The Dark Knight (Apocalypse Weird 2) Read Online Free PDF

right about me?”
    Frank’s face blossomed with surprise.  “Yeah, why wouldn’t
it be?  I mean I... we, we all want to go on living.  And right now, being
right’s all we’ve got and maybe that might not even be enough.  But you don’t
understand that.  You don’t get it.  You know why?  Because you don’t care
about anyone but yourself.  And life, or whatever it is that’s happened out
there, it’s gonna make you pay if you’re wrong.  So, yeah, being right is real
important to the rest of us right about now.  Ought to be.  You’d know that if
you weren’t so busy killing yourself with the booze.”
    “So... what if I don’t drink?”
    “So what if you don’t?  So what if you do?  I don’t care
anymore, kid, and neither does anyone else.  You had your chance and you chose
the booze over your friends.  Over me and Ash.  We woke up to a street full of
those things because you left the gate wide open on your little booze run.  We
could have been killed and you couldn’t have cared less.”
    “But you weren’t!” Holiday shot back.  “And oh, by the way,
I rescued some people while I was out.”
    Frank shook his head in disgust.  “If that’s the way you
need to see it, fine.  But all that... all that “us not getting killed” and you
“helping” those people... hell kid, that’s not even the point.  You walked out
on us ‘cause you got thirsty.  You chose it over us and mark my words, you’ll
do it again.”
    A glare, filled with hate and contempt and a small amount of
pity, stared back at Holiday.  It was the pity that stung the most, thought
Holiday who shrugged, then looked off into the night.  Frank smiled, cleared
his throat and smiled again.  “Listen, kid,” his voice was warm and low.  “I
don’t hate you.  Yeah, I was disappointed in what you did, but I realize you’ve
got a problem with the hooch.  Fine.  But I can’t help you right now and I
can’t trust you ever.  I wanna go on living.  I need to go on living.  I...” 
Frank paused. 
    Holiday saw a sudden tear form in one of Frank’s eyes.  The
older man bent down quickly to pick up a stray wine glass, then rose again to
face Holiday.  If there had been a tear, it was gone now.
    “We all need to go on living, kid.  And... I just don’t
think you’re good for this community.”
     
    Holiday walked back toward his townhome.  The streets were
dark where the street lights didn’t cast their light.  In his mind, he could
see the bottle and knew it was still there, waiting for him.  Right where Frank
had left it on the front porch.  Ahead, he could see the small gate leading
into the small yard and the steps to his house.  He knew the bottle of top
shelf liquor, probably whiskey from Frank’s cabinet, was waiting there, still,
just out of sight, waiting in the shadows.
    Waiting for him.
    Let the dice fly.
    He kept on walking past his house.  Toward the front
entrance.  The light in Ritter’s “Gatehouse” was still on.  Holiday snorted. 
“Gatehouse.”  Frank wants to be king of a castle.  Fine.
    He dialed in the combination for the padlock at the gate,
heard it “click” gently in the dark, slipped through the gate, reached back in,
and snapped the lock closed again.  Checking it twice.  Making sure it was
locked. 
    Then he spun the combination dial.
    Let the dice fly.
    And he was off, out onto the street and into the night.  Off
in the dark.

Chapter Four
     
     
     
    He wasn’t going to drink.
    Outside the gate, standing under palms that lined the
entrance, Holiday watched as ground-lighting timed to some un-regarding
automated system that didn’t care if the world had ended or gone on, threw
shafts of golden light up into the high fronds above.  Holiday turned and
looked down the hill, following the road.  He was facing west.  The truth was,
he had no intention of drinking.  Holiday knew he needed to earn their trust
back.  Frank’s.  Ash’s.