HAPPY EASTER!

Chapter Five – Day 6 Late Morning

It is night time. I tie my scarf around my head and move closer to Boris.

"The natives are getting restless again." He tells me with glee, he is enjoying this.

It feels wrong to me so I take another pill, knowing it will help. It does, I can think clearer now.

Of course Scumm needs some form of payment, you cannot feel this good for free... He deserves some entertainment, why should he not feel as good as we do.

Money is meaningless now, he owns the city and we are his people. Those who were too afraid to find Bliss have gone elsewhere, which is how it should be. So what can we pay our leader? What is left to give him but ourselves?

Boris and I sit with our master as he looks down over the crowd, a look of pleasure on his face as he makes his selection. He glances at my cousin and then at me, a question in his eyes. I know what he wants, even though I do not completely understand.

I take another pill and he smiles and nods. "Good planeteer." he tells me.

I have pleased him, just by accepting his hospitality... He is truly generous, and kind. He knows Boris would like to take part in the games, but he selects another, to please me.

I look down, the crowd have parted to form a ring around the chosen. When Scumm gives the word they will fight, the prize for the winner, a bag of Bliss... The loser, if he survives the contest, will go without so that everyone will understand the price of failure.

The fight begins... There is so much blood. I hate seeing this, it makes me feel sick and the Bliss does not seem to help... At least this loser will not know the pain of going without Bliss... And at least he knew his life had meaning, he gave it for the good of his master. My nausea is getting worse.

Scumm picks a new challenger. I am not watching but I know from the crowds reaction that something is wrong.

Turning my attention to the match I realise that while the reigning champion is going berserk trying to get at his opponent, the new guy is easily keeping him at bay... but that is all he is doing. Led by Scumm's henchmen, the crowd are calling for him to finish his opponent, but he will not do it.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone for your amusement Scumm." he cries.

I know that voice! A chill runs through my veins that no amount of Bliss will keep out. "Wheeler!" I gasp.

It came out in a whisper but Scumm heard anyway. The big rat turns to look at me and laughs. He knows Wheeler is watching as he holds out a pill for me to take.

"No!" Wheeler screams at me, but I cannot take my eyes from the iridescent ovoid in Scumm's fingers.

I reach out to take it but Wheeler calls again and his voice distracts me. "No! Please Babe, let me help you?"

He sounds desperate but so am I, my stash of Bliss is gone. I reach out once more and this time Wheeler's cry is one of pain as the crowd turn on him.

"Nyet Wheeler!" I turn to Scumm, "Stop them!" He just laughs. "WHEELER!"

I see my Yankee disappear beneath a sea of punching and kicking, desperate individuals, all eager to please their master in the hope of a reward.

I scream and keep screaming...

He moves closer to me and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Please…do not hurt him…" I say.

"He's history." Scumm says and leers down at me.

I shake my head and beg him. "Nyet. Leave him alone…do not take him from me."

But Scumm is enjoying the show and does not heed me… then the crowd start cheering and I know it is over.

He moves his hands to hold my face. "Linka…open your eyes."

Grabbing his wrists and wrenching them away from me, I screech. "NYET!"

I do open my eyes though and find that it is not Scumm in front of me but Wheeler. I do not understand, but I run my fingers over his face as I examine him in the light of the afternoon sun, that is streaming through my bedroom window.

"You got away from them!" I say through my tears.

He is holding on to me tightly, worry in his eyes. "Away from who Baby?" Then he shakes his head. "Doesn't matter, you're safe now, it was just a bad dream."

I throw my arms around his neck, pulling myself up, still half terrified that the blissed-out mob will drag him away from me and determined not to let us be parted.

He makes a joke, how typical of him! But it feels good, reality is beginning to seep back in and I chuckle into his shoulder though I am still crying. I run my fingers through his hair, I have always liked the way it feels but I do not get a chance to play with it often. He is running his hands up and down my back, I like how that feels too.

"You're ok. You're safe…nothing's gonna get you. Whatever it was…whoever it was…it's gone." He says after a while.

"Skumm," I whisper, figuring that says it all.

He gives me a squeeze. "He's not here. It was a bad dream. Do you wanna talk about it? What happened? Was it about Boris? Skumm was hurting him?"

My mouth has gone dry but I manage to answer. "Nyet...he was...it was...you. Scumm was hurting you."

I pull back to look into his eyes. "Wheeler I..." I begin, wanting to tell him how much I need him, but I stop as my body's needs catch up with me.

"I need to be sick!" I say instead and make a break for the bathroom.

I can barely see for the tears in my eyes but I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror as I bend over the sink.

I did not want Wheeler to see me this way... What must he think of me? I used to be so beautiful – the sort of girl he likes – now I am a wreck! I am so thin you can feel my bones, my skin is sallow and clammy and my eyes are sunken with dark circles around them. Why should he care for me now?

I wish I had not let the others talk me into eating so much last night, I cannot seem to stop retching. But I am also dimly aware of the gentle hands that are gathering back my long hair so that it does not fall in the sink... He followed me!

Wheeler rubs my back in a comforting motion, and gradually the sickness ceases as I calm down and my sobs begin to subside.

He pushes me down to sit on the edge of the bath and runs the tap in the sink to wash away the mess. I lower my head in shame but he ignores it. Getting a clean wash cloth from the cupboard, he wets it and tipping my chin up with his finger, very gently washes my face over.

I do not know what to say, so I do not say anything. I just sit and watch him and do as he tells me.

He pours a glass of water and hands it to me. I take it obediently but look blankly at him. He smiles and says. "To rinse your mouth round, I'm figuring it's gotta taste pretty bad right now."

I nod and do as he suggests, then sit back down on the bath. I am shaking, but this time it is not from the cold but from the images in my nightmare.

Wheeler kneels down in front of me and rubs my arms and then tenderly strokes my hair back from my face.

"See?" He says, his voice matching his actions. "I can help you! Just because you can do this alone, it doesn't mean you have to."

I swallow, on the verge of tears again, I want so much to just give in to him, but would it be fair?

He saw my hesitation and it must have encouraged him. He is not giving up. "I can't fix everything but I can help make it easier... please?"

I finally find my voice, but I sound like a small child and I hate myself for it. "Promise you will not send me away... I cannot go back there."

"Why are you so afraid of the clinic?" He asks with a frown, but I am not ready to explain.

"Promise me!" I insist. He probably thinks it is a control thing, or a test, but it is not... I just need to know I can trust him.

"I promise," he says at last, and I can see the truth in his eyes. "I won't send you away. I get it, you're better off here... with me."

I cannot be strong any longer and I cannot lie to him any longer, I fall into my Yankee's arms and sob.

To Be Continued…

And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Wheeler's side of the story in Chapter 5 of Becks7's Co-Dependents!