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EMPTY EYE SOCKETS CHAPTER 10
"I have come to the conclusion that if we manage to get rid of Domino everything else will be more than easy," Manny said to Meche, Carla and Glottis. He was surprised with how much Domino trusted in his own power. There were no guards or anyone to make sure the slaves were working.
And yet he saw everyone labouring as if they had nothing better to do and he had to shake his head. It seemed the others were afraid of Domino even when he -- fortunately -- didn't show his face too often.
Carla nodded, from the four of them it was she and Manny who were the most eager to plan a mutiny.
"And because we can't get up to him he has to come here," the woman said. Then she shrugged.
"That shouldn't be too hard, someone just knocks him out and we take our leave. There has to be some tools here so that Glottis can work on the submarine," she continued.
Meche didn't look so sure.
"It can't be that easy. Domino is strong," she said. She wasn't sure what she thought of all that, the situation had changed so fast.
Just a moment ago she had been Domino's secretary without any hope of freedom and she had somehow learned to accept her fate and look for the bright sides. For a whole year she had lived on the small island with only Pugsy, Bibi and Domino for company. It felt odd to think that those days were over now.
Of course she was grateful for that she would finally be free, but she hadn't wanted it to happen like that. She had had dreams of how Domino might have let her go and the story could have had a happy ending. Now that she listened to Manny Meche realised how childish she had been and it just made her feel more miserable.
"Is everything fine, Miss Colomar?"
Meche lifted her gaze when she heard Glottis' voice and nodded.
"Sure. I was just in my thoughts," she said and concentrated on the others' conversation again. It seemed nothing important had slipped past her ear holes.
Manny turned to face her.
"Meche, you are the only one of us who can go and come as you please. We need you to lure Domino here," he said.
Meche had hoped that she wouldn't have to be part of this and for a moment she was about to say no. Then she realised it wouldn't be fair. Manny and the others here needed her and she couldn't be selfish enough to refuse.
"What will I tell him?" she asked. Manny thought about it.
"Few men here told that Domino and Hector hope to find gold here. Tell him that we have finally found it. It should bring him here faster than anything," he said.
"What will happen then?" Meche wanted to know.
"We others are here as if nothing has happened. When Domino arrives Glottis hits him so hard that he is no longer a threat to us," Manny said and pointed at the demon who rubbed his chin in thought.
"Do I have to kill Mr. Hurley? I don't like killing people," he said on guard.
"Glottis, you can't kill Domino. He's already dead, remember?" Manny said to his friend.
"I know that, but do I have to hit so hard that he won't stand up again? That doesn't feel nice," the demon argued. Manny thought it was ridiculous, Glottis was huge and strong and according to the common belief in the Land of the Dead all demons were cruel and evil.
And here he had a demon who didn't like it when he had to drive over dead people and hurt them.
He sighed.
"Fine, don't kill him. But make sure he causes us no trouble and then lock him up somewhere. We don't want him to ruin everything," Then he thought of something.
"In fact, I like that idea. When we take the submarine Domino will be stuck on this island just like all those he has been keeping here. We will make him take his own medicine," he said.
"Well, I will be going then," Meche said and after Manny had nodded she turned and left.
"She doesn't seem to like this plan," Carla pointed out when Meche couldn't hear anymore and Manny shrugged.
"Nah, she's just nervous. I would be too if I had been here a year," he said, but that still didn't make Carla convinced. And now that she thought of Meche's earlier words she started to think that maybe this wasn't as simple as Manny thought.
---
Meche hurried up and once she got back to her dry office she took a look around and sighed. All items were on their familiar places and she suddenly felt that she didn't want to go. And yet she knew how stupid it was, she had dreamed of escaping since she had got there.
"I am a fool," she muttered to herself knowing quite well what fascinated her here. Or who.
She couldn't understand how she could have let it happen; it fought against all sense and logic and was so ridiculous.
To think that she, Mercedes Colomar could...
Manny thought she was a perfect soul and seemed to be very sorry for that Meche had lost her Golden Double-N Ticket. At first Meche had mourned it too, but now she was starting to believe she hadn't even deserved it.
"That's it," she said in determination deciding that it was no good to just stand there in self-pity. She had feelings, but she had a sense too and no one had said which one was right. She knew it quite too well already and stepped in Domino's office before she had the chance to change her mind.
He was sitting behind his desk, burning a cigar and reading a report that had something to do with the island. He lifted his gaze as Meche stepped in and peered at her over his sunglasses.
"What now?" he asked and Meche had to wonder how he always managed to talk to her with that arrogant and amused tone.
Domino's whole being represented how the man thought he was above everyone else and it was clear the only one he cared about was himself. If he was even slightly good he wouldn't have been working for Hector LeMans, but been on no one's side.
And yet Meche couldn't let her hope die.
"The diggers have found gold. I thought you might be interested," she said. Domino took off his glasses and fingered them.
"Are you serious?" he asked in excitement and Meche thought that maybe she had been wrong after all. Domino seemed to care about money too.
"Why would I lie?" she asked a bit annoyed because Domino had to ask.
The man didn't reply, merely snorted and stood up to check it. He had suspected from the beginning that there was gold somewhere, but until now they hadn't seen a sign of it. Maybe there were finally some results and he could get more diggers.
He walked past Meche not giving her a second glance and heard as she came after him. Meche didn't look bad, he had to admit that. She was a pretty woman and on top of that the only soul who was capable of taking care of his paper work and if the situation had been different Domino might have been more interested.
He had never had anything against beautiful women, but as long as he had to waste his time on the island he didn't want to risk the pretty nice situation. He knew better than well that Meche wasn't that kind of woman and if he tried something he might lose both his secretary and the only soul who he could have an intelligent conversation with.
Besides, he somehow felt that Manny was interested in her.
Domino shook his head, why was he even thinking about those things when he should have concentrated on the gold? Hector LeMans had told him to search every corner of the ocean to find some gold and if there really was some Domino might have the chance to get out. He was so fed up with the island and the fact he couldn't go anywhere or do anything he wanted.
"Who found the gold?" he bothered to ask.
"Manny," Meche replied immediately and Domino had to snort. Damn funny, Manny had found something so important almost immediately after his arrival, though he was clearly against it all.
"Funny, this must be the first time he has had any luck in years," he stated.
"Manny is not as stupid as you think," Meche replied not really knowing why she did it. She just was starting to feel that she was fed up with how Domino insulted Manny all the time. The feeling surprised her and she was glad for daring to protest.
"And what do you know about it? You haven't known him as long as I have," Domino said.
They arrived to the elevator and stepped in. There was not much room and they had to stand closer to each other than they ever had before. Meche had to fight so that her hand didn't brush against Domino's. She didn't dare to glance at the man, she was afraid of that her empty eye sockets might reveal what she was thinking.
The moment was over soon and Meche followed Domino out at the sea bottom. Her clothes hadn't managed to dry at all during the while she had been up in Domino's office so it was not difficult to return to the water.
"Where is Cal digging?" Domino asked looking around himself. Manny wasn't there where he had left him. Meche showed him the direction.
"Over there," she said helpfully and forced herself to follow as Domino started to walk. If she just stayed there the man might have suspected something and the woman didn't want to ruin the others' plans.
She stayed some distance behind though to be out of the way when Glottis came, and she stopped when they arrived at Manny and company. Domino stood in front of his former colleague and eyed the shorter man in amuse.
"So, where is the gold, Cal? Or have you screwed this up too?" he asked. Manny shrugged.
"I don't think so Dom," he said and Meche knew what would happen. She turned her gaze away when she caught the first glimpse of Glottis so she managed to avoid seeing how the demon hit Domino and how the man fell on the ground.
She only heard his exclaim of pain and shock and then she dared to watch.
"All right Glottis, tie him up and take him somewhere where he can't get out too soon," Manny said and Glottis lifted Domino, who was taller than the other souls, on his shoulder as if he weighted nothing.
"Do you know any good place, Miss Colomar?" he asked and Meche nodded.
"I do, just follow me," she offered and led the demon back in the elevator. This time there was even less room and after a quick consideration they decided to go up in turns; Meche would never fit in with the huge demon.
When they were finally up Meche showed Glottis the way to a big vault. The former owners of the island had kept their extra furniture there, but Domino had not found any use for the place. It was almost empty; there was only an old and ugly armour that the former owners hadn't bothered to take away.
Glottis threw Domino on the floor and Meche flinched despite herself when his bones screeched against the floor. It was strange to look at an unconscious dead soul, Domino looked exactly like a moment ago and only that he didn't stand up told Meche that he had no idea of what was going on around him.
"I wonder if he'll stand up again," she said to Glottis, who shrugged.
"I don't know, Miss Colomar. I never really liked Mr. Hurley, but I tried to not hit him too hard," the demon replied.
"Thank you," Meche said and Glottis glanced at her in confusion.
"For what?" he wanted to know. Meche shook her head.
"Nothing," she replied. "Let's go before he wakes up," she said and the two left the vault closing the door after them.
---
Everyone at the bottom of the sea was gathered around Manny and he seemed to have adjusted well into his new leading position. He had clear plans of what he was about to do and he also said it aloud, silencing everyone who dared to object.
"Glottis is fixing the submarine so that a human can navigate it and once he is ready we will all get out of here," he explained again. There was always someone who had something to say about it. Someone wasn't pleased with how slow Glottis was, someone thought he had a better plan.
"What about Domino's octopus? Won't it attack us?" one soul asked and Manny turned to calm him down.
"Of course not. It has been trained to respect the submarine and take care of it," he assured.
"What about Domino then? What will we do to him?"
"What if there's not enough room for us all?"
"Can we really trust that demon?"
Manny pressed his fingers on his temples and sighed.
"Trust me, everything will be all right. Glottis will finish his work soon and you will get in first. Neither I nor any of my friends will step in the submarine before you others are safe," he said.
This seemed to assure some of the souls, apparently they were so used to Domino's politics that they were ready to trust in a leader who really did something for them.
"And about Domino, we have taken care of him and none of you will ever see him again. You can count on that. I hate him just as much as you do," Manny continued.
---
"I can't believe it is this easy. Why didn't Hector send here anyone with Domino?" Carla asked from Meche. The two women stood alone and tried to learn to know each other a bit better.
It had turned out to be an interesting experience, they were so different. Carla played tough and experienced, but was very shy and somehow sweet inside. And Meche then, all that she had experienced in the Land of the Dead had made her less innocent than in the beginning and she had learned to be sarcastic, but she was still on some level the same saint who didn't want to hurt anyone.
"I don't know and I never asked. I suppose neither of them thought someone would be stupid enough to try anything," Meche replied.
"Silly. In Rubacava criminals knew how to be careful," the other woman stated. Meche didn't say anything, just snorted quietly.
Carla gave her a curious glance.
"When will you tell me what is wrong?" she asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Meche asked bewildered.
"Come on. I know I am not a master when it comes to understanding emotions, but I am not blind either. Something clearly bothers you," Carla insisted.
Meche shrugged.
"Let it be. It's nothing important," she said.
"Maybe I would if I didn't owe you. You know, since I heard your name for the first time I have hated you more than anything. Manny always talked about you, how he was looking for you and he never seemed to notice what I felt. I hated you and even hoped that he'd never find you," Carla said.
"Well, maybe you have a reason to hate me," Meche said not knowing what she should have thought. Carla shrugged.
"Probably, but it's in the past now. I hate talking about my own emotions and if you hadn't come to talk to me I would still hate you. And I would have never understood why I left to find Manny. So, what you will do now is to tell me what is wrong. Maybe I can make you feel better," she said.
"I don't know..." Meche said. How could she tell about her shame to anyone? Especially to someone as clever and sharp as Carla?
"Does it probably have something to do with the man who will never learn to love you?" Carla asked managing to sound like it didn't interest her at all.
Meche sighed.
"Just let it be. It's better that way," she pleaded once more.
"Fine, that's all right. But first you'll tell me if he's Domino," Carla said in determination and Meche flinched. She shook her head.
"Of course not. How could I ever love a man like him?" she asked in fake shock. Carla placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head.
"Why not? Who knows what you two have been up to during the time you've been here?" she asked slyly.
"It is not like that. He doesn't like me even that way," Meche said darkly.
"That doesn't mean you don't have a chance," Carla pointed out helpfully and Meche glared at her.
"A chance? With him? Please, I don't want to sink any lower. I don't understand how I could have let it come even this far. I feel so pathetic," she said and just now Carla realised how serious the other woman was.
"You don't have to be ashamed," she said in uncertainty. She had never learned to talk about warm feelings, but had always turned the conversation into something that wasn't very proper. She had never had any real feelings in her relationships; they had been merely for pleasure.
"Not? I have a crush on a cruel criminal who has never done anything for anyone and who is hated by everyone. What chances does such a relationship have?" Meche asked in anger. She didn't raise her voice too much; she definitely didn't want anyone else to find out.
Ever.
"I can't say anything to that, but a woman called Lola lives in Rubacava. She is a friend of Manny's by the way, have a talk with him. Anyway, Lola really fell for Maximino who is the leader of the city and a gambling crime lord. She knew quite well about his reputation, but it didn't stop her from trying her luck," Carla stated.
"What happened to Lola?" Meche asked in interest.
"I don't know; I never followed her doings so closely. Ask Manny about it, like I said, they were good friends," she said. "He even named his ship after her," she added a bit darkly.
"Maybe I'll do that," Meche agreed.
---
"How is it going, Glottis? Finished soon?" Manny asked his friend, who caught a small hammer in his hand. Manny gave him another tool and the demon replied after a while.
"Pretty soon, Manny, only very few joints here and there and this beauty is ready to sail. But you know, if I could have a few days more I could make a faster engine and make it shine," he said and excitement was clear in his voice.
"Nice idea Glottis, but I am afraid the souls here don't have the time to wait. If this tin can get us to Puerto Zapato it has done its job," Manny said and the demon sighed.
"If you say so, Manny," he stated in disappointment. Then he cheered up though, maybe he could work on something else in Puerto Zapato.
"Manny, could I talk with you?" Meche's voice was heard and the man turned around. The dark captain's coat looked fine on him and Meche could understand why Carla liked him.
"Sure. What is about?" Manny asked leading the woman some distance away from Glottis and the submarine.
Meche fingered her sleeve.
"Carla told me about someone called Lola who fell in love with a gangster. I'd like to hear her story," she said and Manny glanced at her in confusion. Why was Meche so interested in the fate of a woman who was a stranger to her? And why Lola? Why not Olivia, whose love life was much more interesting and colourful?
"Well, Lola is a good friend of mine. We kinda worked for the same person," he started and waited to see if Meche would ask anything. He thought he could tell her the secret of the LSA, but if she didn't ask about it he'd say nothing.
And it reminded him of that he'd have to tell Carla very soon.
"Lola is a very special woman. She is sweet and honest, almost like a little girl actually. She is very dependant on love and in a town like Rubacava it caused her continuous problems. She used to have a crush on a sailor, a con artist, a thief; the list goes on and on. But then she fell in love with Maximino. Have you heard about him?"
Meche nodded.
"He is one of the most important men of Hector LeMans. Domino mentioned him a few times," she replied.
"So you know what kind of man Maximino is. Lola wasn't disturbed by it, but she kept trying and dreaming about her love, even when he was dating a woman called Olivia Ofrenda. I am so sorry for her, she deserved better," Manny continued.
"Didn't you ever judge her for that her love was so corrupted?" Meche asked. This was the question she had been thinking about the whole day and she waited for the answer in nervousness. She didn't know why Manny's opinion meant so much, probably because he seemed to be so trustworthy.
As if he always knew what was for the best.
"Of course not, no one can help falling in love. Of course I wasn't happy because I knew Lola and Maximino would never have a chance. But I never tried to crush her dreams. No one can be judged for who they happen to love," Manny said after a while. Then he chuckled.
"What?" Meche asked.
"Just listen to me. I never thought I'd say something like that. I used to say that love is for the living, but now I don't know what my opinion is. I have seen so many fall in love in this world..." he said never finishing the sentence.
"And what about Lola?" Meche wanted to know.
"She finally understood that Maximino wasn't for her. Wise decision, if you ask me. Otherwise something very bad might have happened to her," Manny replied.
"But maybe it would have been worth it," he added then.
Meche nodded, though she didn't really pay any more attention to what Manny was saying. She was too caught up in her own thoughts that revolved around her situation.
She had had an idea of what she wanted after the talk with Carla, but now after hearing Manny's words she was certain. It made her a bit nervous; she knew she had no return after this and that the only possible options were a happy and a tragic end.
But like Manny had said, maybe it would be worth it.
Suddenly someone came running at them.
"Manuel! The submarine is ready to leave!" the man announced and his happiness could be seen on his face. He had been a slave for so long that he would have been ready to do anything in order to see the sun again.
Manny turned to Meche.
"Let's go," he said.
---
Glottis marvelled at his work and nodded. He had made a few changes in the submarine and it was now in the shape that he could navigate it. It would be a bit difficult, the navigators were built for Domino's pet, but the demon thought he could do it anyway.
"All right, Manny. People can go in now," he announced and opened the lid. Everyone looked at each other not knowing what to do and finally Manny decided to speak again.
"Like I said before, I and my friends won't go in before you do. So go ahead. Women and children first," he said.
Pugsy and Bibi glanced at each other in excitement. The water had made their feathers wet, but they somehow managed to swim above everyone else. They were finally free of the cage!
People started to pack in the submarine and Manny watched it. He couldn't believe it that he was actually worried about someone else than himself. It made him feel both strange and proud.
Finally there were only them left and Manny gestured at the others.
"I will be the last one. Get in," he said.
"I won't come."
Manny, Carla and Glottis turned to look at Meche who had spoken and Manny looked like he couldn't believe his ear holes.
"What do you mean? What are talking about, Meche? This is the last chance, after this it is impossible to get out of this island," he said and Meche nodded.
"I know, but I am not ready to leave yet," she said.
"Then when are? We can wait for a moment and -- "
"No Manny, you others have to go. I will stay," the woman said.
Manny shook his head to himself and stared at her in confusion.
"But why Meche?" he wanted to know.
"Because it just might be worth it," Meche said and suddenly Manny got it.
"You can't be serious! So that's why you wanted to know about Lola. I won't let you stay here for him!" he snapped and now he was clearly mad. Unbelievable! How could an innocent creature like Meche even consider staying for Domino? Didn't the woman realise what a crook he was?
"You can't stop me, that would make you like him," Meche stated. Her voice was sad, she believed she had just lost a friend or at least hurt Manny really bad.
"Should we see about that? I will do only what is the best for you," the man said in determination. It was his fault that Meche had lost her ticket on the Number Nine -- or so he thought -- and he would never forgive himself if the woman lost her afterlife too, only because he had told her stories of criminals and love.
He flinched as Carla placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Let it be, Manny. Meche is a grown woman and can take care of herself," she said. Manny looked at her in suspicion.
"Don't start," he pleaded, though he was starting to believe that nothing would make the woman change her mind. Damn! He was starting to realise why he had never believed in love. It was all women's fault.
He took a step closer to Meche.
"Reconsider. You don't know Domino like I do, I worked with him for years and I have known him longer than I'd like to admit. Believe me, he is not the kind of man who learns to love anyone. And I know it is love that you want," he said and Meche lowered her eye sockets.
"I know, but I still want to try," she said.
"Hey, what's taking so long? We should leave already!" an angry voice shouted inside the submarine and Manny shook his head with a sigh.
"I won't probably ever learn to understand this, but be careful. You can tell him that if he hurts you any way he will be in trouble," he said.
Meche nodded.
"Could you explain to Pugsy and Bibi? I wouldn't want them to be sad," she said.
"I promise," Manny said and turned his back on her. Carla and Glottis climbed in the submarine and Manny followed them after one last glance at Meche. He really hoped she would change her mind.
The woman didn't do that, but stood there watching as the submarine left and finally disappeared.
---
Meche turned around and hurried back in. It was deserted and for a moment she regretted that she hadn't left with the others. Suddenly she felt afraid and almost ran back to see if Manny had come back to get her. But then she hardened herself, she had done the right decision.
Now she just had to make sure everyone else thought so too.
She remembered the code for the vault, but stopped at the door anyway. The step to open the door felt so huge and final. How could she explain Domino why she hadn't left?
Meche collected her thoughts to memorise the code and opened the metal door. It was heavy and didn't open as easily as she had thought, but opened anyway.
She took a careful step in and was a bit surprised to notice that Domino was still there where Glottis had left him. How hard had the demon hit?
"Domino?" Meche asked in uncertainty and kneeled next to the man. He didn't seem to be hurt, but because the dead had no eye lids it was impossible to say whether he was conscious or not.
Suddenly the man jumped up and caught both of her wrists forcing Meche's hands behind her back. The woman yelped in surprise and didn't object at all as Domino forced her to stand.
"How stupid are you? Why did you come here like this?" he asked. Now that he had Cal's girlfriend he had all of the cards again.
"Let me go!" Meche snapped and tried to struggle free, but Domino was much stronger than she was.
"Right. As if I would do that," Domino said and didn't sound amused at all. Meche had often hoped that Domino would talk to her with another tone too, but now she realised that she didn't like this one either.
"You are late," she said, "Everyone has already left and taken the submarine," she said and Domino laughed.
"You think I am an idiot, don't you? If they are gone, why are you still here?" he asked. Meche didn't reply, she didn't want to handle this question just yet.
Domino thought her silence was the sign of agreement and snorted.
"What did I say? Come on now, I have to show you to Cal and get him convinced of that it is the best to give up," he said and started to drag Meche out.
First they went to Domino's office where the man thought Manny to be. The building was empty and so the man decided everyone was still at the sea bottom. He didn't think they would really try to steal the submarine so he didn't hurry. And Manny would never leave without the woman he had been looking for so long.
But there was no one down there either, only abandoned tools. And when Domino started to think that it couldn't get any worse he realised that they had taken the submarine after all.
And that gave him a nasty remind of something.
Without hesitation he hurried back to the elevator with Meche and sighed in relief once they were up again.
"What?" Meche asked in worry.
"None of your business." Domino snapped back. He had let go of her and was now trying to analyse the situation. That annoying Manny had left and taken every soul with him!
Or almost all of them.
Domino turned to glance at Meche and before the woman had even realised what had happened the man had slapped her and she backed away for a few steps.
"Gold, huh? You thought you could fool me. I don't know why you didn't go with the others, but you will pay for that!" the man shouted hitting her again and Meche kept backing away to get away from Domino.
Oh, why had she stayed?
"You don't have to hit me! That won't help!" she tried, but Domino didn't want to listen.
"Shut up! Do you realise what you have done? Because of you and your little plot everything is ruined! This island is history, the slaves are gone and this place is no use for Hector anymore!"
Saying Hector's name aloud made him froze and Meche dared to hope that Domino wouldn't hit her again. Her face stung and she tried to ease the pain with her palm. Domino shook his head.
"You do realise what will happen now? When Hector won't get any more coral he will know that something is wrong. Do you know what he will do to me once he finds out that everyone has escaped? That all witnesses are free?" he asked and a desperate tone had crept in his voice.
"It can't be that bad," Meche suggested.
"Shut up. You are nothing but trouble. That's probably why Manny left you here!" Domino snapped and marched in his office to think and come up with a solution to this mess.
Meche stayed there and felt more miserable than ever.
Maybe Manny had been right, maybe Domino Hurley would never learn to love anyone.
To be continued...
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