Prophet

Chapter Eleven

He was only suffering smoke inhalation. So why wouldn't he wake up?

He'd been unconscious since they brought him in yesterday afternoon. They'd put him on his bed and her mother had cajoled the town doctor-a wizened old man who had to be seventy if he was a day-into coming out. She'd said that they'd found him in the chapel when it burned.

He was fine. So why wasn't he waking up?

Christine peeked in yet again around four. Her mother wasn't here, her father wasn't here. Good. It was safe to go in.

"Isaac?" He didn't stir. "Thank you."

Nobody came and she sat down next to him.

"Please wake up soon. Okay? Please?"

All he did was cough and move his head a little. Why wasn't he waking up? Surely he should have woken up a little, right?

"I beat your high score." she said, hoping to wake him up that way. "You have to wake up now, so you can take it back."

Nothing.

"Dad says we can pass you off as an exchange student or something when we go back to the city." she said. "You won't like it. Lots of cars, lots of noise."

Still nothing. She stopped trying and ruffled his hair.

"Stop this." she said. "Stop it. Just wake the fuck up, it's not funny."

She left the room after that.

* * *

It was midnight when her door opened. She wasn't sleeping-how could she, with this storm going on?-but it startled her all the same.

"Mom, can't you...Isaac."

"Sorry."

"When did you wake up?"

"Half an hour ago."

He sounded raspy and ill. Who cared? He'd woken up, he was going to be okay!

"How are you feeling?"

"My throat is very, very sore." He swallowed hard. "But other than that...I'm okay. I think."

"Don't scare us like that."

"Sorry."

He sat down next to her and leaned against the wall.

"You beat my high score?"

"Sorry."

"That's not fair. I was sick."

"Life isn't fair."

"No."

They were quiet for a few minutes, listening to the rain fall.

"What happened to the Pastor?"

"I saw the cross fall on him, but...I don't know. Maybe he went home."

Good enough.

He reached over, picked up her phone, and popped the battery out.

"Thank you for coming after me."

"What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to make him leave." he said. "I wanted to make him stop."

"What were you going to do?"

"Go back."

Idiot.

She didn't say so, though. She didn't say anything.

There was nothing more that needed to be said.

THE END