Revolution (50 page)

             
The Graphter then pulled Chesser up from the ground. He held him up by his neck, his feet dangling under him, and said, "I also have other gifts you have yet to see. Until now."

             
Then he pressed his hand to Chesser's chest and we watched as his skin became ashen. Impossible! The Graphter was absorbing him!

             
"Stop him!" I heard from behind us and twirled around in a blur to see for myself that Sherry had changed her mind about coming. And, oh…no! No! She had Lily with her. She yelled again, "Stop him! Chesser's going to be the new Taker!"

             
It hit me then. I wasn't sure how I knew, but Lily and Mrs. Trudy were involved somehow. I turned back to see The Graphter lowering Chesser
's feet
back to the ground. They were fighting...internally. Chesser would lose all his color and look sick, and then the Graphter would shake
and fight for control again as
Chesser's cheeks turned pink with life.

             
Finally, I saw Chesser was winning. "Merrick!" Sherry yelled and
silently
pleaded with me to believe her. I did. Chesser was winning over the beast and he would become the new Taker without even realizing what he was doing. I yanked
the crow bar from Miguel's hand then
staked the Lighter who tried to stop me. The lightning that blasted from him shook the others, who were watching the Graphter display with interest, out of their funk. I avoided them barely and then stuck the bar through the Graphter's back and out toward Chesser through his chest.

             
Chesser turned to us and I could see it was too late. He was the Taker.

             
I shook my head at
what I had to do, but Lily ran past me and went to stand in front of Chesser. He grinned down at her. "Hello, little girl."

             
"You don't remember me, do you?" she asked.

             
I bolted forward to stop her, to get her away from him, when Sherry grabbed my arm. Anyone else would have gotten the shove-off, but she was crying and begged me in a whisper, "I know this is crazy, just please let her do this."

             
I wanted to be angry at her. What the hell was she doing? I turned back to Lily just as Chesser, the Taker, was answering her.

             
"I don't remember you, no. Should I?"

             
"Not really," Lily said and smiled.

             
"I am kind of hungry," he drawled and stepped a little closer. He crouched down to be at her level and I almost lost it. Sherry gripped me tighter, her sobs getting a little louder. "Know where I can get some souls to eat around here?"

             
"You are a bad man. You used to be a good man who carwed about his people, but now you only care about yowself!"

             
He chuckled. "You humans are so full of passion and pity. It's why you taste so good." He reached for her and my heart stopped, but before I could even think about moving, Lily grabbed his face in her hands.

             
"I see you in there, Chesser." She moved closer, only an inch away from the man who wanted to e
nd her life. "Come back, Chesser
."

             
The Taker jolted and looked around wide eyed. "Help me!" he yelled to the Lighters, but they just watched in an awe that startled me. It was as if they wanted him to die. "Help me, you fools!"

             
No one moved a muscle, we just watched, horrified and hopeful, as his skin began to ashen. And then real ashes appeared on his body. He looked like he was falling apart. At first I thought Lily was becoming the evil thing, but the wind blew and we saw the ashes float away from Chesser's skin and drift into nothing as the wind carried it away.

             
Lily let his face go and he just stayed there like that, wide eyed. Lily turned to look at the other Lighters and they all fell to the ground. The Markers burned up and fell the long way to the ground. Black Marker bones and lifeless bodies littered the area.
All except for Piper, who knelt in the dirt and looked lifeless and dead inside.

             
We all waited for something to indicate what was going on. Lily turned to us. "They went home. For good dis time. The Taker was a bad man to them, too."

             
I rushed her. "What did you do?"

             
"I did what Mrs. Twudy told me to. She said to tell the Taker to go to…" she looked around and whispered, "H..E…double hockey sticks."

             
I wanted to laugh, but my body wouldn’t. "You sent him away."

             
"He was mad," she said. "He didn't want to go, but he was a bad man, Daddy. Mrs. Twudy said to make him go away and the other guys would go home, too."
             
I hugged her to me tightly. "Oh, baby. I'm so glad you're ok."

             
"I'm ok. But mommy isn't." S
he pointed behind me. Sherry was rocking and sobbing on the ground. I finally could let something else
in and saw everyone was
waiting for something. I realized what it was.

             
"It's over," I told them.
"
They're gone…for good. Lily sent them home."

             
"Over, over? Like….over?" Danny asked and wrapped his arms around a smiling Celeste
from behind
.

             
"Like, over, over," I confirmed.

             
He laughed and then his chest started to shake. He was crying. He
ran and
gave me one of his big hugs
, taking Lily from me and holding her in the air as she squealed and laughed. T
hen
he
yelled and laughed
and whooped as he swung Lily
around.
Celeste was jumping up and down clapping as she watched Danny.
Miguel started next and by the time I reached my Sherry, the whole yard was erupting in cheers and tears. There wasn't a dry eye in the place.

             
I bent down on my knees and lifted Sherry's face with my finger under his chin. "It's over, baby."

             
"I'm so sorry," she begged. "I saw Mrs. Trudy! She told me I had to let Lily go. I didn't want to, but I…."

             
"Baby, L
ily saved the day. Do you understand what happened here? Not only did the Lighters and Markers leave this place, they left the world. Honey, our little girl just saved the human race."

             
She sniffed. "You're not angry wit
h me for putting her in danger?"
             
I chuckled, almost hysterical with everything that had happened. "I'm not sure she was. She seemed to be pretty good at what she was doing."

             
She let her breath go slowly. "I thought you were
never going to be
able to forgive me."

             
I pulled her up and pressed her chest to mine. Just as I was about to tell her exactly what I wanted to do to her, a warmth hit my chest. It spread rapidly and when I felt the wind on my face that only touched me and not Sherry, I knew what this was. I looked over my shoulder to see Jeff and Kay and Ryan. All of us Keepers. We were being called home.

             
Piper began to scream and I looked over just in time to see her disappear. I closed my eyes and shut my mind to where she was going. I told them in my mind that I was happy. I wanted to stay with the woman in my arms that somehow had it in her mind that it was possible for me to hate her.

             
I waited for their disappointment, for th
eir shame, for their judgment, b
ut it never came. I got this feeling come over me. I heard the voice in my mind. "Content and happy are two different things." I nodded and looked at my Sherry whose silver dollar siz
ed eyes were trained on my face
. They certainly were two different things. The warm feeling left me peac
efully, with blessings my way.

             
It was over. I was human. I was here to stay. I'd never see the After and I'd die one day as a human. It was everything I wanted and I smiled through my
unshed
tears and pulled Sherry to me.

             
Simon stood and went to Cain. He hugged him hard and Cain seemed to understand somewhat that this was a goodbye. "Cain, I've never been more proud of a charge. Thank you for allowing me to watch over you."

             
"Take it easy, Simon," Cain said in return and nodded to him. "You're a good guy."

             
Simon nodded and then closed his eyes. His body fell to the ground and he was gone. Jeff must've made the same decision I had because he looked as peaceful as I'd ever seen his human face look. Marissa was
crying into his should
er and he held her gently and smiled.

             
Kay went to Celeste and we knew what her decision was. Celeste shook her head a 'no', but Kay hugged her to her. "You don't need me anymore." She cupped her face. "Celeste, thank
you." She looked between Danny and Celeste
. "Take care of each other."
             
"We will," Celeste said, but still asked, "You have to go?"

             
"I have to
go. I'll miss you. You were
always my favor
ite. Maybe I'll check in on you
from time to time." She looked at me. "Breaking the rules isn't unheard of."

             
I smiled and took Sherry with me as I went to give my sister a final hug. I bid her farewell. "Guard you in all your ways, sister."

             
"And you in yours, brother." She teared up. It was a mix of happy to go, but sad to want to stay.

             
All the Keepers followed suit and bid her farewell, and then we bid Max farewell as well. And then Ann and Patrick and all the rest. In the end, only Jeff, me and Ryan were left.

             
I held my breath and realized that I could no longer hear Ryan's thoughts. I wasn't tied to him any longer…because I was a human. I had chosen a mortal life and it made me the happiest to feel that I didn't feel much different. In my mind, I'd been human with Sherry all along.

             
He stared at Ellie and then glanced at Calvin before settling on Ellie again.
             
"Ryan," Ellie began, "w
e talked about this remember?" H
er chest bucked with a sob that she tried to stop. "
Go. Be with your kind and be happy. I just want you to be happy."

             
He stared at her longer before nodding. The warm light left his face and I knew he'd made his decision. "I'm happy right here."

             
"Are you sure?" she said in hysterics. "It's permanent, Ryan. I don't want to be a burden or..or a…or a regret-"