Dripping Away

Chapter 7: God's Sacrifice

        I woke up, gasping for air in a similar chamber as the one at Ranll's place. My head hurt immediately, and my limbs felt like jelly, but I wasn't dead. And I wasn't certain how I got here, either. I remembered shouting and causing a crowd to form in the street, but everything after that was blurry. Unlike Ranll's chamber, this one was locked tight and slime-less. I had to admit I was getting a little too old to be stuck in cramped spaces like this. I was getting too old to be in dangerous situations, too, but it was for the betterment of this rain stoppage. I hoped.
          A door opened, and I pretended to have my eyes closed as the feet clonked against the tiles.
          "We can dispose of him for you, Pope Lascish. We're offering tons of money for his body, though I didn't think he would be alive." 
          A laugh occurred. "Hilarious. As if money is going to deter our efforts to God. Why is the Six so entitled to a death that does nothing but make a scene? We will kill him. It'll be done."
          "The homeless are our energy source in the city, Lascish. His body is what allowed us to find that in humans, the electricity."
           "And so you found it. His body is of no more use?"
           "Yes, but-"
          "Then leave, heretic. We hate you Six enough. Do not ruin a good ceremony to God Himself."
          "You will rue the day you let him stay here."
          "Goodbye, Arkeshk."
          A pair of footsteps existed the room in an angrier, swifter way than the way they entered.    Another pair etched closer to the tube.
          "I know you're awake, Lostin Rotsitt."
          I opened my eyes and looked at him. The man was wearing the appropriate attire to be the Pope of the Church, but his features deceived him in his right to be. He was young, probably younger than me, and he seemed to hold some unrequited feelings. We stared at each other for a moment before I finally managed to muster something.
          "How'd you figure?" I asked him.
          He scoffed. "You are no different from anyone else who lives in that cit. Life is just a game to you."
         "I'd say I'm a little different." 
         "Yes." He began pacing back and forth. "Criminal records with many gangs, the cause of Ikalanig's scars, and now you're a wanted dead body. I will agree you are a little different."
            "How long do I have, Doc?" I teased.
          "Hours."
         "Can you tell me how it works, at least? I've heard some things about the Forever Spark, but I'm no native."
          He stopped pacing and looked me up and down before rolling his eyes. These people put their faith in this man, but I saw that he acted like a child through and through. Pope Lascish pulled out a square that he started tapping on incessantly.
           "It's God's gift to us," he muttered. 
          I glared. "You really believe that?"
         "It came from the world above with no purpose of its own than to create power to a land unsettled by man. It took a lot of time and effort to create this place, and then we sanctioned it away from the Six." He closed his eyes. "I do believe that."
          "I believe your faith is shit." I tried to gesture at him but my hands smacked the glass.  "Sacrificing me gets you nothing but the public eye. And I'm not so sure you can kill me, to be honest."
           Lascish didn't say a word as his steps hurried out into the next room where he let his steam blow out of his head. He couldn't kill me with electricity, but I didn't want to give away my ability to manipulate the lightning in the air. I could feel every spark around me in the air crackling and taking hold. I just hoped Abers was managing to do his part of the plan.
           I remembered making up the plan. I was going to get caught and get sacrificed to the God of these people, but I was going to make that Forever Spark save me rather than kill me. All Abers had to do was blend in with the crowd and find those twins. They were identical, so how hard could that be? Hopefully, it wasn't.
           A few hours passed, and I was uncomfortable like this. No wonder this tune was made for dead bodies. No living thing would dare find themselves in one of these unless they were in my position. Which I figured was the point. People stuck in these were on death row.
           "Lostin Rotsitt. Age is 28, record is immeasurably filled with imperfections only the Devil would call for."
           It was an intercom broadcasting in the corner of the room. Two men wearing black suits and face masks to cover up their features came with ropes in their hands. One of them unlocked the container while the other bound my wrists and feet with the scratchy rope. I did not need my hands, thankfully. Spending those days with Abers in the alley taught me my power was all about my head being able to move the shift of power in whatever was near. That's why I also agreed to this plan. Too bad I couldn't remember what I had done to get here. The men dragged me along through a long corridor decorated in pictures of famous artwork I knew. There was a cheering crowd as Lascish said my name, and I was thrusted forward into the open.
           It was a large board that only led forward into this blinding light that crackled. The air was electrified. I could feel every ion and every particle moving by my own mind, and I hoped Abers could feel that motion. I tried scanning the crowd for him, but there was a hand on my back. A skinny, freezing hand that belonged to a sly Pope. He liked seeing me this way, almost helpless to him as he held a microphone to his mouth in excitement. He was a hypocrite.
           "People usually have some witty line to say before they get sacrificed," he said into the microphone. "Tell me, Lostin. Are you feeling witty today?"
            I glared. "I can say anything, then?"
           "Anything."
           "Well," I cleared my throat. "Good luck."
           I didn't let Lascish push me because I didn't want him to have the satisfaction. There were cheers and gasps and all of the in betweens, but I heard one distinct cry for me. Abers. It was too late to look as my body was suspended in light. The electricity did not hurt me or lash at me, but I noticed the marks crawling up and down my skin like it was going inside of me. I closed my eyes. Take it in, I thought. Take it in and escape this Church.
            "Star Child. You've returned."
            I opened my eyes to see a giant. The giant. The light was gone and I was in her domain where she held me in her discolored hands like humans held small things.
            "Have I died twice?" I asked her.
            She shook her head. "You are temporarily unable to function due to the electric cloud trying to go in your body." 
           "How long?"
           "Minutes."
           "Then, answer me a question. I might never come back to see you."
            She pursed her lips. "Ask."
           "Can we really stop the rain?"
          Her eyes showed nothing but darkness as she tried to come up with a feasible answer. "You can wake up my brothers and sisters. We can stop the rain."
          "How?"
          "You asked your question, Star Child. Now go."
           I opened my eyes in a blink and heard the sound of screams. I cold feel myself screaming inside my skin as my feet touched the ground in the arena. How did I get here?
           "The spark is out! The spark is out!"
           I turned my head, the center of the Church now perfectly hollow and black like it felt.  People were running away from me into the darkness of night. Except three. Abers and the twins came running towards me with the same eerie light in their eyes that once settled in the hole. Abers pulled on his mask and gave me mine he had on him. I still had no idea what happened.
           "We need to get back into the city. Do you remember the password into the sewers?"
           I pushed my mask on my face. "Sugar, I think."
            "I don't know what you did, but that spark is in our bodies now."
            "I know." I closed my eyes. "It feels like everything."