Catalyst (32 page)

Last Straw

Chapter 25
- Sherry

             
"What's going on out there?" Ann nor Patrick answered me. I fumed and stood,
putting a sleeping Lily on the bed with Racine. I refused to be treated like a child
stuck in a fire drill. I yelled
in a harsh whisper
, "
What's going on?
"

             
Patrick glanced my way once and said, "Be quiet so they won't know that we're down here. It seems that your Lighter was telling the truth. He's fighting them, but one slipped inside. Ryan is handling him."

             
"Ryan," Ellie whispered from behind me. "No."

             
"He's a Keeper, Ellie," I told her without looking her way. "He knows what to do. Ryan's pretty awesome like that."

             
"But what if he-"

             
"Don't say it!" someone hissed. I looked
back
. Margaret. "Don't whisper the words of death and bring it all on us."

             
"I just…I need to go. I can't just sit here and wait like some-"

             
"Like some what?" I turned to the hateful Keeper and glare
d at her in the dark
ened corner
. I knew Piper
could see me. There she sat with Polly, old friends again
. And her Keeper butt
was just sitting there in the corner while her brothers
and sisters worked to protect the door
. "
Like some human?
What? Do you have something to say, Sherry? You can't take care of yourself, always getting into trouble and having
to have people come save you, s
o I really don't think you get to look at me so judgmentally for sitting here and doing what
this human body was made for; t
o be weak and vulnerable and selfish. So that's what I'm doing."

             
Gah, I
can not
stand you, I thought.
I saw Lillian glance up sharply and Piper's eyes narrowed. She said, "Well, I'm not crazy about you either, human."

             
I must have said that out loud. Oh well, it was out and it was true and everyone knew it. I guess it
was time for a little Piper cameo
.
Polly only ever spoke to me to ask about chores and then left in a huff.
They'd both been awfully quiet and reserved lately, keeping to themselves. Fine by me.

             
I turned back around and listened some more.
I looked us all over. Frank, Calvin and Lana were in the corner and he was signing to her what was going on
. Paul and Katie with Sky were o
n the opposite side by the door. Margaret and Pap were huddled on the
loveseat. Pap was actually snor
ing a little from his siesta. I wanted to be angry with him but he was older and just…strange sometimes.

             
I kept listening.
I was utterly calm
,
but utterly terrified. It was weird, like my body didn't know how to act.
There weren't any noises
outside or upstairs
,
but that didn't mean anything.
Lighters and Keepers both were quick and light on their feet, especially when they fought. I was still scared of out of mind for them.

             
"We can't just sit down here and wait," I told him.

             
"We have to keep you safe," Ann argued.

             
"But you should be out there helping Ryan and Max," I said, trying another tactic.
"We shouldn’t just stand down here knowing that they are fighting up there."

             
"They're fine," Ann barked. "We have everything under control. Just sit down and wait until we tell you that the coast is clear."

             
Oh no
,
she didn't.
What was wrong with her?

             
I looked back at Lillian and she had that 'Uhuh. What
are
you gonna do?' look.
What was I going to do? What could I do? It wasn't like I could fight anyone, but I hated feeling useless. And worse still, if Ann and Patrick were
u
sing us as an excuse not to help Ryan and Max….what if something happened to them?
I couldn’t do it.
Though I was scared out of my mind that something would happen to someone…

             
It was the last straw.

             
Unfortunately, before I got to play hero, there was a bang on the door.
I pulled Lily to me from the bed and decided right then to do something drastic. I had a feeling come over me, a paralyzing and debilitating fear. I had to save Lily. I didn't know what was coming, but I knew it wasn't Ryan or Max.

             
I
hefted her up and
ran through the people, who were now alert and on edge, and placed her in the closet floor. She still slept soundly and I hoped she kept at it. I shut the door quietly and went to stand next to Ann. The door broke apart into pieces, throwing me into someone behind me. I shook my rattled head, wincing at the pain in the back of it. I reached my hand back and it came back bloody. I gasped
,
but realized it wasn't my blood.

             
I peeked back and saw
that it was
Paul
who I had smashed into. His nose was broken and he was out cold.
Poor guy. I was then lifted and dragged out of the door by a cold hand on my arm. I looked up to see that I wasn't the only one being dragged or pushed. Oh no.

             
Ryan and Max were still fighting Lighters and so was Daniel. It appeared to be an ambush. I scratched the one who was holding me and squinted as the light burst out of his skin trough his wounds. He hissed and slapped me
,
but it b
arely registered as I rolled,
got up and took off running up the stairs. I had to d
o something and it seemed that
the best thing was to lure them out of the bunker.

             
"I'm going to sound the alarm to alert the others," I yelled. We didn't have an alarm
per say,
but I hoped the Lighters didn't hear the lie in my voice.

             
Maybe if I ran, they'd follow me. It worked.

             
But then I was facing three Lighters and nowhere to go and nothing to stake them with. Shoot, I hadn't really thought this through. But I got what I wanted didn't I? I always wanted to go and meet the Lighters head on when they tried to cause problems. Here I was and not a clue of what to do.
And I was shaking with terror.

             
"I remember your face," one of them said.

             
"I just have one of those faces," I said and I made a backwards retreat in th
e snow covered ground
behind the store.
It was hot just a few days ago
,
but now it was snowing in a soft trickle.
They all inched forward and encircled me.

             
"No, you look… Ah! Crandle's girl. The human
,
Sherry."

             
"In the flesh," I said and looked around.

             
"Wow. Look at you. You've really let yourself go."

             
"You'd be singing lightning if
I had a stake right now, buddy,"
I
said, part bravery, part anger.

             
They all laughed. I was used to it. They all
trumped me in size and height, a
nd the fact that there were three of them all without a conscience
or care
didn't help my situation in the slightest.
M
y bravado slipping and the door banging closed on the store back in the wind were gulp inducing occurrences. This was it for me.

             
But Lily was safe, for now in a closet, and Merrick and Danny were off on a run. So
were
Cain and Jeff. My loves were all safe. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see the look of satisfaction on their faces
as they ended me
. I felt a cold palm on my arm. I peeked to see, unable to stop myself, and saw Calvin behind them. He had his hands up and ready to go. They were aglow and eager for usefulness. I took a deep breath out of sheer self preservation. Like I knew that the flaming licks that were about to consume the Lighters around me would suck up all the oxygen.

             
Calvin extended his hands to the unknowing Lighters and the first two in front went up in flames of red and orange and
yellow. They bellowed and the l
ight
n
ing seemed extra cold for some reason. I shivered and then realized that the one who insulted me still had his hand on my arm.

             
Calvin stepped forward and that's when I saw Frank behind him. He was holding a stake, though he had no knowledge of how to use it, he was defending Calvin's back, which was better than nothing. My boys.

             
"Let her go, monster. It's over for you," Calvin said in a surprisingly steady voice.

             
"That right? Over
,
huh? Well
,
what about this
one?
" he said and pulled me closer to him. "You gonna let this one go with me?"

             
"Not a chance."

             
"How do you plan to stop me, boy? Do you plan to singe your lady friend as well?"

             
"Nope," he said and grinned, "b
ut I won't have to."

             
I heard the Lighter's swift intake of breath before he burned up in a light
n
ing strike. Then I was enveloped in arms that warmed and comforted like no other. I turned to find my Keeper.

             
"You're early," I squeaked and let him lift me in a hug that took my feet
from the ground. Behind him were
Josh and Miguel and Danny, C
eleste and a few new additions…
the pastor? "You brought me some recruits," I joked.

             
He leaned back and took my mouth with his. I loved how he was all business when it came to my safety, my comfort and my lips. He squeezed me as he showed me that he was angry and worried and relieved all at once. I'd get an I-can't-let-you-out-of-my-sight lecture later, for sure. And I'd welcome it.

             
He sighed against my lips and then said, "You always have to test my heart, don't you?"

             
I laughed, though it was sad and full of truth.
I nodded.

             
"Where's Lily?"
he said in a harsh whisper.

             
"I
hid her, i
nside," I an
swered then remembered. "There might be more
Lighters inside
still
." He kissed me once more roughly and took off running
, his boots making deep gashes
in the snow
.
He turned and yelled
over his shoulder
, "Stay right there!"

             
I yelled
back
, "
Daniel's in there too! Don't stake him!"

             
Danny came and pulled me into a rough hug that was long and hard. Celeste stood behind him looking more solemn than usual. I started to question them
,
but didn't get a chance to.

             
Miguel and Josh ran
after Merrick as he blurred, b
ut they didn't make it very far before the ones on the inside came out to meet us.
And they had prisoners.
The two Lighters who came out had
Lillian gripped in one of their arms and Ellie in the other. How had they
gotten past Ryan and Max with…a
h. I saw they bo
th had something in their hands
planted into the girl's backs to keep them cooperating and to keep anyone from pulling a stunt. The rest of our group piled out of the back door, eyeing the Lighters with weariness and wariness.

             
Racine wobbled out, pale and sickly still, but she was standing. Josh immediately made his way to her and
pulled an
arm around her back to help her stand. She looked at him a bit shocked but ultimately, grateful and happy. As Merrick had said the Keeper and Special relationship was tricky and for the two to make it work was definitely a good thing.