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What was left of Bennett's crew all retreated back to the motel, with every room occupied by those wounded. The rest were either hiding, dead or captured. Bennett was upset over this mission failing as it did as he underestimated the citizens and their sense in fighting back. However, was not at all impressed.
"This is not fucking happening," he said, watching the events unfolding on the news. "Somebody tell me what the hell went wrong?"
"We were outsmarted," said Lenny, "and we had our asses kicked."
"What happened out there," said Sid, "we were not prepared for. Gargoyles? Some guy spitting bees? What exactly are we dealing with?"
"Those bitches were not gargoyles, Lenny."
"Who the fuck cares?"
Lloyd was not happy with the questions being asked and he didn't enjoy the fact he sensed fear in his own men.
"It doesn't matter at this point," he said,
"Why doesn't it matter?" Sid asked.
"They're monsters; it don't matter what type they are. You want to hightail it over one little setback? Let me tell you something, I won't. We've come this far and we're sticking with the plan no matter what. We'll have to proceed with Plan C; contact Douglas and tell him to bring everything he's got on the dot."
"Yes, sir."
The other thing that bothered Lloyd the most was the one man who fought against his crew and inspired the citizens of Freaktown to rise up.
"I want to know who that is," he said, watching Carlos' heroics on screen. "I want to know everything about him; who he works for, where he lives, who he fucks, and I want him dead. You hear me? You find him and you kill him. Make that your top priority, understand?"
"Understood," said Lenny.
"Traitor to his own kind. Who the fuck does he think he is?"
The time to regroup and reorganize had begun. An old abandoned warehouse was chosen as the base of operations for the resistance. They brought in food, first aid, and confiscated weapons and dynamite left behind by the terrorists. Those that fought and stood their ground had shown up, all set to do their part while others wanted to see the lone human who started it all. They all had their eyes on the young lieutenant making him uncomfortable. He wasn't looking for any kind of attention or praise over what he'd done earlier.
"Why are they all looking at me?" Carlos asked.
"You're a hero," said No Face.
"You're a hero, too. Why don't they focus on you?"
"Because you had better news coverage than I did. When they saw you, they saw hope. Go with the flow, son."
"If they start asking for autographs, I'm leaving."
The staring went on followed by pairs of hands, wanting to reach out and touch him. Carlos could only shake as many hands as he could, giving everyone else a smile and a wink.
"How's your lady doing?" No Face asked.
"She's good," said Carlos. "She had one bad sunburn but she's hanging in there."
"I can't wait to see her in action."
"Well, you did have a sneak preview of her skills.. Tell me, what do you know about this Bennett asshole?"
"Not much really. He hates all freaks, founded the Soldiers of Human Liberty, and tells crazy stories about all of us. He even has his own web page to back him up."
Carlos would love to meet Bennett up close and personal, beating him into submission. According to that very web page, the man had never been in combat or even set foot near a battlefield. His people follow his orders as if he were an experienced general.
"So, where did you get the name No Face?" He asked. "If you don't mind my asking."
"You mean besides my war wound?" He said, pointing at his disfigurement. "Billy Coates, the man I once was died a long time ago, and since I look like a freak I might as well live among them than live like some hermit. The neighbors started calling me No Face, and I kind of liked it. It makes me feel like a whole new man."
"Whatever makes you happy. You got any loved ones you left behind?"
"No; no family and no kids. I never did find the time. All I knew how to do is fight; that's my gift. What about you, son? You got any family back home?"
"No. Helena is my family; she's all I have left."
"You love her that much?"
"Very much. We've been through a lot together."
"A human in love with a freak. Beauty and the beast. I guess that makes you beauty."
"Well, she can be a beast at times."
Both men had a chuckle. To Helena calling her a beast would be nothing more than a compliment.
"So what's your story?" No Face asked. "How does an ordinary human being end up living with us freaks?"
"Lucky I guess," said Carlos. "You could say I just wanted to leave my past behind. I did enough fighting in the marines to last me a lifetime, and I thought being a cop would make it easier."
"How long did you serve?"
"Two years. The only reason I joined was because I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps."
"He must have been proud."
"I wouldn't know. He was killed in battle when I was a kid."
"Sorry to hear that."
"It was just me and my mom, but years after she died I enlisted. I figured why not since I had nothing left to lose."
"Yeah, I've had my share of those who had nothing left to lose. A lot of them gone mental after leaving bodies behind."
"Well, I kept my composure. I didn't dare the enemy to blow my head off and put me out of my misery."
"I guess you're one of those lucky ones."
"I probably was. Excuse me."
Carlos decided to have a word with B-Man, busy checking every weapon he brought in. The ex-con wasn't known for using any weapon during his time selling drugs. As far as anyone knew, the bees he kept inside him were his only means of defense. How he survived with them inside his body was anyone's guess.
"It's been a long time, B-Man," he said, "I'm sure Helena will be happy to see you again."
Helena had the pleasure of busting the ex-con herself years ago.
"Relax, officer," said B-Man, speaking in an Irish accent. "I hold no grudge against your lady friend. Haven't you heard? I'm a changed man."
"Let's keep it that way," said Carlos, "for all our sakes."
The next one he spoke with was Rattleman, who grew up mostly in sideshows. He was labeled the Snakeman due his snake like features including reptilian eyes, forked tongue, and the ability to shed skin. He left the sideshows behind and moved to Freaktown where people didn't gawk at him or throw debris. He earned the name Rattleman due to the rattle attached to his long tail.
"How's it going, Rattleman?" Carlos asked. "You sure you want to fight without any weapons? There's no shame in that."
"Jussst point me in the right direction," he said, "and I'll do the ressst."
"Good to know."
Furball, a tall man born with cat like features and an attitude, was anxious to spill some blood. He had no intention in getting to know Carlos due to his lack of interaction with humans and the fact he couldn't stand them.
Gemini was special in her own way. She had two different facial features each with a different voice. The left side had blonde hair, a blue eye, wearing half of red lipstick. The right side had an attitude with darker hair, a brown eye, and wore black lipstick. They were a different kind of conjoined twins who were also part of a sideshow that ended with them shutting the business down because the other freaks were being mistreated.
Rumor has it they were abandoned after birth and the owner who ran the sideshow took them in. As they grew into adulthood, they were known as Gemini, The Two Faced Woman. They were an acrobatic act who amazed the crowd and brought in more fortune to the owner. Once the sideshow closed down they struggled to earn a living going from robbery to prostitution. They turned that life around after making the move to Freaktown, running their own boutique shop.
"Gemini, how do I address you," Carlos asked, "lady or ladies?"
"Does it matter?" Her left side answered. "I've heard it all before."
"We've heard it all before," said her right side, "and right now I don't have a problem killing some assholes who look at us wrong."
"Don't mind her. She has a problem being around cops."
"Fucking right I have a problem. Do yourself a favor and stay out of our way, pretty boy. Understood?"
Gemini had problems with the police in the past, from their many arrests to officers trying to take advantage of them.
A map of Freaktown was laid flat on an old crate for everyone to see and where they needed to be when the time came. Everyone gathered around expecting Carlos to say a word on their next plan of attack. They were already looking up to him for leadership, a role he wanted no part of.
"Lead the way, soldier," said No Face.
"Excuse me?" Carlos asked.
"This is your show."
"My show? No way; I'm no leader. You should be doing this; you got more experience in combat than I have."
"Maybe, but I'm too damn old to plan strategy or bark orders. I'm a fighter and nothing more. I only go where the fighting takes me. What this role really needs is a young mind."
Carlos didn't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. If Helena were standing by him at this moment, she would set him straight.
"You got this, kid," said the old vet.
The young lieutenant took one long breath and transformed himself into the leader everyone was hoping for.
"Alright, listen up," he began, "we need to close down every place of business. They're easy targets and too many civilians have been hurt or worse. Every school needs to be shut down ASAP. I'm not having any more children killed on my watch. We need to get the word out to anyone willing to fight, but we do it carefully and quietly. Most importantly, we need to find out where those pricks are hiding. Lloyd Bennett may have ex military backing him up, but he's never been in actual combat.. We find him, we end this fight. Any questions?"
Not one individual said a word or raised a hand.
"You're off to a good start, kid," said No Face, patting Carlos' shoulder.
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