A Murder in Mayberry

Part 3/1 Villain: Damien

Sienna was working and going to school and taking care of a baby all by herself. Well, not all by herself. She did take baby Emmie Bell to a babysitter sometimes so she could work on her schoolwork and go to work. Her mom did help out too when she was not working her two jobs or sleeping, but Damien did nothing. He gave her a little money, but he never, ever offered to change a diaper or feed the baby or even take her for a check-up. Sienna was resentful of Damien and his lack of parenting skills. She was disappointed too. She was sixteen and young and naive enough to think a new baby would make a baby daddy shape up and become a man, but no chance with Damien.

If anything, Damien was worse than before the baby came along. He was still sneaking around and downright suspicious in his secretiveness. He had not been home to see his mother since before the baby was born. His mom called Sienna once a week and practically begged her to have Damien call her or come see her. Sienna lied and said she had not seen him because Damien insisted on this. He said someone was still looking for him, and he could not go to the sheriff or let anyone know, or things would be bad. Damien would not tell her what was going on, but he insisted that he was working for someone new now. Someone who was going to take care of him and help him make a good life for her and the baby.

Sienna knew he was lying. She saw the mayor downtown one day, he hinted that Damien was still working for him. He told her to come by one day, and he would give her a job too. No way was she doing that. The mayor gave off serious pervert vibes. Sienna knew his type already from her mom's old boyfriends. An elected official was supposed to be respectable and trustworthy, but being mayor just gave Mayor Booker  the power to get-out-of-jail free . 

Sienna was sure Damien was lying to her. She just knew he was still working for the mayor, though he seemed to have a lot more money than yard mowing paid. She had no idea where he was living because he would not tell. He believed it kept her and the baby safe. Safe from what? Siena had no idea, because he was so vague, and so damn paranoid. It unnerved her and made her skittish. She was forever looking over her shoulder even though she knew that Randall Michael Wall was dead and gone, and she and the baby were safe.

Sienna was starting to wonder if Damien was living with another girl. Now, that would make sense she decided. Sienna was going to finish this semester of school and tell him it was over, though, deep down, she did love Damien. If only he would grow up, dammit. Change, dammit. Be a man and more importantly, be a father. Dammit. And quit, for Heaven's sake, sneaking around and acting like danger was all around and the boogeyman was coming.

For Damien's part, he was working for the Collector now and, if Sienna knew that and knew about the Collector, she would know that Damien and Sienna and Emmie Bell were all in danger. There was such a thing as a boogeyman. He lived in a mansion outside town and was friends with the mayor. He had a collection of people trapped under his house, and he was looking to add some new guests. Damien was now a cog in the machine that fed a monster.