Run Away
Sarah had been awake for an hour, just staring at the ceiling. The memories and light bruising on her knuckles reminded her of what happened yesterday in the woods. The feeling of that power was intoxicating. She wanted to feel it again. She clenched her fists as tight as she could, picturing little rods of grey concrete in her palms. She imagined her hands closing around them as she continually clamped down and squeezed. The mental objects were just a motivating tool she created in her mind. She squeezed harder and harder, trying to find her limit against the mental concrete. Once her little fingers felt like they were at their limit she put every ounce of strength into a burst of force, turning the rods of cement into a fine powder. In her mind, she broke past a limit, but externally, Sarah looked at her hands to see deep gouges in her palms. She had broken the skin in her palms and blood slowly oozed onto her blankets. Twinges of pain radiated into her hands as she moved them.
“Too strong for my own good,” Sarah said to herself in astonishment.
She began to doubt almost immediately as the unbelievable feats she accomplished in the woods seemed so far away and possibly a dream. Sure she had drawn blood just now, but anyone could do that if they tried hard enough. She just didn’t prove anything to herself after the moment had passed. Then a stray thought hit her. What if I am tougher now too? How can I test to see if I am actually as strong as I think I am?
Sarah looked at the bedpost at the left foot of her bed. It was a perfect ball of wood, sitting atop the leg of her bedframe. She reached out and put her hand on the top of the sphere and twisted. Her hand just slid around it slowly as the oils of her fingertips gave way before the structure of the post did. She pulled her hand back in frustration and despair as the thought occurred to her that it might really have been a dream.
Then, something her Dad used to always tell her popped into her head. It was something he used to always tell her every night when he’d tuck her into bed.
“You can do anything, no matter how hard. All you have to do is believe you can do it, and it will happen. Keep the Lord in your heart and never give up sweety!’ her Dad would say every night in some variation.
Jake was strong when Sarah was little. She used to remember thinking that he was invincible and that he could do all things. She wanted to be just like him when she was little before everything changed.
Sarah placed her hand back on the bedpost, gripped it so tight she thought it would crack, and then assured herself, “You are strong. You can do anything.” As she said the words at that moment, she knew it was true!
The round bedpost splintered off the bedframe like it had been rotten to the core. Sarah’s entire hand imprinted deeply into the surface as she twisted through the grains and separated them from where they had been. Holding the deformed wood in her hand, she could feel her pulse pounding in her throat, chest, and all the way to her fingertips. She brought the ball in close to her stomach as she sat on the end of her bed now. She cradled it like a baby, keeping it protected like if she lost it she would lose the truth she just discovered. She was strong. It was real. What happened in the woods wasn’t her imagination or a dream. She had power. An excited and slightly trembling smile came across her face as she entered into a new world at her revelation. But it was fleeting. Almost immediately she thought of her father again. He taught her those things as a child, those powerful things to say to a kid, but he didn’t live up to them. He never did anything hard, nor did he ever believe in himself. Fear of his death and the thought of never seeing him again flooded her heart with anguish as she clutched her token of assurance. Then anger rose in her gut. Anger that she was alone now, without that same father from all those years ago when she was a child. He didn’t exist anymore. He had died a long time ago, and the man left in his place was dead now too.
All of these thoughts flooded Sarah in an instant and she let out her anger in a sudden aggressive exhaling grunt. She crushed her fingers through the solid bedpost and turned it to dust in her lap.
A few hours later Sarah, Jack, and Phoebe sat in the living room as Kate worked in the kitchen. She was staying busy, secretly waiting for Jake to reappear. She had to keep her mind occupied so she wouldn’t panic. He had to be okay. He knew what he was doing. She started pulling things out from the freezer and getting ready for dinner.
Jack and Phoebe stayed in the living room watching cartoons and playing with toys, but they were only doing that out of show and boredom. Their little minds knew something was wrong and that mommy didn’t want to talk about it. So, in their childlike ignorance, they trusted that everything would be okay. Kate had already told them when she came into their rooms separately that, “Daddy will be home soon, and he is okay.” However, they could tell that not all was as peaceful as their mother said. Not to mention the gigantic horror they witnessed from the fleeing van as they distanced themselves from the encroaching doom.
Sarah was waiting for a moment. Her mother was not all right and she knew it. She was scared and Sarah could read it across her face easily. Sarah thought that her mother was dealing with her dad’s death had put her in this state ever since the parking lot. The slap in the car was something she had never seen from her mother. She was always nurturing, but that was downright aggressive.
“Mom?” Sarah spoke.
Kate’s tired eyes looked away from the cool exhaust coming from the freezer, “What is it, sweety?”
“I… I think I need to go into town,” Sarah was trying to tell her mother about her powers. She knew that if she had abilities, she had to register herself with DOSA. There were programs that could teach young superhumans how to deal with and even develop their abilities. She knew what she wanted now that she discovered her inner power. She just had to confide in her mother and tell her what had happened. “I need to tell you…”
Kate cut her off quickly, “You’re not going anywhere, Sarah!” Kate’s tone was authoritative and absolute.
“But…” Sarah was completely taken aback by her mother. She knew that surely her mom, who loved her deeply, would listen and understand what was happening to her. But a quick downright refusal angered Sarah.
“There is nothing to talk about. No one is leaving the house yet. There could be more of those things out there, and your father hasn’t come home yet.”
“Mom, we all saw the emergency broadcast. They said they already scanned the planet and there aren’t any more of them,” Sarah pleaded. She had to get to a DOSA office. More than anything at the moment, she wanted to know herself. She wanted to be examined and figure out exactly what she was capable of.
“Don’t trust the news, Sarah. They only tell you what they want you to know.”
Sarah cocked her head to the side. She had never seen this side of her mother before. She had never seen her so shaken. She started getting angry, “And you think Dad is coming home?”
“He will be here. And you missy, need to check your attitude. I know everything is scary right now, but remember whom you are talking to,” Kate wasn’t playing games anymore. She knew that Sarah was getting into her rebellious years and had already had a shift in her childhood personality. She was becoming a young woman and the world wasn’t as simple as it used to be. But, for right now, Kate just wanted Sarah to stay inside and wait for Jake to get home.
“Scary? Do you think I’m scared? I’m not scared! The real heroes came and fought that thing and killed it! Dad didn’t do shit! He just wandered out there to get a glimpse of the real heroes. He abandoned us when we needed him most. He isn’t coming back mom,” Sarah’s voice rose high enough that Jack and Phoebe heard and started peeking around the corner. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued. “I came in here to tell you something important, but you can’t even take a second to listen to why I need to go to town!”
Kate was ready to cut her off with a rebuttal but stopped when she saw something. It was ever so small, but it was there. Things in the room started to shift slightly. There was a chair that slid a few inches, plates that rattled on their shelves, and a pressure that Kate could feel in her chest. There was a force in that kitchen with her and Sarah. Kate looked down and saw Sarah’s fists clenched in fierce emotion. It was her. Her daughter was causing this.
“Sarah,” Kate reached out pointing to her daughter’s hands. “Is this you?”
“I need help Mom, and I see now that you aren’t interested in what I need. First Dad, now you! I need to go to DOSA and have an examination so I know what I am. You can’t help me, Dad can’t help me even if he was still alive!” Sarah was full-blown sobbing as she continued to verbally assault her awestruck mother. “I thought of all people you would understand. You would be here for me right now,” Sarah shook her head. “I don’t need your permission. I’m going into town. I can take care of myself now. I’m going to get help for myself. I’ll be back when I’m registered.”
“NO SARAH! You are not registering with them!” Kate bounded over to her daughter as she turned and was about to take the van keys off the kitchen counter. She had to stop her. She didn’t know what she was doing. “We need to talk about this. You don’t understand.”
Kate couldn’t believe it. She knew what her having powers meant, and she also knew what it would mean if Sarah was examined and registered. She had to get her to snap out of her anger and listen so she could explain.
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“Mom, stop. Just let me go,” Sarah angrily pleaded with her mother as their hands locked over the keys on the counter.
“Sarah, listen to me. I need to explain. You cannot go…” Kate tried to begin.
All Sarah heard was ‘cannot go’ and she exerted herself in frustration. She twisted her body to the side and snatched her hands away from her mother’s grasp. In the heat of the moment, Sarah’s actions ripped her mother from her feet like a ragdoll and tossed her across the linoleum and into the refrigerator. Kate’s back hit dead center in the door and caved it in slightly.
“Ah” Kate yelped as she impacted the refrigerator.
Sarah’s eyes widened at what she had done. She was angry at a lot of things, but she never wanted to hurt her own mother. Her mom was the biggest cheerleader in her life, and she had just hurt her out of anger. Hurt her with her own powers. This only added to her resolve. She had to get help from DOSA.
Kate slowly got up, unharmed, but obviously upset. She started getting emotional, “Sarah, listen. We need to talk about this. There is a lot you don’t understand. I can help you. I just need you to stop and listen.”
“I can’t” Sarah replied. She had already made up her mind. She would go to a DOSA office and get the help she wanted. She had to know what her powers were and what they would mean for her. “I’ll be back when I’m registered. We can talk then.”
Sarah turned and barged out the door, keys in hand. Jack and Phoebe cried in the living room as they watched their sister leave them just as Jake had. They were scared and all they wanted was to feel safe with their family. First, it was their dad, now Sarah.
“Sarah!” Kate yelled out the door to her daughter, but she was gone. She couldn’t stop her even if she tried. All she knew was she had to keep the kids safe, and she couldn’t leave Jack and Phoebe. But she could plan, and she could wait.
Sarah turned the ignition and drove away from her home in the early afternoon. She looked in the mirror as she turned out of their driveway. She knew when she came back, she would be a different person.
*Three Days Later*
Kate, Jack, and Phoebe all sat in the empty garage where the van used to be parked. The kids played quietly with jumbo Legos and Jack’s mini dump trucks, waiting to know what had happened with Sarah after she hurt mommy and stormed off. They also waited for Daddy to come home as Mamma promised, but Jack and Phoebe had secret fears that he wouldn’t. He should be home by now. Mommy said that he would be home once everything was over and the monster was dead.
Kate sat sullen, unsure of what would happen next. She waited for Jake to come home. It was like they always talked about. If anything happens the family goes home and stays there until he returns. It was Kate’s job to keep the kids safe until he got home. But, the longer Jake was away the more she began to have her own fears grow in her heart. She had no one to talk to about it. She was alone and keeping secrets from her children.
However, the longer the family stayed at their house the more the possibility of DOSA showing up on their doorstep. Sarah's ignorance of everything Jake and Kate had planned and worked towards was in jeopardy now that she walked right into the DOSA branch and subjugated herself to their examinations. She wanted help and she needed someone to teach her want to do. If only she knew what she had in this very house. Kate sat in the open garage hoping that at any moment Sarah would return and everything would be okay.
As the children played and Kate watch them with a forced smile for comfort, she began to hear a faint whistling. The distance hissing grew louder and louder as it would if a jet were about to pass by. However, this was not the sound of a jet engine, but the rushing of air around an object at incredibly high speeds. As soon as she looked up, the whistling stopped, and a thunderous crash echoed out from behind the house, deep in the woods.
Within seconds the back door of the house creaked open, and a voice boomed through the house.
“Kate... Kate, Sarah, kids,” Jake's voice rang out.
Kate's heart fluttered in a burst of relief and happiness that her husband was safe and home. She jumped up to run inside but the side door into the garage opened and the children's missing father stepped into their view for the first time since the parking lot.
“Daddy!” Jack exclaimed.
Phoebe parroted jack’s exclamation, “Daddy! I knew you would be home soon.”
The kids jumped up and rushed their father into a tight embrace.
“Hey kids,” Jake knelt to their level and hugged around their necks, sucking them into him as close as possible. “I’m so sorry I had to leave you guys. I had to stay there and make sure that monster was dead and no more were coming!” He tried to soothe his kid even though he was choked up and emotional to see them again. They were both crying too. They were both overwhelmed with emotion at seeing their daddy again, especially seeing his own uninhibited emotions coming out like they hadn’t seen much in their short lives.
Kate knelt with them and joined into one massive tangle of arms and necks.
Within seconds of the embrace, Jake asked, “Where’s Sarah?”
Kate pulled back, “Let’s go inside. A lot has happened?”
Jake was fearful at her words.
Once the kids were happy again and sitting on the living room floor as Mommy and Daddy made them a snack, Jake and Kate spoke separately in the kitchen. They didn’t want to worry Jack and Phoebe, so they acted like everything was okay until they were alone.
“Sarah has powers. I don’t know what happened or when, but I saw it right here.” Sarah pointed to the refrigerator.
“What happened?” Jake asked alarmed at the huge indentation.
“I…” Kate began to sob through her words, only quieting herself enough for the kid’s sake. “She needed to talk to me, but I had to keep her safe. She was talking about wanting to go into town, but I knew I had to keep us all here while you were away. I was brutal with her, and she was angry. Her power came out through her emotions. She was moving stuff all around the kitchen, and then she tossed me aside when she was trying to get away from me. She slammed the shit out of me.” Kate rubbed the back of her head on the fading bruise. “She wanted someone to teach her what she can do. She doesn’t understand what she is fully capable of yet. She must have literally just figured something out. She wanted to register, Jake. She went to DOSA…”
Jake paced the kitchen floor, “How long has she been gone?”
“Three days,” Kate said factually.
Jake paced circles in the kitchen, finally letting out his frustration, “Shit!”
Phoebe stuck her head around the kitchen, “Oooooooooo, daddy that’s a swear word!”
Jake put on a fake smile for his daughter, “I’m sorry sweety. I’ll do better.”
“When is Sarah coming home?” she asked with true inquisitiveness. “She’s never been away from home this long.”
“We know sweety. I am going to go get her soon. Promise. Hey,” Jake tried to redirect her. “How about you and your brother go grab your suitcases and pack for a fun and amazing adventure!” Jake put on his most goofy and funny dad voice as he tried to thrill the kids with a grand idea.
“Whaaaaaat?” Phoebe’s eyes grew wide in excitement. “What kind of adventure?”
“How would you and Jack like to go with your mommy to Nanny and Pa’s house?”
Kate cocked her head to the side, unaware of what Jake’s intentions were.
Jack poked around behind Phoebe, eyes wide, “Whaaaaat?”
The children’s excitement was palpable. They hadn’t got to go back to their grandparent’s house in almost a year. They loved the open spaces down in Texas where their dad was from. They loved the heat too, not to mention all the cows in the pastures that surrounded Nanny and Pa’s house.
“You better believe it kids! All right, let's see who's the fastest. You need 7 shirts, 7 pairs of shorts, 7 pairs of socks, and at least 8 pairs of undies. Better have that extra pair just in case. And make sure whatever you're grabbing is clean!” Jake motivated the children into packing their bags so they could be on the road and moving as fast as possible.
They both barreled down the hall to their rooms and started ripping their drawers apart to find all their favorite new clothes they got since they saw their grandparents last. Once fully committed to packing, Jake and Kate started again.
“What are you planning?” Kate worried.
“I need you all safe if I am going in to get Sarah. I don’t know what they already know, or what kind of dots they have connected, if any. But I’m not risking any of you. If I go in, and they realize it’s me… things are going to get ugly. I need you to be safe!” Jake pleaded.
“We are the safest with you, Jake!” Kate urged, not wanting him to go again.
“I know, babe. But next to me, the safest place you can be is with my dad. No one ever knew our names before, and we even changed them anyways just to be sure we were hidden. You guys can just disappear for a while in the middle of landlocked Texas. Leviathans won’t be anywhere near you guys.”
Kate nodded, “How long will you be?”
“I don’t know. If she got examined then they are going to take her to DOSA Lebanon. Her blood would come up as a match if they ever decided to run it against mine. The only thing we can hope for is that all the work we did to get out has stuck and the roadblocks we set up are still in place. It will help keep us concealed.”
“You think he’s still keeping your secrets?” Kate asked of Jake’s old best friend.
“Yes. He wouldn’t even know what he forgot. He wiped his own memory once we made the deal and he set up the roadblocks and redirects in the DOSA cyber network. I just need to get in, find Sarah, and get out. I’ll take her by force if I need to. I can explain to her once we are out of their reach,” Jake spoke out his thoughts.
Jake led Kate to their room as he spoke, gathering her own luggage and started helping her pack her bags.
Kate was apprehensive about what she wanted to ask next, “Are you… are you going to kill anyone?”
Jake shook his head, sighing in frustration, “I don’t want to. But… I will do whatever is necessary to get our daughter away from them. You know what they did, and the lies they told. I can’t let them get a grip on her.”
Kate stopped stuffing a pair of jeans into the rolling case and grabbed her husband’s hands, “It was close last time. I wasn’t sure what would happen when you went against them all. I’m scared Jake…” Kate had tears streaming down her face as she spoke. “I’m scared you won’t come back this time.”
Jake pulled Kate into his chest and held her tightly, the force of his grasp moving and pinning Kate’s body to him like she was one of the kids’ stuffed animals. He never hurt her. He was fully in control of every aspect of his power.
“This is different,” Jake said with iron in his words. “It was just us last time, and I knew you’d be safe if I fell. I wasn’t fighting before… I was running.” He took a calming breath as his anger rose, “They have our daughter. I’m not running this time. This time, I’ll fight them all!”
Kate felt a chill run down her spine as power emanated from her husband. There were no visible signs, but it was as real in the room as they were. She did not doubt that he would get Sarah away from DOSA and back to safety. She only feared what would happen to him once the dust had settled.
Within two hours, Kate and the kids hugged Jake’s neck at the airport as they ventured off through security. Jake promised the kids he would meet them at Nanny and Pa’s house in no more than a week. They just had to worry about how much fun they’d be having back where he grew up. The kids were excited. Kate was nervous but calm. She trusted her husband, knowing he would do everything he said he would. The part that made her nervous was what the world would think about him once he did those things.