Little Red

SEVENTY TWO

"If I were a five-year-old, where would I hide?" Dani's voice asked in a mumble as her body stalked down the hall.

Her eyes then landed on Frankie's half-open bedroom door, and she smirked as she walked over to it while saying, "Bingo."

Outside in the forest, David groaned as he slowly woke up on the ground, and he blinked a few times before his eyesight adjusted to see the stars shining up above in the night sky.

"Dani," he mumbled while raising a hand to his head.

The father had gone out to retrieve his daughter when he suddenly felt dizzy. Henry had then appeared in his mind before he was thrown against a tree and knocked unconscious. The man slowly got up with another groan and stumbled through the forest to make his way home as his body still felt extremely weakened from Henry's attack.

At the Richards home, Michelle and Pinocchio groaned as they awoke at the same time, and the latter was the first to recover as he slowly crawled over to Michelle to check her body for injuries.

"I'm fine," she mumbled to him as he helped her stand. "Are you okay? Let me see your head. I know he hurt you twice."

Not being able to help it, Pinocchio smiled a small smile as the woman checked him over before he winced as she touched a certain spot on his head. "Ow. Okay, that hurts."

"Sweetheart, you've been cut!" Michelle exclaimed. "Come on, we should get you some-"

"I'm fine, Michelle...really," Pinocchio said. "I just want to focus on El right now."

"El?" Michelle questioned before her features dropped. "Oh...Oh God, my baby!! He has my baby!!"

Pinocchio frowned as the woman began to cry. "Hey, no, shh. Everything's going to be okay, Michelle. I promise. I'm going to do everything I can to get her back into her body."

Michelle's body shook with a heavy sob as Pinocchio held her in his arms before they both looked over at the sound of the front door opening, and Michelle gasped as she watched her weakened husband stumble into the house before falling to the floor with a groan.

"David!!" she cried out as they rushed over to him.

"Mitch," David mumbled. "Dani...We have to save...Dani."

Michelle nodded as she held him in her arms. "Yes, baby, but we have to save you too. Can you stay awake for me? Look into my eyes, David."

David coughed as he fluttered his eyes open to see the blurred version of his wife staring down at him.

"Mitch," the man mumbled and coughed again.

"I'm here. It's okay, honey, I'm right here," she said while caressing his face.

"What happened, David? Did Henry get to you?!" Pinocchio questioned as they helped the man to his feet.

David nodded. "I...I tried to stop him, Mitch...I...I tried to...to let him take me instead," he told his wife as tears formed in his eyes.

"I failed her...I failed them all," he mumbled as they sat him on the couch.

Michelle shook her head at her husband as she shushed him by saying, "No, no, no, you listen to me, David. You did not fail our children, alright? It's not your fault, baby. It's his."

David looked away tearfully with his jaw clenched, which caused Michelle to frown and rub his arm in comfort.

"Where the hell is he?!" Pinocchio questioned while looking around with narrowed eyes.