Catalyst (39 page)

             
"You're going have a baby?" he whispered and smiled. Then he absolutely beamed. "You're going to have a baby? That's why you've been so sick?"

             
"Yes,
we're
going to have a baby."

             
He
kissed her and then
smiled the smile of a man who was more happy than he knew what to do with.

             
Then he promptly fainted.

             
Merrick and Max
got Jeff on the couch and awake. Marissa knelt at his side, a ball of worry and amusement. He sat up and took her face in his hands.

             
"Was I dreaming?
Please say no.
"

             
"No," she answered and
laughed softly. She let him kiss and cradle her to him. I couldn't remember ever seeing him as happy and satisfied and…human before.

             
Danny went and turned on the console record player. I thought about telling him that we weren't in the mood. That even with Jeff's happy news, it had still been a sucky day.

             
But then I realized it was exactly what we needed.

             
I looked up at Merrick and he smiled that slow grin that said he knew me and knew what I wanted. Or needed.
Per Trudy's tradition,
Celeste and Danny, and Pa
ul and Kate twirled and laughed. Merrick pulled me to him and held me close as we stood still
,
but enjoyed the music next to the stairs.
I closed my eyes as I let his calming warmth seep into me. Etta James crooned
'
At
L
ast
' and
I opened my eyes
to
l
ook
around. Jeff and Marissa were happy, Cain and Lillian were sweet, Calvin and Lana were talking. She saw me looking and signed 'Are you alright?' I nodded
,
but she gave me a look to show she didn't believe me. I smiled and got Calvin's attention. I mouthed, 'You wanna dance?' The look of disgust and quick shake o
f his head was pretty adorable
.

             
I laughed and looked at Merrick, who was watching me closely. How ridiculous were our lives now? Fighting Lighters in an ambush, realizing we could possibly starve now at the fault of one of the people who came to save us, a Keeper and a Special were going to have a baby…and now we were dancing
and swaying
…

             
Ridiculous
,
but wondrous.

             
"Are you alright?" Merrick asked softly. "You look very calm. Too calm for someone who's been through what you have today."

             
"I wasn't the only one." I bit my lip. "What are we going to do
?
" I whispered. He pulled me tighter and spoke into my hair.

             
"I don't know," he answered roughly.

             
"We have to figu
re out a way to get more food…s
omething…
we just
have to-
"

             
"We will," he said, his voice a hard command as if speaking to the situation itself. He pulled his lips through my hair and pressed them to my mouth. It was the softest of kisses in comparison to his rough words.
With a hand playing in the ends of my hair, he said, "I promise you I'll do everything I can."

             
"I know."

             
Then our moment was interrupted by the ringing of a bell.
Daniel was by the stairs and h
e jerked, crouch
ing into a defensive position, n
ot knowing what it was.

             
"No one's in the store," Jeff announced and we all stilled. That was right.

             
Then we heard a Lighter, loud and clear as a bell through the door as he said, "
Knock, k
nock. Anybody home?"

Pompous Jackhole

Chapter 30
-
Cain

             
When they busted in the door, I thought that was it for us. Then after the hit
,
they ran, which was intriguing because we knew it was
a
trap. We knew they wanted us to follow them. So naturally, that's what we did. After stuffing everyone else in the back room, of course.

             
Lillian wasn't happy. We'd just gotten back together and all, but it had to be done.

             
So we'd walked out to meet the Lighters. All the Keepers, Miguel, Josh, Danny
and
I looked across the expanse of snow and wondered what they had up their sleeves.

             
A
car's tires crunched in the driveway
,
passed the van and it came to a stop in the middle of the back yard. I whistled out of sheer appreciation. The windows to the sleek,
black Mercedes CLS were tinted
dark. As the back door opened, I started to gnaw on my lip ring.

             
I didn't even have to know what the guy looked like to know
that
this pompous jackhole was the Taker. All the Keepers tensed and the air around us seemed to cut even more with a chill. The snow swirled around him like it could feel his power.

             
"So…this is the infamous rebel
base
I've been searching for?
You k
now, I've got to give you props.
Crandle's notes on you did not do you justice.
Bring them,
"
he barked to someone.

             
I felt a chill down my spine at what he meant by that. I'd been watching the door. I hadn't seen anyone go in… They marched our loved ones out single file. They didn't hold them, they let them run to us. They wanted us to be with the woman, I realized. To see the terror in their eyes and feel helpless as they slaughtered us. I pulled Lillian behind me as she reached me in a sprint, and saw Merrick do the same to Sherry and Lily.

             
"What a sweet sight," the Taker sang.

             
"Can it, Taker," Merrick barked. "Get on with it."

             
"But I like games,
" Malachi crooned and smiled. "I
n fact, I'd like to play one now." He pointed around sporadically and said, taunting, "Eenie…meenie…miney…." he pointed last to Racine, "mo."

             
Two Lighters blurred to her side, jerked her arm
, careful not to touch her skin,
and threw her through the air to land in front of Malachi. He shook with excitement as he took her fragile body in his h
ands. She looked so pale and wea
k still. We had to do something.

             
"It's been too long s
ince a Keeper has run through my veins," Malachi said to h
er sweetly. "I'm sorry that it's over for you
now."

             
"This
ain'
t
over,"
Josh yelled and tossed two balloons towards the Taker. "Not by a long shot."

             
The Lighters, the mindless idiots that they were, didn't react, they just watched with a horrified expression. Racine pulled from Malachi and the balloons hit the Taker's chest.

             
He gasped and grasped at his chest only to start laughing. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself. I started to move forward. I knew the end game for Racine was coming
,
but I saw Josh bounding forward. He ran like he had a football tucked under his arm but boy, he was booking it. When the Taker's eyes made their way back down to Racine and he reached for her, Josh was on him. He tackled him to the ground and Racine watched for a split second before she scrambled to them, but she was too late.

             
I saw Merrick and Jeff start to lurch forward
,
but…

             
Malachi thrust his arm into Josh's chest
as he sprawled on top of him.
I heard Josh's gurgle and it reminded me of the soldiers I'd seen die more times that I wanted to admit. Malachi
removed his hand and pushed Josh off, a gaping, red, messy hole in his stomach was all that was left.

             
Racine
had crumpled and was screaming, but the Taker made no move for her
.
She rocked on her knees as she mourned her charge.
Sherry screamed too and
Merrick turned to her.
I heard Lillian's whimper and sob from behind me and reached back to soothe her. Bu
t
there really wasn't much comfort to give as Malachi straightened to a stand.

             
One of the Lighters brought him a washcloth and helped him take off his shirt. Malachi shook himself as if disgusted
,
but
looked at us with a satisfied expression.

             
"Not by a long shot, indeed," he mocked.
"They go down so good, but can be so messy."
Then h
e smiled and opened his arms. "Now, who's next?"

A Girl in sheep's clothing

Chapter 31
- Merrick

             
As Sherry fell apart in my arms,
I watched as Racine collapsed.
All my brother's and sister's hearts ached for her. To lose a charge was the epitome of agony and disgrace. She'd been sick, her body weak, she could
n't have helped the situation, b
ut there would be no way to console her.

             
I glanced around and saw Lillian creeping away from Cain
.
I gave her
a
funny look and she waved me off as she made her way behind all the people watching the horror unfold. Then she grabbed Daniel's hand and dragged him inside. What in the worlds?

             
"
Do I have to come and take you like prisoners or will you go out like heroes
and volunteer?" Malachi asked with a satisfied sneer.

             
I
urged Sherry to take Lily, putting them behind me
again
and ran throu
gh scenarios
in my head of how this could go down. The image of me smashing his face kept coming front and center. I shook my head and scolded myself. I needed to get in the game. I went forward
for
Racine.
The Taker didn't stop me. He smiled at my boldness and nodded, allowing me to take her.

             
I picked her up in my arms, her sobs an unc
ontrollable
array of cries and
groans. She lay
limp
as I took her back to our people. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cain reach back for Lillian
,
but when he found nothing he turned. He curse
d
and turned in circles, hi
s gaze flicking over our group.
As I stood back up, leaving Racine huddled on the
cold
ground, I saw Cain's face harden into a menacing
s
cowl of anger.

             
I turned and saw why. Lillian and Daniel made a hasty move to Malachi. Cain started to head for her
,
but stopped. I heard the conversation in his he
ad and
balked at Max
's explanation
.
He'd tried to stop them
,
but they wouldn’t listen to him.
 

             
Calvin was fighting Ryan, trying to come forward. He yelled,
"
I’ll burn him up. Let me through!"

             
"No, Cal. You couldn’t get close enough."

             
Cain went white as the snow we were standing on and then yelled, "No, Lillian. No."

             
"Don’t growl at me," she yelled back. "This is why I’m leaving. I'm tired of you all treating me like I'm some…" she stopped and looked at us. Her voice was hard but her face was pleading with her back to the Taker. "Child," she eventually said and mouthed 'I love you' to Cain
and bit her lip
before turning and letting Daniel lead her with a hand on her arm.