Uprising

  “What happened?”

  I turn to see Marissa.

  “The bell rang. They went to check it out.”

  “By ‘they’ you mean Merrick and Jeff. They always do this. Why can’t they take turns running this place like everybody else. Someone else can take suicide duty for a while,” she said flirting with bitterness.

  “Everyone looks up to them. I know it’s not fun for us but, these people need someone to look to when things happen or it’ll be chaos around here. Besides. Merrick has that look he does. And you know Jeff has that commanding voice. You just have to do what he says.”

  “Thanks, Sherry,” she said and smiled sadly. “I know you don’t like it anymore than I do, but thanks for trying to make me feel better anyway.”

  “Come on. Pace with me.”

  She laughs as I lace our arms and we walk back and forth and around the furniture, picking up dishes and cups everyone left in their haste of the doorbell incident.

  “All we can do is wait for them to come back. Hey. Who was in the store?”

  “Margo. Margo’s always in the store,” she said and rolled her eyes.

  “But I thought it was Susan or Paul’s turn?” I ask.

  “It was but Susan wasn’t feeling well and Paul...I’m not sure what happened with that. I just know that Margo was working it today.”

  “She works too much.”

  “Yeah, but she likes it. She’s still a little freaked out by all this stuff. You know she doesn’t allow Celeste to talk to her about her gift? If you pay attention, she doesn’t even like to be alone with the Keepers either. Heck, she refuses to be alone with me, though I guess she has good reason.”

  Marissa’s face shows she thinking of the time she used her Muse’s Wrath to compel me to find Katie and Paul and her sister’s family. It led to excruciating pain and complete drainage of my energy for a few days.

  “Oh no. It can’t be that bad. She loves Kay. They talk all the time.”

  “Yeah but that’s only because Kay saved their life. Kay is Celeste’s Keeper. The rest of them, she’s never talked to. Think about it.”

  As I did think about it I realized she was right. Maybe she was scared of them.

  “That’s sad. Why does she feel the need to be that way?”

  “I think she just doesn’t like that others have more power. We could hurt people and no one could stop us, ya know. Some people can’t handle that they aren’t in control of their own lives anymore.”

  “I can see that, but the Keepers are here to help and you all have risked your lives for us. The Keepers came all the way here from their perfect home to be right here with us during all this.”

  “Hey. You’re preaching to the choir.”

  We rounded up all the dishes and piled them up in the kitchen sink. It wasn’t our turn for dishes and I was beat and worried so, for once, I left them where they were and went back to worrying over my husband.

  They had been out there for almost half an hour now and no one had come or gone from the bunker since. I wanted so badly to wrench open that door and peek out the back door.

  All of a sudden Kay shot up out of her chair looking stricken. She blurred to the trap door, followed by Ryan who came blurring out of the back room. As if he sensed us watching, he turned quickly before heading up.

  “Don’t come up, Sherry. Stay here.”

  Why does everyone always say that to me? Then he blurred up the stairs after grabbing a golf club out of the bin.

  Then it hit me. What happened. The Keepers outside called to them in their minds and told them they needed help. Oh no. Suddenly Kathy- Franks Keeper, Ann- Katie’s Keeper and Patrick- Laura’s Keeper came rushing to the stairs and stood there conversing silently. Then Patrick rushed up and outside while the other two, slammed the trap door shut, locked it and stood, as if to take guard.

  I gasp as I realized with conviction that something horrible was going on outside. I ran up to question Kathy.

  “What? What’s happening?”

  Others had noticed the commotion and were crowding around too.

  “I need you all to go to the back room, the storage room, and lock the door. Now,” Kathy tried to speak with authority but her voice cracked with emotion, giving her away.

  Susan stepped forward.

  “Kathy, tell us.”

  “You don’t need to know. It would just upset you.”

  “Don’t say that, it just makes it worse! Tell us. Please,” I beg.

  She sighs and then speaks.

  “It’s bad outside. From what I can see in the others minds, the Lighters lured them into a trap. They are everywhere. I was told to stay and guard you. Now go to the stock-”

  “No!” I yelled at the same time that Marissa yelled, “No way!”

  “You’ll be safest in the stock room. Now go.”

  “Like hell I will! That’s our family out there!” Marissa yelled and went to shove Kathy out of the way.

  “I was told to-” Kathy tried again and blocked the way.

  “I don’t care! We do things differently around here. I’m not your Special and you have no authority over me. Now move. Jeff is out there. I’m going to him and you can’t stop me.”

  “Me too. Danny!” I yelled knowing he’d want to help us. Merrick is out there. Our family is out there and Kathy’s still hung up on the ‘protect the Specials at all cost’ bit?

  He came running around from the kitchen and I quickly filled him in. Everyone else was there too and Miguel practically lifted Kathy and placed her to the side as we all grabbed whatever we could find as a weapon and ran up the stairs.

  But of course. I didn’t make it far.

  “Sherry, no,” Miguel said and placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me as everyone else ran by us.

  “Not you too!” I yell. I can’t help it. “Miguel, that’s my family out there!”

  “I know. Mine too. But that’s also your family in there.” He nodded towards the trap door. “Lily and the rest of them that can’t come. They need you to stay here with them, not to mention the fact that you’re still in a walking cast. I promise you, I’ll bring them back.”

  I knew who he meant by ‘them’. And I knew he was right about someone needing to stay and felt a ping of guilt for forgetting Lily was napping and Calvin and others were still oblivious to the drama from their back rooms.

  I let out a frustrated groan and sigh as I fought back angry tears.

  “Ok.” I grabbed his shirt collar. “Bring them back. And bring yourself back too.”

  “I will. Go and lock the door.”

  I slinked my way quickly back down the trap door and stairs, slamming the door and bolting it home.

  Then I walked backwards until my back hit the wall. I slid down until I sat on the floor, drawing up my legs and buried my face in my hands on my knees to wait. Wait for someone to come to that door and knock, wanting back in.

  Or wait for no one to knock and know that all my family is dead.

  Love Is A Battlefield

  Chapter 14 - Merrick

  How it happened was a little too much coincidence. Too much precision. I wonder if they caught on to us because of the flyer. Maybe the extra traffic coming our way. Whatever the reason, they came. And they brought an army.

  A fleet of only, from what I count, ten Lighters but at least twenty Markers were hovering, plotting, waiting for us when we exited the store. Somehow, they tricked Margo into ringing the bell.

  She was too freaked. Locked herself in the bathroom of the store and wouldn’t come out, not even for us.

  We came out into the dark and saw them, lined up and ready, waiting for us. It wasn’t until we’d gotten closer we felt the presence of the Markers above us. It was eerily a copy of that day that we went to save Sherry and Cain from the caves. Except this time, there was no prize to collect. This was just a hunting party. And they are looking to kill.

  Once we got into the thick of it and realized we were in trouble, I calle
d the other Keepers to come and some to stay and guard the others, but it was too late. The Markers descended on us and chaos came in a fury.

  Amazingly, after twenty minutes of fighting we still hadn’t lost anyone but we were wearing down and they were just getting started. I started to feel the burn of fear and dread. I wanted Sherry. I wanted her like nothing ever before. To touch her one more time. Could I remember exactly what her hair felt like in between my fingers? I didn’t know for sure. But I didn’t want to die without knowing.

  I didn’t want to die period. But here it comes.

  I staked a Marker who swooped and tried to claw my back, then turned and was punched in the jaw by a Lighter. A smug Lighter who took pleasure in sacrificing his Marker brother for his own diversion.

  As he peeked in my mind I saw his as well, as we went round and round. I saw that they had had no idea we were here. It was just chance that they came upon the store. When Margo was questioned she looked them in the eye and couldn’t keep her thoughts blank. She tried, I see that, but she couldn’t and told them all about us in her mind.

  That’s why she’s in the bathroom. She knows what she did and feels responsible. The Lighter who questioned her let her go ring the bell instead of kill her then because he knew it would alert us. Then he called the others and the rest of the story is playing out right in front of me.

  Even if we die, as long as we kill them off, they won’t know the rest of them are here. They’ll be safe.

  No sooner I think that thought, I hear a commotion behind us. Yelling and screaming coming from the store. I turn in horror, thinking the Lighters had gotten into the bunker, but no.

  It was them. The Specials and not specials. Coming to our rescue, weapons drawn and battle faces plastered. A couple, Celeste and someone else I couldn’t see positioned themselves with spotlights beamed our way by the door.

  Immediately the rest of them started using their gifts and I could see what genius Miguel was thinking by letting them use their gifts and defense lessons at the same time.

  The Lighter I was fighting was so lost in awe at the crowd of people running towards us that I stabbed him before he could recover.

  I turned to see Danny.

  No!

  That was my first thought, my conscience screaming in agony for my charge, but then I remembered Danny wasn’t little Danny anymore. Danny was a Special with gifts and he was using them. He would duck and concentrate and kick, all at the same time and the amazing thing was...he was bringing them down. He’d already brought down two Lighters in the minute he’s been out here, all by himself.

  I searched for Sherry, knowing I’d see her stubborn behind out here too, because everyone we knew seem to come outta that door, but no. I didn’t see her and I was truly thankful.

  We battled and continued to battle. It was late. Really late now. We raged on. Lighters went down with astonishing ease but Markers were worse for fighting. Harder to get a handle on.

  Miguel and I worked together on a Lighter, him coming at it from behind. I worked my stake through his neck, strikingly close to Miguel’s face but he didn’t seem to be worried. He trusts me. I turned to see others working together, the Specials and Keepers fighting beside each other. I saw Kay keeping the Lighters away from the door, and Celeste. Also, Racine was guarding Josh as they worked together, circling back to back.

  Even though we all watched and looked out for each other now, looking after your own personal Special was still a hard habit to break. Shockingly hard. I even found myself glancing to and inching towards Danny every five seconds.

  And when I turned back, I saw it. I saw it before it happened, as it was happening. I yelled to him, Mitchell, in his mind but it was too late.

  The Marker grabbed Mitchell by his pant leg and lifted him in the air, him flailing upside down. I ran towards them, followed them as they flew. I tripped over something, when I looked down...

  It was a body.

  Aaron.

  The man who punched me when they came that first night and thought I was hurting Sherry, in this very back yard and at dark too. As much as it hurt to see him there I climbed back up and kept running to Mitchell, but as I looked up I saw how high they were...and then the Marker dropped him. A planned strategy.

  There’s no way he could survive. No way.

  As I blurred I could hear the sickening thud his body made as he crunched and slammed to the ground just as I made it, too late. His body visibly bounced on the hard dirt before settling still and lifeless.

  I reached for him to check his body for a pulse and was not surprised by when I found none. When I touched him his neck moved unnaturally to the side, twisting sickly, showing me that it was broken and there was no more life in his body. Ah, Mitchell. He would never have a human life. There would be no After for him.

  Mitchell was dead.

  We Got A Hot One Tonight

  Chapter 15 - Lillian

  “Ok folks. It’s time for ‘Kissed Or Dissed’. You have one minute,” the DJ said over the loud speaker.

  “What does that mean?” I asked Cain.

  “Well, this club does this thing where when they give you the signal you have one minute to find someone to kiss. Whoever, when the minute is over, doesn’t have someone has to get up on stage and sing.”

  “That sounds so juvenile.”

  “It is, but it’s tradition,” he joked. “Besides, don’t worry. You have someone to kiss.”

  I gasp slightly involuntarily.

  “What?”

  “Are you gonna sing? Cause I sure ain’t.”

  “Ten seconds,” the DJ yelled. “Judges, get ready to be on the lookout.”

  “Ok. Ok. I’m not singing either. I just want you to know how stupid this is,” I say even as he comes closer.

  “Stupid or not, if we want to stay and get what we need, we gotta play along. Besides, lovely, we kiss drunk all the time anyway, right?”

  I smiled at his willingness to play my game.

  “Right, sweetie-”

  He cut me off as the DJ yelled time with his lips on mine. I’m not sure of the rules of this game. If it was supposed to be a peck or if it was timed but Cain was not taking chances. Or maybe he was just enjoying himself.

  His lips were warm and commanding and kissed me long and hard and good. More deeply than Mitchell had and more skillfully than Michael ever had. His hands were on my waist, pulling me towards him, closer. Then one came up to snag the nape of my neck so he could have complete control.

  Fireworks.

  As cliché and girly and silly as it sounded, that’s how it felt. It was everything I hadn’t felt with Mitchell that I had wanted to. I was on fire, burning from the inside out anxiously anticipating his next move.

  His lips gently parted mine and that was all it took to completely shatter any lingering resistance. My hands were somehow around his neck but I can’t remember putting them there. I didn’t remember pulling him closer either but there I was doing it. He had the most fascinating tongue that flicked instead of caressed against mine and I loved it.

  For a second I felt cheap. I’d just kissed Mitchell a week ago. I mean, it’s not like we’re committed or anything but still... It’s all so confusing. Feelings. I like Cain too. Jeez. I’m a feelings prostitute!

  Then, after what was only actually mere seconds he pulled back and looked down at me. His eyes were bright and locked onto mine and his breaths were uneven and slightly ragged.

  “Well.” He cleared his throat. “Wow, that was...uh...”

  I wondered if he had felt what I felt.

  “Yeah,” I said licking my lips but regretted it when I saw his eyes follow then shoot back up to mine. “So is that it? Contest over?”

  He smiled cockily.

  “Yeah. I’d say we held out long enough.”

  “Oh. Well, good.” I saw them drag some poor drunk-out-of-her-mind girl up there on stage to be humiliated because her boyfriend was in the bathroom. “You want to get anoth
er drink. I don’t particularly want to see this.”

  “Yes. Let’s,” he said and grabbed my hand to pull me behind him to the bar.

  I was starting to question and doubt everything. I’d been some time with Mitchell this week, just talking. He hadn’t tried anything and honestly, I hadn’t felt compelled to either. But. How could I have been so blind to Mitchell’s feelings for me? How come I liked him but not as much as he did me? How come the age thing didn’t bother me? Is it because I didn’t actually think it would go anywhere? How come I’ve known Mitchell for months and Cain only for a week but my feelings for him are so intense already? How could I have feelings for two people at the same time? How come Cain’s kisses were so electric?

  “So, you’re still having fun then?” he asked me once we reached the bar.

  He held up two fingers to the bartender to tell him, two more.

  “Yes. A lot. I have to say, I love dancing. It’s a shame Michael and I never-” I stopped myself but it was too late. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up- I’m sorry.”

  I felt so terrible, not only for bringing up my dead husband but also for thinking about him and Mitchell as well. Cain wasn’t thinking about Sherry was he? Or maybe...? Is that why he kissed me like that?

  He pulled me back to look at him with a finger under my chin.

  “Hey. It’s ok. I can’t really be mad at you for thinking about your husband. Besides, you were going to say you wished you done this with him, right? There’s nothing wrong with that. Happy remembrance is ok. It’s sad pining that we are against tonight.”

  “Thanks.” I had to ask. “So, you’re not thinking about Sherry, then?”

  He looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments, cocking his head slightly. Then the bartender slid us our drinks and I followed him away from the bar once more. Once we were settled against the wall somewhere he returned to my question without my prompting.

  “You think I kissed you, pretending you were Sherry,” he said and once again stared at me with a thoughtful gaze.