Chapter 25:
Companions of the Lamb
I looked up at Joe, as he held my head gently
in his lap. He seemed to be crying and in an altered state. No duh Nick, you
think? I mean the guy only set the woods on fire! I tried to sit up but the
pain running through my back and head made it almost impossible. I laid back
down, "Easy my little lamb, don't move just try to relax" I Jerked at
the sound of Joe's voice. So calm and gentle, it was confusing to me.
"Joe", I had to take a few deep breaths before continuing, "if
you leave now, someone will find me and you will be safe. I won't say a thing
to anyone, I promise" I looked up at him, desperation clearly heard in my
voice. He shook his head while he adjusted his legs under my body.
"Come on Nickolas, we have to go back inside" He rolled me off of him
for a minute so he could gain his footing then in one swoop I was in his arms
yet again, going back to where this nightmare all started, the house. With
every step he took, all I could do was watch freedom go farther into the
distance. The fire still ablaze all around us, dangerously close to the house.
It would only be a matter of time...
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I was having a hard time keeping up with my cousin's pace, I had to stop for a
minute and catch my breath. I stood, hunched over holding my hands down at my
knees, trying not to inhale the ever present smoke. The words that the rescue
man said still clinging in my ears, He saw Nick. I stood up though when I
thought about the rest of his statement, Nick was lying on the ground, hurt.
That stupid crazy son of a bitch, hurt my friend. That gave me the new found
energy I needed to catch up to my cousin, When I did, he was standing there
under a tall tree, squinting ahead. "Do you see him?" I asked when I
finally got in voice range. My heart was in my throat from having to run so
hard. He turned my way, "No, I'm not sure which way they would've
gone" He took a few steps to his left, and placing his hand to his
forehead like a shield, he peered through the trees.
"Maybe we should split up" I heard myself say, thinking how stupid
the suggestion really was, luckily Kevin agreed. "Uh...no way in hell are
we doing that. Right now all I want to do is worry about Nick. I don't need to
worry about you being burned alive in these woods" He walked a few more
steps to his left and stepping over a huge fallen tree, he motioned for me to
follow him. "I think they went this way, come on and be careful I think
the fire is right up ahead" I nodded as I carefully stepped over the trunk
and moved forward.
A thick cloud of smoke hung in the air like a warm blanket making it harder to
breath, Ash from burning trees were now collecting on my clothes and hair. Hot
enough to singe but not burn. I pulled the collar of my shirt over my mouth to
help. Kevin did the same. I looked around hoping to see some more fire fighters
but to my dismay there were none to be found, unless they were hidden under the
burnt leaves on the floor. Maybe Joe had left some more casualties along the
way. I tried not to go to that grim place my brain was leading me, but I
couldn't help it. When I looked at the ground, my brain saw Nick lying dead
among a pile of firefighters. The word Mizpah spray painted along their backs.
"Over here Bri!" I looked up from my macabre mirage to see Kevin
waving at me from about thirty yards away. "I found a clearing! Come on
Bri, pick up the pace!" I ran towards him. He waited for me and together
we walked towards the clearing
"I thought I saw a house up there but I could be mistaken" Kev said
once again squinting to make his eyes turn into binoculars. "It is a
house!" When Kevin said that, I felt exhilaration mixed with fear,
"Maybe it's Joe's house" He turned my way, not a stitch of joy sewn
on his face. "I hope not" He said, I was about to yell at him, throw
something, scream, but all that went away as he breathed the last statement,
"Because it's on fire"
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As Joe carried me inside, closing the door behind him I started to except the
inevitable. What more could I possibly do? I was a little put off that he went
up the steps instead of venturing down them. "Where are we going
Joe?" I whispered to him, he was talking to someone but not to me. "I
know...I will...please stop talking to me!" He was talking in a low
whisper, like he didn't want me to eavesdrop on his one man conversation. I
thought about struggling, trying one more time to break free of his grasp and
run like hell. I knew it would be useless.
"Not now Mother! I am going as fast as I can. Please, can't you see I am
going as fast as I can" By the time we hit the top of the steps, there was
a thin line of smoke making it's way through the house. "Joe!" I
whispered once again hoping to get his attention, he still ignored me, talking
to the invisible demons that lurked in his head. "I am a good boy Mom, see
I told you I would and I am"
"You are what Joe?" I needed to know what he planned on doing to me,
at this point, all I could hope for was a fast, clean and painless death. He
still continued to ignore me as if I was just a bag of laundry being carried
into a room and dumped into a washer. He continued down the hallway past
Trish's old room. He walked the whole time muttering for his Mom and Dad to
stop talking to him, "You know Joe, my Mom and Dad can be real pains
too!" That made his eyes wander back to reality for a moment.
"Really?" He asked me, wanting to know more.
"Yes, definitely, my Mom could be so mean sometimes but you know what I
would do?"
"What?"
"I would just ignore her, It drove her ins..I mean it made her mad! But
that was just the reaction I was looking for. That's what I would do if I were
you" He stopped walking for a minute, looking like I might have given him
the best idea of his life. I continued hoping to build momentum, "I mean
if she told me to go to bed I would purposely stay up until midnight. If she
said to walk I would run..If she .."
"What if she said to kill? Then what would you do?" He glared at me,
wanting me to give him an answer. Maybe he was looking for a way out of doing
this, so I was going to sure as hell give it to him! "If she told me to
kill someone? I wouldn't do it! No way! I would tell her if she wanted the
person dead so bad! She should do it herself"
"Here that MOM!" He was screaming at his invisible Mother now,
"Nick agrees!" He came to the room with the bright red door. He
kicked open the door and once again brought me in. There were blankets strewn
everywhere on the floor. He gently placed me down on one of them and sat next
to me, looking and sounding almost normal. "My Mother thinks I should kill
you" I sat up, with a little more ease this time. I had to try at all
costs to change his mind, I have said this statement so many times over such
trivial things, but this time I really meant it. My life depended on it.
"I think if you DID kill me, you would only be showing her that you are a
weakling Joe. I know that you are a strong guy. Surely a strong guy like you
can say NO to your MOM!" He gave me a scary menacing look. I refused to
show him my fear. He shifted his gaze to the floor, "You have NO idea what
she is capable of"
"She can't hurt you Joe" I actually placed a consoling hand on his
shoulder. He jumped back. "Nick, she is evil. I am pure. It's not only my
mother that thinks I should kill you, it's everyone. All the angels in
heaven"
"Why?" My voice sounded a little shaky. I was disappointed in myself,
I quickly cleared my throat and put on my stage face. It would possibly save my
life this time. "If I don't do it Nick, I will not fulfill my father's
wishes. I have to sacrifice you in order to take my rightful place next to God
my father"
"You said your mother is evil?"
"Yes, she is..was..is evil. Very. why?"
"What if God is using her to tempt you into making this bad decision, like
Eve in Eden" Oh my God I hope I was getting my Bible stories right for
once. "God put the fruit on the tree, but the devil told her to eat
it" He seemed interested in this little tale I was spewing from my lips,
"What if your Mom was really testing you for God. Maybe God wants you to
do what is right, which is deciding NOT to kill" My words sped out of my
mouth to equal my heart rate.
"Maybe, I don't know if.." He stopped midsentence looking like he
spaced out a minute, battling something I don't think I would ever fully
understand. "Oh, no Father." Uh-oh he was talking to God. Not a good
sign, my eyes quickly scanned the room for anything I could use in case of an
attack. They landed on a knife. It was hidden under a pile of newspapers, he
probably used it to cut the strings binding the papers together.
"Yes, Father, I know" He looked over at me, all friendliness gone
from his face, "I shall" He shifted and grabbed my arm, twisting it
slightly. I never took my eyes off of that knife. Never. "Joe, you are
hurting me!"
"Why did you deceive me like that Nick?"
"What do you mean? Joe I wasn't honest!"
"You will be punished for this Nickolas" He pulled me closer to him.
I shut my eyes temporarily hoping to remember a name, why is it when you need
to remember something so important, it just won't come. I need the name! What
was the name!
He pushed me down to the ground, I was still trying to remember the name. I had
one last hope but I needed to remem...
"Joe! Jacob said to stop this!" I said it loud and clear, just as he
was about to hit me with a baseball bat. He must have been hiding it behind him
because I had NO idea he had it in his hands. He left the bat in the air as he
looked at me. I kept one eye open and one eye closed wincing while anticipating
the blow. He slowly lowered the bat, "What did you say?"
"I said that Jacob told me you should not do this. It is a trick!" He
sat on his knees looking down at me, his tall figure gradually being shaded by
the incoming smoke. "When did he tell you this?" He asked me in a
childlike whisper. "Jacob?" He looked around the room. I shimmied
away from him gradually "He told me just now. He said that he loves you
and doesn't want to see you hurt anybody else" I continued to gradually
move away from him. "He said ...he..he..loved me?" He seemed
surprised. I felt bad, I wonder if this is the kind of mental mind game that
sent him over the edge in the first place. "Yes, he did Joe, he said he
loved both you and Trish very much and the killing needs to stop!" He put
the bat down on the ground. I continued to edge my way closer to the knife,
hoping that I would not need it.
"What else did he say?" He asked me now a little smile creasing his
lips, "Does he forgive me?"
"Yes he does"
"Really?"
"Yes"
"Jacob I am sorry" He began to cry. He placed his hands to his eyes
and cried. I made it all the way back to the knife and was about to grab it
when the fire alarms in the entire house went off. He looked up and saw me with
knife in hand. "What are you doing?" He asked in an agitated voice,
"Oh you are not nice Nick Carter! That was mean" He stood up and ran
over to me, "No Joe don't do this" He wasn't listening to me anymore.
He was humming Amazing Grace while he approached me slowly with baseball bat in
hand. He swatted at me but I moved out of his reach, the next thing I knew I
was up on my feet and going for the door, he grabbed me and pulled me down. We
struggled, Joe holding the bat and me holding the knife. "This is God's
will Nickolas!!!" He was screaming over the screeching fire alarm echoing
throughout the house.
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When we were close enough to the house, we bopth stopped and peered at it. The
first thing I noticed were the lack of windows, "This has to be it" I
said to an already running Kevin. We were both bolting with all our might
towards the house that was now in flames...
***
