by KT Webb
“No. Don’t!” Keira whimpered in her sleep.
Tahlia and Dorian were instantly at attention as they exchanged a nervous look. There was no telling if Keira was dreaming or experiencing the same projection she had with Tahlia the night before.
“What’s going on?” Eric asked uneasily.
“Shhh!” Tahlia told him as Keira began to speak again.
“Uncle Thatcher, can’t you hear me? Don’t do that,” Keira demanded in her little voice.
Tahlia grew more concerned at the strain she saw in Keira’s face. She didn’t know what the little girl was seeing, but she looked very anxious even in her sleep.
“Should we wake her?” Dorian asked in alarm.
Before Tahlia could answer, the little girl screamed. She had heard Keira scream with delight, she had heard her scream with excitement, but she had never heard her scream in terror. This was terror; her scream tore through the sitting room and sent chills down Tahlia’s back.
Without hesitation, Dorian reached forward and gently shook his granddaughter. He shook a little harder when she wouldn’t wake. He looked to Tahlia in a panic when the screaming stopped but Keira still hadn’t awoken.
“Tahlia, we need to do something,” Dorian said in anguish, barely keeping himself from shouting.
“Keira, sweetie, we need you to wake up,” Tahlia said as she rubbed the girl’s cheek.
Keira let out a small moan and her eyes fluttered open. When she caught sight of Dorian, she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.
“Oh, Papa. Thatcher needs us. He’s not bad. He’s not bad. Right? He wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Keira sobbed loudly.
Eric grabbed Tahlia and pulled her to the side.
“You need to tell me what’s going on. What can I do?” Eric begged as he looked down at Keira.
“We don’t really know yet, Eric. This morning she told Dorian about a dream she had last night. A dream that told us she had transported herself to my side in her sleep. I was confronted by the Maladies last night; in person.” Tahlia held up a hand to stop Eric from scolding her.
“I was out for a jog and didn’t make it home before dark. The found me, and I was surrounded. But I suddenly felt strong enough to fight them off, and I did. As it turns out, I was only strong enough because of Keira. I didn’t see her. I didn’t know she was there at all until she perfectly described the entire situation to Dorian.”
Eric gave her an appraising look, before nodding once and turning his attention back to Keira and Dorian. They would discuss this later.
Tahlia crouched down next to them and kissed Keira gently on the head.
“Honey, can you tell us what you saw?” Tahlia asked carefully.
“Why? It was just a bad dream,” Keira told her quietly. It was clear the little girl didn’t want to recount what she witnessed.
Tahlia and Dorian exchanged a look. They had promised Nora they wouldn’t tell Keira that her dreams were real. But they had to know what had happened to terrify the little girl so much.
“Keira, you know how sometimes grandpa and daddy know things before they happen or can see things someone has done?” Tahlia asked.
Keira nodded her head with tears in her eyes. “And mommy can go places without using a car.”
“That’s right, sweetheart. Well, because you are their little girl, you are going to be able to do some special things too. Do you remember telling me about your dream last night?” Dorian asked.
Keira nodded her head again and glanced at Tahlia.
Tahlia smiled at her. “You helped me for real, Keira. You helped me get away from those bad guys.”
Keira’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized what Tahlia was telling her.
“So when I sleep, I can see you guys? And I can help. But I couldn’t help Thatcher,” she said sadly.
Dorian furrowed his brow. Tahlia knew they had to find out what happened if they had any hope of helping Thatcher.
“Keira, what happened to Thatcher?” Tahlia asked urgently.
“He was on top of a building. He was crying. He ripped his shirt off ‘cuz it had blood on it. He went to the edge and looked down. I told him not to. But he wouldn’t listen. A man appeared behind him and yelled at him to jump,” Keira cried at the memory.
“Thatcher recognized the man and looked scared. All Thatcher did was lift his hand and the man fell. When he tried to get up, Thatcher . . . ” She bit her lip as tears fell down her cheeks. “He threw him. Thatcher yelled and threw him from the building. I screamed. I think Thatcher heard me scream because he turned and looked at me. I screamed ‘cuz I thought he killed that man. But then the man came back.”
Dorian and Tahlia looked at each other in alarm. Something was definitely off if Thatcher was using the abilities he had gotten from Absalom to keep someone away from him. Tahlia knew how much he struggled with using them at all because of how they had been obtained in the first place.
“What do you mean the man came back?” Tahlia asked Keira.
“He just showed up on the edge, like nothing happened,” Keira whispered.
“Did you know the man?” Dorian asked.
She shook her head.
"What did the man look like?" Tahlia asked gently.
"He looked a lot like Uncle Thatcher. Bright red hair and a red beard," Keira replied.
She looked between them for a moment, before bursting into tears and burying her face in Dorians shoulder again. Tahlia and Dorian exchanged a look of concern; the only man who could incite that reaction from Thatcher would be Absalom.
Tahlia closed her eyes and silently prayed for the safety of the Evolved. She knew they would be searching for Thatcher if he wasn’t with them. For now, they could only wait and hope they all returned safely.
Chapter Ten:
Hadley
When Hadley heard what Thatcher had done, she felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. How could he hurt Romulus? He must have been possessed or something. Romulus said the man who touched him was one of the Maladies. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she began to realize she may be grasping at straws. But if she’d learned anything, it was that anything was possible.
“You guys, do you think Thatcher could have been possessed by the Malady or something? Is that a real thing?” Hadley asked, feeling a little foolish.
Romulus looked at her in confusion then tried to stand. Kerr and Nora helped him up and carefully stepped away once he was upright.
“In a sense, yes. But not in the way the movies would have us believe. Not that we have time for a history lesson, but it’s better if you understand what’s going on before we go charging after Thatcher,” Romulus said in a strained voice as he struggled to maintain his balance.
“We need Tahlia,” Kerr said suddenly.
“My mom? Why? What does she have to do with this?” Hadley asked.
“We need her to put the light back into Thatcher’s heart,” Romulus said simply.
“Oh. Right. Why didn’t I think of that?” Hadley replied sarcastically. “You think you could clue those of us in who don’t have special mind-reading powers?”
Hadley could tell Romulus wasn’t going to waste any time before beginning the search for Thatcher. She couldn’t have supported that feeling more if she tried, but she needed to understand why Thatcher had suddenly lost his mind.
“It’s Rage. One of the Maladies that was released into the world before your mother. Rage must have been the Malady who touched Thatcher today. He must be able to infect him by touching him. I wondered if this was how they were infecting people. He is stronger than an average human, so he is able to fight off the anger inside him, giving him moments of clarity, one of which saved my life,” Romulus told them.
“We’ll be back.” Nora grabbed Romulus’ arm and disappeared.
Hadley paced back and forth for a few moments as she thought about the implications of what Romulus had told them. She knew it meant two things; one was t
hat Thatcher wasn’t completely in control of his own body, and the other was that there was a physical embodiment of evil wreaking havoc in Chicago.
Nora rematerialized in the alley with Tahlia. They had left Romulus behind. Nora shot Tahlia an angry look and went to stand by Kerr with her arms crossed. Hadley didn’t have time to worry about what had happened to leave Nora so irritated with Tahlia.
“We need to find Thatcher. Now,” Tahlia said firmly as she headed to the mouth of the alley.
“I can’t sense him at all,” Nora told them.
“That’s not good. That means the anger has consumed him. There may not be any of Thatcher left to sense,” Tahlia told them gravely.
“What? Mom, I can’t handle not knowing. Can he come back from this?” Hadley was terrified.
Tahlia came to stand next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know. He’s alive, we just can’t find him with Nora’s ability if he’s consumed by rage.”
Hadley nodded her head and looked to Nora. She gave her a questioning look, and Nora shook her head at her. Hadley knew she would find out what happened later.
“Well, what do we do now?” Kerr asked.
“Nora, you need to keep trying to sense him. If he was able to stop himself from killing Romulus, he may be able to gain control sometimes,” Tahlia told her.
“We’re going to the top of that building. That’s where Keira saw them,” Tahlia said as she pointed up at a red building.
Hadley looked confused. “What do you mean where Keira saw them?”
“We’ll explain later. Just grab hold of Nora. Be ready for a fight,” Tahlia instructed.
In the blink of an eye, they were on top of the red building her mother had pointed to. As soon as they arrived, she heard a voice. She made out the sound of Thatcher shouting at someone. He would pause for a few moments, then yell again. She couldn’t hear anyone but Thatcher, so she didn’t know who he was talking to.
She peaked around the corner and saw Thatcher was alone on the rooftop. There was no one to shout at, but there he stood, yelling at thin air.
Hadley started to take a step forward, but was stopped by Kerr’s hand on her shoulder. She tried to shrug him off, but when he wouldn’t budge she sent a small shock to his hand.
“Ouch! Hadley!” Kerr said, shaking his hand around.
When she looked at Kerr, she realized that she had never used her abilities against him. He looked mad, but he was trying to stay quiet to avoid scaring Thatcher.
“He is violent, you idiot. I don’t care if he’s your boyfriend. He nearly killed Romulus. It would take less to kill you. Don’t be stupid. This isn’t a movie, ‘true loves kiss’ isn’t going to save the day,” Kerr said angrily.
Hadley glared at him. She knew he was right, but she didn’t want Thatcher to get away. She thought if she could make him see that he was being manipulated by evil that everything would be alright.
Before Hadley could say anything in return, her mother took off running to Thatcher, and Nora appeared behind him. Hadley did the only thing she could think of and threw a shield up to contain Thatcher so he wouldn’t run when he realized they’d surrounded him.
Kerr was concentrating very hard next to her, and she knew he was trying to bring out any calm he could grasp amidst the anger that had infected Thatcher. Hadley saw her mother slow to a walk in front of Thatcher as he eyed her warily. Hadley took a few steps forward to hear the exchange.
“What are you doing here, Tahlia?” Thatcher asked, his voice deeper than usual.
“We’re here to help you, Thatcher,” Tahlia told him evenly.
“Help me? That’s rich. What are you going to do? Shield me from a mosquito?” Thatcher asked bitterly.
“No. Although you’re right, that’s all I’m good for these days. But I do have a few other tricks up my sleeve. I need you to let me help you calm down,” Tahlia told him.
Thatcher sneered at her as she took another step forward. He balled his hands into fists at his sides. Hadley could practically see the anger rolling off him as he watched Tahlia approach. His face softened slightly for a moment and he spoke to her.
“Tahlia, please don’t do this. I don’t want to hurt you. I killed Romulus. I’m just like him,” he yelled as he pointed behind Tahlia.
Hadley saw no one. She didn’t know who he thought was there.
“I don’t know how he’s here, but he’s back. He killed our families. He killed Malcolm!” Thatcher said as he fought to maintain control.
A shiver shot through her as Hadley realized who he thought was there. No wonder he couldn’t maintain control of his anger; he was face to face with Absalom again.
Chapter Eleven:
Thatcher
He couldn’t believe Tahlia was coming between him and Absalom. Not only was she interrupting his fight, but she was putting herself in danger. He felt Nora behind him and saw Hadley and Kerr further behind Tahlia.
He was so confused. They acted as though Absalom wasn’t even there. He had to get them out of there. The closer Tahlia came, the angrier he got.
“Get. Out. Of. Here,” Thatcher said through gritted teeth. “I can handle him!”
“Oh, you can handle me, can you? Obviously you didn’t handle me well enough the first time.” Absalom hurled the words at him like the fireballs he liked to use.
“Shut-up,” Thatcher yelled, grabbing his head.
Hadley took another step toward him, and he was momentarily distracted by her presence. He felt the tightness in his chest as she came closer. The fury he felt was struggling to keep the concern he felt at bay.
“Get the hell out of here,” Thatcher threw at Hadley. “I don’t want you here.”
Hadley looked hurt but determined. He knew she wouldn’t leave.
“Maybe I should get rid of her for you,” Absalom said as he made his way to Hadley. “I’ll start with her, then go find that sweet little girl you're all so fond of. I'll raise her like I did Malcolm. One day, she'll kill you all.”
“Stay away from my family. He’s coming, Hadley. You need to leave,” Thatcher screamed.
Why didn’t she leave? Why didn’t Tahlia try to stop Absalom from touching her daughter? Thatcher decided now was the time to act. He started toward Hadley, but found he couldn’t move.
“Drop the shield, Hadley! He’s going to kill you. You have to let me out,” Thatcher yelled desperately. He pushed as hard as he could and shattered the invisible shield she had placed around him.
Nora grabbed his shirt, and he whirled around and hit her with a burst of energy that sent her flying. He turned his back on her screaming form as she flew over the edge of the building. Thatcher heard Kerr cry out in anguish as he released the small hold he had kept on him.
Instantly, Thatcher felt the wrath fill every inch of his body. He shoved past Tahlia just in time to get to Hadley as Absalom brought his fist up to hit her. Thatcher lunged at him and grabbed him by the neck. He squeezed with all his might as he felt the life drain from his enemy’s body.
“Thatcher, no,” Tahlia screamed. “It’s not Absalom. You’re going to kill her!”
Thatcher didn’t understand what she was saying at first. He felt his hands around Absalom’s throat, and he saw him in front of him; of course he was there. He was saving Hadley, he wasn’t going to kill her.
“Finish it,” Absalom choked out.
Thatcher squeezed harder and was surprised when he saw Absalom smile, wink, and slowly fade away. His hands were wrapped around Hadley’s neck. Her eyes were open, blood vessels had ruptured, and she had tears running down her face.
“No,” Thatcher cried as he slowly lowered Hadley to the ground. She was dead.
Chapter Twelve:
Tahlia
Tahlia was staring at the dead body of her daughter as she was cradled in the arms of her killer. This was not going to happen.
She reached within her and felt her abilities restored. As long as Hadley was dead, she didn’t
share her power with anyone. Tahlia launched herself at Thatcher. When she hit him, she knocked him backward into the small wall near the edge of the building. He hit his head and stopped moving. He was unconscious.
Tahlia closed her eyes and focused on the cells in Hadley’s body. She willed them to live. She willed her heart to beat. She forced the blood to move through her veins as she began compressions on her daughter’s chest.
“C’mon, Had. I know you can do this. I need you here. Whitley didn’t die for this; she died so you could live.”
Tahlia focused on Hadley’s crushed windpipe. If she couldn’t repair the windpipe, it wouldn’t matter if she got her heart beating again.
Precious seconds ticked by as she willed the broken pieces of her little girl to knit back together. She felt Nora kneel down next to her. Kerr took his post on the other side of Hadley’s body. He leaned down and listened to her chest.
“She’s alive. Her heart is beating. It’s faint, but it’s there. If we can get her awake, I can heal her,” Kerr told them.
For the first time since she’d been trying to get Hadley’s body to cooperate, she noticed that her daughter’s eyes were closed as though sleeping. She no longer had the terrifying death stare etched on her face.
Tahlia felt a surge of hope rush through her body. It was almost as though her true purpose had renewed within her. Now that Hadley was alive again, Tahlia couldn’t use her abilities.
As difficult as it was for her, Tahlia had to focus on Thatcher. She went to him and examined his head. He would be awake soon, and she had to figure out how to get him to see that there was still hope so he could safely release his anger.
Nora came up to her and helped her prop Thatcher up.
“We need to get Hadley and Thatcher back to the house,” Nora told her gently.
Tahlia had a flash of a memory and remembered seeing Nora fly off the building. She reached over and pulled Nora into a fierce hug.
“Are you alright? What happened?” she questioned as she held her at arms-length and looked her over.
