This first week of having Salem home with us has been different, to put it nicely. I’ve done everything I can to make her feel comfortable but she still hasn’t spoken a word to anybody. While I realize that sleeping in a make-shift cell in a closet isn't ideal and being kidnapped by someone like myself is probably unsettling at best, I can’t seem to get her to open up to me. Ever since I brought her down to the bunker she’s been traumatized, making me feel idiotic for taking such an extreme measure to get her to comply. Looking back, it seems unnecessary now.
I can smell the fear radiating off of her freckled skin every time I come near her. Her heart races, her eyes bulge and muscles tighten- ready to fight back if absolutely necessary but still too afraid to act on her fear. I’ve kept my distance from her but still stay close by incase she becomes brave enough to try and escape. She’s allowed to shower or use the bathroom alone but everything else is done under my supervision- as a precaution.
When the other two are around her it’s almost impossible to ignore the tension in the air. They don’t want her here and she doesn’t want to be here either. Micah has avoided both of us since the day we brought her home. Dad continues his daily routine, maneuvering around her like she doesn't exist. She doesn’t seem to mind this, however. Probably thankful that they don't bother her.
Today, things are going to change. There will be a small group of club members stopping by the shop we’ve built beside our house to have some maintenance done, and to pick up another motorcycle that’s repairs have been finished. We’re the only motorcycle repair shop within a hundred mile radius so we gain plenty of business from it.
Our local club, Ravens Claw, also brings us a few ‘surprises’ along the way. Rapists, child predators, women beaters, the list goes on. Anyone that needs to disappear comes here and we make it happen, feeding on them along the way. This has worked out well for both my family and the club over the years. Even some of my kind have joined the club, staying active members and assisting in keeping our identities secret. All of the Raven’s Claw members are aware of what we are, and my father is their leader. Ensuring that our identity is kept a secret from the public.
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When they stop by, I’ll be introducing Salem to the group. Making sure that they know who she is, what she looks like, and keeping her face off of the local “Missing Person’s” posters as much as possible. Her husband is still locked away in the bunker, filled with rage but becoming weaker as the days progress. I’ve kept him alive purely for information and sustenance. To help me gain Salem's trust in hopes that one day she may open up to me- to us. Micah and Dad are aware that he’s alive, but to the rest of the world he’s long gone- and I plan on keeping it that way. If all goes as planned, everyone will know how serious I am about keeping her around and how I feel about her. Including my family.
Storm pulls in first on his blacked-out Harley while Aaron, Cody, and Macy rumble in shortly behind him. Macy rides on the back of Cody’s bike, not owning one of her own but always clinging to the bitch seat of someone else's. I feel myself tense up, knowing how Macy is and the jealousy she’s always displayed over my brother and I- but mainly me. I didn’t anticipate her joining them, but should have known.
They creep down the driveway, parking beside the shop in a row as they each climb down from their bikes. Macy’s attention turns toward the house, looking around before finally getting distracted by the boys she rode in with.
They all pile inside the workshop one by one, closing the door behind them. I roll my shoulders free of the tension built inside them before climbing the stairs to get my girl.