Page 58 of Drowned In Silence
“Spencer, are you here?” I yell into the house from the doorway.
“We're in here!” He yells from the direction of the kitchen.
“We?” Dynah asks, looking over to me and biting her bottom lip.
I let go of her hand and pull out my knife, usher her behind me, and carefully walk into the kitchen.
Spencer is leaning over with his elbows on the granite countertop. In front of him is a younger woman, dressed in one of his shirts, and that looks like it. She’s got dirty brown hair and big tearful brown eyes.
“Who are you?” I ask, walking up to her with my knife in hand, ready to kill.
“Woah, woah, woah. Chill, bro. I will explain. Just– put the knife down. Please?” He asks, stepping in between us with his hands up in mock surrender.
“Then explain why this half naked woman is in this house with you. Where did she come from? Where is yourFather?” I spit at him.
“Calm down, please. This is Brandy. She was about to be fucking sacrificed in that room of the church. I saved her, Elliot. Like we’re supposed to, right? Now back up and put down the knife,” Spencer demands.
“Sacrifice?” I ask, dropping the knife and stepping away from her and back towards Dynah. She wraps her arms around mine, holding me but hiding behind my arm. She stares at the girl, not blinking or talking to her.
“I found these on a podium in the back,” Spencer says, grabbing a file and handing it to me.
I grab the folder, looking at him with narrowed eyes. I don’t always trust my gut, but I know for a fact I don’t want to open this file. I don’t want to know what was really going on, but I can’t help it. Ineedto know. It’s my fucking job to save people from the horrors of others. If I can broaden my work with the contents inside, then I have to do this.
Me and Dynah walk over to the counter and she sits next to the girl who shys away from her, but stays silent. She is a scared little thing, shaking like a leaf in the big shirt.
I open the folder and my face instantly scrunches up in horror.
“What. In. The. Fuck.”
A handful of pictures sit on top of the papers, all of them of my biological mother dying.
I keep looking through the pictures, seeing the familiarfaces of Robert, Ernest, and a few other of the guys my adoptive parents have invited over in the past.
“They… killed her?” I ask, looking at Spencer dumbfounded. “They fucking killed her?!”
“Keep reading,” he says, running his hands down his face. “Just… Keep reading, Elliot.”
I do as he asks, flipping through pages after page of names, dates, and locations. Each page has a handful of pictures attached to the top with paperclips. Each picture gets worse and worse.
“Holy shit,” I mutter.
Dynah leans over the counter, watching as I flip through the papers and photos until I can’t take anymore and slam it closed, scaring everyone in the kitchen.
“They just find someone who they think is dirty and fucking kill them?!” I yell at no one.
“Yeah,” the new girl finally speaks, pointing at Spencer and continuing, “He saved me from them. I was kidnapped and secluded for who knows how long, until they took me into that church, strapped me down to an altar, and–” she stops.
“You’re safe with us. I promise,” Spencer whispers, grabbing her by the back of the head and pulling her to his chest.
It’s weird seeing my brother care for someone other than himself, but I assume they are trauma bonded now. I don’t blame him for wanting to keep her close and I can’t blame her for wanting to hold onto him.
“So, what happened to your Father?” I ask Spencer.
His face pales and his lips thin.
“When I walked into that room after him, I found at least fifteen people– including mom. I tried to get to them, ask them questions, something… But they all scattered like roaches in the light. Mom started crying, but dad grabbed her bythe hand and pulled her out the back door before I could stop them. I tried to follow them, but was stopped by a crying girl on a fucking alter covered in small cuts.” He looks down at the girl who is now calm and still buried in his chest. “We came here after we uh– heard you two. I made sure no one was here, let Brandy shower, and then started looking through things until I found that.”
“We need to find them, Pen. Wehaveto,” I growl.