Chris ran past the park and into a dark ally. He could feel Jason's pain and the feeling got stronger as he got closer to him. Chris could hear his almost silent breathing, the whispers from the others that came to help Jason. "Jason, I'm here."
"Chris, hey." Jason tried to sit up, he tried to smile as if nothing was wrong. He knew he wouldn't make it. He wanted his best friend to be at peace once he was gone. Jason pulled Chris closer. "You remember that time we went swimming in that lake just outside town."
Chris nodded. "I do. You ate so much just before swimming and got a cramp in your leg in the middle of the lake." Chris told the story because he could feel how weak Jason was.
"Yes, and ... you ... had to ... swim both of us ... to the shore. I wish that this ... was one of those ... days, but it isn't. Take care of her and keep them safe for me please?"
"I promise Jason. She will be cared for and they will be under my protection. I won't let anything happen to them."
Jason smiled as he blew out his last breath.
"Noooooooo! Jason!"
Lisa ran as fast she could but when she opened his door she was suddenly terrified. He could hurt her. Something she didn't think about the first time she came to him after he had a nightmare. She wanted to ask him what his nightmares were about but now she could probably guess.
"Chris? Are you okay?" Lisa said from the door.
"Go away. I don't need you. I'm fine." Chris said out of breath.
"What was your nightmare about?" Lisa asked as she came closer to his bed.
"I ... said ... leave!" Chris shouted not looking in her direction.
Lisa left. As she walked to her room she thought of packing her bag and leaving the house but decided against it. Instead she took her bag packed the most comfortable clothes in her closet and when she was sure she had everything she would need, she went to the mirror and pressed the button. The secret door opened and Lisa climbed down the steps. As she stepped on the paved floor the door at the top closed and the lights lid up the corridor that looked more like a tunnel.
She walked at a fast pace. She entered through the big steel door and once she was inside she pressed the black button and the door shut. The lights went on and for the first time Lisa felt alone.
Lisa was asleep on the sofa when the phone on the desk rang. Lisa didn't get to it before it stopped ringing. It rang again a minute later. "Hallo?"
"Lisa, what happened and why are you in the bunker."
Lisa thought about it for a second. "I am not allowed to leave the house and Chris shouted at me so I came here. Why did you phone me in the bunker if you didn't know I was here?"
"The same way we knew the first time you were sent to the bunker. Our kind has a link, we know when someone is in danger or are panicking. Chris is panicking right now and that doesn't happen. That is why we phoned the bunker. He is not answering our calls."
"Why would he be panicking?"
"Probably because he doesn't know where you are!" Chris snr said a little too hard.
"Don't shout at me. He had a nightmare and I only wanted to see if he was okay and the he said I must leave. Why is everyone mad at me?"
Lisa hung up the phone and went back to the couch. Tears welled up and for the next hour Lisa cried. She cried because she was frustrated with everyone around her, because she missed her brother and because she was pregnant and basically alone. Her mother told her to get out of her house and now even Chris told her to leave him alone.
"I don't care what she said. I will not have her in that bunker unless it is a real emergency. Either one of you go and get her out of there or I will and if I have to do it so help me ... I will give her a piece of my mind and then she might just leave here for good." Chris shouted into the telephone. He pressed the call end key and threw the phone on the couch.
Chris didn't like what he did when she was in his room but he didn't want her to see him for what he really was. She would be afraid of him and he didn't want that. He walked to his closet to change out of his sweaty clothes when he heard his father.
"Chris, I need to know that you can handle this or I will have to take her somewhere else where she would be safe and you know this is the safest place for her now and I would rather she stay here." Chris snr sighed. I brought Judith, she and your mother has gone down to fetch Lisa. Why don't you and I go for a drink? I could use one right now."
Chris nodded. "Yeah let's. I need to change first though. I will see you downstairs."
He changed into jeans and a fresh black t shirt. He didn't have the nightmares when he slept outside her window or in his car. He didn't know why they started now that he was home. Chris left his room and almost walked into Lisa who came out of her room. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you or bump into you. It is just that ..."
"Don't try to make excuses. Just let it go okay. I will stay out of your way."
It felt like someone just punched him so hard that he was windless, he couldn't breathe. At first he thought something happened to someone but then he realized that it was what she said, how she said it, so much pain and sadness in those few words. "I don't want you to stay out of my way." He said but saw that she had already went back into her room.
Chris hated himself for what he did. 'Why do I do it, why am I so short tempered?!' Chris shouted at himself. He made his way down to where his father was waiting in the living room. "I don't understand women. You apologize and they turn into stubborn little children. I am so glad right now that I don't have a girlfriend."
"I think you need to stop talking. The women in the house outnumber us currently. You don't want to start something you won't be able to finish." His father handed him a glass and walked to a big window that looked out on the gardens.
Chris looked at his father where he stood. Chris snr had always been a big man, brought shoulders and six feet tall. He was proud and a great leader for his people. He cherished his wife and he loved his son. "Dad, why did you and mother not have more children after me?"
Chris snr turned his head to look at his son. He thought about his son's question for a few seconds. "We tried a long time to get pregnant with you and well after you were born we felt like our family was complete. We didn't do anything to keep us from getting pregnant again, it just didn't happen, but we were okay with that."
Chris looked around him, checking to see if it was still just him and his father in the room. "Would you be able to raise someone else's child?"
"Do you mean like the situation with Lisa or like me and your mother adopt?"
"Either I guess."
Chris snr looked out the window again. "If I was in the situation you are now and you would take Lisa as a wife I don't think it would be a problem and I would raise a child that I adopted if I really wanted more children. Are you leaning in any of those directions?"
"Chris looked around the room again. "Jason was my best friend. I think he would want me to. I don't know what she is going to do once the baby is born, she could decide to give it up for adoption. I promised I would take care of them."
"That was a brave promise. She doesn't know the whole story yet and who knows what she might decide once she does. Life doesn't always allow you to keep your promises. Why don't you see where the road leads you? Make your decisions as you go. No one is going to blame you when things go in another direction."
"Thanks dad." Chris finished the amber fluid in his glass. "Would you like to join me, I need to go punch something."
"No, your mom should be ready to leave soon. I have a phone call to make. You go."
Chris left for his room. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and a workout t-shirt. He entered his home gym at the end of the hallway. He needed to think and the only way he could was to shut himself off from the world. He connected his phone to the Bluetooth speaker. Drums started at a slow beat but picked up gradually. There were no voices or other instruments. As the beats became faster the punches on the boxing bag got harder and faster. Minutes into it the beats stopped but Chris didn't. He started to mix punches with kicks.
Lisa watched him as he kicked and punched at the bag. She saw the drops op sweat running down his neck and into his t-shirt, the mussels in his arms tightening and releasing with every punch. She admired the sort of dance he was doing, the rhythm he was kicking and punching at. She knew that his punches were lethal by the way the bag was moving. She tried to punch one once and it didn't move even though she used all her strength.
"Due to popular demand I will be selling tickets to the gym door in the morning." Chris said jokingly.
Lisa didn't realize that he had noticed her and suddenly his moves weren't so artistic anymore. "Your parents left, they said they will check in sometime tomorrow." Lisa said and left as she felt her cheeks redden. She didn't want him to see her there but he did and there was nothing she could do about it now.
Chris watched her as she left. She was the reason he was in here punching and kicking the boxing bag. He started again but couldn't get into the rhythm of it and gave up. He took his towel and rubbed the sweat from his skin. 'Time for a dip." Chris said aloud and left the gym.
Lisa found Judith in the kitchen making a cup of tea.
"Would you like a cup?"
"No thanks. I am more of a coffee person." Lisa opened the fridge to see if there was something she could snack on but closed it again when she didn't find anything. "Did you see where Chris had gone? He was in the gym but now he isn't anymore."
"The pool I think." Judith said with a smile.
Lisa liked Judith. She was a few years older than Lisa. She had dark red hair and a full figure, not fat just athletic, the kind of girl that liked doing weights rather than running a mile. She was dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt with some kind of skull picture on it. "Thanks."
Chris got out of the pool when he saw Lisa coming his way. "Were you coming to swim?"
"No, we need to talk."
"About what?"
"If I am going to be staying here we need to discuss a few things."
"Nothing to discuss. You are welcome to anything in my house, if you want something that isn't here I can get it for you. You don't leave the house unless I am with you and you don't run to the bunker every time we have a disagreement. Those are the rules. End of discussion."
"Why are you being such a bully?" Lisa asked close to tears.
"I am not a bully. I am trying to take care of you. I am trying to keep you safe. You are acting like a child so I will treat you like one."
"You know what. I am a child. I am seventeen years old. I should enjoy myself, go to parties and get in trouble because I didn't make curfew. I should tease my brother and play pranks on him. I didn't go out looking for this. I didn't sleep around so I could get pregnant. I was raped and that wasn't my fault."
His heart broke at that moment, seeing her crying like that, so helpless. "I know it is not your fault. If I could change any of the things that happened to you I would but I can't. I am sorry that you are hurting but I am promising you that it will get better." He took her into his arms and held her close. "You are safe here. I will make sure of it."
"You have a great way of showing it." Lisa said a little calmer.
"I am sorry about it all. There is a lot going on and the nightmares aren't helping."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now if you don't mind. We should get into the house. It isn't safe to be here without extra security personnel."
"What do you mean?"
"Tomorrow a few more people will be on the property. Don't worry, you won't even know they are here."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Yes."
That was his answer and Lisa knew that he wouldn't budge on that. She might not know him that well but she has picked up on his tone when he is serious. "Fine." Lisa gave him a weak smile and went back into the house but turned back to him just outside the entrance. "I would like to phone my brother tomorrow if that is okay with you."
"Sure thing. I don't mind, as long as you don't tell him where you are it will be okay." Chris stiffened a little. He just realized that her brother could be used as a bargaining chip if Ryan knew about him. He would have to put some kind of protective detail on her house and fast.