Lights Out

Clap if you Believe in Murder (Rachel)

If you have no crimes against Terra, you have nothing to fear.

But if you do, then she will get her revenge.

Be warned.

Rachel stared in horror as the last of the tendrils of light faded into the night sky. It was all happening so fast; the blackout, Marra, KnOT, and now this. It was too much for her to process at one time, it was giving all giving Rachel a headache.

"Come on. We should go." Rachel swayed as Marra grabbed her arm, hooking their elbows together, and began to move. Rachel just stared for a second, dumbfounded, before pulling away.

"You're one of them."

Marra sighed, running a dirt streaked hand across her face, "yes, yes, the cats out of the bag isn't it?" She shook her head, "It doesn't matter though, does it? We're a team now. And we have a mission to complete."

Rachel laughed, spitting bile to the gravel road, "is that what we are? A team? A partnership? Is that why you lied to me."

"Because you would of just been so keen to come with me if I had told you the truth," Marra shook her head wildly, thrusting out her hands in a sarcastic gesture,"hello! My name is Marra and I'm secretly part of a civil rights- turned- terrorist group that's planning an attack soon but hey! You should leave your family and come with me!"

Rachel smiled, rolling here eyes running down her face, "you lied to me." She practically spat, "You told me I could help people, told me my family would be safe. You, lied- to me.

Marra shook her head, "you don't understand, my mission-"

"I don't care, what your mission is," Rachel was  yelling now, the words rolling off her tongue, "I don't care what your mission. I don't care why KnOT wanted me. I don't care that you saved my life. And I especially don't care that we may or may not be friends."

Marra froze she looked hurt. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a card. It was a KnOT card, Rachel recognized i, but it had something scrawled on the back in messy ink.

"Marra-"

"Here," Marra pressed the paper into Rachel's hand, closing her fingers around it, "this is my number, we've cut cell phones won't work but you can use a phone-line, call me if you need me."

"Marra, I don't want-"

"No. Shut up. Just shut up and take the card and don't loose it."

Rachel shook her head, but stuffed the card in her back pocket anyway, "If you think this will change anything." Turning, she started to storm away.

"Rachel my mission was to kill you."

Rachel stopped, taken aback by the phrase. Fists clenched, she turned back to face Marra, "what?"

"My mission." Marra sighed, gazing at the sky, "that's part of phase one. Well, the main part, actually. Find the people we especially hate, and kill their families, their children. My mission was to kill you."

"Me?" Rachel sighed  in exasperation, "my parents are journalists, What have they ever done to make you an obscure terrorist group 'especially hate' them?"

"Obscure?" Marra laughed, "KnOT is one of the biggest underground organizations in the world. We have our claws sunk deep in thousands over thousands of people. We are the opposite of obscure. And your parents would know more than anyone."

"And why is that Marra? Why are my parents just so knowledgeable about KnOT?"

Marra sighed, she brushed a strand of stringy orange hair away from her face, "your parents, they were part of KnOT. They were knights, like me."

Rachel froze, blood pounded through her ears. Her parents. It was impossible, it was absurd. The most ridiculous, bizarre, farcical, idea she had ever heard. And yet, in some crazy, fantastical world, it made sense.

They won't just let us leave. That's what her mother had said, on the day of the fight. Rachel had never put much thought into it, but now she guessed she knew what it meant.

"Your parents left KnOT, Rachel." Marra continued, "they abandoned their posts, they might have well have killed you."

Rachel's breathing became labored, she was furious, she couldn't think straight. Her parents had lied to her. Not lied, purposefully withheld crucial information. Rachel thoughts turned to Michael, to Vivienne, did they know of her parents rambunctious past? How many if how loved ones had targets painted on their backs because of her parents mistakes.

Rachel swiveled to face Marra, "my parents were good people." she was crying now, repeating the phrase to herself as if it would make her believe it. "My parents saved me when they left KnOT."

Marra gaze hardened, "your parents pledged their lives to KnOT's cause, and then they defiled it. They exposed one of our operations, got 19 of our knights arrested. They crippled KnOT. Your parents were monsters."

Rachel began to turn away, but pulled herself back, pointing a trembling hand at Marra, "you're the only monster I see."

And then she did the only thing she knew how to do. She ran.

Thank you to caspette for the beautiful cover*