“Are you okay, Juliette?” Nana Kate asked, looking concerned.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that, I was just caught up in her pants," she replied, nodding toward the girl.
“Understandable," Emily offered. “Anna has a unique sense of style. You should see the pig ones," she finished with a laugh that seemed almost as out of place in the room as the pants did.
“So, you never answered my question. Where’s Drew?” Anna asked Emily.
“He’s up in the crow’s nest keeping watch over the area. We don’t know for sure what happened to my uncle, and we don’t want to chance someone sneaking up on us. We don’t really have the manpower to defend ourselves," Emily answered.
Anna began heading toward the door, “I’m going to go get him.”
Juliette glanced down at Jimmy who was still holding onto her. This was too much for a child to bear witness to. She needed to get him out of the room. “I’m going to take Jimmy in to sit with Micah, he doesn’t need to be in here," she said, scooping the boy up into her arms.
“Thank you, Juliette," he whispered. “I really liked Dave and it’s hard to see him like that."
“I’ll be back in a few minutes to help in here," she said, walking toward the door.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, Juliette. I keep seeing so many different things, and most of them are really bad. It’s super scary," he said, laying his head on her shoulder. The boy seemed so old and wise in so many ways. It was heartbreaking to see this side of him--the scared little boy who just recently lost his mommy.
“I bet that is scary, Jimmy. You are such a brave boy, you know that? Whenever you want to talk about something just remember that you have a lot of people here that are willing to listen and try and help you," she told him.
When they stepped into the living room, she was surprised to see that Micah was standing by the fireplace--holding the poker like a weapon. “What’s happening in there?” he asked, his green eyes bright and wide. It was clear she had two boys that were feeling frightened.
“What’s the matter with him? Did something happen to him?” he asked, nodding toward Jimmy.
“He’s okay, Micah. Just a little shaken up. Dave changed in the kitchen and your sister had to put him down," she told him, trying to alleviate his fear.
“Everyone was so scared, I feel so scared," Micah said, still holding his weapon tightly. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. Why am I feeling so many things?” he questioned, looking like he was going to have a breakdown.
“It’s okay, Micah. You’ll learn how to control it," Jimmy said, confusing Juliette. Control what? She didn’t understand what was happening any more than Micah did.
Drew and Anna came down the stairs and stopped short in front of them. “Micah, are you okay? What’s the matter bud?” Drew asked with that reassuring calm voice of his.
Juliette could see the change wash over Micah almost instantly. First, his shoulders loosened before he let out a pent-up breath and put the fireplace poker down. “Thanks Drew," he said, confusing Juliette even more.
“For what little man?” Drew asked clearly as confused as Juliette.
“You helped him feel better, because you're always so calm. That’s just one of the things I like about you, Drew," Jimmy said with a teasing tone.
“So, what’s happening?” Juliette asked, beginning to understand but wanting it spelled out for her.
“Micah is feeling what everyone else is feeling. I’m not sure how or why, but I think it has something to do with my blood," Jimmy said, shrugging his little shoulders.
“Do you think it’s permanent?” Micah asked with a fear all his own.
Jimmy gave a small nod before his gaze locked on Micah. “It will get easier, and one day you’ll learn how to use it. It’s not a bad thing, it just feels that way now. You’re strong, Micah. You can handle it," he told him.
“Whoa," was all that Micah said as he sat back down in the chair with a startled and amazed look on his face.
Drew walked over and kneeled down in front of him. “Micah, this is a good thing, probably a great thing actually, it’s like knowing what people are thinking, how cool is that?” he questioned, clearly amazed too.
“I don’t hear what people are thinking, their mood just sort of overtakes me, it makes me feel like I’m going crazy," Micah said glancing over at Anna and then quickly away, embarrassed.
Drew had a knowing smile spread across his face, and Juliette had to suppress her laughter. Micah was the definition of smitten, understandably, Anna was a fierce and beautiful girl.
“We need to get into the kitchen and take care of things," Anna said, quietly urging Drew to come with her.
Once they were out of sight, Jimmy looked at Micah and started to giggle. “Micah and Anna sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!” he teased.
Micah surprised Juliette when he turned to Jimmy and said, “That’s right, I know how to appreciate a beautiful woman."
“Well all right, Romeo. I still need to get you something to eat. Will you keep an eye on Jimmy while I’m gone?" she asked, knowing that Jimmy wasn’t the sort of child that needed constant supervision, but that maybe Micah needed to feel like he had a responsibility.
“Yeah, the little man can hang with me," he said, giving her a dismissive nod.
When she walked back into the kitchen, her mood quickly changed. She had only known Dave for a brief time, but his death still had an impact; life lost was always terrible.
It looked like the kids had moving the body under control, so Juliette opened the fridge door and began sorting through the tupperware looking for the soup. She had just wrapped her hand around it when Emily walked up behind her. “They took him out back. We’ll wait until my dad gets home to get rid of the body," her voice made Juliette jump and she hit her head on the top of the fridge.
“Jesus, Emily!” she said as she pulled herself out of the fridge and began rubbing her head.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you."
“I was just trying to get your brother something to eat," Juliette told her.
“Sorry for how I treated you earlier, this is all just a lot to take, you know?” Emily admitted.
“I’d say that’s the understatement of the year," Juliette replied with a smile.
“Thank you for looking after Micah, he wouldn’t let any of us do it, he likes you, I can tell," Emily told her.
“I like him too," she said, smiling at Emily’s kindness. Juliette was surprised by her sudden change toward her. Just a few minutes ago, she had been certain that the girl didn’t like her. Now she wasn’t quite sure what to think.
She pulled open the drawer under the stove, looking for a pot to warm the soup in. Out of luck--there were only sheet pans in there--she slid the drawer closed and turned to Emily who had hopped up onto the countertop and was giving her a soft smile. “They’re in the cupboard next to the stove," she said, pointing to the location.
“So, how’s it going in there?” Juliette asked as she poured the soup into the pot and turned on the burner. She turned toward Emily to listen to her response.
Emily shrugged. “All right I guess. Nana Kate pretty much excused herself from the room. I think that was a lot for her to take, she hadn’t seen much up to this point, and she hadn’t seen one of the others, just the creepers," she said staring at her hands. “I think she’s a little disturbed by my actions. I think ‘Granddaughter stabs guest in the head, right after tea!’ Wasn’t a headline she was expecting to see.”
“She’s a smart lady, she knows that what happened was the best possible outcome for the situation that we were in. I certainly didn’t know how we were going to get out of there," Juliette told her, surprised by the tremor that started in her hand when she spoke of it.
“Trust me, I’ve been there, just a few days ago, Ha! It’s hard to believe, but another man turned unexpectedly in the kitchen, at Travis’s place and Drew shot him in the head
with a shotgun. I didn’t actually see it because my dog had knocked me out in a valiant rescue attempt, but the mess was disgusting. Bits of brain and bone and broken glass were everywhere, and the pool of blood--it was over the top--and Anna went walking in there like it was time for spring cleaning and just tackled the job. Just like she did here, it keeps reminding me of that movie Sunshine Cleaning, the way she walks in there and just takes charge.
“The circumstances, they’re always different. But that’s the same. And we help. In some small way we, um, we help," Juliette said, quoting Rose from the movie she knew all too well. Her sister always loved the weird movies and for some reason, they had to watch this one multiple times.
Emily gave her a quizzical look, “Do you think that’s why she does it? Because it’s the only thing she can do to help?”
“Well, I was just quoting the movie, but yeah, I’m sure that does have something to do with why she takes charge like that. I’m sure it gives her a small sense of power in a world where she is now, mostly powerless,” Juliette finished.
“That makes sense I guess,” Emily said, shrugging her shoulders. “Soups done,” she laughed, nodding at the boiling pot.
“Oh crap!” Juliette sputtered, running to turn off the burner. “As you can see, I’m easily distracted these days.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for the chat,” Emily said, hopping down from the counter and leaving the room.
Chapter Thirteen
Mitch
“You might think you hold some power here, Mitch, but you're wrong. The only thing you’re doing now is wasting time. You’re going to lose them, ALL of them, and then you’ll see that I was right, that there’s only one way to win this game,” Gus finished.
Mitch continued to stare patiently at the man in front of him, trying to put the pieces together. He couldn’t fathom what would make someone think that turning a bunch of men into powerful monsters was the only way to go. It didn’t make any sense to him, but he knew that that was the dividing line between sanity and insanity--if he understood it then he might he insane too.
“Is that why you’re doing this, Gus? Did you lose everyone in your family?” Mitch questioned, not expecting a straight answer.
Gus remained silent, but the flash of pain that crossed his face wasn’t lost on Mitch. His question was answered well enough, even without words.
“So, you suffered a great loss, and instead of trying to rise up and help others, you chose to cause immeasurable pain and loss to all of those around you. You are really something, Gus,” Mitch finished, shaking his head before he punched the man again.
“We need to finish this up, Mitch. If he’s not going to give us anything, just end this so we can get back,” Mike said, pacing impatiently behind him.
“Wait! Before you do anything, I want to know what happened to my friends,” Henry shouted, getting up from his place at the table.
Mitch stepped back and let the kid have his turn. He knew what it was like to lose a friend and hoped that the boy could find some sense of closure. As he stepped back to stand with Mike, he heard a loud thump that sounded like it came from beneath them. He had already heard it a few times before and remembered Emily telling him about Karen and Dave’s hideout beneath the table.
He locked eyes with Mike and nodded toward the floor beneath them. Mike gave a slight nod back, indicating that he understood. Mitch believed that Gus was keeping the others down below. It would make it dangerous to take them out. He didn’t want anyone going down there; they would need to shoot from above if they could.
Maybe they could offer a momentary distraction. His stomach flipped at the thought. This man was a threat to humanity, pure and simple. But this would be a death not meant for anyone--to be torn apart, piece by piece, and devoured before your very eyes. That was more than anyone deserved. Even assholes like this guy.
“I see you struggling with this, Addie, but know that it was going to happen to him sooner or later anyway,” Mike said under his breath.
“I know,” Mitch replied, still sickened by the thought.
They stood, quietly watching, as Henry had his turn with the man. “You need to do something right here, you need to tell me what you did with my friends. Think of it as an act of redemption, man,” Henry spat as he paced back and forth, clearly on edge.
Gus leveled his stare on the kid as he paced, popping his knuckles in his hand as he stopped in front of him. “TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!” he roared before hitting him harder than Mitch would have thought capable.
Gus’s chair tipped back and his head collided with the table, effectively knocking him out for the second time in less than an hour. “That might have been a bit too rough. Looks like nobody will be getting answers tonight.” Mitch said, as he placed his hands on the kids drooped shoulders. “Relax.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking relax! This asshole killed my friends, I could see it in his face, I want to know if they ended up becoming the predators or the prey,” he growled, sounding deflated.
“Dinner, they were dinner,” Gus mumbled faintly.
Mitch watched helplessly as the kid crumbled before him. Gus laughed faintly. “If it hadn’t been for these two showing up, you would have been on the menu for tonight,” he finished, his laughter growing larger.
“Travis!” Mitch shouted. “Get in here, dinner’s going to have to wait.”
“What’s up, Mitch? I was just about to put everything in the oven to crisp up,” Travis said, wiping his hands on the dishtowel he was holding as he came around the corner.
“Oh shit,” he said, seeing Henry breaking down on the floor in front of him.
“I need you to take him outside, and stay out there with him until we come for you. You got it?” Mitch asked, just as there was a loud crash from beneath the table.
“Understood,” Travis answered. Springing into action, he bent down, scooped the kid up as if he didn’t weigh anything, and headed back the way he came.
Mitch let out a sigh of relief, that was two less people he would have to worry about when they opened the hole. “These bastards are twice as powerful as the dead, Mike. We’re going to have to shoot quick before they make it out,” he said, handing Mike back his gun.
“It’s nice to have this back,” Mike replied as he opened the magazine to check his ammo. “Thanks for picking it up for me. Looks like I’m loaded and ready to go.”
“I wouldn’t open that hole. Unless you have something to offer, they’ll have you in seconds!” Gus said, spit flying out of his mouth as his hysterical laughter continued.
“This guy,” Mike said with a nod toward Gus. “He’s not so quick, is he?” he finished with a little laugh of his own once Gus quieted at his words.
Mitch watched, satisfied, as the color drained from Gus and his whole body began to shake. “You can’t do this!” he demanded as his face shifted from the pale white it had just become, to an angry red.
“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be!” he shouted, his whole body shaking with fury.
“Guess what, Gus? I don’t care how you think it’s supposed to be, this is how it’s going down,” Mitch replied as Mike pulled the table away from the hole and searched for the spot to open it.
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” Gus shouted while flailing in his chair, trying to escape his fate.
“Too late, Gus, you made your bed, now you can lie in it.” Mitch growled as he picked up the chair and shoved it backward at the same time that Mike pulled the cover off of the hole.
The screams that pierced the air made all of the flesh on Mitch's body crawl. They were quickly replaced with carnal growls and snarling as the beasts fought over the fresh meat.
When he glanced in the hole, he could see three of the monsters devouring what was left of Gus. He quickly drew his weapon and took out all three in quick succession. There was an eruption of anger from deeper within the confines. App
arently, they held emotional attachment for their cell mates. Great. Now they were going to be dealing with pissed off monsters.
Mitch took three large steps back, not wanting to be in grabbing distance of the hole. If he was pulled inside, he would be dead for sure. “We’ve got this,” Mike yelled, a small note of uncertainty in his words.
“Hooah” Mitch offered back, hoping the term would give his friend the courage he was lacking.
Two of the monsters erupted out of the hole simultaneously. The men each picked one off as they stood guard.
They weren’t as lucky the second time. Angry cries and pounding resounded from below. The beasts sprang forth with more speed and power than Mitch had seen up to this point. He picked off two more, but they just kept coming. There must have been more than a dozen down there. They were appearing faster than they could shoot, and Mitch knew that he would need to reload his magazine soon.
“I’m out!” Mike called as he dropped his weapon and pulled a large knife from his ankle strap. “It’s getting hairy in here,” he finished as he punched a monster in the face before ramming his knife up under its jaw.
Mitch took out the last two that he could before dropping his weapon in exchange for the blades that hung at his sides.
The last beast to emerge from the hole was bigger than any man Mitch had ever seen. This guy made Mike look small. The monster wore the tattered remains of army cammo and had likely been a guard posted at the shelter that Gus and his goons had taken over.
His fierce blue eyes locked on Mitch and a slow smile spread across his face. Mitch’s stomach rolled as he prepared for the battle. This was the first time he had ever felt unsure of his skills. The fear he was feeling was foreign to him and made him feel weak.
He braced himself for the attack as the beast stalked closer. He glanced to the left and could see that Mike was preparing for a similar attack. He said a silent prayer that they would both be walking out of here just as the monster pummeled him to the ground.
“Get up!” Mike yelled from across the room. As if he needed to be reminded. He knew that lying down was for the dead. If he didn’t get out of this, he wouldn’t be going home to his kids.