Revolution (6 page)

             
"Because…they took your parents, Miguel's wife, Mrs. Trudy…" His eyes turned glassy as he spoke her name. "They took Josh's parents." He blanched. "They took Josh, for that matter. It's not right, Sherry. It's not fair and we need to use every resource we have. I wouldn't have been given these hands if not for a reason."

             
I licked my lips. "You're right." And I realized that he truly was right. But I also realized that I wasn't about to plead his case when we only had minutes until battle. "I promise you as soon as all this is over, we'll make them understand for next time, ok?"

             
He started to argue, but I stopped him. "Pick your battles, Calvin. Now do as your mom said and help me carry this stuff."

             
"Ok," he agreed reluctantly. He jumped down and hoisted both bags, carrying them into the doorway. It was
then that
Marissa gasp
ed
, causing u
s all to freeze.

             
"Showtime," she said and everyone scrambled. I yelled for everyone to follow me that was going into the back room. Everyone else grabbed their weapons of choice and made their way to their battle zones.

             
I gave one more peek to Merrick as I turned the corner to the back hall. He was creeping up the stairs and turned back just in time to lock eyes with me. An eternity's worth of love and words transpired in that gaze. He mouthed, 'Always' and I smiled as the wall cut me off from him. I kept right on smiling even as my body tried to betray me and crumple. Lily needed me there and Merrick needed me to be strong for her.

             
Calvin threw himself on the couch dramatically and sighed loudly. Franklin joined us and everyone else who wasn't fighting. I almost welcomed Margaret and Pap's bickering because it took my mind off what was going on upstairs. Ellie worried her fingernail between her teeth and rocked herself slowly. Ann looked back at me as she clicked the lock into place.

             
I clicked on the lantern as she doused the lights in the room. We stuffed a comforter in the crack at the bottom of the door to keep light and sound in
hopefully. I explained to Lily, Calvin and Franklin that if we need
ed
to, they'd have to get in the closet and be as quiet as they'd ever been. They all agreed.

             
Frankli
n's mom was there along with
Calvin's mom, Lana
, but the dads were doing grenades, she said. She looked worried. I silently told her to join the club.

             
Lily asked Calvin to play dolls with her. He reluctantly joined her on the floor, but it soon became
Chuck Norris meets Joy
doll
and she was going down repeatedly. Lily, sca
n
dalized, pouted
, but
began to retaliate.
"Oh, no you don't, Chuck! I'm Piper, psycho Barbie!"

             
Everyone's eyes snapped to her before we laughed. It really hurt to try to hold in laughter when it was literally busting your gut. I wiped the corner of my eye and tried to scold her. "Bug, you can't make us laugh right now, ok? But that was awesome, nonetheless."
             
"Ok," she whispered and kept going with her assault in hushed, but forced tons. "Take that you sissy!"

             
I turned my attention from her to keep from laughing more and focused on the wooden door that was the only thing keeping the ones on the outside from us. Our fate was being held together with some seriously tattered cloth today. One m
oment of weakness and it would rip
and we
woul
d be gone forever.

             
I shook that thought away and worried my heart pendant between my fingers. I saw Ann's heard jerk a little and she focused on a spot on the wall. I knew the Keepers were talking to her. "What, Ann? What?"
             
She looked at us all. "They're here."

A Feat
of Massive Proportion

Merrick

             
"Jeff, she's fine."

             
"Don't start
in
on me," he barked back and shifted the crow bar from one hand to the other in agitation and readiness. We waited just inside the back door of the store, the first line of defense for when the bastards arrived. "She's…I'm going to have…" He stopped and looked at me. "There's going to be a baby. Marissa's and mine. I'm goi
ng to have two people to look after
now." He grinned a weird sort of grimace. "And I just know it's going to be a girl. I just know it."

             
"How do you know?"
             
He grinned wider. "That's my punishment."

             
I laughed. "It
sounds like a reward instead."

             
"What would they say?
" he asked seriously and nodded his head toward the heavens. "What
would
they think of what we've become?"

             
"I don't know," I answered honestly and sighed. "I can't say they'd be proud, but I hope they would understand at least."
             
"This time is different," Jeff insisted. "All the other times we came here, it was different. I feel like I've let them down…but I also wouldn't do anything differently."

             
"You're fine with not going to the After?" I asked. It had been on my mind a lot lately, with death knocking louder on our door every day.

             
"I…am," he said finally. "I really am. I know that
the After is what was destined for us, but I feel like my destiny had changed. Marissa…"

             
I waved him off. "You don't have to explain to me. I know."

             
"Are you ok with not going?"

             
"Yeah, I am, but I would like to have seen it, just one time."

             
"Yeah, me, too.
I'm glad you're still here. Um…where did you go? When you died?"

             
"I didn't go anywhere," I remembered. It was hard to believe that was all just a few minutes ago. "It was like I was waiting to see if it was real or not before I moved on."

             
He sighed and jerked, hoisting his crow bar in his hands. "Sense it?"

             
"Yep," I gripped my stake tighter. "Game time."

             
We waited. When we heard the crunch of snow under boots, we went for it. We blasted the door open, knocking the Lighter from his feet. The snow was slippery and melting, and the hot air from the blazing sun around us almost made me dizzy. I quickly staked the Lighter. The satisfying lightning shot up, and I hoped that the other Lighters saw so they'd know we meant business.

             
We looked around, but saw no one. I could still sense them, though.

             
They're still here.

             
Yep.

             
What game is this?
 

             
I think we're being ambushed. Above us on the roof, one o'clock.

             
I didn't turn, we just waited.
When I heard his descent, the small cracking of shingles as he pushed from the roof, we both turned, stakes raised. We both skewered him and I had to turn my face away from the lightning since he was so close. But when my eyes reopened, we saw them. It looked like a hundred of them. They came over the roof, they came from around the building side, they came from the sky.

             
Ok
, you can call them now.

             
Brothers, now. Like right now.

             
Max
, Billings, Daniel
and Ryan ran
to the door with all of our cavalry in tow. I didn't want this anymore. I was so selfish, but I wanted to live my human life making love to my wife, playing with my daughter, eating with friends,
bickering with Danny. I had chosen
to give my
Keeper life away, and it was worth it, but I didn't want to spend it this way. I didn't want to waste both of my lives.

             
Even as the thought coursed through me, I still found myself raising my stake and moving forward as they piled out of the store door. I ran to the forefront and Jeff followed me.

             
"Well?" I said to the waiting Lighters who watched. "What are you waiting for?"

             
That was all it took and they descended on us rapidly. I just hope we lasted long enough to keep the ones inside safe. That was all I wanted
right then
.

             
Danny slapped them on the face as he forced his compulsion on them. He must have told them to play dead because everyone he touched fell to the ground like a lump of coal. And I followed behind him and staked them each in turn.
Billings and Jeff were tag-teaming them.
Cain was blasting them into the building side and Ryan was trying to get to them before they could get up. It seemed that we had the upper hand.

             
But thinking or speaking too soon was never a good thing.

             
"Look!" we heard and saw another wave just like the first; over the roof, around the sides and from the sky.

             
Waves!
Jeff said.
They're trying to tire us out!

             
Well
,
it's working!
I sta
ked another one and groaned at
the ache in my shoulder from one of their hits.
If they keep the waves coming for something bigger, we won't make it!