“It’s your refusal to get medical care in a hospital, therefore releasing us from any liability.”
I roll my shoulder sorely as I lean forward and scribble my signature along the dotted line, then hand him his pen back.
“Have a good night,” he says with a nod as he gets back to his feet just as his partner finishes packing up their supplies.
“The show is over,” Devyn announces loudly as he stands up and looks at the crowd of people who have packed themselves into the bathroom. “Maybe if you come back tomorrow, there will be a second act.”
The sarcasm and irritability in his tone is enough to make the looky-loos scatter quickly.
He shakes his head as the last person exits and the door swings lazily behind her, before he turns back toward me. Taking a deep breath, I grunt as I push myself to my knees and slowly stand up.
“Doesn’t look like walking home is going to be an option,” he says softly as he slips an arm around my waist. I steady myself with my body against his, and he chuckles as he reaches down, scooping me up in his arms.
“At least not for you, Lily.”
∞
Once we get out into the fresh air, I ask him to put me down. I have to be able to walk, because if we take a cab, he’ll know where I live. Unless …
“You know what?” I begin quietly. “Maybe we should get a ride after all. Um, the church is fine. I can get home from there.”
With an odd look, he then nods as he slips a hand into his jeans pocket and retrieves his cell phone. I wrap my arms around myself while he summons a car with a ride-sharing app before giving me his attention again.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” he asks curiously.
I steal a glance at him and shake my head.
Devyn has been kind to me during the past few hours, and if I tell him what I saw, he’ll look at me like almost everyone else does. He’ll become yet another whisper in the crowd when I walk from Dad’s house to the church.
I have enough people who are afraid of me. I need friends.
“But Li—”
“Is that our ride?” I ask, nodding at the small black SUV slowly driving up the street. The driver is glancing out the passenger side window like he’s searching for someone.
Devyn glances at the phone in his hand before he nods and waves the driver down.
He holds open one of the doors for me, then slides in next to me as the driver greets us. After they exchange some small talk, he nudges me gently with his elbow.
“You said you would talk,” he whispers to me.
I shift uncomfortably in the seat as I glance at him. When he sees the look of worry on my face, he holds up his hands, then turns his attention to the world outside of his window.
“I just have to talk to Father Whittaker about it first, okay?” I offer softly.
Devyn nods without looking at me and I sigh.
I thought things would be different in a new place; that I would have a chance to start over, far away from the horrors I lived through.
I guess I was wrong.
Chapter Five
“Thank you,” I tell the driver quietly as I push open the back door and step out of his vehicle. He gives me a big smile and a wave before pulling away from the curb.
And when he does, I startle at what else he seems to have left at this stop.
Devyn is giving me a sheepish grin from where he’s standing in the street just opposite me. “Dibs after his holiness.”
I roll my eyes and start to impatiently tap my foot on the sidewalk. I don’t want him to make fun of Father Whittaker, or my friendship with him. Especially, since I’m convinced that he and Sister Olive are the only ones in this town who actually care about me.
“Yeah, I know,” he says with that damn sheepish grin of his. “Sorry.”
“You should catch another ride. Home this time,” I tell him quietly. “I don’t know how long this is going to take.”
“I don’t mind. It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me when I get back,” he replies with a shrug.
I grit my teeth and somehow manage to maintain a patient expression. It’s clear to me that Devyn isn’t going to budge on this, and I don’t really have time to waste arguing with him.
I throw my hands up in the air before I turn and start up the cobblestone walkway to the chapel I like the most. Devyn falls into step beside me and we walk together in silence. Just before we reach the doors, I notice one of the watering cans that Father Whittaker and myself had taken down the steps earlier in the day.
“What’s wrong?” he asks curiously when he catches me staring at it.
“Nothing,” I lie quietly.
I don’t know why exactly, but this simple thing has put more fear into me than what I saw behind me in the mirror at the Old Vines.
Unfortunately, it’s not something I can explain to him because he wouldn’t be able to understand—even I don’t.
“Let’s go the other way,” I say after a few moments of tense silence. Taking a few cautious steps backward, almost as if the damn thing is a venomous snake, I reach for Devyn’s arm and pull him around the side of the building.
I lead him to the parsonage that sits on the edge of the massive property. There are quite a few different churches, chapels, and shrines on the acreage that were acquired when the land was purchased, and I’m pretty sure they’ve made their point.
This is holy ground and anything unholy isn’t welcome here.
It’s part of the reason I feel so safe here.
I know she can’t find me when I’m on these sacred grounds.
Going out tonight was such a mistake. I should have stayed home with Dad, I think miserably as I reach the front door and knock softly.
“Um, do you think if someone inside is asleep, they’re going to hear that?” Devyn asks with a chuckle.
“He will,” I reassure him as I knock again, then tuck a stray hair behind my ear.
The sound of shuffling footsteps greets us before I have a chance to knock for the third time, and I give Devyn a small, victorious smile.
When the front door is cracked open, Father Whittaker sticks his head out. He looks tired and his hair is wild—I’m not used to seeing him out of his uniform.
He almost looks… handsome.
“Are you okay, Lily?” he asks groggily, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. His eyes wander over to Devyn for a moment, giving him an odd look followed by a curt nod. “Nice to see you again.”
Devyn chuckles nervously but doesn’t offer anything in the way of words.
“I need to talk to you,” I tell him urgently.
Father Whittaker runs his hands back through his hair, straightens the hem of his white t-shirt, and nods. Even though he’s not wearing his clerical clothing, he’s ready to give me any and all wisdom he can.
I briefly look down at his feet and smile. He’s wearing black house slippers that match his sweat pants and he looks so damn normal.
Almost like he’s one of us.
“Do you want an audience for this conversation, Lily?” he asks gently.
I steal a glance at Devyn who grins, then slips his hands into his pockets and wanders off to a nearby bench.
I follow closely behind Father Whittaker as he starts toward the cobblestone church that I love so much. He holds the door open, ushering me inside before entering behind me.
“Let’s sit in the front and talk, okay?” he offers as we continue walking.
For some reason, the front row of pews feels special to me and it’s comforting to realize that he noticed something like that.
“Tell me what’s on your mind,” he says after he stifles a yawn with his hand. “Sorry about that. I was asleep when you knocked,” he tells me with a chuckle.
“I’m sorry, Father. I just didn’t know where else to go,” I state quietly as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“Did that bo
y do something to you?” he asks cautiously.
“No, nothing like that,” I promise him as I raise my eyes to his and take a deep breath. “I saw her tonight.”
“Who?”
I take a deep breath.
I’m so afraid he won’t believe me, even though he once promised he always would.
But what I have to say is going to sound so impossible, and I have to remind myself not to be angry with him if this is the one time he lets me down.
“Kora.”
∞
“Lily,” he begins after some quiet thinking. “I thought you said that Kora died.”
“She did, but I know what I saw. She followed me here, Father. She was in the Old Vines, and she tried to hurt me. Devyn—he helped me. He made sure I was safe, and he wanted to take me home so I wouldn’t have to walk alone, but…” My frantic rambling trails off as I begin to wring my hands. Father Whittaker places a hand gently on my arm and I take a deep breath. “I didn’t want Dad to see him. I only met him tonight, but I think he could be an actual friend. I don’t have many of those.”
Another tear spills down my cheek as Father Whittaker lets out a heavy breath and leans back against the pew.
“Would you like to stay here tonight?” he asks thoughtfully.
“In the church? Alone?”
My voice cracks and he chuckles as he gets to his feet. “I’ll allow Devyn to stay tonight if he wants to as well, but you have to remember that you’re in a sacred place.”
Father Whittaker holds up a finger to warn me against anything that would lead to things it shouldn’t on holy grounds, but I just stare at him.
While I do find comfort inside of these cobblestone walls, I don’t know if sleeping here would help any.
Especially not now that she’s found me.
Us.
Dad.
“I can’t stay,” I say breathlessly as I get to my feet. The realization that he could be in danger ignites a fire inside of me. One sparked of bravery and the want to protect the only family member I have left.
At least, I thought I only had him left.
“Tell Devyn that I’m sorry I left without saying good-bye,” I call out to Father Whittaker as I run past him, through the sacristy, and out into the night.
Chapter Six
“Where the fuck have you been?” Dad barks at me in a slurred tone when I stumble through the front door.
I gasp in shock and turn my face, trying to make out his outline in the dark house.
“Are you okay, Dad? I saw—”
A hard, coarse palm slams into the side of my face and I stumble, almost falling onto the floor. He hit me. I gave up the safety of the church because I was worried about him, and he hit me.
“Daddy?” I ask in a shocked voice as a sob escapes me.
“Don’t ‘Daddy’ me,” he snarls as he slaps on the living room light switch.
Once the room is illuminated, I can see just how drunk he is, and I honestly feel more afraid of him right now than I am of my sister.
“You were out spreading your legs weren’t you?” he barks as he crouches down over me and raises his hand again.
“No! Daddy, I promise! I was—”
Smack!
I start crying openly now as I try to back away from him, but he grabs the collar of my shirt and holds me in place.
“You’re a whore just like your mother was. I’m surprised she didn’t get the devil in her too. But that bitch got what was coming to her, didn’t she?” he slurs in a rage.
I close my eyes tightly, bringing up my hands to defend myself from the next inevitable hit. I’ve never seen him as angry as he is right now, and even through the state of shock I’ve found myself in, I can see clearer than ever why Mom left him and took us with her.
Dad gets to his feet with a grunt and begins to drag me down the hallway toward my bedroom. My head hits the side of the wall on the way, and I let out another sob only to be met with his disdain.
“Shut your goddamn mouth,” he snaps as he begins to dig around in his pocket. “You’re going into your fucking room and staying there until I feel like letting you out. I refuse to have any more whores in my family.”
When I hear the sound of keys clicking together, I immediately start to buck as wildly as I can. While I was out trying to have a normal evening for once, it seems that he put a lock on my door.
“I promise I won’t leave again, Daddy! Please?” I beg as he kicks the bedroom door open and drags me inside.
“You bet your ass you won’t,” he says dangerously as he lifts me a few inches off the ground, then tosses me against my bed.
My head bounces off the bed post and stars explode in front of my eyes. Dad leaves the room, laughing raucously as he slams the door behind him and turns the key, locking me inside of my brand-new prison.
∞
When I wake up the next morning, I turn onto my side, then lift my head off the pillow quickly when I see that the door is slightly ajar.
I close my eyes tightly for a moment as the memory of the previous night starts to flood back to me in the form of a resounding headache.
I don’t know why any of this is happening now, although the one thing I’m sure of is that I don’t want to find out.
It would mean having to go back to the dark place where I watched my sister kill our mother, murder a priest, and somehow still manage to go on with her life like it never happened.
Kora Parslow was found ‘not guilty’ of her crimes, due to having a mental disease or defect. She was sentenced to spend the rest of her life in the Serenity Lake Mental Institution. The judge never thought she would be deemed safe to return to society, so he decided not to paint the white walls of insanity with false hope.
“This is by far one of the most heinous crimes I’ve ever witnessed in my thirty-two years of sitting on the bench. The defendant, while not in her sound mind, exhibited enough strength to brutally murder two persons and maim another. She has caused irreparable harm to the surviving witness’ mental health. While the law does require that she be released upon a day she’s found to be mentally competent, I will set no such date. The defendant has not taken responsibility for her crimes, nor do I believe she ever will. With that in mind, I’m asking the bailiffs to take her into custody for transport to the Serenity Lake Mental Institution where I am ordering that she spend the rest of her natural life. If one day, the medical professionals of the Institution feel that Ms. Kora Parslow is no longer a threat to society, I would kindly ask for documentation to be presented to this court prior to her release.”
That was the last day I saw her.
It should have stayed that way, too.
Kora never should have been released from the confines of the mental institution, because she’s so goddamn dangerous.
It pains me to say it, but throughout the past few years, I’ve held onto the belief that maybe she had died in there. That she wouldn’t have been strong enough to go on after being plied with whatever medication they were supposed to treat her with. I hoped that after she realized what she had done to Mom and the priests who tried to help her, she would have killed herself.
It’s a terrible thing to wish for, but I don’t think she will be at peace any other way.
I sit up and tuck my hair behind my ears as I slowly swing my legs over the side of the bed.
Thinking of Kora isn’t going to help me while I’m under Dad’s roof, and I’m still curious as to why the door to my bedroom is open.
One mystery at a time, I tell myself evenly as I start to walk carefully toward the door.
I take a deep breath as I wrap my fingers around the doorknob, gently pulling it the rest of the way open as quietly as I can.
“Daddy?” I call out softly into the quiet house.
My voice bounces off the walls, echoing back toward me in an almost mocking fashion.
I close my eyes tightly and listen to what I
think is the sound of someone breathing from somewhere in the house.
Glancing over my shoulder at my bed, I’m half-tempted to stay put like he told me to, because God only knows why he isn’t answering me.
Unless of course he’s passed out, which wouldn’t come as a shock since he was so damn drunk last night.
No, he’s supposed to be at work right now.
“Daddy?” I call out again, my voice cracking slightly.
More labored breathing, and what I could almost swear is a faint giggle.
Something is wrong.
Dad doesn’t even crack a smile, let alone laugh—unless it’s in rage.
And that’s almost always at my expense these days.
I tell myself to be brave, and that maybe he needs my help.
I step into the hallway and when I slowly start making my way toward the living room, toward the sound of the labored breathing, I see the large pool of crimson saturating the old, shoddy carpet.
Chapter Seven
I start running toward my father. He may not have loved me and never will, but he needs my help and—
Oh my God!
I let out a scream of terror when I see him lying on the couch.
His stomach has been ripped wide open, and his intestines are hanging outside of his body. He looks like he was mauled by some kind of rabid animal,
“Daddy?” I ask when I reach him. My voice and body are wracked with sobs, and when I put my hands on his shoulders to try and help him sit up, he grunts. How is he still alive?
I immediately lean down and place a hand above the gaping wound in his belly, attempting to gather up his organs and hold them against his body; when he shoves me away as violently as he can.
And even in his weakened state, he’s strong enough to knock me onto the floor.
“You… bitch…” he wheezes, closing his eyes tightly before looking at me again. “This… is… your… fault.”
I shake my head as I push myself up to my knees. He has to be in shock or some state of denial. There’s no way I had any hand in this. I was locked in my room all night, but he doesn’t seem to remember that.
The Salvation of Kora Page 3
