..

"We need to leave." Cliff bounded over.

Dray pulled Lucy's hands from her face and scrambled to her feet. The men walked away, Wells far ahead.

They jogged to catch up. Dray focused on the feet in front of her, matching the pace of her steps with Nash and Cliff. Once they reached the street, she watched Wells lean on her front door. She ran ahead, but Nash gripped her shoulder.

"We can't stay here." He motioned to Cliff to check out the surroundings.

Dray crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "We can't stay anywhere."

A deep frown set in his face. "We have another place, a safe house of sorts." He waited a few moments for Cliff to return into view before continuing. "Pack a small bag. We leave in ten."

Dray's arms dropped like dead weights to her side. She walked towards Wells. He stepped aside and she unlocked the door, leading him inside and to her bedroom. Some of his things had been left throughout the last couple weeks. She shoved them into a duffle bag alongside a handful of her own stuff.

She zipped up the bag, tugging the zipper away from clothing that got stuck, and threw it on the floor at Wells' feet. Her eyes trailed up his body. His hands cradled his head. His shoulders slumped.

"Hey," she said softly and kneeled in front of him. She moved his hands and wiped away the streaks of tears barely rolling down his cheeks.

He didn't look at her, so she sat on the bed and hugged him. He collapsed into her and she hoped she provided some sort of warmth and comfort. She was at a total loss.

A gentle knock split them apart.

"It's time to leave." Lucy peeked her head into the room. She sent a sad smile to Dray, who closed her eyes in an exaggerated blink.

Wells shifted Dray to the side and stood. He grabbed the duffle bag from the floor and flashed a poor smile before leaving the room.

Dray took in a long breath and let it out, her lips forming a small oval. She closed her eyes again and massaged her scalp through her tangled curls.

Lucy waited, leaning on the door frame. Dray expected and welcomed the silence. Comforting words didn't run in the family, but came with the presence of one another.

The sisters walked out to Nash's truck a few moments later, which Nash had ran back and picked up during the time they packed. Dray climbed in the back with Wells and Cliff while Lucy sat up front. The wheels spit up dirt and it hovered like smoke above the ground as soon as the doors slammed shut.

An hour or so of bumpy, unpaved roads later, Nash pulled up to a log cabin just off a small lake. He parked in front by an old dock that stretched over a surprisingly sandy beach and into the water. The lake reflected the clouds like glass.

Inside the cabin, one large room filled the center with a set of bedrooms and bathrooms on either side. A modest kitchen lined the back wall.

Nash tossed his keys on a rolling island pushed out to separate the living area from the dining area. "We should be safe here for now." He pointed across the cabin. "You two can take the room over there."

Dray muttered a thanks and followed the retreating Wells to their new room. The opposite of Lucy's home, it held only a wooden dresser and bed frame. An ill-fitting mattress lay thin across the bed with homemade quilts and full pillows on top.

Wells dropped the bag onto the bed and Dray set her purse on the dresser. They looked to each other, standing still for a few moments. Dray urged herself to say something, anything, but couldn't string together anything coherent. She felt foolish for thinking the situation wouldn't get any worse from their original plan.

In one step, Wells caught Dray's hand and they went back to the living room.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon and left behind an icy chill. It snuck into the cabin, making every surface cold to the touch. A dewey smell lingered, twisting with the fresh air.

Cliff stacked small pieces of splintered wood into a fireplace on the wall of the front door. He shoved crumbled strips of newspaper in the spaces between the logs and lit them with a match. The heat instantly flooded the room.

The vibrant orange of the flames drew Dray's eye and she wandered closer, pulling her sweatshirt tight to her body.

A couple couches and a chair surrounded the fireplace. Dray snuggled into the fluffiest looking one and curled her legs up to her chest. Wells followed and rested his arm behind her on the back of the couch. They sunk into the worn leather.

"Here," Lucy brought over two mugs of steaming liquid, "take this. It's tea. Help warm you up." She smiled.

Dray immediately grabbed one of the mugs to warm up her hands. The steam pushed the smell of lemons, ginger, and honey. She held it close to her chest and relaxed.

Soon everyone settled into the furniture and the silence broke.

Nash shifted his weight forward, leaning his elbows on his knees and weaving his hands together. "Your father," he said towards Wells, who sat directly across from him.

Meeting his gaze, Wells' stare narrowed and he barely nodded. "My father."

An eerie tension landed in the room. Dray zoned out into the fire, her vision blurring as her eyes tired. She scooted closer to Wells.

Wells ended the staring contest and dropped his head on the back cushion, using both hands to comb back his hair and look at the ceiling. "So, I guess this really did start with my parents' disappearance." He swung his arms forward and into a similar position as Nash. "At least I was right about something."

Dray blinked and moved her gaze away from the fire. She grabbed Wells' hand in both of her own. "What do you know about him?" She scanned the others.

"Nothing really." Lucy brushed her hair over one shoulder. "That was the first time we have actually seen him." She glanced at Nash as he put a hand on her knee.

He nodded, connecting eyes wth his girlfriend. "Usually it's a phone call from him or he goes through the Mayor." He looked back at Dray and Wells. "This was the first time he wanted to meet."

"Why?" Dray's eyebrows pulled together. "Because of us? He knew before," she muttered and answered her own question before anyone else could.

Cliff spoke up. He stretched out in an old armchair off to the side. "Yes, but more specifically, Wells. You two found out a lot more than he let most and we can only assume now it's because Wells is his son." He crossed his arms and let his head fall slightly to the side. "If it were anyone else, you'd both be dead." A grim look swamped his face.

Lucy glared at Cliff and turned to Wells. "He came back to see you. It's the only explanation that makes any sense."

A rough scoff bounced off the walls. Wells pulled his hand from Dray's. "I thought he was dead up until now. After everything I've learned, he thinks I would actually want to see him?" He clenched his jaw and held his head in his hands, leaning back.

Dray's vision blurred again as she watched him. Everything floated straight through her ears. Her movements slowed and she blinked an obnoxious amount of times to refocus. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"We'll have to get in contact with the sheriff." Cliff crossed a leg over his knee and grabbed his ankle. "He's always been the most hesitant of Parson's followers. Maybe he will help?"

Lucy threw up her hands. "Yes! Just like I've been saying all along. I think Tieg is a good guy."

"Well if he doesn't live up to your standards, Lucy, you could always tell him his family is in danger," Dray offered.

"Like a threat, Dray?" She straighten up in her seat. "Really?"

Dray waved her hand. "If he is on our side, it'll be more of a confirmation because I'm sure he'd already feel that way. Besides, if not, I did that photoshoot with him and his family. He is completely different with them. It they were in danger, I bet he would do anything to stop it."

"It's a good idea." As soon as the words left his mouth, Nash became the new target of the evil eye. "Luce, it's probably the best plan we're going to have time to come up with and like Dray said, if you're right about him, it won't be a threat."

She sighed into his arm. "But what about Parson? Do you think he knows about us working against him?"

Cliff, having the most stable voice of the night, stood from his chair and paced. "I wouldn't assume otherwise. He always knows more than us."

A deep groan from Wells tore through the room. He stood up, too, running his hands threw his agitated hair. "We are going with the same plan, then? Kill him?"

"At this point, I think it's kill or be killed." Nash nodded through his answer.

A constant shiver ran through Dray's body and she pulled her legs closer to her body. "We can just get him arrested?"

He shook his head in slow swoops. "He's got stuff on everyone out here, Dray, the police included. They may not agree with what he does, but for some reason, they do what he says. They'd never arrest him," Nash explained, rubbing his eyes.

"Then we move forward and get it over with." Wells gripped the couch from behind, hovering over Dray.

She looked up at him with tears settling in her eyes. The weight on her heart plummeted to her stomach.

He dropped his upper body and lingered close to her ear. "The father I knew has been dead for over ten years. This man," Wells hesitated, "this man isn't him. He's dangerous, murderous, and from what you guys say, won't be stopped easily."

Dray returned her gaze to the fire, letting her mind burst open and twist and turn with the new information. "Kill or be killed," she echoed.

Lucy rose to her feet sharply and clapped her hands. "Well, I think it is time for us to get some rest. Tomorrow, well, tomorrow will be a big day."

She didn't have to say it twice. Those who already stood darted towards their perspective rooms and those who sat, stood just as quick. Well, almost.

Dray rocked her body forward in an attempt to escape the large couch, but tipped back into the fluffy cushions. She rolled onto her side and stuck one leg out, securing her foot on the ground and slightly under the couch. Her butt stuck in the air as she locked down the other. She whipped her hair up, followed by her upper body and turned around.

She blushed. "That was much harder than it should have been," she mumbled to Nash, who watched with an amused smile.

He chuckled and bid her goodnight.

Dray walked to her room and closed the door quietly behind her, taking a deep breath.

"Wells."

He was already dressed in a fresh pair of sweatpants and a bare chest. Dray suddenly wished the circumstances were different.

He tugged a shirt over his head. "I'm fine, Dray." He messed with his hair. "Please, let's not talk about it, okay?" He climbed into bed and avoided her eyes that followed his every movement.

Dray took her time changing into her own set of sweats and climbed in next to him. He pulled her close and her eyelids fluttered shut. The light sound of wind lulled them into a restless sleep.

..

[EDITED OCTOBER 9, 2021]

Thank you so, so much for reading! 

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