The Family: Ties That Bind (VOL. 2)

Chapter 20

It took only a few minutes to get Thomas to sleep and nestled into his crib for a nap. After raiding the kitchen cabinets for what medical supplies I could find and filling a few empty jars with water, I loaded a basket with everything I thought might come in handy when paying the hostages a visit. As much as the mother in me hated leaving Thomas alone in the house where there were dangers around every corner, I knew I had work to do. 

Bubba's palm sweated against mine as I walked hand in hand with him across the yard, toward the barn. Turned out that kiss had meant "Yes" like I hoped. The yellow labrador I adopted came bounding across the yard after us with a stick clenched between his teeth. Drayton told me to run him off but I didn't have the heart. He was my new son and nobody could tell me any different. 

"Hey Comet, whatcha got there, boy?" He barked and ran in circles around the two of us, wagging his tail and jumping on his hind legs every so often in excitement of having someone to play with. 

Comet was the only semi-decent name I could think of for him since I had no clue what his real name was. The first time I saw him, he brought back to mind the show Full House that I used to watch growing up. The Tanner family on the show had a dog that looked strikingly similar to my new furry son and they called him Comet so I thought it only right to name him the same. It was either that or Ham Sandwich...never brainstorm names when you're hungry.

I paused at the entrance to the barn to take the stick from Comet and throw it across the yard. He sped off after it before it even had time to land. While both of my children were occupied, I allowed Bubba to lead me inside. Being in there brought back memories I tried to forget. The last time I was in there, Matt was alive. I made it out of the barn. I was set free from the captivity of the wretched, cramped, cage that made me lose bits and pieces of my sanity day by day, but he never was. Matt stayed locked up in there until his time of death. His body was never freed, but his soul was in the end.

Rustling drew my attention to the petite figure laying in the corner of the same cage where I was kept captive. The black-haired girl whose name I still was unsure of curled into a ball in the farthest nook of the compact holding cell, watching us from the safety the shadows offered. Seeing her cowering in there gave me major deja-vu. It wasn't too long ago that I was in her exact position. I didn't stop to tend to her. Though she made no sound, her eyes pleaded with me to keep Bubs as far from her as I could. Causing her further distress was the opposite of what I was trying to do so I decided leaving her alone would be for the best.

The other cages were open and empty besides some stray chickens wandering in from outside to nose through the hay for a place to roost. "Where are the others?" I asked even though I already knew the answer. There was only one other place they could be.

Bubba gave my arm a tug and I followed him into the slaughter room where he did the butchering and meat-packing. Stepping into that room, the sight was as horrific as I imagined it would be. The first thing I saw was Dwight and the other male shackled with ropes and chains, both looking a little worse for wear. The man whose name was illuding me much like the girl in the cage was tied to a post in the room with his hands behind his back. His bare arms sticking out from the sleeves of his t-shirt were blemished with scrapes and cuts, but his injuries didn't concern me as much as Dwight's.

Due to the extent of the injuries he sustained, Dwight was the first I chose to tend to. Gliding to my knees before him, I set the basket hanging on my arm on the cold concrete floor and unpacked the bottle of expired peroxide and gauze. Much like Matt, he was chained by his hands and feet to a metal loop, driven into the wall beside the deep freezer. His red hair clung to the dried blood on his forehead, clotting the gash that was profusely bleeding last time I saw him.