Page 134 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

I’m not alone?

“He will kill Sage if he finds him,” Kestrel whispers in my head. “Do not react.”

“Are you scared, Merelee?” Father croons.

I nod my head, still struggling with my sobbing.

“Good. You are in big trouble.”

“Father,” I whisper, pleading. Protesting. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You have been really, really bad, little bird.”

I stare at him, shaking uncontrollably.

He reaches out and cups my cheek.

“It’s time to come home, Merelee. Your new family are dead. They never really loved you anyway, not like I do.” He pauses, and then he laughs. It scares me. It scares me more than anything. “You are my Merelee, aren’t you?”

I jerk my head up, looking at him, feeling my lower lip tremble. Terrified. More so than I have ever been.

“Or is it Kestrel?”

My hands clench on my top, holding the material in a death grip as my mind goes white, and there’s this howling of pure terror inside me.

“Or maybe it’s Raven? No? Is it…Raptor?”

How does he know? I tremble. How does he know? Inside, I start screaming and not just me. All of us.

We’re in trouble.

We’re in so much trouble.

He’s going to hurt us.

He’s going to punish us.

“Nope, I think perhaps it’s Jay? Am I right?”

I stare at him, my throat locked closed. I couldn’t make a sound if I wanted to.

“Not right again. Well, there’s only one left now, isn’t there? It’s my little Dove.”

Tears fill my eyes and spill down my cheeks, and I shake from head to toe. He steps closer and crouches until I’m staring into those sockets, unable to see a human under the monster in the mask. I shudder as he reaches out, touching my cheek with those leather gloves that have held so much blood.

“Ah, little Dove. You’re my special one. Did you think I didn’t know? I know you; I know all my birds, and you are my baby dove. Come, it’s time to go home and pay for what you stole from me.”

Father pulls me in and hugs me.

He puts a hand on the back of my neck and with a tiny bit of pressure, he guides me out of the house and into the big black car that’s sitting there waiting for us. It’s dark and scary, and I don’t want to go in there. Bad things happen in the dark with Father. That’s where he hurts you.

Hope that was flickering to life fades and dies.

Father ignores me when I start to cry again, he just keeps up the pressure and takes us into hell.

Back…where I belong.

Merle