Light in Dark Places

Chapter Nineteen

"Creosote!"

Joan can't see—the flash of light was so bright she still sees sparks in her eyes—but she knows the sound of her sister's voice. She knows Seung-ri. She moves her head to the direction of where she heard her sister. "Seung-ri!"

The boy pulls her close to his chest, repositioning the knife against her neck. "Oh good, the gang's all here. I did want an audience."

"Let her go, Creosote," Hernandez the Thunder King orders. The electricity in the air prickles against her skin, causing goosebumps up and down her arms. Slowly, Joan's vision returns, and she focuses on the dark red uniforms first. Three of them at the front, all Three Kings of Sahuaro. The soldier allied with the boy lies on the ground, his neck charred, his eyes white. Electricity sparks in Hernandez's hands—he looks like he's holding a lightning bolt.

Like the gods of old, Joan thinks. The three of them standing there—rigid and proud. All Three Kings look like gods.

"This brings back old times, doesn't it Seung-ri? Remember the last time it was just me, you, and your sister?" Creosote jeers, holding Joan tighter. "Remember what I did then?'

"I'm going to kill you," Seung-ri snarls. Joan can hear the veracity in her sister's words. The rage. Seung-ri actually means to kill this man.

"Again? But it never seems to work out for you," Creosote says cheerfully. "Did you like my presents, Seung-ri? Do you like what I have done to this city?"

"Out of curiosity, what have you done to this city?" Jisu asks, his arms crossed.

Joan waits for the other Kings to yell at him, but no one says anything.

"Jisu, my old friend, you never were one to disappoint. Are you trying to get me to monologue? Tell you all my evil plans? But that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?"

"It looks like you're controlling Misery. But that can't be possible, can it?" Jisu asks.

"Oh, he is a smart one! Jisu, always top of the class, always so brilliant. Did you see this coming, Nam? Have you planned your way out of it already?"

"Have you planned your way out of this? You're outnumbered, Creosote. If you kill Seung-ri's sister I'm sure your revenge will be satisfying and keep you warm on many cold nights, but you'll still be rotting in our prison somewhere while we figure out the best way to kill you."

"True, true, you do have me cornered here, don't you? And I don't want to be in your nasty prison. I'm far too pretty for such things. And ahh, the things I have planned. Ssh, I'm not going to give you spoilers, that would be the worst, but I wouldn't want to miss it, not for anything. The best is still to come."

With one arm still looped around Joan's neck, he holds out his other hand, palm out, like something that might otherwise be a gesture of peace. Through the corner of her eye, Joan can see very thin lines all across his arm, and then all of the sudden it starts crawling with tendrils that are darker than black and she lets out an involuntary strangled shout.

"Tell me, Jisu, what keeps you up at night? What makes you terrified? What are your nightmares made of?

"I'm willing to bet anything you're not scared of Misery."

Misery is crawling all over Creosote's arm and Joan whimpers and struggles in his hold. The last time she had been this close to Misery, it swallowed her whole.

It has to be a trick. If Misery so much as Touches the skin, a person will lose all sense of self and feeling. They'll be listless creatures without their Ash talents, like poor Mallory Chase in the video. But there it is, crawling on Creosote's bare flesh, and there he stands, looking smug and insane but not Touched by Misery.