Devour

Chapter 25 - Errol

I wake to fresh air rushing over my damp face. My mouth, and eyes, and by the feel of it lungs, are still filled with blood. I sit up, coughing.

 Cora.

 I don't smell smoke. Where are the kids? I passed out what did they do with the kids? They wouldn't execute one of them if they blamed them would they?

"Oi, are you all right, mate?" I feel hands pulling me up as I cough and blink blood out of my eyes.

"Sir? Can you hear me? I'll call someone for you, you took a nasty tumble there," a woman using a cloth to wipe my face.

"I---I'm fine," I say, breathing in fresh, cool, smokeless air. I look around. I'm in Bucknell, in the middle of the town. A little crowd of people are gathered around me.

Concerned.

They are all concerned they think I fell over and cut my face somehow? And that that's why I'm bleeding?

"You sure? You took a nasty fall there," the man who helped me up said.

"I'm not-----I don't remember walking here," I say, slowly.

"You from London?"

Of course I have a London accent if anything.

"Yeah, originally," I stare at my ruined hands like I do when I talk to people. They don't remember a woman with me. They don't remember Cora.

"Here, let me buy you a drink steady you on your feet there. Nasty fall," the man who helped me up says, guiding me towards a pub.

"I can't go in there," I say, stopping outside.

"Why not?" he asks. He can't think of a reason why I wouldn't be. He's not afraid of me. I pull up the leg of my jeans to reveal my ankle monitor. It'll tase me if I go in a bar or anywhere like it.

"Oh. Driving few times eh? Well you still need a cup of tea after that."

What the fuck?

He thinks it's a blood alcohol monitor.

"I'm a mutant," I say, quietly.

"What now?"

He has no idea what that is. None of them----none of them know what that is.

"I will take that pint it's not for alcohol," I say. Not that I need alcohol when I'm losing my mind but. What happened? Pasch did that to us. I know he did. He did kill Cora. He tried to kill me but something else happened. Something very, very strange.

"What brings you to Bucknell, if you're a Londoner?" the man asks, sitting down at the bar.

"I---I have to find my kids," panic is starting to fill me. "Something----strange has happened. I need to find my kids."

"Oh, has their mum got them?"

"No----I hope so-----I---I think I've lost my memory a bit from the fall," I say, staring at my hands. If I'm here where is Cora?

"How many kids have you got?"

"Five."

"Good Lord, that's a good many."

"I have to find them----I think something terrible's happened," I say, shaking my head and standing, "I'm sorry I need to go."

"Now, don't go rushing off if you've hit your head. Sit here and have a drink catch your breath you lost some blood there."

"I---I did yeah," he's right it's not going to do any good I don't know where I'm going. What did he do? What did Pasch do? How could he do that? I've never done anything to him. I never hurt him. Why would he do that to us?

"You took quite a nasty spill. Say, were you a Royal Marine?"

"Yeah, I was during the last war," I say, realizing he's looking at my sweatshirt.

"Oh is that how you got burned? Afghanistan?"

"What? No----there wasn't fighting there I was in the Pacific?"

"World War two? I didn't recon you to be that old."

"No three."

We both stare at each other for a minute.

"I think you hit your head a bit harder than you thought, mate."

"I think I'm in a different reality."

"What?"

"Never mind-----I really-----really----don't remember how I got here, thank you for your kindness----I mean it, but my kids are in danger I think----- I need to get back to them," I say standing.

"Drink your pint first."

I take a long drink, since I am thirsty and I haven't had alcohol since Jameson gave me some that one time. Yeah, so not having had alcohol in thirty something years that goes about as expected. Also I have to use my hands to pick it up so that doesn't go well either.

"I think you ought to let us summon a doctor for ye if you hit your head that hard now."

"I don't---water----" someone gives me water "_----thank you, very, very much for being kind to me----but I do need to go."

I leave the pub and the kind people in it who don't think I'm a freak. I walk out into the street and just stare, scanning every mind. They don't know what mutants are. They don't know what I am. They don't think people can read minds.

And they've never heard of a group of children who live up the lane and skip into town wearing matching uniforms and visit the sweet shop and comic book store.

They do notice my clothes are singed, as though I have recently been on fire and not just previously as evidenced by my skin.

Before I know it I'm running, up the road, towards the old farm house. I run out of breath in like, five minutes, but the effort is there. I have to find them.''

The house is there. Un burned. But that cow with the idiotic name is not in the pasture. No. No. I can't be the only one. Because if I'm here---wherever here is. Then they are there without me.

Jules doesn't have anyone to tell about football. Nobody tucks him in three times and lets him sit on their shoulders when his legs are tired.

Nobody tells him he's still important even though he's not the best at telekenisis.

Emma has to be told she's special too. She needs someone to help her learn to be patient and not be too hard on herself. She's a little girl and she needs to be protected.

Nel, I was teaching her how to get those cuffs off. Damn it she was nearly as good as Emma at it. But she needs to know how to control her anger. And protect herself and her siblings. I know she's too little to right now.

Dax. My precious, sweet sensitive Dax. We were the only family he has god he can't know he's alone. He can't think he's alone. Not my little sweet Dax he tries so hard, he wants so much to be a good man he needs someone there and I was going to be but now I'm not. I'm gone.

And so are they.

And Pasch, wild Pasch. What happened to you? Why would you do that? Did you do that? He wouldn't do that. He knows I would never hurt him. I wouldn't turn him in I wouldn't tell them if he didn't want me to. Did he do that? It could have been----none of this seems real. He wouldn't act like that. He knows we love him. We've never given him reason to hate us. That wasn't him----I just need to find them.

"Sir? Are you all right?" a woman in a dress is approaching me. She came out of the house, she lives here.

"I'm----sorry----I used to live here----with my kids. My son is----missing I'm worried about him. You haven't seen a boy around here, have you? About thirteen?" I ask, hopeless. She lives here. I never did. I don't exist here.

"No. I'm sorry," she says, frowning, "My husband and I moved in a few years ago."

"Yeah no it was----a long time," I say, backing away. They aren't here. They aren't going to be here. But I will find them.

But first. If what happened ---happened. And I'm here. Then Cora might be here too. And if so I'll find her. And we'll go back to the kids, wherever they are. I'll do whatever it takes. If Pasch did in fact do this, then I can undo it.