If you haven’t read Chapter 1, check that out here.
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CHAPTER 2
Mike pressed his back into the tree. His worn wifebeater didn’t stop the bark from chafing against his back. He could feel his heart thump in his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to center himself.
This had gotten his adrenaline pumping, and it only took an hour of tailing the goddamn kids before they even caught a glimpse of him. The punks are so exhausted that they hadn’t even bothered to look around as they waded through the trees looking for the clearing.
He had chuckled to himself earlier. Either their little leader didn’t have much of a clue where he was going or he only faintly understood where the clearing was. It had to be another half an hour forward at the rate they were walking. Fat boy was probably going to resume his bitching any minute now. The second they get moving it will be about his feet and ankles. Damn kid probably hasn’t seen nature in his life.
But now Mike held his breath. He counted to ten in his head and remained as still as possible. He had gotten complacent and the boy pulling up the rear may have saw him. Up to now, nobody had mentioned the sounds of the woods, not even the prissy looking girl.
There was usually a jumpy kid. Someone who would freak out at a squirrel and his friends would try and keep him cool. It was so funny because it would be the rare time that a paranoid punk would actually be right!
Leaves crackled and sticks snapped. Mike held his eyes closed and listened hard. The sounds slowly got more and more faint. They were moving on, nothing to see over here. Mike smiled.
Maybe it would be a good time to turn back and let Father know the good news. Another girl! We didn’t win the lottery.
Last summer was the real fucking jackpot. We had a whole GROUP of girls wandering through here! That was something! It’s a shame that they all got put to waste.
Father made it sound like we need another women around to carry; I guess little Sofia isn’t enough for him. Three guys may be a handful to put up with, but it’s worth it for another carrier. Yessir. And we could use the three of them. Last time I counted, only had two left in the freezer. Now isn’t a bad time to stock up.
I’ll go a little further and take some notes. I need to give Father the real run down, so he knows the little cast and crew of our honorary guests for the evening. He likes having a plan. I can tell we got a little Alpha we’ll need to crack, but I don’t know what to think of the kid that almost saw me. Or the girl, she’s hardly said a damn thing. And it’s all the better that we know what we’re working with.
If it was a couple, then I’d go back. Yessir. Three on one. We don’t need a plan. But this is a bit different.
Father would be disappointed if I came back now!
Despite his size, Mike took a graceful step along the trees that surrounded the makeshift path. He’d given them some distance, but he knew exactly where they were. Mike’s steps were silent, a skill that he developed years ago. He shifted his weight, taking light steps and dodging the twigs. He crouched down and walked along the trees. He blended into the environment seamlessly, as he stalked his pray. The woods were truly his second home.
The punks came into sight. His eyes glided from the tall boy, to the fat boy, then rested on the backside of the girl.
“She’s going to be a lot of fun,” he mumbled. The hunt continued.
* * *
Kevin winced when he heard the door slam downstairs. She really needs to get her fucking act together because Father isn’t going to put up with shit like that for long.
You’d think she would have figured that out by now. We reward good behavior here! She learned the hard way that we’re not afraid to punish her. There’s no fucking way that any of us could spell it out to her. Obey. It’s simple.
Kevin continued to scrub grease off a metal pan. He felt the need to make sure that the pan was spotless whenever he used it to cook up meat for Sofia.
Due to his relatively small size, he was often left doing the chores. Cooking for Sofia, cleaning the dishes, managing their food, and washing clothes every so-often were all Kevin’s responsibility.
Kevin was a runt compared to Father and Mike. He was tall and reasonably filled out, but if you cleaned him up and put him in a normal outfit, he wouldn’t look that out of place. He’d just be another big guy.
His dirt crusted t-shirt and worn jeans made him fit right into the family’s kitchen. They certainly wouldn’t pass any health inspections. The smell alone could make an unaccustomed person gag.
Father’s steps landed with a thud on each stair. He clearly was not happy.
“Did you say something to her,” Father said, his voice was sharp. Kevin set the pan in the sink and turned to Father, the large man’s face aligned with his aggressive tone.
“Only the usual stuff. That it’s time for a feeding, to eat her dinner, and that I’ll get you if she refuses. Normal stuff.”
Father’s eyes narrowed, as if they transformed into some sort of lie detector.
They both knew that Father was having trouble with the carrier. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was that her spirit was shattered months ago. She knew the rules, but she talked back to him anyways, even if she only had the energy and will to whimper.
That’s more than she had done two months ago. She was docile. She ate. She fed Eli. She did all of her duties as a carrier. But now, she had a rebellious second wind. She had the nerve to talk back.
“Ok. I just wanted to make sure.” Father said, turning from Kevin to the staircase to head upstairs. “She’s an interesting one. Unlike our last gal. We all knew that little bitch was one and done, but I thought our sweet little Sofia had potential to become something more – maybe even join us.”
“She is part of the family. She’s a carrier.” Kevin was almost confused. She already was part of the family, at least since she got morning sickness for the first time.
“Yes, son. But I meant she could be more than a carrier, like a sister to you and Mikey. But now I’m thinking I’ll have to ask Mother what to do when this is all said and done. Her attitude, her resistance, it’s all starting to make me reconsider that.” Father shook his head and started up towards the second floor.
Kevin was stunned.
Sofia as a sister? He had never considered that they could ever have a sister in the house! But that did make sense. There was a while there were she was broken and she almost was accepting her place here. She could’ve been molded into a new role. She could have graduated to upstairs and had a little more freedom. She did seem pretty fond of Eli on her good days. She could have started watching him.
Father better not take this to Mother. We don’t need another one and done in this house, and Sofia does have promise. It’d be a shame if Father got rid of her, especially because we haven’t had a shot at a replacement in weeks.
Maybe I should say something to her. Something to get her to behave. Make her realize that she has promise.
Fuck, Kevin, what are you thinking? Can you IMAGINE the shit they would do if they thought I had a boner for Sofia? She may be a member of the family, but she is Father’s girl. His. Maybe he’d share if she became a sister, but Father isn’t going to let me do a damn thing to a carrier. If he suspects a thing, I’ll end up in the freezer.
Kevin shook his head and brought the sponge back to the pan. He continued to scrub it meticulously, as he banished those thoughts to the back of his mind. Worry about your fucking chores, not Sofia.
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Next Chapter: We visit back with Danny and his friends and check in with Mike as the Family gets ready to make their move.
If you’re interested in the story, please bookmark this page and check back for for updates. You won’t want to miss a thing once shit starts to hit the fan.
Tom Chambers 