I fell to earth
With dripping wings
Heavy things
Won't fly
--from Tonight and the Rest of My Life by Nina Gordon
Micah gave the bars another hard rattle.
("You son of a bitch, don't you dare hurt her!")
The Beast smirked and pulled the door.
That will depend upon--
Then he paused. The door didn't open.
"What?" the Beast murmured, and yanked on the knob. Nothing happened. "The little bitch! She locked me out!" Micah felt a surge of relief.
("Way to go, Gabe!")
Shut up.
The Beast scowled sourly and pounded on the door.
"Gabe," he bellowed. "Open up!"
"No!" Her voice came back sharply. The Beast gave the door another thump.
"Open the door, Gabe!"
"NO!" She didn't say anything else; the radio inside was turned up and Everclear blasted through the cracks in the door. The Beast, losing patience, pounded with both fists.
"Open the fucking door!" Gabe didn't answer. Instead, Everclear kept claiming that A.M. Radio was all they had to listen to way-back-when. Micah didn't sympathize. "Ah, damn," the Beast hissed, and gave the door a rather savage pound with his fist. He whirled the wheelchair around and smothered a yawn beneath his hand.
That's all right. I'll just wait here. This weak human body requires sleep.
He slowly backed the wheelchair against the door with a dull thump.
When she opens the door, I'll wake up.
("Gabe will find another way.")
Micah was feeling immensely relieved. She was just as smart as he'd thought -- and smarter than the Beast had anticipated.
Shut up.
The Beast yawned again and settled back in the wheelchair.
This chair isn't very comfortable. But -- I'm sure that my night will be much more comfortable than yours.
Micah shifted uncomfortably in his cold cage.
("I hate it here.")
He rubbed at his tearstained face and sighed.
("It's even worse than last time.")
You've been more difficult than last time. It is a punishment.
The Beast's eyelids drifted closed.
Mmn. Sleep calls to me, Micah my child. I will be pleased to greet with you in the morning.
A smirk pulled at Micah's stolen lips.
Sweet dreams.
When Micah finally woke up, he wasn't sure if he was in a dream or not. He thought he wasn't -- he had just woken up, after all -- but something felt... wrong. What, he couldn't be sure yet.
That was when he realized that -- even as his mind had been caged -- his body was unable to move as well.
The Beast discovered this fact at the same time.
("What did you do?")
...I did NOTHING!
The Beast jerked violently, pulling at his bondage -- which happened to be a piece of electrical wire and an old jump rope.
"What the hell?" he murmured, and gave the restraints another yank. Micah shifted uncomfortably in his mental cage.
("Should I be worried?")
Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!
The Beast bucked violently. It appeared that he was tied to a rickety old bed, something that should've been discontinued in the '40s.
"Gabe!" the Beast bellowed. "Gabe, what the hell is going on?" Shadows shifted threateningly; the beam of a flashlight slid into view.
"You should ask Gabe that when she gets here." The light passed briefly over a face -- it was Jeremiah. Or, perhaps, Jeremy.
("...I still don't know if I should be worried...")
The young man turned off the flashlight for a moment. The room was plunged into darkness for a moment before a match sprung a flame to life. It was lowered to a candle, then shaken and blown out. A dim glow filled the room.
"That's better."
"What the hell--" repeated the Beast, and bucked violently again. Jeremy smiled, somewhat disturbingly, and disappeared around a corner.
"Oh, you remember me," he said quietly, his voice moving as he walked. "You lived with me for nearly 5 months, you filthy bastard." Micah's heart soared.
("He knows!")
"I don't know what you're talking about." The Beast struggled against his bonds. "Gabe won't be happy to see this--"
"If I have my way, she won't see it at all." Jeremy reappeared around the corner, smiling again. "She's been through too much already." The tone of his voice was slightly unnerving, but Micah kept his high hopes.
("He knows, you son of a bitch! You're going down now!")
If I go, I'm taking you with me.
Jeremy dug around in an old box.
"Where are we?" the Beast asked, somewhat nervously. Jeremy answered absently.
"Grimm Defeat." He bent to see better into the box. "I snuck in through one of the windows and pulled you out while you were asleep."
("Good move!")
Micah pumped a fist in the air, but the Beast gave him a sharp mental blow and he fell silent.
"Let me go," the Beast said in a low voice. "Or you will face the consequences. And believe me -- nothing can prepare you for your punishment." Jeremy's calm expression didn't even flicker. He found what he was looking for and pulled it out, straightening. It was a long, dull-looking knife. Micah's confidence wavered.
("Oh... oh, no, that's not good at all.")
Shut UP!
"Put it down, Jeremy," the Beast murmured. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Jeremy hissed, and Micah felt a strong sense of deja-vu.
("Woah... put it down, Jeremy. Listen to him. He knows what he's talking about!")
SHUT UP!
The Beast, very suddenly, began struggling wildly.
"Blasphemous, weak little sinner! Release me at once or face the fires of eternal Hell!"
"Oh, shut up," Jeremy muttered, and moved closer. Micah felt panicked, too; he searched his cage for a way out. Any way out.
("This is not good, this is very not good...")
Jeremy pressed the dull edge of the knife to the Beast's throat.
("That's my throat, too...")
"You won't hurt anyone ever again," he hissed, and jerked the knife upwards.
"What are you doing?!"
Gabe's voice startled them all. Jeremy's hand slipped; Micah and the Beast got off with only a nick under the chin.
"What are you doing?" she repeated, stumbling closer. Jeremy moved his knife hand back to the throat.
"I'm saving his soul." Gabe pressed her palm to her forehead and hurried to Jeremy's side.
"Don't you touch him, you little--" She reached up and pulled his hand away from the Beast's throat. "Save his soul my ass!"
"Gabe," Jeremy gasped, struggling. She had him firmly by the wrist, and he wasn't going anywhere. "You can't let him go, you can't, he'll hurt more people--" Gabe gave his wrist another hard tug.
"You don't know anything about Micah--"
"Gabe!" Jeremy cried, and pulled away hard. "That's not Micah!"
("Damn straight!")
Micah shifted in his cage, trying any possible escape routes. So far, he had found none.
SILENCE, INSUBORDINATE FOOL! BE STILL, I COMMAND YE!
The Beast looked from Jeremy to Gabe, whose blue eyes had gotten very wide.
"What do you mean?" she asked softly. Jeremy watched the Beast warily, but spoke to Gabe.
"He's been in me ever since you met Micah. He's been waiting, Gabe, for the right moment -- and I don't know what he is, some kind of demon, but he's evil--" Jeremy pulled against her wrist. "--and you have to let me finish it." Gabe's grip slackened.
"You mean--" She grasped for words, glancing from Jeremy to what looked to be Micah. "--that's why you've been acting so weird? And that's why he said--"
"Don't listen to him, Gabe," the Beast whispered.
("Things would be a lot easier if you didn't sound so damn much like me.")
If you say another word--
Searing pain shot through Micah, and he shut up.
"Please, he just wants you for himself." The Beast struggled weakly, looking much more helpless than before. "You can't let him hurt me, Gabe."
"He will only leave when the body is useless." Jeremy's free hand shook Gabe's shoulder, bringing her attention back to him. "He is selfish. He will only release Micah's soul when the body can no longer be used as his vessel." Gabe shook her head slowly, looking from Jeremy to the Beast.
"If I believed what you said," she said softly, unsurely, "I wouldn't be able to kill him." Jeremy pulled again. She still had his wrist in her hand.
"That's why I'd do the job for you. Please, Gabe. Micah would want it this way." Micah shifted uncomfortably in his cage.
("I'm not so sure about that.")
But it was the only way he would be free, and he knew it. The Beast had only left him in the cornfield to die, because he had thought the body wouldn't make it. It was only a toy to him.
("Go on, Gabe. Do it now.")
He cringed in his mental cage and waited.
"Don't do it, Gabe," the Beast said, sounding more than a little nervous. "Don't do it, don't let him, please--"
Gabe stared at him helplessly, then finally released Jeremy's wrist.
"Do it quickly," she whispered, and turned away.
The Beast began bucking and struggling violently, screaming curses and obscenities at them.
"One swift motion to the throat," Jeremy said quietly. Gabe nodded, not looking at him.
"Just do it fast. Don't let him suffer, please." Micah curled up in his cage and covered his eyes.
("Yeah. Good idea. I like the concept.")
"You'll rot in Hell!" screamed the Beast, pulling hard on the bonds. Jump ropes were made surprisingly strong these days, Micah noted grimly. "You'll rot in Hell, and your suffering will never end!"
"Do it now!" Gabe cried, clapping her hands over her ears. "Do it now, I can't listen to this!" Jeremy lowered the knife to the Beast's throat.
"Suffer the children," he whispered, and gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah right." There was a moment of silence; the Beast had stopped screaming, Gabe was saying nothing, and Jeremy didn't move.
("What's going on?")
Micah shifted uncomfortably. The Beast looked up at Jeremy with Micah's eyes and grinned.
"You don't have the guts," he said softly. "You know what you have to do, but you can't do it because you can't hurt your friend. You don't have the guts." Jeremy stared back in silence. Another long period went by without any words. Micah grasped the bars of his cage.
("Go on, run. Run like you did before, you coward. You didn't seem to have this much confidence in the cornfield.")
The Beast didn't respond. Jeremy didn't move.
"I can't do it, Gabe," he whispered, and started to drop the knife.
Gabe grabbed it from him.
"If you won't do it," she said softly, "then I will." The blade went to the Beast's neck for the third time. He seemed fully confident now.
"If there's anyone who won't spill this boy's blood," the Beast snarled, "it's you, girl. Don't fool yourself. Put it down and untie me." Gabe stared back, tears stinging her eyes. She didn't seem to notice them.
"Goodbye, Micah." She paused, then added, "I'm sorry." And, in one fluent motion, she slid the blade across his throat.