With Her Wrists I Tremble Ch 6
Chapter 6
Three Days Earlier
Erin Tects woke up under a pile of rubble. She coughed from the dust that coated her lungs and blinked as her eyes adjusted in the dim lighting. She moved slowly making sure none of her limbs were broken. Satisfied that all she had were a few minor bruises and scratches. She got to her feet brushing the plaster from her blouse. There was a moan a few feet away. She grunted as she pushed a heavy rock away from the wall. A loud bang sounded as it fell to the floor. A man with darker skin wearing a business suit lay on the ground. Blood oozed from his nose and mouth, making him cough and sputter as he tried to talk.
“Mr. Kosan?” she knelt beside him trying to find a way to help him but she could see no injuries. They were all internal. He had been crushed. She held his hand in hers, knowing he would be dead soon and there was nothing she could do, at least she could provide him with this last comfort of not dying alone.
He moved his mouth trying to speak, but all Erin could hear was the cracking of his jaw. Finally he gained enough air to utter one word. “Li… lily.”
Pete felt a range of emotions course through his body. He wanted to cry and hug her, begging her not to leave again. At the same time he wanted to yell at her for making him worry so much. He walked cautiously towards her like she was a mouse who would scurry away at the slightest threatening move. He burst into a run and scooped Myka into his arms, lifting her in a massive bear hug.
“Pete… I cant. Breathe.” Myka squirmed in his embrace.
“Sorry! Pete smiled at her, a light in his eyes. He let Myka drop to her feet. “I missed you…” He stopped when he heard a noise from inside the bedroom. “Did you bring the ferret back with you?” He nudged the door open and the smile fell from his face.
Myka froze, her eyes growing wide. “Pete…”
Anger and confusion flashed across Pete’s face as she stared at the woman laying on the bed. This woman who had caused them so much pain and split up his family. “Why is she here? What is going on?”
Myka stepped in front of Pete shielding the semi conscious Helena from his wrath. “Pete stop. I brought her here. She was injured. I…” Myka tried to explain her point.
“We were looking for her at that warehouse! Claudia was shot…” Pete clenched his fists in anger. “How can you bring her to our home! She needs to be returned to the Regents now!”
Myka maneuvered around Pete, unhooking the gun from the holster on his hip and held it unsteadily in front of her. “No! I won’t let you take her! I will not lose her again! I need to talk to her! I need to know why!” Myka’s voice shook.
Pete had stared down the barrel of a gun multiple times, it was kind of a job requirement, but never before did it feel like this.
Lily seethed in her hatred and anger. She was drowning it. It fueled her every movement. She trudged through the streets of downtown Rapid City. The rain washed away the foreign blood caked onto her skin, leaving a rosy puddle in her wake. Her long dark hair clung to her face in knotted webs. She stopped as she reached her destination, turning down the dark alley, which would have deterred so many others. She seemed unfazed by the rotting fruits and vegetables that littered the ground where she walked.
She knocked forcefully on the small metal door hidden among the bricks. The door screeched as it slid open, wrecking the silence of the storm. A short man with ruffled mud-colored hair leaned in the doorway.
“Lily! My love! Finally come to your senses?” The man gave a toothy grin and stuck his hand on his hip.
“Not the time, Thomas.” Lily pushed past him into the cramped apartment.
It was filled with knick knacks and trash. Wires dangled from the ceiling and pots and pans hung off the rafters. Shelves of random objects lined the walls. Towards the side was a small cot next to a desk covered in papers. Thomas quickly cleared a seat and gestured for Lily to sit.
“What can I do for you today, Miss Flourish?” He sat, setting his booted feet upon the desk.
Lily passed over the chair, standing at the edge of the desk. “I need you to locate someone for me.”
“Okay. I’ll do it for a kiss!”
“Thomas.” Lily warned, she was in no mood.
“Fine. Fine. Give me a minute.” Thomas got up from his seat and began searching through the shelves, not pausing when a box of rubber ducks fell to the floor. “It’s in here somewhere… Ah. Here we go.” He dangled a small pink crystal on a leather rope from his fingertips. Pulling a map from under a stack of papers, he smoothed it across the desk, ignoring the pile of papers that tumbled to the ground. He turned towards Lily. “Okay, so you hold this here at the end of the rope and swing it over the map, like this…” He demonstrated. “and think about whoever you are trying to find.” He shrugged and handed it over to Lily. “It’s an old scrying crystal from some ancient Druid tribe…. Fa… something or other.”
Lily took the crystal and imagined the raven haired woman she was looking for. The crystal swayed slowly at first then sped up in perfect circles around the map, until coming to a complete stop over a little town in South Dakota. “It’s found its mark.”
Thomas glanced at the destination. “Univille, South Dakota… Who lives in Univille?”
Olive watched the actions unfold in the bedroom. Leena tried to hold her back as she entered the room with her hands raised in front of her, “Myka.”
Myka lowered the gun slightly in front of her, “Olive? What… What are you doing here?”
“Pete met up with me at the Warehouse and we took Claudia to the hospital together.” Olive tried to calm the situation.
Pete looked back and forth between the two women. “You two know each other?”
“Yes. “ Olive chimed in. “She is the person I’ve been working for.”
Pete stared at her, not knowing what to say. Leena peered through the doorway, uncertain if she should intrude.
Myka lowered the gun slowly, coming to her senses. Seeing Olive had interrupted her crazed momentum. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing…” she dropped the gun, the clatter breaking the silence in the room.
Pete reached down, grabbing the gun and reholstering it at his hip. “Myka, “ his voice was calmer now. “You know we can’t keep her here. At the very least Artie is going to find her and you know what he is going to do.”
“Please just give me what little time I have with her. I won’t stop you from taking her back, but not now.” Myka pleaded for the time she knew was quickly fleeting.
Pete sighed. He knew of the relationship between the two women, how deep in ran in their veins. He had never seen Myka so happy then when she was with this woman, which was why he knew the pain that ripped through her after Helena’s betrayal. “Okay. I have to get back to the hospital anyway. Claudia needs her green hoodie. We should be back in a couple days. You have till then.” He turned to leave, but paused before leaving through the doorway. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Pete couldn’t breathe, he was so angry. He stormed out of the room, his footsteps smacking against the wooden floor. He couldn’t even look at her, couldn’t think of her. He had been so happy to see Myka, he missed her so much. Now the thought of her alone with that woman made his stomach churn. She was a manipulative bitch and Pete wasn’t going to be drawn in by her tales any longer. He would never trust her and if Myka decided to be with her, he couldn’t do anything about it. He didn’t want to destroy her like H.G. Wells did the first time. He couldn’t see her like that ever again.
He would stay close and watch, make sure she wasn’t hurt again. He reached the bottom of the stairs faster then he expected, lost in his thoughts. His skin vibrated with rage and he needed to hit something. The wall got the brunt of his fist. He didn’t even feel the wood splinter beneath his force or the cuts now on his knuckles. He pulled his hand from the wall and hissed at the sight of his bloody knuckles, but at least he felt better.
Olive sat in the living room, holding a cup of freshly made tea. Pete had questioned her thoroughly before he left, about how she had come into Myka’s employment. She felt physically drained and welcomed the calming effect the hot tea had as she drank it. Leena didn’t bother her. She knew to give people their space when they needed it. Olive checked her cell phone and saw that she had a new text message waiting for her.
Clicking the view button she read “Uninjured. Are you in place?”
She typed her response quickly. “In the threshold. Awaiting further instructions.” She flipped her phone closed and placed it back in her pocket as Leena entered carrying a tray of freshly made cookies. Olive smiled, thanked her, and took one.
Myka had fallen asleep listening to Helena breathe. Opening her eyes, she found that she was alone in the bedroom. She sat up as the sound of running water floated in from the bathroom. She nudged open the door and had to cover her mouth with her hand for fear of throwing up. Helena sat on the covered toilet, her hair pulled up in a pony-tail, cutting into the back of her neck with a discarded shaving razor she had removed from its holder. Blood trickled down her bare back and stained her hand. She winced as she tried to dig the implant out of her skin.
“What are you doing!” Myka swallowed and regained her composure, Her face remained a shocking white.
Helena jumped, almost dropping the blade. “Myka! I didn’t want to wake you! I think I need your help. Those bastards put a tracking device in the base of my neck but I can’t reach it myself. I need to remove it.” She handed the bloody blade to Myka and held her head down waiting for Myka to begin.
Myka stared at the ragged cut at the base of Helena’s neck and stared at the bulge from the metal transmitter still under the skin. “What do I do?”
“I need you to cut an opening over the transmitter and pull it out. Just a small cut, not too deep.” Helena explained.
“Okay.” Myka took a deep breath before running the sharpened blade across the bump. She squeezed her eyes shut as blood welled up in the cut. Breathing again, she opened her eyes and reached into the cut, her fingers closing around the small metal rod and pulling it back up.
Helena hissed in pain and bit her lip, releasing the breath she had been holding in as the device was removed. “Good. Now flush it down the toilet.”
Myka did as she was told. She stared at the blood smeared across Helena’s back and beckoned for her to sit down again. “Here let me fix it.” Myka took a washcloth and ran cool water over it, before cleaning the wound. She found alcohol in the mirror cabinet and bandages under the sink.
Helena hissed as the alcohol burned the cuts. Myka finished by covering them with bandages and planting a kiss over top. She closed her eyes as the scent of lavender overpowered her. Her heart sped up in her chest. She remembered this feeling. The warmth and happiness it brought her. All of it washed over her. Helena turned her head and captured Myka’s lips with her own. Each movement set Myka on fire. She remembered this feeling well, her body ached for it. She allowed Helena to guide her to the bed, and moaned as Helena planted kissed along her collar bone.
Helena felt a new strength wash over her, as she took control. She drank in Myka’s flawless skin with her tongue and was encouraged with each sound she made. She unbuttoned Myka’s blouse kissing the skin as it was exposed. Myka’s stomach trembled under her touch. “I missed this.”
Myka opened her eyes then, broken from Helena’s trance. “Stop.” Helena didn’t seem to hear her, “Stop! Stop! Stop!” Myka shoved the woman off of her and scrambled off the bed, buttoning her shirt back up. “What are you doing!”
Helena looked at her confused sitting on the bed. Her cheeks flushed. “I thought this was what you wanted?”
“Yes... No!” Myka regained her stance. “This is not what I want. I want an explanation. I want an apology. I want something, but not this. Not after… everything.”
Helena didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”
Myka still felt the emptiness inside. “No. That is not enough. I need to know why! Why you did it! I thought you loved me!”
Helena stood up appalled by her accusation. “Of course I love you! Myka, I’m in love with you! I always have been!”
“Then why did you throw it all away! Why did you throw me away! You left the Warehouse, you left me and you tried to destroy the world!” She yelled as loud as she could, releasing the anger that had been building up in her for months.
“I…” Helena had nothing to say, she knew now what she did was wrong. She had been planning it for centuries and it only seemed second nature to go through with the plan. It was for Christina, all for Christina. She had been too afraid to point a gun to her head and just pull the trigger. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I did it.”
Myka scoffed at her and turned towards the window unable to even look at Helena. She felt arms snaked around her midriff and clasp in front of her belly button.
“I wanted to die. After all those centuries of living in my thoughts, after what happened to Christina… What I did to those men… I couldn’t deal with myself anymore.” Helena tried to explain herself.
Myka broke the grip around her waist and turned to face Helena. “So what! That was just your elaborate attempt at suicide!”
“Yes! And you stopped me! You got through to me! I don’t think anyone else could have! It was you, Myka. You saved me.”
Lily followed the signs to Univille, the town barely on the map. Most signs called it the Unnamed U.S. Territory. The town consisted of one street lined with mom and pop stores and a hardware store that doubled as a grocery store at times. Towards the end of the street sat a house, lights shined in the windows and yellowed curtains hid the inhabitants from the outside world.
Lily watched the shadows dance across the windows and smiled. Somewhere inside this house was her mark.
Three Days Earlier
Erin Tects woke up under a pile of rubble. She coughed from the dust that coated her lungs and blinked as her eyes adjusted in the dim lighting. She moved slowly making sure none of her limbs were broken. Satisfied that all she had were a few minor bruises and scratches. She got to her feet brushing the plaster from her blouse. There was a moan a few feet away. She grunted as she pushed a heavy rock away from the wall. A loud bang sounded as it fell to the floor. A man with darker skin wearing a business suit lay on the ground. Blood oozed from his nose and mouth, making him cough and sputter as he tried to talk.
“Mr. Kosan?” she knelt beside him trying to find a way to help him but she could see no injuries. They were all internal. He had been crushed. She held his hand in hers, knowing he would be dead soon and there was nothing she could do, at least she could provide him with this last comfort of not dying alone.
He moved his mouth trying to speak, but all Erin could hear was the cracking of his jaw. Finally he gained enough air to utter one word. “Li… lily.”
Pete felt a range of emotions course through his body. He wanted to cry and hug her, begging her not to leave again. At the same time he wanted to yell at her for making him worry so much. He walked cautiously towards her like she was a mouse who would scurry away at the slightest threatening move. He burst into a run and scooped Myka into his arms, lifting her in a massive bear hug.
“Pete… I cant. Breathe.” Myka squirmed in his embrace.
“Sorry! Pete smiled at her, a light in his eyes. He let Myka drop to her feet. “I missed you…” He stopped when he heard a noise from inside the bedroom. “Did you bring the ferret back with you?” He nudged the door open and the smile fell from his face.
Myka froze, her eyes growing wide. “Pete…”
Anger and confusion flashed across Pete’s face as she stared at the woman laying on the bed. This woman who had caused them so much pain and split up his family. “Why is she here? What is going on?”
Myka stepped in front of Pete shielding the semi conscious Helena from his wrath. “Pete stop. I brought her here. She was injured. I…” Myka tried to explain her point.
“We were looking for her at that warehouse! Claudia was shot…” Pete clenched his fists in anger. “How can you bring her to our home! She needs to be returned to the Regents now!”
Myka maneuvered around Pete, unhooking the gun from the holster on his hip and held it unsteadily in front of her. “No! I won’t let you take her! I will not lose her again! I need to talk to her! I need to know why!” Myka’s voice shook.
Pete had stared down the barrel of a gun multiple times, it was kind of a job requirement, but never before did it feel like this.
Lily seethed in her hatred and anger. She was drowning it. It fueled her every movement. She trudged through the streets of downtown Rapid City. The rain washed away the foreign blood caked onto her skin, leaving a rosy puddle in her wake. Her long dark hair clung to her face in knotted webs. She stopped as she reached her destination, turning down the dark alley, which would have deterred so many others. She seemed unfazed by the rotting fruits and vegetables that littered the ground where she walked.
She knocked forcefully on the small metal door hidden among the bricks. The door screeched as it slid open, wrecking the silence of the storm. A short man with ruffled mud-colored hair leaned in the doorway.
“Lily! My love! Finally come to your senses?” The man gave a toothy grin and stuck his hand on his hip.
“Not the time, Thomas.” Lily pushed past him into the cramped apartment.
It was filled with knick knacks and trash. Wires dangled from the ceiling and pots and pans hung off the rafters. Shelves of random objects lined the walls. Towards the side was a small cot next to a desk covered in papers. Thomas quickly cleared a seat and gestured for Lily to sit.
“What can I do for you today, Miss Flourish?” He sat, setting his booted feet upon the desk.
Lily passed over the chair, standing at the edge of the desk. “I need you to locate someone for me.”
“Okay. I’ll do it for a kiss!”
“Thomas.” Lily warned, she was in no mood.
“Fine. Fine. Give me a minute.” Thomas got up from his seat and began searching through the shelves, not pausing when a box of rubber ducks fell to the floor. “It’s in here somewhere… Ah. Here we go.” He dangled a small pink crystal on a leather rope from his fingertips. Pulling a map from under a stack of papers, he smoothed it across the desk, ignoring the pile of papers that tumbled to the ground. He turned towards Lily. “Okay, so you hold this here at the end of the rope and swing it over the map, like this…” He demonstrated. “and think about whoever you are trying to find.” He shrugged and handed it over to Lily. “It’s an old scrying crystal from some ancient Druid tribe…. Fa… something or other.”
Lily took the crystal and imagined the raven haired woman she was looking for. The crystal swayed slowly at first then sped up in perfect circles around the map, until coming to a complete stop over a little town in South Dakota. “It’s found its mark.”
Thomas glanced at the destination. “Univille, South Dakota… Who lives in Univille?”
Olive watched the actions unfold in the bedroom. Leena tried to hold her back as she entered the room with her hands raised in front of her, “Myka.”
Myka lowered the gun slightly in front of her, “Olive? What… What are you doing here?”
“Pete met up with me at the Warehouse and we took Claudia to the hospital together.” Olive tried to calm the situation.
Pete looked back and forth between the two women. “You two know each other?”
“Yes. “ Olive chimed in. “She is the person I’ve been working for.”
Pete stared at her, not knowing what to say. Leena peered through the doorway, uncertain if she should intrude.
Myka lowered the gun slowly, coming to her senses. Seeing Olive had interrupted her crazed momentum. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing…” she dropped the gun, the clatter breaking the silence in the room.
Pete reached down, grabbing the gun and reholstering it at his hip. “Myka, “ his voice was calmer now. “You know we can’t keep her here. At the very least Artie is going to find her and you know what he is going to do.”
“Please just give me what little time I have with her. I won’t stop you from taking her back, but not now.” Myka pleaded for the time she knew was quickly fleeting.
Pete sighed. He knew of the relationship between the two women, how deep in ran in their veins. He had never seen Myka so happy then when she was with this woman, which was why he knew the pain that ripped through her after Helena’s betrayal. “Okay. I have to get back to the hospital anyway. Claudia needs her green hoodie. We should be back in a couple days. You have till then.” He turned to leave, but paused before leaving through the doorway. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Pete couldn’t breathe, he was so angry. He stormed out of the room, his footsteps smacking against the wooden floor. He couldn’t even look at her, couldn’t think of her. He had been so happy to see Myka, he missed her so much. Now the thought of her alone with that woman made his stomach churn. She was a manipulative bitch and Pete wasn’t going to be drawn in by her tales any longer. He would never trust her and if Myka decided to be with her, he couldn’t do anything about it. He didn’t want to destroy her like H.G. Wells did the first time. He couldn’t see her like that ever again.
He would stay close and watch, make sure she wasn’t hurt again. He reached the bottom of the stairs faster then he expected, lost in his thoughts. His skin vibrated with rage and he needed to hit something. The wall got the brunt of his fist. He didn’t even feel the wood splinter beneath his force or the cuts now on his knuckles. He pulled his hand from the wall and hissed at the sight of his bloody knuckles, but at least he felt better.
Olive sat in the living room, holding a cup of freshly made tea. Pete had questioned her thoroughly before he left, about how she had come into Myka’s employment. She felt physically drained and welcomed the calming effect the hot tea had as she drank it. Leena didn’t bother her. She knew to give people their space when they needed it. Olive checked her cell phone and saw that she had a new text message waiting for her.
Clicking the view button she read “Uninjured. Are you in place?”
She typed her response quickly. “In the threshold. Awaiting further instructions.” She flipped her phone closed and placed it back in her pocket as Leena entered carrying a tray of freshly made cookies. Olive smiled, thanked her, and took one.
Myka had fallen asleep listening to Helena breathe. Opening her eyes, she found that she was alone in the bedroom. She sat up as the sound of running water floated in from the bathroom. She nudged open the door and had to cover her mouth with her hand for fear of throwing up. Helena sat on the covered toilet, her hair pulled up in a pony-tail, cutting into the back of her neck with a discarded shaving razor she had removed from its holder. Blood trickled down her bare back and stained her hand. She winced as she tried to dig the implant out of her skin.
“What are you doing!” Myka swallowed and regained her composure, Her face remained a shocking white.
Helena jumped, almost dropping the blade. “Myka! I didn’t want to wake you! I think I need your help. Those bastards put a tracking device in the base of my neck but I can’t reach it myself. I need to remove it.” She handed the bloody blade to Myka and held her head down waiting for Myka to begin.
Myka stared at the ragged cut at the base of Helena’s neck and stared at the bulge from the metal transmitter still under the skin. “What do I do?”
“I need you to cut an opening over the transmitter and pull it out. Just a small cut, not too deep.” Helena explained.
“Okay.” Myka took a deep breath before running the sharpened blade across the bump. She squeezed her eyes shut as blood welled up in the cut. Breathing again, she opened her eyes and reached into the cut, her fingers closing around the small metal rod and pulling it back up.
Helena hissed in pain and bit her lip, releasing the breath she had been holding in as the device was removed. “Good. Now flush it down the toilet.”
Myka did as she was told. She stared at the blood smeared across Helena’s back and beckoned for her to sit down again. “Here let me fix it.” Myka took a washcloth and ran cool water over it, before cleaning the wound. She found alcohol in the mirror cabinet and bandages under the sink.
Helena hissed as the alcohol burned the cuts. Myka finished by covering them with bandages and planting a kiss over top. She closed her eyes as the scent of lavender overpowered her. Her heart sped up in her chest. She remembered this feeling. The warmth and happiness it brought her. All of it washed over her. Helena turned her head and captured Myka’s lips with her own. Each movement set Myka on fire. She remembered this feeling well, her body ached for it. She allowed Helena to guide her to the bed, and moaned as Helena planted kissed along her collar bone.
Helena felt a new strength wash over her, as she took control. She drank in Myka’s flawless skin with her tongue and was encouraged with each sound she made. She unbuttoned Myka’s blouse kissing the skin as it was exposed. Myka’s stomach trembled under her touch. “I missed this.”
Myka opened her eyes then, broken from Helena’s trance. “Stop.” Helena didn’t seem to hear her, “Stop! Stop! Stop!” Myka shoved the woman off of her and scrambled off the bed, buttoning her shirt back up. “What are you doing!”
Helena looked at her confused sitting on the bed. Her cheeks flushed. “I thought this was what you wanted?”
“Yes... No!” Myka regained her stance. “This is not what I want. I want an explanation. I want an apology. I want something, but not this. Not after… everything.”
Helena didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”
Myka still felt the emptiness inside. “No. That is not enough. I need to know why! Why you did it! I thought you loved me!”
Helena stood up appalled by her accusation. “Of course I love you! Myka, I’m in love with you! I always have been!”
“Then why did you throw it all away! Why did you throw me away! You left the Warehouse, you left me and you tried to destroy the world!” She yelled as loud as she could, releasing the anger that had been building up in her for months.
“I…” Helena had nothing to say, she knew now what she did was wrong. She had been planning it for centuries and it only seemed second nature to go through with the plan. It was for Christina, all for Christina. She had been too afraid to point a gun to her head and just pull the trigger. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I did it.”
Myka scoffed at her and turned towards the window unable to even look at Helena. She felt arms snaked around her midriff and clasp in front of her belly button.
“I wanted to die. After all those centuries of living in my thoughts, after what happened to Christina… What I did to those men… I couldn’t deal with myself anymore.” Helena tried to explain herself.
Myka broke the grip around her waist and turned to face Helena. “So what! That was just your elaborate attempt at suicide!”
“Yes! And you stopped me! You got through to me! I don’t think anyone else could have! It was you, Myka. You saved me.”
Lily followed the signs to Univille, the town barely on the map. Most signs called it the Unnamed U.S. Territory. The town consisted of one street lined with mom and pop stores and a hardware store that doubled as a grocery store at times. Towards the end of the street sat a house, lights shined in the windows and yellowed curtains hid the inhabitants from the outside world.
Lily watched the shadows dance across the windows and smiled. Somewhere inside this house was her mark.