Page 62 of Merciless
Hundreds of curious eyes turned and stared at us. Most were wide-eyed in fear, no doubt fearing some kind of torture or illusion like the Sha had bestowed upon me. I didn’t see Andrea right away, but she had to be somewhere in this sea of faces.
“Hello, everyone.” I raised my hand in greeting and put on my friendliest smile. “My name is Mariposa Wilder and I’m a medic from Four Corners. The Sha has been defeated. You’re all free now. You have nothing to fear.” I tried to make eye contact with everyone looking at me, hoping they realized that I was sincere. “This is not a trick, you have my word. Medical help is on the way for anyone who needs it. If you have family or loved ones, we’ll do our best to put you back in touch with them.”
Hushed murmurs and movement rippled through the crowd as people talked amongst each other. If they didn’t believe me right away, that was fine. Their minds had been manipulated and abused to the point where suspicion was natural.
“Mari? Is that really you?”
My heart stopped at the voice calling out from the crowd. “Andrea?” I answered hopefully.
A section of people moved out of the way for someone pushing through to the front. I still couldn’t see her and my heart drummed louder the closer she got. When she finally came into view, I wanted to burst into tears.
Andrea had lost so much weight. Her skin was covered in scratches and scabs, and her beautiful mane of black hair, which she once took so much pride in styling, had been shaved off. But it was her. She was alive and she recognized me.
“Drea,” I choked out, finally losing it. “I’m so sorry. Oh my God, I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Come here,” she huffed, pulling me into a hug against her bony body. “It’s not your fault, I signed up for this. And…it’s over, right?”
“Yeah,” I squeaked out, returning her hug as tightly as I could without crushing her. “It’s over. We’re gonna be okay.” No matter how much I said the words, I still couldn’t believe them yet.
“Tessa and the kids?”
“They’re good.” I nodded against her shoulder. “Good, just waiting for you to come home.”
“And your men? The Demons?” She pulled away to look at my face.
“Um, they’re okay.” I pulled in a shaky breath. “A lot has happened. We’ll fill you in.”
She nodded, releasing me slowly as she turned back to face the crowd of people. “It’s true, everyone! We can go home.”
The hesitant murmurings rose excitedly, a buzz of hopeful energy filling the air. Mom and I stepped aside, pulling the door all the way open to let people through. My mother had discarded her black guard’s tunic, revealing a simple outfit of linen pants and a shirt underneath.
“I’m proud of you, sweet pea.” She knocked her shoulder into mine as we started walking alongside the crowd to guide them out.
“Thanks, Mom.” My hand squeezed around hers, still hardly daring to believe she was really here. That she and my dad, my whole family, would be back together soon. “Let’s go home.”
Twenty-Five
JANDRO
Word must have traveled fast in Four Corners once the army deployed. Once we got back, the whole town was rallying to help. And thank fuck, ‘cause we needed it.
Mari and her mom had met us in front of the compound with two hundred people in tow, in addition to the Sha’s former soldiers who were still alive and in various stages of mental breakdowns due to no longer being mind-controlled.
People with vehicles volunteered to drive out and pick up those we couldn’t carry with the army’s first wave. Even with the extra help, Finn’s units had to take several trips back and forth to get everyone alive transported out.
Those with the most life-threatening conditions were rushed to the hospital first, and no one was in worse shape than Reaper. Shadow wasn’t looking good either, but his condition at least wasn’t critical. If I hadn’t seen him as an emaciated shell of himself in prison all those years ago, I wouldn’t have recognized him in that fucking dungeon.
The next few days passed by in a blur. We were still short on medics, so Mari worked herself to the bone to distract herself while Reaper was in surgery. And I swore he spent all those days in the operating room. Every update from Dr. Brooks was a horror show. Reaper had severe, probably permanent, nerve damage in his hands. Shattered bones in multiple places, including his face. Teams of medics had to spend hours reconstructing his bones like a jigsaw puzzle. He also had internal bleeding and organ damage. And on top of all of that was the coma, which meant likely brain damage and no estimate of when or if he would ever wake up.
But his heart kept beating. Hewasalive, which counted for something. We would cross all other bridges when we got to them.
There were some beautiful moments in those first few chaotic days, though. Seeing Mari's parents reunite with tearful embraces was a sight I'd never forget. It would be one of those stories we'd tell our kids one day, the happily ever after to all the shit their parents and grandparents went through.
Calmness finally seemed to settle over Four Corners the day Reaper was moved out of surgery and into one of the recovery rooms. Dr. Brooks said there was nothing left to do now except let him heal, rest, and wait for him to wake up. And no one was more eager for all of that than Mari.
She was already at his side when I entered the room, chair pulled up next to his bed and hands clasped around his. Her gaze was locked onto his face, watching him like he could wake up any moment if it weren't for the sedative still wearing off.
"Hey," I greeted her softly as I walked in, my voice no louder than the beeps of the machines monitoring Reaper's vitals. "Finally quit working?" I squeezed her shoulder, standing behind her.
