Only in Darkness

12: Nuclear Family Drama

Ohio

2018

"Well hello there you five." 

Rachel was terrified, confused, and disturbed. All of the emotions fighting for their spot in the light as the girl kept glancing over her shoulder into the open trunk.  

"Who the fuck are these guys?" Hank asked, approaching the family with a laid back gate.

The father catching him off guard by lunging forward and kicking the blonde man in the chest.

"Shit." Marlowe cursed.

She tried to convince herself that this was all just another bad dream, but the stinging from the zip ties as they cut into the skin on her wrists didn't follow that conclusion. That hope.

"Rachel, Marlowe, come on." Dick grabbed ahold of both of the girls and dragged all three of them behind an A/C unit. "Stay here."

"Like hell-" Marlowe protested, ripping her arm out of Dick's grip and standing.

"Wait. Don't leave." Rachel begged, grabbing onto Dick and Marlowe's wrists just as the father and sister appeared. Knocking Dick off the roof with a punch to the nose and a well-placed roundhouse kick. The father walking away, the sister sticking around and eyeing Marlowe with dead eyes.

No, this was real. 

This was very real

And Rachel had no idea what to do. 

The longer they drove the longer the situation became more and more dire. Not only were they getting closer to their destination, the longer they were on the road, the longer Marlowe was stuck bleeding out in the trunk. Next to a weapon Rachel could recognize as the Cosmic Staff. 

~~*~~

Washington, District of Columbia

2018

Dick, Dawn and Hank were at the hospital. Hank watching over his girlfriend, while Dick was somewhere else mentally. Sitting outside the Dawn's room in the uncomfortable hospital chairs. His nails picking at his cuticles as he went through each mental snapshot his brain had saved in his memory. 

Doing his fucking best to see if he could try and piece together what happened. Figure out how much of the drying blood on the roof, the hallway, the splatters on the ground, and the emergency exit door was Marlowe's. 

Figure out if there was even a chance she was alive.  

He hadn't called Jack yet. 

He didn't know if he could. 

"Please Dick. She just needs help. She's angry and lost and thinks that taking down the mist will make all the demons go away. That it will make everything better. That it will prove something. Please. Look out for her. She's desperate and knowing my daughter that will make her reckless." Dick bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to sign up for something he knew he wouldn't be able to do. 

"Okay, I will." But he did anyway. 

Marlowe was his responsibility now, just like Rachel was. He may not like it, he may not feel like he's capable of it but this is the reality he's in and there's no changing it.