chapter 10
Lizzie
Saturday morning came bright and early. My bed had never seemed so comfortable, in like ever. I stretched and pulled my muscles as I yawned, sneezing when I felt something brush up against my nose. Then I felt something tickle my cheek. Turning my head, I felt something soft and little, brush up against my cheek again. Beside me a butterfly sat on my pillow, floating his wings on and off of my cheek. I gasped.
Sitting up, I examined it without touching it. It had black eyes on its wings. It was beautiful. Another tickle came from my arm. As I looked over, I noticed they were everywhere. The contours of my room stood out in a rainbow of different colored butterflies. How did they get in here?
I was laughing at myself when I heard a slight chuckle. Darrton stood by my window, leaning against the wall. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. He had on low-rise jeans and a snug white T-shirt. “Did you do this?” I asked, sitting up looking around the room.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He nodded. “I have another favor to ask you, Lizzie.”
I sighed. Too good to be true. Shouldn’t I be scared of you? “What is it?”
“It is not really of the favor kind, but an order. We have to leave.”
“We as in whom? You have a mouse in your pocket?” He glanced down into his pockets like he might actually look. “It’s just an expression, Darrton. It means I’m not coming with you.”
He furrowed his brow. “I’ve packed your bag. We have to go.” He tossed me some clothes and stood waiting for me to dress.
“You’re serious? You think I’m going to just leave my family to go with you?”
“You have no choice. They are coming to kill you.”
“You mean them as in the Horsemen? Why would they want to kill me in particular?” I shrugged and walked over to the mirror to tighten my ponytail. A butterfly was perched on the side of the mirror, its wings fluttering in a smooth rhythm.
Darrton grabbed my arm. “We have to leave. They will kill you because you know about us. They will kill you because I won’t.”
I shivered. That was his job to kill, yet, he wouldn’t kill me. I’m not complaining! Although, it made my stomach tickle thinking about why he wouldn’t. He did almost kiss me last night and...
“Lizzie—” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “We have to go now. Get dressed, you have no choice.”
“The hell I don’t. I’m not going anywhere with you. What? I’ll never see my family again? I couldn’t just not ever see my family again.”
“If you don’t come with me, they will kill your family.”
My heart fluttered. They would kill my family? Who would do that? I crossed my arms. “I don’t believe you,” I lied, “And I’m not going.” He is lying, isn’t he?
Darrton carried me out of the house, over his shoulder, while I screamed into his hand. “Let me go! Darrton, damn it, let me go!”
He tossed me onto his motorcycle and said, “I dare you to move.” Bringing my leg over the side I tried to run, but he caught me.
Ugh! “I hate you.”
“Good, it will make things easier.” He didn’t even look at me while he pushed my bag into the back compartment of the bike.
“When did you get this?” I snarled.
He cocked an eyebrow. “I borrowed it.”
I sighed. “You mean stole?”
“Borrowed,” he said, straddling in front of me.
“Do you plan on bringing it back?”
“Sorry, can’t hear you over the sound of my new motorcycle.”
I shook my head. Thief.
“Wrap your arms around me,” he said through his helmet.
Hesitating I wrapped my arms around his waist. I locked my fingers and felt a snap. I tried to pull my hands apart but felt cold metal around them. Handcuffs.
“You let me go, Darrton,” I screamed.
He shook his head through the helmet and revved the engine. Glancing back to my house, I felt a sting. Is this it? Would I ever see my family again? Would I ever eat Mom’s bad cooking, fight with Samantha, or eat pizza with Dad? Where was he going to hide me? Was he really going to kill me? I shivered as the late August air brushed my skin. We were leaving and I didn’t even know when or if I was coming back. I guess I should be a little more upset.
As much as I tried to be sad about leaving, as much as I tried to be scared...I just couldn’t. I felt safe and I knew I shouldn’t. I knew my family would be safer without me than with me right now. I would be back, right?
At some point I must have fallen asleep. When I awoke from a long and unpleasant ride on the back of the motorcycle, I saw the green population sign for Vancouver, Washington, population 161,791. Well, for the next few days it would be 161,793. Well I think two days. Two weeks? Oh God! What if I never come back?
“Are you awake, Lizzie?” Darrton screamed over the roar of the engine.
I nodded against his shoulder and nonchalantly tried to pull my hands free. Damn it. “Yeah, unfortunately.”
“We have to pull in for some gas. We are almost there.”
“Where is there?”
“There is a valley close by where we can setup camp.”
“I’m not staying in a valley. What the heck? I’m not staying in the woods, either. We need somewhere else to go.”
Darrton set his lips into a hard straight line. “Do you have taverns here?”
“A tavern, like a motel?”
His silence told me he had no idea what I was talking about. “Like some place that has rooms we can rent out for the night?”
I nodded. “A motel.”
“Good that is where we are going then.”
I stiffened. Wait. Alone? No supervision. My mom would be freaking right now. Wait. I’m supposed to be freaking right now, too.
Darrton pulled into the gas station and popped the kickstand up. I felt him as he unlocked the handcuffs and I grabbed my wrist and held them. He stood up and waited.
“What?” I asked.
He gestured at the gas pump. “Well, show me how to do it.”
I lifted a brow. “You can drive but you can’t pump gas?”
“The guy that sold me the bike showed me how to drive it. He thought I was crazy because I was an adult and didn’t know how to drive. I didn’t want him to think I was any denser, so I didn’t ask how to get gas. Now, are you going to show me or not?”
I hid a laugh and talked him through the steps of pumping the gas. I pointed him in the direction to go pay and he disappeared inside. I was waiting for him beside his bike when I felt my phone vibrate. Making sure Darrton wasn’t looking, I checked my phone. A text from Millie. Where are you? Everyone is freaking out, comrade. Trevor is flipping his lid. Kings of Leon tonight?
What the hell? Did Trevor think that I was still going to that stupid concert with him after he basically tried to rape me? I slide my phone back into my pocket before Darrton came back from paying for the gas.
He pointed toward the bike. “Get on. We only have ten more miles.”
I crossed my arms. “Darrton, a couple of questions, hon. First off, what did you say to Trevor after you knocked him out? Secondly, what comes after the hotel? Are we going to run forever? I mean, I have to graduate, and these guys...Horsemen...things won’t chase us, will they?”
Darrton held the bridge of his nose with his fingers and sighed. “First, Trevor has no memory of any of that ever happening. I made him forget. Secondly, I have a plan and you don’t need to worry about it right now. I’ve asked directions and I know where I am going.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Tell me now or I’ll scream.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are we three?”
“Are we a kidnapper?”
“Nicely done,” he smiled.
I bit my tongue to keep from smiling and gestured at him. “Well, tell me.”
He leaned forward on the bike’s handles. “Tell you what? I will make you a bargain. If you come without a fight, I swear to you, when we get settled I will reveal my plan to you.”
I clicked my tongue and debated. “Deal,” I said, offering my hand.
He shook it. “Now, get on.”
I sat down and held on. He snapped the handcuffs.
Ass.
When we pulled up to the motel, I noticed the sign Homewood Suites. At least it isn’t a rat motel. Darrton parked, unlocked my handcuffs and kicked his kickstand out.
I whistled. “Hope you’re paying, babe.”
“I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I did not.”
A warmth spread across my body. Darrton took my bag out from the back of the bike and began walking toward the doors. “Aren’t you coming?”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I caught up with him, “How are you paying for this? And how did you pay for the bike? How do you have money?”
He shrugged. “We have our ways.”
I stopped. “You stole money!” I yelled out.
A man emptying his trunk glanced over at us, saw Darrton, and pretended to be looking at someone behind us.
“Of course not. I may kill but I’m not a thief. I earned it.”
“Doing what?” I asked, hand on my hip.
“Playing cards.”
I cocked and eyebrow. “Cards? When did you have time to play cards?”
“Texas hold ’em, and I had time when I was away for the few days. I may be a Horsemen but I am not stupid. I know how to get a ride, or fly where I need to go. Cards have been around for ages. I do pretty well for myself.” He nodded and gestured for me to go ahead. Hmm, a Horsemen that can play cards? What is the world coming to?
The sliding doors opened for us and the brightly lit lobby was cozy and well sized. A lady in a nicely ironed polo smiled at us. “Welcome to Homewood Suites, how may I help you two this evening?”
“We need a chamber for the night.”
She looked confused.
“He means a room,” I said.
She smiled but I could see the hesitation on her face. It wasn’t until I really looked at her that I noticed she was questioning Darrton and I being together. “May I see your license, sir?”
Oh no. He reached into his low rise jeans and pulled out his license. Where on earth did he get that?
She eyed it and looked over at me. “And yours, ma’am?”
Darrton glanced back at me and gestured for me to give it to her. I’m only seventeen! She is going to call the cops!
I pulled out my wallet and slid my card along the countertop. Darrton thumped his fingers.
The lady looked down at my card and sighed. “Okay,” she said with a bright smile. “You look much younger than you are, ma’am.”
Clueless, I looked up at Darrton but he acted like he didn’t see me. What did that thing say?
The woman went to clicking on the computer and I glared up at Darrton who smiled. “I thought he had kidnapped you or something, dear,” she said. “You do not look twenty-one.”
That’s because I’m not!
This should have made me feel better but I was wound so tight that a sigh of relief was so out of the question.
“Here you go, sir. Room 313. You and your wife have a lovely time.”
Wife!
Darrton pressed the elevator button. He was looking everywhere but at me. He had a smile on his face that looked more like he was holding back a laugh.
My patience was running thin. “Wife, huh? So, you don’t steal but you make fake IDs?”
Darrton glanced over at me, his eyes narrowed. “This is for your safety, Liz. I have to keep you safe now.”
Wow who could argue with that? The elevator beeped and we both stepped in.
Darrton pressed three and I watched as the light moved up the wall. “You’re different, Darrton,” I said, pushing my toe against the floor.
“How so?”
I looked over at him. He was leaning up against the wall, hair pulled back into a low ponytail. He looked...normal. He never did at first. He’d looked...mean. He’d looked like...death.
“You’re not mean. You’re not scary. That black stuff around you isn’t there anymore.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re complaining because I’m not being mean to you?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not complaining,” I said, while exiting the elevator. “I’m just pointing it out. Are you changing to...a human?”
He snorted and walked along the hallway stopping in front of our door. “That can’t happen. I’m not here to turn human. I’m here to kill, Liz.” He turned toward me and I could see it was a lie. “Don’t ever forget that.”
We walked through the kitchenette area. I dropped my bag on the chair and stopped. “Where is the other bed?” I gasped, choking on my words.
Darrton cocked his eyebrow and looked at the bed. “Maybe that was all that they had left? Or maybe because we are married?” He shrugged and held back a smile like it was no big deal or anything.
“But we’re not.”
“But they thought we were.” He slide off his shoes and sighed. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep or something. “I will sleep on the couch, Lizzie.”
“What’s going on that you’re not telling me? And why are we here? Do we plan on running away forever? I have to go home, Darrton. I have a family and friends. I have to go back to school. I can’t stay on the run for the rest of my life.”
He pressed his finger to his lips and sat down on the bed. “Elizabeth,” he said and it sent a shiver down my spine. My whole name coming out of his mouth made my stomach twist. “I’m keeping you safe. It’s because of me that you’re in danger and I should have never involved you. I will take care of everything. They aren’t after your family, they will leave them alone. They are after you, but you’re safe with me.”
“Okay, so why are we here though?”
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?”
He sighed and ran his fingers down the length of his face. I started to play with my nail. “His name is Ian.”
“Is he one of the Horsemen? ’Cuz I don’t think that is such a good idea.”
“Of course he is not. He is an angel.”
I stopped and looked up at him. “What do you mean, angel?”
“He is fallen. A fallen angel. I knew him before he fell. He is like us, damned. Ian died a long time ago. Every time an angel is damned, everyone in Heaven knows. It is a horrible punishment to be damned.”
Leaning up against the desk behind me I watched Darrton’s face. “Why was he damned? The same reason as you?”
He shook his head. “No, he fell in love with a human.”
I gasped. “Is that against the rules?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly. He was watching her from Heaven and God damned him for wanting out of Heaven so badly to be with her.”
“So God damned him?”
“Yes.”
“When was this?”
Darrton tapped his chin and thought back. “I think the ’20s.”
My mouth dropped open. “She must be dead by now?”
He nodded. “I believe she died.”
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket but I jabbed my finger in there and ignored it. “So, he was damned to Earth, and now she died without him? Will he die, I mean can he die?”
He shook his head. “That’s part of the punishment, he will never age. He can die, but it’s harder for him to be killed. He can never be happy with someone forever. He will always be the same.”
“Will you always be the same?”
His eyes seemed glazed over and he shrugged. “I’m not sure, actually. God gives immortality for punishment. I’m being punished. All Four Horsemen are being punished for taking The Apocalypse into their own hands. So it’s possible that I will stay the same.”
I sat on the table and began to swing my feet. “So, were you always a Horseman? Or did you die and go to Heaven?”
Darrton’s eyes were so pale against his tanned skin. “I was a human for 22 years before God chose me.”
“How did it happen?”
Darrton opened his mouth to speak but he bit it back. He stood up. “Go take a shower and I will bring you something to eat from down stairs. Anything you prefer?”
I shook my head. “As long as it’s edible. And no onions. I hate onions.”
“No onions.” He nodded and walked out.
The shower felt so good. It was hot and the hotels soap smelled like lavender. I was enjoying the bath until the buzzing sound of my cell phone ringing brought me out of the bliss. “Ugh!” I stepped out of the shower and tied a towel around me.
It was from Trevor. Hey, Liz. I haven’t talked to you today. Are we still going to the concert tonight? It’s a pretty long drive. We will need to leave soon. Lizzie? You there?
Millie: Where the fudge are you! Your parents have called the cops! Are you okay? I’m getting scared, Lizzie. Where are you?
I shut my phone and tried to breath. I had 37 missed calls from my parents, Lizzie, Trevor, and Sam. Would they move on with their lives if I never come back? Would they adopt another daughter? Would Samantha get my room? What about Millie, would she go off to her senior year and find another friend? Would someone else get to sit with her at lunch and eat Cheez-Its? I really don’t care if Trevor finds someone else to try and seduce.
My mouth became dry and I fumbled with the door knob and bolted out toward the sink. The cabinet door closest to the bottom didn’t have any glasses and the one above I couldn’t reach. I tried to step onto the counter to get but the cabinet door opened before I could. I gasped and turned around. Darrton was standing there behind me, a glass in his hand.
“Are you okay?”
Embarrassed, I grabbed the glass filled it up with tap water and gulped it down. I dropped the glass into the sink and placed my face in my hands. I felt a sudden breeze on my side and I realized I was still in my towel. “Don’t look!” I screamed. I pulled it up from my waist where it had fallen and my whole body started to heat. “Don’t look!”
“I’m not, Lizzie!” he shouted back.
My face was red and when I turned around Darrton had his hand over his face and was turned away from me. “Okay, my towels up now. You can look.
He turned back and cocked an eyebrow. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing...I was just...my parents called the cops, Darrton.”
“I presumed they would. That is why I got you a fake ID. So that they couldn’t track you down. Do not call anyone, either. They may be able to track you. We can’t let them find us just yet, especially before tonight.”
“Why tonight? What are we doing tonight that is so important?”
He looked like he was debating whether to tell me something or not. “I’ll tell you later.” He pointed toward a plate of food on the table. “That is yours. Eat up and calm down, okay?”
I nodded my head. Darrton grabbed his wallet off of the table and started toward the door. “Where the hell do you think you are going without me?”
“I have to find Ian. Or at least get a message to him somehow.”
“Well, let me get dressed then, I’ll come with you.” I started toward the bed where my bag was but Darrton stopped me.
“You can’t come. I want you to stay hidden and safe. If they find me with you it will only make it worse.”
“You’re leaving me alone?”
“I have to. You can’t come. There is a swimming pool down stairs, TV, and food. I’ve programmed my number into your phone. Please, if anything happens call me. And please do not call anyone you know. Do not answer the phone, either. We have to stay hidden. Just for a little while.”
“And how do you know how to use a phone?”
Darrton’s lip pulled up into a smile. “The man at Verizon showed me how to put a number in my phone. He showed me how to take a picture also. He deserves a raise. I’m not a fast learner but he still was very patient with me.”
“Well, someone is moving up in the world.”
He smiled but then it turned into a frown. “This is serious, Elizabeth. If anyone knocks on the door, do not answer. Do you understand? Call me if anyone besides housekeeping shows up here. I doubt they will. I didn’t see them following us, but they are sneaky.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. If I wasn’t scared before I was now.
Darrton sighed and walked toward me. His hand on my bare shoulder made my body weak. I bit my tongue to keep calm. “Do you understand, Elizabeth?”
There was that name again...Elizabeth. I shivered. “Yes, I understand.”
“I will be back tonight and be ready when I am.”
“I thought we couldn’t risk going out?”
He smiled. “I have a surprise. It will be dark and easier to hide.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He walked toward the door and shut it. I was alone.
After drying my hair and getting dressed, I plopped down onto the bed and turned on the TV. My cell had been blowing up so I just shut it off. I couldn’t see another text from my mother begging me to call her. I skimmed through the channels and it seemed news was on all of them. I stopped on a local news channel. There were pictures of the war that had been going on in Israel.
“We are speaking with a child that supposedly saw the cause of the madness,” said a woman dressed in a business suit.
This pulled my attention. The child was battered and bruised. He had tear stains down his tanned face. He spoke in some foreign language, but a translator was beside him. “He was big. He waved his hand and everyone started screaming and hurting each other. He had wings,” the translator said. I watched the child’s face as he spoke. He was more than scared. He looked around as if someone would come and snatch him. “He was mean—he had red all around him.” The little kid began to cry and ran from the camera and into the house behind them.
“As you can tell, the children have been traumatized and are hallucinating. These poor children,” the lady said, shaking her head. The TV went to commercial.
I tried to move but I just couldn’t. These people had no idea what was coming. I clicked to another channel and stopped. “People seem to think this is The Rapture. But no one has gone missing? These plagues have just come out of nowhere. No one has gone back to the promise land,” the man said.
I turned the TV off. No one knew what was really happening. I couldn’t seem to get enough air into my lungs. I stood up grabbed the door key and walked out. The hallway was empty and it was cool. I could breathe.
At the end of the hallway I saw the glow from the drink machine. When I rounded the corner, there was an old lady, sitting with her hands in her lap, staring at the wall. She didn’t even look over at me. I pulled seventy five cents from my pocket and clicked Dr. Pepper.
“Crazy things are happening,” the lady said.
I glanced back at her and she was staring straight at me. I gasped. One of her eyes was almost black and the other white. “Yes, ma’am, they are.” I pressed the Dr. Pepper again. Why isn’t it coming out?
“My mother always told me this day would come,” the woman tisked.
I turned again and she was smiling. It wasn’t a pretty smile, more like a menacing one. “What day is that?”
She cocked her head. “You don’t know?”
“Umm.” I licked my lips. “No, I don’t.”
“The day when they betray the Lord.”
My body stiffened. “Who are they?”
My Dr. Pepper finally fell from to the bottom and I jumped. She smiled again, this time standing up slowly. She had a limp and walked sluggishly. “I believe you know more than you let on, Elizabeth.”
“Ma’am? How do you know my name?”
She just smiled. A creepy smile.
“Who are you, ma’am?”
“I’m just an old woman. My mother always believed in these stories. I believe her.”
“You know they’re here?”
“Who, darling?” She smiled and started to walk off.
“Aren’t you scared?” I called after her. “Do you have any spells to keep them away?” What a stupid thing to say. “Maybe garlic or silver bullets?”
She turned and looked at me. Her eyes were uninviting. “Darling, I’m not scared. I know my time is coming before it starts. I won’t be here for it. But—” She coughed. “I do pray for those who will be here when it spreads. I pray for you, darling. There isn’t anything we can do about it. No silver bullets. My mother always told me to pray every night that when the time came I would be taken before Hell was let loose on this place. My mother was right. My time is coming shortly.”
“Wait, ma’am! What do you mean?” I called after her but she was gone. Why would she think that she would be gone? Was she going to die? Did she know how bad it was going to get? I ran to the corner and looked down the hallway. She was gone. Grabbing my Dr. Pepper, I walked back to the room.
It was late and Darrton still hadn’t come back. Cable was getting boring. I couldn’t leave, even though I really wanted to. My phone seemed to be laughing back at me. You can’t use me, it was singing. I turned it on and it flooded with texts. Where are you, please call me baby. Let me know you are okay?
I dialed Millie’s number. I was checking the peep hole when she answered, making sure Darrton didn’t bust in while I was on the phone. He would flip his lid.
“Hello! Hello! Lizzie, are you there?”
I choked up at her voice. It had only been one day but it seemed like a week. “Millie.”
“Thank God! You’re all right? We’ve been worried sick, Lizzie! Where the hell are you?”
“I can’t—”
“You’re mother has been throwing up! You’re dad hasn’t said one word, and even Samantha seems concerned. Trevor has been so worried. We were supposed to go to the concert tonight. If you get home in tim—”
“Millie!” I screamed. “Shut up and listen,” I said, peeking out the peep hole. “I can’t come home. I can’t go to the concert, either.”
“What the hell do you mean you can’t come home? You have to come home.”
“I can’t. We’re all in danger okay. You’ll thank me later. Just go to the concert. Tell Mom and Dad I’m okay and tell Trevor...to go to Hell.”
“What the hell, Lizzie—”
“I have to go now—”
“No don’t hang up—”
“Bye Millie.” I shut the phone and let it fall to the floor. I felt a lump form in my throat. I can’t believe I just did that.
My stomach was hurting so bad. I couldn’t keep doing this to my family. What did Darrton expect me to do?
I picked up my phone and tried to call Darrton. It rang and rang. He didn’t have a voicemail so I couldn’t leave him one. I sent him a text.
“Where are you? Please call me.”
He never texted back.
Ass.