Tainted

Chapter 44: Just Pee in the Bush

They're entranced. The children, the adults, even the elders seem to be sucked into our life story and living it the same way we have. Chris told the story in front, he stood with the fire to his back and the audience folded around him as he spoke clearly and truthfully. Never in my life would I have ever thought that we would be able to tell anyone our story, it feels like I'm crossing something off of my bucket list that was never even on it in the first place.

John left with one other native to go retreive our van that was found about thirty minutes ago leaving us with Chris telling the story that makes me quake in my boots and heart thud so loud I think it might drown out Chris's voice. At the end of our story the only thing to be heard is the cackling of the fire, as if laughing at us and mocking our pain but soon an elder stands.

"I know that story, it is the story of Oyohusa the god of death and paranoia!" he speaks out and a few gasps are heard in the crowd making my eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"What do you mean?" I ask and everyone's gaze turns to me, "How can my father be a god if he's only a man?"
"The god Oyohusa is known to possess strong lovers, he is filled with hatred when he sees a family in perfect unity and saughts to destroy it with paranoia," the elder speaks to the crowd but occasionally glances over to me with sharp eyes.

I begin to squirm slightly at the sound of his voice and the story he tells, I don't like how much it relates to my father, despite having just heard our stories he seems to be nailing my life right on the head, including the parts Chris left out like about my father being a huge lover before he went paraniod.
"Kira it's ok it's just a story," Jesse whispers in my ear and my light and giddy mood seems to fly out the nonexistent window as I glare harshly at the elder. He's accusing my father of being possessed and as much as I despise Christopher I despise the thought of him being possessed even more. It gives him a reason and excuse for doing what he's done to us, and there is no good reason and no good excuse to justify what he has done to my family.

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A small jerk makes my eyes snap open in a dazed way. My head lifts slightly to see what's going on around me and I notice Katie driving in the front with Chris sleeping in the passangers seat. Everyone seems to be asleep but Katie and for once in my life I see Katie with a stoic face. Her mouth is stricken and eyes focused on the task in front of her which is driving in the dark Oklohma night. The last thing I remeber is falling asleep the second we got in the van and now it appears we've been driving for hours due to the small sun that dances over the horizon that I hadn't noticed before.

I turn over on my side to see Jesse sleeping right beside me, his lips are parted in a small pout and I begin to wonder if he's been drooling on my shoulder all night. I ponder on waking him up but seeing his peaceful face and hearing his steady breaths tell me not to as I admire all of his now gentle features. I can't help but feel at peace as his left arm stays draped over my waist and I try to wonder how it even got there in the first place. Jesse mumbles something incoherent and I attmept at stiffling the laugh as his nose twitches in his sleep until he finally peaks a tired eye open. His mouth forms a deep frown as he begins to take in his surroundings until his tired eyes finally land on me and a lazy smile perches on his lips.

"Hey Kira," he yawns and in a split second I'm yawning with him.
"Where are we?" Jesse mutters as he slowly props his elbow up to look out the window.
"I'm pretty sure Oklohama, we should just be leaving and heading into Arkansas," I nod and his head turns back to me.

He plops back onto the ground next to me and I feel his arm wrap tightly around my waist before pulling me closely to his chest which causes me to lazily place my head in the crook of his neck.
"I think a few more hours of shut eye are just what we need," he murmurs and my eyes flash out the window to see we've just entered Arkansas due to the sign that just flew by. My eyes flutter shut as I'm consumed by Jesse's scent, it seems that the second my eyes shut they're snapped back open again by a loud shriek.