by R. D. Brady
But the cold wouldn’t let her drift off again. Her eyes were crusted from the tears that had dried there. Or maybe it was blood. She reached up and wiped at them. Peering at her hand, she saw that the crustiness was partly dark.
Images swam in her head. She crushed her eyes closed, curling into a ball, trying to shut them out, but they were insistent on replaying. The slices, the bullet wounds, the taunts, the powerlessness. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Why was this happening to her?
She’d always been a good kid. Doing the wrong thing made her tense up inside until she felt like she was going to be sick. She was the one the teachers relied on, that parents felt relieved when they learned she would be somewhere with their kids. Other kids had even teased her about being a Goody Two-shoes, but she didn’t care. It was just who she was. She had spent her life being the “good one,” and now here she was being tortured. They called her an abomination. A man had even spit on her.
That action, for some reason, had cut even deeper than some of the actual cuts by the knives.
And Zane was here somewhere too. He was no doubt receiving the same treatment. But she didn’t think he could heal as quickly as she could. She took stock and knew her injuries had all healed. Physically, she was back to perfect condition. But she felt so tired, so beaten down. It was like her thoughts had to swim through molasses to get out.
The window covering of her cell door slid open. “Rise and shine, buttercup. It’s time for you to start round two.”
Molly wanted to fight. She wanted to show them she wouldn’t go along with them. But her whole body began to shake, images of what was to come dancing through her brain.
I can’t do this again. She scrounged back against the wall, a whimper escaping her throat.
Two men stepped into Molly’s cell with rifles aimed right at her. Molly tried to inch farther back into the wall, but the concrete would not give.
The guard from earlier smiled as he followed them in. “Now, if you cooperate, we won’t have to shoot you. If you don’t, we’ll shoot you and then do what we need to do. But you’ll just be making it harder for yourself.”
Once again, Molly thought she should fight. But what was the point? She was on her own. Even if she took down these three, there were dozens more throughout the building.
And she wasn’t a fighter. She’d never actually thrown a punch in her life. The chances of her succeeding at an escape on her own were pretty much zero.
“So what’s it going to be?”
The other guards raised their weapons slightly higher.
With a cringe, Molly put up her hands. “I’ll cooperate.”
“Of course you will.” He walked to the end of the bed and unlocked the chain from the wall. He tossed it on the bed. “Carry it,” he ordered.
Molly gathered the thick heavy chain. It was easily a hundred pounds. But it wasn’t much of a strain to carry it. She stepped off the bed and shuffled forward. Her legs were in shackles that didn’t have enough give, forcing her to take tiny steps.
As she reached the hallway, the guard shoved her. “Hurry up. We don’t have all day.”
She pitched forward, slamming onto her knees. A dull roar came from down the hall. Molly’s head snapped up.
The guard laughed. “Apparently your little pet doesn’t like the testing any more than you do.”
Zane was nearby. They were abusing him the way they did her. Anger rolled through her. She might not be able to fight for herself, but she had always been good at standing up for others. She rolled her hands into fists.
A door clanged at the end of the hallway, stopping her motions. Two guards appeared, dragging a girl with dark hair between them. The girl’s head hung low, obscuring her face, but there was something familiar about her.
“What are you doing with her?” the guard yelled.
“We were told to drop her in one of these cells.”
Molly’s head snapped to the guard who’d spoken. She’d been so focused on the girl that she’d barely even glanced at the guards. Jake didn’t show any sign of recognition as his gaze slid past her. A tingle ran over Molly as they came closer. Rolly was the other guard. And although the girl didn’t look up, Molly knew it was Lou. Hope pierced through her.
They came for me.
Paul grunted. “You were supposed to get permission upstairs.”
“You want us to take her back up there? We night need to dose her again.” Jake was closer now. He’d been walking toward them ever since they appeared at the end of the hall.
“Fine,” Paul growled. “Put her in here for now.” He nodded toward Molly’s cell.
Jake’s gaze flicked toward Molly. He gave her the smallest of nods. It was all the encouragement Molly needed. She yanked on each of the guards’ shirts, crashing their faces together.
Paul leaped back. “What the—”
But Jake grabbed him, slamming his fist into his face before running him into the wall, knocking him out.
Rolly and Lou each took a guard, pitching their faces into the ground. Then they stopped making any noise.
Jake knelt by Molly, pushing her hair out of her face. “You okay, honey?”
Molly burst into tears and flung herself at Jake. He held her tight as she sobbed. She barely noticed as Lou and Rolly unlocked her chains.
Jake stood up, slipping his arm under Molly’s legs and carrying her. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Molly shook her head, squirming out of Jake’s arms. “No. Zane. He’s here too.” Before any of them could respond, she sprinted down the hall. Lou and Rolly were at her sides in less than a second. Neither tried to stop her. They just kept pace with her.
“He’s around here somewhere,” Molly said as she slowed, peering in a doorway. The room held a bunch of cages, and a white-coated woman stood with her back to the door, making notes on a clipboard.
Lou and Rolly spread out, taking different doorways. Rolly waved at them from the second doorway he checked. Lou and Molly blurred over. Rolly held up three fingers. Molly nodded.
Lou nodded to the door. “How do you want to—”
Molly yanked the door open and dashed inside, sending the guard near the door into the wall. Lou caught the scientist across the room with a clothesline as he whipped around.
Rolly tackled the third man, slamming him into the wall. “Glad to see we thought our entrance through carefully.”
Molly hurried to the table in the middle of the room. Her heart pounded and her throat felt tight. Zane lay strapped down, and tubes led to buckets of blood on the floor. Large swaths of his skin were missing.
Molly ran a trembling hand over his head. “What did they do to you?”
Zane’s eyes opened, looking into Molly’s face. His gaze was so tired, so full of pain. Tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Zane.”
He licked her hand before his eyes closed. His chest moved slowly before it stopped moving altogether. The heart monitor attached to him gave a long beep.
Molly gasped. “No.”
But Zane didn’t stir. He lay perfectly still. “Zane, no.” Tears dripped down Molly’s cheeks onto Zane’s fur. She laid her head on his chest. “No.”
Rolly put a hand on Molly’s shoulder. “Molly, we need to go.”
“I’m not leaving him here. They don’t get to have him.”
Lou shook her head. “Molly, we don’t have—”
“She’s right.” Jake walked in. “We’re not leaving him. Get those straps off him. Rolly, can you carry him?”
“Of course.” He started to unstrap him.
Jake leaned down, grabbed a container of blood, then walked over to the nearest sink. He dumped the container, running the water to wash it all away.
“What are you doing?” Lou asked.
“They don’t get to use any part of Zane.” Jake grabbed another container. Molly grabbed two others and dumped them as well. Jake walked over to a specimen container. He grabbed each specimen and dropped them in a metal w
astebasket. Then he pulled out a lighter and set it on fire.
Lou poured bleach down each of the drains they used. “We need to go.”
Molly took the last strap off Zane before Rolly draped him over his shoulders. “Be careful with him.”
Rolly met her gaze with a nod. “I will.”
Jake moved to the door, touching a mic at his neck that Molly hadn’t noticed before. “We clear, Danny?”
“Yeah. Take the southwest stairwell. I’ll be there with the car.”
“You ready, Molly?” Jake asked.
She nodded, looking at Zane. “Yeah. I want to go home.”
CHAPTER 58
Inez, Kentucky
Mary Jane paced along the yard. When she’d woken up this morning, Jake had been gone. But she didn’t have time to focus on it too much because all she could think about was Molly. All night, she’d replayed images of Molly being shot, over and over again. The moment had lasted mere seconds, and yet for Mary Jane that moment had never ended. She lived there now.
And when she wasn’t reliving that moment, she was imagining all-new horrors that the United States government was inflicting upon her daughter. How had it come to this?
The front door opened. Joe and Shaun bolted out, searching the yard.
Mary Jane hurried up the steps. “Boys? What’s wrong?”
“Danny called,” Shaun said, his voice rushed.
Joe cut in. “He, Jake, Rolly, and Lou are coming back. And they said they have Molly.”
Mary Jane gripped Joe’s hand. “What?”
“They said they have Molly,” Shaun said. “She’s all right.”
Mary Jane’s mouth fell open, and she couldn’t seem to form a word. Jen and Henry stepped outside as well. Mary Jane’s gaze snapped to Jen, who nodded back at her. “It’s true.”
Relief nearly sent her to her knees. Jen and Henry’s heads snapped toward the driveway. Mary Jane whipped around as a black SUV came into view. Tears pressed against her eyes, and her chest ached at the sight. Then she was running, stumbling over the ground. The vehicle stopped, and a small figure with bright red hair blurred. Molly slammed into Mary Jane. Henry had run behind and managed to grab the two of them before they hit the ground. Mary Jane hugged her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks, her chest heaving. Molly seemed so tiny, so fragile as she sobbed.
“Mom.”
“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe. You’re home.”
Joe and Shaun piled onto the hug. Mary Jane knew they deserved to hug her solo, but she could not get herself to back away. She could not let her daughter go. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to let her daughter go again.
Over her children’s shoulders, she saw Lou, Rolly, Danny and Jake get out of the car. She met each of their gazes, hoping they could read the thanks in her eyes because words were beyond her at this moment.
Rolly smiled, putting an arm around Lou. Henry walked over and hugged Danny. Jen hugged Jake.
But then Jake said something to Henry, and his smiled faded. He looked back at Mary Jane.
Shaun and Joe stepped back. Molly kept her hand clasped in Mary Jane’s and turned to the SUV. Jake and Henry disappeared around the back. Then Henry reappeared, Zane in his arms.
Mary Jane gasped. “No.”
Molly surged forward. “No! You can’t take him!”
Henry stopped, looking at Mary Jane, not sure what to do.
“No! You can’t have him!” Molly yelled, grabbing Henry’s arm.
Jake whispered in Henry’s ear. Henry lowered Zane to the ground. And it was as if the cord holding Molly up had been snapped. She crumpled to the ground, throwing her arms over Zane and sobbing.
Mary Jane sank to the ground next to her, not knowing how to help her little girl. So she just stayed with her, rubbing her back as she sobbed. And she sobbed right along with her, once again feeling completely helpless.
CHAPTER 59
Molly had stayed with Zane for an hour, not letting anyone but Mary Jane and the boys near him. Finally, exhaustion won out. Molly let Henry take Zane, and Jake had carried Molly into the house and placed her gently in bed. Mary Jane, Shaun, Joe, and Theresa had taken up vigil around her, and none had moved. That had been five hours ago.
The covers shifted, and Mary Jane’s eyes flew open. She launched herself up as Molly stirred, muttering in her sleep. “No.”
Mary Jane tensed, not sure if she should wake her, guaranteeing she’d remember whatever was plaguing her sleep, or wait and hope she fell back to sleep, letting the dream disappear into her mind, never to be recalled.
A tear slipped from under Molly’s lashes. “No,” she begged.
“Mom?” Joe sat up from the end of the bed.
Mary Jane turned. “She’s dreaming.”
“No!” Molly sat straight up, her arms flinging wide. Mary Jane reared back, just managing to avoid getting hit. The lamp on the side table did not fare as well. It crashed into the wall, leaving a dent before dropping to the ground in pieces.
“Wha—” Shaun’s head appeared from over the side of the bed.
Molly scrambled back against the headboard, her knees at her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs as she looked around widely.
“Molly, honey, it’s Mom. It’s Mom, baby.” Mary Jane stretched out her arm.
Molly just stared at her.
“Molly?” Joe asked quietly.
Her head turned, and recognition returned. Her head whipped back to Mary Jane. Her face crumbled. “Mom.”
Mary Jane had her in her arms in a flash. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. You’re safe.” But Molly just cried harder. Mary Jane hugged her tight, rocking back and forth. She kept repeating the same phrases. “It’s all right. You’re safe. The bad men can’t get you now.”
But her words didn’t help. Molly just cried as if her world would never be the same again. And down deep, Mary Jane knew it wouldn’t. Mary Jane had shed her own share of tears, but they weren’t all of sorrow. More than a few were tears of rage. She had never been a violent woman. She never saw violence as the solution to problems. But in this situation, she wanted to kill every last person that had touched her daughter. And not because she thought it would solve anything, but because they deserved to die.
The depth of her anger stunned her but also strengthened her. She would not let anyone hurt her daughter again. Whatever she had to do, she would keep her safe.
The boys and Theresa slipped out of the room after a little while. Mary Jane hoped they would eat something. But she knew each of them would find a spot to cry in private first. She’d seen the tears in their eyes. She knew how much they ached at seeing Molly’s pain.
And even as she sat there holding Molly, she knew she would have to find a way to help her get past this, help them all get past this.
Molly gripped her Mom’s hands. “Mom.” There was so much in that one little word: fear, confusion, desperation, and loneliness.
Mary Jane shifted Molly so she was facing her. “Look at me, Molly.”
Molly’s head lifted. Her blue eyes, rimmed in red, met Mary Jane’s gaze. There was so much pain in her face that Mary Jane struggled to keep back her own tears. She took a shaky breath. “You are safe. You are loved. What happened to you, you did not deserve. And what happened to you says nothing bad about you. But it says horrible things about the people who did them.”
“No, I’m an abomination. I’m—”
“Never say that again. You are my daughter. You are perfect. You are exactly as you should be. You were made this way for a reason. And knowing you, I know it is for a good purpose.”
Molly dropped her gaze. “You don’t know what they did. If you did—”
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change who you are.”
Molly shook her head, her voice whisper soft. “No, it does change who I am.”
And Mary Jane had no answer for that. Because she was right. What had happened to Molly had changed her. It had changed all of them
. So she just hugged her daughter to her and prayed the men who did this died a horrible death.
CHAPTER 60
Mary Jane jolted awake, her eyes flying open. The room was dark, but the small light from the hallway provided enough to see by. She had fallen asleep sitting up against the old wooden headboard of the queen-sized bed. Molly stirred next to her but settled right back down. Mary Jane said a silent prayer of thanks.
Mary Jane had prayed that she would continue to sleep, that it would give her daughter some respite from the grief tugging at her. But sleep offered her daughter no solace. She would jolt awake screaming or crying, usually both. And her screams painted a picture Mary Jane didn’t want to see.
No, please, no more.
It hurts. Please stop. It hurts.
Mommy!
Each plea was a dagger to Mary Jane’s heart. Jen had finally had Molly sedated. She needed to sleep, and her mind wouldn’t let her. Mary Jane worried the sedation would trap Molly in her nightmares, but the sedation should have worn off hours ago, and still Molly slept. Mary Jane had barely closed her eyes. She ran a hand over her daughter’s hair.
What did they do to my baby?
At the end of the bed, Shaun rolled over, his arm falling over the side of the bed and onto Joe’s chest. Her boys had refused to leave Molly’s side, even though Mary Jane knew they were hurting just as much as she was.
A shadow appeared in the doorway. Mary Jane stood up and quickly hurried to the doorway, stopping to pull the blanket over Theresa, who slept on the couch in the room.
Cain stepped back to let Mary Jane out. “How is she?”
“Sleeping, finally. And Susie?”
“She’s fine. She doesn’t realize anything has happened. Her and Nyssa are curled up together.”
Mary Jane nodded. “Good, good. I should get back to—”
Cain put a hand on her shoulder. “When was the last time you ate something?”
“Ate? I’m not hungry.”
