Uprising (34 page)

I turned back to Lillian to find her looking around as well. Her glass empty.

Then one of the many promoters stopped in front of us.

“Having a good time?” he asked.

“We are, thank you,” I said politely.

“You know who to thank for all this. Our savior Malachi, unfortunately won’t be here tonight but please stay for the rally and speech, and then make sure to take some promotional items on your way out. We have t-shirt, cups, posters. Even baby bibs.”

“Wow. A plethora of goodies. Thank you, we’ll be sure to do that.”

He nodded to me, then gave Lillian the once over and smiled a little too long before he moved on to the next suckers down the line from us. I turned to her, feeling the need to stake a claim to her or something, though I knew that was ludicrous.

“Whatya say, hotness? Ready to boogie?”

“Yep.” She hiccupped and covered her mouth giggling. “Oh! Sorry.” She smiled bashfully. “Yes. I’m ready. Let’s boogie, as you say.”

To my astonishment, she actually towed me out to the dance floor with our interlaced hands over her head. Once we hit a clear spot she turned around and stopped dead in front of me. She looked unsure. She leaned forward and whispered as loud as she could in my ear.

“I’ve never really danced before, except playing around. I want to but, could you show me?”

I answered by taking her arms and putting them around my neck. My hands on her hips, I started swaying us swiftly with the upbeat music.

The song was ‘Kids’ by MGMT.

She seemed to like it and was receptive to me leading her. One of her hands even went up into my barely there hair once when we were jostled by another dancer and she turned to apologize to them. I could have died right then and been a happy man. I love it when girls rub my head.

I followed her, as I had been instructed to do though I would have anyway, to the bathroom and stood outside the door. A couple other completely wasted girls came out before Lillian. One of them pulled her friend to a stop in front of me by her arm. She was typical hot girl type. Long jet black hair, tight red v-neck tank with a generous show of cleavage, no doubt paid for by daddy’s money, and a short skirt leaving nothing to the imagination.

“Hey there,” she said.

“Hello, ladies.”

“Waiting for someone?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“Awww. It’s just not fair.” She made huge pout lips. “I’m looking for someone to play with.”

Back in the day, I would have jumped on that faster than you could say ‘go’. Not that this girl was anything spectacular, but I had low standards. Pretty much any invitation was honored as acceptable. But now, I’m ashamed of the way I used to behave. When on leave from the Marines, and sometimes during my deployment, I was a bit of a skeez when it came to woman. I was a partier, a clubber, an anything where there was girls and beer kinda guy. Drowning my sorrows from the loss of my mom, early in the year I signed up, and the subsequent mental descent of my dad.

I hate that about myself. I hate that that’s who I used to be. Who I became to escape my problems. And if the Lighters hadn’t come and shaken everything up, I have no doubt, I’d still be that person.

“Sorry, girls. I’m all taken,” I answered her back and saw the familiar challenge in her glassy gaze.

“Are you sure?” she said and let her finger drift down my chest. “Because I can be really persuasive,” she said and tried for seductive but she wobbled on her heels.

“Sorry. Not gonna happen,” I said as I removed her finger.

She hmmphed and was promptly carted away by her friend before she could embarrass herself even more, to which I was grateful. Lillian came out mere seconds after the girls left.

“I heard that, ya know,” she said, smirking.

“Did you?”

“Yep. I’m sorry if I’m ruining your game,” she said and looked like she was trying not to laugh.

“No way. Not possible. I’m always on my game. Besides, I don’t go for girls like that anymore.”

“What? Pretty girls?”

“She was not pretty. She was...fake. She could be pretty, but you shouldn’t have to work so hard at it, I think.”

“Aww. That poor girl. She probably spent hours putting on that garb just to have you turn her down.”

“She’s not my type. Just so you know, I’m one of those cliché guys that prefers blondes,” I said leaning in to whisper.

She smiled up at me, rolled her eyes playfully at my obvious line and tucked her hair behind her ear. I took her hand and eagerly towed her back to the dance floor.

“So, how do you like this thing called dancing?” I ask after a couple songs.

To my dismay, they were now playing Katy Perry’s ‘California Girls’.

“I love it! It’s fun. Even if I hate this song, it’s still fun.”

Ah. My dream girl.

“Yep. Told ya you’d have fun. No intervention needed.”

“You were right. Why I ever doubted you, sugar puss, I’ll never know!” she said and laughed as I swung her around in a tight circle once, pulling her tighter to me.

“Sugar puss?” I quirked a brow at her.

“Yes. Sugar puss. You don’t like it? How about sugar daddy? No, that one’s no good. That will ruin you’re reputation and mine.” I laughed but she kept going. “Hmm. How about sweetie pie? Is that good enough for your manliness to handle?”

“Yes. I like sweetie pie just fine. And you. You will be my lovely.”

“Hmmm. I like it. It’s sweet and true all at the same time,” she joked.

I laughed and laughed at that woman. She had definitely come out of her shell and the tonic and smoke filled air weren’t to blame. She was just happy to feel human again. As, I realized, was I.

One Fine Day

“Rice and beans,” I said to answer the question for the fifth time today about what we were having for dinner. Again.

People were getting anxious about meals, since they knew things were about to get scarce. Our garden was coming along but, still, it was worthy of some worry I guess. It could definitely be a problem if the garden took a turn for the bad. I hated to think about it actually.

We finished with making supper and most everyone was done with their lessons so I started to hand out bowls. Bowls of rice and beans which people were not enthused about. What else was I supposed to do? We can’t eat like kings every night. We have to start eating more basic protein and filler meals. Even Merrick agreed with me that I was doing the right thing, and of course Cain. It was his and mine idea in the first place.

Everyone had pretty much seated somewhere and was chewing down. Merrick had Lily at the table with Calvin and Franklin. I took Maggie and Pap a bowl each since they were not getting around so good these days.

“Thank ya, Sherry, honey. You sure are a sweet girl to an old lady,” Maggie said.

“Oh come on now. I don’t see any old ladies here,” I said and she smiled at me warmly.

“Well, well. Rice and beans. Hot dog!” Pap shouted and took the bowl from me eagerly.

At least someone around her was excited about supper.

I turned to return to the kitchen but before I made it, a piercing noise cut through the bunker making everyone jump and be still, stunned.

A doorbell.

I ran to the stairs out of instinct but Jeff already blurred there and beat me to it.

“No, Sherry. Stay here. We’ll go check it out.”

Merrick, Simon, Max and Mitchell were there too in a flash.

“Us five will go,” then he shouted louder. “Everyone else stay put, we’ll be right back.”

They picked up their pointy weapon of choice from the bin on their way out. Merrick passed me on his way up the stairs and touched my cheek.

Stay here, Sherry. I mean it.

“Of course. Since when do I disobey orders.”

He cocked a brow at me and smiled.

Love ya, honey.

“Love you. Be careful. Promise?”

Always.

Then he was gone with the rest of them. Hmmm. Who was working the store tonight? It wasn’t Margo, it wasn’t her turn. It was...Susan’s. She had asked to alternate that job since she didn’t like being in the bunker with Polly nor Piper.

Hmmm. How did she know about the doorbell? I guess they taught her about that when they showed her how to run the store.

When I look around though I see her. Sitting with Frank by the record player. So, who is up there? I keep looking around. No Margo in sight. Huh. I guess she was in the store after all, though she wasn’t supposed to be tonight.

I begin my worrisome pace.

I hate it. I hate it when they go out, especially for something like this. I decide my pace could be used to pick up dishes instead of doing nothing so I do that instead.

“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.