========================================================================= Date: Tue, 9 Apr 1996 21:23:15 -0400 Reply-To: LNagy10434@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "Lawrence E. Nagy" Subject: THE JOURNEY OF JEREMY KELLER Part 9 Following is part 9 of THE JOURNEY OF JEREMY KELLER Anybody who has missed any of the previous chapters drop me a line, and I'll get them out to you. Any and all comments are greatly welcome and appreciated. Let me know what you think, it does help. Enjoy Larry THE JOURNEY OF JEREMY KELLER "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday" Part 9 The bar was empty except for six bikers dressed in well worn black leather and denim. The bar tender wore greasy white cook's clothing and an apron, his hair was pulled up into a dirty baseball cap that had a glob of white caulking on the rim with the inscription "Damn Pigeons" across the front. "What'll ya' have, bud?" the man said past a shredded toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth. "Can of Bud and a cheese burger." Jeremy replied as he dropped his bag on a chair draped his jacket over the back of another. The man put a can of beer on the bar and popped the top. "Need a glass?" "No thanks." Jeremy said as he retrieved the beer and dropped into the chair next to his bag. "Any place around here a man can crash for a night?" "Ya'll can put up in the garage out back if you want." Toothpick man said with a grin "For say, ah, ten bucks." Jeremy frowned "I'll think about it." "Better let me know soon, the price goes up when the sun sets." The man said then headed in back to start the burger. Jeremy shook his head then turned toward the window and looked out through a layer of grime at the clear blue late afternoon sky. "Hi, there." a rough female voice said from behind him. With the voice came the smell of sweat, motor oil and cheap hand lotion. Jeremy looked at his visitor, she was one of the bikers. Her greasy, long brown hair was pulled back in simple pony tail then held down with a dirty bandanna head band. Her skin was deeply tanned and weathered by the open road. The woman wore only torn jeans, motorcycle boots and a tight leather vest held together by two loose buttons. Jeremy couldn't help but think that cleaned up, she would probably be quite attractive. "Mind if I join you?" Jeremy shrugged "Not at all, have a seat." he said and indicated a chair across the table from him. The woman took the one next to him. She said that her name was Rita and that her and her friends were on their way to California to hook up with some new business. She then asked Jeremy about himself and were he was going. "Guess I'm headed west looking for work, something'll come up, it always does." Jeremy had just finished speaking when someone came out of the back room and headed straight for them. "RITA!, what the hell you doing over here?" the man was large and muscular with short blond hair and a mustache. He then turned immediately to Jeremy, "And who the hell are you?" "No one, I'm just passing through." Jeremy said calmly. The casual tone and total lack of fear in Jeremy's voice seemed to enrage the man even more. "Well you just stay the hell away from my woman." "I'm not looking for any trouble, I'm just here for something to eat." Jeremy continued in his casual way, totally unintimidated by the brute. By now, he had become aware of the gathering attention of the rest of the flock. "Tough, punk!" the man said and grabbed Jeremy by the collar and yanked him to his feet. "I'll teach you to get smart with me." "Get em' Lynx" someone yelled from the group. But before Lynx could do anything else, Jeremy punched straight out hitting the man fast and hard in the middle of the breast bone. The man's heart flutter for a beat and all wind was driven from his lungs. Lynx dropped to the ground like a sack of flour, landing on his knees doubled over in pain. Jeremy didn't smile or say a word, just turned for his bag so he could leave the restaurant. Before he could find the duffel, however, searing pain ripped through his back. "You son of a bitch!" came Rita's voice from behind. Jeremy twisted his hand around his back searching for the pain. As he found the handle of a large knife but couldn't get a grip on it, he could also feel something warm and wet. His hand came back covered with bright red blood. The knife stuck high in his back must have struck a major artery. Things began to blur, and the room started to spin. In the far distance a voice called out "Get him." Pain exploded in his face as his nose broke, then the room turned on its side and the floor slammed him hard on the side of the head. Something landed solidly on his right hand smashing it against the floor and shattering most of its bones. Soon his whole body erupted in to pain that quickly faded as his life drained from him. Taking his last conscious breath, Jeremy could hear someone say "Cool it, the cops." Without saying a word, the gang jumped into action. Rita went out side to stall the two cops who had pulled up in separate vehicles. Inside, they worked together to drag Jeremy's body and his belonging into a back room. They also took up residence at Jeremy's table. Seats and the table were placed over the largest pool of blood. Between that and the dim lighting, all sign of the violence of just moments before disappeared. Pain surged through Jeremy's body as the quickening brought life back to him. Every bone and muscle burned as convulsions of healing ripped through him. The wound in his back continued to flare, Jeremy found the large knife still inbedded there. Pulling it out caused a fresh surge of blood that healed quickly. Jeremy struggled to his feet in near darkness. His eyes adjusted revealing shelves and other amenities of a store room. With his first step he stumbled over a large familiar bag. Could it be that these animals didn't bother to search him. A quick check under his left pant leg revealed the .357 and the contents of the bag were undisturbed. In the bar, the gang was still the only patrons. If the police had been here, they were gone now. Jeremy watched the group still seated at his table, his jacket still hung on the back of one of the chairs. The closest was actually Rita, she sat at the bar facing into the room with her back toward him. Jeremy weighed the woman's knife in his hand and pulled at the blood encrusted shirt plastered to his body. A plan of action formed, the thought wasn't pleasant, but they would definitely get the picture. Rita never heard him coming till he was right behind her. "I believe this is yours." Jeremy said slamming the knife down impaling Rita's right hand to the bar top. The knife went through Rita's hand and the bar, splattering blood in all directions. He didn't know which caused Rita to scream the loudest, her right hand impaled by her own bowie knife or the sight of her blood encrusted victim now standing beside her. Jeremy leveled the shot gun at the room and grabbed the .357 out from the waist of his jeans. Someone called Rita's name, and another exclaimed "Son of a bitch! your suppose to be dead!" Jeremy walked into the room pointing both guns at the others. "Now don't anybody do anything stupid, and no one else will get hurt." One of the gang jumped at him with a loud scream. Jeremy leaned back allowing the man to pass in front of him. As the attacker went by, Jeremy pistol whipped the fool with the .357. The man landed unconscious at Jeremy's feet with a large gash in the back of his head. Someone else on the other side of the room used the distraction to pull a 9mm automatic. Jeremy heard the click of the round slidding into place and opened fire with the shotgun. A hole the size of a softball blew through the gunman throwing him against a wall splattering it with blood and gore. Jeremy pumped another round into the Remmington and pointed it at the blond they called Lynx. "You started this little fiasco." Jeremy said through clenched teeth, then pulled at his blood covered shirt "and ruined my favorite shirt." The man just stared at him, he hadn't moved from his seat at the table. Others around the room adjusted some moving towards him, others away. Rita was still sobbing, screaming and swearing in the background. Pointing the shotgun back at the other four Jeremy ordered them to sit down, which they did. He then turned back to Lynx "Now the way I see it, you owe me for one shirt, and pain and suffering." Jeremy lifted the man's chin with the barrel of the shotgun as he asked "Don't you agree?" The Lynx just looked at him in shock. "Now what would be adequate compensation?" Jeremy looked out the window "I know, how about your motorcycle? I think that would be a start at least, don't you?" "Kill him, Lynx!" Rita yelled from the bar. Jeremy stepped back and brought the gun up to eye level. "Well, what's your decision?" Lynx reached slowly into his pocket and put the keys to his bike on the table. "Good boy, I knew you weren't as stupid as your friend over there." Jeremy said indicating the body slumped against the far wall. He then reached for the keys, as he did so, Lynx grabbed for him. Jeremy swung the butt of the shotgun around slamming the man in the temple knocking him to the floor. "Sir, you would have disappointed me if you hadn't of tried something." Jeremy took the keys then began to walk around the room. He picked up his jacket and replaced his destroyed shirt with it, leaving the rag on the floor. He then went behind the bar and ate the cold cheese burger that was still waiting for him. All the while, Rita was yelling and swearing at him as she tried to dislodge her hand from the knife that was permanently imbedded in the bar. "One more thing" Jeremy said as he finally left the bar. "If I ever see any of you again, I will kill you on sight." he then looked directly at Rita "and I mean any of you. Understood?" "You son of a bitch!!" Rita yelled one last time as Jeremy went outside. The bike Jeremy wanted was obvious, it was a black Harley with a picture of a lynx on the gas tank. Jeremy secured his bag then headed out of the lot when he felt the buzz of the quickening. He spun around to see a new motorcyclist approach from the East. At the stranger's approach, the others sans Rita, came out of the bar. The man pulled up about ten feet away. He was large and muscular with a thick beard and long dark hair. "Mister, you appear to be riding a bike that belongs to a friend of mine." the immortal said. "If you get your sorry ass off of it right now, I may let you walk out of here with your head." "Lance!" someone yelled "He killed Jake and stuck Rita somethin' bad." "Is this true?" the man snarled and uncovered the handle of a sword. Jeremy pulled the Remington out and pointed it at Lance. "Its true, your pack over there bit off more then they could chew, and paid the price." "This isn't the time or the place for us." Lance said "Even if you use your toy there. The game isn't for spectators." "Game?" Jeremy smiled "I don't play games." "Everyone plays" Lance said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter "even pukes like you play, eventually." Just then a gun shot rang out from the bar. The bullet ripped across Jeremy's chest ripping a bloody gash in him. A second shot caught him squarely in the side, almost knocking him off the bike. In response Jeremy pulled the .357 and aimed it back at the shooter, it was the one he had pistol whipped earlier. Jeremy fired a single shot at his attacker hitting high in the chest, just below the neck. The man flew back and spun around splattering blood on the others before landing face down in the dirt. Lance took the distraction to start for his sword but Jeremy leveled the shot gun at him. "Your a dead man." Lance said and lit his cigarette, "I'll catch up with you before that wound heels. Your head will be mine before the sun is gone." "I suppose your right." Jeremy said then lowered the shot gun. Lance suddenly read something in Jeremy's eyes, and panicked. It was too late. Jeremy shot Lance's gas tank. Gas flashed up at Lance exploding into fireball tearing both man and machine apart. Jeremy gunned the throttle and rode off calmly down the road never even thinking of looking back. to be continued.......................