Redemption (Night Marchers #2) Written by: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels

by Nuckels, Courtney

  A thick fog rolls across the ground blocking my view of the footprints. I force myself to look up ever so slightly to check for the end of the procession. I know what will be at the end: Kai. I can see the ancient battle gear and the eerie ghostly tint of the soldier’s muscles that wear it. They march stoically in rows alternating men and women soldiers.

  The weapons they carry are far from apparitions though. I know for a fact that they are very real and the glare of the metal tip of a spear sends a shudder through my body. I look up from the spear to the arm of the Night Marcher who carries it. The black ink of Kai's tattoo still stands out dark as night. My heart starts pounding, not entirely with fear though, more so with excitement. I force my eyes to look up now and I see his face. His beautiful face. I knew that I missed him but I had no idea how much. It's as if my heart leaps with joy at the sight of him and my body feels overwhelmed and excited in anticipation of touching him. I run towards him, but he doesn't turn to me. He keeps marching, eyes forward, focused intently on the back of the head of the soldier in front of him.

  "Kai!" I yell out his name. I don't know if any of the other Night Marchers have turned to glare at me, I keep my eyes focused on him and him alone. He doesn't turn, but I can see his jaw clenched tight. Against my better judgment I run towards him.

  "Kai!" I say out of breath from the sprint. I'm so close to him now that I can touch him. I reach out and grab at his arm. It's cold yet my hand doesn't pass through it like I would envision it would, being that he's basically a spirit. He still doesn't look towards me. Why won't he look at me? "Kai!" I yell in his ear and yank his arm so hard that his step falters and he can't help but look at me.

  My breath catches and my arm drops from his as he stares at me, stepping away from the procession. He looks just like I remembered but different still. There is an eerie gleam to his skin that reminds me that he's not human anymore. His eyes are no longer completely grey. They are flaked with black specks starting at the pupils and heading outward. I shake my head as tears start filling my eyes. I'm too late!

  "Emma." He says through gritted teeth. I look back into his eyes, hopeful when I hear him recall my name.

  "Yes, Kai, I'm here. It's going to be okay. We will get you out I promise!" I say as tears spill down my cheek. I grab at his arm to try and drag him away with me, but he stands firm as if he's made of stone.

  I look up into his eyes pleading with him to come back to me. As if the reminder of what we have together could free him from this eternal solitude that he's been condemned to. I don't know if I am just wishing for it, but I think I register a slight softening around his eyes. He's still in there! It was only for a brief flash of a second until his features harden and a look of anguish succumbs him.

  "Em-ma." He says my name painstakingly so, as if it takes an overwhelming strength for him to force out the two syllables. The muscles in his body tense up almost to a point of which I think they might explode from within him. He stares at me and as if I'm hypnotized by his eyes, I stare back unable to look away even when it gets uncomfortable.

  "R-un" He says through gritted teeth.

  Run? I register a slow movement in my peripheral vision and realize that it's his arm moving, the one with the spear!

  "R-u-n!" He says forcing the word out of his mouth. With his teeth clenched, a look of pure torture overtakes him.

  Pulling my gaze from his might be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I do it just as he takes his first step towards me. He looks like he's trying to advance against a hurricane. Every movement is counteracted with his suppressed will not to hurt me. He's fighting it! It's a good sign, but he's not strong enough. His hand slowly pulls the spear to where it's pointing at me now.

  "Pl-ea-se!" He says urgently, eyes fixated on me.

  Tears well up knowing that he can't hold back, he's fighting with all he's got, but he can't stop it. He can't stop the urge to try to kill me. I turn and run from him. I run as fast as I can into the forest and through the trees. I trip a few times but I pick myself back up. I can hear the snapping of tree limbs and foliage behind me. Kai is pursuing me! My heart starts pounding as I realize that this is a very real threat. He might not be able to hold back, I've struck a curse that I can't undo this time.

  I don't know when I decided to do it, but I stop dead in my tracks. Something tells me that this is the only way. This is the way it should have been. Kai is a Night Marcher because of me and right now, I have a way to save him. If he kills me, I will switch places with him, freeing him from the prison I condemned him to.

  I force myself to turn around slowly, my body is shaking like a leaf. My brain is telling me to run, but I'm fighting against it. I see the flame flicker behind a tree in front of me. It's time. I drop to my knees as Kai steps out from the cover of the tree. His eyes plead with me to run, but I just shake my head and look away tears overflowing.

  I hear him take a step, then another one. Each step takes several seconds. I know he's trying to fight it, but he can't help it.

  "Itt's okkay." I manage to stutter out. I close my eyes and a moment later I'm sailing through the air. At first I don't realize what's happening but when I open my eyes, I see the landscape flashing past me upside down. The blood is rushing to my head making me disoriented and dizzy. I try to use my stomach muscles to sit up but it's no use. I realize that I'm hanging over someone's shoulder in a fireman carry as they run wildly away. I have no idea who that someone is.

  I crane my head when I hear running feet behind us. Kai! He's chasing us. His face is contorted with anger now. His spear raises and I shut my eyes tight. If this is how it ends, I don't want to see it. A conch shell blows and I look up just in time to see him as he's pulled backwards away from us. It looks as if he's being sucked up into a vacuum. I look into his eyes, which only a moment ago showed anger, now they show worry and panic. I continue to watch him, straining my neck until I can see him no longer.

  The person who's carrying me stops and sets me down none to gently. The blood rushes back down my head from the sudden movement and I fight the urge to fall flat on my butt. I look up expecting to see Tristan. Nothing could have surprised me more. In front of me stands a very angry Kao.

  The stark resemblance to Kai makes me cringe until I look into Kao's obsidian eyes. The evil that once was there, as a Night Marcher still remains as one of his most striking features. I can’t help but stare. I should be scared. I should run. But, for reasons I cannot say, I don’t. I just stand there and stare at him, feeling numb from all the emotions that came with Kai trying to kill me.

  Kao is the first to move. I can see his chest rise and fall as he catches his breath. I hear him clear his throat as though he is about to speak to me. “Are you alright?” He asks me, his face contorting to one of concern.

  No other expression from him could have surprised me more. I want to hate him. I want to be mad at him, but for some reason unbeknown to myself I’m suddenly not. I don't know if it's because I just saw Kai try to kill me, or what. He fought it with all he had and I did technically get away, but he still tried never the less. The urge to kill me was ingrained in him he had no choice, I think, trying to convince myself. Perhaps seeing this happen with Kai is what strikes this small bit of empathy for Kao. I'm not sure. “Yeah, I’m fine,” is all I can muster. I feel like I am treading thin ice here and have no idea what to say or do.

  “Come on, let’s get you inside.” Kao reaches out and grabs my hand not so gently, leading me away. I have no idea why, but I don’t question it, or try to pull away. I just let him lead me, as if I am helpless and blind. I close my eyes for a moment and pretend that it's Kai leading me away to safety.

  After several minutes of hiking through a non-existent trail Kao makes a turn heading towards a large pile of boulders that must have crashed down from above. He looks at me for the briefest of seconds and then turns his head back around weaving us through the undergrowth and trees. We walk for what seems like twenty minutes, still hand in
hand, until we finally push through into a clearing. It’s not just any clearing though; Kai’s tree house looms up above us.

  I stare up at it and then back down at Kao. It seems like my body is magnetically charged to attract trouble; I just can’t seem to escape it.

  Thoughts of Adam and the Menehune's begin flooding my mind as I look at all of the intricate architecture and woodcarvings that illuminate before me. They definitely left their mark on this place.

  Kao leads me gently along a trodden dirt path until we reach the stairs that lead to the main house. My heart starts pumping now, as if I just realized that I'm alone with a man who could very well be dangerous. I feel like I’m playing with dynamite. I wonder if Kao is going to hold me prisoner, or if I’ll be treated as a guest. I start ascending up the stairs anyhow since Kao is still leading me by the hand. I make it halfway to the top, when the wood step I'm standing on breaks, sending my foot right through it. I hear my pants tear and feel the sting of the wood slicing into my leg as I lose my balance and fall half way through the broken stair. In mid-fall I tighten my grip on Kao’s hand instinctively dragging him down with me. I’m in utter shock as I dangle nearly twenty feet above the ground. I’m in such utter dismay I can’t even breathe. The only thing that is holding me up is the fabric of my pant leg that's caught on the edge of the stair after ripping halfway up my calf and of course Kao’s hand. I look up seeing Kao’s black eyes staring back at me through the missing slat. He grabs my arm with his other hand and begins to pull me up. I continue to hold my breath when he picks me up and carries me the remainder of the way. We reach the top of the stairs and I let out a big exhale when he sits me on one of the benches that line the porch section of the tree house. I begin feeling the blood trickle down my leg as the adrenaline wears off. In the light of the moon it’s hard to see what my leg is really up against. Out of the corner of my eye I see Kao digging in a satchel, as he retrieves a flashlight. He fumbles with it for a moment before a bright beam of light shines directly in my eyes. I flinch and instinctively cover my eyes as Kao points the beam in a more downwardly direction. When the light first hits my leg, I cringe at the sight. A twelve-inch gash is running the length of my leg revealing a significant amount of blood flowing from it. The sight of it makes me woozy so I have to look away. I catch Kao taking off his shirt as he rips pieces of material from it, tying it in pieces around my leg. I try not to look at him, but I have a hard time averting my eyes. The similarities between Kao and Kai are so striking it sends an uncomfortable pang through my body. They even have similar tattoos. I look closer at the tribal markings on Kao's shoulder that run along his chest and over his heart. It could just be my mind playing tricks on me, but the edges of the tribal designs on his tattoo look more jagged and sinister than Kai's. A shiver runs up my spine and I promptly look away.

  Once Kao gets the 'bandages' secured around my leg, the intense pain becomes a dull and nagging throb.

  “Can you walk?” Kao asks me hesitantly pulling me to my feet. I test out my leg and stumble slightly. Kao takes that as his cue to fasten his arm around me to help me get inside. He opens the door and illuminates the tree house with his flashlight. It’s just as I remembered it from the one time Kai took me here. The wooden walls, log cabin style, sparsely decorated with only a few furnishings, one of these including a small cot with a table sitting next to it. Kao helps me to the cot and removes his arm from around my waist. I sit down and watch as he moves around the tree house getting matches to light the lantern. It’s eerie to me how well he knows this place, as if he’s been here before. I watch a flame come to life as he lights the lantern. More light begins spilling around the small, enclosed room. A feeling of Déjà vu fills me as I remember how not too long ago I sat in this very room with Kai, healing from a broken leg.

  I watch as Kao silently, but methodically begins making me something to drink. For the first time I notice a small cooking area with a single gas burner. There is a basin that is beside it with a waterspout looking like an archaic sink. Kai returns several minutes later with a cup of steaming tea.

  “Careful, it’s hot,” he warns. I lean in to take a few sips noticing the similar taste between the one I have now and the one Kai had given me previously. The only thing missing is the single berry at the bottom of the cup. I take a few more sips of the hot tea and set it beside me on the bedside table to let it cool. I lean my head back against the wall, struggling to not give into the pain that radiates down my leg. Thankfully, it doesn’t feel as bad as it looks. Kao brings a chair over to me and sits.

  “You know, you look just like her.” I hear Kao say, barely above a whisper.

  I let out a small breath of air and purse my lips. I’m not really sure what to say to this. I drop my eyes and look at my hands. The dirt has made its way under my fingernails giving them a dingy, filthy look.

  Sitting in the silence finally gives me the opportunity to think. I can’t for the life of me figure out why on earth I am sitting here not freaking out. Kao should put me on edge, but yet he’s giving me no reason to mistrust him in this instance.

  Before I have more time to make a list in my head of why I should hate Kao he begins to speak. “My brother and I use to be very close.”

  My eyebrows turn in, and he must notice the confusion on my face. This goes against everything that Kai told me. According to Kai, Kao killed his fiancé Heleya because of a jealousy between the two, practically since birth. Apparently, Kao was older, but because the Chief found evil in his heart, he chose Kai to lead the tribe after his death. This in turn caused Kao to plot to destroy Kai’s life, taking away anything and everything he loved. I feel Kao’s eyes staring at me and I look up unsure of what to say.

  Kao begins to fill the silence again. “I’m not sure what Kai has said about me, but I’m not the same person I was when I was younger. I’ve had a lot of time to think over the years…” his voice trails off as I can see him remembering what it must have been like being trapped as a Night Marcher. “I just wish I could apologize to Kai for everything I had done when we were younger. I wish I could take it all back.”

  I’m not sure what I had expected Kao to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. "Well you can't." I say boldly staring at him dead on. I feel like I need to speak up for Kai. This man in front of me hurt him and betrayed him.

  Kao holds my stare for a few uncomfortable moments and then says, "Yes. I realize that. I will work on making amends though."

  I look down, severing our eye contact and wonder how one could make amends for so much hurt.

  "Yes, Emma, I will make amends. That's why I was there tonight. I'm trying to find a way to free Kai from the Night Marchers."

  My head jerks up to look into his eyes. I study them trying to read to see if his confession is true. Is he really trying to help Kai?

  He continues, "I didn't expect to see you there though, but I know that Kai would have wanted me to help you. You are very special to him, I can tell."

  The way he says the last part makes me feel uneasy and something inside me tells me that I shouldn't confirm anything to Kao. "He helped me, we were friends. That was about all." I say trying to add a blasé tone to my voice.

  "Hmm." He says tapping his fingers on his knee before he stands up and walks across the room. I watch as he pours some hot water into a bowl and grabs a clean cloth out of a cabinet. He walks back over and sits down next to me. "Lets get that wound cleaned up." He grabs my leg and props it up on his knee. I don't even think about my rapid healing until he's already unwrapped the makeshift bandages.

  He grabs the cloth, soaks it in water then rings it out. He puts the cloth to the clotting blood that covers my leg and starts wiping it away. I hold my breath and my heart starts pounding as I wait to see what will be underneath the drying blood. He wipes more blood away. The wound is still there, but it looks like it's closing up and nearly healed.

  He looks up at me confused. I dare to look into his eyes. We hold each other's stares sil
ently. He breaks the connection first and looks down at my leg and back up at me. This time, I see a look flash across his eyes ever so briefly, but it was there. The look was cunning and sly and it made my stomach roll with nausea. He couldn't know why I am healing so quickly, could he?

  He breaks the silence, "Well, it looks like the cut wasn't as bad as it had first appeared." He tries to say it nonchalantly but I can hear the slight hint of tension in his voice.

  I decide it's best to play along, "Yeah, it looks like it. Good deal." He gives me the once over which is my queue to change the subject. "So, what's the plan?" I hold my breath waiting to see if we can move on without him asking me any questions about my miraculous healing.

  "You are safe for tonight, so it's up to you. Do you want me to take you back to your friends?" He says still eyeing my leg.

  That's a good question. Going back to Tristan and Kaylee could very well put them in danger. If I stay away they will most likely involve the authorities because of my disappearance, which means that my dad will be informed that I’m here, and once again missing. That's absolutely not an option. I have put my father through more than enough to last him a lifetime. "We need to go back...Tonight."

  Kao looks up at me and raises his eyebrow in question. "You want me to take you back tonight?"

  I nod. It's my only option. I just hope that when I get back I won't find the whole area turned into a crime scene. Hopefully Tristan and Kaylee will have held out on contacting anyone, at least for one night.

  He eyes me again and then nods in confirmation. "Well then, I guess we should head out. Does your leg feel okay to walk on?"

  I guess it was too much too hope that my rapid healing had gone unnoticed with Kao. I shiver when I see him looking at my leg with greedy, hungry eyes. I can tell that his curiosity is peeked now. I feel like I’m walking on eggs shells; Kao is like a ticking time bomb. "Yes, it's fine. Like I said, it must not have been as bad as it looked." I stand up to prove the point and head towards the front door.