Part of the Family

Chapter 3

(One year later; Val's POV)
    I walk downstairs, my legs shaking a little. I'm holding a plate as I quietly walk to the kitchen. I peek around the corner of the door, looking in on the dark dining room.
    Mama, Papa, Evie and Lucas are all there, sitting around plates of strange, stinking meats, the room lit up by candles on the table, along with a stranger, sitting across from Mama.
    The person is sitting in a chair, hands tied to the arms. He looks like he's been unconscious, and is just starting to wake up. He's wearing a dirty, white shirt, his hair is short and blonde, and there's a watch-like device on his left wrist, and that hand looks like it was stapled back on. He stares at me, looking extremely confused.
    "Time for supper, dear," Mama says to the man, like he's another part of the family. "Eat it," she continues, "It's good,"
    "Dumb son of a bitch wouldn't know good if it hit 'im!" Lucas says, and throws the man's entire plate of food in the man's face.
    At the breaking point of annoyance, Jack stands up. He grabs a machete and grabs Lucas' arm, and slams it on the table. With a lot of effort, Jack cuts Lucas' forearm in half.
    I suppress a yelp, and hide around the corner more.
    "Oh, goddammit, old man!" Lucas cries, more in annoyance, "Not again!"
    Jack then, still holding the machete, walks around the table, to the man. He puts the machete down, picks up a spoon, and tries to force feed the man, while saying something, but I'm not paying attention to that.
    I'm trying my best not to throw up, since I'm still staring at Lucas' dismembered arm on the table.
    The man struggles and eventually knocks the spoon out of Jack's hand.
    "Awe, shit!" Marguerite yells, upset, "He ain't eating it, Jack!" She proceeds to freak out, and storms out of the room.
    Again, Jack seems annoyed, so he takes the machete and starts to pry at the man's teeth.
    But then, a phone rings somewhere deeper in the house.
    We all freeze.
    "I bet it's that damn policeman again," Lucas says, looking around. He then notices me.
    Jack stops, looks up, and walks back around the table. He places the machete down, and he grabs Lucas' shoulder, pulling him out of his seat. "Now, don't you go nowhere," Jack says to the man, "I ain't done with you," He then sees me. "Lucas," he says, "Take care of Val,"
    Lucas nods a little, and walks toward me. "Hey, Val..." he mutters, "...what's up?"
    "You...your arm..." I mutter, pointing at his arm.
    He glances down at the already somewhat healed nub, and the severed arm on the table. "Don't worry about it," he says, looking back at me, "you ate what Mama sent up to you?"
    I nod a little, holding up the dirty plate.
    "Just set it on the counter," he says, "Come on...Papa's not in a good mood. Let's go to the Barn,"
    I glance at Evie. "Am I allowed outside the house?" I ask.
    "Evie says you're allowed in the barn," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the house.
    I nod following him. I look back at the man sitting at the table.
    He looks almost sympathetic towards me, but still fairly scared.
    "Did you really eat what Mama sent up?" he asks, once we're outside, "Or did you throw it all up afterwards?"
    I look down at the ground. "Sorry..." I mutter, wiping tears from my eyes, "...my stomach wasn't happy with it..."
    He sighs. He squeezes my hand a little tighter. "It's fine, Val..." he mutters, "...I don't like it either. That's why I don't eat it...Jesus, look what the old man did to me...it's gonna take forever to grow this back...not to mention to find a new hoodie,"
    I nod a little as we enter the barn. I follow Lucas to a room full of monitors showing camera feeds. I sit on the large couch, and pull my knees up to my chest. I hug my legs, watching as Lucas sits at the monitors. I take the rubber band around my wrist and tie up my hair, and sigh.
    "That guy at dinner tonight?" He says to me, "That's Mia's husband, Ethan Winters. He's lookin' for her. Evie told us she wants him and Mia to be her Mommy and Daddy..." he says the last two words in a mocking falsetto, then laughs, though more in an angry way, "...Papa ain't too happy about it," he continues, "Zoe's still looking for that damned sirum...not all of us want to go back, she oughta know...I don't wanna go back to the way things were..." he sighs, and glances over his shoulder at me, "If things go back...back to how they were...they'll take you away from me...I don't want that. They'll take you, and they'll hurt you, and I'll never see you again. You...you're special, Val...very special...to me, especially"
    I smile a little, but I feel saddened. 'He's sweet but...he's been controlled by Evie for too long,' I think, 'He's lost his mind...thinks that this is better than what his life was...'
    "Get some rest if you need, Val," he says, "No one is gonna get you here...I'll kill 'em if they try..."
    I tense up a little, and nod. I lay back on the couch, and grab the somewhat tattered blanket resting at my feet, pulling it up over me. I stare at the backlit figure of Lucas at his computers, until my eyes droop. I feel myself fall asleep, but I send out a small projection as I sleep. I form it into a mouse, and go toward the door of the room, when a foot steps in front of me.
    "You're supposed to be resting, Val," Lucas says, looking down at me. He kneels down, and looks at me.
    "I am..." my body mutters, and he looks up at my sleeping body, "...projections this small...don't take much energy...I'll follow the stranger...tell you where he is..."
    He looks a little unsure as he looks back down at me. "No," he says, "go to Zoe's trailer. Tell me when someone is there. Remember to come back occasionally,"
    I nod a little, and scurry around him and out of the room.