Page 49 of The Final Storm
Dean cranes back and looks at the window again. The shadows are talking. We weren’t in the light, so I’m not sure how much they saw, but Dean noticed them. His mother was gone, and I wonder who was up there.
That may be what I’m supposed to see, but I became too distracted by watching my own porno that I ignored the mystery upstairs.
I leave them and jog over to the house, still confused about what the girl lying in the grass is feeling and thinking.
Not much about this place changed over the years. Dean’s father kept it simple and clean. Everything had a place, and he kept order. I always felt a coldness when I entered his house. There’s something about it that never felt like a home.
I stand in front of the door, not sure if I’ll be able to open it or slide through like last time. I take a deep breath, realizing I’m controlling some of this. When I want to get through something, I can. There’s a part of my mind that knows I’m not here. I’m on a table in the medical unit with Lori holding my hand and Sam making his way back to me.
I’ve never seen the past like this before, and when visions of the future flash in my mind, they aren’t as clear. Those are hazy pictures of images that sometimes make little sense. BeLew has better sight, and I wonder if this is how they see. Do they drift into their own personal movie? It’s a terrifying thought because this feels real and inescapable. I can’t make myself snap out of this or wake up.
I reach for the door handle and step forward, closing my eyes, and sort of slip through the wood and into the house. The smells bring back more memories, and I think about the people resting naked on the lawn, about how different I am from that girl.
Two people talk upstairs, and I make my way toward the sound. Dean’s father is speaking with another man whose voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.
“Is that girl a problem?” I hear his guest ask.
Dean’s father laughs and a glass clinks, followed by the sound of a pour. Upstairs, light creeps out of his office, spilling into the hallway. I make my way over, unable to stop the pounding in my heart, no matter how much I know this isn’t real. They won’t turn and catch me spying, but a shiver runs down my spine, anyway.
I step into the office and freeze.
Dean’s father pours liquor into a second glass.
“I’ll monitor her when he’s gone, but Dean won’t fuck up his future for some pussy. She’s not on any lists to save, and he hasn’t asked to add her.”
“That’s good. They’ll be plenty of cunt for him if he wants it,” Matthews says. “Brave new world coming our way. He can be a king. So can you.”
Dean’s father holds out his glass, and Captain Matthews does the same.
Chapter 19
Command
Iawakenwithastart, my heart pounding in my chest and my head aching in agony. Sure signs that I’m back in my present reality. My eyes take time to adjust to the overhead lights, and I cover my face, feeling wires attached to my arms pull against my skin.
When I sit up, I’m met with firm hands that move me back down to the bed. The room blurs, and I try to make words leave my swollen throat.
“No, no. You need to rest,” a voice says.
I push back with what little strength I have, but the hands hold me down.
“Where?” I get out.
“Sam’s looking for her.” I hear Lori say. I turn to the sound of her voice, and she comes into focus. I try to escape from the unfamiliar hands on my shoulders.
“Sam’s back?” I croak. Every syllable burns. “The boys?”
“Can you drink? You need some water,” Lori says.
“We’re all back,” the voice says. Caleb comes into focus as the one holding me down. I groan and drop my head back down on the bed. I regret it when the sharp jolt of pain shoots through my skull.
“Ugh,” I groan.
Lori shoves a straw in my face and reaches behind my neck, lifting me back up. My chapped lips have trouble, and water spills down my chin when I drink. I swallow past the dull ache and nod, pushing her away with enough down my throat to help me speak.
“BeLew and Tank are with some friends of mine, shadowing their day,” Caleb says. “They’ll keep them safe and drive them a little nuts. They’re having fun. Sam’s handling the search for your baby.”
I hold up an okay symbol, afraid to nod or move my head.
