Chapter Five
Merton was drowsing lazily, not quite asleep and not quite awake when he heard the door of the Lair open. There was a brief cool breeze and it closed again.
Merton would have gotten up to see who it was, or maybe just gotten up period. It was only six o'clock. But faster than any human being could move, it was beside him. It was whispering softly. It was Tommy. . .
"Merton, are you awake?"
He made an incoherent noise. I'm awake but I'm not really, and I don't want to get up and talk to you.
"It won't happen again."
What won't? The world will stop treating me like someone who would have been better off not born. Wow, the wisdom of Silenus, if I were to follow that logic, the next best thing is to die, as quickly as possible.
Tommy's hands were on Merton's forehead now, brushing his hair out of his face. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore."
Uh huh, sure. Yeah, right. And Merton was burning. Just because you're superman doesn't mean you can change the world. And Merton could hear his own inner superhero, dying to be set free. The world is changed, a person at a time. And it was naïve and gullible, and somehow, laying here under Tommy's hands, protected, cared for. . . It was also true. Merton was shaking.
"I did something bad today. I lost control. I hurt somebody. And it wasn't a ghost or an alien or a vampire or even the Sandman. I've never fought anyone without superpowers, you know. And it felt. . . I don't know how it felt. It made me think. . . Just maybe if this was a better place. . . It's never going to stop is it? I can't pretend I'm a normal guy anymore. Can't live in the lie; take every day as it comes. . . There are always going to be monsters, human, demons or otherwise. And I'm so lost, I don't know which way is up anymore. . ."
There was a pause, a pregnant pause. "Thank you so very much for being here. I don't know what I'd do without you." Soft footsteps made their way to the door. And it clicked, tenderly.
And Merton felt like an absolute ass for not getting up and reassuring Tommy everything would be all right.