the summer. It’s war out there, Meredith, people are dying!” Ron yelled.
“Yeah and Uncle Mike is going to try and do something about it!” she yelled back. “And I want to be part of it!” “I understand wanting to be a part of something bigger than yourself, I really do,” he said, taking it down a few notches, going with the reasoning approach. “But getting yourself killed is not a solution to the problem.” “Is that what you think is going to happen with Uncle Mike?” Meredith asked. Ron’s ensuing silence answered her. “Then he definitely needs my help.” Ron could only shake his head. BT stood at the doorway to the living room as Meredith passed by.
Ron turned to BT, eyes red rimmed with worry.
“I will not let anything happen to her,” BT said. “I promise you.”
Ron nodded once, emotions choking his thoughts. Words would have pooled with tears if he had tried to speak.
Ten minutes later the SUV was packed and ready to go. Meredith climbed into the driver’s seat before BT could protest.
“You remember to call me every night. Do you understand?” Ron asked leaning into the driver’s side window.
“We will, Dad,” Meredith answered impatiently.
“BT?”
“Yes Dad,” BT answered.
“Two smart asses, fantastic,” Ron said as he stood back up.
“You’re letting her go?” Nancy, Ron’s wife asked incredulously.
“I tried to stop her, I did. You know how strong-willed she is.”
Nancy could only nod. Even from an early age Meredith had been an independent soul. Nancy had never won an argument with her daughter, but they had from time to time come to a mutual agreement that they would stop fighting. Nancy placed her head on Ron’s shoulder as she watched her daughter prepare to leave.
Meredith waved to her assembled family and placed the truck in gear. She looked over to BT and kept staring.
“What?” BT asked.
“Seatbelt.”
“What about it?”
“I’m not going anywhere until you put yours on,” she said stubbornly.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
BT stared at her long and hard. When he realized intimidation wasn’t going to work, he reached behind him and grabbed the buckle. He pulled it across his chest and down towards the locking mechanism; it came up 4” short of its goal. “Can’t,” he said triumphantly.
“Suck your gut in,” Meredith told him.
“I’m not forcing this thing, it’ll cut off my circulation!”
“Then you might as well get out now.”
“Something wrong honey?” Nancy asked.
“Yeah, apparently someone liked home cooking a little bit more than they should have, Mom!” Meredith yelled back.
“Fine!” BT said, driving the buckle into the lock.
“You look like you’re wearing dental floss,” Meredith chuckled. “Don’t you feel safer now?” “Just drive,” BT said through gritted teeth.
“You’re no fun,” Meredith said as she took her foot off the brake. She could not help but feel that they were the cavalry and they would get there in the nick of time. She hoped h istory would prove she was right.
Eliza and Tomas - Interlude
Tommy sat alone in the dark. The room was preternaturally cold; the radiator he was chained to gave forth no heat. Blood and snot intermingled on his top lip, pooling before running into his mouth. The thick liquid did little to quench his insatiable thirst. Fear pressed in from every angle, insidiously worming its way into every exposed crevice in his unnaturally strong mental armor.
“Hello Tomas,” a dark voice issued forth from a darker recess in the room.
He knew he was slipping, he had not even noticed when his sister had entered the room. Tomas had stopped pleading with her days ago when he realized the entity that looked like his sister carried none of her legacy traits.
“It is time,” Eliza told him.
“God is mad, Lizzie,” Tommy sputtered.
When Eliza laughed, a cruel thin metallic sound issued forth. Tommy did not fight when she
“Yeah and Uncle Mike is going to try and do something about it!” she yelled back. “And I want to be part of it!” “I understand wanting to be a part of something bigger than yourself, I really do,” he said, taking it down a few notches, going with the reasoning approach. “But getting yourself killed is not a solution to the problem.” “Is that what you think is going to happen with Uncle Mike?” Meredith asked. Ron’s ensuing silence answered her. “Then he definitely needs my help.” Ron could only shake his head. BT stood at the doorway to the living room as Meredith passed by.
Ron turned to BT, eyes red rimmed with worry.
“I will not let anything happen to her,” BT said. “I promise you.”
Ron nodded once, emotions choking his thoughts. Words would have pooled with tears if he had tried to speak.
Ten minutes later the SUV was packed and ready to go. Meredith climbed into the driver’s seat before BT could protest.
“You remember to call me every night. Do you understand?” Ron asked leaning into the driver’s side window.
“We will, Dad,” Meredith answered impatiently.
“BT?”
“Yes Dad,” BT answered.
“Two smart asses, fantastic,” Ron said as he stood back up.
“You’re letting her go?” Nancy, Ron’s wife asked incredulously.
“I tried to stop her, I did. You know how strong-willed she is.”
Nancy could only nod. Even from an early age Meredith had been an independent soul. Nancy had never won an argument with her daughter, but they had from time to time come to a mutual agreement that they would stop fighting. Nancy placed her head on Ron’s shoulder as she watched her daughter prepare to leave.
Meredith waved to her assembled family and placed the truck in gear. She looked over to BT and kept staring.
“What?” BT asked.
“Seatbelt.”
“What about it?”
“I’m not going anywhere until you put yours on,” she said stubbornly.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
BT stared at her long and hard. When he realized intimidation wasn’t going to work, he reached behind him and grabbed the buckle. He pulled it across his chest and down towards the locking mechanism; it came up 4” short of its goal. “Can’t,” he said triumphantly.
“Suck your gut in,” Meredith told him.
“I’m not forcing this thing, it’ll cut off my circulation!”
“Then you might as well get out now.”
“Something wrong honey?” Nancy asked.
“Yeah, apparently someone liked home cooking a little bit more than they should have, Mom!” Meredith yelled back.
“Fine!” BT said, driving the buckle into the lock.
“You look like you’re wearing dental floss,” Meredith chuckled. “Don’t you feel safer now?” “Just drive,” BT said through gritted teeth.
“You’re no fun,” Meredith said as she took her foot off the brake. She could not help but feel that they were the cavalry and they would get there in the nick of time. She hoped h istory would prove she was right.
Eliza and Tomas - Interlude
Tommy sat alone in the dark. The room was preternaturally cold; the radiator he was chained to gave forth no heat. Blood and snot intermingled on his top lip, pooling before running into his mouth. The thick liquid did little to quench his insatiable thirst. Fear pressed in from every angle, insidiously worming its way into every exposed crevice in his unnaturally strong mental armor.
“Hello Tomas,” a dark voice issued forth from a darker recess in the room.
He knew he was slipping, he had not even noticed when his sister had entered the room. Tomas had stopped pleading with her days ago when he realized the entity that looked like his sister carried none of her legacy traits.
“It is time,” Eliza told him.
“God is mad, Lizzie,” Tommy sputtered.
When Eliza laughed, a cruel thin metallic sound issued forth. Tommy did not fight when she
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