Dying Wish

[30]

I saw what Batch had done. It was at the very last instant, before the candles blew out and the doors blew in. She switched the lightning in her hand, from right to left. It was smooth. Pivoted off her left foot, she threw her curled claw to the door. I already knew the outcome. I just prayed it was different. I found things were exactly awful.

Silver moonlight shone on Batch; her body crouched in a small crater of cracked stone. Shattered glass twinkled around her and the body she would stand over. I heard weak, unsteady choking sounds. I saw twitching fingers. "Ditzy me," Batch said, "did I go and break your neck, Alice? I'm sorry."

"Alice!" I slid to her side, on my knees. The bones in my body hardened to see her this crippled and broken. Body tucked, barely alive. She and I once talked about what nightmares were. She told me hers. This was mine. "Alice, come on..."

"She's not dead," Batch said. "You know she's immortal."

Just then, through the sparse curtain of her hair, Alice's lips started to twitch. I was positive— no, I was more than positive her throat had been crushed. But still, she was trying to push something out. I leaned my ear in. Chills raced across my skin to hear a weak voice tell me, "Rrr... rrru....rrun..."

As in leave her behind?

"All right, Gray. We're all here. Mostly. Confession time."

"What then? You'll torture her until she gives up the Death Coin."

"Absolutely. But I'll do you the favor of transposing you. You won't have to watch."

I had to choose. Run like Alice wanted or accept Batch's transpose. Either outcome spared me kept me from my own torture. That is, the torture of watching someone I loved being beaten to the brink of death until she surrendered the Death Coin. How long would this last? What would it take to make Alice quit?

And how catastrophic would that be? The loss of the Death Coin. Anticipating what Batch would do next was as terrifying as it was impossible. Our only hope was to end this, here and now. But what could I do, other than lean into my nature?

I ran. Just not without Alice.

There was some dust by my knee... A rock behind her heels... I had to do this exactly right.

In one motion, I scooped up and hurled a fistful of powder. Batch writhed. I lunged at her and shoved as hard as I could. Without needing to see her tumble over the rock, I charged back to Alice. Weightless in my scooping arms, we darted out the small mausoleum.

I'd yet to catch my breath and Batch was already gliding after us. She stopped at the exit of the mausoleum. Her gaze swept the graveyard. But it was no good. We were out of sight. Ducked behind one of the largest tombstones I could get to. Thank you Paterson family for going with the premium package. It bought us time, however faint.

"Cheap shot, Gray," an angry immortal chuckled. "Cheap shot..."

Sweaty and crouched, I peeked around the tombstone. There was a light moan on my heels. My attention turned back to her. "Alice," I whispered, "you ok?" She was covering her eye sockets and churning her legs, like she just woke from a nap. I moved closer.

"Define, 'ok'." She rubbed her throat. "Ouch."

We both were peeking now.

"We need to get out of here," I said. But it was pointless to suggest a transpose. If anything, that would've been our end. Batch was faster than Alice. It was like she could see her in the black void. We'd get pulled out, for sure. We had to think of something else.

"Hide-and-seek, huh?" Batch began to walk the area, slow and confident. "How about a story to pass the time? Gray, honey—" my toes curled— "feel free to jump in anytime, ok?"