Lilac followed, standing beside me close enough for our shoulders to touch. "If they come when you're feeling particular emotions, start there. What emotions make them appear?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Fear."
"That's a start." His delicate hand rested on my shoulder.
"But how do you prevent yourself from being scared?"
"Think about it." He urged, shuffling to face me.
The rising sunlight caught in his bright blue eyes, keeping me from turning away. "It never happens when being startled or spooked. But they appear from out of nowhere when I feel in danger or wallow in terror."
"See?" he whispered. "This is progress." His lip curled in the corner of his mouth and stole my attention. I fixated on his smile, allowing my stomach to twist in knots.
It suddenly occurred to me that what Lilac made me feel was a new emotion. I had never experienced the feelings of love from another person, and a great shame and embarrassment washed over me. I turned away sheepishly only for Lilac to brush my chin with his fingertips, returning my gaze back to his.
"I—I don't—" I fumbled with my words.
"You are safe." He nodded reassuringly. His fingertips were cold on my skin. "It will all work out. I promise we will figure this whole thing out together. Alright?"
I nodded. "There's just so many experiences I never had that I actually craved, unlike my memories of pizza. And it's kind of hitting me that I'm not like many other girls."
"And I'm not like many other guys." He scoffed. "That's what makes us—"
I gave him the side-eye. "Don't say special."
"No, I was going to say powerful." He lifted his arms, bringing attention to our surroundings. "Look where we are and what we can do?"
It was my turn to cock my head. "I don't get it." His behavior reminded me how out of place he was in the Scalded and brought those questions back to the forefront. Who was Lilac exactly? Where did he come from? Why was he here? And why did I feel so connected to him?
I shook the thoughts from my mind, not ready for the answers.
He lifted his chin and twirled, taking in the environment. "This place, the Scalded, has given us every necessity while keeping us alive. It has only harmed those who come to threaten that."
"No." I corrected. "I only harmed those who came to threaten us." I thought back to the incident that started this all and then my mind went to the poor woman who was only trying to warn us. "That woman was innocent. She didn't want to harm us. Neither did those in the vicinity before the incident."
Lilac sighed. All lightheartedness dissipated. "You can't keep blaming yourself, Kyla."
"What do you mean? It's my fault she's dead, isn't it? It was my belief, my fear, or lack of control over the Scorchers. This entire place is because of me." A wave of regret flooded me, and I placed my hands on my hips to prevent myself from collapsing in guilt. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me. And I can't even do the world a favor and die. Even if I were killed. That will only make things worse."
I left the shadow of the trees and stepped out into the morning sunlight. Although it should have felt welcoming and cleansing, it only seemed to do the opposite and shine a light on my guilt.
How can I live and continue to thrive and survive in the place that took so many lives and changed so much for the ones who didn't parish?
I nearly forgot where I was as I constantly replayed that tragic event in my mind over and over. Watching Nurse Jane become consumed before my very eyes, all those innocent girls most who had mental health challenges, the doctors who put everything on the line by supporting us and treating us to the best of their abilities.
I nearly dismissed the bitter-sweet stench, thinking it originated from the crushed roots at my feet. It wasn't until Lilac's terrifying and panicked panting penetrated my ears that I turned to see the tall, hunched figure emerge through the hospital doors.
My jaw dropped and eyes went wide as Lilac darted out of the creature's way by running in the opposite direction, leaving me standing, paralyzed directly in the monster's path.
I didn't have a moment to wish it away or calm my nerves. The television technique was completely out of the question. Stunned and planted in place like one of the overgrown trees beside me, I stared on.
A scream perched on my tongue, but a dirty pale hand clamped over my mouth to stifle it. In one quick move, I was swung around a tree and held in place. The strength in the person behind me was nothing like I imagined Lilac would possess. It was obviously not Lilac as he had run in the opposite direction.
Before I could panic and protest, the person's throaty voice whispered in my ear, "They're hunting. Quiet now."
It wasn't until I saw the first hunter in the distance that I knew he wasn't talking about the Scorcher. He kept his hand over my mouth, and I attempted to pry his fingers away to allow me better access to air. The smell of scalding sugar grew stronger and I anticipated the creature to spew its molten goo in our direction at any minute.
"They're not real. They're not real," he repeated in my ear in a soothing tone.
It was then that the voice matched my memory of Dr. Johnson who now lived in the trees and preferred to be called by a different name completely. Hermit. He removed his hand from my mouth and eased his grip. I quickly turned to face him, no longer smelling the potent smell of the creature. I assured him with a whisper, "It's gone."
He brought his finger to his lips. "But they're not."
I followed his line of sight to see two bearded men crossing through the trees far up ahead, searching, lurking, hunting. They wore matching brown and green camouflage tops and bottoms that looked nothing like the soldiers from the military, and only made them stand out more against the stark contrast of the black forest. These men were the same men that visited at night to search and kill anything they could get a beat on.
The sound of their heavy boots crunching and crushing the vines and roots echoed through the trees, ricocheting from the leathery bark. "We gotta go," I urged, quietly making my way back around the leftover sludge and toward the hospital where Lilac safely peered from the window.
He rushed to open the door that still had steaming goop on the jamb just as we rushed in and placed the wooden plank between the handles to secure it closed.
"This is the first place those guys would come if they're looking for ghosts and ghouls." Hermit looked around the familiar space. "Ground zero."
Lilac shook his head. "No one has come here yet."
"You made it here." Hermit pointed his index finger to Lilac to stick his point. His shabby clothes loosely hung on his body. "It's just a matter of time."
I scratched my temple. "Why are they out hunting during the day? They usually come at night to stay away from the researchers."
"Things are changing." Hermit peeked out the side window. "They found remains of a dead body. Traces of a woman melted in black muck. The hunters are fed up, ready to burn this place down and take their city back."
"How do you know about that?" Lilac stepped forward.
"Hard to not be aware of the dozens of police and people gathering around this place." Hermit scratched his unkempt beard. "You know those people chat, report, and gossip? Many of them are talking about massive creatures lurking in here, making it the sole reason to demolish. It doesn't help that the dead woman captured a clip of one of the creatures on her cell phone."
I dropped my head in shame. "I'm sorry."
"Damn right, you are." Hermit turned to face me, keeping his voice low but full of rage. His disheveled dark yet graying hair and tattered clothes made him look more menacing than I remembered him being. "If only you believed those things were only your imagination. But it's too late for that now. Too late for what-ifs and could've, would've, should've." He shook his head. "Oh, it's much too late for that." He covered his mouth with both hands to stifle his cough.
I tried to look in his eyes but couldn't. "I know it's my fault. I'm trying to control it."
"Control it?" He scoffed. "You know how much time and money we've spent trying to control it. You can't do it. Impossible."
"That's not true." Lilac stood up for me, anger in his dipped eyebrows. "She will control it. She can."
"Well, I'm glad someone has confidence here." He shook his head in sadness. "We tried. We've done so much, trying. But at the end of the day, Kyla will be her own worst enemy."
"If you think this is helping, it's not." I sneered, sensing his animosity.
"I've done all I can do to try to help you against your demons or whatever you call them," he said. "Now I'm just trying to help you not get your face shot off. Before you know it, this place isn't gonna be safe anymore." He went on. "Like I said, it's only a matter of time before someone come looking in here for whatever they're trying to find. And the buildings, hospitals, drug stores are the first places they will look. Why do you think I stay hidden among the trees? Best-case scenario, they drop a damn nuclear bomb on this entire place."
"They wouldn't do that." Lilac shook his head in disbelief.
"Oh yeah, I never thought pissed-off citizens would come shooting up the place, or the military would be called in to blow it to smithereens. Did you really think you could live here worry free without everyone trying to get rid of us?"
Lilac moved forward. "I understand you're angry, but—"
"Angry, oh you don't know angry, Princess." He scowled. "Imagine having a wife and kid you adore somewhere out there, while you're stuck in here sucking on plants and sleeping in trees. And then imagine knowing your family thinks your experiments caused this and turned you into a monster, a freak, and wouldn't mind if you died in this hellhole. Imagine that, then we can talk about anger."
"I'm so sorry." I dropped my head out of respect to his hardships over his beloved wife and daughter and how they have treated him over the years. "But I won't let them destroy this place."
"False." Hermit pointed his finger, aiming right between my eyes. "You both will get out of here and let this place collapse. Yes, with me in it."
"I can't do that." I shook my head. "This is my only home. Besides when I tried to leave, they wouldn't let me. I stop breathing, I nearly died, I—"
"The thing is, Miss Kyla," he said with a snappy attitude. "They're not going to stop until this place is burnt to the ground. So, why not let them have it?"
"If I leave, I die," I said simply. "And if I die, the creatures will get out to roam the city however they see fit. Belief, imagination, emotions, none of that will matter once I'm gone. The only thing keeping them inside this radius, like prisoners, is me. There's no leaving."
"How do you know that?" There was a brief stillness as Hermit waited on an answer.
"I don't, but I'm also not willing to find out." I gulped. "Like I said, I can't leave."
"Unless ..." Lilac interrupted. "You find a way to tame them. Control them."
"Taming them is impossible." Hermit scoffed again, this time more sarcastically. "Have you two not been listening? You sound the same. Foolish." He marched to the doors. "I'm out of here."
"Wait, Dr. Johnson," I rushed before him to prevent his departure.
"I am no longer Dr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson, or anything like that man." His eyelids fluttered with rage and pain at the same time.
"Hermit," I corrected, swallowing the lump in my throat that quickly formed due to the realization of what he'd become. "You can help us."
"But I can't," he said through clenched teeth.
"You can't or you won't?" Lilac glared.
"Both." He walked to the door, reluctant to place his hands on the cold, dried sludge. "If I were you, I would get far away from this hospital as you can." He pushed through the doors, leaving us behind.
~~~
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