Into the Dark

by Caroline T. Patti

  Slowly, Mercy lifts her head. Her brown eyes are dull, her hair a mess. She looks like she’s been through hell. She has. Clutching her side, Mercy rises from the chair and faces the guard. There’s no fear in her expression; it’s blank, cold.

  Stepping out from behind the guards, Isadora faces Mercy head on. Mercy doesn’t even flinch.

  “You look terrible, my dear,” Isadora says, feigning concern. “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll help you get cleaned up.”

  “No!” Ariana shouts.

  Isadora tilts toward Mercy and says, “It wasn’t really a question.”

  “What happens to them?” Mercy motions to where the three of us are standing. Her voice is gravelly and distant.

  “That’s not really your concern,” Isadora informs her.

  I start to force my way to her, but Mercy holds up her right hand.

  “Gage, I know what I’m doing.” She focuses her attention back to Isadora. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  Isadora’s left eyebrow arches and her lips curl into a curious smile. “I’m listening.”

  Mercy takes a deep breath and winces in pain. “Whatever it is you want from me, you can have it.” Isadora’s smile widens. “But you have to let them go.” Isadora’s smug smile disappears.

  Mercy stands up straighter. It has to be agony to do so, but she isn’t showing the strain on her face.

  “You have to let them go and let them live. They’ll live, they’ll die, they’ll cross over. That part of the deal is non-negotiable. They’ve suffered enough and they don’t owe you anymore.” Mercy’s tone is forceful.

  “No!” It’s a collective shout, one that comes from me, Nathaniel, and Ariana.

  Mercy ignores us. “Do we have a deal?”

  “You can’t trust her,” Ariana warns.

  “I don’t,” Mercy says. “So let me add this,” Mercy continues. “If you break our deal, if any harm comes to them or anyone else that I love, I’ll kill you. You and I both know that I can do it.”

  Isadora’s eyes light up. It’s unclear whether she’s angry, fascinated, delighted, or a combination of all three. “You and I are going to have such fun together.”

  “Do we have a deal?” Mercy asks.

  “Deal,” Isadora quickly says.

  Mercy walks slowly to the three of us. Neither the guards, nor Isadora protest. With her free arm she holds Ariana by the shoulder. Tears fill her eyes. “I love you. Say good-bye to Dad for me.”

  Ariana holds Mercy close, as close as Mercy allows, but Mercy quickly pulls back. She moves to stand before Nathaniel. His eyes are pleading and soft, full of love. She kisses him lightly on the lips and lingers there for a moment. I lower my gaze to the ground until I hope the kiss is over. When I look up again, Mercy is wiping his cheek and then she moves toward me.

  My heart thumps heavily in my chest and my ears begin to ring. This heartache is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Like a slow moving virus, the need to hold Mercy in my arms fills every inch of me.

  “Gage,” Mercy says softly. “I forgive you. I won’t ever hold any of this against you. I need you to know that.”

  A lump rises in my throat. I don’t know what to say.

  “Look out for Lyla and Jay for me. Keep them safe.”

  “I will,” I promise her.

  Mercy kisses my cheek. Her wet eyelashes brush against my skin and I know right then that I love her, that my love for her will last forever and that even if it takes me forever, I’ll find a way to get her back.

  Mercy backs away from us and is about to join the guards when Nathaniel bursts forward and grabs her. The guards react and lunge forward, but stop on Mercy’s command.

  “I love you,” Nathaniel says to Mercy. “I love you. Don’t do this. We’ll figure something out, please. Please!”

  “I love you,” Mercy replies. “I love all of you.” She looks to both Ariana and me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Mercy wriggles out of Nathaniel’s grasp. Her hand is the last thing he clings to and then he finally lets go.

  The guards sidestep and let Mercy pass. They fill in behind her so that we can no longer see her. Isadora gives us one last knowing look before she, too, leaves the room. The door bangs closed and the three of us are again alone and even more helpless than before.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Mercy

  With every step I take down the hall behind Isadora I steel myself a little more. I’m doing the right thing, the selfless thing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared. But saving my mother, Gage, and Nathaniel—that’s what keeps me moving forward. They’ve all done so much to protect me; they’ve risked their lives for me. It’s time to repay them.

  Isadora continues to lead the way down the long hall. Everything about this place is sterile and cold. From behind, Isadora very much resembles my mother. They are the same height, the same build, the same flowing hair, though Isadora’s is streaked with deep black against the brown, whereas my mother’s is auburn. Isadora has the appearance of a lovely woman, which gives a whole new meaning to the cliché—looks can be deceiving.

  Isadora leaves me in a room that contains one small table and a rusty chair. She doesn’t have to tell me what kind of room it is; I already know I won’t be able to breach out of it.

  When Isadora returns a few minutes later, she holds in her hand a syringe with a long needle.

  “Give me your arm,” she instructs.

  Hesitating for only a second, I decide not to let her see me sweat. I extend my arm in her direction and don’t flinch as she approaches. She grips my arm firmly and shoves the needle into my veins.

  Isadora pushes the plunger and my body is on fire, burning and burning and just when I’m about to scream, she retracts the needle.

  “It’ll take a few minutes,” she tells me.

  “What will?”

  She doesn’t answer me.

  “You can’t win this, Isadora. You should know that by now.”

  “I’ve been one step ahead of you the whole time. You’re sitting in that chair. I’ve already won.”

  I’m losing consciousness. With a heavy breath I force out a whisper. “Screw you.”

  And then she’s gone.

  Alone, I sink into the chair and put my head in my hands. Within seconds, I begin to feel strange, light headed and weightless. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I try to focus, to pull myself together, but it’s useless. The urge to sleep is beyond my control.

  When I open my eyes again, I’m home. My mom and dad are laughing in the other room and I go to join them.

  “Well, there you are, sleepyhead.” My mom’s voice is syrupy sweet. “Late night?”

  Thinking back, I can’t remember what I did the night before. “I guess.”

  My father sips his coffee and thumbs through the newspaper. “Eight dead at the shopping mall on Arden. Such a tragedy.”

  “Senseless killings,” my mother adds.

  “Is there juice?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

  “We have to talk about this, Mercy.” My father closes the newspaper.

  “Talk about what?”

  “You can’t go on like this, not if you want to live here,” he tells me.

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  My mother walks over to my father and puts her hand on his shoulder. “We thought we’d be able to handle this, you working for Isadora, but we can’t do it anymore. You have to go.”

  Shocked, I try to defend myself. “But I did this for you, to save you.”

  “And while we appreciate that, honey,” my dad pauses to take a sip of his coffee, “we don’t think it’s necessary that you live here. We wouldn’t want the police tracing this back to us. Your mother and I have careers to think of, lives to lead.”

  “But I’m your daughter!” I yell. “You can’t just kick me out onto the streets.”

  “Mercy, there�
�s no need to shout,” my mother scolds. “We understand the pressure you’re under, we really do.” My mother and father exchange a look. “But you made your choice and now you must deal with it.”

  I’m horrified by their words and lack of compassion. I can’t believe what they’re saying to me. They’re my parents, the people who gave me life and they’re casting me out like garbage. All the sacrifices I’ve made, all the deeds I’ve done for Isadora are to protect them, to ensure that they and everyone else that I love can lead a normal life. Was it all for nothing?

  “This wasn’t my choice,” I say. “I had to do this! Isadora would’ve killed us all. You have to know that.”

  “Mercy, you could’ve been Isadora’s downfall, but you didn’t even try,” Mother says.

  I wait for them to laugh, to tell me that this is all a practical joke, but they just stare at me. My parents, the two people I love most in the world are discarding me without so much as a single tear. There’s nothing left to say to them so I start to leave.

  “Oh, Mercy, honey,” my mother calls after me. “Don’t forget your body.”

  “My what?”

  “Your body, honey.” Rising from his chair, my father walks over to a closet that hadn’t been there moments before and from it withdraws my body, like he’s taking a coat off the hanger.

  The skin is grayish, zombie-like, with sores and scabs scattered about the arms and legs. The head is limp, the hair unwashed, greasy and tangled, in desperate need of a deep conditioning.

  “That’s my body?” I ask in disbelief.

  “It’s more like a skin suit at this point. Such decay,” my mother tsks. “Not really worth the deal you made, is it, dear?”

  This is the body Isadora gave me? I gave up everything for this? No way!

  “No! No! No! No!”

  Someone jostles my shoulder, but I continue to shout, “No!”

  I shake again and this time I hear, “Mercy? Can you hear me?”

  Though I want to wake up, to answer whomever it is that calling me, I can’t seem to climb out from under the haze. Like swimming through a swamp, the bottom pulls me under as I struggle for the surface. I’m weighted down with something, heavy clothing or maybe I’m wrapped in blankets.

  My eyelids flutter. My eyes are sensitive and burn at the edges as if they haven’t been used in a very long time. The pounding in my head is enough to make me drift back to sleep, but someone keeps calling to me and I know I have to stay awake.

  My throat is impossibly dry and scratchy. I can’t answer right away, but eventually I cough out, “Water.”

  Someone slides a straw between my lips. Water pools in my mouth, clean and yet also painful as it wets the back of my throat. It’s like swallowing needles.

  “Let’s sit her up,” someone says. It sounds like Nathaniel, but I can’t be sure.

  Several hands adjust themselves around me and hoist me into a sitting position. Unable to maintain being upright on my own, I lean into whomever is closest to me.

  Languidly, my eyelids open and close until they remain open and I’m able to see the room around me. I nestle against Nathaniel with Gage and my mother standing across from me.

  “Mom?”

  She rushes forward. “I’m right here, baby.”

  Speaking takes much more effort than I anticipate and leaves my breath shallow and uneven. “What happened?”

  Nathaniel holds me tightly against his chest. “We’ll explain everything,” he tells me. “You need to rest.”

  I try to protest, but I can barely move. Every part of me is so heavy. A prickling sensation begins at my toes and moves up my legs and into my stomach, across my chest and down my arms. I flex my hands and the joints crack as I stretch. Nathaniel eases his hold on me to give me space to move around.

  “I feel so strange.”

  “Mercy, please, rest,” Nathaniel urges me.

  But I don’t want to rest. I want to move around, to unclench. “Help me,” I tell him as I struggle to get to my feet.

  My mother and Gage both moved forward looking as if they’re worried that I might collapse at any minute.

  With my feet on the ground, I feel firmly rooted, connected. I know exactly what has happened to me.

  I am back in my body. I’m in my bedroom. I’m home.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Gage

  A twinge of jealously bites me as Nathaniel wraps his arms around Mercy’s waist. He holds her steady as she gingerly steps forward. Mercy’s muscles are limp and tired from inactivity, though we’re lucky that atrophy didn’t fully kick in while she and her body were separated.

  There are so many things I want to say to her, want to ask her, but I bite my tongue for the time being. Not wanting to overwhelm her or scare her are my two top priorities. Mercy and I will discuss everything once I know that she’s adjusted to being back in her body.

  This is what we all wanted, to return Mercy to her body. Unfortunately, we weren’t expecting to pay this kind of price. When all is said and done, there’s still much to worry about, namely the deal Mercy struck with Isadora. But there will be time for that worry later.

  “How do you feel?” Ariana asks Mercy.

  “Heavy.” Mercy shuffles farther with Nathaniel’s assistance. Watching him guide her I am, again, struck with a pang of envy.

  “She let you go?” Mercy asks.

  “That’s the deal you made,” I remind her.

  Mercy’s expression changes. Wrinkles crease her forehead as she pulls in her bottom lip.

  “You need to rest,” I tell her.

  Mercy shakes her head, a look of defiance spreads across her face. “I’m strong enough.” Her legs wobble, betraying her.

  Ariana and I both lunge forward, but Nathaniel helps her before we can reach her. Mercy leans into him for only a second before she again takes a firmer stance.

  Straightening her spine and cracking her neck, Mercy stands to her full height. Though she looks a bit war torn, she’s still quite beautiful. Her hair is full and soft with brown waves that hang about her shoulders. Her cheeks are rosy again, regaining their natural color. Her pink lips and brown eyes invite me in. For a moment I am completely lost in thoughts of her, of her and me together, hand in hand.

  Stop!

  “We still don’t know yet what Isadora’s plan for Mercy is. It wouldn’t be smart to act before gathering information.” It’s easier for me to act the part of the Hunter, the soldier.

  “I know what her plan is,” Mercy says. “And I know how to stop her.”

  “Did she tell you something?” Nathaniel asks. “Because you can’t believe anything she says. It’s all lies.”

  “She didn’t tell me anything,” Mercy tells us. “I just know.”

  Ariana wedges herself between Mercy and Nathaniel and ushers Mercy down the hall and into the living room. Nathaniel and I follow.

  “I’m going to make us some tea,” Ariana says once she’s lowered Mercy onto the couch and covers her with a blanket.

  “Mom, I’m not sick.”

  “You’re not exactly well, either. Let me take care of you. It’s been so long.” Ariana’s voice falters. She bends forward and kisses Mercy on the forehead.

  When Ariana is out of the room, Mercy wriggles out from beneath the blanket. She’s still struggling to breathe, as if she’s forgotten that being in a body necessitates oxygen. She labors for a few more seconds and says, “We’re going to destroy The Assembled.”

  Neither Nathaniel nor I move. We’re both waiting for the punch line. But it doesn’t come. Mercy is serious, and seriously delusional.

  “That’s impossible,” I say. “You can’t destroy The Assembled.”

  “Gage is right, Mercy. Taking on Isadora is one thing, but The Assembled? It can’t be done.”

  Mercy smiles weakly. “I thought the same thing. I thought that everything was hopeless, but then I had this strange dream.”
r />   “You had a dream?” I ask her.

  “Isadora injected me with something and I don’t remember what happened after that, how she put me back into my body, anything. I was in a room and then I woke up here.”

  Nathaniel and I say nothing. We wait for her to breathe, for her to continue.

  “In the dream, Isadora betrayed me. I went to work for her even though she lied to me and my parents tried to kick me out of the house.”

  So far, her dream doesn’t tell me anything about how she plans to take on The Assembled. I’m trying to be patient and let her finish.

  “My dream parents kept talking about my choice, how I chose to work for Isadora when I could’ve chosen differently. And they’re right. I can choose differently. I don’t have to keep my deal with Isadora.”

  “I’m not sure I’m following you,” I say to Mercy. Judging by the look on Nathaniel’s face, he isn’t following her either.

  “I’m the one, the one to end it all.”

  Mercy lets the words hang there out in the open for Nathaniel and me to soak in, for us to try and interpret the underlying meaning.

  “Mercy, you’ve been through a lot, but let’s be reasonable,” Nathaniel tries, but Mercy waves him off.

  “Think about it,” she says. “Why would Isadora come after me so vigilantly? Do you really believe it was all about revenge? That she’s just a scorned lover?”

  Mercy has a point. Isadora is going to a lot of trouble if her only goal is to get back at Nathaniel.

  “This isn’t about Nathaniel, and it isn’t some sick game she’s playing. She doesn’t want me to find out the truth about myself, about what I can really do. But I found out anyway and I know what I have to do now.”

  Before I can stop myself, I ask, “What do you have to do?”

  Mercy looks directly at me and without faltering says, “I’m going to breach The Assembled. And then I’m going to kill each one of them.”

  She’s crazy. Something is seriously wrong with her. Breach The Assembled? It’s insane! It can’t be done. The Assembled cannot be breached because they are not human, they are not susceptible to such things.