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Lifting him by his ribs.

We were standing and I was furious. This was stupid! Why intentionally hurt Merrick just because he was mad at me?

Jerk!

Buffoon!

As soon I saw Merrick was standing steadily, I released his shoulder and held his arm to steady him and shoved Phillip’s shoulder as hard as I could, stunning him with my gesture more than actually moving him. Of course no real damage was done. I think I moved back even farther than he did, with my puny excuse for a body.

“You did that on purpose you jerk! Just go back to the car, Phillip! I’ve got him,” I shouted.

“Whatever you say, sugar.”

“Ah! Go!” I yelled through my clenched teeth.

I put Merrick’s arm around my shoulders again and helped him as we walked. Phillip sprinted his way and sat in the back seat, watching us hobble back.

“Wow. That was so...sexy,” Merrick managed to get out through his heavy breaths, he was even smiling a little.

“What?” I ask puzzled.

What is he talking about? Did I miss something?

“You trying to defend me.” He chuckled but winced.

Aha. The human male in him finally made an appearance.

“Yeah, well, I wish I could have done more damage. He’s such a jerk! He knew what he was doing.”

“Yes, he did. He’s just angry at me for winning. He thought you would pick him.”

“What? What are you talking about?” I stopped him and looked up at him.

“He told me,” he said matter-of-factly.

“He did? When?”

“He had a ‘talk’ with me, more than once actually, and he explained why you should be with him instead of me. That he would be better for you and he was gonna make you see that,” he said, his voice strained.

“What?! That’s the...dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It was all worth it to watch you just now.”

The smile on his face was that of pure elation, no mockery.

“Shut up. You’re delirious,” I said smiling.

I couldn’t help but smile at his enjoyment of the situation.

Jeff ran back to help us, reaching to grab under Merrick’s other arm, as Phillip should have, to help steady the weight.

“Is Marissa ok?” I asked him not looking so we wouldn’t get off balance.

“Yeah. She will be. I’ll get Phillip to drive home so you’re not stuck with him in the back. What in the worlds was that about? I’ve never seen you hit anybody, Sherry.”

“He deserved it,” I said flatly.

I glanced over and saw he was looking into Merrick’s mind, seeing what he wanted, he smiled and started laughing.

“I see. Well, it’s nice to know that if I’m not here, at least Merrick’s got a bodyguard.” Jeff kept trying to stifle his laugh but, it just was not working.

“Ha ha. I can’t even protect my own puny existence, let alone anyone else,” I sulked.

“Worked didn’t it? What is it they say? It’s not the size of the fighter in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in-” he started with a very mocking playful tone so I ended it.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Jeff! Don’t you dare,” I yelled playfully. He still hadn’t stopped laughing. “I’m glad to see you finally got the humor thing down. Real funny.”

We were all laughing out loud. It was the very first time since meeting them, we all had a laugh about something together. Though, it was at my expense, and Merrick was making it worse by trying not to laugh because of the pain, and that in turn made Jeff laugh even harder, I was more than ok with it.

Those two were my family now and families laughed at each other.

I was amazed at the love pouring out of me for them, considering the strange string of today’s events. Amazed and overflowing.

Phillip was in the driver seat, looking at us like were nuts and Marissa’s face was not far from that, as we climbed in the back and headed home. Considering the events that had just transpired, I didn’t blame them for thinking we were strange, but I wasn’t about to explain myself to Phillip.

Marissa seemed like she didn’t care much anyway. She kept holding her throat and looking out the window the whole way home. I caught Phillip’s glare in the rearview mirror a couple times but looked away quickly and tried to focus on making Merrick comfortable for the ride home.

We didn’t stop for anything, no one tried to call any more Keepers. No one was sure of what a lone Lighter was doing out in the field either or why the Taker would be out there hunting, leaving the Markers skeleton for us to find. The mysteries kept piling up and it seemed to me, more day by day, that this was unprecedented.

Merrick, Jeff and the rest of the Keepers seemed to be just as puzzled as the rest of us lately.

Maybe things wouldn’t go like they thought, be different. Maybe things would work out, for our benefit. For now, I was gonna dream that just that could be possible.

Foe’s Folly

The past couple of days had been spent with me tending to Merrick and his bruised and broken ribs after our fight with the Lighter in the field. Merrick made out like I was fussing over him but I could tell he loved every minute of it. And I loved doing it. I loved taking care of him.

We didn’t have anything but over the counter pain medicine for him, but he seemed to not be too bad off. I massaged his shoulders and neck and arms daily, trying to relax him so he’d rest and sleep better, to which he moaned and sighed appropriately over. Even he couldn’t resist my massaging charms. Couldn’t really touch his ribs too much but I did what I could.

He was getting awfully pampered.

Between Mrs. Trudy making him peanut brittle, Jeff and everybody else checking on him constantly and my massages, which it seemed he’d grown rather fond of, he was getting entirely spoiled. I was grateful that he, even though it was pretty much forced on him, was accepting something for himself.

We spent a lot of time ‘resting’ in our closet of a room. Merrick said he needed the rest and I needed to be there to nurse him back to health.

I didn’t mind, of course I didn’t.

It was awfully hard though, trying to fit kissing embraces around his sore ribs but it made going too far impossible. Good for him because he didn’t have the strength to fight off my advances.

“You’re killing me, Sherry,” he would say as I kissed him none too easily and I’d apologize emphatically, which he’d brush off, laughing and pull me closer. Or, he’d say, “Honey, I think you’re seriously misunderstanding the duties of a nurse,” and then we’d chuckle.

Kay and Trudy had examined him and we all determined a couple of the ribs were broken but there wasn’t anything to do but wait for them to heal and rest with icepacks.

We talked about the Lighter with everyone else in a meeting and the fact that Marissa saved us. Jeff explained we were unprepared and there was nothing to be used to run the Lighter through with, as that was the only way to kill one, and was wondering what we were going to do. Some were still skeptical, saying Marissa was only saving her own skin. They were right, that was true, but I didn’t buy it.

Yes, it was dangerous to have a Muse around, she could have just as easily touched any of us and made us jump off that ravine but I had to believe she wanted to be here and help us.

Jeff explained that Lighters didn’t have the same brains as humans and they instantly react to a Muse’s wrath. They don’t fight it because they don’t know how to they just do it, whatever it is, without question, without hesitation.

Thankfully, Jeff didn’t feel the need to disclose everything and left my embarrassing temper tantrum with Phillip out of it.

Phillip no longer attended any of the meetings, nor sat in the commons room with us. He spent most of his time in the store, pouting. I wondered why he had been so adamant on us staying with them in the beginning.

He wasn’t making any friends here and didn’t seem interested in talking to anyone or trying, even with Trudy anymore.

Maybe he regretted us coming and invading all their tiny space. I kinda felt bad, thinking about it like that, but he invited us, sought us out and this was the end of the normal world, no time to be stingy with the underground bunkers.

After about a week and a half, Merrick was moving around and walking almost normally again. Sad to say that I kind of missed him bed ridden, me tending to him instead of him to me, per the usual. Because he was better, so were the make out sessions, though, he still was standing his ground, a stone, unmovable.

I thought it was silly, but I had to admit, it was awfully sweet, his whole bit to protect me from myself and my lack of will power. Shouldn’t this situation be in reverse?

The store run had came through without a hitch, no Lighters were spotted and they had returned safely so we would continue on with that route until we no longer could, forcing our hand into another avenue. I didn’t want to think about what that might be.

Sitting in the commons room on the couch, Jeff and Merrick talked some about what happened in the field that day.

“I’ve never seen a Marker skeleton. The only reason that that Lighter was there, was to wait for someone to come. He wouldn’t have been out there alone otherwise. The Taker absorbed that Marker, so he’s hunting for himself. Hmm. But why was... Hmmm,” Jeff prodded himself and Merrick for a theory, while we sat on the smaller but newer couch the newbie’s brought with them.

With Merrick’s mid section less colorful and sore, he was constantly holding me now that he could. His lap was my favorite seat in the house, especially since every other seat in the house was literally taken.

It wasn’t going to be enough to expand the sleeping rooms. We were barely able to all fit in the commons room anymore together but we couldn’t split up. Safety in numbers, building an army, all that.

Calvin and Franklin were playing in the hall, by the stairs. I patted Merrick’s hand to tell him I was getting up and headed over to see what they were up to, without interrupting Jeff, leaving a room full of chatter behind me.

They were playing spoons. Twelve year olds were playing card games. Times had changed. As I walked towards them I realized I’d never been behind the stairs before.

It was dark back there and I never thought much about it. Past the boys, I saw a room off to the side.

Must be Phillips.

As I peeked through the half closed door I gasped. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were telling me.

It was huge. It all the size of the commons room if not more, piled wall to wall with lots of his stuff. Personal stuff that none of the rest of us had. I understood, this was his place first, but jeez, we had all been cramped and bunched in the other room, not to mention the small sleeping quarters. Twenty people could have slept comfortably in this room.

I didn’t go in, just looked from the hallway. The bed was ginormous with at least eight pillows of different sizes and color stacked against the headboard. He had a small red lava lamp on the bedside stand that was left on. Posters, provocative posters at that, lined the walls. C.d.’s everywhere. Huge stereo system near his desk on the opposite side of his bed.

I even saw bags of chips, candy and can drinks lined up on the bedside table.

Food hoarding.

There was a tabletop fan blowing, oscillating on the floor pointed to his bed. I thought about all the times we’d sat out in the commons rooms sweating sometimes because it could be so stuffy down here. I gasped again in utter disbelief.

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more disappointed in Phillip and his behavior, I was wrong again. What a selfish-.

“Hey. Snooping?” the voice behind me was Phillip.

“Just looking around. Hadn’t been back here before. That’s quite a room. No wonder you keep it a secret.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said taking a step towards me.

“It means, there’s tons of room in there, Phillip. And tons of people out there. We’ve been breaking our backs trying to make more room for people and this room is huge. Not to mention all the stuff you’ve been keeping to yourself. It’s just...a little selfish.” It came out way softer than I intended, but I was in shock.

“This is my place, and you’re a guest. Be happy I let you stay here at all,” he barked.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I just never imagined you being this way.” I began to walk off but he grabbed my arm gently.

“We could share it you know.” All traces of anger were gone and replaced with soft pleading. “You could come stay in here with me and be more...comfortable,” he suggested, pulling me closer as he did so.

“Phillip,” I sighed, dreading what I was going to have to do. “We talked about this, didn’t we? I’m with Merrick.”

“I know, but I can’t give up on you. I know you can’t really want to spend the rest of your life with him.”

“Why not?” I asked, humoring him.

Wanting to hash this out once and for all.

“Because, the obvious. He’s not human. He doesn’t feel, it’s fake. It’s a copy of the emotions his body felt before he took it over.”

“I’m sorry, Phillip, I don’t agree. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to respect my decision.”

“You can’t do this. He doesn’t know what you need. He can’t understand you like I can,” he breathed.

He moved to caress my face. I backed into the wall to evade him but he followed. His fingers were cool, nothing like Merrick’s warm ones, on my cheek.

“Phillip. Please don’t.”

“I want you to see that it’s not just him that can give you goose bumps.” As if to prove him right, gooseflesh spread rapidly down my arms. He ran his finger down my arm too. “See.” He closed his eyes. “Mmm, you are even softer than I imagined,” he almost moaned the words and pressed me further into the wall.

“Stop.” I pushed his hand away. “Tickling will give anyone goose bumps, Phillip. It’s not goose bumps I’m looking for. Please stop this. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”

“I don’t want to either. I just can’t sit back and watch you throw everything away,” he said softly.

“I’m not throwing anything away. I love him. This isn’t a game to me. I want to be your friend but you’ve got to stop this. It makes me uncomfortable.”