The Devil Child

Chapter Twenty-Five

 Tom rolled to a stop. "Who the fuck is this guy?" he laughed, but Polly didn't find it funny. Neither did Minny.

Doctor Higgins walked up to the front of the car and Tom rolled his window down, not sensing the danger. And Polly understood why - he was dressed in normal clothing. Gone were the pressed suits; Doctor Higgins was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. He looked like any other college student passing through town.

Except, he wasn't in college. Polly knew this - he was far too old, anyway.

Doctor Higgins walked up to Tom's window and leaned his head in, all smiles. Polly was frozen in the back seat, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening.

"Tanner?" Minny said, his voice strange and strangled.

"Hey, Ben." Was his response. Then, Tanner looked into the back seat, and his smile grew. "Ah, I see you found my girl."

Polly couldn't breathe. Why does Minny know him? What is he doing here?

Minny cast a look into the backseat. "What are you talking about? That's Polly. She goes to school here."

Tanner's crooked smile grew large. "Mind if I join you guys?"

Tom didn't mind. Polly did.

"No!" She blurted, and slammed the opened door shut. "If he comes in here, I am running out of this car."

Polly was trying to connect the dots. Tom doesn't seem to know him. Minny, however, does. But, he didn't know that Tanner knew me. He is just as confused.

"What is going on?" Tom's smile grew tense. "Polly, are you alright?"

As if the car was on fire, Polly clawed her way out, toppling onto the asphalt. "I am not riding in a car with that psycho." Then, to Doctor Higgins, she looked up. "And how did you find me here? How on Earth did you find me?"

Tanner placed his hands on top of the car. He couldn't stop smiling - he didn't think he'd find her so soon. And he marveled in how good she looked. Tanner noted the glow in her skin, and how shiny her hair was, now that she wasn't living with him. He noted the way her body wasn't all sharp angles, but rather was growing soft around the edges. He knew that meant she was eating more, and was healthy here.

Just seeing her made his breath catch. And then, he started to connect the dots. I don't know that guy in the front, but why was she with Benjamin? They don't go to school together - he's wearing a school uniform and she isn't.

"Polly, darling, calm down. I didn't know you were here."

She would not calm down.

"Yeah, right. Okay. Why are you here, then? Your father let me go - you can't get me now. I'm not yours!"

Her voice was shrill, and she was having a panic attack. There was a car between them, but it didn't make her feel better. She felt out of control and nervous. She felt like at any moment, she was going to wake up in his camp, in that white room, back in her torture chamber.

Minny got out of the car. "What is going on here?" He moved to Polly, standing beside her, almost protectively.

Tanner looked at Minny. "I got a phone call from dad."

Polly took a step back. "Dad? You two are brothers?"

Tanner looked at her like she was wild. Minny stared at her long enough to realize that his relationship with Tanner was not something she was comfortable with. "Yeah. He's my older brother."