Contingency (Sequel to Contentions)

~8~

Hello, my darlings. I lvoe the response I'm getting on this sequel. All of your comments are making my day ^.^ So I'll be gone at camp this week and I also start summer semester so I won't be able to update, but I will as soon as possible. Probably around next wednesday when I don't have class.

Keep the comments coming <3

***

“Liam, I’m not staying in the car,” Amber said quietly though her tone spoke volumes about just how serious she was. “My mum is hurt and I can’t-I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“I’m not staying either,” I piped up, a disapproving glare being sent my way. “I want to help.”

“The two of you will only get in the way,” he said slowly, as if to make sure he was understood. “Amber, you know your father is a dangerous man-“

“Don’t call him that,” the child suddenly snapped, her posture going rigid as she let her hair drape in front of her face, hiding her stony expression. “He’s not my father and he never will be.”

“Okay…” Liam said thoughtfully. “You know Jacob is a very violent person and he can very easily hurt you, sweet ‘art. As for you, Brinlee, I don’t want to upset you by saying this, but you’re fragile right now. I don’t think it’s the best idea for you to be put in this kind of an environment; nothing good would come of it.” My cheeks grew red and you I turned my face so he couldn’t see the hurt splayed across my features. I didn’t really know why exactly, but his statement made me feel…insignificant. I didn’t want to be treated like some porcelain doll. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were however impossible that goal was to attain. I was going to show him I wasn’t weak. I would prove to him that I was okay.

“Fine, we’ll stay in the car,” I lied smoothly, offering a small, fake grin as he let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” he said genuinely just as he pulled up in front of a small house….well more like shack. The paint was peeling of the shutters, the siding was falling off, the roof was missing shingles, and the entire place just screamed despair. I shuddered at the sight, knowing that awful things took place between those four rickety walls.

“I’ll only be a few minutes, alright, girls?” he grinned reassuringly. “It’ll be alright.” With that he climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind him and stalking up to the house, his shoulders squared and gait screaming danger.

“Back door?” Amber asked evenly.

“Yep…”

***

“My mum is in the room to the left of the back door. Let’s just get her and get out,” the child said evenly, sounding older than her mere nine years of age. “Liam can hold off Jacob.” I nodded, swallowing thickly and slowly twisting the door knob, wincing when it creaked. The both of us stalked down the hallway, able to hear Liam speaking in rather quiet tones in the front room. Why wasn’t he yelling or beating up this ‘Jacob’ guy? I shrugged it off and slowly opened the door to the dark room, looking back at Amber who was nervously biting her nails as she shuffled inside.

“Mum? Mummy wake up,” she whispered a bit loudly, gently shaking the figure lying in the bed. “Mummy, Liam is here. He’s gonna get us away from Jacob. We can be safe.” I couldn’t hear Liam talking anymore, the front door quietly clicking shut. Fear suddenly slammed through me as the figure in the bed started to straighten up, the frame definitely too large to be a woman.

“Amber, run,” I choked, grabbing her arm and wrenching her away from him as he stood. “Run! Go grab Liam!” She nodded and took off towards the back door, my chest already beginning to tighten with panic as I backed out of the room, stumbling before I bit my lip and took off for the entrance of the house only to feel something hit my back, shattering painfully. A yelp left my lips as I went sprawling to the ground, that feeling of sheer terror hitting me like a freight train. It was an emotion I was no stranger to, but to be experiencing it outside of that hell hole was honestly even scarier.