Battle the Dark: Chapter 34

You can do this.  You've done worse.  You've lived through Hell, and come back from it.  


He opened his eyes.  He had lost all track of days and time.  It was unclear, there under the ground, whether or not it was daylight.  It seemed the same, hour after hour.  


He attempted to move, but couldn't.  His arm was bleeding, through the shirt.  He felt the warm wetness with his hand.  He could not turn over onto his back; there were new and raw areas there, he could tell by the way his skin felt that Leona had been at him.  He had not been given water in what seemed to be days.  His lips had hard patches on them, where the skin was dry and cracked.  He felt lightheaded when he even tried to move his position.  With one arm freshly lacerated, and the back the same, he could do nothing but lie, on this left side, and feel the life draining from him.  Unless...


If he comes back, get him talking.  Get him to sit you up straight.  When you get the chance, bowl him over and fight for the knife.  Either way, it's you or him.  The time is now, before it's too late.


He felt weaker than he remembered.  His eyes searched the dimness for water, anything left in a bottle, and he thought, if he found some, he would roll, though painful, to get it.  He knew he needed water more than anything now, and could tell his body was close to shutting down.


How will I get the strength to fight him?  Maybe, he'll tell me something, and I'll be so angry, I'll squeeze his neck until his fucking head pops.  You know what it is.  You KNOW.  You know what he did to you.  Goes with the territory, the Peter Manning thing.  You don't need him to tell you.  You don't need him to say the words.


He faded into unconsciousness.


***


Blair, Sister Rebecca Katherine and Shaun all showed up again at Timothy's flat.  The mood was dank, at best.  Nothing had turned up.  John had received a message, on his cell phone, that Zeus had helped Ray stream to him.  He turned it on and they all listened to it.  They became interested in the same part of the exchange: "I want to know more," Zeus had said.  Then Hesser's voice: "In time, my boy, in time.  Come to Rialto, and meet me.  I'll find you once you get here.  I have a special place arranged where we can talk, out of sight of the street."


John clicked it off, and everyone stared at each other.  Timothy said, "It's not much to go on."


John said, "No, but the cell was traced to Rialto, he mentions Rialto, we're not far from there.  The cell could not pinpoint anything more accurate than a cell tower."


"Is there one around here?"  Blair asked.



"There is.  I had the authorities tell me. There are three."


Shaun said, "Three is better than thirteen."


"True," John said.


Sister Rebecca Katherine said, "I can't help but think there's more to it.  Should we listen again?"


John said, "We can."  He replayed the stream, from the same point:  "I want to know more."  Then,  "In time, my boy, in time.  Come to Rialto, and meet me.  I'll find you once you get here.  I have a special place arranged where we can talk, out of sight of the street."


She thought, as the others chatted.  Something about it...she could not figure.


***


He awoke to the sound of water.  Listening, and looking around, he couldn't place where it came from.  A few moments later, Leona was at his side, washing his wounds and dressing them.  The water was in the bathroom alcove.  But, he was too weak and sore to get up.  "I'm dying," he said aloud.


"Yeah, we all are, Manning.  You, sooner than most.  They've decided it's time.  Clearly, you won't talk.  The Men of 21 have lost their patience.  They have other means.  You're going to be set free, soon."


Todd knew what it meant; he would be killed.  Choke him.  Squeeze until he can't breathe.  He realized how foolish he sounded to himself.  He had no strength left, at least, in his hands.  With the wound on his arm, he was useless, for the time being.  Unless he could think of something else...


"You haven't given me water in a while.  I think the human body needs that."


"Does it?"  He taunted, with his evil huge mouth grinning.  "Hmm.  Let me see..."


He went through his bag, and handed Todd a bottle of water.  He could not turn the top off it, so The Slice and Dice had to do it for him.  Leona held the bottle to Todd's mouth, and let a little pour into him.  He wanted all of it; but the man pulled it away.


"I know what you did to me,"  Todd said, in a husky whisper.


"What?  I can't hear you?"  He provoked.


"I said, I know what you did to me, you sick bastard."


"Really?"


"Yeah.  I know."  He put his head back down, and fought the dark.  He did not want to pass out, especially knowing what he knew about his next twenty-four hours.  Don't close your eyes.  Don't give in.  Don't lose this battle with the dark.  Then, it hit him.  "So, what are you going to do to celebrate our relationship's end?"


"Good question."  He held the water to Todd's lips again, and this time, let him have almost half the bottle.  "I have a few ideas."


"Do they involve you getting me to sit?"


"Are you in pain?  Tsk tsk."


"Yeah.  But the closer I am to the ground, the closer I am to passing out.  Maybe that's best."  He said, hoping it was working.


"I'm going to sit you up.  In a few minutes."


***


John and Timothy continued to devise the plan for searching the areas around the three cell phone towers.  It would take the FBI 24 hours to pinpoint which of the three, and they weren't sure they could wait that long.


It was a drowsy, summer afternoon, and Blair, head back on the chair, was drifting off.  Sister Rebecca Katherine had her hands entwined in the rosary beads and was silently praying.  Shaun packed a supply bag in case they had to go at a moment's notice; it included 3 guns, one for each of them, some water in a canteen type bottle, ammo and maps.  Before sitting down and resting, Blair noticed Timothy had put a long switchblade into the pack as well.  She had shaken all over, thinking of it.  Jerking awake every few minutes, she gave up the idea of sleeping. 


John said, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this idea of searching the area around all three makes little sense.  We could miss the call for the real answer, we could search in circles and still miss the location.  We have to have more than this."  He pounded his fist on the table.


Blair became startled, and got up taking her overblouse off the chair and putting it on.  "I can't do this John.  I'm going to find him."


He just watched her go to the door, and said nothing.  She put her hand on the knob, and then sobbed.  "I don't even know where to go."  She doubled over, as if sick.  Timothy, who was standing closest, held her in his arms and helped her to the sofa.  "I can't do this," she cried.  


John said, "Blair, I know it's very hard.  When was the last time you ate?"


"I don't know.  I don't care.  How can I think about eating when he's...dying.  Let's face it.  Todd's dying, if he's not already dead!"  Her sobs became hysterical, and they all knew she had not eaten or slept.  The sister abandoned her prayers for the moment, and went to her, taking her in her arms.  


"There, there, you must rest darling.  You cannot go on this way."


Blair was incoherent.  Shaun said, "Guys, I'm going to take Sister and Blair back to the hotel.  They can rest there.  Timothy, have you got anything that will help her sleep?"


"Give her this," he handed him a small flask.  Shaun and Sister Rebecca Katherine helped Blair out of the flat and into a taxi.  


John looked at Timothy.  "24 hours.  Is it wrong to wait for more answers?"


"Can you get your men at the bureau to move faster?  Is there any way?"  He was interrupted by his cell phone.  "Excuse me, hello?  Are you certain?  Where?  My God, lad, that's what we needed.  It makes perfect sense.  "We're on it!" He hung up.  "One of my contacts thinks he found them.   We should have realized this from Zeus' clues.  In Rialto.  The underground catacombs."


*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.