your honky ass staying?”
“Honky? Does your friend know what era he lives in?” Dennis asked.
“I heard that!” roared through the tiny speakers, pushing them to the edge of their specs.
“Oh shit.” Dennis backed up.
“BT, I’m staying—”
“Then so am I!” He stopped.
“No, man, you’re not. You’re going to get my family the hell out of this place.”
BT’s eyebrows were so furrowed that he looked like he’d dug grooves into his forehead. “What about you?”
“I’m going to catch up on some missed episodes of American Idol .”
“What the fuck are you talking…” He trailed off when he figured out my roundabout reference.
I’d just let him know Tommy was in the mix. When I’d first met Tommy, I didn’t know whether he was truly channeling Ryan Seacrest for help or just using his name as a way to keep me distracted from what was really going on in his head. I still wasn’t sure what Tommy’s intentions were, but I needed BT to go.
“Fine, I’ll watch your family. I’m not picking up after your dog.”
“That’s fine; I wouldn’t do it either without a HAZMAT suit.”
“Hey, Dad.” The camera angle changed and I was looking at my youngest, Travis.
“Good to see you. You need to look out for your mom; you’re the man of the house now.”
“Dad, I’m still around.” The camera swung to Justin.
“Um, sorry, I meant men! You’re both the men of the house. You look good, kid. Best I’ve seen you since the day before you went to Paul’s.”
“I feel good too, Dad. I almost forgot what it felt like to be healthy.”
“I’d appreciate if you and your brother don’t fight too much.”
“You got it,” he answered.
“You coming home?” Travis asked off-screen.
“What do you think?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He was grinning when the camera finally got back to him.
“Mike, they’re getting close to here, I’d like to take Dennis to meet them out in the hallway. You’ll have communication via a link from this laptop to a radio in the truck.”
I knew implicitly it would be worlds better if Dennis went to meet them rather than the other way around. Without a doubt at that point I would not be able to get them out of here, and we’d be involved in a hellacious firefight that could only end one way with the odds so stacked against us; especially with an adversary in Mrs. Deneaux that wanted nothing from us but our deaths. I nodded.
“Let’s go,” the captain said to Dennis.
“Mike?”
“I’ll be fine, get your ass out of here.”
I watched as Dennis and the captain left. Dennis kept turning around to look at me, as if he couldn’t believe his act of betrayal.
Dixon’s hands again raked on my arm as I was once more choking the wind out of him. This time I completely let go. The sense of loneliness I felt as I watched Dennis join with my family and they left the building was profound. My heart thudded in my chest; it felt like I was absorbing a mid-strength punch to my chest w ith each beat. Whatever chemicals are responsible for depression were working overtime to worm their influences throughout my brain.
“I promise when we’re done, we’ll make it as humane as possible,” Dixon said in a comforting tone. If my family was not still in striking distance, I would have just repeatedly slammed his head into the wall until there was nothing there save the leakage that would seep into the porous material.
“Are you really trying to make me feel better about the death you want to force upon me? I can see you’re not much of a people person. Why don’t you just shut the fuck up and let me enjoy my family for a minute?” I’ll give him credit—he did just that. Seemed more like one of those people who needed to get the last word in, and he was sort of right in that aspect. If he had spoken, it would have indeed been his last words.
Tracy waved back to the camera as she got into the front passenger seat. BT gave me the finger.
“Honky? Does your friend know what era he lives in?” Dennis asked.
“I heard that!” roared through the tiny speakers, pushing them to the edge of their specs.
“Oh shit.” Dennis backed up.
“BT, I’m staying—”
“Then so am I!” He stopped.
“No, man, you’re not. You’re going to get my family the hell out of this place.”
BT’s eyebrows were so furrowed that he looked like he’d dug grooves into his forehead. “What about you?”
“I’m going to catch up on some missed episodes of American Idol .”
“What the fuck are you talking…” He trailed off when he figured out my roundabout reference.
I’d just let him know Tommy was in the mix. When I’d first met Tommy, I didn’t know whether he was truly channeling Ryan Seacrest for help or just using his name as a way to keep me distracted from what was really going on in his head. I still wasn’t sure what Tommy’s intentions were, but I needed BT to go.
“Fine, I’ll watch your family. I’m not picking up after your dog.”
“That’s fine; I wouldn’t do it either without a HAZMAT suit.”
“Hey, Dad.” The camera angle changed and I was looking at my youngest, Travis.
“Good to see you. You need to look out for your mom; you’re the man of the house now.”
“Dad, I’m still around.” The camera swung to Justin.
“Um, sorry, I meant men! You’re both the men of the house. You look good, kid. Best I’ve seen you since the day before you went to Paul’s.”
“I feel good too, Dad. I almost forgot what it felt like to be healthy.”
“I’d appreciate if you and your brother don’t fight too much.”
“You got it,” he answered.
“You coming home?” Travis asked off-screen.
“What do you think?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He was grinning when the camera finally got back to him.
“Mike, they’re getting close to here, I’d like to take Dennis to meet them out in the hallway. You’ll have communication via a link from this laptop to a radio in the truck.”
I knew implicitly it would be worlds better if Dennis went to meet them rather than the other way around. Without a doubt at that point I would not be able to get them out of here, and we’d be involved in a hellacious firefight that could only end one way with the odds so stacked against us; especially with an adversary in Mrs. Deneaux that wanted nothing from us but our deaths. I nodded.
“Let’s go,” the captain said to Dennis.
“Mike?”
“I’ll be fine, get your ass out of here.”
I watched as Dennis and the captain left. Dennis kept turning around to look at me, as if he couldn’t believe his act of betrayal.
Dixon’s hands again raked on my arm as I was once more choking the wind out of him. This time I completely let go. The sense of loneliness I felt as I watched Dennis join with my family and they left the building was profound. My heart thudded in my chest; it felt like I was absorbing a mid-strength punch to my chest w ith each beat. Whatever chemicals are responsible for depression were working overtime to worm their influences throughout my brain.
“I promise when we’re done, we’ll make it as humane as possible,” Dixon said in a comforting tone. If my family was not still in striking distance, I would have just repeatedly slammed his head into the wall until there was nothing there save the leakage that would seep into the porous material.
“Are you really trying to make me feel better about the death you want to force upon me? I can see you’re not much of a people person. Why don’t you just shut the fuck up and let me enjoy my family for a minute?” I’ll give him credit—he did just that. Seemed more like one of those people who needed to get the last word in, and he was sort of right in that aspect. If he had spoken, it would have indeed been his last words.
Tracy waved back to the camera as she got into the front passenger seat. BT gave me the finger.
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