Post by dragonmasterhawk on Jul 21, 2005 11:35:16 GMT
The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them.
~ Lois McMaster Bujold
She ran without knowing where she was going. No...away. She was running away. Away from the fire that chased her. She ran and ran, but her legs began to give way. Swear poured down her face. The fire was gaining now. Her back sizzled as the flames licked ever closer. Her breaths were coming shorter and shorter, her heart was beating harder and faster. The tunnel seemed endless. There was no light at the end; there was no hope. It was unbearably hot now. Her legs could take no more. She stopped, fell to her stomach, and was washed over by the sea of flame.
Her eyes snapped open, anxiety clutching her heart. Everything was spinning and waving, spinning and waving, browns and greens and blues and reds and...
"Valerie! Valerie!"
She couldn't stay here. The fire would be back. She tried to get up but was held down by a force she could neither see nor comprehend. Tears clouded her already distorted vision. Even her struggle for freedom was obscured into something like an abstract painting. Colors streamed everywhere, confusing her, mocking her. She had to get up, she had to move! The fire was coming. The fire would be here! Any second now...
"Valerie, snap out of it!"
Now she was getting dizzy. She suddenly understood it was because she wasn't breathing. Great gasps of air filled her lungs, giving new life to the blood cells rushing through her body. The colors slowed until shapes formed. She was standing on a wooden floor, grabbing someone. She focused closer, and the red hat and brown face of Abigail William slowly became clear.
She spun her head around. It was a room with a bed. Her mind couldn't quite yet comprehend why she was here, with Abigail Williams no less, but there was one thing very clear.
She grabbed Abby around the waist and hugged her as tightly as she could, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though her face was buried into Abby's blue shirt, the fifth KND Fan of Sector V could easily make out what she said.
"Abigail...Abigail...no fire. There's no fire..."
Abby, having finally put Valerie back to bed, walked into the living room.
"How's she doing?" Nigel asked, sitting with Hoagie and Kuki on the couch.
"Not great," Abby said. "She's pretty beat up, and not all there, if ya get me."
"We should—HYA!—hook her up with the—HAH!—Toiletnator!" Wally said, punching and kicking at an invisible foe.
"Numbuh Five thinks she'll be fine," Abby said, joining the other three on the couch. "That's not what she's worried about. I think...I'm pretty sure she was attacked by Father."
The others stared grimly at the blank television. Wally stopped his practicing and rested his head in his arms on the back of the couch.
"She kept mutterin' stuff, like about fire. Just...again and again. Fire. I mean, it has to be Father, doesn't it?"
No one thought it necessary to answer.
When Valerie awoke again, all five were standing in the infirmary. She looked at each them, bewildered, but not hysterical.
"Where...am I?"
"The Kids Next Door Sector V treehouse," Nigel said.
"You're safe," Kuki added.
Valerie lifted up her arm and peered, baffled, at the oversized purple sleeve.
"Your clothes were all..." Abby said, "well, Numbuh Three let you borrow some pajamas."
"It's okay!" said Kuki.
"Why am I here? No, wait...I came for help."
"Help with what?" Abby said.
The blonde-haired girl rubbed her arms lightly. She could still feel the charred skin, even under the sleeves.
"Father." Their looks told her to continue. "Father attacked us. It was all of a sudden; none of us were expecting it. I ran...here! You have to help!"
"And how do we know this isn't just a trick?" Hoagie asked. "You tried to eat us before!"
"You have to believe me!" she shouted, crawling to the end of the bed. "Please! Please, believe me! Abigail, I know we never got along, but...please..." Her head lowered with a defeated sigh.
"I guess I sorta knew this would happen," she said. "I shouldn't have expected much." But then, in a flash, she was staring at Abby, resolute and defiant. "You know I would never have come if it wasn't something big! Father...he's crazy! He...he..."
"Okay, Valerie," Abby said. "Tell us what happened."
"Valerie, I really wish you'd just let me help."
Two figures, one tall, one not, were walking down someplace two figures should never have been. The air in the sewers pressed down on them on all sides, making sure they reKND Faned just what it was they were dealing with. Even though they walked on the path to the side of the rushing flow of excrement, Valerie couldn't help but be wary of each step, as though her foot might fall farther than she'd hoped, directly into sludge...
"I know, Ms. Thompson, but it...it just feels so much better this way!"
The school teacher smiled. She carried a grey handbag over her arm, from with both could smell the tantalizing scent of sweets. As good as it smelled, though, Valerie couldn't help but feel a little sick at the olfactory combination of sewage and candy.
"I understand," she said. "Mr. Landan said he was bringing something extra special—end-of-the-year treats."
"Really!?" Valerie said. "His are the best!"
"Yes," Ms. Thompson said. "Oh, did you hear? Mrs. Aska's son is showing the signs."
"Oh," she said, trying to sound interested. "How long before they know what kind?"
"A ways from now, I'm sure."
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, listening almost peacefully to the sound of rushing water and God-knows-what. Valerie hated how they couldn't just drive to a closer manhole. But rules were rules...
"Is it gonna be just us five today?" she asked.
"Six, actually. Bernice's—that is, Ms. Everest's—son just got his degree. He'll be joining us."
"Do I have to start calling him 'Mr. Everest'?"
"You should ask him. I don't think he'll mind you calling him Buck—at least during the meetings."
Valerie almost squealed with delight. She'd get to see Buck every month now! His handsome face, strong arms, heavenly smile, cute ears, wonderful eyes, clean-cut brown hair—not like his mother's, of course...
"Oh," Ms. Thompson said. "Look's like we're almost there. I can see the turn."
Valerie squinted and saw, just barely visible, an opening ahead of them in the wall to their left.
"You first," the teacher said when they reached it.
The opening was not large. Valerie could just barely squeeze through when facing forward, so turning to the side let her get through with a minimum of wall touching. Ms. Thompson followed suit.
"Hey!" they heard a deep, enveloping voice say. "It's Jessie and Valerie!"
The two squeezed out and were greeted by a number of voices. Four people were sitting around a table in a small room lit by a battery-powered lamp. There was, of course, Mr. Adam Landan, the big black man with no hair who had just spoken; Mrs. Minerva Aska, a petit, red-haired woman who always seemed to slouch; Ms. Bernice Everest, a smiling, slightly pudgy woman with a loud laugh and even louder clothing; and Buck...
There was much laughing and shouting as the two took the remaining seats around the table. Valerie had been to a good number of these meetings, but she still felt small around all the adults.
"So, Jessica!" Bernice Everest said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, just fine, Bernice."
"Don't give us that old routine!" Adam Landan said, smiling widely and adjusting his glasses. "You've got a bag, and I know what that means. Stop acting all nonchalant and spill it!"
The group laughed.
"And what about you, Valerie, dear?" Bernice said. "How has school been going?"
"Good, thanks."
"Second in her class," Ms. Thompson said offhandedly.
"Wonderful!" Bernice replied. "Oh! Buck, dear, tell them about the good news!"
"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I put in my résumé, and they liked what they saw, so..." He cleared his throat again. "...I'll be teaching at Gallagher Elementary this fall."
Amid the cheers of congratulations, Valerie's heart soared. Buck...as her teacher...it was too good to be true. And even if he wasn't her teacher, she could still visit him, or pass him by in the halls!
"So, that's pretty exciting," he concluded. "But I heard that Mrs. Aska's son was starting to show the signs!"
"That's right!" Adam said. "Tell us about it, Minerva!"
"Oh, alright," the small woman said quietly, staring at the table. "Well, he's been having some teeth...ah...fluctuations. And his appetite has begun to change. Sense of smell is growing...that's about it for now."
"Well that's wonderful," Adam said. "Looks like little Valerie might have a playmate her own age soon."
Valerie smiled and said, "I guess," trying to mask her own painful resolve to never be friends with Thomas Aska.
"I'm starving!" Bernice shouted suddenly. "Let's talk while we eat! What did everyone bring?"
"Well," Ms. Thompson said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a folder, "my class did reasonably well with their end-of-the-year essays. Abigail Lincoln's was especially impressive—oh, sorry, Valerie," she said, hearing a small, "Hmph!" from the girl. "What about you, Adam?"
"Great," he said. "My class had a speaker two weeks before the end of the year. He inspired them to try as hard as possible, so these," he said, pulling a folder out of his own bag, "are really something."
"Quite a haul," Ms. Thompson said.
"You kidding? Every single student's in here! No one lower than a B. And this is a Math exam we're talking about!"
"Wonderful!" Bernice said, then paused. "Oh, don't look at me. Terrible story. Terrible story! My class did good, like Jessica's here, but my bag got stolen! Thank heavens I had already sent the grades in. Just what kind of person would do something like that!?" She began to get very red in the face, which went nicely with the Hawaiian sunset dress she was wearing.
"Sorry to hear that, Bernice," Ms. Thompson said. They all turned to Minerva Aska.
"Oh, um," she said, gaze dropping even lower, "Nothing good here, sorry."
"Well!" Bernice said, possibly foreseeing an awkward silence. "Looks like we'll have to split up Adam's and Jessica's."
Valerie kept making passing glances at Buck as the sheets of paper were divided evenly among the six. He was making small talk with Adam about how to best go about explaining long division. Bernice and Minerva were commenting on each other's clothes—that is, Bernice was commenting.
"Well, everyone," Ms. Thompson said once all the papers were given. "Let's dig in."
"That won't be necessary."
The voice had come from the entrance. They looked down the small passageway, but all they saw was darkness. Then, magically, two golden eyes appeared.
"Father," Ms. Thompson said softly.
"Yes, my dear Jessica, it is I." He stepped from the opening, and several of them gasped at how part of the shadows had suddenly become alive.
"Who is this guy? Your father?" Adam said.
"Not my father. Just...Father. That's his name. Why are you here?" she said coldly. "We had an agreement."
"Yes, we had one, but it's been terminated." He just stood there, pipe in mouth.
"Why!?" Ms. Thompson shouted, standing up.
"You were supposed to give your students enough homework to keep them from distracting their parents," he said. "In return, I would not attack any of you weredogs, even," he explained, looking at Valerie, "a child one."
"But...but I kept my end of the bargain!" she cried.
"I know," he said simply. "I didn't."
He extended his hand in Adam's direction. Before anyone could react, a stream of fire shot forth from it, hitting the teacher directly in the chest. He crashed into the wall, unconscious.
"No!" Bernice cried, but in the next second she was hit as well. There was now a large hole in her Hawaiian sunset dress. She lay unconscious next to Adam.
Father laughed as he turned to dispose of Minerva, who was still sitting, pale-faced and trembling. Suddenly, though, he felt a great weight on his side, and cried out in pain as two rows of razor sharp teeth sank into his shoulder.
"Jessica," he said to the great brown-haired beast who had been Ms. Thompson. "I can't have that, now ca–AGH!" Another beast had jumped and landed on his chest. The Buck who was no longer Buck bared his fangs, golden hair shimmering, and dove at his throat.
Father's hand shot forward but did not fire. He had placed his arm just in front of his throat, so that when Buck lunged, his teeth closed around his fist instead. Father's other hand, the one attached the arm still being bitten, wrapped around the immense weredog's neck and pulled himself forward, forcing his fist down Buck's throat as he did so. Cuts appeared down his arm in straight lines as he jammed it down farther a farther. Buck began gagging and coughing, spit flying into Father's face. Finally, the tips of Buck's teeth were almost to Father's shoulder.
"Buck! No!" Valerie cried.
Father grinned.
Deep inside Buck, Father's fist began heating up.
"And...and then he...he..." Valerie sobbed, tears running freely down her face.
The five all understood now where the blood stains had come from. Hoagie and Nigel were wiping their eyes, and Kuki simply joined her in crying.
"It's okay," Abby said. "Just tell us what happened after that."
"But...but Buck...he..." She burst forth with renewed sobs, burying her head in the soft bed.
"It's okay," she said again. "Just skip it."
"He shot at Ms. Thompson," she said, suddenly very controlled. "Got her to let go of his shoulder. Then he turned to me. Said, 'Don't worry, I won't kill your precious Jessica, but you, on the other hand...' He shot at me and hit my arms. And then he was about to shoot again, but didn't, because Mrs. Aska had walked in-between me and him. She said, 'You will not hurt this child,' really soft, like she always did. 'Run,' she told me, and I did. I heard her...I...I heard her scream as I ran through the passage.
"I tripped and fell a few times—once even into the...the stuff in the middle. I closed my mouth, though. And my eyes. I just wanted to get away. So I...I thought you could help me, Abby. You guys fight Father, right? You can get him back for this, right? He...killed Buck! You have to stop him! He's a monster!" She was clutching her pillow tightly with her arms, staining it with her tears as they dropped from her face. "You have to get him...you have to kill Father."
~ Lois McMaster Bujold
~Chapter 4~
Trauma
She ran without knowing where she was going. No...away. She was running away. Away from the fire that chased her. She ran and ran, but her legs began to give way. Swear poured down her face. The fire was gaining now. Her back sizzled as the flames licked ever closer. Her breaths were coming shorter and shorter, her heart was beating harder and faster. The tunnel seemed endless. There was no light at the end; there was no hope. It was unbearably hot now. Her legs could take no more. She stopped, fell to her stomach, and was washed over by the sea of flame.
Her eyes snapped open, anxiety clutching her heart. Everything was spinning and waving, spinning and waving, browns and greens and blues and reds and...
"Valerie! Valerie!"
She couldn't stay here. The fire would be back. She tried to get up but was held down by a force she could neither see nor comprehend. Tears clouded her already distorted vision. Even her struggle for freedom was obscured into something like an abstract painting. Colors streamed everywhere, confusing her, mocking her. She had to get up, she had to move! The fire was coming. The fire would be here! Any second now...
"Valerie, snap out of it!"
Now she was getting dizzy. She suddenly understood it was because she wasn't breathing. Great gasps of air filled her lungs, giving new life to the blood cells rushing through her body. The colors slowed until shapes formed. She was standing on a wooden floor, grabbing someone. She focused closer, and the red hat and brown face of Abigail William slowly became clear.
She spun her head around. It was a room with a bed. Her mind couldn't quite yet comprehend why she was here, with Abigail Williams no less, but there was one thing very clear.
She grabbed Abby around the waist and hugged her as tightly as she could, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though her face was buried into Abby's blue shirt, the fifth KND Fan of Sector V could easily make out what she said.
"Abigail...Abigail...no fire. There's no fire..."
Abby, having finally put Valerie back to bed, walked into the living room.
"How's she doing?" Nigel asked, sitting with Hoagie and Kuki on the couch.
"Not great," Abby said. "She's pretty beat up, and not all there, if ya get me."
"We should—HYA!—hook her up with the—HAH!—Toiletnator!" Wally said, punching and kicking at an invisible foe.
"Numbuh Five thinks she'll be fine," Abby said, joining the other three on the couch. "That's not what she's worried about. I think...I'm pretty sure she was attacked by Father."
The others stared grimly at the blank television. Wally stopped his practicing and rested his head in his arms on the back of the couch.
"She kept mutterin' stuff, like about fire. Just...again and again. Fire. I mean, it has to be Father, doesn't it?"
No one thought it necessary to answer.
When Valerie awoke again, all five were standing in the infirmary. She looked at each them, bewildered, but not hysterical.
"Where...am I?"
"The Kids Next Door Sector V treehouse," Nigel said.
"You're safe," Kuki added.
Valerie lifted up her arm and peered, baffled, at the oversized purple sleeve.
"Your clothes were all..." Abby said, "well, Numbuh Three let you borrow some pajamas."
"It's okay!" said Kuki.
"Why am I here? No, wait...I came for help."
"Help with what?" Abby said.
The blonde-haired girl rubbed her arms lightly. She could still feel the charred skin, even under the sleeves.
"Father." Their looks told her to continue. "Father attacked us. It was all of a sudden; none of us were expecting it. I ran...here! You have to help!"
"And how do we know this isn't just a trick?" Hoagie asked. "You tried to eat us before!"
"You have to believe me!" she shouted, crawling to the end of the bed. "Please! Please, believe me! Abigail, I know we never got along, but...please..." Her head lowered with a defeated sigh.
"I guess I sorta knew this would happen," she said. "I shouldn't have expected much." But then, in a flash, she was staring at Abby, resolute and defiant. "You know I would never have come if it wasn't something big! Father...he's crazy! He...he..."
"Okay, Valerie," Abby said. "Tell us what happened."
"Valerie, I really wish you'd just let me help."
Two figures, one tall, one not, were walking down someplace two figures should never have been. The air in the sewers pressed down on them on all sides, making sure they reKND Faned just what it was they were dealing with. Even though they walked on the path to the side of the rushing flow of excrement, Valerie couldn't help but be wary of each step, as though her foot might fall farther than she'd hoped, directly into sludge...
"I know, Ms. Thompson, but it...it just feels so much better this way!"
The school teacher smiled. She carried a grey handbag over her arm, from with both could smell the tantalizing scent of sweets. As good as it smelled, though, Valerie couldn't help but feel a little sick at the olfactory combination of sewage and candy.
"I understand," she said. "Mr. Landan said he was bringing something extra special—end-of-the-year treats."
"Really!?" Valerie said. "His are the best!"
"Yes," Ms. Thompson said. "Oh, did you hear? Mrs. Aska's son is showing the signs."
"Oh," she said, trying to sound interested. "How long before they know what kind?"
"A ways from now, I'm sure."
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, listening almost peacefully to the sound of rushing water and God-knows-what. Valerie hated how they couldn't just drive to a closer manhole. But rules were rules...
"Is it gonna be just us five today?" she asked.
"Six, actually. Bernice's—that is, Ms. Everest's—son just got his degree. He'll be joining us."
"Do I have to start calling him 'Mr. Everest'?"
"You should ask him. I don't think he'll mind you calling him Buck—at least during the meetings."
Valerie almost squealed with delight. She'd get to see Buck every month now! His handsome face, strong arms, heavenly smile, cute ears, wonderful eyes, clean-cut brown hair—not like his mother's, of course...
"Oh," Ms. Thompson said. "Look's like we're almost there. I can see the turn."
Valerie squinted and saw, just barely visible, an opening ahead of them in the wall to their left.
"You first," the teacher said when they reached it.
The opening was not large. Valerie could just barely squeeze through when facing forward, so turning to the side let her get through with a minimum of wall touching. Ms. Thompson followed suit.
"Hey!" they heard a deep, enveloping voice say. "It's Jessie and Valerie!"
The two squeezed out and were greeted by a number of voices. Four people were sitting around a table in a small room lit by a battery-powered lamp. There was, of course, Mr. Adam Landan, the big black man with no hair who had just spoken; Mrs. Minerva Aska, a petit, red-haired woman who always seemed to slouch; Ms. Bernice Everest, a smiling, slightly pudgy woman with a loud laugh and even louder clothing; and Buck...
There was much laughing and shouting as the two took the remaining seats around the table. Valerie had been to a good number of these meetings, but she still felt small around all the adults.
"So, Jessica!" Bernice Everest said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, just fine, Bernice."
"Don't give us that old routine!" Adam Landan said, smiling widely and adjusting his glasses. "You've got a bag, and I know what that means. Stop acting all nonchalant and spill it!"
The group laughed.
"And what about you, Valerie, dear?" Bernice said. "How has school been going?"
"Good, thanks."
"Second in her class," Ms. Thompson said offhandedly.
"Wonderful!" Bernice replied. "Oh! Buck, dear, tell them about the good news!"
"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I put in my résumé, and they liked what they saw, so..." He cleared his throat again. "...I'll be teaching at Gallagher Elementary this fall."
Amid the cheers of congratulations, Valerie's heart soared. Buck...as her teacher...it was too good to be true. And even if he wasn't her teacher, she could still visit him, or pass him by in the halls!
"So, that's pretty exciting," he concluded. "But I heard that Mrs. Aska's son was starting to show the signs!"
"That's right!" Adam said. "Tell us about it, Minerva!"
"Oh, alright," the small woman said quietly, staring at the table. "Well, he's been having some teeth...ah...fluctuations. And his appetite has begun to change. Sense of smell is growing...that's about it for now."
"Well that's wonderful," Adam said. "Looks like little Valerie might have a playmate her own age soon."
Valerie smiled and said, "I guess," trying to mask her own painful resolve to never be friends with Thomas Aska.
"I'm starving!" Bernice shouted suddenly. "Let's talk while we eat! What did everyone bring?"
"Well," Ms. Thompson said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a folder, "my class did reasonably well with their end-of-the-year essays. Abigail Lincoln's was especially impressive—oh, sorry, Valerie," she said, hearing a small, "Hmph!" from the girl. "What about you, Adam?"
"Great," he said. "My class had a speaker two weeks before the end of the year. He inspired them to try as hard as possible, so these," he said, pulling a folder out of his own bag, "are really something."
"Quite a haul," Ms. Thompson said.
"You kidding? Every single student's in here! No one lower than a B. And this is a Math exam we're talking about!"
"Wonderful!" Bernice said, then paused. "Oh, don't look at me. Terrible story. Terrible story! My class did good, like Jessica's here, but my bag got stolen! Thank heavens I had already sent the grades in. Just what kind of person would do something like that!?" She began to get very red in the face, which went nicely with the Hawaiian sunset dress she was wearing.
"Sorry to hear that, Bernice," Ms. Thompson said. They all turned to Minerva Aska.
"Oh, um," she said, gaze dropping even lower, "Nothing good here, sorry."
"Well!" Bernice said, possibly foreseeing an awkward silence. "Looks like we'll have to split up Adam's and Jessica's."
Valerie kept making passing glances at Buck as the sheets of paper were divided evenly among the six. He was making small talk with Adam about how to best go about explaining long division. Bernice and Minerva were commenting on each other's clothes—that is, Bernice was commenting.
"Well, everyone," Ms. Thompson said once all the papers were given. "Let's dig in."
"That won't be necessary."
The voice had come from the entrance. They looked down the small passageway, but all they saw was darkness. Then, magically, two golden eyes appeared.
"Father," Ms. Thompson said softly.
"Yes, my dear Jessica, it is I." He stepped from the opening, and several of them gasped at how part of the shadows had suddenly become alive.
"Who is this guy? Your father?" Adam said.
"Not my father. Just...Father. That's his name. Why are you here?" she said coldly. "We had an agreement."
"Yes, we had one, but it's been terminated." He just stood there, pipe in mouth.
"Why!?" Ms. Thompson shouted, standing up.
"You were supposed to give your students enough homework to keep them from distracting their parents," he said. "In return, I would not attack any of you weredogs, even," he explained, looking at Valerie, "a child one."
"But...but I kept my end of the bargain!" she cried.
"I know," he said simply. "I didn't."
He extended his hand in Adam's direction. Before anyone could react, a stream of fire shot forth from it, hitting the teacher directly in the chest. He crashed into the wall, unconscious.
"No!" Bernice cried, but in the next second she was hit as well. There was now a large hole in her Hawaiian sunset dress. She lay unconscious next to Adam.
Father laughed as he turned to dispose of Minerva, who was still sitting, pale-faced and trembling. Suddenly, though, he felt a great weight on his side, and cried out in pain as two rows of razor sharp teeth sank into his shoulder.
"Jessica," he said to the great brown-haired beast who had been Ms. Thompson. "I can't have that, now ca–AGH!" Another beast had jumped and landed on his chest. The Buck who was no longer Buck bared his fangs, golden hair shimmering, and dove at his throat.
Father's hand shot forward but did not fire. He had placed his arm just in front of his throat, so that when Buck lunged, his teeth closed around his fist instead. Father's other hand, the one attached the arm still being bitten, wrapped around the immense weredog's neck and pulled himself forward, forcing his fist down Buck's throat as he did so. Cuts appeared down his arm in straight lines as he jammed it down farther a farther. Buck began gagging and coughing, spit flying into Father's face. Finally, the tips of Buck's teeth were almost to Father's shoulder.
"Buck! No!" Valerie cried.
Father grinned.
Deep inside Buck, Father's fist began heating up.
"And...and then he...he..." Valerie sobbed, tears running freely down her face.
The five all understood now where the blood stains had come from. Hoagie and Nigel were wiping their eyes, and Kuki simply joined her in crying.
"It's okay," Abby said. "Just tell us what happened after that."
"But...but Buck...he..." She burst forth with renewed sobs, burying her head in the soft bed.
"It's okay," she said again. "Just skip it."
"He shot at Ms. Thompson," she said, suddenly very controlled. "Got her to let go of his shoulder. Then he turned to me. Said, 'Don't worry, I won't kill your precious Jessica, but you, on the other hand...' He shot at me and hit my arms. And then he was about to shoot again, but didn't, because Mrs. Aska had walked in-between me and him. She said, 'You will not hurt this child,' really soft, like she always did. 'Run,' she told me, and I did. I heard her...I...I heard her scream as I ran through the passage.
"I tripped and fell a few times—once even into the...the stuff in the middle. I closed my mouth, though. And my eyes. I just wanted to get away. So I...I thought you could help me, Abby. You guys fight Father, right? You can get him back for this, right? He...killed Buck! You have to stop him! He's a monster!" She was clutching her pillow tightly with her arms, staining it with her tears as they dropped from her face. "You have to get him...you have to kill Father."