Uprising (15 page)

“I’m looking. I’m looking...still don’t see her,” Josh said in frustration.

“Try a basement or something. The pantry or a closet maybe.”

“Ok. Heading back down stairs... Not in the pantry. I don’t see any other...wait, there’s a door in the hall... It’s a basement. I’m heading down... It’s full of...oh my-” He started gasping and breathing heavy. “It’s full of people. They are piled in there so tight they don’t even have room to move. They must’ve been down there for a while. Some of them are... dead. Some sitting, some standing. They’re scared. I don’t think they are under the Lighter speak. I could be wrong. Celeste you said Lily was alone right?”

“Yes. Well, at least I didn’t see anyone else.”

“Ok. I’m heading back up now,” Josh said looking green, like he could be sick. “Where else to look people? Give me something.”

“What about an attic? The house is huge, I bet it has one,” Danny suggested, his arm still around Celeste.

“Ok. Going up...first floor...second floor...third floor...still no Lighters. I see it, the pull string in the ceiling. There. There she is! You were right Danny. She’s still lying on the floor. I don’t see anyone with her- ...wait. Oh no. There is someone. He’s sitting in the corner, in the dark. I can see his leg kicking.”

“It’s gotta be Crandle,” I announced.

“You’re probably right,” Jeff said, looking intently at the ground. “Ok. Josh, Cain, Merrick, Trudy, Celeste, Danny, Marissa and Lana come inside with me. The rest of you go with Simon, Miguel and Kay to stand guard out front and wait for our signal to come in and help us release the people in the basement. Sherry, I’m sorry. I guess you can stay here with him.” He nods his head towards the van...and the Lighter.

“You want me to stay with the Lighter down here by myself?” It came out before I could think and way more whiny than I had intended.

“I don’t think so, Jeff. Sherry stays with me,” Merrick insisted firmly, shaking his head.

“Merrick. I don’t like it either, you know that. But her leg’s broken and I’m afraid what’ll happened if she comes inside and things go bad.” He looked back to me. “Your leg is broken, Sherry. You heard Josh. There are three flights of stairs.”

“I’ll carry her,” Merrick said.

“There’s an elevator,” Josh butted in before the two could continue. “Up to the third floor.”

“Good. Besides, Lily will want to be with her,” Merrick says, glancing at me quickly.

“Ok,” Jeff relented.

“And uh, I’m coming with you as well. Calvin’s in there,” Ryan said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

“Of course, Ryan. I’m sorry I didn’t think of that. It’s settled. Danny. Why don’t you tell our friends inside the gate to take a walk,” Jeff said, already turning.

“I’ll try. Never done it with more than one before.”

He walks forward a ways. Stops and concentrates, cocking his head. I hear Kay and Celeste whispering, going back and forth about Kay wanting to come with Celeste but her insisting she’ll be fine. A minute or so later he speaks.

“Ok. I think they listened. I made one of them say they heard a noise at the back of the house. I think they left. Josh, did they?”

“Yes. I don’t see them there anymore,” Josh answers.

“Ok, let’s move,” Jeff orders.

I hobble behind them on my crutches but keep up with them down the well lit street. I see a big white extravagant gold bordered sign by the front gate that says ‘Mayor Manor’. That explains why the house is so big and guarded.

The house is white with dark green shudders and brick walkways and steps with gold light fixtures and pathway lamps. The gate is swung open with big letters ‘MM’ on the front written out on the iron fence. Pretentious much? The landscaping is overgrown but you can tell it was once important and thought out. Bushes and hedges line the fence and house side. No Lighters to be seen.

We continue in silence and then out of nowhere we hear loud thuds. Looking up I see at least ten Lighters, landing on the street in front of us. We were right in front of the gate we were just about to enter for the house.

We are all frozen in our place. We had hoped it was as easy as it looked, waltzing in to take what’s ours without a hitch.

The Lighters take a few steps towards us. Before anyone can act on either side, Cain, who was in front, throws up his hands, pushing them forward and the Lighters go flying backwards, including the car parked by the gate and all the trash cans lining the road and sidewalks.

It exploded with force. Booming noise and bright light and whipping wind. Trash and paper flew around and blew everywhere. The car flipped and slid down the pavement like a toy, sparks shooting and glass breaking and throwing out in all directions. The Lighters flew way up into the air, flipping and turning, some hitting tree branches, parked cars and street lights before slamming back hard to the pavement.

Cain turned to look back at us, just as stunned as we were. More so even.

“What the hell was that?!” he yelled.

“You’re asking us?” Miguel said, yelling back.

“I don’t know! Simon? Jeff?” Cain asked, looking sick.

“I’m not sure but I’m grateful for it. I guess you have a gift after all, Cain. We’ll discuss it later. It didn’t stop them for long, see,” Jeff pointed and sure enough, they were already rising up from the ground, “and someone would have heard the racket. Let’s go. Break up.”

As our group heads into the gate, we see another Marker skeleton, like the one before in the field, laying black and empty on the ground. The five Lighters who had been there before came rounding the house and looking fierce. Glowing slightly as the others had before. Producing enough light to see their faces twisted with anger and also anticipation. They are thinking this will be fun.

Marissa ran forward and stopped in front of them. I heard someone tell her to wait and then grunt angrily but couldn’t make out who and they didn’t stop her.

“Muse,” one of the Lighters said with clear disdain.

I held my breath. What is she doing? She’s crazy. Then she leaned forward a bit and whispered something to them. Then she slapped one on the arm and he went running straight into the thick iron pole of the gate, smashing his face into it. He fell down to the ground with an audible thud.

I forgot the Lighters can’t fight the Muse’s wrath. Then she dropped to the ground, just as one was reaching for her and slapped his leg. He too ran for the pole.

Puppets.

Unfortunately, they caught wind of her game and one flipped over her and grabbed her from behind, held her tight as he turned her to face us, pressing her back against his chest, a big smile in place. He made sure not to touch her skin. But just as he was reaching for her turtle necked chin and neck and was about to wrench to break it, he stopped.

His eyes went wide and he started swatting, dropped Marissa who took the opportunity to backhand another Lighter in the confusion, who ran for a pole head first.

The Lighter was waving both arms and legs, kicking and screaming, swatting around like there was a bee. A swarm of bee’s maybe. We didn’t see anything. I didn’t anyway. The last remaining sane Lighter started towards Marissa and then stopped abruptly a look of pain on his face. He dropped to the ground like he’d been shot. He held his chest, gasping. Looking at his hands, eyes wide like something was there. Blood maybe. There was nothing.

Then a quick look at Danny’s satisfied expression answers my question.

“You did that?” I ask with awe.

“Yep. Let’s go before the fake bee’s leave and the idiot figures out he hasn’t been stabbed.”

“Wow, baby!” Celeste says clinging tighter to his arm, in as much awe of Danny as me.

We left the two, writhing and shaking and swatting on the ground. The others still unconscious, but for how long, we had no idea.

We could hear a commotion in the street. Miguel yelling in battle cry. The Lighters had apparently made it back to them. They were fighting. It took everything I had not to wanna run and help but we had our own part of the mission to do. We reached the big wrap around porch. Gorgeous. Jeff tried the door and it was locked. Deadbolt.

“Ok. Now what.”

“I’ve got it,” Danny said, jumping off the porch. He came back with the ‘stabbed’ Lighter in tow by his shirt collar.

“Open it,” Danny told him.

“I can’t,” the Lighter said, still clutching his chest and moaning as in pain.

“Can’t or won’t,” Danny asked, his voice tight.

“He’s telling the truth. For whatever, he can’t open it,” I say revealing the Lighter wasn’t lying.

“Why not? Why can’t you open it?” Danny said, his face getting redder by the second.

“No key,” he said writhing.

“Hmmm. That’s sounds like a lie and the truth.” I bit my lip, thinking. “You don’t have a key, but you know where one is don’t you?” I ask him.

Merrick moves over instinctively to shield me with his arm from the Lighter I’m speaking to, as I automatically move forward to talk to it.

“I...don’t know where a key is,” the lighter lied, his pitch black hair falling in his face.

“Anyone could see that’s a lie, idiot,” I say, exhaling in frustration.

We are getting no where. Then Marissa steps forward.

“Enough. Tell me where the key is,” she commands and then presses a hard finger to his forehead.

“Under the plant, by the porch, the rock,” he said and as soon as he said it he straightened up and started swinging.

He caught Danny across the chin with a hard blow that sent him flying backwards over the railing into the grass. Marissa ducked but not fast enough. He clipped her temple with his fist and then kneed her in the shoulder as she bent, sending her backwards. Jeff caught her as he blurred up behind her. Merrick swung himself around to stand in front of me in a blur. I didn’t even feel him move.

He slammed his fist into the Lighters clothed chest and sent him backwards, falling into the railing as well, rolling and stumbling backwards into the shrubs.

Merrick jumped the rail, using one hand for leverage as he slung himself over it and into the grass with perfect grace and balance, Jeff right behind him. They circled the Lighter, blurring, then slow. The Lighter was spitting out obscenities, hissing mad.

I hobbled over and down the steps along with Celeste to check on Danny who was out cold. Scary. I’d never seen him knocked out before. Marissa was ok but dazed on the porch swing where Jeff had put her.

Merrick and Jeff were exchanging significant glances, meaning they were talking. Then, Merrick threw himself on the ground in front of Jeff and as the Lighter bent to follow him, Jeff pulled the pointed yard sign stake from the back waistband of his jeans, driving it right through the Lighters neck.

The Lighter fell, the brilliant blinding burst of light and then pounding lighting, flame and smoke taking him with it a split second before he would have landed on Merrick, still on the ground.

“Ok. Someone definitely heard that,” Jeff said.

He helped Merrick up and they brushed off as Merrick ran to Danny’s side. Danny came around asking what had happened. Why had the Lighter no longer thought he was stabbed?

“He can only be compelled by one command at a time. He would have continued to think he was stabbed but Marissa compelled him to find the key,” Jeff explained, brushing his hands off.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Marissa said, now behind us on the steps, looking more upset than I’ve ever seen her. We all turned to look at her. “If something had happened to one of you because of my stupidity-”

Jeff was there in an instant blur, hugging her to him, his hand on her cheek to press her to him, tucking her under his chin.

“No. No, we needed to find the key. I should have warned you about that. It’s ok, it’s not your fault. It’s fine, sweetie,” he said, running a hand down her hair.

We all just stood there and stared like a bunch of idiots as Marissa buried her tear streaked face in Jeff’s chest and clung to him and he moved his hands over her like it was nothing. Nothing new that is. I had suspected but completely forgotten all about it.

I look at Merrick, he looks more shocked than anyone. I guess he’d been keeping his part of the promise to stay out of the other Keeper’s heads. I grab his hand and squeeze to get his attention. He looks at me, a slow reserved happy smile spreading across his face.

I didn’t know about this. Did you?

I shake my head no and he sighs and shakes his head, still smiling.

I can’t believe this. I’m so...happy for him. For both of them.

“Me too,” I say smiling, but as we hear a yell from behind us we are jolted back to reality. They are still fighting out there in the street.

“Ok,” Jeff says, releasing Marissa and clearing his throat and looking around like he had completely forgotten where he was. “Now we got the key, let’s get moving.”

He walks over to the porch steps and goes right to the plant, by the rock and snatches the key on a long bright red ribbon out from under it. Merrick lifts me in one quick stride to bypass the steps, then sets me back down.

Before the door is unlocked, Josh takes a quick peek and tells us it’s all clear. We go in quietly and shuffling slowly. We know someone is up there with Lily. We want to be as quiet as we can until we no longer can hide the fact that we’re here.