority to catch Johnny, but the man the Lab wanted most, he had his Army turn around and follow the tracker’s signal.

They pinpointed where the strongest response was coming from. It was, as Grey half-suspected, a motel. It seemed like Johnny Rotten and the Golden Child had that much in common; they stayed in cheap motels. The reflection from the neon sign glowed in their windshield as they pulled in. The Army was anxious. This was where they were needed most, and they knew it.

Grey instructed them not to kill the man. The nurse was disposable as far as he was concerned, but they shouldn’t kill her either unless she got in the way.

Possible scenarios played in Grey’s mind. They were both asleep, and unarmed. This scenario was the one Grey hoped for. They were both awake, ready for them, and armed. This was the one Grey prepared for.

They confirmed they were at the right room with the tracker, and burst in. The main room was empty, the bed untouched. Grey’s mind raced. They might be out. Grey could smell hot water. He directed his Army to the bathroom. The water wasn’t running. They had just gotten out of the shower. They had to be unarmed in there. He tried the door. Unlocked. He opened it. Empty.

Towels hung from the towel rack, still damp. The tracker pointed Grey to the toilet. Lifting the lid, Grey found his beacon. He instructed his Army to leave him alone.

Shutting off the light, and sitting down on the toilet, he smelled the room. Were they just here? Grey thought. Did we just miss them? The damp towels said yes. Grey’s nose said no. He didn’t smell any soap. Deducing that the towels were merely run under hot water and left to dry, he wondered why. The Golden Child and the nurse had set him up. They came here, put the tracker in the toilet, wet some towels, and left. He checked the shower, the trash; no used bar of soap, no empty soap package.

It dawned on him that it might be a trap. He got up, got his Army back into the van, and proceeded to race toward Johnny Rotten and try to catch up. He realized he would have to be more careful now. He wasn’t tracking amateurs.

What other traps or diversions might they have in store?