Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse (Part 1) (26 page)

             
She pulled the receiver away and stared at it as if it were directly responsible for Danato’s dismissive conclusion.   

             
“What did he say?”  Ethan asked.

             
She hung up the phone and threw her hands up in frustration.  “Don’t open any windows and doors, and ignore the damn thing, until it goes away.” 

             
“That’s it!”  Ethan wasn’t enthusiastic about the plan either.

             
“Yeah, I wouldn’t advise sleeping though.”  She left the office no longer concerned with the banging upstairs.  The fear she was feeling was only going to grow if she stayed hidden in the office.  Sometimes pretending to be brave was just the same as being brave.  

“What happens if we sleep?”  Ethan called after her.

             
After an hour of staring at the walls and trying to block out the mocking creature outside, they started to make up games to play.  Games that could only be invented by bored, uneasy, sleep deprived people. 

             
A simple game of chip football became an elaborate food football/baseball game.  The fridge provided several chip dips that kicked off the game.  The ultimate goal was a full on field goal attempt from nearly three yards away.

             
Each play required a new chip.  The fouls were cleared by the five-second rule, and “bases loaded,” meant you had more chip dip to eat.  The final challenge was making the three-yard “kick” without breaking your chip, as per baseball rules, three strikes, and “you’re out.”

             
Eventually, the thumping outside stopped, the chips ran out, and two dip covered faces lay on the coffee table, waiting to awaken with sore necks.

The early morning sun had pinked the sky, when the front door unlatched and creaked open.  Cori jumped up before she was awake, ready to attack the intruder.  Through fogged eyes, she saw Danato. 

             
“Don’t let it in?”  She stumbled to one side.

             
“No, the sun is up.  He’s back in his cage.  Rather voluntarily as you might imagine.”  Danato hung up his coat.

             
“You should have told us, there were vampires in here.”  She admonished.

             
Danato approached her looming over her by nearly ten inches.  His eyes were blood shot and his five o’clock shadow looked to be past midnight.  “There is far more than vampires here.  Should I warn you about all of them, just in case they get out?”

             
She was too tired to comprehend what else might be in the prison.  “Yes, you should.”  She said.

             
“Search your nightmares, my dear.”  He tapped her head softly, “Whatever you find in them, is locked up behind those walls.”

             
She faltered feeling her balance fail from being half-asleep and craning her neck to look at him so close. 

             
“You should get some sleep.”  He asserted.

             
She shook her head.  She was exhausted, but her obstinate nature was ruling her.  Her legs shook with the effort of standing.  She felt like a little kid trying to stay awake despite their head slowly descending to their mothers shoulder.  In this case, it was her new employers shoulder.  He reached around her just as her legs gave out.  With little effort, he lifted her legs and took her upstairs. 

             
Irrationally her mind flashed to the last few weeks, to lecherous men and their vile indulgences.  She let out a sound that she might have intended to be a defiant outburst, but it came out more like a whimper. 

             
She felt the bed under her body, and she clenched her eyes tight.  Hot tears spilled out over her cheeks.  “Don’t, please.”  Her objection to the approaching assault fell short of vehement and landed on supplicatory.

             
She felt the wait of his body sit on the edge of the bed.  She whimpered again. 

             
Not again.  Please, God, not again.

             
“Open your eyes, sweetheart.”  His voice wasn’t as gruff as it usually sounded.  His hand brushed her hair off her forehead.  It was an innocent touch, but it still made her shudder.  “Look at me.”  His voice could never be soft, but it came close.  She opened her eyes.  He used the bend in his finger to wipe a few tears away from her cheeks. 

             
“No one is ever going to hurt you like that again.”  She didn’t really believe him, but she nodded.  “I think you and I have a rough road ahead, but you can be as much of a pain in the ass as you feel necessary, because I will never raise a hand or fist to you, and I will most certainly not…”  He paused as if the word made him uncomfortable.  “…rape you.  I won’t let anyone else do that either.  Understand?”  She nodded, but this time she believed him. 

             
There was something paternal in his declaration.  Whether or not it was within his power to keep that promise she wasn’t sure, but his inability to do so wouldn’t have been because of a lack of commitment. 

             
She settled into the bed and he stood covering her with the blankets.  She was asleep before the door closed.