JC: Harry and the Lee Girls Chapter 2 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 A loud dull thumping echoed off the walls spooking everyone. It sounded like a giant was approaching the building. Da Lee suspended from the chain-link fence could feel every thump through the cuts in her back as the fence vibrated against them. It hurt, but that was nothing compared to the pain of her other wounds. She swore that her cut breast was going to burst open from the swelling. One of the girls, terrified by the sight of Da Lee hanging at the front of the room and the noises surrounding the building, screamed, "It's coming to get us." The guard at the door, jumpy from the noise, spun around and shouted, "Shut up!" Da Lee, her head feeling light, cackled hysterically as she shouted, "It's coming to get them!" The guard, his fear turning to anger, stomped over to the cage. Pulling a switchblade from his pocket, he pressed the button releasing the blade. He drew the blade over the skin of her buttocks poking out through the openings of the fence. The cuts were not deep, but stung. Da Lee laughed and shouted, "That's it. Every cut brings it closer!" "Witch!" shouted the guard as he thrust the knife into her back. The pain exploded in her back and her whole body went taut as she screamed out. Shao Lee looked over at her sister and begged, "Don't make them kill you." The other girls were terrified. The thumping only sounded louder in the silence that followed Shao Lee's outburst. The guard walked over to the window and looked out over the alley. Hundreds of homeless, moving as one, lifted their right legs and then stomped on the ground. Three seconds later, they would lift their left legs and then stomp on the ground. Watching the homeless men marching in place outside the window sent chills down the spine of the guard. The volume of their stomps suggested thousands of them had surrounded the building. He moved back to the door and checked his pistol. One clip wasn't going to have any effect on that crowd outside. He wanted to get a weapon that was a little more substantial preferably one with bigger clips and a faster rate of fire. He stood in place debating what to do. Should he leave his post to get an automatic or stay there? Automatic gunfire from Wong's office caused everyone to jump, including Da Lee. Her movement ignited another wave of pain, causing her to scream. The women in the cage screamed in response. The guard spun around holding the gun in front of him, not knowing what to expect to emerge from the office. Outside the stomping ended to be replaced by a chant, "Har-ry! Har-ry!" To the people inside the building, the chant meant nothing. They didn't know what a Har-ry was. The mob outside could have been chanting 'Blah Blah' and conveyed as much information. Wong came out of the office and pointed his gun at the guard. In an even voice, he said, "You can remain on my side or die." The guard recognized that a coup had been attempted and failed. The fact that Wong was still walking around meant that Chin was dead. It did no good to align oneself with the dead. He bowed and said, "I have never left your side." "Good." The guard looked around nervously for a moment and then, with a gesture to the outside, asked, "Can I get a bigger gun?" The question struck Da Lee as funny. Now was a perfect time to push Wong into killing her and putting an end to the torture. Laughing maniacally, Da Lee shouted, "Little men with little cocks want bigger guns." Wong took careful aim and fired a single shot into her shoulder. The pain as her shoulder blew apart was excruciating. Her body sagged, no longer supported by the wire around her shoulder. She could hear muscles, tendons, and bones within her shoulder rip as a result of the changed stresses. Her scream echoed off the walls, cut short when she passed out. Wong, tempted to go over and taste her blood, turned to the guard with a hard look on his face. He said, "Come with me." Shao Lee watched the men leave the room. Deciding that she didn't care any more what happened to her, she stood up and ran over to her sister. Tears flowed down her cheeks in a constant stream as she reached her sister. She wanted to grab her sister and give her a comforting hug, but froze a step away terrified that any kind of touch would hurt her. When her sister regained consciousness, voice cracking from emotions, Shao Lee said, "I love you, Da. What can I do for you?" "Water. I'd like water," replied her sister. She was covered in a thin sheen sweat induced by pain. She couldn't believe how much pain she felt. Every time she thought it was as bad as it could get, he had inflicted another wound that raised the pain level even higher. Shao Lee ran over to the water bucket and returned with a cup of water. She held it up to her sister's lips. Despite her care in tipping the cup, more of the water ran down the girl's chin than in her mouth. It was a fortunate clumsiness since if she had been given too much water, she would have thrown up. As it was, her immediate thirst was sated and Shao Lee felt better having helped her sister. Da Lee's head slumped forward as she lost consciousness again. Her mind was protecting itself from the unrelenting pain, trying to keep a handle on her sanity despite the assaults against it. Shao Lee ran her hand along the leg of her sister wishing that she could heal her or at least take some of her pain. She slumped to the ground in front of her sister, crying in frustration. The sound of chanting in the street continued. Shao Lee turned to the other girls and asked, "What are they saying outside? The girls looked around, wondering if any of them knew enough English to know what was being said. Finally, one of the girls said, "It sounds like Ree Hair. I have no idea what that is." The girls discussed what it could possibly mean. One of the girls recognized the word hair. Another suggested that Ree might be red. Of course, red hair was a strange thing to chant. Their discussion was interrupted by a male voice coming from the door. In perfect Cantonese, he said, "They are saying my name. I am Harry and I am at your service." As one, all of the girls turned to stare at the man at the door. The elderly man wore a green robe with a bloodstain across the chest and leaned against a shepherd's staff. Having their attention he nodded at them with a friendly smile. Standing beside Harry was an oriental man in a red robe. Harry turned to him and said, "Jimmy, take care of the bad guys please." The little oriental man nodded and slipped to the front of the building. Harry looked around and then called out through the door, "I need someone that can pick a lock." After a few minutes, a man shuffled into the room. He looked over at all of the nearly naked girls in the cage and lowered his head as though the sight hurt. Shao Lee was terrified by his filthy appearance. His dirty skin looked like alligator hide; his hair was long and greasy; his teeth were rotten; and his fingernails were black. Rubbing his finger along the bottom of his nose, he shuffled over to the door avoiding looking at any of the girls. The smell of the man was enough to wake Da Lee, assaulting her noise like ammonia salts. It took the man ten seconds to open the door to the cage. Turning to the girls but looking away from them, he sniffled and said, "I'm not one of the bad guys. Don't look at me like that." Harry translated his words to the girls and watched the expressions of disbelief on their faces. Smiling, he turned to the man and said, "Thanks Jeff." The man nodded at Harry before he turned and shuffled out of the room keeping his head down. Harry walked over to the cage and stepped inside. Looking around, he said, "You girls might want to put on some of those shirts you've sewed. A lot of men are outside and I'm sure you would like to be covered a little." His words jolted the girls out of their trace. The idea that they could wear the clothes that they had worked so hard to make was shocking. Moving in slow motion, the girls picked out shirts and dressed while watching Harry the entire time. Harry walked over to Da Lee and touched the side of her face. She looked at him thinking she must be dead. She had seen him get killed in the alley. In a soft voice, he said, "A healer is coming. I don't want to move you until she gets here." "I saw you get shot." "I'm sorry. I had wanted to help you in the alley, but you saw what happened. I had to wait until after I was healed," replied Harry. He stood with his head cocked as though trying to hear something. After a minute, a smile came to his face as he said, "Good. Jimmy Lee has been victorious." Da Lee hung on the fence confused and in pain. Harry turned to the other girls in the room and, after clapping his hands to make sure that he had their attention, said, "In a minute, Jimmy Lee will return. Please follow him to the bus so that he can take you to a place of safety." Shao Lee moved across the room and put herself between Da Lee and Harry in a pathetic attempt to shield her sister. Harry turned and looked down at her. After studying her for a minute, he looked at Da Lee. Smiling, he said, "I get it now. You are sisters." "I know you are not here to help us," stated Shao Lee. If he had been there to help, he would have gotten her sister down and to a doctor. "Patience, little sister. Some things must wait until the proper time." Jimmy Lee came out of the office with a smile on his face. Speaking Cantonese so that the others in the room could understand him, he said, "You were right, Harry. They are Triad. I've got them tied up in the front office. It's safe for Kelly to come in." Harry replied, "Jimmy. Take the girls to the bus, now. Explain to them what is going to happen to them. Be gentle, they are very frightened. I'll take care of these two." Jimmy Lee winked and said, "No problem, Harry." Shao Lee asked, "Who are you?" "I thought I introduced myself earlier. I am Harry and my partner is Jimmy Lee. We came to rescue you," answered Harry. A woman wearing a green robe entered the room even as Jimmy started to lead the girls out of the building. The homeless had created a path through which the girls could walk. The path led from the back door to the door of a large bus parked at the mouth of the alley. The girls followed Jimmy, crowding together in fear of the mass of ugly men that surrounded them. It was difficult for the girls to tell if the men were threatening them or protecting them. The woman walked into the cage and looked at the girl hung on the fence. Kelly examined at her for a moment, taking in each and every injury. A shiver went through her body as she saw the cut through the girl's nipple. Taking a deep breath, she said, "We shall have to take her down. She's hurt, but I don't see any injuries that will kill her." After translating what Kelly had said, Harry turned to Shao Lee. With a very serious look on his face, he said, "Go to the door. Pick three men that you can trust to help us with your sister. Point to them and say Harry." Shaking, crying, and afraid, Da Lee said, "Please do it Shao. I want down." The idea of picking three of those ugly men scared Shao Lee, but for her sister she would do it. At the back door, fifty homeless men remained waiting should Harry need some help. The man that had unlocked the cell door was one of the men waiting around in the alley. She pointed to him and said, "Harry." Jeff looked up with a cringe and saw that a very naked young girl was pointing at him. He pointed to himself and looked at her with a question of his face. She nodded and said, "Harry." Hands shaking, Jeff stood up and walked towards the door with a wary step. He stopped a distance away from her and avoided looking at her. He didn't want to get too close to her. Bad things happened to him when he got too close to girls. Jeff didn't do well with people. The exception was Harry and he'd walked through fire for Harry. The Druid knew that Jeff was terrified of girls. When he was a little boy, his mother had caught him playing doctor with the little girl form next door. She had whipped him to within an inch of his life with a length of barbwire and locked him in the closet for a week. When she later caught him looking at the neighbor girl in a manner that she didn't approve, she had taken more direct action to make sure that he never touched a little girl again. The damage had been significant and his cock never worked after that. "Harry," said Shao Lee as she pointed at another man. This one had little tufts of hair amidst large bald patches on his head. She wondered how it had happened, but her question was answered when he nervously reached up and pulled on his hair. The man looked around and, twitching nervously, moved over to join Jeff. His hand came up to pull on his hair as he said, "People call me Twitch." "Jeff," replied the other man still trying to avoid looking at Shao Lee. He actually knew of Twitch, but they hadn't ever talked. Jeff didn't talk with people except to ask for work. Shao Lee looked over the rest of the men there. A few wouldn't meet her eye and a few looked at her with too much interest, but most just waited to be called upon. She spotted one man that was tall and rail-thin. She pointed at him and said, "Harry." The tall man went over to join the other two men she had picked. She gestured for them to come with her and went back to her sister's side. Harry was surprised by her choice of men. Jeff, Twitch, and Too-Tall made an very interesting group. He called over to the men in a commanding voice. "I need some help getting this girl down from here." Looking away from the two girls, Jeff replied, "I can't touch a little girl. Bad things happen to me when I even look at them." Kelly looked over at Harry with a question in her eyes. Her maternal instinct didn't like it when men talked that way about a child. Harry whispered, "I'll explain later." Frustrated by the delay, Shao Lee said, "I picked three men. Get my sister down now!" Harry said, "Too-Tall. Come here so that you can hold her. Jeff and Twitch, I want you to start removing the wire holding her up." Without saying a word, the tall man came over to where Harry was standing. Even though the girl was tied so that her feet were three feet off the ground, her head only came to his shoulder. In a way, he was the perfect man for the job. It took Jeff and Twitch a long time to remove the wires. Anytime Da Less made any kind of noise suggestive of pain, both of the men backed off afraid that they were hurting her. When the last wire was removed, Too-Tall carried her away from the wall. He followed Kelly to where she told him to put her down. With a gentleness that came from a spirit that was as large as he was tall, Too-Tall laid the girl on the ground. Steeping away, he looked down at Da Lee with tears in his eyes. He looked up, finding Shao Lee staring at him wondering why this man was crying over her sister. She was the only one in this world that cared about her sister. Kelly lied down on the ground next to Da Lee and caressed her face. The oriental girl looked at her in confusion, not knowing what was happening. Harry knelt down next to Da Lee and said, "This is Kelly. She is a healer. Two hours ago, I was in a hospital with a bullet next to my heart. She cured me and she will cure you." "How?" "She will kiss it and make it better," answered Harry with a reassuring smile. He stood and stepped back pulling Shao Lee with him. In English, he said, "Go ahead Kelly." He watched as Kelly started touching the girl with soft tender strokes. With gentle kisses on her forehead, the girl relaxed as though a powerful painkiller had just been administered intravenously. Harry looked down at Shao Lee. The girl was watching her sister, frowning as the woman started kissing her in ways that women should not kiss women. He bent down so that his mouth was next to her ear and said, "You are hurt, too." Shao Lee, looking at him with a funny expression on her face, said, "I don't think she will kiss my hurt. Even I wouldn't kiss my hurt if it was possible." Having seen the evidence of her anal rape, Harry couldn't help but laugh a little. Winking at her, he said, "Have no fear, little sister. You shall be healed as well." In anguish, Jeff cried out, "Oh, God! Please spare me. I didn't mean to look. I don't want to die." Harry hit his head, realizing that he had allowed Jeff to stay in the room too long. The poor guy was probably convinced that God was going to strike him down in a bolt of lightening for looking at Kelly making love to Da Lee. In a voice far sharper than he intended, Harry ordered, "Jeff. Open that other door." The command snapped Jeff out of his emotional crisis. Keeping his head down, he shuffled to the other end of the cage. He was having difficulty picking the lock since his hands were trembling. While Jeff was busy with that, Harry whispered to Shao Lee, "I have to go help him now. In many ways, he has been hurt worse than your sister." Frowning, Shao Lee said, "I don't see any blood." "The worst wounds do not bleed," replied Harry knowing that one day she would suffer from wounds just as bad as Jeff's wounds. He said, "I'll explain to you later, but I must help him." Shao Lee watched Harry go over to Jeff, curious about his insistence on helping the man. She wished that she understood what people were saying. For all she knew, they were talking about how to hurt her sister again. The thought made her look back at her sister. Da Lee was breathing heavily as a passion that she had never experienced washed over her at the hands of the strange woman kissing her. Shao Lee didn't like what the woman was doing to her sister. Kelly was flicking her tongue on the breast of her patient. On the verge of interrupting them, Shao Lee froze when she saw that the cut across the breast was gone. Not just healed, but actually gone. Da Lee started to thrash around on the floor when Kelly moved down between her legs. When Kelly slid her tongue through the girl's sex, Shao Lee watched in amazement as her sister used both hands to pull Kelly closer to her. Behind Jeff, Harry stopped and watched the man work on the lock. Tears were running down Jeff's face, as he was sure that his life was over. He nearly jumped out of his shoes when Harry said, "There are people that are weak. There are people who are a little stronger. It is the job of the strong to protect the weak. The Gods and Goddesses demand that of us." Not looking at the Druid, Jeff said, "They are going to kill me for looking." "No," replied Harry. He put a hand on the man's shoulder and said, "They will reward you for helping them. You are one of the strong and you helped the weak. That is a good thing, Jeff." "I shouldn't have looked," replied Jeff. It had been a peek, nothing more. Still, in his mind it was enough. "Jeff, look at me." Jeff turned slowly, afraid of what he would see. His eyes met Harry's and found gentleness in them. Harry said, "Jeff. I asked her to pick three protectors for her and her sister. She chose you, Twitch, and Too-tall because she could see the good in all three of you. She picked you because she could see strength that would never hurt her." "I. I'd never hurt a girl," said Jeff stumbling over the words. Harry, allowing the anger to come through, said, "There are some people that enjoy hurting girls like that. The man that shot me raped the little one and tortured the bigger one." A look of horror crossed Jeff's face as he thought about it. He knew they had been hurt, but had tried to deny that anyone had intentionally hurt them. "That man must be stopped." "They were stopped because you helped us, Jeff," said Harry. His voice had returned to the reassuring tone that he had used earlier. "I. I did good?" Yes, Jeff. You did good," said Harry. "I'm not in trouble," asked Jeff looking around as though he expected a blow any moment. "You are not in trouble." Jeff visibly relaxed. The lock sprung open under his fingertips. He smiled and said, "The door is open now." "Good." Jeff stood there running his fingers through his greasy hair thinking about what Harry had said. Licking his lips, he said, "I'm glad I did good." "Would you like to do some more good?" "I. I don't know. Yeah. I. I do want to do good." "Those two need protectors. They don't know any English. They don't know how to live here in America," said Harry watching Jeff very closely. "Will I? Will I have to be around them?" asked Jeff. "Yes," answered Harry seeing the despair on his face. He pointed over to where Twitch and Too-Tall were standing. In a quiet voice, he said, "You don't have to decide now. Go tell Twitch and Too- Tall that the girls need protectors. Talk to them." Harry returned to stand beside Shao Lee. She jumped when she realized that he had stepped beside her. Harry asked, "How is your sister healing?" "She is completely healed," said Shao Lee in an awed voice. This had been the most amazing thing she had ever seen. "That is good. You have not told me your name or the name of your sister," said Harry. "I am Shao Lee. My sister is Da Lee," answered the girl. Harry chuckled at the names and said, "Your parents had a sense of humor." "They were very funny people," answered Da Lee. "Little Lee for the younger daughter and Big Lee for the older one. That is very good," said Harry. "In English, Shao is sometimes pronounced, lil'." "Lil?" repeated Shao Lee finding the word strange sounding. "You need English names. May I suggest Lilly and Dolly Lee for you and your sister?" A smile, the first real smile of the day, appeared with the brightness of a sunrise. She said, "I like that name. Lilly Lee. What does Dolly mean?" "Like a doll," answered Harry. "She will like that. At least I think she will like that," said Lilly. She repeated the names, "Lilly. Dolly." Kelly came over with Da Lee in tow. The elder sister grabbed her little sister and hugged her tightly. Tears came over both girls as they came to the slow realization that their life in hell was coming to an end. Kelly, shaken by what she had seen, waited for the girls to part. As she waited, Harry said, "Kelly, the younger sister was anally raped." "I saw that," replied Kelly. If she had been able to get her hands on the man that had done that to those two girls, she would had destroyed him. Who was she kidding? A grin flashed across her face at the thought of allowing Betsy to deal with the man. Betsy was like Ling when it came to righting some wrong. Much to Ed's displeasure, both of them tended to err on the side of excessive damage. She sighed and said, "I will take care of it." "Thank you," said Harry. "There's no need to thank me," said Kelly looking at the two sisters. They were so happy to be able to hold each other. She looked at Harry and said, "I like happy endings as much as anyone." "It isn't over yet," said Harry. He gestured to the three men at the front of the room and said, "They deserve a happy ending too." Recalling the words of the man that had been screaming about having looked, Kelly asked, "What's the story with greasy hair?" "His mother caught him playing doctor with the girl next door when he was nine. She whipped him for hours and then locked him in a closet. She caught him looking at the little girl a couple of weeks later. The little girl had lifted her dress and showed her panties to him. His mother decided that he was a pervert. She nailed him to the floor though his testicles. I don't know how he survived it, but that wasn't the worst of it. She carved little pieces out of his cock with an Exacto-knife." The look of horror on Kelly's face echoed the horror with which he had first heard the story. He continued, "His father found him sitting in a pool of blood. He was almost dead and spent a month in the hospital as doctors tried to perform microsurgery to save as much function as possible. There weren't enough painkillers to ease the pain that Jeff felt." Kelly shook her head as she looked over at the three men. Not really wanting to know, she asked, "What happened afterwards?" "His mother was sent to prison. They day they released her, Jeff left home. Of course, by that time he was a drug addict and had a drinking problem. There were just too many females around him and he had to shut them out. He can't get anywhere near a girl because he believes that horrible things will happen to him if he looks at her. He runs from women because they make horrible things happen to him." Harry watched Jeff talking to the other two men. He could see that they were all shaken up by the news that they had been chosen to be protectors for the two girls. Kelly could understand how Jeff could believe that. She asked, "What about the other two?" "Twitch was driving his family home from celebrating his birthday at a restaurant. A drunk driver hit them and he was the only one that survived. He snapped. He doesn't want to care about anyone, but he has a soft heart that cares about everyone. The conflict is tearing him apart. He pulls on himself as a physical release for his internal conflict." Harry wasn't sure that Twitch was actually up to being a protector for the girls. "Rough." "Too-tall is the healthiest of the three. When he was younger, he tended to be bully and got into a lot of fights. Being big, he usually won. Then one day, he bit off his tongue in a bar fight. He was drunk and passed out without seeking medical attention. When he woke in the morning it was too late. He quite drinking, but the damage had been done. I don't know when he moved onto the streets, but he's always taken care of everyone else." "How do you know that?" asked Kelly. "I ran into someone that knew the whole story. She told it to me and then gave me a hundred dollars to get him some warm clothes." It sounded like a very generous gift. She asked, "Who told you the story?" Harry looked over at Too-Tall as he answered, "His sister." "Oh." Kelly wondered how Harry managed to deal with so many fragile and broken people while remaining happy. She had seen first-hand how the homeless men and women whom he had helped would have sacrificed themselves to avenge him. Few people could inspire such loyalty in others, but Harry managed it without much difficulty. It was time to deal with the younger girl. Kelly took Lilly to the back area and healed the wounds that had been inflicted by the rape. It didn't require much effort on her part. Five minutes of rubbing the young girl between her legs had generated an orgasm. The physical wounds healed, but Kelly knew there would be deeper wounds that wouldn't heal for years. While Kelly was busy with getting both girls cleaned and dressed, Harry went over to the three men at the front of the room. It took him ten minutes to explain what was necessary for them to do if they agreed to serve as protectors. Too-Tall listened without any sign of reaction to what Harry said, but he was the first to agree with a simple direct nod of his head. After a lot of soul searching, Jeff and Twitch both agreed to serve as protectors for the two girls. Once the men had agreed to serve as protectors for the girls, Harry went in the back room where the girls were waiting with Kelly. He asked, "Kelly, could you take the trio out front to get washed, shaved, and dressed in a manner befitting their new role in life?" Frowning, Kelly said, "It's nearly eleven. Where am I going to get any of that stuff done at this hour?" Happy Harry laughed at the question. With a smile and a wink, he answered, "You have some resources that others don't. I'm sure you can make things happen regardless of what time it is." She knew he was right. As Kelly went to the front room while muttering to herself, Harry turned to the two girls. He asked, "How are you feeling, Dolly and Lilly?" Dolly grinned and answered, "I feel better than I have in years." "I'm so happy to know that my sister isn't going to die," answered Lilly as tears threatened to mar her freshly washed face. Harry sat down on one of the cots and gestured for the other two to do the same. They sat on the same cot, holding hands as if to say that nothing was ever going to separate them again. Looking over at Lilly, he said, "You picked some interesting men, Lilly. They have agreed to protect you as you settle into a new life here in America." "Pardon?" Harry spent the next half-hour explaining what he had done on their behalf. He told them about the pasts of the men that Lilly had chosen. The girls understood how hurt the men had been in the past and how they would have to be a little gentle with them at times. The girls listened to Harry with open mouths at the horrors that had been heaped upon Jeff. Tears welled up in their eyes when he told them about how Twitch had lost his family. Lilly remembered how the gentle giant had taken care of her sister. Harry returned to the front room and stood next to the open door. He didn't need to look to know who would be there. He called out the door to the last of the homeless men standing there. "Blackie, you can tell the police that they can come in, now." A few minutes later, a dozen policemen entered the building. Harry smiled at them and pointed to the front office. "The prisoners are in there. You are to hold them for Jimmy Lee." The police Sargent said, "I know. He's the one from Immigration that hauled away all those girls in the bus. He gave us very explicit instructions about what we were to do with the creeps. No statements to be taken, no questions to be asked of them, and no charges until he shows up in the morning." Harry smiled and asked, "Do you know where to find me?" "I don't know where to find you, but I know how to find you. I follow the happy homeless," replied the cop shaking his head. He had watched homeless gather around this building last night. When a hundred of them had turned to face the police and told them that they were not to pass until the problem was solved, he realized that even the biggest loser in the world still had things that they were willing to die to protect. "Yeah, you can always do that," replied Harry as he left the building with the two girls beside him. The sound of a bottle rolling down the alley caught his attention. He was alive because the man that had been drinking out of the bottle had carried him to the hospital. Without looking, Harry said, "Goodnight Blackie. Thanks for everything."