Dylan(56)

I disconnect the call. “Dad?”

Ramming the cell into my back pocket, I hurry down the broken path to the house. He hasn’t been home in at least a week, and the sight of him on the doorstep brings unexpected warmth to my chest.

My dad. He’s waiting for me to come home. For a heartbeat, past and present blur, as if the last six years never happened, and I see Dad as he used to be—straight and strong, smiling. Somehow I wait for Mom to appear behind him and wrap her arms around him, and the scent of cooking to waft through the open door…

Dad vanishes back into the house, and the illusion shatters.

I slide inside and snap the door shut behind me, glad to be out of the biting wind. “Dad?”

It’s dead quiet. I walk into the living room, and I almost turn toward the bedrooms. Almost not notice my two brothers sitting on the couch, silent and still, something scrawled in black on their foreheads.

Everything in me turns cold.

‘SINNER,’ reads the writing on Miles’s forehead. ‘REPENT,’ on Teo’s.

Their eyes are wide, their small bodies rigid. They’re holding hands.

Holy fuck. I drop to my knees in front of them, my heart booming. “Miles? Are you all right? Did he do anything to you?”

Miles shakes his head. Teo whimpers, and I pat his small hand awkwardly. I’m so full of rage right now I don’t trust myself to be gentle.

“Stay here. Stay together. Everything’s okay. I’ll be right back.”

Satisfied the boys are at least physically okay, I get back on my feet and go hunting for my father.

“Dad, where the hell are you? Come here right now.” I check the bedrooms. Empty. “Dad, dammit! What do you think you’re doing? Are you out of your motherfucking mind?”

It’s possible, I think, as I check the kitchen, then double back to the living room to reassure myself my brothers are still there, still okay. Possible he’s gone crazy.

They’re there, still holding hands. Still looking scared as all hell. No sign of my dad.

Shit. I run both hands through my short hair and tug on my lip ring with my teeth. What’s going on here?

Something taped on the wall catches my eye. A piece of paper. No, a page torn from a large book. A drawing.

I hurry over and study it, my frown deepening. It’s from a religious book. It shows what I assume is hell, demons burning in the fires of the pit. Across it, in a red marker this time, is written ‘I shall cleanse you with fire.’

What the what?

“Goddammit, Dad,” I hiss under my breath, pulling the page free and scrunching it up. “What’s up with you now?”

I know he’s depressed, but I’ll have to have a word with him. Scaring my bros isn’t acceptable. What’s this church he’s joined now? I jotted down the name the other day. I need to check it online, but as we don’t have the internet at home, not to mention the fact my laptop breathed its last in the summer, it’ll have to wait.

Most important things first.

I grab a rag, wet it and go kneel again in front of my brothers. I clean the words from their foreheads, and then, in spite of my own dark thoughts, I sit between them on the sofa, put my arms around them and tell them everything’s gonna be all right.





PART III


Tessa

You know how it is when you’re running down a dark tunnel, knowing monsters are snapping at your heels and an abyss waiting for you ahead? How you wake up, drenched in sweat, disoriented and panicky until you realize it was a dream?

A nightmare. Awful and terrifying, leaving a sour taste in your mouth. Horrible, but not real.

Okay so far.

Now imagine you wake up and realize it wasn’t a dream at all. It’s all true. All real. The monster is inside your head, in your memories. He has a face and a voice, and he’s back. Back to chase you and kill you. No matter how fast and far you run, he’s there, right there, snapping at your heels, waiting for you at every turn. Souring everything in your life.

Sooner or later, you’ll realize that unless you want to run forever, there’s only one way out: stop. Turn around. Face your fear. Decide that this person, this nightmare can’t kill your dreams and hopes.

Learn to fight back and claim your future.





Chapter Eleven


Tessa

It’s been two days since I found Sean outside my apartment. It feels like a bad dream, like something that didn’t really happen.

But it did. He was there. He was stalking me, waiting for me.

I’m not safe.

I’m still staying at Audrey and Asher’s place. Being around them is great. I don’t think I could face staying on my own right now, and they’re awesome friends who make me feel welcome every hour of every day, even though I’m crowding them in their small apartment.