Unchangeable

Chapter 7

Trigger warnings for child murder and psychological torture.

A old farmhouse. A place he has never been before.  A young girl standing in front. A younger boy standing behind her. The sight dents chills down his back. 

“He is coming.” She whispers. He hears it in his head. A shudder. He looks behind him in time to see a man, holding an axe, heading towards them. He wants to run towards them, gather them in his arms and get them away. But his visions are unchangeable. All he can do is bear witness.  

The girl runs to her brother, placing herself before him. “Please daddy. Don’t!” He lifts the axe and swings. Saul can’t  even close his eyes as the child is hit. The axe lands on her chest and a growing red stain covers the front of her once white dress.  He pulls it out and she falls, in something like slow motion.  The little boy is exposed. He stands in mute terror. 

“Run!” Saul screams as loud as his thoughts can.  He jerks and does. Down the steps on the porch, past his sister ‘s still jerking body. The man curses and takes off after him. Saul follows them, leaving the poor little girl to die alone. Or so it would seem. As he turns to follow the mad man and his son, he sees a pure presence hovering over her. It sees him and seems to nod before settling over the prone body. 

The little boy ran fast but he is no match for the crazy man. He gets to the field.  The man grabs him. “You dare run from me!”

“Daddy!” the horror filled voice stutters.  

“I am and you have been bad. You must be punished!”

“Leave him alone!”

The man jerks and looks around. “Who’s there?”

“Let him go! Let him go and I will let you go! If not I will haunt you all your days!” Saul prays it will work. If this one hears him and doesn’t see him then..

He releases him and stumbles off. Saul let’s his breath out. Now what? He hesitates to leave the child alone but needs to..

Suddenly he is home, sitting in his chair, covered in sweat.  He calls the predict immediately. If he left the boy is safe, right? Please God right. They send people out to the Tanner farm immediately. As he showers, gets sick and, then sits still and waits, they find  Dena Tanner dead on her porch with her baby brother, Hank, sitting beside her weeping. An APB is put out for their father Henry. The terrified child is taken to the hospital and his sister to the morgue. 

“He is physically fine. Psychologically, well, he at least has a chance to get better.” The detective tells Saul hours later. 

“He heard me, didn’t see me. I promised to haunt him if he hurt the boy. If I would have thought about it early, maybe the girl would have lived.” 

“Don’t do this to yourself. Saul, you saved the boy’s life. We found the perp. He was still carrying the axe. He is now in custody, in the hospital under psychological care. He claimed the children had demons in them. That he had to cut them out.”

“An angel came to get her soul.” The detective starts.

“What?” Saul explains what he saw. 

“She is safe. That is why I was able to save her brother. To follow them. I didn’t want to leave him alone to die.”

“God Saul.” They sat together in silence.