41. Harper
FORTY-ONE
HARPER
A light rapping at the door woke me. It was soft and quiet at first, but built to a loud, persistent thumping.
I looked over at Savannah. The bed sheets were gripped in her fists and her eyes were wide. The position of the hands on the clock on the nightstand signaled that it was still early morning.
“Stay here.” I opened the bedroom door to Fiona’s heavy footsteps pounding down the stairwell.
From where I stood at the top of the stairs, I watched her peer through the peephole. She didn’t see me.
“What are you doing here?” she said. I didn’t know who she was talking to. Then she stepped onto the front porch, leaving the door wide open behind her.
“Harper,” Savannah whispered from the bedroom. “Who is it?”
“I’m not sure.” The murmurs outside had intensified. It sounded like something was wrong.
When Fiona came back inside, her shoulders were slumped forward. She looked crestfallen, her eyes betraying her usually rugged, stone-cold exterior.
“W-what is it?” My voice shook as I called out.
“It’s Wyatt. He…” Her voice broke and a tear dripped down her face. “I’m so sorry, Harper. He didn’t return last night. He’s… missing,” she whispered, her face as white as ash.
My cry came out strangled. It didn’t sound human. I felt removed from my body, like a ghost floating above.
Downstairs on the couch, I couldn’t feel Savannah’s hand rubbing my back, or hear her soft, soothing voice. I couldn’t taste the chamomile tea that Fiona made for me with fresh herbs from her garden, or feel the warmth of the fire that she lit in the living room.
As we sat huddled around the hearth, I learned that Atticus and my dad were also missing, and that when Wyatt hadn’t returned last night as planned, the sasquatches had geared up and come straight to the village.
“What about the wolves?” Savannah croaked. In my grief I had completely forgotten about Connor.
“We’ve sent word, but they’re still away collecting ammunition for the eclipse. This isn’t good,” she moaned. “We’ve never lost a leader before.” She rested her large hand on my thigh, and this time, I could feel it through the numbness and sorrow that had overtaken my body.
“There’s a meeting in Town Hall in…” she glanced at the clock, “ten minutes. All sasquatches are required to attend.”
My legs shook as I tried to stand. “Then we should get going...”
Fiona set her palm forcefully on my shoulder, stopping me. “No, Harper. You’re not… one of us.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Guilt creeped into Fiona’s eyes and her voice softened. “What I mean is, you’re safer here. Wyatt put me in charge of protecting you, and I have to honor that.” She glanced to Savannah, who was curled up in the armchair. Her hands gripped her knees as she rocked herself. “ Both of you. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Staying behind in Fiona’s small cottage while the sasquatches discussed what felt like the end of the world, was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. After thirty minutes of pacing back and forth in the living room, my eyes trained on the door like a hawk, I gave up. “Make room,” I said and sank into the chair next to Savannah.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m going crazy just sitting here.”
“Same. Do you think Wyatt is really…” She grimaced.
“Dead?” I finished. She nodded, her mouth a straight line. “I don’t know. I still feel so connected to him.” My voice quieted. “I guess I just thought that if he was really gone, I would feel it in here, you know?” I placed my hand over my heart and sighed heavily. “But… I don’t. Maybe I’m grasping at false hope, but Wyatt has survived worse. We both have.”
As I fingered the delicate charms on my bracelet, reflecting on some of my favorite memories of Wyatt – the ones that hadn’t been stolen, I remembered that I still hadn’t opened Dad’s gift. Could I open it now, after everything?
I didn’t feel my body get up and walk to the kitchen. It was like I was on autopilot, going through the motions.
“Go for it,” Savannah whispered, nudging the box across the table.
Tears dripped down my face as I opened the box and touched the delicate gold sun that lay nestled inside. It was beautiful.
“Can I?” Savannah asked, before adding the new charm to my bracelet.
“Is this really all I have left to remember them by?” I whispered, jingling my charms. The new one, a sun, was much heavier and larger than the other three. It didn’t make sense. Unless…
My dad’s final words to Fiona, “Don’t give up on me now,” suddenly clicked, and I began humming the familiar Ben Harper melody that Dad used to play on his guitar. “Of course,” I whispered, the lyrics returning to my mind. “The world isn’t mine to save,” I said, an uneasy laugh slipping out.
Savannah’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”
I sang the lyrics I knew by heart and held the sun up against the flames of the fire. It shone differently than the other charms. Because it was different.
Savannah gasped. “It looks like a…”
“USB,” I confirmed. “Dad must have transferred everything onto here. He didn’t want me to give up on him, and I’m not going to.” My eyes narrowed with resolve, as a plan began forming in my mind. “Savannah.” I drew in a quick breath, holding the tiny USB drive between my fingers. “This is how we get them back.”
“Absolutely not.” Fiona placed her hands on her hips, a frown on her face. “It’s too dangerous. And we don’t even know that it would work.”
“I know Michelle Carder,” I insisted, refusing to give up on my plan. “She won’t be able to resist having this…” I shook the bracelet, the USB jingling against the other charms, “back in her greedy hands.”
Fiona threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “How can you trust that she’ll keep her word and let you go, after she has what she wants?”
“I don’t. But… it’s worth the risk. And besides, you said the sasquatches are already on their way over to Genocorp. The Carders will be so distracted by the ambush, they’ll have bigger things to worry about.”
“And me,” Savannah piped in. Fiona and I turned to glare at her, but she just shrugged. “What, you didn’t really think I’d stay out of this one, did you? That’s my best friend’s dad that they have. And her... boyfriend?” The last word came out as a question.
I nodded. However things had ended between Wyatt and I didn’t matter anymore. I loved that damn fool, and would do whatever it took to get him back.
Grabbing Savannah’s hand firmly, I raised my chin in defiance. “We’re going, Fiona. Whether you try to stop us or not.”
Her face turned scarlet. The only thing more terrifying than defying a nearly seven-foot-tall sasquatch, was defying a pissed-off one. As she clenched her fists, I braced myself for what was coming. But she surprised me, her fists unclenching so her arms dangled limp at her sides. “Wyatt is going to kill me when he finds out I’ve agreed to this preposterous plan of yours.” She rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. “But that’s why I’m agreeing to this. On the off chance that he is still… alive.” She let out a weary sigh, her mind made up. “Gear up, ladies. We leave after breakfast.”
Savannah and I high-fived, smiling. It was a small victory, but we’d take it.
As we began the strenuous trek along the riverbed to Genocorp, I did everything I could to hold onto that brief taste of victory. Even when I tripped over a tree branch, banging my knee. I had to hold onto every ounce of hope that I could.
As we neared the building, the three of us stopped, frozen by the bank of the river. The sasquatches’ assault had begun.
Thick black smoke billowed from the far end of the building, choking us. I held my shirt against my nose, my eyes itching from the chemicals. Sounds of distant fighting from below us shook the ground. I had never felt so afraid.
“We have to push on,” Fiona said. “My intel says the entrance is over there.” She pointed to the east side, which so far had escaped the dark cloud of smoke. “Hopefully any fire is contained to the west end.” She looked at the two of us, her face softening. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I nodded with a straight face, and Fiona pulled out a satellite phone. I quickly tapped in the phone number I had committed to memory, and sent my message. When it was done, I handed the phone back to her. “Hopefully she bites,” Fiona said.
“Michelle is greedier than a blood-sucking vampire. It’ll work,” I said confidently, though I wasn’t at all. My every last nerve was on the edge.
The heavy metal door was already propped open when we approached the entrance. “One less thing to worry about,” she whispered. Inside, the halls of Genocorp were dark and empty. As we headed deeper and deeper underground, the emergency lights flickered on and off, casting a spooky, artificial glow over everything. At least Fiona was right. The fire seemed concentrated on the west end of the building, along with most of the fighting. For now.
We first passed what looked like a cafeteria, with discarded trays and utensils scattered over the tipped-over tables and chairs. Broken glass littered the floor, along with ruined food. One lone glob of spaghetti dripped down the wall, the red sauce leaving a blood-like stain on the paint.
“Where is everyone?” Savannah whispered. It was a ghost town.
The shouting intensified as we continued to make our way into the heart of Genocorp. It seemed like we were nearing the action. So far there was no sign of the Carders.
As we passed an empty office filled with rows of cubicles, we paused to have a look around. Papers were scattered over the desks and floor, as if people had fled in a hurry. Fiona kneeled and picked up a piece that had been torn into shreds. “I guess they wanted to hide what they were really doing here.” She frowned at the Genocorp logo, the only legible thing left on the thin strip. “Shit.” She stiffened, looking across the room. “Get. Behind. Me. Now. Both of you.”
My heart rate doubled its tempo. How could we have been so foolish? The office wasn’t empty, and now I saw what we had missed.
The creature had been sitting quietly in the corner, disguised against the brown fabric of a cubicle panel. It rose, snarling. The red in its eyes glinted sharply, reminding me of the nightmares I’d had, of memories long since forgotten. A rogue – the most dangerous of their kind.
Savannah screamed. Fiona pulled out a baggie of red moss, but the creature was quicker. Its large, hairy hand closed around her throat before she could use it. It flung her against the wall, the plaster breaking into a thousand pieces. Her body dropped to the ground, limp and still.
“Fiona,” I screamed. As she lay groaning on the floor, the creature turned its attention to Savannah and me. Without hesitation, I stepped forward to protect Savannah. After seeing it pick up Fiona like a rag doll, I knew I stood no chance. But I had to try.
It snorted like a bull, its breath stinking up the room. It pounded its giant feet against the linoleum flooring. Thunder echoed across the room, and my hands shot to my ears. The creature stared at my wrist and continued to grunt, almost as if it was trying to communicate.
My fear suddenly dissipated, replaced by something far worse. “Oh, Dad,” I whispered. “What have they done to you?” Tears cascaded down my face for all that my father had sacrificed. He was alive, but he was a monster.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Fiona begin to stir. “I g-got your gift.” I held out my wrist. The gold USB glinted in the neon glow of the room. My voice shaking, I began to sing the lyrics to “Don’t Give Up On Me Now.”
The creature, my dad, tilted his head as if he understood. From behind me, I heard Savannah’s sharp intake of breath. “Keep going,” she encouraged.
My voice increased and so did his moans as he clawed desperately at his face. I sang at the top of my lungs, repeating the chorus. Don’t give up on me now, Dad.
I sang like it was a final Broadway performance. I sang for my life, and for Savannah’s; for Dad and all that had been taken from us over the last ten years.
His large hands ripped his hair and scratched at his face. Yet I carried on, belting out those damn lyrics on repeat.
It happened so fast. Fiona had him pressed against the wall, her fist raised. “No,” I screamed. “Look.”
The red had disappeared from his eyes, the warmth returning to them. “H-Harper,” he managed to gasp. He was trapped between Fiona and the wall. “You brought me back.” He glared at Fiona. “You need to get them out of here. Quickly. Before—”
“Before what, Joe?” The dark shadow in the doorway growled, his large body filling the door frame. In the blackness of the hallway, it almost looked like…
No, it couldn’t be.
The lights flickered on, bathing Wyatt in an orange glow – an Icarus in the sun. My heart stopped beating as shock coursed through me. “Wyatt.” Before I could stop myself, I was running toward the doorway, toward the man I loved.
“Harper,” Fiona yelled. But it was too late. I didn’t notice the vacant black stare in his eyes, or the manicured hand gripped around his bicep, until I was close enough to see her evil smirk.
“You really do live up to the dumb blond name, don’t you?” Michelle Carder sneered, stepping into the room. She gave Wyatt’s bicep a tight squeeze. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get them, pet.”