Fear the Night
Chapter 17-The Awakening

Chapter 17: The Awakening

Mavericksighed as he sat in a chair next to Isabella’s head on the couch, stroking herhair. It was soft, as he’d thought it would be. He couldn’t believe it had come to this. It had all come to this girl, lying onJoshua’s couch because Suits had been after him. He couldn’t help but feel responsible. All he had to do the day he’d met them wassay ‘no.’

No,I won’t answer your questions.

No,you’re not staying with me.

No,I can never see either one of you again.

“That’sall I had to do,” he whispered to himself. “All I had to do was push them away. Tell them to leave me alone. Hell, I could have just ignored them and walked away, then none of thiswould have happened.”

Hesighed and stroked her hair once more before he was about to stand and leave,but he couldn’t. He realized, if he had sent them away, he wouldn’t havereally gotten to know Isabella. He wouldbe alone, and that mysterious feeling he had felt wouldn’t have shown itself.

Happiness. That’s what it was. Pure, simple and wonderful. He felt it every time he looked at her, andnow he knew he wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything, except Isabella’sconsciousness.

“Well,here’s a sight I never thought I would see.”

Maverickturned a glare at Joshua over his shoulder as the doctor walked toward him fromthe hall with a smirk.

“What?”Maverick grunted. “You surprised I havea heart, too?”

Hedidn’t wait for a response before turning back to Isabella.

“No,”Joshua replied, standing over him. “Iknew you had a heart. I just neverthought you’d give it to such a beautiful young woman.”

“Youexpected an ugly one,” Maverick retorted.

“Loveis blind, boy,” Joshua smirked. “Thegirl could be bucked-toothed and cross-eyed, but as long as she made you happy,I wouldn’t care.”

“Whyshould you?” Maverick shot back. “She’sattractive to me and that’s whatmatters. Why would you care?”

“Well,if she was gorgeous like this girl here and making you miserable, I’d tell youto be careful or get rid of her altogether,” Joshua shrugged. Maverick stood and spun around in one swiftmotion to face the man eye-to-eye.

“Youdon’t tell me what to do,” he ground out. “You’re not my father. You’re noteven a father figure to me, so whydon’t you save all the ‘I care’ crap for someone who actually gives a crap?!”

“Whywon’t you let anyone in, Maverick?” Joshua wondered in a low voice, narrowinghis eyes at the younger man. “Even as achild you would shut yourself up in your room. You wouldn’t come out except for food and fresh air once in awhile. What are you trying to keep out?”

“EverythingI get, I lose!” Maverick hissed. “I hada mother and father and lost them! Ilost my arm! I had a Drone I was tryingto help and she died! I have a girl thatcares about me and she---!”

Whenhe gestured to Isabella, lying there on the couch, he couldn’t be as enraged ashe wanted to be when he looked at her and murmured, “…I almost lost her.”

“Alwayslooking at what you’ve lost,” Joshuasighed, drawing Maverick’s attention as he shook his head. “Look at what you have, boy. You have friendswho care about you, and you may have almostlost that girl, but she’s still here. She’ll wake up and all will be right.”

Heplaced a hand on Maverick’s shoulder.

“No,I’m not your father, I know that, but I can’t help seeing you as a son, even if you don’t see me as a father. When your father was taken by the darkness, Isaved you from being killed by his hand as hehad saved you from your mother, and I pitied you for being so unfortunate. But I’m proud of the man you’ve become now,as proud as your father would be if he and your mother weren’t skulking in thedarkness that took over them as they are now.”

Mavericklooked away from the older man in guilt for saying what he had over the yearsand now. He hadn’t known the doctor feltthat way and he could hear the truth in his voice. He glanced up at the scar on the man’s face,proof that he had saved him from his father.

“Yousay you had a Drone,” Joshua continued. “You were keeping it to see if you could make it human again, weren’tyou? To replace your parents and bring themback?”

Mavericksighed with a solemn nod as he said, “Yeah, but she died.” He turned back to sit in the chair next toIsabella. “She was making progress. She started solving problems, standing andspeaking, but when she told me she loved me and I told her I didn’t feel thesame, she---”

Itsuddenly dawned on him as he told Joshua what had happened. As soon as Maverick had told Faye he didn’tlove her in return, she died. Mavericklet out a long and heavy sigh, bowing his head into his hands.

“Ikilled her,” he groaned. “I didn’t loveher and she died. I killed her!”

“Dronesoften die of broken hearts,” Joshua cut in, taking the tone of a professorabout to give a lecture. “I’ve observedthem at night. When they search for amate, if the one they have their eye on shows no regard for them, they dropdead. It’s as if their brain tells themthey have nothing to live for anymore and their body shuts down. It’s natural for them.”

“Nothingabout Drones are ‘natural’!” Maverick shot back through gritted teeth. “If the government had just captured the few Drones that were loosein the beginning and tried to help them, we’d know more about how to preventthis and how to help them recover from it! People weren’t meant to turn into mindless creatures!”

“Well,there’s nothing to do about it now,”Joshua sighed, regrettably and Maverick lifted his head, lowering his hands andclasping them in front of him.

“Yes,there is,” he argued and Joshua frowned at him in wonder. He turned his head to Joshua as he stood nextto him and said in a low tone, “I’m gonna tell everyone what really happened forty years ago, andthat our precious government covered it up because they were too afraid to tryand fix the problem.” He stood and faced Joshua, who stared atMaverick in wide-eyed disbelief. “Willyou help me?”

Joshua’seyes shot even wider. The only time theman in front of him asked for him for help was for bandages or stitches or anew arm. Never had Maverick asked for help in the form of support. The emotions that threatened to boil overwere too much for the doctor to handle, but he somehow kept his composure andnodded.

“Whateveryou need,” he assured him and Maverick nodded back.

Agroan from behind the younger man made both of them frown and Maverick whirledaround to replace out where is had come from. He nearly fell to the floor in shock when Isabella raised her hand toher forehead and groaned at her apparent headache splitting headache.

“I’llget the tea,” Joshua smiled, though he knew he was ignored as Maverick sat onthe chair again and took her other hand.

“Bell?” he called,soothingly as candlelight suddenly illuminated the room and he touched herface. “It’s Maverick. You ok?”

“Myhead,” she groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I feel like I was hit with a crowbar.”

“Notexactly,” Maverick smirked. “You did hit your head pretty hard when thatSuit slapped you.”

Hehad to keep himself from clenching his fists around her delicate hand as hesaid that.

“Suit?”she groaned and suddenly gasped as she looked at Maverick. “Did they get your book?!”

Shewinced at the sudden movement which made her headache worse and she leaned backagain.

“Easy,Bell,” Maverickmurmured. “Don’t move around tomuch. And don’t talk, just listen. That doctor friend I told you about, JoshuaCrane, we’re at his place. You needed adoctor so Natalie helped us sneak out across the Barrier. We’re in the woods in Joshua’s house.”

“Natalie?!”Isabella breathed and winced again.

“Don’tmove, Bell!” Maverick urged in a soft voice. “I’ll tell you everythinglater. I just wanted you to know whereyou are. I’ll get Yukio and Natalie---”

“No!”Isabella called in a small voice, gripping his hand when he moved to leave. He looked back at her, the candlelightcaressing her features and flickering in her wide eyes as he sat backdown. “Don’t leave me. I don’t want you to leave me. I want us to be alone for a while.”

“We’realways alone, Bell,” Mavericksmirked. “But alright. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

Isabellasighed in contentment and smiled as she slowly turned to face him, thenwhispered, “I could hear you telling me to wake up.”

Maverickstared at her in wide-eyed shock and swallowed before sputtering, “D-Did you?”

Sheonly nodded, still smiling.

“W-Whatelse did you hear?” he wondered.

“Justyou,” she replied. “I heard you tell methat I had pretty eyes.”

Maverickswallowed again and laughed, nervously. He didn’t think she could hear him. He hoped she didn’t remember what he’d told her when Yukio went to meetNatalie the morning after the Suits showed up.

“AndI heard you say you didn’t want to lose me,” she continued. Thatwas what he’d been afraid of.

“D-Didyou?” he sputtered again, then cleared his throat.

“Iheard you ask if you could kiss me,” she giggled then winced from the pain inher head. “I wanted to say yes, but Icouldn’t.”

“Ifyou didn’t have such a bad headache, I’d ask you that again,” he smiled, gladlychanging the subject. A tap on hisshoulder made him groan inwardly but he turned to see Joshua standing behindhim with a cup in his hand.

“Givethis to her,” the doctor ordered and Maverick nodded, taking the cup fromhim. He turned to Isabella as she staredat Joshua with wide eyes while he walked down the hall.

“That’sJoshua,” he told her and she looked at him again as he handed her the cup oftea. “Drink this. He said it would help your headache.”

Isabellaslowly sat up and took the cup from him to chug it down. Anything to get rid of the headache. After gulping down her tea she made a faceand stuck out her tongue in disgust as she handed the cup back to Maverick wholaughed at her.

“Thatstuff tastes horrible!” she squeaked and made Maverick laugh a little harder.

“It’ssome herbal crap,” he laughed, calming himself. “It actually does work.” An idea suddenly popped into his head and he had to try it out, so he made as thoughhe was proving his point when he said, “Watch. Close your eyes.”

Shenarrowed her eyes but did as he told her and he smiled, widely. She’d taken the bait.

“Wow,it is working!” she grinned, butbefore she could express her happiness any further, Maverick planted his lipsto hers. She giggled and threw her armsaround his neck as they fell back onto the couch.

Acrash from another room made them freeze and look at each other withfrowns. They both jumped when they hearda scream then a gunshot. Isabella movedto get up but Maverick held her down.

“Maverick---?!”

“Don’tmove!” he hissed but just as she about to argue, the window above the couchcrashed open. Maverick used his body toshield Isabella as she screamed and he felt claws dig into his back assomething leapt into the room.

“Drones!”Yukio shouted from the hallway.

“Really?!”Maverick shouted back, standing and side kicking the Drone in the room as ittried to attack him. “I hadn’t noticed!”

“Where’sNatalie?!” Isabella cried to Yukio.

“Izzy?!”he grinned, throwing his gun to Maverick who shot the Drone he’d justkicked. “You’re awake?!”

“Answerthe question!” she screamed, but just as he was about to run toward her, shescreamed again as she was pulled through the window by a seemingly invisibleforce.

“Bell!” Maverick shoutedand tossed the gun back to Yukio as he jumped out the window and into the darkforest.

AsJoshua and Yukio fought the Drones invading the house, Maverick dashed throughthe woods, dodging trees and jumping over rocks, following Isabella’s screams.

“Youstupid creatures aren’t gonna take anything else away from me!” Maverickshouted as he ran and followed her screams to the cave Natalie had wanderedinto before. He ran to the edge andstopped when he saw yellow eyes staring at him from the darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stood atattention, but he shoved his fear aside and marched toward them.

“Whathave you done with Bell,you damn night-crawlers?!” he snarled, charging into the cave.

Thepairs of eyes parted and Maverick felt hands shove him to the ground, facefirst. When he moved to struggle andfight, he found that the two Drones holding him weren’t trying to eat or killhim. He frowned in wonder but when heheard shuffling in front of him he tried struggling.

“Bell! Where are you?!” he shouted, knowing it wasprobably in vain. The damned things hadprobably already killed her.

“I’mhere!” she shuddered, much to his surprise and relief. “One of them has me pinned! What’s going on?!”

“WishI knew,” he admitted. “Stay calm, I’llget us outta this.”

Asnarl sounded in front of him and when he looked up, he froze in disbelief atthe pair of glowing eyes in front of him. They weren’t yellow, as were the eyes color of every Drone; they were the same color as his eyes: caramel amber.

“Whatthe hell is this?” he breathed.

Asnarl was the only response he received but instead of struggling, he onlystared into the eyes in front of him. Hefelt the Drones on top of him get off, but he only placed his now free hands onthe ground and didn’t get up.

Noone moved. If Maverick had been able tosee, he would have seen a Drone in front of Isabella as she shuddered in acorner, unable to see as well, and Drones all around him, but they didn’tattack. They all crouched around him andthe Drone he was staring at.

“What’sgoing on here?” Maverick breathed again, though he knew he wouldn’t get ananswer. He felt something like a handtousle his hair and his eyes widened when the hand tapped his chin.

Nostalgiainstantly set in. He was taken back tohis younger years. Age ten, the lasttime he saw his father. The older manhad smiled and done just what that hand had done: Tousled his hair and tappedhis chin.

“Noway,” he breathed, staring into the eyes staring back at him. “It can’tbe you.”

Thehand touched his chin again and Maverick slowly sat up, still staring.

“Dad?”he asked, breathlessly and the Drone didn’t move, but the eyes blinked. “Is it really you?”

“Maverick?”Isabella shuddered then shrieked when the Drone in front of her snarled ather. If either one of them could see,they would have seen the Drone in front of Maverick snarl and hit the Drone infront of Isabella, making it howl and shuffle away.

“Bell, it’s ok!” Maverickcalled and she gave a whimper of fear. “Just don’t move.” He turned hisattention to where he thought his Drone father was. “Why did you bring us here? Why like this?” He sighed and shook his head with ascoff. “You can’t answer me anyway. Why do I even bother?”

“Son,”a raw voice in front of him called and he snapped his gaze in the direction thevoice came from. “Listen.”

“Youcan talk, too?!” Maverick asked in astonishment.

“Yes,”his father replied. “Little.”

“Well,before you start, can Bellsit with me?” Maverick wondered. “She’sprobably scared to death and I can hear her shuddering.”

“Yes,”his father replied. Maverick heard shufflingthen Isabella gasp and whimper.

“It’salright, Bell,”Maverick called, soothingly. “He won’thurt you.”

Heheard more shuffling and suddenly felt a hand on his chest. It gripped his shirt and a second later hefelt a body ram into him, shuddering with sobs.

“It’salright,” he whispered, holding her tightly. “I’m here, Bell. We’re alright.”

“Son,”the Drone called again from the dark. “Listen.”

“I’mlistening, dad,” Maverick replied. “Buttry to be quick, otherwise Joshua and my friend will come in and try to killyou.”

“Heardwhat you said,” his father said quickly. “Tell people what happened. Lock-Dah. Agree.”

“You’rea lot better at talking then Faye was,” Maverick noticed. “She was only around me. How can you be so much batter at it onlybeing around the Drones?”

“VisitJoshua since you left,” his father replied. Maverick stared into the darkness with wide eyes and smirked inamazement.

“Soyou haven’t completely forgotten,” he sighed in relief.

“Wasn’tcompletely taken,” his father replied. “Still hate light.”

“So,you agree that I should tell everyone the truth about what happened forty yearsago?” Maverick said, changing the subject.

“Yes,”the Drone replied. “People shouldknow. Will help you if I can.”

“You’donly be able to help if you could stand the light,” Maverick chuckled. “Thanks dad, but I can take care of it.”

“Ican help,” his father replied andMaverick frowned.

“How?”he asked.

“Mysquad protect people in town,” he explained. “Bring people out at night. Showme to them when you tell them. Show themwe come back.”

“Youknow they won’t take me seriously unless I showthem,” Maverick realized.

“Think,”his father advised.

“Oh,I don’t need to,” Maverick smirked. “Ifyou can keep your squad from making meals out of the people across the Barrier,you can help to your hearts delight.”

“Myboy,” his father smirked in the dark. “Proud.”

“Yeah,”Maverick scoffed. “Joshua said you wouldbe.”

“Goback,” the Drone advised. “You need to.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Imissed you.”

Isabellagazed up at his face, trying to replace it in the dark with no luck, but shewished she could, because she heard his voice, and it was thick with held backemotion.

“Missyou too,” his father replied. “Go.”