Schism

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

William pressed his hands up against the rough bricks, sucked in the smell of oil and dirt from the street as he looked out at Jessica's building.

Mickelson had just dropped a bag into his car and the voices clamored for William's attention, but he shoved them back, his attention on every small detail he could grasp.  The detective turned away from his car and walked to another. 

Inside, though she was crouched low in her seat, William recognized Doctor Westen.  He ducked away from the corner and leaned against the wall.

She was out looking for him.

He pushed against the wall, grated his palms against the brick as the fog threatened to close over him again.  It might just be easier to go to her, to slip back under the blanket of drugs at the hospital.  At least he could rest that way.

The thought took his focus away, long enough for the voices to flood in.

The fire, The Advisor said.

After killing the men in the abandoned warehouse, he had let himself go numb almost all of the time.  But at the mention of the fire, William remembered.  He was here to protect Jess.  There would be a fire, but he didn't know when, didn't know where.  And neither did the detective.  William had begun to hope last night, when Mickelson had shown him the thick file, that the detective would know who was starting the fires, how to stop the next one.  But Bryan had known no more than William did.

He is here.  Look.  The Advisor pointed down the street and William stepped away from the wall, followed the pointing arm.

As he turned around the corner, his eyes met Bryan's for a moment, then the detective looked back down into Westen's car.

The Caretaker stood at William's side.  He is protecting you.  He will need your help.  The Advisor pointed further down the street and the flash of dark red and black shocked William.  There was a figure down there, past Bryan's car.  The colors around him were stronger and larger than William had seen before, on anyone. 

And he didn't need the voices to tell him the colors, and the man they swirled around weren't healthy, that they were angry.

The Hunter held back with the others.  It was the first time William had seen him cautious. Fire.

William watched the tangle of black and red around the man grow and reach forward.  He took a step back, even though he was over a block away.  He'd never seen anyone do that, reach out like that, before.  The young woman in the diner had been aware, had seen the voices, but she couldn't do this.

Dr. Westen's car drew even with the alley and skidded to a halt.  He realized she had spotted him and ducked down behind a parked truck, out of her view, then looked down the street.  Bryan stopped walking to his car, turned back to Westen and walked quickly toward her.  Further down, the angry swirl of energy reached out further and condensed inside Bryan's car.  The energy tightened inside the vehicle, and for a brief second disappeared.

Then the interior of the car exploded in flames.  Glass showered onto the sidewalk and street as fire and waves of heat rolled out of the broken windows and into the air.  Dark smoke curled up and William saw the man scurry around the corner of Jessica's apartment building.

William stepped forward.  He didn't understand how the man had started the fire, or how dangerous he might be, but he might be able to catch him, to stop it all now.

The voices held him back.  The Advisor eased both hands onto William's chest.  He felt them sink in slightly, warm and steady, as he tried to move forward.  Not yet.  There is another threat.

William turned to The Advisor.  "Another like him?  That can start fires?"

A fire starter.  Not like him.  Just as dangerous, The Advisor said.

The Caretaker also sank a hand into William's shoulder.  The one that is after you.

The man who had looked down at him from the warehouse skylight.  The calm man who drove the green truck.  He and this second man were both fire starters.

But why did this second one start the fire here?

You will bring them together, The Advisor said.

Bring them together?  These two fire starters?  William had no idea how that could be anything but dangerous.  He shook his head, wondered how this one related to Jessica.  "This one here.  He wants to kill Jess?"

The Hunter simply shook his head and pointed down the street at Bryan.  William watched as Bryan staggered a few steps up to the door of Westen's stopped car.  They spoke for a moment, then her car moved down the street, past William. 

He was too preoccupied to duck out of sight as she drove by.  Across the street, the detective was slumped against a car, staring at William.

He needs your help, The Caretaker said.

William hurried over and Bryan pushed himself up, kept his distance.  "Did you do that?  You can do that?" the detective asked.

As he shook his head, William saw Jessica emerge from the apartment building.  He stopped, could only stare.  Beside him, Bryan turned as well.  He watched her grasp for the stair rail and hurry down to the sidewalk.  She stopped and he saw her turn her face from side to side.

The memory washed through William.  Building fires for her in the fireplace, how she would turn her face from side to side to feel the heat of the flames.  He had held her as she soaked in the sensation.

His stomach clenched and his muscles tightened at seeing her, at the memory.  The pain and tension spread throughout his body, nearly doubled him over.  He pulled away from the thought as Jess called out.  "What happened?  What's on fire?  Bryan?"

He could go to her.  Reassure her, protect her.  But she didn't want that now.  She might not ever, even if he could get rid of the voices.  "Bryan?” she said again.

William looked down the street, where the other man had disappeared, then turned back to Bryan.  "I think you made the wrong man jealous."  He saw confusion on the detective's face.  Bryan didn’t understand who he was talking about.

"Bryan?"  Jess' voice was more urgent, stressed. 

William saw Bryan take an unconscious step to her.  He lowered his eyes and moved back as Jess walked further down the sidewalk toward the street.  "Go on.  I don't want her to see me," he said to the detective, his voice low.

He let the fog cover him, felt it numb the conflict and unknot his muscles.  He saw a dark shape in the energy around Bryan shrink as the detective took Jessica's hand.  He remembered how Jess had always made him feel better, stronger.  "It's all right.  It's all right," Mickelson said.

Even in the fog, William wanted to look away from her as she clung to Bryan.  Nearby, The Hunter whipped his attention from the fire.  He leapt up to the top of a car and pointed down the street, the way Dr. Westen had gone.

Move!

William stood still.  He watched Jess crane her head around, listening around Bryan's chest and shoulders.  "Was it him?  Did William do that?"

He saw Bryan look up.  The two men stared at each other a moment before Bryan answered her.  "I don't know.  Let's get you inside."

As he watched Bryan usher her inside, The Caretaker pulled at William and The Advisor pointed out Westen's car.  She has seen you.

The Hunter sprinted off the car and toward the alley.  Run.

William saw the reverse lights on Westen's car flash on.  He ran after The Hunter down the alley.

 *

(Author’s note: Will Bryan find out who really blew up his car?  Will Westen catch up to William, and what will she do if she does?  Read on to find out the answers to these questions and more!  Until then, thank you all for the votes and comments!  Take care!)