Hey guys, here’s the second installment of the “One Swift Blow” series.
This one introduces a new character, Billie Flint. An infamous sharpshooter who fought in the great war overseas. After surviving untold atrocities in the vicious fighting, he finally is rewarded with going back home, a free man.
Like always, I’d love to hear any thoughts you might have on the piece.
Cheers,
Jevan Thompson
It was raining heavily when Billie arrived at Trinity island.
It had been seven years since he’d been back. Seven whole years. A lot had changed since then.
The wind whipped his overcoat around, nearly blowing the hat off of his head. The boat’s horn gave a loud blast, almost deafening it’s passengers with the noise. He pulled the collar up on his coat to try and ward of the elements, but after a few minutes in the downpour, but it was ultimately a pointless gesture.
He stepped off of the boat with his knapsack slung over his shoulder, water dripping down from the brim of his hat. He looked around the busy docks and took in his surroundings. There was a lot of people. People seemingly everywhere. No matter where his eyes looked, he saw them. Many were bustling around on their own private agendas, like worker ants swarming around an anthill. Each one with their own distinct purpose, yet they were all separate.
The chaos of it all was overwhelming.
He blinked and all of a sudden, soldiers filled his vision, marching through the port with rifles firing and sergeants barking orders. Gunshots rang through the docks, with loud, shocking explosions blasting chunks out of the ground, sending brickwork and wood flying all over. The sounds of battle drowned out everything else, becoming the only noises he could hear.
None of this is real. That’s all in the past now
He grabbed hold of a nearby railing for support and controlled his breathing. On the surface, he looked calm and collected, a tourist gathering his bearings perhaps, but underneath, he was struggling to hold it together. He stayed there for a few moments, gazing off to the sea. Collecting himself. The sea held none of these ghastly visions, giving him a small shred of reality to hold onto. The soldiers slowly began to fade, disappearing into nothingness, leaving not a single trace behind. The craters from the explosions washed away by the swift, harsh coastal winds, the shell casings merging into the ground seamlessly.
After a few more moments, a hand clanged onto the railing next to him. Billie looked over at the owner of the hand. A woman in a dark brown raincoat, with a large, wide hat was stood there, smiling at him with beautiful ruby red lips. Her face was so smooth, she looked as flawless as porcelain. Her eyes seemed to shine at him, a gorgeous deep blue that you could lose yourself in. Brown hair curled over one of her eyes, shrouding her in mystery and beauty.
He was lost for words. He couldn’t even blink. All of the panic, all of the memories that had moments ago suddenly rushed into his mind, evaporated. Leaving only a beautiful face in the front of his thoughts.
“Billie? Billie Flint?” She asked him, with a perfect smile.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve seen.” He said honestly.
“Well from what I understand Mr. Flint, you’ve not been around an awful lot of women recently? I can assure you, there’s pretty gals than me!” She laughed.
“I’ve never seen them.” He said, still dumbstruck by her beauty.
She smiled again. “ They didn’t tell me you were a charmer! I thought you were a veteran?”
Remembering himself, Billie stood up smartly and offered his hand to shake. “I am ma’m. Ottamaskin, Allcut and Titannich.” She looked at him for a moment with utter seriousness, then her face relaxed into a smile again.
“Well I’ve got the right man then. War hero indeed. Thank you for fighting out there.”
He nodded slightly.
“Well, I know you must be a busy man with lots of things to take care of, so I’ll be brief.” She reached into her handbag and produced a business card. She handed it over to him, with another dazzling smile.
“I work for a man called Constantine. Arthur Constantine. He runs many successful and profitable businesses around Trinity Island, he was interested in purchasing your services.”
“Services? What kind of services?” He asked, suspicion already creeping into his thoughts.
“Security.” She said bluntly.
“Security?” He repeated.
“Security. He’s asked me to tell you that if you’re interested, to contact him with the details on the card. He’ll arrange the rest.”
Billie stood looking at the card for a while, pondering the implications. This was certainly something he didn’t expect on his first few minutes off of the transport ship.
She smiled again. “Have a think about it Mr. Flint. I’ll see you soon.”
She began to walk away in the pouring rain, not looking back once. Billie looked up from the card and shouted through the elements. “Hey! I didn’t catch your name!”
She turned and flashed that breathtaking smile again.
“Annabelle. My name’s Annabelle.”
Teller of Some Tales 