The Dreaming: Dark Star (Book 5)

In the hole - Part 2

       

"You're... part of the rebellion?!"

A storm of fireworks went off in his stomach. She was uncannily predictive. What the hell. You certainly couldn't call Dit'teh stupid, that's for sure.

"Oh my God, you are, aren't you?" Dit'teh stood up, and put her fist to her mouth. "Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. I don't want any connections to the rebellion." She walked around in circles, talking to herself. "We have to find a way out of here." She went over to the door and banged on it. It made a dull thud.

"It only opens from the other side," Thir reminded her.

"I know that, you idiot!" Dit'teh turned around. "We have to... we have to get out of here." She turned and looked at Liran. "What the hell are you doing with the Rebellion?" Dit'teh screamed.

"I can't talk about it. The less you know the better."

Dit'teh put her hands to her ears. "Shut up! Don't say a word. Oh my God, they're going to erase my memory. They'll turn me into a potato!" She put her hands on her body, wrapping her arms around herself as if to make sure she was still whole. Then she went back to the door and kicked it.

"It'll never budge, I tried—."

"Shut up!" Dit'teh screamed at Thir. She turned to Liran with a look like death on her face. 

Liran licked his lips, and backed up a few steps.

Dit'teh walked across the room, lifted her robe as she walked over Imorah's body, and pointed her finger at Liran. She arrived at her target, and poked her finger into Liran's chest. "This is your fault," she poked. "All" poke "your" poke "fault." poke. Silence for a moment. "So you're going to fix this." Her voice was icy steel, small but powerfully angry.

Liran nodded. "Yes--you're right, Dit'teh. You're absolutely right. I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have asked your help. I'm sor--." 

"No, no, no!" she interrupted. "No could have or should have," she rebuked. "No sorries. Just shut up with your apologies. Apologies don't mean anything to me. Do you understand me?" her voice, quiet and controlled until now had started to rise. She paused and brought back her icy steel voice. "This is where we're at and this is your fault. You're going to fix this. The question is, how are you going to fix this, Liran?"

Liran gulped. He couldn't think with her staring at him like that. He couldn't think. How could he fix this?

Dit'teh looked at him expectantly.

Liran couldn't think of anything. What could he do?

"You fix this, Liran."

"Yes, yes. I'll fix it."

"Yes you will. Or I will." She turned back, and walked over Imorah, and rested against a crate on the ground. She pulled out the laser gun, checked the side of it, and there was an audible click in the silent room. "You're going to fix this, or I'm going to kill you," she said, pointing the gun at Liran. 

Liran had no doubt that she was serious. It was the only way. If they came and he was still alive, they'd probably take all of them, just in case. But if she had killed Liran then they would believe that Dit'teh had nothing to do with the rebellion.

"Look," he began. "You have to tell me what's going to happen when they open the door. How many will there be?"

"There's only ever one, but who knows. Who knows? I've never hand-delivered them a human before."

Liran exhaled. That was somehow a relief. He wondered what she had been delivering them, and thought about the bed again. "So, tell me," he paused wondering how to put it. "What usually happens, then."