Merciless

by Robin Parrish

  "Yeah, tell me about it," Lisa said under her breath.

  "Quiet!" Payton hissed, his sword drawn and ready. He was looking outside through a small gap in the curtains behind a smallish front window.

  Everyone fell silent.

  "What is it?" Alex whispered.

  "The Easter Bunny," Payton whispered, without turning from his post.

  "Attitude, now? Really?" she shot back.

  "I said quiet!" he seethed.

  Ethan joined him at the front window, looking out to the distant right. There was a bit more light in the dusk outside than the tiny, darkness-filled room. His sharp eyes focused on something in the distance.

  "Is that-?" Ethan asked.

  "It's Cornelius," Payton replied, referring to the elder British statesman of the Upholders of the Crown. "He's not aware of us yet, but the search pattern he's using will lead him straight to us."

  Daniel thought back. Cornelius could force others to think about whatever he wanted them to think about. It would be a simple matter for him to subdue them; he would simply distract them all with thoughts of flowers or chipmunks or something, until Oblivion arrived.

  "We have to move," Payton whispered. "Now."

  "Where?" Daniel asked.

  "Whole town's crawling with them," Ethan added, nodding in the other direction.

  Daniel joined them at the window. He followed Ethan's gaze and saw another shadow sweeping through the street, this one much farther away, but also moving in their direction.

  The journey to a safer location deeper in the maze of houses nearly ended in disaster. With Payton leading them through the darkness, they almost crossed paths with three different Ringwearers. Each time Payton broke away from the group to create subtle diversions elsewhere that would draw away the danger, so the rest of the group could continue moving.

  When they finally reached a more secure hideout, Payton was nowhere to be seen, but before the last of them could step inside he appeared at the rear of the line and followed them in.

  "Mrs. Edeson isn't far, but she's moving in a different direction," he replied. "Stay put and stay quiet. I'm going to grab her."

  Ethan stepped forward. "Can I lend a hand?" he asked eagerly.

  49 No."

  Ethan recoiled slightly. "But I could-"

  Payton was already gone, in as long as it had taken Ethan to blink.

  Alex felt significantly better, now that Hector had had a chance to help her. His hand had lingered on her flesh longer than his usual brief touch, his eyes closed tight in concentration, but once done, her pain vanished and her strength had fully returned. The skin over her stomach and right arm were permanently scarred; there was nothing he could do about that.

  She retrieved cloths from the small bathroom, ran them under cold water, and brought one out into the living room for everyone. Most everyone placed the cool cloths on their foreheads or the backs of their necks to cool off. Ethan and Tucker wiped the greasepaint from their faces.

  Alex found a broken menorah in the closet bathroom. She saw no stand for the yard-long candelabra, but she thought it might be useful nonetheless. Along with the menorah, she found a bottle of oil and a matchbook, so she lit the tiny cups of oil at the end of each branch. She found the floor stand out in the living room.

  The glow it created gave them enough light to move about safely, while still dim enough not to attract any outside attention.

  In what seemed like no time at all, Payton reappeared. Alex stopped what she was doing, as did everyone else.

  Rather than carrying Mrs. Edeson, he was guiding her with his arm around her shoulder, though she was quite capable of walking under her own power. While clearly freed from Oblivion's influence, she had a wild look in her eye and repeatedly tried to yank herself from his grip. Her refined, tailored attire had seams that were falling apart, bits and pieces of it hanging in slivers from her slight frame. Her makeup had long since worn off, and like everyone else in Oblivion's service, she desperately needed food, water, and a shower.

  But none of this explained the crazed way she was wrestling to pull away from Payton.

  "Get your hands off of me!" she shouted in a blind rage.

  "Shhhh!" Alex, Daniel, and Lisa all said at once. Even Hector motioned at her with a finger over his lips.

  "It's all right," Payton replied. "They're leaving, resuming course toward Jerusalem."

  "And every minute we waste, the farther away they get, don't they!" Mrs. Edeson cried with a savage furor.

  "What's going on?" Alex said, asking the question that was on everyone's minds. Even Nora rose from her incline on the couch to sit up and listen closely.

  "We have to go back for him! NOW!!" she screamed.

  "Who?" Alex responded.

  "Ryan, of course!"

  "Who's Ryan?"

  Mrs. Edeson froze, recognition dawning in her eyes. "I never identified him by name to you, did I? Ryan is the young man from our group-the Upholders."

  "But," Daniel interjected, "what's the rush? Let's formulate a plan for taking on Oblivion first, then we can track him down inside Jerusalem ..."

  "No!" Mrs. Edeson cried. "I will not leave him to suffer under Oblivion's thumb, all alone. He won't understand what's happening. He may never recover as it is ..."

  "No, Daniel's right," Alex said. "Let's figure out our next move, then we'll look for your friend first thing when we get to Jerusalem-"

  "You people are not hearing me!" Mrs. Edeson shouted, frantic. "I will not help you unless we save Ryan! Right now!"

  Silence filled the room.

  "Why? What's so special about this boy?" Daniel asked.

  "He's my SON!!" she bellowed, tears pouring from her eyes. "Ryan is an autistic savant-he can't have understood what's been happening to him all this time in Oblivion's enslavement, and I fear the damage already done could be irreversible! Please ... He's my son..."

  Alex was stunned, and by the looks of everyone else, the others felt the same way.

  Potential Ringwearers had always been selected at random by the Secretum. Grant's grandfather told him that the Ringwearers were chosen because they were the outcasts or forgotten members of society. They were the ones no one would miss.

  They never knew one another prior to becoming Ringwearers. As such, there were no two members of the same family among them. Until now.

  Payton spoke up. "Ryan's Ring allows him to combine the powers of other Ringwearers."

  "So we would want him on our side before we face Oblivion," Ethan summed up.

  "All right," Alex heard her confused voice say. "If we're going to rescue your son, then we have to go right now, before they get any farther away."

  "That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Mrs. Edeson cried in exhaustion.

  Hector got to his feet and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, healing her cuts and bruises and the exhaustion hiding beneath her adrenaline-fueled frenzy to save her son.

  "Three groups. We'll need two distractions this time," Payton said, clipped and precise. "We used one last time; Oblivion won't be fooled the same way twice. So they'll ignore our first group and pursue the second, while the third group sweeps in and grabs the boy. And someone will need to stay here and watch ... that." He nodded in the direction of Devlin, who was facedown and still unconscious on the floor.

  "We'll stay," volunteered Lisa. "Daniel and I. We don't have powers; we wouldn't be much help to you anyway."

  Daniel appeared slightly surprised by this, but made no argument.

  Alex stood and the others followed her lead. "We'll be back soon."

  Everyone else, including Nora and Mrs. Edeson, made for the front door. Payton took up the rear, but as he was leaving he called out, "You'll want to bind Devlin. And for your own sakes, don't talk to him until I return."

  Daniel and Lisa talked quietly in the bedroom as they tore lengthwise strips of the bed linens to create makeshift ropes for tethering Devlin.

  He wanted to ask her about her
comment from before, about the two of them not having powers. Was there more behind this comment? Now that the remaining Rings had been found, they could have powers. Did she think they should?

  "Tell you what, now?" Daniel asked as he continued to tear the sheets. He decided to ease into the conversation, let her take the lead.

  They were at the rear of the house, seated on the edge of the bed, looking out a back window at the desolate surrounding geography. Like everywhere else, it had turned into a charred shadow of its former self. Despite this, Lisa was obviously enjoying this chance for a brief private moment between them.

  "A joke," Lisa repeated. She sat at his immediate left, tearing a bed sheet of her own by hand. "I know you live off in Danielville, always thinking about all your science-y stuff, but surely you're familiar with the concept of a punch line?" she teased.

  He threw her a smile. "I may have heard a joke or two over the course of my life."

  "Then tell me! And I promise to laugh no matter how bad you butcher it."

  "Oh well, thanks ..."

  "Come on, please?" she begged, somehow managing to mock and entice him at the same time.

  "Okay, okay," he said, finding it harder than ever to resist her. "Let me think ... Okay, I may not tell it quite right ... A group of dark-haired NASA scientists were joking one day about how dumb the blond members of their department were. A blond scientist overheard what they were saying and reprimanded them. After her scolding, one of them said, `You know, we sent twelve men to walk on the moon, and not one of them was blond.' She replied, `Big deal. We'll be the first ones to walk on the sun.' The other man responded, `Don't you think you'll get a little burned?' She talked down to him as she said, completely serious: `We'll go at night."'

  Lisa laughed-a little too hard, Daniel thought. It was a polite laugh. A pity laugh. But he couldn't bring himself to stop her. She had a brilliant smile.

  Thinking hard as her laughter subsided, he came up with another one. "Do you know what the rear end of a trilobite is called?"

  She replied, "If you're about to say a `trilobutt,' I will hurt you."

  He laughed, and she did the same. It was a great feeling.

  "You know," Lisa said, her face still smiling but her tone more serious, "I couldn't help noticing that you haven't volunteered to wear one of the unworn Rings."

  "Well, Ms. Hazelton," he said jovially, "it didn't escape my notice that neither did you."

  "I thought about it," she replied, noncommittal.

  "I really thought you might," Daniel said. "A few months ago, you wouldn't have hesitated. What happened? What changed?"

  She opened her mouth. Closed it. Studied him with a knotted brow.

  "I almost lost you," she said, her voice fragile. `Again."

  He nodded slowly, his suspicions confirmed. "London."

  "London. You almost died on me, for the second time in one year. It was frightening, but it's not really fear that's holding me back."

  "Then what?"

  It was the first time Daniel had ever seen her at a loss for words, grasping. But he wouldn't allow himself to rush her.

  She sighed, her eyes darting back and forth. "When I was in college, after my dad passed away, before we met, I just ... I, uh ... I never found anyone I wanted to let into my life. When I met you, it wasn't that I let you in my world-I wanted into your world. Heart, body, and soul. I let myself start to care about you. And then you got hurt. Those guys beat you and left you for dead, and it felt like it had been done to me. It changed things. The thought of losing you became painful. Unbearable. I knew that whatever happened to you, wherever you went or whatever you did ... I had to be there with you. No matter what.

  "If you want to wear a Ring and get yourself some superpowers, then I'll be proud to stand beside you and get some of my own. What matters to me isn't the powers. I just want to stand beside you. I want to be wherever you are."

  Daniel was smiling. He wasn't sure it was appropriate for such a tender moment, but he couldn't help it. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

  "Tell the truth," he said. "You want to see me be a superhero, don't you?"

  She smiled, sheepish. "I think I do. But then I think that if anything ever happened ... if I really did lose you ... I don't think I could keep breathing."

  Her last words came out as a whisper. The two of them paused for air at the same moment, and their faces came closer together. Daniel felt himself flush, but didn't take his eyes off of hers. They inched even closer. The hunger was upon him once more, how he longed to taste her ...

  Daniel's vision went bright white. Something hard had hit him on the back of the head. He clutched at his skull and felt blood oozing from the blunt force trauma.

  Lisa screamed, and Daniel's vision cleared just as the same object came down ready to hit her, but she ducked sideways, barely avoiding it.

  Daniel tried to get his bearings, but his reaction time had been reduced to a crawl, like slow motion. Finally he saw Devlin standing on the other side of the narrow bed, the menorah in his hand, ripped free from its base. The oil wicks had all gone out, and a few of the branching candleholders appeared to have broken off as they'd hit the side of Daniel's head.

  Lisa screamed again as Devlin dove at her.

  Daniel regained his wits enough to lunge at Devlin, whose age belied unbelievable speed and strength. Daniel managed to shove Devlin to one side, but Devlin kicked back with his feet and vaulted Daniel completely over top of him, sending him flying upside down into the nearby wall. Lisa roared and pummeled Devlin's head with her fists, but he backhanded her viciously and she slumped against the same wall as Daniel, out cold.

  Devlin reached down with both hands and grabbed Daniel by the legs. He spun in place, slinging Daniel like a rag doll, and flung him against the bed. Daniel's head crashed into the headboard with a crack, and he could only hope it was the bed that had made the sound.

  Devlin advanced on him, the menorah raised above his head, ready to strike. A rage in Daniel kindled. He needed to fight back. Lisa's prostrate form lay unmoving in his peripheral vision and he saw in his mind again how hard Devlin had hit her.

  Jaw gritted with savage intensity, Daniel let out a furious growl, sprung from the bed, and tackled Devlin, forcing the older man all the way to the floor. Before Devlin could get his bearings, Daniel landed two solid punches to the older man's face and felt satisfaction rising in his chest.

  Devlin grabbed him by the throat with both hands and squeezed as hard as he could. His air cut off, Daniel stopped hitting and began flailing at Devlin's arms, trying to get him to loosen his death grip.

  Think! What would Payton do? What would Ethan do?

  The answer came to him at once, and he brought both of his arms up between Devlin's and fanned them out. Devlin's hold was broken, but he kicked Daniel in the groin, and Daniel fell to his knees, the stars he'd seen only moments ago returning and bringing some friends along.

  Devlin stood and looked about for his candlestick as Daniel clutched helplessly at the pain in his groin.

  "Daniel!" Lisa screamed, coming to. She looked at Devlin, saw that he was holding something in his hands, and leapt to shield Daniel on the floor. She landed facing him on her knees, love and fear written in her eyes-

  -when the bottom end of the candlestick burst through her stomach.

  Lisa froze; Daniel flinched hard, every muscle in his body going rigid. Blood squeezed from the puncture, a trickle at first, and both Daniel and Lisa looked in disbelief at the ragged stem of the candlestick jutting from her abdomen. Then the blood began to flow quickly, and Lisa whispered Daniel's name as she fell forward into his arms. As she slumped, the weapon was pulled out of her.

  Daniel looked up just in time to see Devlin swinging the rod like a bat. He released his hold on Lisa and put up a hand to catch the candlestick right before it could hit him in the head. He grasped it hard and yanked it from Devlin's hands. He launched himself from the floor wordlessly, landing on top
of the other man. With the bloodstained menorah held wide in both hands, he pressed it down hard against Devlin's larynx.

  Devlin struggled, grunting. He punched Daniel in the face, but even as his head snapped around, Daniel was filled with rage and he never faltered, never allowed himself to be deterred from his task, pressing the golden stick down until the life was drained out of this vile excuse for a human being who deserved any and every pain that Daniel could visit upon him...

  "Daniel?" Lisa's weak voice called out.

  Devlin had just closed his eyes, passing out, when Daniel heard her voice. He let go of the menorah at once and returned to her.

  She was lying on her stomach, and he gently rolled her toward him, cradling her in his arms, on her back. Already he felt her blood soaking through his pants.

  "Hector!" he bellowed as loud as he could, knowing there was virtually no chance that any of his friends would hear him now.

  His heart was beating fast, he was wet and sticky and sweating, and Lisa's life was draining away ...

  "Daniel.. ." Lisa whispered.

  "Why did you do that?" he shouted at her. "Lisa!"

  He was at a total loss. He was so stunned, he couldn't even cry. "Why ... ?"

  She opened her tired eyes and focused on him, smiling even in her pain. "Silly scientist ... I told you already," she said. "The choice was mine to make. And I made it."

  Daniel looked around, helpless, desperate to do something, anything, to stop this from happening.

  "I'd do it again," Lisa whispered, her voice growing more and more faint with every word. "I would have never left your side. No matter what. I promised you when you were in the hospital I'd take good care of you. And I did, didn't I? Daniel?"

  "You did. You took care of me." His eyes and face were so wet, he could barely see her. "You always-"

  "I love you," she said, her voice fading. "I love you so much, Daniel."

  Daniel opened his mouth, but there were no words for what he felt. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be.

  "Do you love me?" Lisa asked, her voice down to almost nothing.

  "I-" Before he could finish the sentence, her chest slumped and her eyes fell closed.