The Last of Detroit

Chapter 4 - Home Again

✧ KARA ✧

November 5th - 2:01 PM, 2038

The car slowly pulled to a stop, and the jerk of the car hitting the brakes startled Kara and woke her up. She looked at her childhood home - though it felt like less of a home and more of a house. She hadn't seen it in a little over a year, and she was sure she definitely didn't miss it. The paint was peeling more than she remembered, and one of the windows was smashed and boarded up with a few wood planks. Todd's right arm twitched; Kara ignored it. She sighed and got out of the car.

Kara opened the door to the house. Alice looked up, expecting it to be Todd. Once Alice sees that it's Kara, she runs as fast as she can and hugs her. Kara hugged her back, she missed her sister so much, and she knew her sister definitely missed her. Kara got down on her knees and cupped Alice's face. They both smiled. Todd entered the house and walked past them, his arm twitched more, but no one noticed.

Todd went over to his spot on the couch, he started looking all over for his red ice pipe. Kara saw this. She didn't want Alice to see it, even though she'd seen it before, she hated Alice seeing it.

"Why don't we go upstairs to your room?" Alice nodded and took her sister's arm. She pulled Kara up the stairs. She could hear Todd coughing from downstairs. They opened the bedroom door to Alice's room. The tent that Alice loved before Kara left for college was destroyed, all of the blankets and pillows were all over the floor.

"Todd ruined my fort last night," Alice said. She looked up at her sister.

"Why don't..." Kara looked at Alice, "We rebuilt it? But this time, it's extra special." Alice's face lit up. "Go get some blankets, okay?" Alice was too excited to reply, so she just ran off to get some materials.

Kara looked over the room. She took down her hair that was in a bun. She knew that now she was back; her life was back to protecting Alice from Todd - both emotionally and physically. Kara just wished there was something she could do about Todd. Living with him was hell, and what it was doing to Alice mentally. All of the nights where Alice was sobbing because of something her dad did rush to mind.  Kara looked towards the wall, a picture of Todd, Alice, and younger her. She sighed. Alice ran back into the room with several blankets in her arms, and Kara smiled.

Kara got down on her knees, again, on Alice's level. "You know I'll always be with you right? No matter what happens I'll always be with you."

Alice nodded her head; they stayed quiet for a moment. "Can we build the fort now?" Alice asked. Kara didn't know if she fully understood, but she knew Alice knew.

"Yeah... Yeah, we can." Kara stood up and took one of the blankets from her sister's arms. "Let's build the best you could ever dream of, okay?"