“M-my people would never sell me out. I– aah!”
One of the guards struck Isaac in the belly with what looked like all his force. Then he proceeded to kick at Isaac's face. Seth desired to help, but his muscles froze.
“Kill him,” said Marcus.
The enforcer aimed his pistol, but Seth defensively raised his arms and his voice. “Wait! It wasn't his fault.” Marcus angrily turned around. “He doesn't deserve to die for this.”
The little girl looked so concerned she could cry.
Marcus pondered for a moment. “Sure,” he said apathetically. “But your men belong to me now, Isaac.” He looked at Isaac to gauge a reaction, but Isaac was complacent. Isaac nodded, wincing in pain. “All right then, let's go!” Everyone followed Marcus to the exit.
The girl was the last to move. She only kept staring at Isaac and Seth. Then, as if remembering her place in the pecking order, she forced herself to leave with the others.
Seth helped his boss back to his feet. “Are you all ri–”
“I don't need pity,” Isaac stung.
He's never talked to me like that before... It partly hurt Seth's feelings. Isaac stumbled away toward everyone before they were out of sight.
Seth stayed behind. If it was a bad idea to do so, he didn't care. The troops could return, or Marcus himself could return with a bullet for him, but he stayed nonetheless. Mercy's room was just a few steps behind him. He turned toward it, deciding. After a moment's hesitation, he walked to it. Inside, there was a lingering smell of sweat and cum in the air, and the mattress covers were a mess. What Mercy had already endured, he could only imagine, but wished he had been the victim instead. Mercy didn't deserve the things that happened to her that day, or any day before.
Now Seth was one of them. He had become one of the people he had desired so desperately to protect Mercy from. She was stronger than he was, and though he envied that, he was thankful for it. She doesn't know how to give up, he thought with admiration. Isaac, too, was now a victim. Jesus... It was everyone he knew, everyone he had some kind of affinity for. If I had spoken up for Isaac sooner... he thought. Why does everyone suffer because of me?
He heard breathing directly behind him. Startled, he turned quickly and found that little girl standing at the door. She still had her weapons on her, but she carried herself as if she forgot about them. “What's wrong?” she asked sweetly.
Somehow her words made him smile. He nearly answered, but just then, a man entered the room, intimidating the girl. “The hell are you still doing here?” he said to Seth. He stepped into the room. It was the same burly guard that had struck Isaac. “Get the fuck back there! Now!” Seth obeyed immediately. The man pushed him out the doors as he walked past. The girl walked beside Seth, but the henchman pushed him aside and forced the girl to walk faster, his hand stiff-arming her back.
They moved only about two blocks down, where Seth saw a large red cathedral with a bell tower. He followed them inside, where the girl was eventually shoved with the rest of the kids into their rooms. Though he wished to confront the man, he backed down. Cameron walked by, on his way somewhere.
“What's happening?” Seth asked.
“Marcus called a meeting,” Cameron responded.
“Who's required to show?”
“Everyone.”
Without any further questions, Seth followed Cameron to where Marcus had everyone gathered in the courtyard. Like Isaac's former shelter, the courtyard was in the center of the complex, surrounded on all four sides. No one had anything on them apart from their weapons. Marcus' people, that Seth not yet had the chance to meet, were speaking to him, advising him.
“So, you're saying it's a lost cause? Is that your point?” said the boss.
“We have enough strength to keep them repelled for a time, but only for a time,” someone told him.
Isaac's suit was unbuttoned, his tie almost too loose to remain on his neck. He didn't stand straight anymore, but instead had a slouch with his eyes half-open. Seth stepped over to Isaac, whom he still chose to obey even if Marcus said otherwise.
“The troops have taken back most of the city by now,” informed the same man. “We can attempt to flee, but I think even that's off the table now.”
“No,” said Marcus. “We won't run. We'll stand and fight, as we should do. Whether they know of my children or not, they wouldn't dare harm them. They've proven this over and over.”
The way Marcus referred to his hostages as his 'children' made Seth tense with anger. Seeing that little girl's face back at the brothel only convinced him further of one fact: None of the young ones wanted to be there, even if they enjoyed the opportunity to shoot at people from time to time.
“We'll wait here. Gather everyone we have. Pull them in from the streets. When the troops make their move, we'll make ours. We'll kill them as they come. When can we expect our guests?”
“Tomorrow evening, or early this next morning, sir. The troops are too confident. Their planning is becoming sloppy because they're getting used to easy victories now.”
Marcus shook his head. “That's what they wanted. They ended the food and supply drops, then they waited for us to be too weak and disjointed to be a threat any longer.” He looked around him, starting to name people who did not originally belong to him, such as Cameron, excusing them from the room. Then, he said, “Isaac, you may leave too. Take Seth with you.” He felt no shame in being excluded from the final part of the meeting; he didn't like Marcus anyway.
Most of him had no desire to remain there. He respected Isaac as a mentor, but that didn't suffice. What he saw with the troops, how they rescued the women Isaac had held hostage, and that the women trusted them in return, gave him a change of heart about the military, though he didn't fully understand the extent of this change. The war could not have been worth it, after all. His thoughts drifted to other conflicts he knew at least some about: World War One, Two, the Civil War, Vietnam, and even the more recent Iraq War. With the exception of Hitler, Mussolini and Mao, he thought, most wars seem to be unnecessary. What started the first World War? Does anyone know? The first Civil War happened because half the nation wanted to own people, while the other half knew it was wrong.
All conflicts could be avoided with a little more understanding, he realized. Now he was right amidst the second-most deadly conflict in American history, after only the first Civil War. He wanted no part in it any longer. Neither side was the enemy, and yet both sides were the enemy. The greatest people to ever live refused to use violence to achieve their dreams... He lowered his head shamefully. But they never ran from threats.
It was late night. He was completely isolated in a room with hardly enough space to breathe. Thoughts were the only true friend he had anymore, but even they betrayed him. Efforts to drown out the guilt of all he had done proved futile. He could hear Mercy screaming, begging him. What came over me? That wasn't me. He couldn't allow himself to do such things, but he had. If I ever see her again, I hope she-
“Hi,” whispered a gentle voice. Seth was startled at first, but saw it was just the little girl he had observed before. “You can't sleep?”
“I don't really sleep anymore,” he said to her. “What are you doing up? Won't they hurt you if they see you out here?”
“I have special privileges. They made me a leader,” said the girl. Her blonde hair made her more visible in the moonlight. “What's wrong?”
“You asked me that same question before.” She hummed affirmatively. “What's your name?”
“Theia,” she said shyly.
“What's wrong? You don't like that name?”
“It's … okay. I wish I knew somebody else with my name.” Seth could tell she was quickly warming up to him. “Did you hurt somebody?”
Seth felt rude. He had forgotten her question twice now. “Yes, Theia. I'm sad because I did bad things.”
“What kind of bad things?” As she inquired, she sat down by the window.
“
You don't want to know,” said Seth.
Theia looked offended. It made him nervous. “I'm not a kid,” said Theia firmly. “I can know things.”
Seth paused, thinking for a moment. His mood lightened. “You're still a kid,” he said, “but never think that's a bad thing.”
“I'm eleven!”
“Okay, okay.” Seth feared she spoke too loudly. He looked around and saw no stirring, realizing they were in the clear to continue talking. “You're still a kid, though,” he said jokingly. She wasn't amused. “Theia, you don't want to know the things I've done. The reason I'm not telling you isn't because you're a kid. It's because I'm... I... I don't know what to say about it. I just don't want you to know. Please don't be offended by that.”
Theia paused. Seth wondered if her silence meant anything negative. “Just the other day,” she began, “they made me run out in the open. They said nobody will shoot me. A bunch of soldiers came to get me, but when they got close, everyone killed the soldiers. I was right in front of them. Their blood sprayed on me...” Her tone dropped drastically. She lowered her head, coming close to weeping.
Seth stepped over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Do you think it's your fault what happened to those soldiers?”
Theia nodded, sniffling.
“It's not. It was not your fault, Theia. You never asked for any of this. I didn't ask for this. You know who did? People like Marcus.” His words apparently didn't help. Theia only kept shedding tears. Seth embraced her, remaining alert for guards on patrol.
“Do you have a mom and dad?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she sniffled. “I miss them. I miss them so much.”
“Tell me about them. Think of happy memories. Think of a time before things got so bad.” Theia lifted her head, brushing away her tears. The drops continued to fall, but Seth wiped those away. With his arm tight around her shoulder, he said again, “Tell me about them.”
“Honestly,” she said. “I don't like my mom anymore. She... did things to me. She let things happen to me.” Theia closed her mouth quickly. It appeared to Seth that she was far too ashamed to discuss her mother. He never imagined such a thing – a little girl, so innocent yet strong for her age, spoke negatively of her mother first.
“What about your dad. What's he like?”
Now her sadness turned somewhat to joy. As she tried to find words, she began to smile. “He took care of me. He always did. He always loved me more than Mom.”
“Where are they, do you know? Where are your mom and dad?”
Theia shrugged. “I wish I did...”
Seth embraced her again. Now his thoughts turned to sadness. This strong, young girl reminded him of something. It was something he had trained himself not to think about. But he felt the time had come to speak of it to someone. He liked Theia, and he respected her more than anyone else he had met in recent times. Kids always listen, he thought. “Can I tell you something?” he asked her.
“Yeah.” She seemed genuinely interested.
“I almost had a daughter, you know. She probably would have had hair like you... Like her mother. I was so ready to be a father. It was the … final step, if you will, in my relationship with this girl named Kristen. I was about to have a family. After so many years being involved, you know, with drugs and thieves, it was time to change.”
“What happened?” asked Theia.
“When the war started, me and Kristen, we... we hid in our basement. We thought the troops would come to take us away. They were taking everyone away. When they came to our house, I tried to fight them, but I couldn't do anything.” Theia was attentive. Seth had never seen a child so capable of staying focused. “When they dragged us out, they started asking us questions. But then, these people came and started attacking the soldiers. They were using guns, and pipe bombs, and...”
“Machetes?”
Seth nodded. “Yes, something like that.”
“I used to see a lot of people use things like that. When everything started going wrong.”
As if not hearing her, Seth added, “When the soldiers started to shoot back, Kristen ran back in the house, but I ran further out to the street. Before she got inside, she... she looked at me. She was using just her eyes, begging me to come with her. I couldn't move. The civilians were fighting the soldiers between us, and I was too scared to go around. That was my mistake. I should have gone to her.”
“What happened?”
“Someone had planted a pipe bomb in our car. When Kristen ran toward me, it exploded... She was crouched right next to the exhaust pipe. She was dead in just a few seconds...”
Theia winced, pausing. “That's where you got your burn from?” she asked, eyeing the scar on his arm. He looked at her, the sharp thing she was. I should have gotten burned, he wanted to say. I was at a safe distance, but Kristen wasn't. He remembered, after seeing Kristen die in front of him, and their unborn child with her, the first thing he did was run away. He built a fire that night and put his arm in the flame, because it was the least he deserved. He should have been the one who got too close. Perhaps a moment sooner, and they both would have avoided the explosion completely.
Seth never answered her question. “I've never told anyone the truth about that,” he said to Theia. Her entire body engulfed in flames, followed by stray bullets striking her everywhere. He could have helped. His burns should have come from that, at least. “I'm a coward. I always have been. Earlier tonight, I attacked someone because I wanted something from them. I don't know what's wrong with me, Theia. So, don't think you're an evil person. You're brave. You're more brave than I ever was. You are here, after all, in this place.”
Theia embraced him again. He felt warmer in his heart. She didn't say anything. She knew how to comfort people, that was for sure, and she had plenty of heart to do it, even for a stranger. “Don't let them make me do something bad.”
Seth stroked her hair. “I won't. I'll keep you safe.” He smiled, then let go. “You should get some sleep. The troops are coming for you guys soon. You'll want to be ready.”
Theia looked at him, more uncertain than he had ever seen her. “Are they bad guys?”
“No,” said Seth, though was rather unsure of himself. “They're coming to help you. To help us.”
Theia accepted his words and waved a short goodbye before walking back to her room. Seth leaned back in his chair, delving into his thoughts.
MERCY
They crossed into territory she hardly recognized. That side of the city past the Fremont Bridge, once primarily an industrial center, had, from all appearances, been remade to that once more. They had escaped the chaos and ruin. Finally, a safe haven. This is what everyone has been running from? she thought as they tread further into the region.
Ethan had approached the border cautiously, then reported who he was, what he had been sent to do, and by whom.
Lt. Col. Tyson Corwin was the one who had visited her in Isaac's brothel, reporting good news that she and the other women would soon be freed from captivity. He did not require anything from her, only a few minutes of her company while he feigned being serviced. A kind and highly intelligent man. That was the man who's putting the city back on its feet? He's no monster at all. Never had the war seemed so pointless. The troops were no enemy whatsoever.
Her thoughts returned to the man leading her into this zone. As they passed the numerous tents and repurposed buildings, she wondered about Theia. “Ethan?” she asked. He did not hear her the first time, for an armored tank rolled by them. “Ethan?”
“Yeah?” He didn't look at her.
“How did you know Dante could tell you where Theia was?”
“I already guessed where she was. I needed Dante for information on how to take down Marcus, and I needed to know he didn't kill her when he betrayed Tabitha.”
“How did you figure everything out? It must have been hard doing it all alone.” Part of her felt she was being absurd, assuming Ethan would be any more talkat
ive, even after she had learned the truth.
“When Isaac took you in, I went to Tabitha's home. I thought I could negotiate my daughter's release. I knew Tabitha assumed that I thought Theia was dead. But Tabitha and all her men were already dead, and Theia wasn't there. I needed time to think, so I returned to Isaac's shelter. Honestly, I was surprised to find you with a child already, but I wanted to see how well you did taking care of him.”
“Terribly,” Mercy said mostly to herself.
“No,” retorted Ethan, apparently having heard her. “You were given unfair circumstances with very limited means to care for a child. You did the best you could, and I appreciated that. Jayden was also psychotic, worse than any child I've ever seen.” They crossed an intersection with cars stopped at the lights. It delighted Mercy to see electric power like that again. Ethan continued, surprisingly at ease to speak so much. “After Isaac's shelter fell, and you made me leave you, I followed you to where you settled and I camped nearby. For the next several days I simply asked around, seeing what information I could gather. Some people were hostile, but... you know how that turned out.”
“Someone told you where to find Dante?”
“I was unaware any of Tabitha's clan was still alive, let alone her heir.” Mercy thought, It's gonna be awkward referring to the clans as Matriarchs now. “All my inquiries achieved was to make me aware of Marcus and just how wide his reach extends. He controls all of downtown and he has his child soldiers everywhere. I went to the army once I realized getting Theia back would take more than just myself. Someone like Marcus can't be negotiated with.”
They stopped at a building with more guards than Mercy had ever seen. No one seemed to even notice them, indicating to Mercy that Ethan had been there many times. She realized this was where the Lt. Col. worked. The thought of meeting him again excited her, at least for the chance to thank him. She looked at Ethan, who had paused in speaking. She asked, “Should I wait outside?”
“If you want to,” he said.
Merely being able to wait outside without risk of being attacked appealed to her, though she didn't want to. “I'll come inside.”
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