The Restoration Project

4.08 - Merrick

Sergeant Trike hit him again. It was the fourth—or fifth—time he did so since they brought him inside and tied him down to one of the remaining chairs at the kitchen table. The force of the blow split his lip, causing fresh blood to run down his chin.

Walther's body remained in the corner of the kitchen, as if it were a reminder of what could happen to him. Merrick tried not to look at it. His shoulders ached and his jaw throbbed. He sucked in a lungful of air that did nothing to help either of those pains. "I told you, I don't know why he decided to come here himself." His mouth felt mushy, swollen, and full of blood.

Sergeant Trike sighed. "This is fucken useless."

"Is it?" the peevish little man that others called Eugene but referred to himself as The Scientist asked. He pushed himself away from the wall to study Merrick. "I think this line of questioning is getting somewhere. Hit him again."

"I'm not going to hit him again," Sergeant Trike said. This type of defiance didn't happen often to The Scientist, judging by how he recoiled in exasperated horror.

"Can't you see he's lying? He knows why Frankie was here but he's just not saying it," The Scientist whined.

"I'm not lying," Merrick said, struggling to bite back the throb in his jaw. "I went to Olaf so he could help me with my wife, but he wasn't around so I went to Frankie. He locked me up for the night and brought me here this morning. He took Anita with him but I can guarantee you I will get her back. That's all I know." This time when he explained it, he noticed a little shiver in The Scientist when he mentioned Olaf. As if Merrick shouldn't speak that name.

"Where did they go?" The Scientist asked.

"Frankie's town would probably be a good place to start." That response earned him a snicker from Sergeant Trike.

The Scientist didn't find it amusing. "Do you even know what's at stake here?"

"Frankie just took my wife. She's a Baldie that was injected by another Baldie, which I didn't think could happen but did. Now that you're here, I'm beginning to think you had something to do with my wife turning into one of them and the fact you think I'm with the bad guys is really starting to piss me off," Merrick explained.

The Scientist opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it instead. He motioned for Sergeant Trike to hit Merrick again, but Sergeant Trike stood firm in his decision.

"Tell us why Frankie was here and we will leave," The Scientist asked in a calming tone after taking a breath.

"You know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result? I don't know why Frankie wanted to come here and the only reason I think he took my wife was to get back at me for Marybelle. But in case you didn't notice, I'm not Frankie and have no idea why he's doing what he's doing." He hoped that answer would please them because, if it didn't, he had no other useful information to give.

The Scientist studied him for longer than necessary, his head cocked to the side like a bird. Sergeant Trike finally broke his trance. "We should be getting back. He's not going to tell us anything we don't know and we already have a lot of explaining to do."

The Scientist turned his uncomfortable gaze on Sergeant Trike, although the grizzled man did not seem perturbed by it. He was used to this behaviour. "You're right," The Scientist finally said before turning back to Merrick. "Don't think I'll forget that you've been uncooperative. It's been a big mistake." 

The Scientist left the room without so much as a glance back. Sergeant Trike trailed shortly after and the rest of the soldiers followed suit.

"Little help!" Merrick shouted as the last soldier left the room. He wiggled his shoulder to show that he was still tied up. The man stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was muffled from his face mask. "You don't help us; we don't help you." Then the man was gone.