Revolution

by Shelly Crane

  "Right now?" Pastor asked easily and looked at his watch as if the time piece could tell him when the Lighters were coming. "I sure can, lickety-split like."

  "Me, too," Jeff called, and took Marissa stunned hand. "Come on, sweetheart. You know you're not getting rid of me. Marry me so Merrick will stop gloating."

  Merrick chuckled and squeezed me to him with Lily smooshed between us. Marissa burst wide open, but Jeff just smiled and hugged her to him gently. "Of course I'll marry you, silly!" she said laughing as he palmed her flat belly.

  "All right, let's get to it," Pastor said. "We need to get into position outside before they get here."

  "Agreed," Miguel said gruffly from the corner and looked at everyone like they were nuts.

  Danny stepped up and laughed as he said, "Don't be a stick in the mud, Aussie." He took Celeste's hand and yanked her forward with him. "Marry us, too, Pastor." He looked over at Celeste with a grin. For once, Celeste was speechless except for the surprised smile. "If something were to happen to me, I want to know that I at least got to marry my girl."

  Though morbid, his words were the sweetest I'd ever heard out of his mouth. I knew I was beyond shocked when Merrick reached over with a chuckle to close my dropped jaw with his finger.

  "Bloody h-" Miguel looked at Lily and rolled his eyes at his inability to curse right then. "Get on with it then. We've got a war to fight, if you all remember?"

  "Why don't you just shut it," Rylee barked at him. "This may be all they've got and if they want to be saps, then just let them!"

  "Ginger, you almost sound like a sap yourself," he goaded.

  She started to unload on him, but her father stopped them. "If we don't get on with it, no one will be getting married, so shut your yaps. If anyone else wants to get hitched, come on up here," he said and laughed as he rubbed his hands together.

  Jeff and Marissa, Cain and Lillian, and Danny and Celeste came forward. And Pastor got right down to business. "These folks wanna get hitched. Any objections?" Everyone chuckled, but stayed silent. "All right, men do you wanna marry these gals?"

  "Yes," they all answered.

  "I do," the pastor prompted.

  "I do," they repeated.

  "Gals, do you wanna marry these men?"

  "I do," they said, but Celeste said, "We do, uh, I mean, I do."

  Everyone laughed again as Pastor went on, "By the power invested in me, yada, yada, yada, I now pronounce you men and wives. You may kiss your brides."

  They did. Cain held Lillian's face gently, Jeff was still rubbing Marissa's belly and Danny bent Celeste down all Fred Astaire like.

  When we stopped clapping and laughing and whistling, reality crashed back down, but it was a lighter load. It seemed that we all had more than one reason to live now. We had more reasons to fight like hell.

  I turned to my Keeper and kissed his chin. "Stake a Lighter or two for me."

  He grinned. "Oh, I will." His grin melted into sweetness. "I love you so much."

  "I know," I answered and bit my lip. "Just go before I break down, ok? Love you."

  He nodded and I could practically feel his resistance as he stepped away. He blew Lily a kiss instead of giving her some long goodbye. And I loved him all the more for it. She didn't need to know that our whole world as we knew it could be ending right then.

  I squeezed my eyes shut tight to block that thought and then tried for a smile as I grabbed Lily's hand. "Let's go pack some snacks, bug."

  "K!"

  I fretted about the food. We didn't have enough to feed everyone for very long. Thank you, Piper, and if I had been a cursing kind of person, I'd have been cursing up a hurricane. We almost had two bags packed when Lana came in with a sulking Calvin. She tapped me on the shoulder and signed 'Make Calvin help you while I help them'.

  'Ok,' I signed back, 'Are you making grenades?'

  She nodded and gave him a stern look. Then she pointed to the ground and mouthed 'Stay'.

  He signed and said, "Yes, ma'am." As soon as her back was turned he huffed and hoisted himself onto the counter. "I am not a baby anymore. You guys have got to stop treating me like I'm a walking, talking toddler."

  "You guys?" I asked. "So I'm lumped into that broad analogy?"

  "You know what I mean. And yes, you do still try to keep me from fighting," he said softly. "I've grown a lot in the last few months, you know."

  "That's only because you had to, Calvin," I told him as I stuffed the last bag of cashews in the bag.

  "Exactly!" he yelled, but immediately held his hands up. "Sorry. It's just really frustrating that the Lighters treat me more like an adult that anyone else does."

  "Why are you so eager to fight?" I asked in exasperation. I was getting a little tired of this same conversation with Calvin.

  "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 gasped, causing us 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 needed to, they'd have to get in the closet and be as quiet as they'd ever been. They all agreed.

  Franklin'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, scandalized, 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 moment of weakness and it would rip and we would 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

  Chapter 4

  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 going 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 staked 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!

  What do we do?

  Keep fighting. No choice. I'll call Miguel. Maybe a few grenades will make them slow their roll.

  What in the worlds does that mean? He glared at me from across a Lighter's back. Why are you constantly talking like Cain and his non-English gibberish?

  I laughed. I just mean maybe it'll make them think twice if we have some tricks up our sleeve. Miguel! Grenades, now!

  I know I couldn't wait for his reply because there would be none, but I hoped he got the message and was on the way. The Lighters kept coming and we kept staking them and what not, but it wasn't enough. I saw the back store door swing open, but flames were what I saw. Then Miguel with his wolfish grin and swagger. "We improvised a bit!" he yelled and laughed as he threw a grenade, but it was trailed by a flaming rag of some sort that was stuck to it.

  When it landed on the Lighter's chest, he engulfed in flames and within seconds, burned up with lightning. I heard Jeff in my mind.

  Ok, this sucks, but it's still the same old Lighters. This isn't new. What were Ellie and Marissa talking about?

  I shrugged and bumped into Daniel. He looked upset or agitated about something. "What?" I barked wasting no time.

  He shook his head before looking at me with his now silver, human eyes. "I can't sense them, and they seem to not be able to sense me. I'm just a human to them now."

  I sighed. "Look, that's a good thing in my book. It means you're not the enemy anymore."

  The Marker's screech was loud and brazen. I turned in utter shock. Markers never came out in the daylight. Ever. I thought it had been a rule or law of their nature, but apparently not. Was this what she had meant? That we'd see something we'd never seen before. I hoped so.

  Behind you!

  I turned just in time to duck. The Marker's foot swiped my arm and we both yelled at the contact. I tried to tame the writhing and glanced at my arm. That bastard! It was like he didn't even care that he was going to injure himself by injuring me. I looked up to see Jeff staking him. He looked up confused and shrugged his shoulders.

  I groaned as I got up, the venom from the Marker was relentless and plagued you for long minutes after the touch. But our little group didn't have minutes, so I pushed through the pain and pounced on a Lighter's back who was attacking Racine. Once again my skin grazed his on my wrist and we both jolted and groaned.

  It seemed that I was just as desperate to save my people as they were to save theirs.

  The rules were changing for us. I wasn't sure I liked that idea or not. But then the howl of a beast rang through the melting snow and debris scattering the yard, making us all stop in our tracks. I glanced around to look for it, but came up with nothing. The Lighters all looked at each other and then shot into the sky all at once, leaving us confused in the yard. We huddled together in a circle with our backs to each other's .

  "Look alive," Jeff said to everyone. "This isn't over by a long shot."

  "What was that? A freaking werewolf?" Cain barked.

  "I don't know," I answered. "Just wait."

  A loud thump resounded. It sounded like a giant's footsteps, as childish as that was. "There!" I yelled as a man came around the corner
of the store.

  He was normal looking enough, but his steps were deep and loud beyond their capability. He smiled at us from across the yard and even from that far distance I could see that his grin was too wide, his teeth too long. He took another step and it shook the ground under our feet. He kept coming and I could practically smell the fear wafting from our group. I was sure that our new guest could, too. I wished we had a few minutes for a pep talk, but time was up.

  He got closer and clapped his hands, just once, but it was so loud that we all winced and covered our ears. He watched us and we watched him. He grinned once more and then blurred quickly to Jeff on the other side of us. He smashed his fist into Jeff's stomach, sending him crashing through us and skidding in the sludge of mush and snow. We picked ourselves up, but Jeff was slow moving.

  What is that thing, Merrick? I've never been hit that hard in my life.

  You got me, brother.

  I felt my conscience zing in warning and looked up to see the thing moving his way to Danny, who was attempting to use compulsion on it. I blurred to Danny, throwing myself in front of him, but Danny kept concentrating. The thing slowed to a crawl pace before shaking, as if to shake off the compulsion. Danny screamed and grabbed his head before looking up in awe. "Ah, man. He threw my compulsion back at me."

  Miguel threw a grenade at it, but it just blurred out of the way and… smirked?

  "Get back," I told Miguel and Danny. "We need to regroup."

  But the thing was already looking at Daniel. He spoke and his voice was painful to our ears. It was like grating metal. "Hello, traitor."

  "What are you?" Daniel asked it.

  "I am the balance. You switched sides, and not only that, but in such a traitorous way that evil was rewarded a new species. Me." He grinned, his gums dark and blackened with only God knew what.