The Devil Walks Among Us; Book l - Completed 4/21/22

Cover Me Up

Per Mia's request, Michael did not answer. Surprised, she gave it no thought as it was possible it was lost in the fire. She stayed to file a report on Kevin, satisfied that she was able to bypass her original plan by killing him for revenge by using his rage to her advantage by getting him put in jail and losing his job as an officer.

Her head was still pounding, but she denied any medical assistance. After all, she had already had a hard night itself, but she was relieved to see for herself that Kevin was physically taken from his freedom, although she preferred him dead.

Especially by her hands.

Sighing, she entered her truck, putting away her driver's license and insurance paperwork, relieved to watch the officer drive away - one with a defeated Kevin in the backseat. She smirked to herself, "That motherfucker. Good riddance."

*

Returning to the house, it was early dawn and her adrenaline had worn off and set into pure exhaustion. She began to stress all over again. Ella was due to feed soon and with all of the sudden stress and trauma, she wasn't producing enough milk for her and she was afraid she would have to resort to formula. It then triggered the sudden realization that she and Michael were literally having to start over - a new house, new furniture, new clothing, new baby supplies - everything.

Shamefully, she entered the house, seeing the finished blunt Big John had smoked laying in the ashtray on the table, hearing the pipes groan as water pushed through them, indicating that someone was in the shower. Assuming it to be Little John as he worked on Sundays, she ascended the stairs towards her and Michael's temporary room, doing her best to quietly open the door, seeing Michael laying in the same spot she had left him in, unaware that Michael wasn't really asleep. He knew where she had gone, what she had been planning to do. It was an irresponsible decision to make not even a couple of hours after a traumatic event. He was furious. She didn't tell him, nor did she ask for help. She just did it. The radio in the room was set at a low tone, drowning out the piercing silence of Michael's thoughts.

He heard her sigh as she removed her jacket, hanging it on the nearby chair before sitting in it to remove her shoes. "Did you get what you were after?"

His question startled her, hearing her gasp softly as she now looked at him, seeing his gaze fixated on the ceiling.

"Don't you even get mad at me. You have no room to talk-"

"-This isn't about me, Mia," He argued, now standing to his feet, towering over her in his natural stature. "You put yourself into the line of fire and you suddenly have an act for getting in trouble."

"You're forgetting that I went after the man that tried to take our daughter from us-"

"And you're forgetting you put yourself into a situation where you could get taken from her-"

"I can handle myself, Michael." She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You think so? Because judging by how I could easily overpower you right now, I wouldn't think you have much of a chance," He said, referring to how she had backed herself up against the dresser, unaware of the many objects that could've been used against her, as well as her weight pushing the dresser closer to the door, an inch of the dresser itself denying quick access out of the room as she had nudged it across the wooden floor when Michael approached her. There was no denying that Michael was immaculate at being observant. He knew anything and everything on how to use and observe his surroundings when making a kill. "What would you do if someone like me decided to turn the tables on you? Huh? You wouldn't be able to take care of yourself."

"Well, then do it. I'm not afraid of you."

"I don't expect you to be afraid of me. Just know I'm no stranger to taking someone's life," He scoffed. "I guess you're not understanding that you need to let me do my job and that's keeping you safe. I can't raise Ella on my own."