“You’re a crafty little kitten, what were you doing hiding under there?” Jillian asked, rubbing his belly before setting him on the ground.
Stinky stood there for a moment looking at Jillian, then rolled in the grass purring happily. Jillian reached back in and pulled the collar, then scooped the kitten back up; he purred happily rubbing his head against her neck. Jillian scratched under his chin, then reattached the collar in one swift movement. The kitten looked disappointed for a moment, and struggled to be free of her. Jillian laid Stinky down and he took off for the woods.
“Great we found our little snack for later,” Jack smiled as he opened the back door and rummaged through their belongings in the back seat. Moments later, he pulled out the Smear sticks handing one to Caleo and keeping his own.
“We can use these as shovels; it’s better than a tire iron.”
Caleo smiled down at Jack. “I think in this case thickness is defiantly better than length.”
The three of them headed over to the gravesite where Nolan had just cleared a three foot by two foot patch of grass leaving the hole about two inches deep. “I figured these would help,” Jack said, digging the end of his stick into the hole and removing a small chunk of dirt and repeating the process without words.
Caleo joined in and Nolan gave up using his hands and just started loosening up the dirt with the tire iron to make it easier for Caleo and Jack to scoop it up with their Smear sticks.
“Okay, let’s take a break, we've been digging for hours and it’s getting dark. We need to eat and get some sleep. We'll finish in the morning,” Nolan instructed, climbing from the now knee-deep hole.
“I told you thickness was better than length,” Jack said, pushing Caleo playfully holding up his mud coated Smear stick.
“You know that there are shovels in the storage shed,” a man’s voice said from right outside the hole.
Caleo and Jack turned to see a man in his mid-thirties sitting Indian style a few feet back from the hole, smiling. He had long, dark red hair that hung loosely down to his shoulders and a brown leather coat lay on the ground beside him. “And they do a lot better than sticks and a tire iron.”
“Hello, Thorn,” Nolan said, turning to face him. “You could have told us that to begin with.”
“What did you do with my sister?” Jack yelled, not waiting to see if this was a friend or not as he looked around for signs of Jillian.
“I figured you would have seen me walking over. You’re losing your touch,” Thorn said jokingly.
“Where is my sister?” Jack bellowed.
“Calm down, little one. Last time I saw her she was across the street collecting large rocks from the side of the road,” Thorn said, turning towards the road.
“Wrong!” Jillian yelled, stepping out from behind a tree thirty feet from the grave, bow aimed at Thorn.
“Jillian, put down the bow, he's a friend” Nolan said calmly.
“Maybe one of yours, but we don’t know him. Jack, Caleo, get over here. That man has been watching us all day from that rusty old truck,” Jillian said urgently.
“Wow, she's good,” Thorn said laughing. “But if I meant them harm I would have done so when they weren’t paying attention.”
On the last word the tree Jillian was standing by fell over blocking Jillian from view. Jack jumped out of the hole and ran for Jillian as another tree fell over behind the other one.
“Jillian!” Jack screamed.
“Jack, I’m stuck!” Jillian yelled back.
“Let her go!” Caleo growled angrily as he assumed that Thorn was responsible for the trees.
“She isn't hurt, I just have the trees blocking her from—” Thorn stopped, a look of pain and surprise on his face as he kicked his leg madly because a little kitten held onto his calf. “Let go of me you little bastard.” Thorn pulled Stinky off his leg and threw him across the yard.
Stinky did a summersault in midair, landed on his feet, and darted back at Thorn only to do a one-eighty a few feet short and dash away.
Thorn laughed, but was cut short when Caleo said, “I told you to let her go.” Caleo smashed his Smear stick across Thorn’s back, sending him crumpling to the ground.
Nolan stepped in to block Caleo’s next blow.
“Caleo! He isn't here to hurt you, remember? He's the one who sent me, he's here to help.”
“You told him where to find us, how could you?” Caleo held the smear stick like a bat, ready to strike. “I trusted you. We trusted you.”
“I haven’t talked to him in over a month,” Nolan pleaded, holding his hands up in surrender.
“He's telling the truth,” Thorn said, rolling over and looking up at Caleo from the ground. “I've been here for over two-hundred years, since the day I buried my son.” He pointed to the statue in the middle of the cemetery.
Caleo looked at the statue, then back at Thorn. He could see some resemblance; the long hair, the structure of his face. It wasn’t until Caleo saw Thorn reach into his pocket and pull out a purple rose that Caleo believed him.
“You’re Jacob Archer?” Caleo asked amazed, thinking through the scenarios in his head.
“Yes, but I buried that name under that statue a long time ago. I took on the name Thorn to protect my family from being attacked like most Leeches of my time, to protect you.” Thorn climbed to his feet. “If you would please ask your friends not to attack me, I'll ask the trees to move.”
Without waiting for a response the trees righted themselves back into place, leaving Jack and Jillian hanging from the branches. They jumped to the ground and scrambled for the bow.
“Stop. It’s okay, guys, get over here,” Caleo yelled, carefully looking Thorn over. “He's my great-grandfather.”
“Actually great-great-great grandfather,” Thorn corrected, counting the generations off on his fingers. “Why don’t you sit down and I'll explain everything.” Caleo did as he was told and Thorn sat across from him. As Jack and Jillian arrived they stood behind him protectively. “Okay, well I know it’s going to be hard to imagine, but about one hundred years ago I was Alix’s best friend and protector. We had done everything together since we were kids. Well, he was a kid. I was around twenty at the time and his personal security. One night, when Alix was grown up, he came into my house carrying his six-month-old baby boy, whose name was Samuel Gaven. He informed me that he felt the Blessed were conspiring against him. Word was going around that they were going to murder him and raise the next Angel to their liking. He asked me to take his son and run and hide, and no matter what not to come back to the Blessed. He wanted me to raise his son and protect his bloodline, but most importantly he wanted his successor as Angel to have a childhood and be raised to be respectful and kind. I ran away that night. My son and wife had already aged and died seventy-three years before, so it was just the boy and me. I had no clue how to raise a little one at that time. When I had my son, Peter, my wife did all the baby stuff, that’s just the way it was back then.”
Thorn paused for a moment, smiling, seemingly lost in thought before he said, “So I did the only thing I could think of. I gave him to one of the children who had kids of their own to take care of, and lots of them. I had eleven great-grandchildren.” Thorn paused, shaking sadness from his face. “Moving ahead a generation, your father was born. His mother had him when she was fourteen. Samuel, Alix’s son, was a little older and already married to a bitch of a woman when she found out that his mistress was having his child and she wasn’t. She killed him, and then slit her own wrists. By the time I sorted through all that mess, I found out your great-grandmother had already dropped your father off at an orphanage. Having no claim to the boy myself, I left him there, keeping a close eye on him, by taking a job as a janitor there for a few years. Now your mother, she was my son’s daughter’s granddaughter. Yes, that’s right. I believe she was Sylvia’s youngest daughter,” Thorn said, pointing at Caleo’s grandmother under his statue. “She was the last
of her generation, survived all her sisters and her cousins, most of whom died of small pox at a young age.” Thorn pointed at seven tiny worn headstones.
“She never told me those were her brothers and sisters,” Caleo murmured, thinking out loud.
“I’m not sure if she even met any of them. She was the youngest and I believe the pox took them before she was born, but back to the story at hand. Your mother met young Jeff Gaven when he was working as a stock boy just down the street from here. Although I had no part in them meeting, I became even more vested by the pairing when your mother became pregnant. It terrified your father when he found out and for some reason he joined the army to provide for his family, or for escape I’m not sure which one. When she was six months along, he ended up getting into some trouble during boot camp because he was fighting and got caught with drugs. Now that was my fault. Your father never did drugs; a drinker yes, but never drugs,” Thorn said, laughing to himself. “I planted them trying to keep him from being deployed as long as possible, or at least until you were born. I couldn’t have the Angel line end on my watch that would end it all. No I had to make sure the lineage continued,” he paused, looking at Caleo as if gauging his reaction.
“I was there that day you know.” Thorn looked up at Caleo, a smile spreading across his face. “Did your grandmother tell you the story?” Caleo nodded, but was confused as he ran through the story in his head. It was just too large to wrap his head around. “Well, we'll keep that for another time. Let’s head to my house so we can get a good night’s sleep. I'll have some of my men finish up here, and we'll have a ceremony in the morning.”
“Your men?” Caleo asked, worry in his voice at the thought of more strangers, especially if those strangers were Leeches.
“Well, your men actually. They are here to serve as your protectors. You didn’t think I just had Nolan here on my side, did you? I've started a whole new team of Blessed, ready to put their lives on the line for the rightful Angel.” Thorn smiled as he pointed at Caleo.
“Why?” Caleo asked dumbfounded. “Why would anyone want to put their life on the line for me?”
“Because you're the last of the bloodline, our last hope at getting back to having a normal life away from the current regime’s corruption.” Thorn turned and headed away from the road towards the woods on the other side of the circle of trees. “Nolan, could you please bring my great-granddaughter along too?”
Then he motioned for everyone to follow. Caleo watched Nolan suspiciously as he picked up his grandmother’s body and followed Thorn into the woods.
Caleo, Jillian, and Jack exchanged worried glances before Jack asked, “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Caleo responded.
“That guy gives me the creeps,” Jillian added.
“I think he can help. He hates the people who killed Grandma as much as we do,” Jack said flatly. “And maybe he can train you how to fight.”
Caleo gritted his teeth at the blow to his pride. “I say we get our stuff and follow him. If it comes down to it we can just leave.”
As they emptied the car, they turned when they heard voices of men coming out of the woods. All three of them ducked down and watched as three men emerged. Two of them headed to the tool shed on the other side of the cemetery, while the other headed in their direction. Holding up his hands in an ‘I surrender position’ as he got closer, Caleo could see that it was Nolan.
“Do you guys need any help?” he asked once he reached the car, sounding more relaxed and alive than ever.
“You’re helping us or them?” Jillian asked irritably.
“No thanks, we don’t need your help anymore. You did your job and brought us to your boss,” Caleo snapped, brushing him off before he continued to empty the car.
“What do you guys want to do?” Nolan asked. “You want to leave and curl up in a cave somewhere, we can go do that. But if you want to fight back, this is the place.”
“Well we don’t have a choice now do we? You already cornered us when you took her body away. Now we leave and not bury our grandmother, or we stay.” Jack threw Nolan’s bag at him hitting him square in the chest. “Just shut it and lead the damn way.”
Nolan turned silently and walked towards the woods. The others followed close behind not saying a word. The sun had almost set and Caleo looked back to watch the two men digging with a lantern beside the gravesite as he entered the woods. Beyond the tree line everything was a lot darker. He could barely make out Nolan in front of him, expertly navigating around the trees and underbrush that he was stumbling over and running into, trying to follow him. Caleo felt Jillian grab his hand and he stopped.
“Caleo, I’m scared,” Jillian whispered softly.
“Me too,” Caleo responded, shocked. I've never heard Jillian say anything like that before, Caleo thought to himself, squeezing her hand for reassurance. Then he continued to follow Nolan deeper into the woods, Jillian allowing Caleo to lead her around the trees.
“It’s right up ahead,” Nolan said flatly as he hurried ahead.
“I don’t see any lights,” Jack replied, stopping in his tracks and pulling Jillian to a stop, which in turn stopped Caleo. “This feels strangely like a trap,” Jack whispered.
“I know, but I don’t know if we could find our way out if we wanted to,” Jillian whispered softly. “Anything your power can do here, Caleo?”
Caleo thought about it for a moment, then responded, “I don’t think so.”
There was a loud hiss, then a low moan coming from Stinky, who was somewhere around their feet.
“You guys know I can hear you, right? The entrance is up here,” Nolan said, coming to a sudden stop just three feet in front of them and pointing.
“I can’t see a damn thing!” Caleo spat angrily.
“Gee, that must be tough. I can’t either, but you don’t hear me whining about it,” Nolan said bitterly. “Just stay close.”
Caleo pulled the others along behind him. “Watch your step here,” Nolan said, descending down another steep incline.
Light blinded them as Nolan pulled open a door. Once Caleo’s eyes adjusted he could see Thorn sitting in a wooden chair behind a large dinner table.
“Come in, come in. Nolan, you didn’t give them the flashlight?” Thorn said, his bright smile never wavering.
“Oh.” Nolan pulled the flashlight out of his pocket. “It must have slipped my mind.” Nolan walked right in and went down a long hallway not saying another word.
Stinky was the first one to step forward, he went through the door looking around, then turned to Jillian and meowed softly. Caleo walked in slowly, stepped in front of everyone, and carefully looked around the room for any sign of attack. As far as he could tell, Thorn was the only one in the room.
17
“Come, have a seat, your room is being prepared as we speak. I’m sorry rooms are limited and you being the only girl here I've given you my room. I'll spend the night making preparations for the ceremony and will sleep in my chair. You two will have to share the spare guest room.”
“We'll just need one room, thank you,” Jack said firmly.
“Very well, I figured as much, but it would be impolite not to offer the lady her own.” Thorn waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I have some soup simmering and there is bread on the counter. It will be ready soon, please take a seat.” They all did as told when Thorn got to his feet. “Now then. There seems to be a lot of tension in the room. I hope that passes. I do hope we can work together.”
He collected four glasses from the cupboard and placed them in front of himself on the counter top. He filled each glass with ice from the freezer and poured tea from a pitcher into each of the cups. “You see, I want to do the duty that I swore to do lifetimes ago and that is protect and serve the Angel. I’m not sure whose orders the Blessed are following, but because you're sitting before me Caleo. I know my friend Alix is dead.” Thorn delivered the glasses to each of them in turn and went
to the stove. Caleo, Jack, and Jillian eyed the glasses, then in unspoken consent they all pushed the glasses away. “He never would have stood for an attack like the one on the city, or this rampage of power hunting that they are doing for clean up. Back in my day being a Blessed held a high standing. Now it seems like they are a pack of wild dogs fighting over who gets to tear apart the next Leech. No better than the rebels that decided to attack helpless people around the United States.”
Thorn ladled the soup into four bowls, and then placed them on the table in front of each of them. He took a seat at the head of the table. “Enough talk for the night, eat up.” Thorn took a bite of his soup, followed by a long draw from his tea emptying half his cup. “As you can see, it’s not poisoned. Eat up.” Thorn dried his mouth with his sleeve.
Caleo picked up his tea and took a sip, watching Thorn for any reaction. When none came Caleo swallowed and set down the cup, pulling the bowl up to him. It looked like chicken noodle soup from a can. Caleo stirred it around, smelling the chicken broth. It doesn’t smell funny, Caleo thought, looking across the table to see that Jack was already savagely attacking his soup, shoving spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. Caleo shrugged and started to do the same. Jillian was the only one who remained dignified and ate politely.
“Oops, I forgot the bread,” Thorn said, placing sliced, store bought sandwich bread in the center of the table.
Everyone eyed him again, but quickly relented, and the boys grabbed the bread, eating slice after slice, leaving four slices for Jillian.
Stinky meowed loudly beside Jillian’s feet. “You hungry, Stinky?” Jillian asked looking over at Thorn as if judging whether or not to feed the cat at the table.
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