Underground Room

Rita stood in front of the door, listening for the sound of Henri's voice. The dark hall she stood in was only lit by a small oil lamp. A guard stood nearby though he looked bored sitting in his corner. It could only be a good sign. Jimmy hadn't caused any additional commotion if the guard had time to be bored.

The door opened and Henri appeared to wave her in.


Jimmy sat on a small bed in the corner with an old rusted and scratched metal frame. In his hands he held the corner of a blanket piled messily on his bed, and when he saw her, his grip on it tightened. He slid off the edge of the bed to stand up in front of her and Henri.

The light of the small electric lamp on the small table behind Jimmy was too bright. It made Rita's eyes sting and made the moment much too real. It had been years since she had last seen such a lamp, and now she wished for the softer light of a candle where she could at least pretend to hide.


Jimmy studied her face, his large gray eyes steady. "I did do it." He didn't speak with pride, but with honesty and bluntness. Rita couldn't look away from him. "He was gonna kill me."

Rita wiped at a tear with the back of her hand. Behind her, Henri shifted, but he didn't step between them. She could feel him nearly at her elbow, ready to reach out and lead her from the room if she broke down.

"I'm sorry, honey." Another tear managed to find it's way down her cheek. "I shouldn't have let you go."

Jimmy raised his brows and glanced at Henri before he looked back at her. He seemed to struggle for a moment before he softly said, "It's not your fault."


Rita wanted to close her eyes. Her head felt light, and she almost swayed, but Henri's hand was on her elbow then. She dried her eyes as best she could and tried to think of something more to ask.

"What will happen now?" She directed it to the both of them, Henri as well as Jimmy. They had to have a plan, something.

Jimmy answered her in a matter of fact way that made him seem more like an adult than a child. "Mr. Smith is gonna train me."


Rita looked to Henri, and he nodded in agreement though only a small while ago he had admitted he'd kill the boy if he had to. It was too much for her. It was just too much. She knew she would break. She could feel it coming, and there was no way to stop it. Rita looked from Jimmy to Henri as she tried to fight back the sobs she knew would come.

"Jimmy, will you let me hug you?"

He look at her through his sloppy little boy hair hanging in his face before he turned towards Henri, his dull gray eyes ever so slightly mimicking their old sparkle. "Can I?"

It surprised Henri; she could tell. "I won't stop you so long as you don't hurt her."

Jimmy nodded gravely before stepping over to her. "I wouldn't ever." She knelt down, opening her arms, and he smoothly stepped into them just as he had so many times before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upstairs, she did manage to hold it in. The bright light shining in the dirty windows brought some sense back to her. She sniffed, drawing in moist breaths as Henri stepped out ahead of her as if to get away from Jimmy all together. Rita started after him, wiping at the last few tears furiously.

"Henri, what did he do to James? How could he have-- it just doesn't seem possible."


Henri stopped right before the door. It took him a moment to answer her, but she waited, hoping something he could say would clear things up. He ran a hand through his hair.

"From what we can tell, he used one of James' own weapons-- a knife. He had it in his hands still when I saw him."

Rita still couldn't understand. Her thoughts were mud, and she worked hard to try and imagine it. "I still don't understand. He was so small compared to James."

Henri sighed. "James was an experiment. Jimmy is as much an experiment as the rest of us were."



Rita thought of those large gray eyes of his, so steady and calm and accepting. She folded her arms and glanced away from Henri.

The dirt under Henri's boots scraped the wooden floor as he turned to face her. "You know, if he had wanted to hurt you, I doubt I could have stopped him."

Rita was numb. Her eyes fell back to the floor, all the energy sapped from her body.

Henri didn't move but to give a tug to his jacket. "I barely stopped him from killing Vivian. He stopped himself more than I stopped him."

They were both quiet until Rita spoke. "You tell me this now?" She was too exhausted to feel angry or upset at him though she realized that she had unwittingly participated in his experiment.

"Would it have stopped you?"

Rita licked her lips, swallowing the salt from her tears. "No. It wouldn't have. I think we both needed it. Or am I just making that up?"

Henri's expression was blank, but he gave a shake to his head. "No. He needs to know there are people who care about him and will count on him one day for protection."

She nodded. It would begin happening more and more often-- children growing up too quickly. She could already see it happening with many of the young ones who stopped by the village. "Will that be enough for him?"

Henri sighed again, his breath deep and heavy. "There's no way to know but to wait and find out."





~Fin
Read more!

Henri

Henri Smith, the leader of the Southlands, wasn't used to seeing people from the village wandering around what had become his land, much less having anyone come looking for him. He never came into the bar, so Rita never saw him though she knew who he was well enough.

He seemed to take it all in stride when she faced him and said, "I want to see Jimmy."


Henri looked from Rita to Shawn then back to her. "I can't do that. He could be unstable."

She hardly came up to his chest. The man was used to being imposing just the same as Frank. It was probably part of the reason Frank didn't like him. There wasn't enough room in one building much less in one town for two such imposing men. But Rita had her own strength, and it was only bolstered by the image she had in her mind of Jimmy locked up somewhere, sad and lonely. She had to see him and speak to him herself.

"I don't care. I need to see him."

Henri folded his arms and really looked at her. "Who are you? Why?"

"Rita Sherman. Vivian was my friend. I've known Jimmy since he was a baby."

Henri rolled his eyes. "Sherman? You're Frank's wife, aren't you? Shit."

Shawn hid a smile behind her hand. "Well, I see you two are now familiar with each other. I have things I need to do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henri and Rita walked together though the streets towards the abandoned side of the city. Rita wasn't sure she could trust him, but she didn't have a choice.

As they walked, Henri said, "He's not speaking much yet."

Rita looked up at him before looking ahead. "How do you know he did this? Do you even know he did it?"

He didn't hesitate or even bother to slow his large steps for her. "I stood between him and Vivian. I saw him. I'm sure." He kept his eyes forward. "He almost looked ready to get me next. The boy's dangerous."


Rita looked away from him, praying quietly for the strength to hold her tongue. It mostly worked. "He's just a child."

Henri glared down at her then. "There's no way of knowing how what's been done on our bodies will affect any children we have."


Rita stopped. Frank had said something along the same lines to her once about the same boy Henri was now taking her to see. She couldn't stay quiet any longer. "So then what are you saying? You fear your children?"

Henri came to a stop as well. They were just outside of an old abandoned building with the windows long since broken. "No. We are aware of the issue and have plans in place for just in case."

She didn't like the way he said it."Plans?"

"If he becomes unstable again, we'll have to destroy him before he gets older."


His eyes met hers. He looked exhausted. Despite his frightening and gruff words, she could hear something else in his voice and almost see it on his face though he worked to keep it hidden and in check. Henri was a man with responsibilities, and those came first. In her rational mind she could understand how a young boy able to kill someone as strong as James could be a danger. But the rest of her fought it, refusing to believe that the boy was now a threat to everyone.

"James beat him. Did you know that?"


Henri ran his hand through his hair with a shaky sigh. "I did what I could. His father was unstable too."

Rita hated him for a moment right then. Shawn had said that Henri lived in the apartment below Vivian and Jimmy. Whatever he had done clearly hadn't been enough.


She lowered her head. Henri alone hadn't failed the boy, they both had. She could have fought to keep him with her, maybe brought more attention to the issue, made a point to come visit Henri before it had reached this, but she hadn't. Rita unclenched her fists and swiped at her eyes before they started on their way again towards another abandoned building.




Next Chapter -->

****************************

I have a real, honest to goodness, clickable easter egg in this entry that will hopefully make a literal connection between stories. I thought it was more fun than me going, "Look here." Happy hunting! If you find it, I say share it in the comments!

Also, heh, I still feel so silly doing this, but I do it anyway. Ruin, the first novel, has a website now. The novel version of the series is also on Facebook. I know, crazy, but in my head I see the novel version going to different places than the blog will even if Paula's story (in a super rough form) is already here and now will be there. So please forgive me if I seem strange or crazy for doing that, but I do have plans for it.
Read more!

The News

"James is dead."

Rita stood at the table, her mouth agape. She had to remind herself to close it and swallow. "He is?"

None of them look at her. Some tapped at their glasses already in front of them. Others were bouncing their legs under the table. The one who gave her the news had looked up at her accidentally when she placed the tray on the edge of the table and blurted the words out as if he understood all the implications of her indirect tie to James. But after he'd blurted the words, he'd looked away from her and said no more.

Rita's heart contracted. "How're Vivian and Jimmy? Are they okay?"

More fidgeting. More looking away. Rita felt ready to start shaking them if they wouldn't tell her.

"Yeah, they're all right," one of the other men said finally.

Frank came up from behind her, placing his hands on her hips. "Rita, come on. Let them have their drink."

But Rita was shaking. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. It hurt that Frank knew it too and was trying to distract her.


"You know, don't you?" Rita wheeled on him. His hands fell to his sides as she moved, and he looked away. "What is it? Was Jimmy hurt? Was Vivian hurt?"

No one spoke at first. It was Shawn who finally spoke up. She looked at the men all avoiding Rita's gaze and then faced Rita. Her baby face serious enough that she almost looked her age for once. "It's Jimmy. No one wants to tell you. Jimmy killed his father."


Rita shook her head. He was only a boy six years old, soon to be seven. There was no way he could have done it. Before she could deny it, Frank's hands were on her shoulders, holding her steady, sliding down her arms to pull her to him.

"It's true." He said it like a whisper meant only for her ears though everyone was watching now. Everyone had looked up to see her reaction.


The others around the table nodded. Many of their frowns lengthened, the mood suddenly taking a dark dive now that it was out in the open. It seemed everyone sat stewed in their own thoughts, unwilling to speak any further on the subject.

Frank led Rita over to the bar. His grip on her arm was strong. "Don't get involved." He spoke it as they stood behind the bar, his voice low and only for her. "It's over."

But it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until she saw him for herself. Rita slipped her apron over her head.


"Rita, let it be." Frank sounded stern and he looked angry, but it was nothing more than a desperate plea.

"Frank, I already failed him once in a big way, and many other times in many other small ways. I can't do it again." She looked away from him, her voice becoming nothing more than a wisp of breath.

"You don't even know if he's alive still."

Rita hadn't thought of that. She grasped at her heart, afraid that she would never get the chance to see him again. Behind her, at the bar, someone softly cleared her throat. Frank and Rita turned to look at Shawn.


"He's still alive."

Rita could feel Frank's frustration. "Will you take me to him?"

Shawn thought about it even as a horrified hush fell over the room. The men behind her probably had the same look Frank wore. "No. I will take you to see Henri though. He can decide then if you can see him or not."

Frank gave a gasp that sounded more like a groan. He reached out for her, but Rita was already on the other side of the bar before he could grab her, standing beside Shawn. Meeting the leader of the Southlands was not something she looked forward to, but she would do anything to be able to see Jimmy and somehow not fail him this time like she had so many times before.


Next Chapter -->
Read more!

In the Garden

"Rita..."

At the sound of the voice, Rita stood up quickly and spun on her heels, her heart beating with recognition. He stood by her fence, partially obscured by the large plants.

Jimmy looked at her through the branches, his large gray eyes making his face appear so small. She was by his side before he could say any more.

"Jimmy! What're you doing here? Where's your mother?"

He looked up at Rita and then down at the ground, his small hand resting on the railing. Rita had to kneel to look into his face, and when he glanced back up at her, his own little face was angry. "I ran away."


He was so small for his age, and so careful and cautious. Rita leaned back on her heels slightly. It was their day to visit the village, so Vivian had to be nearby. In her own way, she would be worried, but Rita was more concerned for Jimmy first.

She reached out her hand for him, encouraging him to follow her through the fence and into the garden. "Well, I'm glad you stopped by because I have something for you."

His face opened again, the eyes widening. "For me?"

Rita smiled, blinking her tears back. "I saw it and thought of you."

He slid through the fence and took her offered hand. The two of them walked together into the back door of the bar. Frank didn't exactly approve of Rita's friendship with Vivian or her concern for Jimmy. It didn't stop her, and he knew it. But she wasn't about to start a fight with him. They would be quick. Just a quick stop, and then Rita would take Jimmy off to find Vivian, hopefully happier than when he appeared.

Upstairs, in the living quarters, Rita had Jimmy wait while she dug the small gift from its hiding place. She pressed it into his hands then stepped back to watch him.


Jimmy held it in both his hands, one finger spinning the wheel. He looked up at her, his eyes large and shiny. "What is it?"

Of course he wouldn't know what one was-- very few were still in use. But nothing said boy's toy more than a small car. "It's something from when I was a kid. People used to use them to get from place to place." She gently showed him how it rolled along the ground.

Jimmy watched it, then gave it a try himself before giving a small laugh that Rita wished she could hold onto forever. She grabbed onto the sound of it, repeating it over and over in her mind until she would burn the memory in. Rita was determined to never lose this moment.

"I can keep it?" He held it in both of his hands, his eyes so wide he looked absolutely shocked.

"Of course. It's a gift from me to you."


Jimmy smiled again, all trace of the angry boy he had been ten minutes before, completely gone. "Wow!" He sat down on the ground and held the toy car in the air to look at it closely.

Rita let him for a few minutes. They had to go find his mother. She knew that. But each moment of joy from him was an extra layer she could add to the memory. If they could only stay there all afternoon.

The door opened and Frank walked in with a deep frown. Before Rita could think of what to say in her defense, Vivian walked into the room.


"Oh god, Jimmy. Don't ever do that to me again!"

The boy jumped up, his face twisted with anger. He hopped away from her, glaring at her with the toy car still clutched in his hand. "No, I wanna stay here. I don't wanna go with you."


Frank crossed his arms, his eyes on Rita. She wanted to defend Jimmy and fight to keep him, but she knew it was impossible. The village wouldn't allow Jimmy to stay. He was the son of the second in command of the tribe. No one would want to get involved and risk the wrath of the tribe, especially such a large and dangerous man.


Vivian faced her. "What did you do? What did you say to him to make him act like this?"

Rita took a step back, her hands in the air. "Me?" Jimmy stepped back, closer to Rita, and slid the toy car into his back pocket. "I didn't tell him anything. Maybe you should try asking him why he would say such things."

Jimmy was still angry. Rita had never seen him this way before. He stayed between the two woman and faced his mother. His tiny shoulders trembled with all the venom contained inside his body. At the sight of him, Frank's arms uncrossed.

Rita knelt down, putting her hands on Jimmy's shaking shoulders. His eyes were on the ground, his tiny mouth turned down. Rita tried to calm him with a smile, but she knew she failed. She didn't know what to say to any of them.


Jimmy caught her eye. He still looked angry though the shaking had stopped. He reached over and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "I love you." She patted him on his back, rubbing between his shoulder blades. The words were stuck, not even in her throat. They were words that weren't fully formed yet in her head. She loved him too as if he were her son and letting him go with Vivian was impossible. There was no way Rita would be able to encourage him to go.

Tears stuck on her lashes. Jimmy pulled back and mumbled to his mother. "I'll go now."

Vivian snatched for his arm, but he moved quickly, twisting his hand away from her. He stepped away first, leading the way out the door and down the stairs. Vivian gave one last glare back at Rita before following after him.

She was drained. Her body shook. Frank didn't speak. He shook his head and shut the door to head back down to the bar.



Next Chapter -->
Read more!

Rita and Jimmy

Sometimes we just need to know someone cares.


In the Garden
The News
Henri
Underground Room Read more!