Page 22 of Merciless
“What do you mean, Dad?” I stopped walking, peering at his face curiously. “The snake is looking out for us? What snake?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” His face had been relaxed, if even dreamlike, but right then, he was frowning. “I’m not sure why I said that.” His expression turned sheepish. “Ignore me. I’m just a silly old potato.”
Something inside me was going off like alarm bells. This was important. Gods inside animals had brought us too far for me to just ignore what he said. But my dad’s already-limited strength was waning for the day, and he gripped the railing next to us.
“Let’s get you to bed,” I said, gently urging him forward. “I’ll bring you something for your headache. Are you hungry?”
“No. No,mijita. Thank you.”
The hospital was still overcrowded and understaffed, so his bed was wedged in a room where three other patients slept. “When you’re discharged, you’re coming to live with us,” I announced, deciding right then.
“Mari,” Dad sighed. “No, I couldn’t—“
“You will,” I insisted. “We have plenty of room, and you’re family. Plus, when we find Mom…” I paused, focusing for a moment on that instinct inside of me thatknewmy parents were alive this whole time. Both of them.
“When all this is over, and we find Mom,” I repeated, fighting to keep my voice steady. “They’re building lots of houses here. You two can live with us until you have your own place.”
My dad smiled tiredly as he settled into bed. “Sounds real nice,mija.” His eyelids fell slowly, the exhaustion taking over him. “My beautiful daughter, it’s so good to see you again.”
“You too, Dad.” I squeezed his hand. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I watched him as he slept for several minutes, battling the urge to shake him awake. What if he didn’t remember me again when he woke up? Time slipped away as I just watched my dad breathe.
When a warm hand dropped to my shoulder, I looked up to see Jandro beaming down at me. “Gunner told me,” he said in a hushed voice. “I couldn’t be happier for you,Mariposita.”
I stood up, allowing myself to be wrapped up in a hug by him.
“He’s back,” I whispered into his chest in disbelief. “I really have him back.”
“You do,” Jandro affirmed with a loving squeeze around me. He brought his palms to my cheeks and touched his forehead to mine. “And you’ll get the rest of them back.”
For the first time since Reaper and Shadow were taken, I felt the tiny spark of hope that he was right.
Nine
REAPER
Pain was my constant companion. It woke me up, it knocked me out. It fed me and drained me. The only time it wasn’t with me was when I was unconscious. Every time I got used to one kind of pain sensation, the Sha’s guards would switch it up and do something new to shock my system.
The Sha never entered my mind, and from what I could tell through my pain haze, he never entered Shadow’s either. Shadow was always with me too, I guess. Although I was never constantly aware of him like I was with the effects of the torture in my body.
“Drink more water,” he told me. “It’s safe. She brought a whole bowl for you.”
I was pretty gun-shy about sticking my face in a bowl full of clear liquid after the distilled vinegar incident. Shadow insisted there was a woman among the Sha’s guard who was working against him and helping us. I never saw her, I figured he had to be hallucinating. But then why would he still be in the dungeon with me if his mind was breaking down?
Maybe I was still sane, but I couldn’t make sense of anything anymore. I still remembered Mari, my club, my home, everything I was fighting for. Mentally, I held onto it all for a while, but it was starting to slip from my grasp at this point. I didn’t know if they’d been captured or killed by the Sha’s forces or someone else.
The only thing I knew for sure was that I’d be a changed person if I ever made it out of here. Maybe I’d be a better person, or maybe a shell of the man I once was. But day after day of torture loosened my grip. Not on my sanity necessarily, but the willingness to endure. My wife’s face, the happiness I once knew, was fading into a distant memory, and all I knew anymore was burning, stabbing, aching, blinding pain.
“Reaper.” Shadow was starting to sound far away too. “Tell me one word. Just let me know you’re there.”
“…hurts…”
“I know. Can you do me a favor and drink some water? It will help you heal a little bit.”
I would have laughed if I had the energy. What did he know? He couldn’t feel any of it. They didn’t even bother with him anymore.
“…Mah…ri…” It felt like I hadn't said her name in so long. My broken, swollen, bleeding mouth could barely form the syllables.
