Catalyst (3 page)

             
She was blabbing
about telling them anything they wanted. I looked at Billings and he shook his head sadly.

             
“The ones who crack,” he explained. “The ones that give information are taken directly to Malachi.”

             
“And the ones that don’t crack?” I ask
ed
, fearing
that
I didn’t want to know the answer.

             
He crossed his arms, watching the hall.

             
“They stay,” he sighed, “a
nd repeat everything tomorrow.”  

             
“Just what are they doing to them in there?” Lillian asked angrily.

             
Her hands were shaking. We’d talked
about it before we came in. She
and I didn’t need to
touch each other or
show a weakness for each other in case everything went bad, they couldn’t use us against one another. We were all supposed to be acquainted but nothing more. And I wan
ted to hold her so bad right then
, because she was scared and furious and it pissed me off that we had to be here in the first place.

             
“I don’t think you-” Billings started.

             
“Don’t you dare tell me you don’t think I want to know!” She inched forward, crossing her arms a
nd spoke low. “I want to know, t
hat’s why I asked. We need to know what to expect so we’ll be prepared. We can help her faster, especially when we get he
r in the van if we know what’s
wrong with her and what to tell Miguel to do for her.”

             
Billings looked thoughtful for a minute
with
his brow furrowed.

             
“Alright. I haven’t been back here much except in the beginning for training. I didn’t like it so I chose
to work elsewhere b
ut the few times I was back here they used heat and freezing air. They refused them food and water and sleep.”

             
“What do you mean heat and freezing air?”

             
“First, they get the room so hot, you can’t think straight. Then they throw ice water on you and turn the a
ir down to freezing cold. Your
body more times than not goes into shock.” Lillian looked sick but nodded for him to go on. I wasn’t much better. I could feel my bo
dy shaking. “They don’t
feed you or let you
sleep either. Other than that, except for a bit of slapping around and such, I personally didn’t witness anything else. We always heard crazy stories about the stuff going on down here but...”

             
It was hard to get a good breath. I couldn’t think of Sherry in the next room being slapped or anything else. It wasn’t right to just stand out here
in the hall and let it happen b
ut, we had to. And it frigging sucked.

             
We waited. W
e were almost about to go check the rooms when another group of them came out of a room on the left. Five Lighters, two enforcers. Instantly, I recognized one of them and put my arm on Lillian’s back to remind her stay calm. I heard Billings utter a low curse under his breath. I heard Lillian take a swift intake of breath but kept quiet.

             
It was Daniel. Daniel, the Lighter, who saved us and fought for us. And it was too late to turn around, he was already looking right at us the second he exited the room. His gaze jolted in a double take to us quickly then away. Other than that he didn’t act any different than the others as they filed out of the hall.

             
I noticed that no one came out of the room with them, which meant that they must have not have given in. Good for them, whoever they were.

             
I held my breath, knowing Daniel was going to rat us out any second, but he just followed the others out of the hall and out into the main part of the building.

             
One of the enforcers, a big German looking dude, stopped and took up residence in a big chair on the end and immediately picked up a racing magazine from the table. He crossed his ankles and looked bored.

             
About half a minute later, Daniel came back and spoke to t
he guard. We couldn’t hear them
all the way at the other end of the hall, but whatever he said, the guard left quickly with a nod.

             
Daniel turned to us and I could've
sworn he almost smiled. He walked to us slowly and easily. I looked and saw no cameras or anything around, but Lighters couldn’t be
filmed anyway. That would kind of
give them away to the enforcers when they
didn’t show up on surveillance
, now wouldn’t it?

             
He reached us, stopping a couple feet away and kept his voice low but looked right at Lillian with a look of awe and affection. I tried to remember he was a Lighter and it wasn’t like I should
be
jealous. It wasn’t like he had a chance with her even though he clearly had some feelings for her, though he may not
have understoo
d them.

             
“What are you three doing here? I never thought I’d see you again.”

             
“They have our friend,” Lillian answered quickly. “What are
you
doing here?”

             
She sounded disappointed and
I understood why. If Daniel
had some kind of revelation,
like he told us, why would he
be
back here hurting people again
?

             
He winced like her words physically hurt.

             
“I’m here because it’s the only place I can be. The only place I can do any good. Your friend?”

             
“Sherry.”

             
He closed his eyes and shook his head.

             
“Your Sherry is a tough one.”

             
“What does that mean?” Lillian asked anxiously.

             
Billings stepped up.

             
“Alright,
let’s do this. Daniel, you gonna
try to stop us?”

             
“You are here to take back your friend,” Daniel said with understanding.

             
“And the others if we can.”

             
Daniel nodded like he already knew that.

             
“You beat me to it. I have been feeding them and releasing a few of them. I can’t save them all or the others will notice. A couple a week, I say they died at night or something. The
enforcers believe me, anyway. It's o
nly a matter of time until I get caught. Sherry was going to be my next try, for tonight.”

             
“Really?” Lillian asked. “You’ve been
really doing that?”

             
“Yes," he sighed and took a deep breath. "I
told you I wanted to be different and I am.
”
             

             
“Ok, well,
” Billings started and stepped forward,
“
I don’t want to get you in tro
uble so... What do I need to do?
Punch you or something so they think you fought us? We can grab Sherry and go?” Billings asked Daniel hurriedly.

             
“No. A punch wouldn’t take me down anyway. I’ll help you. I think they are starting to catch on to me in any case, like I said. It was only a matter of time before I’m found out.”

             
“How many captives are here?” Billings asked, back to business and I was grateful for it.

             
“This is the only captive w
ing and there are only two left;
Sherry and another woman. They haven’t gotten to the other one yet. She was only brought in this morning. Sherry is in that room, on the left.” Lillian started towards the door quickly but he grabbed her arm to stop her. It irked me a little but I let it go. “I warn you, it’s not pretty. I did all I could, but I couldn’t be with her every second.”

             
She nodded and I moved to get in front of her as I grabbed the door knob and unbolted the lock.

             
“Nuhuh, I go in first remember? And
,
Lillian, let me handle this, ok? Nothing crazy.”

             
She rolled her eyes and smirked a little.

             
“I’ll take Billings and we’ll get the other woman,” Daniel said and took position in front of the door opposite us in the hall.

             
Then we opened the doors together and we got o
ur first peek of Sherry, soaking
wet and shivering, sprawled out aw
kwardly on the concrete floor l
ying on her back
. Blood was mixing with the water swirling around her
. H
er bloody legs
were
bent underneath her. Her skin sickly white and blue all over. She had a massive bruise on the side of her face and her nose was bleeding. Daniel wasn’t lying.

             
It definitely wasn’t pretty.

Now or Never

Chapter 2 - Sherry

             
They were still pumping in the heat. I’d not been fed anything else since that water and granola bar, and I was beginning to wonder if I was even supposed to have that. I’d not been allowed to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes they banged on the door or blared a horn into my room from a speaker in the ceiling.

             
I continued to sing in my head. Anything to keep my mind from running. I didn’t know what else to do. I was sweating so much and my face felt flushed and burned. The water and granola I’d eaten were long gone, burned up in my body from the heat. I felt lightheaded and foggy, my knees ached, my head hurt, my eye was swollen. All I wanted to do was go to sleep but they wouldn’t allow it.

             
I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on without passing out, and then I wondered what they’d do.

             
I didn’t have to wait long for the answer. I just couldn’t stay awake. I tried. I heard the banging. I heard the horn, it roused me but not fully and I couldn’t open my eyes. I heard the door, I felt the cool air from the hall blow over my damp skin and it
was almost painful with relief. I
t caused me to shake and have gooseflesh.

             
Then I felt someone grab me by my shirt back. I was dragged across the concrete floor, my knees scraping on the way. I was taken to a room a little ways down across the hall. I tried to wake, to see what was going on, but before I could succeed, my face was immersed in freezing ice water.

             
I felt a hand on the back of my neck, gripping tightly and bruising. I tried to fight but he was too strong. I struggled and wiggled and kicked and scratched. I saw a burst of light from the corner of my eye where I broke the skin on his hand but he still didn’t let go.

             
Just when I thought that this was it, he was just going to kill me this way, he pulled me up and held me by my hair, which was no longer in a bun but a sodden mess. He was right in my face.

             
“Awake?” he barked.

             
I couldn’t say anything as I spit and sputtered and gasped. I blinked and tried to focus but, no good. I could barely see him right in front of me. The curtain of hair in my view didn’t help either.

             
He pushed my face back into the sink of water again, this time he held me under for less time but it was enough. I again sputtered and choked.

             
He pulled back from me some and slapped me across the face. It felt so different from the last time I’d been slapped, this one was openhanded, wet and close and quick. It stung and pounded through my head. I forced my eyes open all the way so he wouldn’t do it again.

             
“Awake?” he asked again gruffly.

             
“Yes,” I croaked.

             
“Hey!” The Lighter holding me turned and we saw
another
one had yelled from behind us. “Don’t damage the goods. Malachi may want her.”