Emerging Above the Silence

by James Sandepp

  Did I do this? How was it even possible? I couldn’t fathom the tremendous power which had been released by my words. There was no other way to think about it: my words and the thrill of releasing them had killed people. I began to have a sharp pain in my head as these thoughts consumed me.

  Felix came over and touched me. “We need to get out of here now. They may send more reinforcements, Marinette.”

  I gathered myself and we picked up Oliver, who was still unconscious, and carried him down the staircase and left from the back of the building.

  There were no sounds of sirens or anything else, which was odd considering Thomson’s automated emergency system should have been triggered by now unless Josh and the Magistrate had intentionally turned it off. I looked around at the street and the other buildings, but there was no one to be seen. I suspected that most of the people working in those buildings were hiding for their lives as the gunfire, which had earlier erupted was unheard of in Thomson.

  We carried Oliver several meters away as I heard a huge rumble, turned around and realized the entire building had collapsed on itself onto the ground and a huge plume of smoke rose into the air. Was this all because of what I did to the wall? It couldn’t be, but I didn’t have time to wonder about it now. By now there were people coming out of the other buildings and onto the road and pointing at the smoke.

  Oliver then woke up, managed to stand up with Felix’s help, but didn’t say anything. I stared at Felix in confusion until he pointed at Oliver’s face.

  I put my hands to my mouth and stepped back.

  Oliver’s eyes were damaged; not one eye, but both with the left one basically missing from its socket.

  I had to do everything within myself to stop from releasing a sound or even screaming as I couldn’t take what had happened to Oliver and what I was seeing in front of me.

  Oliver’s hands reached out and touched mine.

  “Oliver don’t move too much,” I said. “Your eyes are damaged.”

  Oliver nodded. “I know M. Everything is dark.”

  I couldn’t believe he was acting so calm and was still able to sign without being able to see, but I guessed being so used to signing it had become second nature to all of us.

  Tears rolled down my eyes, first in a trickle and then it was like I was leaking or something and I didn’t want to let it stop.

  Felix touched my face to help wipe away the tears, but I pushed him away and let my emotions take charge of me.

  My best friend in life was blind all because of Josh and his evil plans to destroy me and I was so glad Josh was dead and gone in the rubble of the building behind me. If he was alive I would not have hesitated to blow him to pieces using my voice like I did the wall. I knew I would enjoy watching his gruesome death.

  “We need to take Oliver to a safe place,” Felix motioned. “It won’t be long before the Magistrate sends more people to look for anyone who survived the collapse of the building.”

  The world was so unfair to take away his sight from my best friend. I hated the Magistrate for what they had done.

  “Oliver, we are going back to your friend’s place, but first let us help cover your eyes so no one notices,” I declared in between my sobbing.

  Oliver nodded and must have heard my sobs. “M, I need you to be strong now for me. Give me time. I will be okay.”

  I don’t know how Oliver could be so courageous in the face of such a tragedy and I tried my best to control myself from breaking down.

  I remained silent as we all walked to the nearest bus stop as Felix guided Oliver along, got on the bus and got off at Oliver’s friend’s place and, once we were inside the kitchen, I let Felix settle Oliver into a chair.

  As Oliver was adjusting the cloth we had put around his eyes, Felix approached me.

  “Don’t say anything to calm me down,” I signed, not wanting Oliver to hear my anger. “I don’t want to be calm.”

  “I understand, Marinette,” Felix motioned. “But you have to stay calm. We all need to think clearly now and we cannot do that when we are angry. What happened to Oliver is horrible, but …”

  “There is nothing to plan,” I signed. “The Magistrate must be destroyed just like I killed every one of Josh’s men back there. They got what they deserved.”

  Felix didn’t say anything.

  “I am glad they suffered for it,” I signed in defiance. “But it isn’t enough. I am going to go to the Magistrate offices here in Thomson and show them what real power is.”

  Felix grabbed my hand. “Think about what you just said.”

  I stared at him.

  “Marinette, you are not a monster,” Felix gestured. “I want you to remember that. You did what you had to do back there to save us. None of this is your fault. Those men were out to kill us and we had to protect ourselves. You had no intention of killing them.”

  “I know,” I signed.

  Felix continued. “But don’t let the Magistrate’s evil ways change you. The moment you walk into the Magistrate’s offices and do the things you want to do, you become the monster. You will lose any sympathy you have with the public if they you see you as a monster.”

  “I know it isn’t my fault,” I motioned. “The fault lies at the feet of Josh, Dr Liverfield, the Magistrate and the Council. The first is dead and the rest of them will pay very soon.”

  “Marinette ... ,” Felix started.

  I waved my hand for him to stop. “I will do what I need to do to end this and them once and for all.”

  “Just remember Josh’s words have no power over you,” Felix motioned.

  I knew he wanted me to resist whatever I was feeling right now, but I didn’t care what Josh had said about me. Josh was dead. He should’ve been dead a long time ago and I was happy about it.

  “It is time I do something with my abilities,” I signed.

  “Marinette, no one including yourself knows the extent of your abilities,” Felix motioned. “You need to be careful if not innocent people could be ...”

  I interrupted him. “Can you take care of Oliver for me? I know you are worried for me, but I am fine. I need you to focus on helping Oliver now. He needs a lot of support in the next few days.”

  Felix nodded reluctantly.

  I walked nearer to Oliver. “Where is the document we took from the farm?”

  Oliver’s head came up and then his hands started rummaging through his pockets and backpack, which was thankfully still with him.

  I stared at Oliver’s damaged eyes as he desperately tried to find the documents without being able to see. I hated the Magistrate and the Council for everything they had done.

  “I think I lost it,” Oliver began. “Maybe in the building earlier when we were under gunfire. I am so sorry M I …”

  I touched his cheek gently and grabbed his hands. “It is okay. I don’t need the document anymore. I know what I need to do now. Felix will stay here to take care of you.”

  I couldn’t understand how Oliver could be so calm because the Magistrate had taken away his ability to see in their selfishness to keep society under their control. Why wasn’t Oliver angry? He should be more angry than me for what had happened to him, but despite all this he managed a smile which, knowing him, wasn’t a fake one.

  “You should get more rest now,” I signed.

  Oliver tried to sign something, but I grabbed his hands together and held them for a while staring at his face.

  Then, I turned and waved at Felix as I left the home.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  I was standing in the middle of a grass field again, the sky was hazy and there was a slight breeze in the air. I heard someone laughing and turned to find Dr Liverfield standing and on her right was Oliver. Oliver’s hands and legs were tied and his mouth was taped shut and he was bleeding from his head. Dr Liverfield had a gun pointed at Oliver’s head and her armed men had formed a circle around me with all their weapons pointing at me. I heard a helicopter approaching us in the distance probabl
y with more of her men to take me in. Dr Liverfield teased me by pushing the gun further into Oliver’s left cheek and he stared at me in fear. I was calm as I had ever been and knew what I had to do. My hands clenched tightly, I was breathing irregularly, and my heart was pounding. I spoke a word against Dr Liverfield and she exploded into pieces with some of her flesh landing around my feet. Oliver fell to the ground and hid amongst the grass as Dr Liverfield’s men dropped their weapons in panic and started to back away. One by one I killed them all without giving any one of them a chance to get away until the entire field around me was filled with their burning flesh. The smell was so nauseating, but I liked it knowing they were all dead and, yet, I was still very angry and woke up.

  I was in my seat in the train on the way to Vinder and realized it had been a dream although this one left me feeling empty and tired. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone sitting next to me and it allowed me the chance to stand up for a bit. There was a huge pain in my head, I noticed my hands were still clenched tightly and I tried my best to release them and relax a bit.

  Leaving Felix abruptly hadn’t been my plan, but I needed to return to Vinder to find Dr Liverfield and stop her. I was done being the naive and stupid teenage girl everyone thought I was. With my new abilities I could crush anyone who stood in my way and there was nothing Dr Liverfield, the Resistance or even the Council could do about it. I was ready to bring the fight to them and I knew they would bow down to me once they saw what I could do to them.

  As I got off the train at Vinder I messaged Lara to check where I could meet her and Susie. Lara replied to meet them at the Compound building in another ten minutes. I knew Lara would be the fastest way to find Dr Liverfield.

  Walking into the Compound building Lara was standing around with Susie and Claire, to my surprise, at the center and they were discussing something before they saw me.

  Claire looked at me and smiled.

  “Where is Oliver?” Lara motioned.

  “What happened?” Susie signed and she was smart enough to know something was wrong.

  I shared with them what happened to Oliver and Lara’s facial expression never changed, but Susie began to tear and Claire looked worried.

  “Is Oliver going to be okay?” Claire motioned.

  “Where is Oliver now?” Susie signed. “Is someone with him?”

  Susie’s genuine concern for Oliver touched me, but I didn’t have time for these things now.

  “He is safe,” I motioned. “Felix is there and he will take care of him.”

  “What do you want to do?” Lara signalled.

  “I want to find Dr Liverfield,” I gestured. “Do you know where she is now?”

  “This isn’t the time to take revenge,” Lara indicated. “We need to plan our strategy. Did you get the evidence you went back for?”

  I shared with them how we found some key evidence about an army being built and how we lost it during our fight with Josh and his men.

  I was annoyed by Lara’s lack of concern for my best friend, Oliver. Why was everything about a strategy to her? What gave her the right? Oliver meant everything to me, but, then again, to Lara he was just another casualty in their fight with Dr Liverfield. Oliver was my best friend and Lara was a nobody. I didn’t have to take this nonsense from her or anyone.

  “We are then back to square one,” Lara signed. “Your trip back to Thomson has failed. We have failed.”

  “We can find other evidence I am sure,” Claire gestured.

  “I didn’t ask for your input,” Lara signalled. “I allowed you to join us because you insisted, but do not push your luck with me.”

  Who gave Lara the right to talk down to Claire like that? Lara was a nobody and if she wasn’t going to help me I didn’t need her.

  Susie shrugged. “We don’t need that evidence to prove the process. There must be other ways to do it. We can go back and search the Council building or even Dr Liverfield’s apartment.”

  “We are running out of time,” Lara motioned. “Every minute that passes by Dr Liverfield is able to move her operations and destroy any remaining evidence.”

  Then, Lara grabbed Susie by the neck, pulled out a gun and pointed it at Susie’s head.

  Claire looking dazed stepped back to Lara’s side.

  Lara then pointed the gun at Claire. “Do not move or you will regret following me today.”

  Lara then turned the gun back to Susie’s head.

  “What the heck are you doing?” I signed in confusion.

  “Marinette, I don’t think you can speak any more,” Lara motioned.

  What was she up to? Had Dr Liverfield gotten to her?

  I tried to buy some time. “Too many things have happened recently and I need a bit more time. You saw how I was able to say something before.”

  “It isn’t enough,” Lara indicated. “A few words is useless.”

  Claire stared at me and I was glad she didn’t make any sudden moves. I didn’t want Claire to get injured or worse.

  Lara continued. “Maybe you lost your ability or whatever, but I cannot wait for you anymore. Lives are at stake and I gave you a chance to find the evidence, but you failed. You failed me and the Resistance after everything we did for you.”

  “Stop this,” I signalled. “Put the gun down and let Susie go. We need to work together.”

  I wanted to use my voice, but not until I found out the reason behind Lara’s sudden change in behavior because something must have triggered her to react like this.

  Claire began to move one of her legs and Lara turned and fired one shot to the ground mere inches away from her right foot.

  “I won’t warn you again,” Lara motioned.

  Claire froze in panic and I thought she would faint, but she seemed to hang in there.

  “You are in no position to bargain with me,” Lara gestured to me. “I have a deal for you.”

  I remained silent and waited for her proposal knowing this whole situation was going to get ugly, but I was determined not to let anyone again hurt the people I cared for.

  “Dr Liverfield contacted me and told me she would return Sam and the others from the Resistance for you,” Lara indicated. “She thinks you can still speak, but I don’t care anymore. I only want my friends back.”

  I couldn’t believe Lara had betrayed me, but I had always suspected she might do something crazy like this. I saw a flicker of hope race across Claire’s face and I knew Dr Liverfield would never return the Resistance fighters.

  “Dr Liverfield is playing you,” I motioned. “She will never return your friends. I have seen how she kills people right before my eyes. She wants us to turn on each other and it’s happening. Don’t you see it?”

  Despite Lara’s betrayal, I was willing to give her one last chance to change her mind.

  “The Resistance is bigger than you,” Lara highlighted. “It doesn’t revolve around you. We have been around for years even before you came Marinette and we will be here after you have left this world. We have greater plans. There were some who hoped you could help us in our plans, but these people were fools to believe in you and your abilities.”

  What greater plans was she talking about? I didn’t understand or want to understand her reasons.

  I took one step forward. “I will help you get your friends back. You need to trust me on this.”

  The gun went off, a bullet whizzed by me and slammed into the wall behind me with a large ringing sound.

  “Do you think I am playing a game here?” Lara motioned. “Claire, come and help me now. We can get Sam, Tom and the others back. We can get your real friends back. Do you understand?”

  Hatred had begun to consume Lara’s face and I knew she had crossed the line already as I took a step back to calm her down.

  Claire didn’t move at all.

  Lara glared at her. “So, you have decided to join HER after everything we did for you too. You selfish brat! We should have left you to die in Dr Liverfield’s labs. Without us yo
u would be dead now.”

  Lara started to back off while dragging Susie. “It is very simple silence breaker although I don’t know think you are worthy of such a title anymore. You meet me at a location later today and the trade will happen there. If you don’t show up then this is the last time you will see your dear friend Susie.”

  One by one the people I cared for the most was being threatened and even worse. First, it was Oliver and his injury to his eyes and I don’t know if he would ever be able to see again. Now, Susie was being threatened by Lara because of me. Lara had no idea what I could do to her and I wasn’t going to give her any chance to hurt Susie.