All in the Family (27 page)

She continued along the tunnel, walking hunched over, turning curves and corners until she could no longer see the lights when she looked behind her. It was dark, and it was terrifying. What if it dead-ended? What if there was a wild animal in here? What if she never found a way out? Trapped in the darkness forever was a far better idea than being a slave to those weirdos up there.

She walked on, all the while feeling that the tunnel was getting smaller. Soon, she felt the walls on either side brushing her shoulders, felt the ceiling touching her hair, forcing her head down. Before long she was on her knees crawling, feeling her way along, praying for light.

Pain came from her nose as she bumped her face again into the wall; she felt around and realized there was another turn. As she turned, she looked forward and could swear she saw something in the darkness, a small blue dot. Was it light?

It became larger as she crawled, and soon she knew it was light. Energy rushed through her like electricity coursing through a circuit. Excitement grew inside her. There was freedom; there was hope, just a little further.

As she crawled, the blue dot became a circular hole. The air inside the tunnel was getting cooler, almost cold. She could see her breath in the light as she crawled. The tunnel was closing it a little tighter, but she didn’t care, she could see the outside world.

She was nearly there. She heard what sounded like an owl hooting from far away. She heard a howl of a wolf? A dog? Something howled. She didn’t care, no creature of God scared her more than the family she was leaving behind.

Just a little further and she would be outside. She could make a run for it, get far away, find help and see those bastards taken away. She could taste the freedom, taste the night air and it tasted good.

A couple more feet and she would be out of the hole, out of the tunnel and on her way.

Her face was nearly in the open air. Then it happened. A metal grate slammed shut in front of her. She heard clanking of metal and a loud click. She grabbed the bars and pushed, but to no avail. She was trapped again.

She heard footsteps in the grass and a boy’s childish laughter that echoed quietly in the night air.

Her scream tore through the quiet night, piercing the near perfect silence. The only one nearby to hear her was the wolf, and he howled his own howl into the night, a cry of sympathy and understanding. She cried quietly holding the bars; she was still in her prison.

Epilogue

There was a knock at the door. It wasn’t an unexpected knock, but Bobby jumped nonetheless. He had been jumpy that morning, a little nervous, but overall expecting the visit even anticipating it. At first, he couldn’t help but to think it might have been Tommy, but he knew it was not. He knew that Tommy had left town with his parents. Tommy had told his mother that he was threatened by a man on his way to the comic store and made up a wild story about being stalked. His mother, being the over-reactor that she was, packed up that same weekend, slapped a sale sign in the front yard and then left. He knew it was not his now long lost friend. He knew who it was, and it made a smile curl his lips.

His eyes twinkled in the lights. The lights from the Christmas tree blinked on and off, a multicolored wonderland in the family room. He admired the frosted limbs of the artificial tree. When the red lights flashed, it turned the white frost red, and he liked the spotted blood-red look. There was an angel on the top of the tree; it held a star in its hand that glowed red as well. Red was his new favorite color.

He stood before the front door, wiping his sweaty palms on his pant legs. Muscle spasms rippled through him. He turned the key on the inside. His father had changed the lock a while back. He knew why, and it didn’t bother him. It just meant that he had to have the key to get out, but he didn’t go anywhere when it was cold out anyway.

The door opened and on the porch in the morning light stood his grandmother.

“Hey Grammy,” Bobby said.

“Why hello Bobby,” she replied, smiling down at him. It wasn’t a real smile. Grammy was never that happy to see him. He knew that he was not her favorite. He would play along, since she liked to play those games. Her favorite was his cousin Rodney. Rodney always got what he wanted for Christmas. Rodney got the coolest toys and the most money and the best of everything. Bobby usually got stuck with cheap plastic guns or nerdy clothes. It used to make him angry, but he was not angry any longer. He was content with what he had now.

Her gray afro-like hair blew in the wind, caved in and popped back out. He never understood why old women would perm their hair that way, but he assumed it was their prerogative.

“Where is your mother?” She always tried to sound proper.

“She went to the store,” he lied. He didn’t know where she had gone, but knew that answer would suffice.

“What about your father?”

“He’s working,” he said, another sufficient answer. This time he didn’t lie, his father was working, in the basement.

“Well are you going to ask me to come in?”

He stepped out onto the porch beside her. “Would you like to come in?”

“Thank you, child,” she replied, sidestepped him and entered the house, her oversized handbag slapping his legs. He grunted. She ignored it.

He looked out into the bright morning, the sun glaring off the snow. Windows were frosted and a light snow had dusted the ground from the night before. Across the street he spied a cat stalking its prey. The calico cat was hunched down and moving quietly across the snow. Bobby saw what it was after, a small bird.
Was it lost? Had it forgotten to fly south for the winter? Stupid bird,
he thought.

The cat got as close as it would. A moment later it pounced and had the bird in its paws. The cat closed its mouth around the birds head, and without a sound, the bird became breakfast. The cat had finally gotten its prey.

Bobby smiled; he wondered if the cat had stalked the bird for very long. He assumed it had been a quick game. The cat disappeared behind a tree to enjoy breakfast.

With a shiver, he realized it was time to go back in as well. He glimpsed the wreath that clung to the front door via a crooked wire. Christmas, he was sick of Christmas. Rodney, he was sick of Rodney. Rodney wouldn’t be getting what he wanted this year for Christmas; Grammy had come to stay with them this time. This time he would get what he wanted.

“Hey Grammy,” he said. “Do you remember last year when I asked for a bicycle and you got me new pants instead?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “What was it that Rodney got anyway?”

As he turned to go back inside, a wicked smile crossed his face. Before the storm door closed behind him, the sunlight glinted off the dirty metal blade of the blood stained chefs’ knife protruding from his back pocket.

* * * *

From the basement, Amber sat quietly in her dirt prison chained to the wall. Jessica was there to keep her company; Jessica rocked back and forth against the far wall, occasionally giggling and talking to herself.

Amber had lost all hope. She sat blank-faced against the wall realizing that she had no choice, this was her family now. She had nothing more to lose.

She heard a muffled scream from above and thought that it was better them than her. At least for now she was alive. At least for now she would see another day. Maybe being part of the family wouldn’t be so bad. After all, the family that slays together, stays together.