The Street Rat 205

Eddie and Archer found a rhythm as they continued working together. They grew comfortable with each other’s habits and learned the other’s fighting style until they could predict what the other was going to do almost any time in a fight. 

Maria made it clear that Archer was not welcome at the motel, and Archer was more than happy to oblige and stay away. 

The winter had broken in mid-March, and Sanders had begun to defrost. Maria had gotten steady work with Sal after her birthday, and Eddie was scraping up enough money for them to stay in the motel after the winter ended, a luxury he hadn’t experienced before. 

Eddie and Archer had kept busy as the months passed. Stopping a mugging here, thwarting a burglary there, even breaking up a gang fight once. Archer hadn’t killed anyone yet, and had only struck people at all when necessary. Nothing too close to home or big enough to warrant much space in Eddie’s biography happened, though. But that changed toward the end of March. 

After finding a pretty consistent rhythm, Eddie and Archer decided they would go out together three nights a week, then take a couple of solo shifts to let the other rest. Eddie wasn’t sure what Archer did with these nights off, but he was thankful for the time he got to spend with Maria and the boys. 

With Maria working so often and him being out, the four couldn’t be together as much as they were accustomed to. They figured that if Eddie could find work on one of his nights off, they could afford to actually sit and eat somewhere the next evening. They took turns choosing a restaurant, which was always one of the cheap shops in their neighborhood, but it was still a nice tradition they had going. 

And that’s where this story takes place. On a Tuesday night, in late March, at the Vietnamese restaurant Maria had chosen. 

“I don’t want a kids’ menu,” Tomas said as soon as they sat down.

“You’re still a kid,” Maria told him as everyone but Tomas looked at their menu. 

“I’m almost eleven! I’m old enough for a real menu!”

“Tomas, the kids’ menu is for anyone under twelve. I’d kill for a kids’ meal. Are you kidding? You get games on your menu! And each meal comes with a dessert! You don’t know it now, but you’re living the life.”

“Then I’ll order you something off of here, and you can order something for me off the grown-up menu. It’s a win-win!”

Maria tilted her head to look at Eddie to see how he was going to get out of this one, while Alex drew on the kids’ menu with his crayons. 

“What do you even want on the grown-up menu that’s not on the kids’ menu?” Eddie asked.

“I want grown-up food.”

“Fine,” Eddie sighed and slid the menu over. “If you see something you want that’s not on the kids’ meal, we can do a switch. But don’t come begging to me when you want the little cookie that comes with the kids’ meal.”

The waitress came over and brought each of them a water while they waited to order. The bell above the door rang out as she walked away, and a man strolled up to the counter. 

Bang.

A gunshot rang out as the man shot a handgun into the ceiling.

“Nobody move a muscle,” the man shouted as chaos erupted in the restaurant. Maria pulled Tomas and Alex under the table as Eddie surveyed the room. The man shot another bullet into the ceiling. “I said nobody move! I’m not warning you again.”

The restaurant settled into tense silence as the man waved his gun back and forth. 

“Stay down there,” Eddie whispered as the man continued waving his gun, his hand shaking as he did so. 

“Now,” the man said to the young girl behind the counter, “I want you to take this bag and fill it with everything in that register. You hear me?”

Shaking, the girl nodded and began loading the bag. 

“Faster!” the man yelled before backhanding the girl across the face. 

She whimpered as she continued. 

Eddie stepped forward but stopped when Maria grabbed his ankle and pulled him back toward the table. 

“He’s going to hurt her,” Eddie said in a terse, hushed voice as he sat and leaned his head low to talk to Maria. 

“If you try to confront him, people will die, Eddie.” Maria’s voice came from under the table, where Eddie couldn’t see her. “Just let him take the money, and everyone gets to live another day.”

“Fine,” Eddie huffed, but he sat at the edge of his seat, watching for any opportunity to spring into action. 

The young girl at the counter wiped away tears as she handed the bag back to the man. 

“Now,” he said, waving the girl out from behind the counter with his gun, “we’re all going to get up and walk out of this restaurant together. Once we’re outside, everyone scatter. Any funny business and I start shooting, understood?”

The bell above the door rang out, and the man swung his gun arm toward it.

Too slow. 

The man screamed, and the gun fell to the floor, clattering across the tiles. He stared in shock at the arrow protruding from his hand while he held his arm. 

The restaurant erupted in chaos again. People stormed out the door while Archer, a hood over his gaunt face, strode through the room. The man fell to his knees and yanked the arrow out with another scream before clambering for his gun a few feet away. 

The gun danced away from the man as Archer struck it with another arrow and continued walking toward the would-be robber. Eddie situated himself between the man and the gun to prevent him from picking it back up. 

The man looked from Archer to Eddie to the table where Maria and the boys were still huddled underneath. 

“Playing hero has its consequences, boy,” the man muttered as he pulled out a knife. With a yell, he rushed the table and leaped toward Alex, who was closest to him. 

“No!” Eddie and Maria shouted simultaneously. 

The man let another scream loose as an arrow shot through the forearm of the hand holding the knife, forcing the knife to fall. The man howled as he grabbed his arm with his other hand, still bleeding from Archer’s first shot. 

Archer walked over and swung swift blows to the man’s head with his bow, causing him to slump to the ground unconscious as the distant sirens grew louder. 

Maria and the boys slowly crawled out from under the table. Maria’s stare went from Archer to the man on the ground to Eddie and then back to Archer as she tried to find her voice. Tomas hung onto Maria’s arm, but Alex ran as soon as he got to his feet. 

“Get it off me,” Archer growled as Alex had wrapped himself around his leg and wouldn’t let go. 

“Come here, Alex,” Eddie said as he swooped down to pick Alex up off of Archer. “Uncle Archie doesn’t love hugs.”

“Don’t call me that,” Archer said as he walked toward the door.

“Was the issue the ‘uncle’ part or the ‘Archie’ part?”

“You got it,” Archer answered as he walked onto the street, loosing an arrow with wire attached that pulled him up off the street and into the dark night. 

“We’ll workshop the name later, I guess.” Eddie shrugged. 

“I don’t understand him,” Maria said softly as she held Tomas.

“I’ve given up on trying,” Eddie responded. “Especially about where he gets all this wire. He just never runs out. It makes no sense to me. But I told you he was on our side.” 

Eddie sat Alex back on his feet and held his hand as the four of them made their way out of the restaurant. 

“I think I’m okay with the kids’ meal for a bit longer,” Tomas declared as they stepped outside of the restaurant. “I don’t want to grow up yet.”

“You and me both, kiddo.” Eddie reached over to ruffle his hair as they disappeared into the crowd and away from the flashing lights. 

The Street Rat continues with episode 206.

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