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It was horrifyingly fascinating and he could tell, his eyes lit up like mine telling the story of when he came here before and met a Distinct, a Special but an animal. Apparently animals have purposes too, tasks to be fulfilled. This one happened to be a dog.

No souls or speaking brains but they were still important to influence and hinder people’s actions, lives and efforts. I laughed thinking how much my mom would love to hear that.

There was not much to tell him that he didn’t know about me, but I talked anyway. He asked me on certain days or events, questions like ‘What were you thinking when that happened’ or ‘What was your favorite part?’ or ‘Why did you do that?’.

I forgot sometimes that he couldn’t see my mind, badly as he wanted to. Now I knew I was grateful for that blessing. All those embarrassing kissing and touching moments where I couldn’t breath, all the times I thought worse of him, thinking he hated me. All the things I thought about him when he wasn’t around. Oh no.

Marissa pulled off the road suddenly, slamming on the brakes and forcing us to grab on to something to stay seated. The Jeep back end swerving in the dirt sending gravel flying.

Jeff looked puzzled. He had been trying to reach another Keeper this whole time. Nothing. Merrick would try on the way back.

“Why are we stopping?” Jeff asked coarsely.

“There.” She pointed at an open field.

“Ok. Where there? What?” Jeff asked tersely.

He clearly hadn’t completely forgiven her.

“I see some sort of...ditch or river? This used to be an old town out here a long time ago. Maybe it’s from that, I don’t know, that’s just what I see.”

“I got this,” Phillip chimed. “It’s a little
stuffy
back here anyway,” he said glancing at Merrick and I and jumping out before anyone could say anything, running.

“What? Wait!” Jeff called but immediately just shook his head and sat back forcefully.

We sat there for a few minutes, watching Phillip peruse the field.

Merrick had been very touchy feely with me, to my satisfaction. I wondered if it was because Phillip was there. I had stretched out in Phillip’s absence, my head leaned back on Merrick’s chest with my knees up in the seat. Merrick was rubbing little circles into my thigh with his thumb on my jeans.

Phillip waved to us, telling us to join him. At first I thought Merrick would insist on my staying in the Jeep, but no. He opened the door and pulled me out right behind him.

We all got out and started walking the field. The dead yellow grass was tall and scratchy on my flip-flopped feet. The weather had already begun to change. The sun had gone down and it was getting colder already. We couldn’t see what Phillip was looking at, but he was stunned, staring at the ground.

Merrick held my hand and the closer we got to where Phillip was standing, he pulled me farther and farther back behind him. I peeked around his arm to see what it was that had everyone so stunned silent.

It was a black skeleton.

A perfect set of bones laid out in order on the ground, but it wasn’t human, it was a Marker. You could see the thick wings on the sides very distinctively.

At first, I didn’t see the big deal. It was dead, just like they had killed the other one.

Merrick and Jeff stared at it like a puzzle for a long time. Finally the suspense was too much for me.

“Babe, what is it? What’s the matter?” I asked Merrick, Phillip shooting a quick annoyed glance at my term of endearment.

“This Marker was killed by something other than a Keeper or a human. The bones are here, which means it didn’t burn. That can only mean one thing. The Taker is hunting. He killed it by absorbing it like I told you before and left it here.”

Yes, now I saw. Hmmm. So he hunts. This just kept getting better and better.

The sun was going down, making the air chilled. I looked out beyond the cliff that Marissa had seen on the horizon. Goose bumps crept up from looking at the bones and thinking about what being absorbed had to feel like. Merrick’s arm tenses under my hand. I thought it was because he felt me shiver but then Marissa screamed sharply. I whipped around and saw it.

A lone Lighter.

The Lighter was standing between us and the car. Still. Motionless. When he finally moved he was so quick my eyes couldn’t adjust to keep up and then he slowed to a menacing pace. His black hair was curly and his black clothes baggy. He boots squeaked in the now cool and damp dead grass.

It had begun to rain, when I wasn’t paying attention. This was not the Taker I had seen, this was another Lighter.

Merrick told me to cover my ears in my mind and must have told Marissa and Phillip the same thing because they followed suit. ‘Fly me to the Moon’ hummed so loudly in my ears I could hear nothing else, muffled but still blocking the sound. I could see the Lighter was speaking as he inched closer to us.

Merrick was still standing in front of me, my shield. I didn’t like this. Could they fight a Lighter? Why, if they could, would an outnumbered Lighter just walk up to our group and ask for it then?

The Lighters lips moved again, I hummed a little louder as he inched even closer. I couldn’t take my eyes off him for some reason. He just looked so...evil. The body he was in was young and handsome. Some of the curls were coming across his forehead and came down a little past his ears in what would have been adorable before. He had a tattoo of a spider web on the side of his neck. He looked like some kinda cute Goth college kid but all that is displaced by how evil he looked now.

He danced around like he was chanting around a campfire. Then with a quick movement from Jeff he was behind the Lighter in a flash. It turned to him and Merrick, also in a flash. Merrick pulled me gently to the ground, holding a hand over me telling me to stay down in my mind.

Jeff looked for something to use, I assumed, to stab the creature like before. There was nothing, in the wide open field, just grass.

I saw Jeff changing tactics, flashing around in a circle, confusing the Lighter. His boot connected with the Lighters jaw and he fell back, feet over head.

Then the hail started.

Jeff ran over and put his foot on the Lighters hand, crushing it into the ground. They could only hurt each other by touch of the skin then, I realized.

He knocked Jeff’s feet out from under him with a swift kick to his calf and got back to his feet. I glanced over at Merrick and it was hard to believe all this had happened in just a few seconds.

The Lighter eyed us three on the ground and made his way over towards us.

Merrick was moving. He ran and grabbed the Lighters jacket back, slinging him over his head and down, backwards to the ground. It must be equally as painful to Lighters to touch the Keepers because, even though the Lighter could easily reach Jeff’s bare leg now, he didn’t touch him. He looked...scared.

It was strange to see these human faces so full of hate and loathing and yet so afraid at the same time. But...I thought they couldn’t fear? No emotion. Where Keepers have emotion, Lighters have none.

“Marissa! Phillip!” I yelled, making sure they were still ok.

She was holding her ears and couldn’t hear me. Duh. Phillip was too, but his eyes were closed. I began to crawl on my elbows towards Marissa, not easy while cupping my ears. I reached her and bumped her arm with mine, she let out a yelp and looked my direction.

I wished more than any other moment that I could have the Keeper’s mind talking thing, right then.

The hail falling wasn’t that big but still didn’t feel good pelting on our open and exposed spines and heads. I was shivering in my tank top.

I needed to rethink wearing tank tops out of the bunker. It never worked out.

The Lighter swung up and around in a twist to regain his balance and turned to us once again. I looked up and met his dark hateful gaze. He had the smallest twitch of a smile, I may have even imagined it. Then he blurred towards us and Merrick ran to jump in front of me, us. The Lighter stopped but continued to eye us and Merrick with deadly intent written all over his face.

He moved closer and more left and back a small bit, then wider left. I studied him and tried to figure out what the dance was for but when he quickly blurs to get past Merrick I saw that it was just a diversion.

I heard Phillip yell and Merrick looked back to see what was going on as did I.

When I looked back, Merrick was jumping directly in front of me as the Lighter made a swoop for my arm. He knocked the Lighter back but not before the Lighter did a roundabout up sending Merrick flying through the air at the same time the Lighter flew the opposite direction. The Lighter kicked him in the chest across the field the same time that Merrick hit him in the chest. Merrick landed with a very visible thump and skid that looked extremely painful.

I lost it and screamed for him, uncovering my ears for just a second before hearing Merrick’s voice in my head.

Keep your ears covered! I’m fine, honey. I’m fine.

Lies. Merrick’s breakable body lay on the ground at least twenty feet from us, him barely lifting his head to look at me.

I glanced at Phillip, still shutting out the world. When I looked back, Marissa was gone that quick.

Looking up to the Lighter, I saw he had her by the throat and was hanging her up in the air by it.

“Muse...” I heard the Lighter start to speak, a growl really, and I hummed as loud as I could and tried to think of something to do to help.

Marissa’s ears were uncovered, trying to keep him from choking her, attempting to swat at his face and scratch at his neck but couldn’t reach. She was barely holding her self up, trying desperately to hold on to his black long sleeves and gloved hands.

Her feet make contact a few times but it didn’t seem to phase him. Merrick and Jeff both ran over and access, trying to figure out what to do. Merrick had hobbled over, grabbing me and pulling me back behind him again. Marissa finally got a solid slap across the Lighter’s face.

Then all of a sudden, the Lighter dropped Marissa on her bottom to the ground. She rolled over choking and gasping.

The Lighter took off running through the field, full speed, a black blur. We all watched as he ran towards the cliff.

In one single bound he threw himself up in the air with his arms spread wide, like a high dive, and plunged into the ravine below from the cliffs edge.

I gasped in disbelief.

Why on earth would he do that? He couldn’t fly can he like a Marker?

Then one bright flash and thunder of lightning broke through the sky right through the ravine. What in the world was that?

I looked at Phillip and he too was stunned, having opened his eyes. Glancing at Marissa, I saw her holding her throat, rolling on the ground, coughing and gasping still. Jeff was checking on her, trying to examine her throat. Merrick was beside me, kneeling on the ground. I dropped down too.

“What was that? Lightning?”

I thought back and I hadn’t seen lightning since the moon disappeared.

“Yes. It was something that would look like lightning to you. When they die, the light from within them is dispelled. “Are you ok?” he asked me, but he didn’t look so good himself.

“Yes. Why did he do that?”

“Marissa,” he breathed painfully.

Then it hit me why she was swatting at him, more than just trying to connect a hit to release her, she was trying to touch him to will him to jump. The Muse’s wrath.

Then the hail stopped, it just sprinkled a light cold rain on my already wet and freezing body.

“Oh. Wait. Are you ok?” I remembered the kick Merrick had received and immediately ran my hands over him in search of injuries.

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

Pulling up his shirt I saw the huge boot size print and red purple mark over his ribs. I sucked in a breath through my teeth in agony for him. I touched it and he winced and groaned, but quickly stopped. He was a bad actor too.

“Oh! Merrick. Oh no. I think he broke your ribs. Does it hurt bad?” Stupid question I asked.

“I’m fine, honey.” He grabbed my face with a palm, reassuring me, but his face was not lying to me like his lips were.

I could see the unfamiliar-to-a-Keeper pain all over it. How much worse did pain feel to them, to someone who had never experienced it?

And then I remembered it was my fault.

“You did this for me, to protect me. Look at you.” I ran my hand ever so slightly and softly over his bruise. “You took this for me.”

“I told you I would do anything for you,” he said firmly, looking right at me. “It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about me. Let’s get you up and back in the car. You’re freezing.”

Glancing around I saw Phillip, still sitting. He hadn’t moved but had uncovered his ears and he was looking at us in disgust but I couldn’t conjure up any annoyance right then.

Marissa was breathing a little better. Jeff was helping her up and she was standing, leaning on her knees.

“Marissa? You ok?” I asked her, but I couldn’t leave Merrick’s side to physically check on her.

“I’m...ok...” she said between strained breaths.

She wasn’t though. You could see the bruises on her neck forming already. Those were definitely gonna be purple and yellow and not pretty.

Maybe that would get her some sympathy, and maybe everyone would stop being so cross with her about what happened with me.

Merrick’s breathing was strained. He tried to get up but could barely get to his knees, let alone to his feet. I realized there was no way I could lift him by myself.

Jeff was already walking back to the Jeep with Marissa, carrying her in his arms. She must’ve not been able to walk well. Looking at Phillip, I could tell he knew what I was about to ask. He waited, staring bemused. He was going to make me ask for his help, out loud.

“Phillip, can you help me with him please,” I asked, meeting his gaze, trying to not show the anger I felt for him.

“I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” he said softly, surprising me when I expected sarcasm.

He came over getting on the opposite side of Merrick. We lifted and Merrick yelped. I looked and saw that Phillip was grabbing around Merrick’s side to lift him.