Uprising (56 page)

“Oh yeah? It didn’t look that way to me.”
“What was I supposed to do? I was trying to think. Buy us some time. I had on my uniform, it’s not like he wouldn’t wonder what I was doing with you.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“Neither do I,” the new Lighter said as he picked up Billings from behind and threw him like a sack of dirty laundry towards the ditch.

Billings rolled down into it and we couldn’t see him anymore. I glanced around and didn’t see Daniel anywhere. He caught us then tried to save me then deserted us? I’m so confused.

“Now. Give me the girl and I’ll let you die quickly.”

“Yeah? That’s what you all say,” Cain answered.

I could hear Billings grunting as he tried to climb back out of the ditch. I grabbed Cain’s hand and squeezed. If nothing else, it’s the last thing I wanted to touch before I died. He squeezed back.

“Ooooh. Smart-alec. You are going to be fun,” the Lighter said and laughed, then lunged for us just as something blurred right in front of us, making the Lighter falter his steps.

“Hey!” Billings yelled as he chucked another piece of wood from the ditch at the Lighter, hitting him in the arm. “I’m an enforcer gone rogue. A rebel now. Wouldn’t you love to take me downtown for questioning?”

“Fool. You have made a mistake like nothing you-”

He was cut off by another blur. Daniel punched him in the chest and when the Lighter landed in the dirt, skidding and sliding from the force, Daniel jumped high into the air, coming down in a cloud of dust as he knelt in a fluid motion and drove a blackened crowbar right through the chest of the other Lighter.

I felt the cold rush of wind. I saw the bolt of lightning shoot into the sky from his chest and I screamed, having never been close enough to see one die before. To see anything die before. Cain turned and hugged me to his chest, burying my face in the crook of his neck so I couldn’t see as the Lighter turned to nothing. Which I knew he would. No traces of anything left.

It was quiet for a few seconds, then I lifted my head to find Cain and Daniel with locked gazes, staring across the five feet of dirt between them.

I started to move toward him and Cain tightened his grip. Before he could speak I spoke.

“He saved us Cain. He saved me. Let go,” I whispered.

He did but looked none too pleased with the idea.

“Daniel, are you alright?” I asked as I inched forward

“I am fine. I feel...” He shook his head and let the crowbar fall to the dirt. “I shouldn’t feel anything at all. I feel badly for killing my brother. But I couldn’t let him hurt you.” He looked around the cars and rubble then back to me. “You need to leave, others will come. I can’t fight them all,” he said in a rush.

I walked right up to stand in front of him.

“Why? Why didn’t you want him to hurt me?”

He looked puzzled and conflicted. He thought for a second then took a breath.

“You made me feel. You make me want to want to be something different than what I am. I don’t know if that’s possible. But I couldn’t let him take that from me. And...I felt it would hurt me to watch you in pain.”

“Come with us.”

I just blurted it out and heard Cain’s aggravated noises behind me.

“Lillian. I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Cain said slowly.

“Cain he saved out lives! He says he wants to be different.”

“Your Cain is right,” Daniel said never taking his eyes off me. “I cannot come with you. First, this feeling may leave when you aren’t here to produce the feelings for me.”

“I don’t believe that-”

“Second. Your people will not accept me. No matter what I may want to be, I am what I am. That, I can not change.”

He looked so sad I grabbed his hand in between us where Cain couldn’t see. Daniel looked down at our hands and moved his thumb back and forth over my skin in an exploration more than a caress. He was frowning like trying to figure something out.

“I’ll help you. I’ll talk to them. We’ll figure it out. What are you gonna do? Just go back to the Lighters and pretend none of this happened?”

“I do not know what I am to do. I suppose, no, I can not go back after what I’ve done.”

“Come with us. Trust me.”

“I can’t. That would put you in danger. Upset the balance of your people.” He moved and inch closer and spoke softly. “I am what I am, Lillian.”

“Lillian,” Cain called and when I looked back he nodded towards the sunrise. The sun had almost risen without me realizing it. “We have to go. Come on, baby. I know you want to help, but you can’t make him come. He’s right though. Can you imagine Merrick and Jeff if we brought a Lighter back with us?”

I could and it wasn’t pretty. I turned back to Daniel.

“You saved us. The Lighters will kill you.” I bit my lip and just said it. “It feels wrong just leaving you like this.”

He looked surprised and then leaned forward just a bit.

“It feels wrong just watching you go,” he whispered softly and then quickly looked to the sky and his jaw clenched. “Go. They are coming. I’ll hold him off. Go!”

“Lillian, let’s go,” Cain said pulling on my arm. He turned quickly back to Daniel. “Thanks. I don’t know why you’re doing this. But thank you.”

“It is I who should thank you.” He looked back to me, directly into my eyes. “You taught me to feel. Now go. Be safe.”

I couldn’t think of a thing to say so I reluctantly ran with Cain’s hand in mine, Billings scrambling to keep up with us. He had redeemed himself and showed us he was telling the truth. It was just implied he was going with us since he tossed wood at a Lighter that could have literally killed him in two seconds and would have had Daniel not come back.

Just as Cain scooped the keys up from the pavement, we heard a metallic loud crashing behind us. We turned to see another fight, blurring blacks, dark and then pale. Crashing into the blackened cars and rolling around on the dirt. Daniel was fighting another Lighter so we could get away.

Cain jerked me forward and we jumped in the Jeep. As he squealed the tires on the pavement doing a 180 towards home, I turned to look out the window. Daniel was standing there, still motionless, and alone so he must’ve killed another brother for us. I felt sick leaving him there but I understood what they both were saying. It didn’t make it any easier though.

As I watched him get smaller in smaller out of the plastic back window, he lifted his hand in goodbye to me. I lifted mine too.

Don’t Call Me Hot

“I...can not believe that just happened,” I said in a rush of relief and astonishment.

“I know. Man, you can’t get luckier than that,” Billings agreed.

“You’re telling me.”

“I feel terrible,” Lillian said quietly behind me from the back seat. “I can’t believe...I mean, I know we couldn’t bring him with us but, it’s still not right. He saved our lives.”

“Lillian,” I said softly, trying not to seem like I’m reprimanding her. Though, I kinda wanted to. “He saved us, yes, but I don’t know why. Maybe he was tricking us. Maybe he’s following us right now.” Hmmm. “I didn’t think of that.”

“He’s not,” she stated firmly. “I know he’s not.”

“How can we know for sure? Lighters aren’t exactly known for their forthcoming truthful nature. He could have been lying that whole time. It could have been an act.”

“It wasn’t. He killed two Lighters.”

“Maybe that was part of his plan. The Takers plan. Two to sacrifice to get the bigger cell of rebels found.”

“No.”

“Why? Because he was sweet on you? That doesn’t mean anything, L. You are pretty cute, ya know. Even evil can see that.”

“Yeah.” Billings turned in the front seat to look at her. Really look at her and I wanted to stop the Jeep and dump his ogling butt in the street. “Now that I can see you, even though you’re all caked in mud, I’d have to agree. Pretty hot actually.”

“Dude,” I said feeling peeved, zero to sixty, and pushed him back into his seat.

“What?” He held his hands out like he was innocent. “It’s true. You said it.”

“She’s mine.
I
can say it.”

I thought for sure she was gonna call me on the ‘she’s mine’ remark but she didn’t.

“He wasn’t sweet on me. He was scared,” Lillian said loudly to cover up our banter and poking her head in between the front seats. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not coming after us. And you.” She looked at Billings. “Don’t call me hot.” She wrapped her arms around my seat headrest, around my neck and put her mouth on my ear. “And I love it when you call me L.”

She kissed the back of my neck and stayed there, closing her eyes and sighing long and relief filled. I could see her face in the rearview mirror. She was muddy, as all of us were. It reminded me of when I first saw her. All dingy and dirty from weeks of running and hiding. It made me think that I never wanted to see her like that again. That she deserved more than this. That I can’t wait for us to be able to live somewhat normally and not always looking behind us and hiding out like fugitives.

I put my hand on her arm and we ride silently for a while. Billings closed his eyes too and slouched in his seat. Then...crap.

I see another car coming our way. I barely ever see traffic out here and with out luck of last night it can’t be good but as I pass them I see it’s the pea soup green Gremlin and Merrick is driving.

I start to slow but he does a quick 180 turn and gets on my tail, following us home so I keep going.

As soon as we pull into the parking lot, I swing back into the spot in the shed and he pulls in beside us. Billings is still asleep. I hop out and help Lillian out too. She keeps hold of my hand after I shut the door and she stays close. Like she’s scared or worried. I wonder why.

Merrick comes around the back of the Jeep to meet us, looking every bit the Keeper he is.

“Well, Cain, there are easier ways to piss me off ya know, if that’s what you’re going for. Ways that don’t include risking your life,” he says easily and braces his self on the Jeep with a shoulder, crossing his arms while Simon and Jeff come to stand behind him, also crossing their arms and I suddenly feel this looks more like an interrogation than a rescue.

“Good to see you too, man.”

“What the mess, Cain.”

“I’m so glad you’re picking up the language, dude. It becomes you.”

He chuckled reluctantly and bumps my fist I held out for him.

“I’m glad you’re ok, Cain. We were worried,” Simon said and I twinged with guilt at the look on his face.

Like a disappointed high strung father.

“No worries, Simon. Sorry, we have a lot to tell you.”

“What in the worlds were you thinking, man? What happened? And you.” Merrick looked at Lillian, but her head was still down. “You scared me, you know. Why did you come get me if you didn’t plan to wait on me? You don’t trust me?”

“I already raked her over the coals man,” I said and was a little surprised at the way he spoke to her, though I had already done much worse.

“I’m sure that you did but that’s not what I’m trying to do. I understand. I do. Sherry would have done the same thing and I’d have yelled at her for it too. But I told you I’d help you.”

“I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger,” she said softly.

“She has this theory-” I started but she interrupted me with a strange soft voice.

“Don’t make fun of me, Cain.”

I stopped. Because that’s exactly what I was about to do. Not intentionally, but outing her fears to this group of guys, standing around... She really believes it, no matter how silly it is.

“I’m not,” I said softly and waited for her to look at me. When she did, I gave her a crooked smile I knew she couldn’t resist and she smiled too. I looked back to Merrick. “We’ll tell you all about it. There’s a whole lot to tell. But first, I need to get this girl inside, clean up and get some breakfast. Ok?”

“Yeah. Definitely, sorry. You both look terrible. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting story.”

“You don’t know the half of it. L here is about to blow your mind, Keeper.” He looked between us wearily. “Oh and by the way? Why don’t you wake up that enforcement officer in the front seat and bring him in too. He’s good people.”

And I walked off, holding Lillian’s hand, wanting to laugh as I could actually hear their jaws drop behind us.

We were met by Sherry, of course, at the stairs. She was fretting, Sherry style. Pacing an oval in the floor at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing her necklace charm in between her fingers and biting her lip.

She seemed disappointed for just a sliver of a second at the sight of us but then it vanished to happiness and I knew why. We weren’t Merrick. But for the first time in months, that didn’t upset me as much. I wanted to point to the sky and thank the big guy right there. Jump up and down. Something.

It seemed the Sherry train was leaving the station.

Instead I just took the gleeful hug she offered and looked at Lillian over Sherry’s head. Her face was slightly amused but also careful. It pained me to know that she still thought I was hung up on Sherry. I was gonna have to try harder to prove her wrong on that one.