Richie wasn't aware of Adam's plans until the first wave of the quickening
washed over him. The first bolt hit him and he jumped in surprise. He
wasn't sure what was happening, or how exactly it was he was receiving a
quickening. He hadn't fought anybody. . . Adam's voice echoed in his head,
a sadistic laugh that sent shivers down his spine rose and fell
mechanically, women's voices screamed at him in languages he had never
heard before but he still knew the meanings 'Please! Stop! No! Don't kill
me!' The ground beneath his feet began to shake as the quickening reached
its climax.
. . . . . .
Jaesin hadn't been able to fall asleep again after her nightmare. She laid on her bed playing one of the new Emenim chips Richie had slipped her earlier in her headphones and petting Fritz and Hans. She sat up as the cabin began to rumble. She took off her headphones and looked around. A picture danced its way off her shelves and onto the floor. She could feel her bed begin to move with her still on it. She jumped up and ran into the hall.
"Dad! What's going on?"
"Jae get down here!"
Duncan and Amanda had been quietly discussing the morning's events when the cabin began to shake. Duncan was at the foot of the stairs about to yell at Jaesin when she had called down to him.
"What's happening?" she asked thundering down the stairs with the dogs at her heels.
"Amanda, keep her here," Duncan ordered. He opened the door and shielded his eyes from the bright flashing lights coming from the woods. "If anything goes wrong, leave," he added.
"Aunt Amanda?" Jaesin asked in a shaky voice.
"Jaemi, everything's fine. Stay here." Amanda followed Duncan out the door.
. . . . . .
Richie tried to scream, but if he actually made any noise he couldn't hear it. Never had he so desperately wanted to hide from something. He willed the power running through his body to find someone else, anyone else, or just to be lost into the universe. . . anywhere but in him. He tried to close his eyes to the memories flashing in front of his mind. He had heard a few stories about Adam's time as Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but he had mostly avoided the topic. Seeing the raids first hand turned his stomach. He could feel the bile creeping up his throat. His mind raced for a way to escape from the torture he was experiencing, but he couldn't put together a coherent thought of his own. It seemed everytime he heard his own voice put two words together it was interrupted by someone he had never heard before. As suddenly as the power had begun to rip through his body, it stopped.
. . . . . .
"Adam!" Duncan screamed as he ran towards the quickening. "Richie!" He stopped running when he spotted a pair of legs sticking out from behind a tree. Duncan raced toward them and found Adam's headless body.
"Duncan!" Amanda called jogging after him. She froze when she saw the legs. "Who is it?" she whispered.
"It's Adam," Duncan answered quietly.
Amanda's hand flew to her mouth. "No! Who did it?"
"I don't know." Duncan picked up Richie's blood stained saber off the ground.
"Dad! What's going on?" Richie lifted his head at the sound of Jaesin's voice. 'No,' he begged. 'don't let her see me like this. Please, don't let her see Methos. Please!'
"Amanda, get her out of here!" Duncan barked. "Richie!" he called.
"Dad!"
"Jaesin, go! Richie!"
Richie tried to respond, but any sound he succeeded in making was lost in the wad of cloth in his mouth. 'Why, Methos?' his mind screamed. 'Why did you do this?'
"Richie!" Duncan ran to him and pulled off the blindfold.
"Mac!" Richie rasped as soon as the gag was removed. "Mac, I tried to stop him!"
"Who did this?" Duncan demanded angrily.
"You have to believe me, I tried, there was nothing I could do!" Richie was in near hysterics. "Oh, God I tried, he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't explain! He just kept rambling. I tried to stop him, you have to believe me!"
Duncan took Richie's face in his hands, forcing their eyes to lock. "Richie, tell me who did this."
"He did," Richie whimpered. "Methos. I tried to stop him, Mac. Tell me you believe me." His voice was shaking as he spoke.
"I know you did," Duncan said simply. "You wouldn't have given up without a fight," he added softly cutting the ropes with his sword.
"I don't understand," Richie said rubbing his raw wrists. "He said I would, but I don't."
"He must have had his reasons. We have to trust what he did."
"Mac. . ." Richie started trying to figure out what he was feeling.
"Let's go back to the cabin." Duncan turned and began to walk away.
"What about the body?" Richie called after him.
"We'll deal with it later."
Duncan and Richie slowly walked back to the cabin.
"Mac, Jaes didn't see anything, did she?" Richie asked softly as they walked up the steps to the porch.
"No, I don't think she did."
Richie stopped abruptly halfway across the porch. "Something's wrong," he said as his eyes glazed over.
"What?" Duncan stopped and stared at him.
"Something's wrong."
"What are you talking about?"
Richie's eyes snapped into focus. "I don't know! Something's wrong!" He rubbed he chest and started panting.
"Richie?"
"Mac!" he dropped to his knees.
"Duncan!" Amanda threw open the front door. Duncan looked up form where he was crouching in front of Richie. Amanda had blood smeared all over her shirt. "I don't know what happened. One minute I'm explaining to her about Adam and the next. . ." her voice trailed off.
"And next what?" Richie wheezed.
"Next she's doing what you're doing. Only she' covered in blood."
"Get the car!" Duncan ordered jumping to his feet.
"Mac, no!" Richie followed him into the house.
"We have to get her to the hospital!"
"No, they can't help her!"
"Richie, don't argue with me!"
"I'll get the car." Amanda took the spare keys off the table by the door.
"Jaesin!" Duncan called running up the stairs with Richie at his heels. Jaesin met them at the top of the stairs; her previously pink shirt was a dull red. Her eyes were wide in panic and her hands dripped with blood.
"Richie!" she exclaimed throwing herself into his arms.
"Shh, it's okay," he assured her looking up at Duncan. "What happened?"
"I don't know, it hurt so bad!" she sobbed into his shirt.
"What hurt?" Duncan asked. "Can you show me?" He turned her around to face him. Her eyes glazed over and she didn't respond. "Jae! Show me, where does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she said softly, not blinking.
"Hey, Jaes, I'm going to take your shirt off, okay?" Richie told her as he began pulling it over her head. "I just want to look." He balled up the shirt and wiped away the blood that remained on her skin. There were no injuries to be seen. "Is this where it hurt?" he asked putting his hand on her chest. She nodded, still staring into space. "Here, too?" he moved his hand to her stomach. She nodded again. "Mac," Richie said softly looking over his shoulder. "she's immortal."
. . . . . .
Jaesin hadn't been able to fall asleep again after her nightmare. She laid on her bed playing one of the new Emenim chips Richie had slipped her earlier in her headphones and petting Fritz and Hans. She sat up as the cabin began to rumble. She took off her headphones and looked around. A picture danced its way off her shelves and onto the floor. She could feel her bed begin to move with her still on it. She jumped up and ran into the hall.
"Dad! What's going on?"
"Jae get down here!"
Duncan and Amanda had been quietly discussing the morning's events when the cabin began to shake. Duncan was at the foot of the stairs about to yell at Jaesin when she had called down to him.
"What's happening?" she asked thundering down the stairs with the dogs at her heels.
"Amanda, keep her here," Duncan ordered. He opened the door and shielded his eyes from the bright flashing lights coming from the woods. "If anything goes wrong, leave," he added.
"Aunt Amanda?" Jaesin asked in a shaky voice.
"Jaemi, everything's fine. Stay here." Amanda followed Duncan out the door.
. . . . . .
Richie tried to scream, but if he actually made any noise he couldn't hear it. Never had he so desperately wanted to hide from something. He willed the power running through his body to find someone else, anyone else, or just to be lost into the universe. . . anywhere but in him. He tried to close his eyes to the memories flashing in front of his mind. He had heard a few stories about Adam's time as Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but he had mostly avoided the topic. Seeing the raids first hand turned his stomach. He could feel the bile creeping up his throat. His mind raced for a way to escape from the torture he was experiencing, but he couldn't put together a coherent thought of his own. It seemed everytime he heard his own voice put two words together it was interrupted by someone he had never heard before. As suddenly as the power had begun to rip through his body, it stopped.
. . . . . .
"Adam!" Duncan screamed as he ran towards the quickening. "Richie!" He stopped running when he spotted a pair of legs sticking out from behind a tree. Duncan raced toward them and found Adam's headless body.
"Duncan!" Amanda called jogging after him. She froze when she saw the legs. "Who is it?" she whispered.
"It's Adam," Duncan answered quietly.
Amanda's hand flew to her mouth. "No! Who did it?"
"I don't know." Duncan picked up Richie's blood stained saber off the ground.
"Dad! What's going on?" Richie lifted his head at the sound of Jaesin's voice. 'No,' he begged. 'don't let her see me like this. Please, don't let her see Methos. Please!'
"Amanda, get her out of here!" Duncan barked. "Richie!" he called.
"Dad!"
"Jaesin, go! Richie!"
Richie tried to respond, but any sound he succeeded in making was lost in the wad of cloth in his mouth. 'Why, Methos?' his mind screamed. 'Why did you do this?'
"Richie!" Duncan ran to him and pulled off the blindfold.
"Mac!" Richie rasped as soon as the gag was removed. "Mac, I tried to stop him!"
"Who did this?" Duncan demanded angrily.
"You have to believe me, I tried, there was nothing I could do!" Richie was in near hysterics. "Oh, God I tried, he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't explain! He just kept rambling. I tried to stop him, you have to believe me!"
Duncan took Richie's face in his hands, forcing their eyes to lock. "Richie, tell me who did this."
"He did," Richie whimpered. "Methos. I tried to stop him, Mac. Tell me you believe me." His voice was shaking as he spoke.
"I know you did," Duncan said simply. "You wouldn't have given up without a fight," he added softly cutting the ropes with his sword.
"I don't understand," Richie said rubbing his raw wrists. "He said I would, but I don't."
"He must have had his reasons. We have to trust what he did."
"Mac. . ." Richie started trying to figure out what he was feeling.
"Let's go back to the cabin." Duncan turned and began to walk away.
"What about the body?" Richie called after him.
"We'll deal with it later."
Duncan and Richie slowly walked back to the cabin.
"Mac, Jaes didn't see anything, did she?" Richie asked softly as they walked up the steps to the porch.
"No, I don't think she did."
Richie stopped abruptly halfway across the porch. "Something's wrong," he said as his eyes glazed over.
"What?" Duncan stopped and stared at him.
"Something's wrong."
"What are you talking about?"
Richie's eyes snapped into focus. "I don't know! Something's wrong!" He rubbed he chest and started panting.
"Richie?"
"Mac!" he dropped to his knees.
"Duncan!" Amanda threw open the front door. Duncan looked up form where he was crouching in front of Richie. Amanda had blood smeared all over her shirt. "I don't know what happened. One minute I'm explaining to her about Adam and the next. . ." her voice trailed off.
"And next what?" Richie wheezed.
"Next she's doing what you're doing. Only she' covered in blood."
"Get the car!" Duncan ordered jumping to his feet.
"Mac, no!" Richie followed him into the house.
"We have to get her to the hospital!"
"No, they can't help her!"
"Richie, don't argue with me!"
"I'll get the car." Amanda took the spare keys off the table by the door.
"Jaesin!" Duncan called running up the stairs with Richie at his heels. Jaesin met them at the top of the stairs; her previously pink shirt was a dull red. Her eyes were wide in panic and her hands dripped with blood.
"Richie!" she exclaimed throwing herself into his arms.
"Shh, it's okay," he assured her looking up at Duncan. "What happened?"
"I don't know, it hurt so bad!" she sobbed into his shirt.
"What hurt?" Duncan asked. "Can you show me?" He turned her around to face him. Her eyes glazed over and she didn't respond. "Jae! Show me, where does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she said softly, not blinking.
"Hey, Jaes, I'm going to take your shirt off, okay?" Richie told her as he began pulling it over her head. "I just want to look." He balled up the shirt and wiped away the blood that remained on her skin. There were no injuries to be seen. "Is this where it hurt?" he asked putting his hand on her chest. She nodded, still staring into space. "Here, too?" he moved his hand to her stomach. She nodded again. "Mac," Richie said softly looking over his shoulder. "she's immortal."