Confronting the Fallen Read Online Free

van
pulled up and stopped across the street from his front yard. Chris
recognized it as a city van and wondered briefly if someone's power
or sewers needed some repairs.
    He quickly realized that something else was going
on as two people, a man and a woman, dressed in overalls and work
boots, stepped out of the front of the van, while two other men, also
dressed as city workers, opened the back of the truck and jumped out
as well.
    Normally Chris wouldn't have given them a second
look, but there was something about them that set off alarm bells in
his head. For one thing, the four of them all wore the same grim,
determined expression. Also, none of them were carrying tools.
Instead, after a brief conversation, they split into two pairs and
walked quickly toward his front and back doors.
    Talon, he thought. Damn it, the judge was right.
Chris watched as the two at the front door stood and waited for the
other pair to reach the back.
    But the judge said they would have someone else
waiting outside in case I got away, Chris thought. Guess he was
wrong. But no sooner had he thought that than a movement on the
street caught his eye and Chris saw a fifth person exit the back of
the van. It was another woman, also in coveralls, but this one was
carrying a long narrow tool case. Chris watched her walk around the
house to the far side and out of sight. Then both teams at the front
and back doors glanced in that direction, apparently assuring
themselves that the woman was in position and the couple at the front
banged loudly on the door.
    Chris backed slowly away into the neighbor's yard,
staying low. I have to get out of here right now, he thought and a
feeling of panic began to rise inside of him.
    As soon as he was sure it was safe, he stood up
and began to run.
    The rest of that day passed in a nightmarish haze
of fear. Chris caught the first bus that was heading downtown and
made directly for the bus station. But he spotted several Talon thugs
lingering near the ticket counter. They weren't even bothering to try
to cover their tattoos. He watched them for several minutes from
around a far corner. They were laughing and talking with each other
and Chris felt a rush of anger. They might as well be on holiday!
    After the bus station, he caught another bus and
headed to the train station. His apprehension mounted as he entered
the building through a side entrance. And again, just like the bus
station, Talon was there. Why weren't they hiding? he wondered. Did
they think he was just going to walk up to them and surrender?
    As he left the train yard, the answer occurred to
him. Arrogance. They were confident that they had him trapped in the
city and arrogant in their superior numbers and the Talon
organization.
    Time was passing quickly. By the time he got to
the airport, it was getting dark and Chris was becoming frantic. If
the airport was covered as well, how was he going to leave town? He
knew that if he didn't leave soon, Talon would track him down. There
were too many of them and they had a lot of contacts on the street.
There was nowhere he could go in town that they wouldn't find him.
    His heart was in his mouth as he sidled in a door
as far away from the main entrance as possible. He stood there
looking around fearfully but felt a quick stab of hope as he spotted
no one with a tattoo on their cheek. He took a few tentative steps
toward the ticket counter across the wide space of the waiting area
and suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.
    Chris turned quickly with a gasp but instead of a
Talon thug, an older security guard with a kind face was looking down
at him.
    “Are you lost, son?” he asked with a
gentle smile.
    Chris stared at him for a moment then took a deep
breath as his shock passed. “Um, no sir. I was just...just
looking for my Dad. He's supposed to be landing soon and I thought
I'd surprise him.” Chris was thinking fast. “He doesn't
expect anyone to meet him, you see.”
    The man chuckled and nodded. “I