Brought Down

16. Broken Things

Garrett

Julian doesn't make my work any easier, thrashing on the ground, fighting me. He looks like a human-sized, dirty-white caterpillar. The thing covers him so completely that I can't at first distinguish where his face is. I cut some of the thing with my knife, but he's moving so violently that I'm more likely to stab him in the eye or cut his throat than to do any good.

"Will you lie still?" He doesn't seem to hear, so I step back, evaluate the general area where his stomach should be and hit there with my foot. The thing covering him softens the blow a bit, but he folds and stops moving for a few seconds, allowing me to continue with the cutting.

His face reappears, and he gasps for breath. As I cut more and more white substance off him, the rest of it begins to unglue itself willingly from his legs and torso.

Things don't like to be cut.

I step away, panting, and evaluate my work. The remainders of the thing retreat, slowly crawling back into the parking lot. Even though the light is grey and dull, it's still too bright for it out here.

Julian opens his eyes and sees the remainders of the white jelly dragging itself slowly into the open door, inches away from his face. He jerks violently, and pushes himself away with his feet, making small, horrified noises. He keeps crawling on his butt and elbows until his head hits the rusty metal handrail at the side of the steps leading to the parking lot. There he stops, panting, staring at the remainders of the white substance disappearing in the darkness. The visible skin of his calves and ankles looks reddish and raw. He'll be scratching for a while. As for my jacket he's still wearing, it's probably total loss—and I liked that jacket.

"So?" I say.

Julian starts and looks at me with wild, unrecognizing eyes.

"That's me, Garrett. Remember?"

He keeps gaping at me, his eyes round, not a trace of understanding in them. The guy is in total shock. Couldn't blame him, really.

"Do you understand what I say?" I pronounce the words clearly, but still, it seems as if they travel to Julian through a wall of thick fog. It takes a few more seconds until they reach the destination, and then he gives a hesitant nod.

"So, how did you like the thing?" I say. "Or do you have some fancy Latin name for it?"

After a proper delay, he shakes his head.

"You used to be more talkative. Did the thing get your tongue?"

He just blinks at me. It's not even fun to tease him when he's like that. It's generally rude to tease a person who's just been through a near-death experience, but I'm done with feeling bad for him.

"Uncle Garrett," says a little voice behind me, and I turn around to see the girl standing two steps away, her brother lingering in the background.

"Guys," I say. "I told you to wait on the street."

She points at Julian. "Is this your friend?"

"My acquaintance, more like," I say, wondering if she had seen the thing that had Julian, wondering if it was the same type of thing that had gotten their uncle—their real uncle. "Julian, meet Maggie and Sam. They are survivors from Merville who were trying to find our hideaway. Kids, this is Julian. He almost killed my friend, stole my gun and took me a hostage."

The boy doesn't as much as nod, but Maggie steps to Julian and offers her hand.

"Nice to meet you," she says. Gosh, such manners so wasted.

Julian only stares at her, then at her hand, as if they were just another twist in a long and complicated nightmare he's forced to endure.

"Sweetie, he's not in a good shape right now." I put my hands on Maggie's shoulders and gently urge her away. "He had a very bad day and he needs a minute to recover."

"Maybe you should give him a candy bar, like you gave us?" she suggests.

I glance at Julian to see his reaction, but he seems so far gone that even mentioning of food doesn't draw his attention. With a sigh, I crouch down by his side.

"Listen," I say quietly. "Just so you'd know, I think you totally deserve to be left down there." I point at the parking lot. He glances there, then, with renewed horror, back at me, as if expecting me to throw him into the darkness again. "The only reason I saved you are these two." I nod at the kids. "We need to get to the factory before it's dark, so we could spend the night there, and tomorrow, I'm taking them to the hideaway. They can't walk fast, that's why I need you. At least a part of the way, I will need to carry the boy and you the girl. So, take another minute to gather yourself, and we must get going."

He just stares at me.

"Will you cooperate this time? Because if you intend to do any more of your pen-stabbing, gun-stealing shit, or try to hurt the kids, or anything, I'm personally going to feed you to the thing, and I'll just stand by and watch. Understood?"

He nods.

"No more surprises?"

He shakes his head ardently.

"Good," I say. "I like it when you're quiet."

The truth is, I don't. He'd been cheeky and arrogant, but right now, he just seems broken. And broken things always make me a little sad.

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