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Cesare stood frozen on the side of the wall, unable to stop staring as he watched Jane and her father walk away from the house, heading onto a twisted street. He tilted his head, trying to see if she looked back at him, but it was far too dark to tell. Too many thoughts were rushing through his mind at once- but first and foremost, he was no longer safe here. He was lucky it was dark out; as he was far more accustomed to moving about in the shadows, slipping through the streets until he was out of harm’s way would be far easier now than it would be in broad daylight.
At least she didn’t want to hurt him, although that was little consolation. He was almost angry with her; as much as she complained to him about being unable to do anything about her situation, she didn’t bother to do anything when she had the chance. But how easy had it been for him to defy orders, himself? Even now, for as much progress as he’d made, he found it difficult to completely separate himself from his past- and the circumstances that allowed for his own awakening had happened completely by chance. By his own will, he never would have been able to escape from-
There was no time to think about that now.
He made his way down from the side of the house, landing noiselessly on his feet. If they found him, he would never be able to come back here again- that is, if he managed to make it out alive. And where would that leave her? She said he made her life a bit easier; that it was nice to have someone to talk to who would listen. Cesare liked listening to her; even if he didn’t understand everything she said, she had a nice, soft voice, even if it sounded sad sometimes. He liked voices that didn’t hurt. If he never came back, then who would she talk to?
It was difficult finding his way around; the twisting sidewalks disoriented him, and he couldn’t read any of the crooked signs that bent over the street. He wandered into an alleyway, trying to find a safe place to conceal himself for the night; he was getting tired, and he didn’t want to be caught out in the open if he fell asleep.
“Hey!” a voice called, startling him. He turned around to see Francis, holding a lantern. Cesare backed up against the wall, hissing; it was bad enough he’d run into him, but alone?
“Leave… now,” he gasped, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
“What are you doing here? I told you I don’t want to see your face anymore.”
He didn’t know how to answer. What if he was attacked again? Could he kill now, if he had to?
“Did… did she finally come to her senses about you? Is that why this is happening?”
Cesare blinked, unable to tell what he meant.
“She couldn’t make up her mind about me, either. So what happened?” Francis gripped the lantern tighter, holding it to Cesare’s face. “Did you hurt her? Where is she!?”
He squinted from the light, shaking his head. “Not… here,” he answered. “With… man- she calls… ‘father’. He… wants… to find-” he shuddered. “To find… me. But not… her. We are… friends.”
“Word travels fast here,” Francis said. “By now, I’m not the only one out here looking for you.” He sighed. “She’s not going to be happy with me if I do anything to you, is she? But Alan… No matter what I’ll do, I’ll end up betraying one of them.”
Cesare tilted his head, noticing flickering lights from other lanterns in the distance. He tensed, edging further into the darkness until only the whites of his large eyes were visible.
“Wait!” Francis shouted. “I’ll… I’ll help you. Just for tonight. And it’s for Jane, not you, understand?”
He paused, turning around. Slowly, he made his way back over to where Francis was standing, his muscles tense.
“Stay close to me; I’ll get you out of town safely- on one condition.” Francis grabbed Cesare’s arm, making him flinch. “You’re never coming back here again, okay? I don’t want to see your face, ever again; it doesn’t matter what reason you have to-”
Cesare’s mouth twitched. “Will she… be… safe?”
Francis looked up at him, and something flashed across his face. His grip on Cesare loosened. “You know we both…” he began, before clearing his throat. “Jane will be fine. In fact, she’ll be better off without you here. Do we have a deal?”
Cesare didn’t know why Francis looked so pained, why he had offered to help him despite being so hostile. The lanterns were drawing closer; he could see the shadows of the people holding them. He didn’t have much choice- but never coming back again? Not even to say goodbye to his friend? What if she never found out he left; would she think he abandoned her? Or would she forget about him?
“Friends,” he sighed, gazing off into the distance.
“Don’t insult me,” Francis said. “You don’t even remember Alan. The way he laughed, his warm smile- and his eyes… you were the last thing they saw. You’ll never know what it was like to hold his hand or hear him read his poetry aloud- and thanks to you, I’ll never know what that feels like again, either. And after you killed him, you went for Jane- you’re lucky she’s forgiven you, but I’ll never forget the terror in her eyes when she remembered what you did. You want to whine about friends? I nearly had to attend both of my friends’ funerals in a row, and I’m showing you every mercy I can out of my love for the only one I have left. Am I clear?”
Cesare backed into the shadows. There had to be another way; he couldn’t just leave Jane behind with no explanation. The lantern’s beam cast onto him, and he growled, retreating deeper and deeper into the alleyway. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he wasn’t about to make this deal; he’d have to escape on his own. He tried to stay quiet, but couldn’t withhold a gasp at the sound of heavy footsteps behind him- they’re coming.
“In the alley!” he heard someone shout. “Someone’s hiding in there!”
“Circle around,” another voice called. “Whoever you are, show yourself!”
Cesare looked behind him, seeing pinpricks of light floating at the entrance to the alleyway. He stumbled, catching his breath, as one washed over him, followed by a shriek.
“What is it?”
“The- is that…?”
“Those eyes!”
“Is that the Somnambulist?”
A cacophony rippled through the mass of voices, making Cesare shudder. He couldn’t make out what they were saying now, but caught snippets of noise- denoting everything from fear to anger to confusion. Now would be the perfect time to get away, he realized. Forcing himself to move, he fled, remembering all too well the last time he had been chased through these streets- the pain and exhaustion, the confusion, what had happened after he’d been brought back from the brink of death. Let that be a lesson to you, Cesare. If you hadn’t tried to defy me, everything would be as it should.
“No!” he gasped, clawing at his hair. Why those words in his head? Why now? He stumbled as he tried to break into a run, staying close to the wall. If he made it to the other side, maybe he’d lose them. He took a breath, although it hurt his lungs, and trudged towards the exit- he was almost there- he could see the moon; it looked so close, he could grab it out of the sky if he wanted to. He kept his eyes on it, willing his tired legs to move- and then felt a hand pull his arm back.
Cesare screeched, trying to wrench free, when another hand clasped around his shoulder, and then his other arm. They were everywhere all of a sudden, latching onto his back, his chest, his hands and legs… his eyes darted helplessly about, and he could no longer focus on the moon. All these people were- they were waiting for him- they were shouting things he couldn’t process and spitting in his face- the lantern light surrounding him was blinding, and it was impossible to make out any one set of features. He tried to struggle, but found his exhausted body wouldn’t let him. He swung his head around, baring his teeth and biting at the nearest leering face, but someone grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling his head back as another hand clamped over his mouth. He didn’t know how many eyes were on him, how many hands and fingers- he wanted to crawl out of his own skin; every touch reminded him of… of… of…
“Is it restrained?” someone called.
“Make sure it doesn’t get away!”
Cesare could barely put up a fight as his arms were pulled back, and something was tied around them. He felt the warmth of blood on his forehead- how long had he been bleeding for? He closed his eyes, barely registering the shouting and applause that surrounded him.
“Five of you, take it to her,” someone commanded. “It’s only fair that she decides what to do with it. The rest of you, go home- and enjoy the first of many restful nights.”
Cesare was barely conscious as he felt two pairs of hands lift him from underneath his arms, his heavy legs dragging behind him through the streets for what felt like both a long and a short time. Would it have been better to take Francis’ offer? What if Francis was one of the people with him right now? He managed to open his eyes, but couldn’t make out his surroundings; something was concealing his vision.
Was he going to die? The thought perplexed him; after all the death that had surrounded him for so long, what did he even think of dying? Would anyone mourn him, obsess over his passing like they did for Alan, whoever that was? What would happen to his body? His thoughts were interrupted as he felt himself drop to the ground.
“The intruder, Miss,” he heard one voice say.
“What should we do with it? There may well be an empty prison cell- although I think this monster should be hung for the terror it inflicted on our town.”
“No, no! Drive a knife through its heart, if it has one! Give it a death worthy of its own deeds.”
“Perhaps we should-”
“Stop!” another voice called, making them all fall silent. Cesare gasped, his vision suddenly regained as someone pulled the blindfold from his face. He looked up from the ground, awash in sudden relief to see Jane standing over him, her long sleeves hanging from her white dress. “You told me to choose what happens to him, didn’t you?”
She looked down at Cesare, who stared up at her with desperation in his eyes. However, she didn’t meet his gaze. “He’s bleeding,” she said. “I told you all not to harm him.”
“With all due respect, darling,” came a voice on Cesare’s left- the one who suggested stabbing him- “if we are to kill it, why should it matter whether or not it’s harmed?”
“Don’t call me d-” she began, before clamping her mouth shut, eliciting a series of chuckles from Cesare’s captors. “I never said I wanted you to kill him.”
“Oh, I see it now!” the man on Cesare’s right said. “You don’t want to marry any of us, because it was this thing you were saving yourself for!” He wrenched Cesare to his feet, shoving him towards Jane. “Here’s the husband you’ve been wanting for so long- rumor has it he’ll sweep you off your feet!”
Jane gasped, stepping back. Cesare fell to the ground, emitting a low moan.
“Well? What do you want to do with it? You can have it killed and bring justice to this town at last, or you can not do that, and everyone will know you spared a murderer.”
“I… ”
“Another proposition,” one of the men called, “you can choose to marry one of us, and we’ll save your reputation, no matter what you decide.”
Gasps and laughter followed his statement, making Jane clench her fists. Her eyes burned with tears, and she turned away, both to avoid the jeering noise and Cesare’s pleading eyes. Why couldn’t she make a decision when it really mattered? Cesare was her friend, and not only that, but a friend who let her know she wasn’t alone in her suffering. And yet, a life was placed into her hands, one she was given the authority to save or end.
I would do whatever it took to make sure you were dead, she remembered saying once. She didn’t feel that way anymore- did she? There was power- immense power she had never felt before- suddenly thrust upon her, and people she knew were willing to become murderers for her sake. What else could she do with that sort of power? The respect and admiration it would gain her- with that, could she finally be free?
Cesare suddenly coughed, making her turn back around. His features looked more sunken than usual, and he was shivering. He curled up on the ground, his long fingers clenched into rigid claws.
“Get him some water,” Jane gasped.
“What?”
“You heard me!” she demanded with a sudden force. “Get him water, now!”
“Are you saying you want to spare him?”
“I’m saying to get him water,” she said. “You all say you’ll respect my decisions, and this is what I’m deciding to do. Are you actually going to listen to me or not?”
One of the men stepped forward, grabbing her about the waist. “That wasn’t one of the options,” he said, stroking her face. Cesare, watching from the ground, flinched. “Would you rather we choose for you?”
“Let her go!”
Francis stood behind them, his lantern in hand. “What is wrong with all of you? Have you no shame? She asks the simplest thing from you, and you can’t even do that, but you have no problem trying to pressure her into killing?”
“She wanted to give water to that-”
“I don’t care what she wanted to do! You claim to respect her choices, but you only want to respect the ones that benefit you!” He wrenched the man’s arms away from Jane, and she embraced him. “Are you all right?”
She nodded shakily. “Yes- but Cesare-”
“Cesare will be okay,” Francis promised. “Both of you can go to my house; you can take care of him there. Your father’s on the other side of town; I’ll get him to call off the search.” He clapped his hands. “Did you hear that, all of you? Go home!”
“But that’s- that’s the Somnambulist!”
“I have eyes!” Francis snapped back. “Things might not make a lot of sense right now, but everything will be explained to everyone in time. Go home. I promise you and your families will be safe-” he looked at the man who had grabbed Jane- “from Cesare, at least.”
He watched as they gradually left, one by one, leaving Jane and Cesare behind.
“Wow,” Jane said. “How’d you get them all to actually listen?”
Francis shrugged. “People here have always just sort of… never mind. What’s important is you’re okay.”
“Yeah,” Jane said. She knelt down next to Cesare, untying his hands and draping her shawl over his back. “I thought you hated him.”
“I do,” Francis said. “I just love you more. I mean- not in a way that makes you uncomfortable, of course- but…” he sighed. “Alan’s dead. And between mourning the past and preserving a friendship that still exists… I’d rather not lose you. I don’t understand why you decided to forgive him, but that’s… your decision. As much as I dislike him, he really does care about you. And you’re my friend, Jane; I need to accept your choices- even this one.”
“Francis…!” she gasped, tearing up. She ran forward, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
He smiled. “I have to go,” he said. “I’ll go get everyone to call off the search. You take him to my house; I’ll meet you back there.”
She nodded, pulling away and watching as he disappeared.
As soon as Francis left, Jane turned her attention to Cesare. He doesn’t like it when I touch him, she thought. I hope he can walk okay.
“Cesare?” she asked. “Can you hear me?”
He stirred on the ground, coughing some.
“I’ll take you somewhere safe,” she said. “Can you get up?”
Cesare struggled to his feet, stumbling. The blood on his forehead had mostly dried, but he hardly looked much better.
“You’ll be okay- Francis is letting us stay at his house so you can recover. Do you think you could lean on me? I know you don’t like touching, but I want to make sure you get there safely.”
He stared at her, seemingly dazed. He swayed a bit, then made his way slowly to Jane, wincing.
“Don’t… want… hurt… you.”
“Oh, no. You won’t hurt me. I just want to help you, okay?”
He flinched, then reached a shaking hand out to her. “If… I… ”
She gently pressed his hand. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing… to… worry… about,” he repeated.
“Here; give me your arm. I’ll walk you there.”
He hesitated, then held out his arm. She took it, and they began to make their way across the street. It was strange now, he thought, that they should once again be out here at night with her under his arm, but something was different this time. He yawned, letting her lead him through the town. Everything still hurt, but at least he felt a bit safer; it was quiet now.
Once they reached Francis’ house, Jane led Cesare to a couch, where he collapsed, then closed the windows and doors.
“There,” she breathed. “It was very kind of Francis to let us stay here for a bit, wasn’t it? You stay here; I’ll help patch you up as best I can.”
He raised his head from the couch, nodding. “Thank… you.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Just relax for now; it’s okay. I’ll get you some water.”