Interesting (AfterDeath)

Chapter 39

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Geno P.O.V

After we had finished our meal, Reaper had suggested going to meet my... my nephew.

It's going to take a while to get used to that one, huh.

Reaper sighed when he noticed me hesitating to knock on the door of a smallish house in the middle of nowhere.

'What is it with criminals and the hideouts in the middle of nowhere?'

It made me feel warm inside for some reason when I realised that I was classed as a criminal now.

It was a stark contrast to the usual empty coldness.

"Gen, sweet," Reaper said gently, drawing me closer protectively with the arm that he had wrapped around my waist.  "Do you want me to knock or..?"

I shook my head slightly, raising my hand to knock, hesitating, before shaking my head again and knocking slowly.

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Error P.O.V

I had just finished preparing something resembling dinner - I had been cooking three meals daily, or trying to, for at least five years, but it was still...  a work in progress - when I heard a knock.

I immediately tensed up, fear flashing through my mind. 

Visitors weren't a common occasion. We lived in a small house in the middle of nowhere - the previous owners of which had been murdered. We were situated in the middle of a seemingly endless forest that was quite literally called the anti void.

How it got it's name, I had no clue.

'Who is it?  Who could it be..? Oh no, Ink..?  He couldn't...  he wouldn't be.... would he?'

At the exact moment that I was about to break down in a panic attack, Gradient walked into the kitchen, a look of confusion on his face, so I had to pull my shit together.

"Dad..?  Why is there someone at the door..?"  He asked warily, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I don't know," I said bluntly.

'What if they've found us? What if the police have found us? What if Ink's tracked us to here, what if he's come to take Grad away from me? What if he puts Grad back into that awful children's home..?'

I shivered at the thought, remembering the grotty, neglected condition of the home.

'I won't let him.'

"Grad, stay right there," I said quietly, snatching a large knife from the knife rack. My son's eyes widened, but he nodded, his fingers twitching nervously. I paused, them threw him a small smile.

"Don't worry," I said softly, casting the knife in my hand aside for a moment to bring him into a soft hug. The physical contact immediately made my mouth go dry, my hands shaking slightly, my chest tight.

But since I knew Gradient liked hugs, and that they usually calmed him down, I had to deal with it.

Gradient relaxed quickly, nodding slightly.