by Allison Rios
AJ felt stronger, minute by minute. Each hand that passed through his gave him not just strength, but courage. He saw the faces of people these Healer’s had saved and felt their pleas to win the battle and save the innocent. The crowd stretched out and it was hours before every last one of them had given a part of themselves to AJ in the hopes that it would be enough to overcome the evil that was among them.
As their healing of AJ was done, they assembled together with the elders in the middle to determine the plan of action.
“AJ will have to face him alone,” one said, “and we can only serve as backup for strength. We cannot engage in the battle ourselves.”
That much was understood. AJ felt stronger, and addressed the group as a leader would.
“I will lead him to a private place to face off with him without the dangers of hurting anyone else.”
Max countered, “I will come with you, friend. You won’t be alone.”
AJ objected.
“Max, you have to sit this one out. You can’t battle him. He could kill you simply for being there.”
“AJ’s right,” an elder replied.
“Unless,” interjected another, “we can combine our strength to be a shield. If we do this, we can have an element of surprise and surround their battle ground. We cannot touch the Grim; however, perhaps our presence will be enough to strike fear into him and force him to forfeit.”
AJ stood firm.
“There’s no forfeit option for him. If he forfeits, he walks away, goes somewhere else to do the same thing again. He needs to be stopped from continuing the wrath of his clan on this earth.”
The others knew AJ was right, despite his newness to the profession. They knew as well the cost associated with such a gesture.
“We’re talking about your life, AJ,” Max said quietly. “It will take your entire being, all of your strength, to end his powers. Do you understand what you’re offering? What you’re suggesting? We cannot heal you if you die. He could kill you.”
AJ looked around the table at all of the eyes staring at him. Despite their petitions to find another way, they were all thinking the same thing AJ was: the only true way to rid the earth of Devin was to defeat him. And defeating him would cost AJ his life.
“I know,” AJ said. “I know that it could be the final healing I ever do, drawing the powers from Devin. But it has to be done. I need to do this for all of you, for the people of Lee and every other town Devin might find his way into. Especially for Addie. If she’s safe, I’d die a thousand times to make sure it stayed that way.”
“How do you plan to lead him somewhere? And where?” a voice from the crowd asked.
“A challenge.”
“He won’t fall for that,” another voice called. “He doesn’t seem to want to battle you outright. He wants to hurt you, slowly and painfully.”
“They’re right,” Max said. “I don’t have any suggestions though, at the moment.”
“I do,” a voice called, the owner pushing her way to the middle of the gathering where the table was. “With me.”
“No!” AJ yelled before even seeing her figure. He knew the voice. “What are you doing here?” he asked, the Healers around him looking startled at a mortal amongst them. They were aware this mortal knew about their secret and they feared for their own powers. “Addie, turn around and go back home.”
“I’m not going until I can help.”
“How did you even find us?” Max questioned her.
“It wasn’t hard. Gram squealed like a pig. She said she got your address one time when you were out at the café, talking to people. She eavesdrops, you know.”
Addie was smiling, and Max laughed. Figured.
“Addie, you have no idea what you’re asking to do,” AJ scowled, angry that she would put herself in danger when he was doing all of this to save her life. “Devin isn’t all human, he’s part immortal and he’s pure evil. He won’t spare you to save his powers. He’s willing to lose it all to get to me for whatever reasons he has.”
“I don’t care, AJ. What type of person would I be if I let all of you put yourselves in danger in exchange for my life? My life wouldn’t be worth living. I would feel too much guilt, too much anger. I would feel too alone. You’ve stood up for me, stood in front of me to spare me pain and suffering. I can get him to wherever you need him. He wants to use me to get to you. He’ll think he’ll be able to hurt me, although I trust you not to let him. Let me do that for you.”
“No!” AJ was stubborn and hard-headed, not willing to back down on the issue.
“She’s right,” one of the elders spoke up.
“No!” AJ interjected right away, his fist hitting the table. “She won’t be a part of this.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, instantly calming him.
“Sometimes,” said Max, “we don’t have a say so. People have free-will and the decisions they make are the path they are supposed to go down.”
“We need her,” another elder said, “no matter how much we don’t like it. For this to work, we need her to get Devin to a place you can face him.”
AJ looked around. They were right and he knew it. He didn’t like it and he didn’t want to accept it. He stormed off, leaving the others to decide. He would be no part of a decision that put Addie’s life at risk.
She looked around the table as well.
“I’ll talk to him,” she said, heading off in his direction through the crowd of people.
She found him near the back of Max’s property along the fence. His arms were resting on the feeble posts, his back hunched over as he rocked back and forth on his feet.
“I won’t let you do this,” he said, not looking up to face her. He knew her sound by the footsteps alone. “I won’t let you sacrifice your life for me. What about Rose, Addie? And Gram?”
“Don’t you think I’ve thought about them? How could I face them, AJ, if I didn’t help? How do I look at Rose and know that you sacrificed so much to save her and I stood by and let you die in return? It’s not just for you. Lee is my town. Despite the cruelness of some because of my past, Lee is my home. It’s where my family has been for generations, building a future time after time for our children. I can’t stand by and let someone like Devin destroy it. I know now why you had such disdain for him. Gram told me about him, about what he does and why he keeps talking to me. He wants to hurt you. I know what he is, and I can’t risk that. Without my help your plan won’t work and he’ll be here hurting people in town.”
She was as smart as she was beautiful. AJ couldn’t argue – she was right. About everything. Devin would never follow AJ somewhere. He’d know it was a set up. They needed to lure him without the Grim knowing Addie and the Healers were working as a team.
AJ rocked back and forth, pleading with his own mind to come up with another way and change the situation. He let out a scream of frustration, forcing Addie to step back. She wasn’t scared; she was worried, knowing that by helping she was also hurting AJ.
He took Addie by the hand and led her back to the table.
“Alright,” he said, both his palms slamming against the table. “If we do this, we do it on my terms. We do it so she’s safe and protected. Agreed?”
Max smiled, noting the leadership coming out of AJ. The potential he had since his first days as a Healer were ignited and he had finally found his place, his confidence. The others nodded their approval.
“First and foremost – if the situation arises, it is her you save and not me. Is that understood?” He looked around the table, his eyebrows furled in a scowl, angry at having to use this woman as bait. Addie wanted to object but AJ’s look told her not to.
“Secondly, someone gets her out of there as soon as possible, as far away as possible.”
Again, they all nodded in agreement.
AJ sat at the head of the table, establishing himself as leader of the operation and of the group. It wasn’t normal routine for a group of Healers. None of what was
going on could be considered normal, though. There hadn’t been a battle like this in ages, as long as Healers had been able to keep people well and the bad clan of Grims had been kept to minimal destruction. This would change history. The potential for it to change the world in apocalypse type proportions in the coming years was great and dependant mostly upon the bravery and strength those assembled were relying on one man to have.
17 THIS IS WHY
All of the recent happenings had brought Gram back to her days as a Healer and her decision to let it all go. The memories flooded over her as she looked through the pictures, reminding herself that her choice brought such great additions to her life.
George had been the most handsome man Gram had ever seen, and she’d seen her share of men. Living as long she had, she had watched numerous times as people fell in love and got married, starting a new phase in their lives. She had never been opposed to giving up her gift, yet would only do so if she found the right person. None had ever touched her heart the way she felt they should and so she had not given it away.
Until she met George. He was nothing out of the ordinary, yet he was a diamond in the rough. Strapping and tall, his best gray suit hung a little loosely on him. He had bought it that way so it would fit for awhile. His career didn’t allow him much money to spend on frivolous things.
He worked as a salesman, selling kitchen knives door to door. Most men would have been embarrassed at that point in time to be doing this job as World War II was raging across the ocean. He found a sense of pride in it. He wasn’t able to join the service due to a limp in his walk caused by a childhood farming accident. Though he wanted nothing more than to serve his country, he resigned himself gracefully to the fact that his service was to be on the home front.
The money he earned selling knives was divided three ways. A third went to his savings, a third went to his bills and the last third was put to use helping the community. Whether it was buying food for a family that could not afford it with their breadwinner away at war or providing assistance to those who couldn’t afford extravagances such as paint or trim, he aimed to make life a little easier for those whose loved ones were risking their lives so he could live his.
That’s how Gram met him. Toting groceries into the house as she waved at her next door neighbor, she assumed the man working on the front door was a family member or perhaps a husband returned from war. She greeted him kindly and proceeded into her own home.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door. It was her next door neighbor. The stranger was still in front of her house. Only this time, he was up on a ladder fixing the shutter.
“That’s George,” the neighbor said, pointing in his direction. The handsome man stopped for a moment and waved back. “He’s a bit of a handy man, does a lot for the community. He wanted me to ask if you need anything done while he’s around. He doesn’t expect pay, only that you pass on the kindness, and says he does it to repay the soldiers for risking their lives because he can’t go to war himself.”
Gram looked at him. He was scrawny and awkward, yet she felt drawn to him.
“Um, sure,” she replied, her eyebrows scrunched. She wasn’t sure what she had for him to do; she was only sure she wanted to meet him.
She went in the house, waiting for him to finish up next door. While she waited, she would glance through the windows to catch a glimpse of him. She was doing just that through the front porch window when he popped up in front of her.
“Hi ma’am!” he said, a big, goofy grin on his face.
She opened the door a bit, sticking her top half out.
“Mrs. Benedict next door said that you had something you might need help with.”
“I do? I mean, I do.” She was infatuated with this man. It wasn’t how she had felt upon seeing an attractive man before; this was an actual tug of her heart, as if it were being pulled closer to him.
He waited politely for a moment before speaking up. “And that would be…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she laughed, catching her breath again. “Would you take a look at my refrigerator? It’s making a noise. I really don’t want to have to replace it.”
George hobbled inside, the reason for his not serving overseas now evident to Gram. He didn’t let it slow him down. As he bent down to take a look at the machine, he continued the conversation.
“Do you know anyone else who might need some help? I still have some funds left this week.”
“Funds?”
“Yeah. I save up money to help out where I can. I don’t need it all, and I figure someone else could probably use a hand.”
“I’m not sure,” Gram replied truthfully. She hadn’t really gotten to know her neighbors. Moving frequently kept her to herself a lot. The less she invested in people, the less it hurt when she had to walk away.
“Well, I’ll just ask you again next week.”
“Why? What’s next week?”
“It’s when I’m hoping you’ll let me take you out for dinner,” he replied with a smile.
“Is this your shtick? How you pick up girls?” Gram asked, taken aback.
“Only the really pretty ones.” His smile was contagious and Gram couldn’t help but smile back.
It wasn’t long before Gram was completely enamored and even through the ups and downs of their marriage, the feeling in her heart upon meeting him never left. He ended up healing her from the loneliness she had enveloped herself in.
**************************************************
With the plan set, Max, AJ and Addie bid goodnight to the group and left them at the makeshift camp. AJ and Max left first to set the scene for luring Devin. They needed to be visible in town in order to create an atmosphere that would entice Devin’s appetite for revenge.
He and Max hit the local diner for dinner. Neither was hungry, both men only picking at their meals and watching through the thick glass as the patrons made their way along the street. They had hoped Devin would be in town, not having thought about how to lure him if he weren’t there. He was just walking down the main street as they had pulled into the diner.
Devin was making small talk with the locals, watching AJ and Max through the hazy glass windows. He had been monitoring their interactions with the locals, determining the relationships they had built and what he could destroy to cause the Healers a maximum amount of pain.
A half hour later, Addie drove up into town as Gram and Rose met her at the diner. She had called Gram, asking her to pack bags and take Rose out of town for the night. It was one thing to put her own life on the line; she wouldn’t risk theirs. She needed them far way, where Devin couldn’t touch them.
They walked into the diner, their backs towards Max and AJ, and up to the counter to purchase some ice cream. Rose turned and caught AJ’s stare, giving him a wave and a smile. She wanted to go over to him but her mother said no, and the disappointment was apparent on her innocent face.
As the three ladies left the diner, AJ made sure he was staring at them, showing Devin how interested he was in Addie. He needed Devin to believe he was in love – not a hard act to put on since the reality of it was based in truth.
At the car, Addie stood close to Gram and they were far enough where Devin couldn’t hear their whispers.
“Take care of my girl,” she said, wrapping her arms around Gram. “If something happens-”
“It won’t.”
“If it does, please, don’t let her forget how much I love her. Give her hugs from me every day and make her forgive me. And…make sure to tell her that her grandmother and mother are together, watching over her like the angels in her bedtime stories from AJ. Don’t let her think I abandoned her.”
“Be safe,” Gram whispered, squeezing Addie tightly.
“If you call and I don’t answer tomorrow night, stay away. Go somewhere and start again. Don’t come back here where he can find you.”
Addie leaned down to peer through the window. As she looked at Rose’s perfe
ct face, she felt a twinge in her heart that told her perhaps she shouldn’t be doing what she is.
“Bye, tootsie,” Addie said, blowing a kiss as her voice cracked. “Be good for Gram. And have fun. I’ll miss you tons and tons! I’ll see you real soon, okay?”
“Okay mama!”
Rose was playing cheerfully with her dolls in the back, no inkling of what the next day would bring. She was only excited for a trip.
Addie looked at Gram one more time, trying her best to hold it together. “Be safe,” Gram reminded her again. “Trust AJ.”
She slid into the car and started the old motor, backing out of the parking spot and puttering off down the street. AJ came out of the diner, staring at Addie the entire time trying to act as nonchalantly as possible.
Devin noticed that Rose was fine and wondered if he had been so flustered by AJ that he hadn’t inflicted the right pain on her the night before. Perhaps the accident was forthcoming; he would have to watch and see, he thought.
“Hi Addie,” he said, smiling at her. Addie just sneered at him, as she had practiced doing the entire car ride home. She had to look believable. She had to make Devin think that she had disdain for AJ despite the fact that he loved her. Devin saw an opportunity to rub salt in AJ’s wound and stepped towards Addie.
“I told you to stay away from her,” AJ replied, pushing the adrenaline through his body. He needed to appear angry and jealous, another feeling that wasn’t a far stretch for him. Devin set his temper on fire without even uttering a word.
Addie turned to look at him. “And I told you to stay the hell away from me and my family. Are you stupid? I didn’t need you before, and I sure as hell don’t need you now, telling me what to do or who to talk to.”
“Addie..." AJ interjected, adjusting his face to look rejected. She was good. The tone in her voice conveyed nothing except hatred towards him.
“No. I mean it – you should leave town, find a new place to live. I’m tired of all this drama. Butt out.”