Izzy pulled the pillow tightly over her head and tried to ignore the knocking she was hearing.  Despite the place being practically empty, the motel had put a couple next door to their room and the noises they were making the night before had made it difficult to sleep.  Izzy had drifted off for possibly an hour before the knocking at the door had started.   She groaned when she realized that no one else in the room was going to answer the door.   

Izzy tossed the pillow at the sleeping lump next to her.  Megan groaned but did not move.  The empty boxes of food were sitting in or next to the trash can and the bags full of clothing were near the closet.  Izzy knew her friend well when she thought she had gone shopping before bringing back food giving Brian and Izzy time to talk about everything that had been going on the past few days.  

The bed Brian had been sleeping in was empty, the covers thrown back up to the head of the bed in a messy attempt to make his bed.  Izzy saw the light on in the bathroom and heard water running.  Brian was already awake and getting ready; if he was showering he might not have heard the door.

A flash of Brian shirtless her hands running down his chest came to mind and she shook her head to forget it.   Brian had not mentioned he had been having any dreams or memories, if that’s what they were, of the two of them together and she certainly did not want to be the one to mention she had several thoughts of him shirtless or more. 

The knocking on the door brought Izzy back into the moment.  She sighed and looked out the peephole gasping when she saw Mike on the other side looking upset. 

“Mike?” Izzy questioned as she opened the door.  “How did you find me?”  She was in Pennsylvania and didn’t remember telling him before she left or last night on the phone where she had gone. 

Before Mike could enter someone stepped out from the wall next to the door and stuck something in his arm.  The man collapsed on the floor of the hall and Izzy quickly tried to shut the door before the other person could force their way inside.  A foot stopped the door from closing all the way and a well manicured hand held onto the door and forced it open wider.  It wasn’t long before Izzy was standing face to face with Mike’s wife, Patricia.

The other woman’s eyes darted around the room and fell on Megan. 

“What are…?” Izzy started to ask but Patricia cut her off.

“Get her out of here,” She demanded pointing to the sleeping form of Megan.

How was Megan still asleep? Izzy wondered as she walked over to the girl.  “Megan,” She whispered shaking her friend.  “Megan,” She said again. This time the other girl opened her eyes. 

“What, I’m sleeping.” She groaned and tried to roll over again to go back to sleep.

“I need you to do something for me.”

“What?” Megan sounded annoyed now.

“How about you go get some breakfast?”

“What the f…” Megan sat up quickly stopping suddenly when she caught sight of Patricia standing in the room.  “Yeah, sure.” She finished and quickly grabbed her jacket and the keys and headed out the door making sure she stayed out of Patricia’s way.

Izzy listened for sounds from the bathroom but heard none; maybe he was out and was staying quiet?

Once Megan was gone Patricia’s smile widened and she laughed.  “I didn’t think I would get to be the one.” She said as she removed her jacket and folded it.  She placed it carefully down on the edge of the second bed and set her bag next to it. 

“I thought for sure that the role they gave me, as your boss’ wife would not be close enough.  I even petitioned at one point to be made your boss so I would have closer access to you but that was not to be.” 

Izzy stared at this woman and watched as she cracked her knuckles.

The woman moved closer to Izzy but turned at the last minute and moved to the nightstand between the beds.  She picked up something and looked at it briefly before putting it down again.  She moved back through and away from Izzy again. 

Each time she moved Izzy could feel her muscles tense expecting the woman to act, to pull something out and attack her but she just moved around the room taking in everything from Izzy’s little bit of luggage to the décor.  The way she moved reminded Izzy of a cat that was toying with a mouse.

“Did you come here to talk?” Izzy crossed her arms and looked at the other woman.  Patricia turned back to face Izzy and smirked.

Izzy moved closer to the woman and threw her hand at the woman’s face attempting to use the use the palm to break the woman’s nose.  Patricia was too fast though and grabbed Izzy’s had twisting her arm behind her.  She held Izzy’s arm tight behind her back bending it further.  Izzy felt the pain in her back as the other woman hit her kidney.

Another hit had Izzy dropping to the floor, where was her mystical ability to pull fight moves out that she couldn’t remember learning now?  The other woman was continuing to hit Izzy, she had no idea Patricia knew how to hit with as much force as she could. 

Izzy was now on the floor trying to pull away from Patricia but she still had a firm grasp on her arm.  Izzy managed to swing on leg out and backwards.  She felt her arm dislocate as she knocked the other woman to the ground but at least her arm was free.  

Patricia did a spin kick but Izzy managed to grab the woman’s foot with one hand and turn her ankle enough that she fell to the ground. She easily got back up and attacked again.  Izzy managed to block her attacks one armed but it was getting harder and Patricia was learning what moves were harder for her to defend against with only the one arm. 

The other woman backed off and moved to sit on the edge of one of the beds.  Izzy stood breathing deeply wondering what her ploy was now.

“Mike thought I spent all my time shopping and going to lunches with my friends, but I was constantly training, hoping for a chance like this.” Patricia pulled a towel out of her bag and dabbed her forehead.  She looked like a woman who was merely taking a break from a workout class and not a break from trying to injure another human being.

“Why?” Izzy managed to ask.

“To go up against someone like you and win would show how much better I am.”  She smiled haughtily.

“Someone like me?” Izzy wondered how much longer she could keep the woman talking. She saw the bathroom door start to open and knew Brian would be there to help her soon.  At least she hoped Brian would be there to help her soon.

“Of course I was only on a need to know basis, but I knew who you were before all of,” She paused and looked around the room, “this.”

“Who was I? Before what?”

“Guess you don’t know as much as I thought you did.  Oh well.” Patricia stood again and started to advance closer to Izzy.  Izzy’s arm was throbbing and she knew that she was going to need to somehow get her shoulder back in the socket if she had any chance of overcoming this woman.

In only a few quick movements, Patricia had Izzy on the floor kneeling on both arms the woman flung her fists at her face and at her stomach.  Izzy felt that at any minute she was going to pass out from the pain.  How did it come to this, and where was Brian?

Izzy tried to think of a way to get out of the situation and soon she started to rock from side to side hoping she could knock the other woman off of her.  Before she could move, Patricia slumped down on top of her unconscious.

“About time,” Izzy shouted up at Brian who was standing over the two holding the clothes iron that the room thankfully provided. 

“I couldn’t find anything.”  He said as he smashed Patricia’s head one more time before dropping the iron and shoving Patricia off of Izzy.  He leaned over her and carefully wrapped his arms around her to help her up. 

Izzy moved to the wall by the bathroom and holding her breath and closing her eyes she slammed her arm against the wall.  Her arm throbbed with pain but was still dislocated.  She cried out and held her breath again before slamming her arm again.  This time she felt her shoulder fit back in the socket, though she was in pain it was less than it had been.

Brian watched horrified as Izzy put her shoulder back.  Kicked the woman on the floor’s leg before moving closer to Izzy.  Izzy was already dumping the woman’s bag out on the bed and searching for something. 

“What are you looking for?”

“Found it,” She said as she held up a needle triumphantly.   “If they are meant to make us forget they should work on them as well right?” She uncapped the needle and moved towards Patricia.  Quickly she injected the other woman and tossed the syringe in the trash can.

“Grab the rest of those and put them in here.” Izzy pointed to the remaining syringes full of the substance.   Brian complied and put the needles in Izzy’s backpack.   “Those can come in handy.”  She smiled at Brian finally feeling like they had a little bit of luck getting a supply of whatever it was in those syringes.

“Let’s find Megan and get out of here,” Izzy started to gather their stuff together hoping that Megan had not gone far.  

Brian and Izzy looked down at Mike who was still lying slumped outside their door.

“Someone will find him, he’ll be okay.” Izzy said hoping she was right.  She really did like the guy, he’d been a good friend the last, well six months she guessed it was now.

Megan was standing next to the street.  When she saw the two emerge from the room she smiled and ran closer to them unlocking the car as she ran.

They piled into the car.  “Where now?” Megan asked.

“I have an idea, a safe place.” Brian smiled and told them to turn the car towards the airport; he would buy them all tickets to Kentucky where they would go to his church.  The pastor he’d known as a child, the man that was still close to his family and him, he would help them.