Page 83 of Ashes to Ash’s

Ethan was trying to fill the gaps in his schooling, and trying to get him on a learning schedule that’d tie in with school curriculum for when we looked into enrolling him somewhere.

And now we were making a visit to Ren’s parents’ place, but not to kill them. We were going there purely to pick up some things he’d left there when he was sent away, things he couldn’t bear to live without. Things like a gold watch from his grandfather, that was all he had left of the guy. At least there’d been one good person in his life before we saved him.

It was weird as hell, but we had things that needed to be settled, and this was the only way.

“Ready, kid?” We both turned to look at Ren in the back seat of the car, and he shook his head. He looked terrified, like just being here was diminishing his sense of self by the second. He’d been growing in confidence over the last month, but he was slipping backward inch by agonising inch.

“Ren, you don’t need to go in. Give us a list, and we’ll get your stuff for you. You never have to see them again.”

He shook his head again. “No, I have to do this. I have to draw a line under things, so I can move on. Just like you did.”

Cal groaned, raising a finger in the air.

“We are NOT killing them. That’s the last time I’m saying this. Look around us, it’s daylight, there are people in their gardens, mowing lawns and shit. We’ve already been spotted by god knows how many nosy neighbours. Look at the signs on lampposts. It’s a neighbourhood watch area. That means, eyes everywhere. It means this car and its registration are already noted somewhere. We don’t take risks that we can’t get away with.”

Wow. Spoken like a true Cross, right? We don’t commit crimes we haven’t thought through, or won’t be able to escape justice for.

“So proud of you, baby.”

They both rolled their eyes at me.

“What say we do this, then we’ll go get you that new laptop of your very own? You wanted those design programs to run, right?”

Ren nodded eagerly, and I knew one of the reasons Cal wanted a new one for him was to lock that fucker down, so he couldn’t access ‘harmful content’, but it was also important for Ren to have his own things, so he could feel like his own person again, or maybe for the first time.

“What are their names?” I asked, getting out of the car, and waiting for Ren to join me. Damn, he looked so small and fragile as he gazed fearfully at their house. I was starting to wonder if they’d done more than neglect him, and send him away. Not that those things weren’t terrible enough, but still.

“Dennis and Tracy.”

“Wow, what boring names,” I said, leading the way to their door, while Cal walked behind Ren. All we could do was try to bolster him, and make him feel safe and seen. Neither of them knew about the knife in my pocket, but a Cross never walks into a situation without a backup plan, and that was mine. Hopefully I wouldn’t need it, but if so, I also had that creepy bastard Sharpie’s card in my other pocket. I could feel the card’s presence more than the knife, but that’s not important right now.

“Yes, can I help you?”

The dad answered the door, and I smiled at him, hopefully hiding all my evil intent behind it.

“Are you Dennis?”

He nodded, trying to peer around me at Cal and Ren, who he probably couldn’t see yet.

“We’re here to pick up your son’s things.”

His mouth dropped open and he stepped back. “You’re from the Church?”

I know I grimaced, and the two behind me probably gagged, but I just shrugged.

“Sure. Can we come in?”

He let us in. The dumb fucker let us in, and it was only then that he noticed our boy with us, standing with his head hanging, cowed and afraid in this house that should have been his safe place.

“Renfield? Is that you, boy?”

Renfield? He never told us that! No fucking wonder why he went by Ren.

“You won’t speak to him unless he addresses you,” I said firmly, turning to Ren and grasping his shoulder.

“Go get your things, kid. We’ll make it fast, okay?” He nodded, still keeping his eyes down as he practically tiptoed down the hall.

“I thought the process was that he’d come home after.”