𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐦 [𝟐]

xlv. grand hunt.

    

     ENOCH WAS just standing outside the room Kevin and Fangs were in when Cheryl walked up to him. "Are Kevin and Fangs in there?" She asked and he sighs. "Yes... And I don't know what they did to Betty, Cher, I don't want her to die thinking I've converted to this fucked up cult when I did it as an act to stay in this shithole." He whispered and she raised her eyebrows slightly.

She opens the doors and he follows in, "Kevin. Fangs. Save those eyes for the bedroom, boys. We're getting out of this House of the Devil." She says and Fangs gives a confused look. "Cheryl? Aren't you confined to your room for helping Toni escape?" The latino boy asked her.

"Yeah, and suddenly you're sounding a lot like Betty." Kevin said as he looked over. "Betty was right, okay? Edgar Evernever is harvesting organs. Come with us... We'll prove it." Enoch said then waved them over to him and Cheryl.

"Betty told us exactly where Edgar keeps his innards collection." Cheryl tells them and they leave the room, heading down to the hall to the room that Betty told them about. They walk into the room and Cheryl gestures as Enoch sighs, looking down. "Are you still seeing organs, Cheryl?" Kevin asked as Cheryl quickly turns around.

"What? Edgar must have moved them, or Evelyn did." Cheryl said as he turns around. "Cheryl, we are getting ready to ascend. And you should, too." Kevin says and Enoch looks at him. "What if Cher and I get our hands on indisputable proof that Evernever is a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein?" Enoch says and Kevin sighs. "You know what? Sure." He nodded his head and Enoch smiles.

"Then proof, Kevin, is what you shall have." Cheryl says before they exit the room, they walk through the hallway, looking into all of the rooms, "where the hell are they?" Cheryl says before continuing down the hall then taking a small pause. Cheryl opens the door and Enoch walks over to stand by her. "Who's there? Reveal yourself." Cheryl calls out and Enoch sighs. "I'm in no mood. I said, who are... Oh, my God..." Cheryl starts screaming.

Cheryl rushes past Enoch who quickly followed behind. He follows her all the way to Edgar's office which she busted the door open. "What kind of sick monster are you?!" She exclaimed loudly. "Cheryl, I'm in a meeting, please respect Sister Alice." He says and Enoch sighs. "Why? Why would you do such a thing? To my own brother?" She exclaimed in anger. "You had a void." He says.

Cheryl sobs softly, "it is my job to diagnose how to fill it." He says and Enoch looks at Cheryl. "By grave-robbing?" She asked instantly. "Wait, what?" Alice says as Enoch went to her side because Evelyn walked in with two men, he grabs Alice's arm gently as Cheryl was grabbed because of Evelyn telling them to. "No! Get your hands off me!" She shouted and Enoch looks at Alice.

"Confine Miss Blossom to her room." Edgar says. "You won't get away with this! Toni will come for me!" Cheryl shouts and Enoch is thankful that she didn't blow his cover so he can keep working on the inside here at the Farm. "Kevin's father is a law man! He won't abide his son living in the tenth circle of hell!" She continued shouting.

"Evelyn. Sister Alice. Will you help me gather our flock in the Chamber?" Edgar asked as he turns to them and Enoch looks at his mom right away. "So that we may ascend with all haste."

Enoch was walking down the hall when Alice turns to him, suddenly stopping as she grabs his hands. "Go get Juniper." She whispers and he looks at her with a confused look. "Mom?" He says and she sighed. "Go..." She says and he nodded quickly. "And then meet me in ten minutes." She says and he nods again, walking away from her.

Enoch carried Juniper with care, walking down the hall and finding Cheryl with his mom. "Follow me." She whispered and Enoch walked with Cheryl behind his mom. "There's a tunnel down here that leads to Fox Forest." She said as they walked down a tunnel. "I remember. But Betty said it was bricked-up." Cheryl said in response.

"Edgar reopened it when he brought the compound." Alice said before they got to the tunnel. "Here. Take Juniper. Reunite her with Dagwood." Alice says and Enoch hands Juniper to Cheryl. "You should go with her." Alice said as she turns to Enoch who sighed. "I-I can't leave you, or Fangs, or Polly." He shook his head and she sighed. "You can, baby boy." She nodded and he got that glossy look in his blue eyes.

"Come with us... please." He says and she sighed. "I have to stay. For Polly. So you're not leaving her, or your friend, okay? And please, swear to me you'll find Betty." She says to him and he nods quickly. "Make sure she's safe from the Farm, from your father. Please." She added.

He nodded again. "I promise, mom..." He says and she puts her arms around him tightly. "Okay... go. Now." She says when she pulls from him as she went to open the door. "Don't stop running until you get to town." She tells them and then after they walk into the room with the ladder, Enoch quickly took Juniper and let Cheryl go first.

Once outside the Farm, the two started running. "Toni." Cheryl called out when they were close to Thistlehouse. "Baby?" Toni called back and ran over to them, kissing Cheryl right away as one of the Pretty Poisons came to grab Juniper. "Enoch!" He heard Sweet Pea who ran over, hugging him tightly. "We were just coming to save you two from the Farm." Toni said as Enoch hugged his boyfriend back tightly, closing his eyes.

"How'd you guys get out?" Sweet Pea asked as the couples pulled back from one another. "An angel in disguise." Cheryl says with a smile at Enoch who smiled back at her. The four ran over to the others, "where's Betty?" Enoch asked, holding Sweet Pea's hand in his. "She's being hunted at Thornhill, with all the others." Nana Rose Blossom said, now holding Juniper in her arms.

"What are you talking about, Nana?" Cheryl asked her. "Your mother has been preparing for this for weeks, if not months. It's the Grand Hunt." The old lady answers her question. "We have to go there. We have to save them." Cheryl says.

"Poisons! Serpents! Let's ride!" Toni shouted to the group and a Serpent walking by tossed a jacket to Sweet Pea who turned to Enoch, helping slip it onto the boy's arms who turns back to him. "Hey. I love you." He says and Sweet Pea leans down to kiss him on the lips. "I love you."

authors note i can't wait to finish this book