"Stop it! You think that bothers me, Keeper? I"m not human, fool, not like you have apparently become. You"re weak," he says shakily but I can see sweat beading on his forehead. Hmmmm.
Lighters don"t sweat.
Lighters can only read our human mind thoughts, not our Keeper communication. I tell Jeff and he agrees with me and we puzzle silently over what in the heck is going on. This should have been harder. He should have only caved after hours of physical torture to his human body. That"s the only way to break a Lighter. Physical pain that they are not use to in their real bodies. I was only trying to show him what would happen to him, not appeal to his emotions.
I wasn"t aware that he had any. That he could have any. I start to explain to Jeff.
The Taker must be pa.s.sing his emotions on to the Lighters. It"s the only explanation.
Yes. I think you"re right. That may make it easier for us later on. With emotions, they won"t be as ruthless as they could be.
We"ll soon find out. Is nothing ever gonna be the same again? Are all the rules gone out the window?
He shrugs and looks at me, shaking his head in confusion.
We can"t think about that now. We have to get this done. Time is wasting.
"Alright, Merrick." Miguel steps forward. "Enough. Let me have some fun with him." He smiles the wickedest smile I"ve ever seen on a human as I reluctantly nod. He looks directly at the Lighter. "Oi," he says too cheerfully.
"Screw you, human."
"Where are they?" Miguel ask then and doesn"t need to elaborate on who or what we are talking about.
"Wouldn"t you like to know," the Lighter says and then laughs a breath of a laugh.
Miguel steps forward and smacks the Lighter across the face with the book. The irony of it still with me as the Lighter"s head whips to the side, he blinks rapidly and licks the blood from his lip, looking shocked as he winces and squints in pain.
"Now, Lighter, tell us where they are? Then I won"t have to use the rest of those thingos over there on you," Miguel asks leaning over him with both arms on the arm rest of the chair.
"Who?" the Lighter says, spits his blood on the floor between Miguel and I, then laughs again shakily.
Without a hint of expression, Miguel places the Lighters fingers of one hand out of the bind and on a cement block, raises the hammer and smashes down before anyone can think or say anything. The Lighter yells and gasped but when we look Miguel missed.
Or did he?
"Oops. Next time, I guarantee I won"t miss." Miguel"s voice is so guttural and his eyes are burning with barely checked anger into the Lighter"s as he leans over him so close, his face inches away. "Where are the children? This is your last chance to keep your pretty little fingers."
The Lighter is shaking, sweating and breathing heavy now. The red stain still on his lip.
"What"s happening to me?" the Lighter breathes, looking around as if he can find an answer. "What"s happening to this body."
"It"s called being human and...weak as you called it. Now. Answer. My. Question."
"I can tell you but you"d never make it past even the gate. You don"t stand a chance. I can tell you because you"d never make it anyway. So it doesn"t really make me a traitor. I"d pretty much just be delivering you to them." The Lighter kept blubbering, trying to talk himself into it, easing his conscience.
But Lighters don"t have a conscience, or shouldn"t.
Jeff is looking at me too, understanding what I"m thinking. He looks just as puzzled. Why are some of the humans immune to the Lighters speak? Why didn"t Phillip"s Lighter grab Sherry and run with her instead of torturing her slowly first? Why would the Takers emotions filter down? Why are there so many Markers? Why? Why? So many unanswered questions.
"You think I can"t get it out of you because you knock back my efforts?" Miguel yelled at the Lighter.
"I think I don"t care anymore," the Lighter said quietly.
"Enough! Answer my question or so help me-" Miguel yells, raising the hammer in his hand again.
"Wait! No! It"s in the city. A...shed! A big green shed two blocks from the grocery store in town."
"I"ll get Sherry," I said leaving immediately, blur running all the way down the halls.
Cain and a couple others are in the commons room but I don"t speak to them. When I open our door she snaps her eyes open and searches, squinting quickly. Once she focuses on me the biggest smile lights up her face. I drop to my knees, yank back the blanket and pull her up in my arms, probably squeezing too tightly but I"m so happy at how happy she is to see me.
"Oh thank G.o.d! You"re ok," she whispers.
"I told you I would be." I lean down to kiss her quickly but she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me as close as I can get. After a minute of scorching kisses that almost gets her into trouble, I have to pull back.
"Honey. It"s time. You ready?" I ask as I lift and cradle her, making my way out of our room.
"As I"ll ever be."
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Chapter 6.
Merrick carries me into the room and I see the Lighter there, tied up and dirty. His sweat has made little wet trails down his face in the caked dirt. There"s blood on his lip too but he doesn"t look as bad as I had imagined he would.
I"m surprised to find I"m actually happy about that. My humanity must still be intact even after all this, though I would have guessed not. I would not wish torture even on the cruelest creature.
Merrick doesn"t set me down. He cradles me in his lap the whole time as he sets himself on a chair in the corner.
When the Lighter finally looks at me his eyes widen and he sucks in a breath and then coughs, breathing in the dust all over him.
"You," is all he says as he burns a hole in me with his hate filled eyes.
"Me," I say, trying to be brave.
Trying to not let it bother me that I am literally three feet from a Lighter. Trying not to let the pain in my leg bring tears that he"ll misinterpret as fear of him to my eyes.
"You look just awful, Sherry," he says chipper, then smiles. "You look like you may have been worked over by an a.s.sociate of mine. Gee, I hope you aren"t in too much pain."
Then he lets out this breathy little evil giggle, making goose b.u.mps creep up my skin. Merrick tightens his arms around me.
"Watch it, Lighter," Merrick orders gruffly.
It"s ok, honey. He"s just trying to scare you. You"re doing fine. I"m pretty sure he"s lying about where the kids are, just wait it out. We"ll get them back, I promise you. Don"t let him get to you.
"Now," Miguel starts. "Tell Sherry where the children are."
"I already told you," the Lighter says, dragging out the last syllable and twisting his lips.
"Tell us again, you stupid dill," Miguel says making an advance on the Lighter who flinches.
"A large green shed two blocks from the grocery store in the city," the Lighter says almost monotone, refusing to look at me.
"He"s lying," I hear my voice say, but I"m so sad to put any emphasis behind it.
Afraid he won"t ever tell us where they really are, but I force that out and trust in Merrick and Miguel.
"What? No I"m not!" He looks at me with a "how?" on his face. Why do they believe me and not him? Then he looks back at Miguel. "Ok. Fine. They are in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the grocery store."
"Lies."
I breath in a frustrated breath.
"Tell her the truth," Miguel angrily spits out the command as he picks up the hammer once more.
The Lighter just sits there staring so Miguel takes the Lighter"s hand and places it on the cement block upright by his chair. I swallow hard and try not to move.
"Don"t watch, Sherry," Miguel says as he raises his hand with the hammer above his head.
Fine by me. I bury my face in Merrick"s neck and wait for the screaming but all I hear is the Lighter yelling "ok!, ok!".
"Ok! It"s a big white gated house. Out beside the radio station at the west end of town. Maple Street. Maple Street!" he yells it all in a rush of breaths.
Everyone looks at me expectantly.
"Let"s go," I nod vigorously and my voice cracks with relief.
After we all get our gear and the rest of us get dressed. We head out after Miguel loads our prisoner in the van. Only a few of them remain, the ones without gifts. The rest of us, even me, make our way to the vehicles and hunker down for the cold ride to town.
They need my lie detecting skills I a.s.sume, otherwise there is no way I"d be going. Or maybe after everything, Merrick is just scared to leave me here without him under any circ.u.mstances. Whatever the reason. I"m grateful.
Sardined into the three vehicles, we go. No one wants to ride near the Lighter so, he unfairly, has more room than anyone else.
Celeste and Danny joined Merrick, Jeff and I in the van with the Lighter strapped in the back. We are all cramped up in the middle seat to be as far away from it as possible.
Danny is explaining to Celeste about how they trapped it and took it down to the room to be questioned. How it didn"t even put up much of a fight. He still sounds angry to me.
I haven"t even really talked to Danny much lately. Not really talked. I miss him. I don"t even know what"s going on with him and Celeste anymore. They apparently are still together but what is to come of it? How are things going? Is he happy? Is she happy?
So I ask him. Not just for knowing the answers but also to take my mind off what"s coming once we get where we"re going.
"So. How are you guys doing?" I ask when I can get a word in.
"Good," Danny answers, not really understanding my question, just small talk.
"No, Danny. How are you guys doing? You and Celeste?"
"I"m good." He looks at Celeste and they both smile bashfully at each other, Celeste ducking her head. "We"re good. Really good, considering the circ.u.mstances."
"Uhuh. And how"s your mom Celeste?"
"Good. She"s a little freaked out by all this stuff, my gift and all. She refuses to speak about it actually but...good," she answers, looking relieved to change the subject.
"That"s good. Seems like forever since I"ve talked to her. So.."
"So.." Danny says with an insisting tone, insisting I drop the subject I so want to talk about.
"What? I just miss you guys. We"ve haven"t really talked in a long time. I"m your sister...I can be in your business. It"s my job."
"Hoho, really? Well. In that case," he says playfully elbowing me, then he gives me the dirt I was hoping for, "We"re great. Really. Margo loves me, of course, and she"s the best. I"m the perfect son-in-law that never was. She"s happy for us." He smiles. "I mean, we aren"t going to go to your extreme to get married but...we would if we could, one day much, much later. Right now, things are just fine like they are." He looks at her and picks her hand up in his lap to play with her fingers and smiles like they"ve had this conversation before. "Celeste is working with me on my gift too and I"ve been working with her some. Her gift is way cooler than mine-"
"Nuhuh, baby," Celeste interrupts him. "Your gift is awesome. I just zone in on people, that"s nothing but you can-"
"Nope. Nope. You," Danny interrupts her and the nauseating sweetness back and forth continues in spite of the dreary circ.u.mstances.
I wonder if this is what Merrick and I look like to other people? But I am happy for them. They seem great together and seem extremely happy.
It"s funny how normal things seem to go on even when everything seems so messed up. People can still fall in love, even at the end of the world. If anyone has half of what I have with Merrick, I consider them lucky.
Once we reach the spot the Lighter told us about we stop two blocks away and across the street. Only then do we realize that there is only one other vehicle behind us.
Jeff reaches out to Kay in her mind, he tells us as he"s trying. Then he gets the biggest grin and gives Merrick a look. I know they are talking and I can"t help the scowl that reaches my face.
And I can hear the Lighter grunting and wiggling in his restraints. It"s amazing the things you can use if you just think. Fish nets for bondage. Golf clubs for, what- stakes? Hammers and books as instruments of torture and cooperation.
After a few minutes another set of headlights comes into view then shuts off a few hundred feet from us as it coasts to a stop.
I see Cain jump out first with something bulky in his arms. He"s sprinting to us. At first I"m alarmed but then I remember Jeff"s grin after speaking to Kay, so it must not be anything bad.
Merrick opens the side door and pulls me to the edge of the seat. Cain comes up looking pretty smug. I tilt my head trying to figure out what everyone is up to. Cain"s hands are off the side, on the other side of the door where I can"t see them.
"What?" I ask finally, when everyone continues to grin at me.
He produces a pair of crutches, metal and gleaming.