Uprising (37 page)

Merrick came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Lillian,” Merrick said to me. “We had a run in tonight. Mitchell... Mitchell’s dead. I’m very sorry.”

Sherry pulled herself away from Merrick and hugged me tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Lillian,” she said and pulled back quickly to retreat to Merrick’s arms.

“Honey, Lily’s up,” he said glancing over his shoulder and patting her back. “Lillian, I’m sorry,” he said softly and glanced quickly at Cain before leading Sherry away.

Cain immediately turned to hug me to him, pressing my face into his neck and whispering in my ear while his arms encircled me, but I could only make out half of what he said.

“Lillian, I’m so sorry...let me take you to...some rest...we’ll talk...get you some water?...sweetheart, talk to...be alright?”

Then I couldn’t hear him anymore. I was numb and frozen.

Mitchell, my best friend, was dead.

I was out partying and kissing another guy, knowing how he felt about me, and he was here, dying.

Mitchell was dead.

Only In Dreams

I picked Lily up and hugged her to me as she ran from her room in her long t-shirt with pink and purple hearts. Everyone was upset and she woke up in all the commotion.

“Shawwy. What’s wong? Why you cwying?”

I didn’t realize I was.

“It’s ok, baby. Let’s get you back to bed.”

As I slipped her through the crowd, holding her head to my shoulder so she didn’t see the bloodied and bruised people all around, I turned just once to look at Lillian.

Cain was just then sweeping her up, off her feet into his arms and taking her towards her hall. She laid limp in his arms and his grim gaze met mine for a few seconds before I passed into Lily’s room.

“Lily. We have a lot of work to do tonight. You might here some noises but everything is ok. I want you to stay in bed, ok? Promise me.”

“I pwomise,” she said as she swiped her hair back from her face.

I pulled the hair band I had on my wrist off. I had forgotten to put her hair up before bed. I twisted up a quick ponytail for her and she laid down, searching sleepily for her doll. I put it in her grasp and slid out quietly.

Then I practically ran to Lillian’s hall, I knew her room was on it somewhere, though I still didn’t know exactly which one.

I found Cain in the hall, creeping out of a room, closing the door.

“Cain,” I whisper.

He straightened and immediately pulled me in for a tight hug and spoke into my hair.

“Are you alright? What the- What happened, Sherry?”

I explained everything to him, just as Merrick had told me what happened when they finally came back down that hatch.

“The Lighters were here. They tricked Margo into ringing the bell and sending some of us out. The Keepers. They were outnumbered.” I started to cry again and we slumped to the floor in the hall.

My heart ached for my gruff rescuer Aaron, who thought he saved me from Merrick that day in the yard, and poor Mitchell.

“Go on, Sherry. What happened?” Cain said as he rubbed my arm.

“It was just like that day, when we went to the cave. Markers everywhere. They called the other Keepers to come help and left one to stay with us and told us to hide in the storage room. That’s when we knew it was bad,” I choked on a sob. “So we ran out to help, all of us, well- all of them. Of course I wasn’t allowed to go. I never am,” I said and could practically taste the bitterness, but I knew it was just the anger talking. “So, Danny and the rest of them ran out to help but the Lighters took Aaron out first thing and a Marker got Mitchell not long after. They eventually cut all the Lighters down and either killed or ran off the Markers. They were out there for an eternity it felt like. Everyone else is ok just a little...banged up. Margo is still locked in the bathroom in the store. She refuses to come out. Celeste has been up there with her since they got back in, trying to coax her out.”

“Oh man. If I’d been here, I could have helped,” Cain said and leaned his head back on the wall.

“No. You would’ve just gotten hurt too. How’s Lillian?”

“She’s in shock. She won’t talk.”

“It’s gotta be hard on her. To loose two people she cared about back to back like that.”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “I’ll stay with her.”

“Ok. I gotta go check on people. A few need stitches and stuff like that, including Merrick.”

“Ok. I’m glad Merrick made it. And Danny. I’m glad they’re ok.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you weren’t here though. And I’m glad Lillian wasn’t here either. This will probably sound stupid after all that but...how did it go tonight? Find anything useful?”

“It was fine. We got some things to give the Keepers to look at. Everything went fine,” he said softly and sat staring at the wall in front of us.

“Are you ok?” I ask, knowing none of us are.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I feel guilty.”

“Cain, you couldn’t have-”

“I was having fun, Sherry.” He cut me off briskly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We danced, we were laughing, we talked, we kis-” he tried to cut it off but it was too late.

“You kissed?” I asked softly, thinking back to what Lillian had said about liking Mitchell and feeling some confusion.

He hesitated then looked at me.

“Yes. We kissed. While ya’ll were here fighting, we were out there dancing and kissing,” he said like it was disgusting.

I grabbed his face within my hands.

“Enough, Cain. Everyone tries to take the blame for everything around here. This is not your fault. This is their fault. Those filthy Lighters and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of them making us feel like we didn’t do enough or we haven’t sacrificed enough already. We have sacrificed everything. All of us. Don’t feel guilty over a couple hours of fun when it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, even if you had been here,” I say firmly never letting him break my gaze.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Sherry,” he breathed. “You’re too good to be true. You know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” I joke and pull him in to hug me.

He squeezes me tightly around my waist and presses his face into the crook of my neck as I sit on my knees in the hall with him. He smells like a bar. Smoke, beer and sweat but surprisingly it kinda smells good on him.

I feel him nuzzle my neck a little closer. I think he’s just getting more comfortable but then he rubs his face on my throat and I feel him inhale deeply. I panic for just a second, thinking he’s drunk or grief stricken and about to do something he shouldn’t so I pull back and ask questions instead.

“So, did Lillian enjoy herself at least? She needed a night out more than anyone I think.”

He cleared his throat and sat back, crossing his arms.

“Yeah. She seemed to.”

“So, did you kiss her or she kiss you.”

He startled at my question and looked at the floor.

“I guess me. It was a game we had to play at the club. Look, do you really want to talk to me about this?”

“Why not? Lillian won’t be any shape to tell me about it for a while and you’ve piqued my interest,” I smile but he doesn’t.

“I don’t really want to talk about kissing girls with you, Sherry.”

“Why not?”

“Because...I just don’t.”

“Are you sure you’re ok? Can I get you something?”

“I’m ok. I’m gonna go in and sit with Lillian, make sure she’s ok before heading to bed.”

“I gotta go too. I’m surprised Merrick hasn’t come looking for me yet. I gotta find Danny.” I started to get up but looked back at him. He looked awfully sad or, I don’t know, something strange. “You’re sure you don’t need anything?”

“No, sweet girl, I don’t need anything,” he said and smiled sadly as he helped me from the floor.

“Ok.” I hugged him once more because he looked like he really needed it. “You know I love you, Cain, right? I’m glad you were safe tonight.”

He blew out a long breath, blowing the hair at my neck.
“I love you too, Sherry.” He released me and stepped back. “G’night.”

He pushed her door open and went in without looking at me again so I turned and swiftly made my way down the hall to the rest of my family. I still hadn’t seen Danny. Merrick told me he saw him go to the store with Celeste and that he was safe but he hadn’t been down yet and I so needed to physically touch him and know he was ok.

I saw Merrick leaning over Ryan so I walked over and put my hand on his back to let him know I was there.

“Piper! Enough!” he bit out and turned with a look of red hot fury, then noticed me and immediately backpedaled his anger, softening his face a little. “Oh, Sherry. I thought... Never mind. Can you help me here?”

“Sure. What do you need?” I said and looked down at Ryan. “You ok, Ryan?”

“It’s just a scratch,” he said and I stopped dead in my tracks.

“A scratch? What kind of scratch?” I absently rubbed my shoulder.

“Not that kind. I can’t be poisoned by them, Sherry.”

He knew I was talking about the Markers mark, when they scratch you to mark you so the Lighters can find you. If the mark isn’t burned you go into a coma. It was extremely painful, even now.

“Oh, good.” I turned back to Merrick. “What do you need me to do, babe?”

“Can you wrap this?” He handed me a gauze pack and pointed to Ryan’s leg, where they was a huge gash.

Not a scratch.

“Sure. You ok? You need to have your arm looked at.”

I noticed his shoulder was still bleeding and his shirt torn and red in more than one place.

“I’m fine. I’ll fix my arm in a minute. First Ryan. Then...you and I, we’ll talk later,” he said softly before heading off to someone else.

Before he walked off he turned and looked my pointedly in the eye and said something to me in my mind.

We’ll talk about Piper. And well talk about you and Cain.

I jolted at what he said as he turned to walk away. Me and Cain? What did that mean? Piper? What did we have to talk about her for? And why did he bite my head off thinking I was her touching his back.

There is one Keeper who keeps causing problems around here and I’m about ready to stomp some black haired, nosy, interfering and careless Keeper behind.

I wrapped Ryan’s leg as instructed and he was a good patient, as always. A very non-whiny patient. The best kind.

I tell him as much which he still apologizes and tried to make it seem like he’s being a baby. Which I dutifully inform him that he is not.

After that I turn to survey the rest of them. Everyone is helping other or bandaging themselves or gone to bed by now, entirely exhausted and frustrated and sad.

Mike gone.

Trudy gone.

Aaron gone.

Mitchell gone.

A multitude of others, gone.

Though most didn’t know Mitchell that well yet, it still hurts to see others hurting over him. It sucks to lose people. Especially so senselessly. What purpose did it serve? I’m not downplaying his sacrifice, absolutely not. He died trying to protect us and that’s what I mean.

If this enemy, this nuisance in black and darkness would just head home and stop this undeserved takeover of our planet, then Mitchell wouldn’t have felt the need to die for us. I’m sick of it all.

In fact I’m starting to wonder if ‘sweet Sherry’ is getting a little bitter. A little too much acid on my tongue, a little too many tears trailing out against my will, a little too much worrying and scrounging for some semblance of humanity and understanding. What if the next thing is the last straw? What if I can’t take it? What if the final step is now and I’m forever scarred and bitter and pissed?

I can’t think about that now, as another woman who fought against a nonsensical takeover Scarlett O’Hara would say, I’ll think about that tomorrow.

Finally. Finally after my internal debate over my level of resentment is over, I see Danny coming down the stairs. He’s dirty but otherwise intact and towing a tear streaked Celeste behind him.

“Danny,” I hear myself say and he looks up to meet my gaze.

I make quick strides to him and he engulfs me in his free arm.

“Danny! Why didn’t you come tell me you were alright? I’ve been worried sick about both of you!”

“I’ve been with Celeste, up in the store. I told Merrick to-”

“He did but hearing is not the same as seeing,” I chide and then turn to Celeste. “Is she ok? Margo?”

“She’s still refusing to come out,” Celeste says indignantly, wiping her eyes with her forefinger. “She’s being ridiculous and now I’ll get no sleep at all worrying about her.”

“Ah, she’ll be ok. Guilt is a big thing to handle.”

“She didn’t do anything wrong! She had nothing to be guilty about!” she yelled.

Celeste has never raised her voice to me or anyone that I can remember. Sweet, easy going, prim blonde adorable Celeste just practically screamed at me, right here in front of everyone.