“Rolando. Where is Rolando?” cried the Rev.
“If he’s the one I killed in your bedroom, then that’s where he is,” I said. Then I said, “You’re absolutely sure that you want me to kill your daughter?”
He gave me a disbelieving look. “You played your part too well. You said it yourself, you’re a righteous man. Righteous men can’t kill in cold blood. Especially someone like my daughter.”
Damn it, but he was right. I’d played my part too well indeed. I’d never planned on his calling my bluff. I weighed my options as the four drew closer and closer. I snatched my K-bar from its sheath, and sliced away at the tape holding my hand on the weapon. I managed to cut myself doing it, so the tape soon became slick with my blood. But I was able to jerk free of the weapon at the last moment, pushing DeLorean into the oncoming four, while spinning behind the Cray and behind the Rev. I placed the bloodied edge of the knife against his neck and screamed, “STOP!”
And everyone did.
Everyone, except DeLorean, who’d fallen on the ground and was busily trying to free herself from the tape at her throat.
“What now?” asked the Rev. “Look around you. Do you think these people will let you out?”
“I was hoping some would. After all, ‘The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.’ That’s you, Rev. A tyrannical, evil man. To follow you is to go against the teachings of Ezekiel, of Jesus, and of God.” I felt the heat of a hundred eyes on me, but didn’t turn to look at any of them. “And remember, ‘blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children.’ Who among your congregation believes they are their brother’s keeper? You see, you can’t be both. You can’t be both a righteous man and someone who follows an evil man. That’s like the Ghostbusters crossing the streams. Bad shit happens.”
Then I did turn to look at the congregation.
“Come on. Do the right thing. Stop these people from killing us.”
And then it happened. Not everyone. But some. And those that didn’t made no move to stop those that did. Gently, the men and women around Amos and Steve rose from their places and grabbed them. They were too far away to hear, but they removed their weapons. Amos and Steve were nodding and soon took their seats.
Likewise, a wall of people rose up before me and those coming down the stairs. Again, conversation occurred in hushed tones and again, everyone sat peaceably.
“Come on,” shouted the Rev. “What are you waiting for?”
But the congregation remained silent.
“I think you have your answer,” I said.
I left the Rev and went to the cell door. It was held by a lynch pin, which I removed. Suzie stumbled out and into my arms.
A rope uncurled from the rafters and Crefloe slid down it and landed next to me.
“I was wondering where you were,” I said.
“I was here if you needed me. Seems as if you handled it well with your speechifying.”
“I might have handled it better if you’d been here.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Doubtful.”
He held out a hand to Suzie. “Will you join me for tea at the top?” he said, doing a poor imitation of a bow.
She looked at me and I nodded.
Soon they were climbing the stairs unmolested.
I went to the back of the cross and saw where the Cray was affixed. It took a few twists to release the chains, but they came free enough. Without the weight of the chains, the Cray fell to its knees. I went in front of it and saw the familiarity in its eyes. Something from somewhere was watching me through them. I took my K-Bar and held it before one of its eyes. It stared at me unblinking. Then I pushed the tip deep into its brain. I felt the tickling gradually vanish as the light left the alien’s eyes.
I glanced at the weapon in my hand and left it where it was. I turned, took one last look at the Rev then marched up the stairs.
It wasn’t until I got to the top that I heard DeLorean shout at the top of her lungs, “Tiberius,” and then bullets began to fly.
I whirled, and watched as DeLorean was in full seizure, her body bucking. Somehow she’d gotten the tape free from her neck and had my M4 aimed at her father. The onset of the seizure had caused her finger to convulse and pull the trigger. Whether she’d meant to empty the clip into her father, I’d never know… I didn’t want to know.
But she’d used our safe word.
We stood on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Behind us were several homes that had probably belonged to movie stars, or directors, or someone else who could afford the multi-million dollar views they offered. A slight breeze tickled our hair. I could feel moisture in the air from the spray of the crashing waves far below.
Crefloe had returned to Mother to give her our report. I’d gone onto the ocean with Suzie. She’d made her desire known and I’d felt that it might help her open up. In fact, along the way she’d promised that she’d finally tell me what had happened to her… what had happened to take a care-free life-loving girl and turn her into someone so broken she could only exist as a self-crafted construct. She’d been queerly sane since I’d rescued her from the Rev. I was frankly enjoying her company. It was almost like the time before.
She inhaled the salty air. “Being near the sea reminds me of my parents. They used to take me and my little brother to Torrance Beach. I loved to sit in the sand and let the water slam over me.”
I inhaled as well. I had similar memories, but mine were also mixed with memories of loving girls along the cliffs of San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes. We’d find someplace secluded and make love to the music of the waves.
“I know I promised to tell you what happened to me,” she began, her voice drifting off.
I turned to her. She’d definitely promised.
“But I realized that I don’t want to tell you.”
My eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Right now when you look at me, I’m the culmination of your memories of me. Of the good and the bad. Of when we dated and were happy and when I was insane, trying to turn my wish that you’d asked me to marry you into a reality.”
I wanted to argue with her, but her admission derailed my train of thought. “You wanted me to marry you?”
She nodded wistfully. “I gave you so many hints.”
“I’m a dolt when it comes to those.”
“Yeah, you really sucked at that. But in my mind, I believed it had happened. Ninety-nine percent of the time I was mad at you for leaving me, for promising to marry me and never doing it.” She pulled her hair out of her eyes from where the wind had teased it. “Then one percent of the time I actually knew the truth of it and whenever that happened, I scurried back into my crazy hole because it was so much better to have loved and been jilted than to have loved and not been loved in return.”
I turned to stare at the rocks. “I loved you as best I could. I just had to… had to return to my men. Return to the only job I’ve ever been good at.”
“Blowing shit up and breaking things,” she said, using the words I’d so often used to describe my daily activities. But she left one part of it out.
“And killing people.” I sighed. “Can’t forget that. Listen, Suzie, I’m sorry for everything.”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You came back for me. You were here when I needed you. I think being around you I felt more sane than any other time after…” Then she shrugged the nub of her missing arm.
“And you won’t tell me how it happened.”
“I don’t want that to define me.”