Part 54 (2/2)

Danny nodded. Then, he walked away from the car, to the rich front lawn before the cabin where the siege had taken place. The Stickman followed. The day was hot, and the sun shone down from directly overhead.

Danny went to the far side of the lawn. There, he took off his s.h.i.+rt and tossed it to one side. At the other end, a smiling Stickman did the same. Both men regarded each other in silence, noting the scars on each other's bodies. It was indeed a miracle they healed so fast.

”Ye ready, me son?” the Stickman asked. He thought briefly of Beverly. If fate was on his side, if it was meant to be, he would be searching for her shortly.

”I'm ready,” Danny had replied. He had his own plans. One concerned a woman and the other centered on turning the Beacon into a regular bar.

”Alright, den,” the Stickman declared with a nod.

They both realized they could have been friends, especially after going through therapy together. In the beginning, it had been hard. Danny saw the Stickman only as unfinished business. He was the man that killed his two best friends. They talked about it, and Danny agreed that Stickman was seeking revenge for his best friend Badger. It was all a big mistake, seeing as through their conversations together they figured out that Pain was responsible for Badger anyway. But the Stickman did what, Danny had to admit, he would have only done himself if the roles had been reversed. It was f.u.c.ked up. Gary and Boomer should have talked. The Stickman should have listened. What was done was done. Mistakes had been made. And blood was spilled. But Danny could not allow the punishment and death of his friends to go unanswered. Understanding where the big man was coming from and losing his own friend, the Stickman offered Danny a solution. When they were both able to leave the hospital under their own power, they both agreed on one way to remedy the past. Perhaps it was stupid, but neither one of them thought so.

Both men stood opposite each other, stretching and flexing in the warm sun. Both men knew the other was strong from their time in therapy. Both knew each other's reputation from back East. Both men remembered their friends.

Smiling, Stickman slipped into his fighting stance. He drew up his invisible s.h.i.+elds and asked for Ninja Bill to watch over him. He was about to fight the twin of the tower that had almost killed him.

Danny raised his hands. He was a legend in the Halifax bar circuit. He was a peacemaker. He was about to fight the killer of his two best friends.

”What'll be den?” the Stickman asked, shadow boxing and eternally jovial. ”To de end?”

Danny smiled grimly at the crazy Newfoundlander. ”To the end,” he said wondering if it would go that far. He then wondered if they would be watched.

The Stickman wondered the same. ”To de end, den,” he repeated, bringing his arms up to guard. ”Come at me, me son.”

There, on the front lawn of the log cabin, the two men closed the distance and began circling each other. They moved closer together. Danny was all serious. The Stickman wore his grin.

And both swung at the same time.

About the Author.

Keith lives in the wild hills of Canada. His other books include:.

The Troll Hunter (Heroic Fantasy).

The Bear That Fell From The Stars (Science Fiction).

Check outfor further releases or comments on his work.

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