Better off Red – Chapter 10

As she watched the family eat, Lysette quietly tested the straps. They were nothing but leather. At full strength, she could bend steel, leather would be no challenge. Even though she was a far cry from full strength, all she needed was to wait for the right opportunity.

Patrick was staring at her. Redding had eventually won out, the way she imagined he did with every argument in this household. Now the boy was here, gazing into her with soulless, predatory eyes. She wondered if he even understood what he had done. But she already knew the answer. In this house, there was no way a boy like that had been taught the difference between right and wrong. It was a pure miracle that the girl seemed to have anything resembling a conscience at all.

The girl looked sick. Maybe emotionally, if not physically. Lysette supposed she couldn’t blame her for that. Still, she kept looking at the door. Why?

“May God relieve the wants of others,” Redding spoke smoothly, as though addressing his flock, “and give us thankful hearts. Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

He stared at her, patiently. She stared back before finally complying. “Amen,” she said.

They began to eat. The ham looked dry, the potatoes looked like paste. How they ate this crap, she had no idea. Things passed in uncomfortable silence. Redding eyed each of them, if only to monitor them, make sure that they were still operating according to his will.

Eve looked more and more nervous with each passing second until, finally, a sense of momentary relief washed over her as the blue lights from outside flooded in through the window.

Momentary relief quickly turned to dread.

“What’s that?” Redding asked, sharply.

Nobody had an answer for him, but they could all see the police cruiser that had come to a stop outside.

“What is this?” he hissed, finally showing himself for the snake that he was.

His eyes searched for weakness and quickly found Eve. She looked to the door to calculate whether or not she could make a run for it before he grabbed her. But she couldn’t and, ultimately, she knew it was no use to run.

“What did you do, Eve?” Redding bellowed, raising his hand to her.

Then came the knock at the door. “Mr. Redding? Uh, Pastor Redding?”

Redding quietly composed himself. His eyes warned everyone not to make a single sound as he stepped toward the closet and opened it as carefully and quietly as he could.

“Please, Thurston, we know you’re in there. Just open up, we just want to ask you a few things.”

Redding pulled a shotgun from the closet and grinned from ear to ear. “Come on in,” he said, sweetly.

The door opened. Two loud cracks, a puff of smoke, and then both officers fell dead on his doorstep. Paying no attention to the screams of his wife, Redding simply turned, leveled the gun, and shot his daughter in the stomach.

Lysette broke free of her straps, glaring at Redding with hungry red eyes. He shot her too, catching her just below the collar bone. It hurt, knocking her back a little bit, but she remained on her feet. That, she could see, terrified him. So much that instead of shooting to knock her down again, he simply threw open the back door and ran into the woods.

She started to give chase, but turned to look at the girl bleeding out on the dining room floor. Evelyn and Patrick had already run off in separate directions. The wife had disappeared, probably barricading herself in the basement, replacing one prisoner for another. Patrick had no doubt run into the woods to join his father.

Lysette kneeled beside Eve. “Try to breathe,” she said. “You’ve been shot.”

Eve could barely respond beyond shivering and coughing. Lysette thought about what she was doing, but only for a moment before she did it anyway, slicing open her wrist with a fingernail. “Here,” she said. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“Will… will that…”

“Yes,” Lysette said. “But you don’t have to worry about that right now. You’re coming with me.” She held out her arm. “Just drink.”

Eve did, drinking the blood in with think, hungry gulps. She clutched Lysette’s arm tightly with both hands and, for a moment, Lysette wondered if the girl would just take every drop of blood in her body.

But finally, she pulled back. “What about my family?”

“They’re going to burn,” the vampire said.

Eve processed this for a moment. Then, “I’ll need to grab my coat.”

N

As she watched the family eat, Lysette quietly tested the straps. They were nothing but leather. At full strength, she could bend steel, leather would be no challenge. Even though she was a far cry from full strength, all she needed was to wait for the right opportunity.

Patrick was staring at her. Redding had eventually won out, the way she imagined he did with every argument in this household. Now the boy was here, gazing into her with soulless, predatory eyes. She wondered if he even understood what he had done. But she already knew the answer. In this house, there was no way a boy like that had been taught the difference between right and wrong. It was a pure miracle that the girl seemed to have anything resembling a conscience at all.

The girl looked sick. Maybe emotionally, if not physically. Lysette supposed she couldn’t blame her for that. Still, she kept looking at the door. Why?

“May God relieve the wants of others,” Redding spoke smoothly, as though addressing his flock, “and give us thankful hearts. Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

He stared at her, patiently. She stared back before finally complying. “Amen,” she said.

They began to eat. The ham looked dry, the potatoes looked like paste. How they ate this crap, she had no idea. Things passed in uncomfortable silence. Redding eyed each of them, if only to monitor them, make sure that they were still operating according to his will.

Eve looked more and more nervous with each passing second until, finally, a sense of momentary relief washed over her as the blue lights from outside flooded in through the window.

Momentary relief quickly turned to dread.

“What’s that?” Redding asked, sharply.

Nobody had an answer for him, but they could all see the police cruiser that had come to a stop outside.

“What is this?” he hissed, finally showing himself for the snake that he was.

His eyes searched for weakness and quickly found Eve. She looked to the door to calculate whether or not she could make a run for it before he grabbed her. But she couldn’t and, ultimately, she knew it was no use to run.

“What did you do, Eve?” Redding bellowed, raising his hand to her.

Then came the knock at the door. “Mr. Redding? Uh, Pastor Redding?”

Redding quietly composed himself. His eyes warned everyone not to make a single sound as he stepped toward the closet and opened it as carefully and quietly as he could.

“Please, Thurston, we know you’re in there. Just open up, we just want to ask you a few things.”

Redding pulled a shotgun from the closet and grinned from ear to ear. “Come on in,” he said, sweetly.

The door opened. Two loud cracks, a puff of smoke, and then both officers fell dead on his doorstep. Paying no attention to the screams of his wife, Redding simply turned, leveled the gun, and shot his daughter in the stomach.

Lysette broke free of her straps, glaring at Redding with hungry red eyes. He shot her too, catching her just below the collar bone. It hurt, knocking her back a little bit, but she remained on her feet. That, she could see, terrified him. So much that instead of shooting to knock her down again, he simply threw open the back door and ran into the woods.

She started to give chase, but turned to look at the girl bleeding out on the dining room floor. Evelyn and Patrick had already run off in separate directions. The wife had disappeared, probably barricading herself in the basement, replacing one prisoner for another. Patrick had no doubt run into the woods to join his father.

Lysette kneeled beside Eve. “Try to breathe,” she said. “You’ve been shot.”

Eve could barely respond beyond shivering and coughing. Lysette thought about what she was doing, but only for a moment before she did it anyway, slicing open her wrist with a fingernail. “Here,” she said. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“Will… will that…”

“Yes,” Lysette said. “But you don’t have to worry about that right now. You’re coming with me.” She held out her arm. “Just drink.”

Eve did, drinking the blood in with think, hungry gulps. She clutched Lysette’s arm tightly with both hands and, for a moment, Lysette wondered if the girl would just take every drop of blood in her body.

But finally, she pulled back. “What about my family?”

“They’re going to burn,” the vampire said.

Eve processed this for a moment. Then, “I’ll need to grab my coat.”