In Your Blood

CHAPTER TWO

"Mama, Papa?"

Bandit stumbled forward down the hallway, looking around the house, reliving the memory in a dream. She couldn't remember how old she had been then, but she remembered how she spent that day, playing Hide and Seek with her parents. It had been storming all day and the power had gone out. Of course, she suggested the game, saying it'd be a lot more fun in the dark. It had been her turn to look for them and, frankly, they had hidden fairly well. She always had no problem finding them, but this time, she was having issues.

"Mama, Papa, where are you?"

She pushed her way into her Papa's office, jumping as the door shut behind her. As usual, the lights were off. She fumbled around in the darkness for the bag looped around her shoulder, pulling out her trusty flashlight. The beam shown faintly into the small space, the floorboards creaking under her feet. Every so slowly, she turned the light, landing on big eyes staring back at her. She screeched, falling backwards.

The familiar head of Mousekat gave her a dorky grin. She frowned at it.

"What are you looking at? I ain't scared of you."

With a pouty look and a new wave of determination, she set out across the office, her light guiding the way. She wasn't afraid of any sort of ghost or ghastly creature waiting for her in the shadows. She would find her Mama and Papa, no matter what.

The office seemed to stretch into a huge and vast expanse with each step she took, changing from sterile white walls to towering oak trees. And suddenly, she was out in the forest, dressed in white, flashlight held high. She gawked at the change in scenery, looking up into the rain pouring down on her. Seemingly out of the mist, the cats appeared, Jupiter perched on her shoulder, while Mitch followed alongside her as she continued her search. An owl hooted from above, filling her with chills. The fog rolled in waves over the frozen landscape, the ground cracking under each step.

"I don't think their here-" she mumbled, only to be cut off by loud screams. Bandit looked up abruptly, the sounds piercing her ears. They seemed to surround her, coming at her from all directions. They weren't just regular screams. They were the blood-curdling, hair-raising kind of screams, the ones that made you scream yourself just to escape the mental anguish they caused. And Bandit recognised these screams. They were the screams of her parents. Where she had heard them, she didn't know. But she didn't want to remember, nor did she want to listen anymore. She dropped to her knees, the flashlight rolling away into the mist, as she clamped her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to block out the noise. The wails seem to penetrate her skull.

"Stop!"

With that single protest, that single scream, it all ended. Everything. The screams, the woods. And she sat kneeled on the floor of the safe room, alone and cold.

Alone. It was such an unfamiliar word to her. She had spent her whole life in the constant shadow of her parents, never leaving their side. Even when she was by herself, her parents were there. Even when her father dropped her off at school, she knew when the bell rang, she would make her way out the front doors and run across the sidewalk into his warm embrace. She knew she could come home from playdates with Cherry, Lily, and Miles to Mama making supper and giving her a huge grin. She knew that no matter what, her parents would be there for her.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

She could hear the fire alarm from upstairs, going 'beep beep beep' followed by an automated voice saying 'fire' over and over again. She quickly stood, looking around. She couldn't get out. She was stuck down here. She was stuck and she would burn and she would die. This room wasn't safe at all. It was-

With a loud, but recognisable 'fuck', the alarm went off upstairs. She could hear people moving around, calling her name. She knew those voices. She just had to remember who.

"I'm down here! I'm down here!" she shouted, hoping they could hear her. She looked around, looking for something she could throw at the metal ceiling to make a loud noise. Her eyes landed on the chair. It would be a long shot, but she would try it. She scampered over, grabbing the back of the wooden chair in her hands. She closed her eyes and, channeling all the strength she could muster, hurled it at the ceiling. It made a loud 'bang' as it broke against the ceiling, falling down and shattering into wooden pieces. Her breathing was heavy as she listened to the voices upstairs.

"Holy shit, did you hear that?"
"Do you think it was her?"
"I'm down here!" she screamed, her throat raw from wailing from the top of her lungs. She could hear footsteps getting louder, calling for her. She wanted out.

A light shined down from the chute as the door opened, as a voice echoed down to her.

"Bandit, are you down here?"
"Uncle Frankie, I'm here!"

A figure dressed in black suspended on a rope came down the shoot. They looked at her, giving her a grin. Frank ushered her over.

"Come over, B, this rope won't hold for long."
"Speak for yourself," a voice muttered from above, which Bandit noticed to be Ray. She stumbled over to Frank, reaching up to him. He grabbed her, pulling her up as Ray struggled from above to pull them up. Frankl shimmied up the rope a bit, so he and Bandit could climb out of the small door.

"Here you go, kiddo," Frank smiled, setting Bandit down. She looked around the office, tears welling up in her eyes. The room had been destroyed, and a peek to where the doorway usually was revealed the house to be no better. Tears started welling up in her small eyes as she took a few step forward, bare feet leaving footsteps in the ash. Her face scrunched up as a sob welled up inside of her and burst out, shaking her small frame. Words tried to fumble out of her mouth between the cries.

"I want Mama and Papa!" she wailed. Ray kneeled down next to her, tightly hugging her in his arms in an attempt to subdue her crying.
"I know, Bandit, I know."
"Where's Mama and Papa?" she whimpered, her wails dying down to a small mewling. Frank squatted down to answer her question.
"We don't know. We think that the bad guys might have them."
"Did they steal Mama and Papa?"
"I'm sorry, Bandit."
"No!"

She squirmed out of Ray's arms, pushing him back. She unsteadily shuffled backwards, running into the remains of once was her mother's work table.

"If you were sorry, you'd go find them and bring them back!"
"We want to, Bandit. But we need to get your to safety first. It's not safe here."
"I'm not leaving! I'm staying here and waiting for Mama and Papa to come back!" she retorted, crossing her arms stubbornly.
"Bandit, we have to go," Frank said. He stepped towards Bandit carefully.
"No!"
"Bandit, please-"
"No, no, no, no, no!"

She screamed at Frank and Ray in reply and did the only thing that seemed logical in her brain: run. She turned and ran out the broken doorway, ignoring the pain from stepping on the shambles of her broken home. The stairway was damaged badly, making it a struggle to climb. She heard Frank and Ray behind her, trying to catch up with her. A loud screech slipped out of her mouth as Frank scooped her up, holding her under his arm as she flailed and yelled.

"Let me go!"
"You need to cooperate. We need to get you somewhere safe."
"No! I want Mama and Papa!"
"Mama and Papa told us if anything ever happened to take care of you! We are doing what they told us!"

Bandit screeched again, struggling to hit Frank. Ray and Frank started to climb up the stairs, balancing carefully on the unsteady foundation. Bandit continued her fit.

"We're taking you to the organisation, Bandit," Ray shouted over her endless shrieking, "You're going to see where your mommy and daddy used to work."
"I don't want to! I want Mama and Papa!"
"We'll find them, B," Frank replied, "I promise."