Bury a Friend | Hemlock Grove |

Chapter 31 | The Test |

Roman and Emma follow behind as Letha drives Peter in her mother's car. They drive down a few windy backroads towards the area near Hemlock Acres. They ride in silence. Emma sits back with her eyes closed and an ice pack pressed to the back of her head. Roman had wanted to take her home, but she insisted she stay. She'd missed enough as is.

"So uh..." Emma starts. "What's with the cat? Lynda couldn't take it?" Roman shrugs and doesn't elaborate further.

Letha parks her car next to an old grey bricked church. There's trash and construction tools scattered outside. Emma looks at Roman for some indication of what's going on but he looks clueless. They follow Letha and Peter up to the door where they stop. The cat claws at Emma until Peter takes it. "My dad's going to unlock it."

"What?" Both Roman and Peter ask at the same time.

"It's apart of Hemlock Acres," she explains, quickly looking between the two of them.

"Your dad?" Roman asks.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Roman shakes his head. "Exactly."

Peter and Roman walk off alone under the guise of "smoking a cigarette" but both Letha and Emma recognize their mannerism. They want a moment alone. Emma takes a seat on the steps and pulls herself further into her coat. She doesn't want to be stuck here alone with Letha, who is effectively the reason Ally won't speak to her.

Or at least it's easier to blame Letha than herself.

The boys don't return until they see Norman's car driving up the road. The man looks tired, as always, and shakes Peter's hand and tells him it's good to see him again. "I'm glad you're alright," he tells him. "Letha told me what that mob did to your house- it's a disgrace."

"The place needed a tune-up," Peter tries to joke.

"And I'm glad to see you're awake," Norman says to Roman. "Letha, you should have told me."

"Sorry. Things have been... a little crazy."

"Understood," he nods. Norman moves towards the door and begins searching through his keys until he finds the right one.

"Uh- so you're sure this is safe?" Peter asks.

"You won't have to worry about anyone bothering you here," Norman assures him holding the door open. "It hasn't been used in three years."

"Good," Roman nods.

"Roman," Norman calls walking towards the door. "Come give me a hand." Roman follows behind him. Emma doesn't know if she should stay or follow. Looking over at the couple who has quickly gotten themselves comfortable and cuddled, she decides staying isn't an ideal option.

She lingers behind as the two men walk fast. She stops on the porch deciding to smoke the cigarette she had been shorted when Peter and Roman walked off. Emma leans back against the brick and tries to not listen in to their conversation, she really does. But she wants to know more.

"What the fuck is going on?" She hears Norman shout, then it's hard to make out the rest. Given the few words she catches here and there she assumes it's Roman trying to convince his uncle of the vargulf.

She's not sure what happened next, but both of them take off walking through the graveyard. Emma takes a step forward the pauses, unsure if she should follow. She's not even sure if Roman knew she had come out with them. "Fuck," she groans watching the leave.

......

"Does your mother know you're awake?" Norman asks.

"She doesn't give a shit."