Just Misunderstood

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Chapter 2: Blood, Sweat, and Tears

'Look behind me?'

Diablo's mental scoffing thought may have dripped in sarcasm, yet Blake could see the fear in his eyes. Vex chanced a glance over her shoulder before letting out a screech that rivaled that of a banshie. Behind them stood Thomas, hidden brown eyes filled with seething fury as he raised a sledge hammer above his head before taking a swing at the closest target. There was a sickening crack and squelching as solid iron collided with flesh and bone. The poor fool didn't even have a chance to scream as the force of the strike sent him reeling into the wall, painting it with a mixture of blood and chunks of squished internal organs. His skull caved in from the impact and he died rather quickly, slumping to the floor in a heap.

'Try to hurt family! Try to hurt pretty, nice Blake!' ran through the massive brute's head over and over again, in between the snarling grunts.

Blake's eyes widened in terror at the sight. To think, this was the same man that had been very shy and timid earlier just about saying hello and gently played with her dogs. Now it was as though a switch had been flipped, turning him into an enraged, unstoppable beast.

"Blake, get out of here! RUN!" Tobias called, over the noise that had erupted into the formally quiet little store, "Take Toby and Jason with you."

"But daddy-?!" Blake screamed.

"I'm right behind you, go!"

"PARKER! DANTE! GET THE FUCK IN HERE NOW!" Diablo shouted.

His gaze shifted from Thomas to Tobias, trying to determine who was the bigger threat; the angry giant with the sledge hammer, or the protective father with a magnum revolver defending his beloved daughter. In a second, he decided, turning around and taking a shot at Thomas. With the bustle of his remaining men, Diablo's shot was off, grazing Thomas' arm rather then hitting him in the chest. This only seemed to piss off the massive masked man, though before he could retaliate, Tobias had already used one of his two remaining bullets. The spatter of blood, brain, and bone fragments was enough to know that the angry father had shot the cultist right in the head. So much for Diablo.

His hands began to shake, praying that Blake hadn't witnessed this. Tobias had been forced to kill only once before, and it wasn't a feeling he enjoyed, even if the poor sap deserved it. It made him feel sick to his stomach and weak in the knees. Thankfully, his daughter's back was to him as she ran for the back door, though his relief didn't last long.

Blake skidded to a halt, Luda Mae close behind her, moving as fast as her aging body would permit. The two men that had previously positioned themselves outside the back door came dashing inside, one armed with a long hunting knife, the other, a length of chain wrapped around his fist with some slack, like a crude brass knuckle crossed with a whip. The narrow hall didn't leave Blake with much room to use her walking staff, so she knew what needed to be done.

"Alright then... you want to play rough?"

Blake focused on her two dogs, feeling the territorial aggression coursing throughout them as though it were her own. When Parker and Dante, as Diablo had called them, were mere feet away, the girl simply pointed at one of the two. Even without any sort of verbal command or whistle, Jason and Toby lunged forward with a snarl. Within seconds, the two fur-coated razor blades tackled Parker to the ground, clamping down on his wrist and neck with savage, vice-like jaws and began to tearing him to pieces. Parker screamed in agony, struggling to get back to his feet and reclaim his knife, which had dropped to the floor and skidded out of his reach when the two dogs initially jumped him.

"Luda Mae! Watch out!" Blake screamed.

Dante kept charging forward, ignoring his partner as the dogs mercilessly ripped the flesh from his bones. Luda Mae and Blake were forced to back up as the madman lunged, taking a swing with a chain-wrapped fist. The sound of another gunshot ripping through the air and a shout from her father caused Blake to flinch a little, though she couldn't risk taking her eyes off the fight at hand. Dante took another swing, this time leaving himself open to Blake as she jabbed his gut with the end of her walking staff before whacking him in the side of the head with it, then followed up with a kick to the chest.

"Well now..." Dante panted, as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "Look at you. Ain't you just a little spitfire?"

The deranged man's eyes darted from Blake to Luda Mae, deciding which one would be more fun to go after first. It didn't take long for him to make up his mind.

"Jason! Toby!" Blake cried out.

"Oh... oh my! Tommy! Thomas Brown Hewitt!" Luda Mae screamed, "Git over here, boy!"

Having heard his mother's frantic cries for help, Thomas snarled, throwing Vex out of his way before he stomped forward, causing the remaining cultists to scatter throughout the small store. He had taken a few hits from the woman's blade and was bleeding, though in the heat of the moment, the massive brute didn't even seem to notice. His advance was stopped abruptly as a sharp pain raced through his outer thigh, nearly causing him to collapse. A large hunting knife was lodged in the flesh of his upper leg and Thomas howled in agony and rage.

With surprising speed for a man of his size, Thomas twisted around, slamming his sledge hammer into the miscreant that had managed to slink behind him. A shrill cry of pain came from the cultist as he collapsed to the ground, pulling the knife out of the brute's leg, causing the wound to bleed quite badly.

"Oh no. Daddy?! Thomas? " Blake gasped, turning around in horror.

Now, several things happened all at once. Blake could see her father holstering his empty gun with one hand and opening up his backpack which had previously been under the table with the other. Vex and the third still standing member of the abduction team were beginning to regroup, seeing that the giant was badly hurt and Tobias was out of ammunition for his revolver. While the male snatched up Diablo's dropped handgun, Blake's father withdrew the hunting crossbow he had kept hidden in his pack and loaded a wickedly sharp bolt into it.

Meanwhile, just as Jason and Toby abandoned Parker, who was no more then a mangled mess of flesh and bone at this point, and turned their aggression on Dante, Blake turned back around only to have a chain-wrapped fist collide directly with the side of her head, right in the temple, sending the young woman sprawling to the ground, though not before hitting a table and a chair on the way down, breaking the latter. She let out a sharp yelp and a whimper once she had landed. By now, there was a ringing in her ears and Blake's vision was beginning to waver and blur. She could make out her dogs pouncing on Dante and snarling savagely while Luda Mae slunk around behind him, grabbing the heathen's fallen partner's dropped knife. Even as Toby and Jason began to rip and tear into his flesh, there was a look of absolute fury on the old woman's face as she repeatedly stabbed Dante in the back before Thomas ultimately brought his sledgehammer down on the man's head. She panted heavily, obviously having not exerted herself in such a matter for a while.

"Oh Tommy... my... my poor baby boy... are you okay?"

Although Luda Mae was standing close by, consoling her injured son, she sounded as though she were getting further and further away. Thomas had grunted, gesturing with his head towards the fallen girl.

Barely able to pull herself up to her knees, Blake glanced around in a daze, barely hearing the mechanism of the crossbow being fired, a pained cry, and another gunshot. Blood began to trickle down the side of her face and with some difficulty, she pulled a large, ugly wooden splinter out of her forehead. She could hear her father's strained voice calling out her name, though it seemed to be fainter and fainter. The blurry outline of Tobias stumbled back as a spatter of something erupted from his shoulder.

'N-no... no... it can't be...' Blake pleaded, mentally, "D-daddy!"

But it was. Blood. Her father had been wounded, badly. With tears streaming down her face, the girl struggled to drag herself closer to Tobias, momentarily unaware of Thomas' heavy footfalls. But before she could even take hold of her father's hand, the cultist that Thomas had badly injured earlier used the last bit of his consciousness to drive his knife deep into Blake's abdomen. A pained gasp emitted from her mouth and tears began streaming down her face. Breathing became difficult and as the blood drained from her body and onto the dirty wooden floor, she became incredibly cold. The girl collapsed, arm outstretched to her father while Thomas let out a roar of anger from behind her. Toby and Jason barked and snarled, one assisting Thomas with dispatching the already wounded and dying cultist while the other one targeted Vex.

"D-daddy... I-I love you... p-please don't leave me..." Blake pleaded, her voice hardly audible over the noise of the fight.

As her world began to go black, Blake could vaguely see flashing red and blue lights from the dirty store windows as someone else burst onto the scene. Loud 'BANGS' from a shotgun greeted her already ringing ears before the girl succumbed to unconsciousness. Yet oddly enough, the last thing that Blake remembered hearing before slipping away into the blackness had been the calm, loving voice of her father, 'I'll never leave you, kitten. I love you more then anything in this world.'

*Unknown Location, Some Time Later*

She had no concept of how much time had passed. Could have been hours. Perhaps even days. Where was she? No freaking clue. Although her eyes refused to open and pain throbbed throughout her head and stomach, Blake could occasionally hear voices and feel when someone was touching her.

"Just what the hell is this, Mamma? You can't be serious!"

It was a male's voice, not her father's and certainly not Thomas'. She didn't recognize it at all. The tone was rather harsh and laced with a hint of venom, making the groggy young woman quite uncomfortable.

"Hush now, Hoyt. I couldn't exactly tell ya over the phone while they was listinin'!"

Okay, that one was Luda Mae, Blake would recognize that heavy southern drawl anywhere, "Before them hooligans trashed the store and tried to rob us, you should have seen them together. It was like she was made just for Tommy. She was so sweet to him, ain't no one outside of the family ever done nothin' like it fer poor Tommy before. Blake here will be a perfect fit for the family."

"Did you see the shit they was carryin'? A gun. A crossbow... A fuckin' crossbow? Now can you believe that?! Like they was prepared for the damn apocalypse to start up." snorted the unfamiliar man's voice again, (Hoyt, was it?)

Vaguely, Blake was aware of someone or something large gently pulling her close and holding her in a possessive embrace. The strong smell of leather and iron filled her nose and while she wanted to lash out, the overwhelming pain and exhaustion wouldn't permit it.

'No... no... this... this has got to be a dream. Just another bad dream. Another nightmare. Nothing new. Daddy promised. He promised that he would never leave me.' Blake thought to herself, frantically.

"Pfft... perfect fit," scoffed Hoyt, "Tommy doesn't even know what to do with a woman!"

"He's learned plenty from you, I'll say! Tommy's a smart boy, he'll figure it out."

Luda Mae's voice began to sound like it was getting further and further away as Blake found herself once again slipping away under the comforting darkness of unconsciousness. She vaguely heard a little bit more; a soft grunting beside her, Luda Mae and Hoyt arguing in hushed voices, about "How those damn dogs ruined... something". Blake couldn't make out anything more before her body demanded that she sleep once more.

It had to be a bad dream, it just had to be. In a perfect world, the sounds of medical machines would greet her ears and she'd find herself in a typical, sterile hospital room with her father at her side keeping watch over her. Alas, the longer Blake shifted in and out of the black void of sleep, the more and more unlikely her ideal situation would be.

Every few hours, someone would inadvertently jostle the girl awake, mostly from changing the dressings on the nasty wound or applying a cold compress to her forehead to bring down her fever. She remembered opening her eyes a few times, seeing a fuzzy outline of a person sitting next to her trying to get her to take a few sips of water or a spoonful of soup. Usually nothing more then a few incoherent moans would escape her lips, until today.

"Wh-where... am I? D-daddy? Toby? Jason?" she questioned, groggily.

Blake shifted as much as her aching muscles would permit. She felt so... weak. There was no other way to describe it. The pain began to throb once more, growing worse as the girl became more alert and aware of her surroundings. As much as Blake could tell, she was in a bedroom that looked like it had been locked sometime in the 1950's maybe. Very old fashioned furniture, such as the dresser and nightstand and a slightly open door leading into what she guessed was a private bathroom. Another door could be seen to her left, though this one was closed. The bed she currently lay on was ancient, with creaky springs squeaking slightly with every movement. Lumpy pillows and a faded swamp green blanket just completed the set. She herself was no longer wearing her sundress that she had been that day, but rather an off white nightgown that was too big for her small frame. Beneath it, she could feel the dressing wrapped around her injury and when she reached up to rub her aching head, turns out that was bandaged up to. Bright sunlight beamed through the window, giving hint that it was either late morning or already afternoon.

'Okay... not the hospital... certainly not as comfortable as Jason's and Lisa's tunnels either... just where-?'

Blake halted her thoughts. At first, the girl thought that she was alone, right up until a grunting snore greeted her ears and she felt warm breath against her cheek and neck. Taking in a nervous gulp, praying to God above that she was wrong, she gingerly rolled over as much as she dare. The sight that greeted her, not to mention Luda Mae's previous ramblings, meshed together like some seriously messed up jigsaw puzzle. Lying next to her, on top of the covers and sound asleep was the hulking form of Thomas. He was still in his clothes, though they looked like he patched them up and might have tried to clean them off. At once, Blake's eyes widened in fear and she clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

'J-just what d-do these people think they're doing?! Who are these weirdos?'

She tried to take in deep breaths to calm herself down. Not only calm herself, but also make sure that in her panic she didn't accidentally wake up the beast of a man currently snoring next to her. Right now, all she wanted as her father, her dogs, and to get the hell out of here! But when Blake attempted to roll out of bed, Thomas let out a soft growl, yet didn't wake up. His massive, bear paw sized hand, however, did reach out and take hold of her shoulder, while the rest of his muscular arm held her firmly in place as he cuddled next to her.

A slight squeak of fear escaped Blake's mouth. Closing her eyes, trying to prevent herself from having a complete panic attack, she tried to focus on Thomas. Not the startlingly over affectionate brute curled up to her, but rather the shy giant she first met. For a while, Blake just listened to the steady beat of his heart and sound of his breathing. He seemed so peaceful and content in this moment. Just what was going through his head? When the girl tried to find out, an excruciating pain ripped through her mind, causing her head to throb in agony. This time, Blake couldn't hold it in and let out a pained scream and instinctively reached for her head in an effort to make the agonizing pounding stop. With a start, Thomas sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake and alert.

Thomas loomed over the shaken little female, making Blake feel incredibly vulnerable in that moment. Somehow, he was even larger then she had remembered! Then memories of that violent afternoon began to flood her mind; Thomas had been almost timid when he approached her, yet when those Soldiers of Eternal Damnation attacked, he stormed his way through them with a vengeful fury. Gone had been the shy, gentle giant and there had been a fierce beast in his place. Suddenly, Blake's mouth became dryer then before.

"I-I... ummmmm... -cough, cough- oh dear..." Blake rasped, her mismatched eyes gazing right back into Thomas' intense brown ones.

Thomas still had that leather mask over his face and his long, dark brown hair was messier then it had been before. His breathing was incredibly heavy and he just looked... worried. Blake felt her breath catch in her throat when Thomas' giant hand cupped her cheek and lightly stroked it as if to ask, 'are you okay?'

Blake lay very still, letting the giant caress her skin and stroke her hair. She remembered, reading his thoughts the day they met, that he had called her 'pretty' and 'nice'. He brought treats for her dogs and had been incredibly bashful. Although Thomas had frightened her, though not intentionally, perhaps he could be of assistance to her.

"Y-you s-seem to h-have gotten over your shyness." Blake gulped, grimacing from the pain lancing throughout both her head and stomach, "W-where's my daddy? O-or Toby a-and J-Jason? Can... y-you tell me... how long I've... b-been here?"

Gently, Thomas pushed Blake down onto the bed, giving her a hand gesture for 'stay', (one she honestly knew quite well,) before he got up himself, walking with a mild limp. Come to think of it, he had been hurt to. Perhaps he just healed faster? Then again, Blake had always been slow to heal and prone to getting sick. Just how many days had she been out? While her tired, aching mind pondered these questions, she was vaguely aware of what sounded like a lock clicking open as Thomas left the room, then the lock clicking shut. So... it would seem as though they were making sure she wouldn't be able to escape. Holding her captive.

"Keep it... together, Blake." she told herself, in short panting breaths.

She was trying her hardest not to cry, even though she wanted too. Her dogs were nowhere to be seen, her father-oh dear God, what had happened?! He had been shot by those cultists. Were her hosts, captors, who-or-whatever they were, taking care of him at all? What about Jason and Toby? What about-?

"Why couldn't I... h-hear his thoughts?!" Blake whimpered, slowly sitting up in bed and shivering.

Despite the room itself being decently warm, Blake just felt cold. Shivers raced up and down her spine as memories of taking that heavy handed punch to her head fogged up her already overworked brain. It struck her right in the temple. Perhaps that was the answer? Maybe the severe trauma of being stabbed and close to bleeding out? Whatever the answer, Blake was quick to discover that every attempt to utilize her abilities was met with a punishing migraine. Her blood felt as though it had turned to ice water.

"I... I can't fight, not like this, a-and w-without m-m-my powers..."

As difficult as it was, she held in her tears, albeit barely. It had been a long time since Blake had truly felt this helpless. Choking back a strained sob, the girl tossed her bed covers off and against her better judgment she staggered to her feet. A sharp whimper escaped her mouth as one hand clutched her bandaged stomach and the other clung to the nightstand for support. Beneath her, her legs wobbled and were unsteady. After taking a moment to adjust, Blake would lean against whatever was nearby, finally making it to the window.

"Oh... oh dear God... i-it can't be!" she gasped.

While she may never have seen this place physically, Blake knew that she had seen it before. The vast fields, he treeline in the distance; this was what she had seen in her vision at the Last Chance! Her room was up on the second floor, and even though her view of the house was limited, Blake could tell it was large, off white with chipping and peeling paint. A rapid, crackling sound, like white noise, momentarily screeched through the girl's head and that horrible pounding returned as well, causing Blake to double over in agony and scream.

Just as she was about to collapse, the door to her room was suddenly flung open, causing her to jump. Thomas stomped forward, his muscles tense and chest heaving with Luda Mae following close behind. The elderly woman clamped a hand over her mouth in shock, eyes wide at the sight that greeted her.

"Merciful heavens, child! What do ya think you're doin'? Gettin' outta bed like that in yer condition."

Terrified and feeling very much like a cornered animal, Blake pressed herself against the wall, even trying the window just to see if it would open. Alas, it had been firmly nailed shut. Just when she considered breaking it, Thomas let out a loud, displeased grunt while stooping down and putting one arm below her knees and another behind her shoulders then effortlessly lifted her up. Once the feeling of vertigo settled in Blake's already hurting and upset stomach, she let out a frightened squeak, grasping at the giant's shirt and struggling to free herself. Thomas didn't even seem to notice her feeble struggling and just held her for a moment, hugging her close to his body while stroking her hair in a soothing motion. Honestly, it was like a child holding onto a scared cat; a child that didn't understand that he was the cause of the animal's fright yet was determined to comfort it none the less.

"T-Thomas? W-what-what... is going on? Please..." Blake pleaded, burying her face against his chest and clinging to him.

While the giant remained mute, it seemed as though he was trying to "shush" her.

"Put her back to bed, Tommy," Luda Mae instructed, her tone quite stern, "Dear me, sweet child, ya nearly gave me a heart attack. Ain't in no shape to be wonderin' around. Besides, it ain't safe!"

Not one to defy his mother, Thomas was quick to follow her orders, tucking Blake back under the covers and giving her his gesture for 'stay' once more before backing away a few steps. Luda Mae lightly patted her son's arm before pulling up a chair next to the young psychic's bedside and taking a seat.

"That's it, you just rest now, hun. Poor thing, you've been out of it for near a week," she informed, matter of factly, "But my Tommy's been watchin' out fer ya, takin' care of ya. He's such a sweet boy, hardly a soul outside of the family has ever shown him a lick of kindness. Then you, oh... here I thought I'd never live to see such... such a day."

Blake just took in a nervous gulp, remembering all to well what she had heard in Luda Mae's thoughts the day she and her father stepped foot in that store. 'She'll be a wonderful fit for the family. For my boy.'

Just what exactly was going on?

"M-Mrs. Hewitt... w-where's -cough- where's my daddy? Tobias? Y-you do remember him, right? I-I ummmm... I appreciate t-the hospitality, b-but we can't s-stay."

With a grunt, Thomas took a seat on the bed, never taking his eyes off of the trembling girl next to him. At Blake's inquiry, Luda Mae's eyes widened and she cleared her throat, standing up and dipping a rag into the water basin that was perched on the nightstand. She inhaled an anxious breath, lightly dabbing the cool, wet cloth across Blake's forehead before telling her the terrible news.

"I-I'm so sorry, child. T-the poor man, them hooligans... they shot him many times, a few in the vitals. Oh, Lord have mercy upon his soul. I-I tried my best... but he didn't make it."

The elderly woman stopped what she was doing, taking off her glasses to dab her eyes dry with her apron. Blake meanwhile just felt this horrific, hollow emptiness clutching at her soul with icy talons. Now, she could no longer hold it back. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as the weight of this horrible news tore a hole through her heart. After everything they had been through, good and bad, this couldn't be how it ended. It just couldn't! Murdered by some deranged occultist? Blake didn't want to believe it, even though she had seen it for herself.

"N-no! Please... p-please tell m-me -hic- t-this isn't real. H-he can't be dead! He just can't! He promised!"

By now, Blake was in near hysterics as she tried to get out of bed again, only to have Thomas hold her back down. But she didn't care. Blake wailed as loud as she could, heaving choking sobs as her already weakened body was forced to submit. As Thomas stroked her cheek and hair in an attempt to comfort her, the girl clung to him as though he were a lifeline. He may have been one of her captors, but she needed human contact. She needed someone, anyone, to offer comfort. Gently, Luda Mae dabbed the cold washcloth along Blake's eyes, "shushing" her as she did so.

Blake wanted to deny it. She wanted to believe now more then ever that her beloved father would walk through that door, tell her it was just a big misunderstanding, and wish her well to get better. But deep in her wounded heart, the girl just knew that would never happen. Tobias McCormick, loving father and best friend, was gone for good. Murdered in a dirty dust pile of a gas station convenience store simply because of his, and her, relationship with a former devil worshiping witch and a cult that refused to burn out! She could only pray that in his final moments, he was at least somewhere else when he passed. Or that his death was swift so that he didn't suffer.

This time, he wouldn't be around to find her. This time, Blake didn't have her two guardian angels too swoop in and save her. Now... she was truly alone and on her own.

"D-daddy... p-promised -hic- t-that he'd never-never l-leave m-me..." Blake whimpered, "H-he w-was t-the only remaining family t-that I-I had l-left."

"Oh sweet child, I'm so, so sorry for yer loss," Luda Mae sighed, as she continued to wipe away Blake's tears, "Git it out now, that's it. Yer one of us now, part of our family, and we take care of our own."

In all honesty, Blake wasn't even certain she'd heard everything the old woman had said. Her head pounded and ears rang with the racing of her heartbeat.

"C-can I... can I -hic- at-at least s-see him? S-so t-that -hic- I c-can t-t-tell him good-bye?" she barely managed, through her sniffling.

At her request, Luda Mae sadly shook her head, "I-I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I'm afraid that just wouldn't be possible. It's been a week since those... those blasphemous heathens tried to rob my store and stirred up their trouble. Sheriff's dealt with everything by now and you ain't in any condition to be goin' nowhere. Besides, you wouldn't wanna be seein' your daddy like that, would ya?"

Blake remained quiet for a moment, closing her eyes tightly. Her last memories of her father would be of him reaching out to her, bleeding profusely on the floor with an anguished look in his gaze Yet, Luda Mae had a valid point, Blake didn't want to remember her father lying motionless on a slab somewhere in a freezing morgue, broken and bloody. She wanted to remember the kind man that did everything he could in his power to give his daughter a better life and keep her safe. The man that loved her unconditionally.

Thomas continued to stroke Blake gently, grunting softly as he looked down on her with concern.

"Jason a-and Toby?" Blake spoke softly, "W-what happened t-to -sniffle- m-my dogs? W-where are t-they?"

"Oh, them critters? We had ta lock 'em up tight in the barn," Luda Mae explained, as she continued to wipe away Blake's tears and soothe the redness in her eyes, "They're too dangerous ta be... lettin' run loose. The sheriff of this here county lives here with me, he's Tommy's uncle, see. Sheriff Hoyt. He's part of the family, and those two dogs tried to turn him into supper after ya passed out back there. Family comes first round' here. Lucky my boy has a way with animals, pulled them off before they took a chunk outta Hoyt. Tommy knows that you like them dogs, so he holed 'em up where they can't hurt nobody."

By now, Blake was shaking, from both fear and even a little bit of anger. She just learned that her father was dead, now they're keeping her dogs, the only remaining semblance of family she had left AND her protectors, locked up and away from her. Breathing heavily, trying hard not to start hyperventilating, Blake attempted to plead her case.

"P-please... Jason a-a-and Toby... t-they were o-only trying to-to p-protect... me. T-they... t-they p-probably j-just... t-thought that Sheriff Hoyt... w-was going t-to hurt me. I-if they s-see me-"

"Listen to yourself, child. You is getting' delirious. Shhhhh, it'll all be okay, Tommy's takin' quite the likin' to ya. He'll protect ya from the horrible and dangerous people out there."

Now Blake found herself wondering just how delusional was this old woman really was. She wanted to argue further but in her current condition, there wasn't much that she'd be able to do and it might only serve to upset Luda Mae. With a lump in her throat, Blake backed down on the subject and sobbed out a sigh of defeat. Seemingly satisfied, Luda Mae gently patted the injured girl's shoulder before straightening up.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'll be seein' about getting' you somethin' to eat. Poor thing, nothin' but skin and bones," Luda Mae prattled, before leaving the room and locking it behind her, leaving Blake alone with Thomas.

Thomas perked up a little, a low grunt in his throat. He had been enjoying the silky feeling of Blake's soft brown hair against his heavily calloused hands. Every time the girl tried to move, Thomas would watch her intently, stopping her and shaking his head when he felt that she was moving around too much. There wasn't much Blake could do, other then let him touch and stroke her. It didn't seem to be anything of malicious intent, just innocent curiosity on his part. Besides, while he may not have been very skilled at it, he was doing his best to comfort her in her hour of grief.

'If only I could actually tell what was going on through your head...' Blake mused, mentally.

As Thomas lightly ran his hand over her midsection, paying close attention to where the stitches were, Blake finally plucked up the courage to ask him about her dogs.

"Are-are Jason... a-and Toby... at least being taken care of? Are they getting enough food? Water?"

Lightly, Thomas grunted and nodded his head, wiping away the girl's stray tears. He gestured to himself, then to Blake, before lowering his hand over where her heart was. Blake managed a weak smile, piecing together the giant's crude sign language.

"You've been looking after them? B-because I-I w-was... nice to you?" she questioned.

Quizzically, Thomas tilted his head at her, brown eyes wide and expectant. (For a guy with half his face hidden, he could be quite expressive.) While Blake guessed that she was mostly right, those weren't quite the words he seemed to be looking for.

"I-is it b-because you... lo-I mean-like me?"

Blake gulped a little, nearly choking on that first "L-word". However, studying Thomas' body language, she began to realize that she was correct the first time. Once more, the massive brute grunted, pointing to her heart, then to his own with a hopeful look on his face. (Well, what she could see of it, anyway.)

"Y-you h-helped me and my dogs b-because y-you l-love me?" she squeaked out, not even half believing her own words.

Now Thomas vigorously nodded, letting out a noise from his throat that was like a cross between a purr and a growl. Indeed, Blake was perfect for him. She was nice. She didn't call him mean names or scream at the sight of him. And those eyes, such unique and beautiful eyes like nothing he'd ever seen before. One brown like his, and one blue like his mother's. They were perfect! Thomas knew that he couldn't have been more lucky, for this living, breathing treasure was all his now. He needed to comfort her. He needed to protect her.

Once again he lay down next to her, pulling Blake up just enough so that her head rested against his chest and one powerful arm held her gently but firmly in place while his free hand stroked her hair, shoulder, and down to the uninjured side of her midsection. Now, the natural reaction would have been for Blake to start struggling and screaming. But screaming would do no good. There would be no one but the crazy family that had kidnapped her to hear. Without her powers, her dogs, and most importantly, her father, to protect her, Blake knew she'd need to make sure these people liked her. At least long enough to heal and hatch some sort of escape plan.

'Does... he even understand?' Blake asked herself, mentally.

Perhaps it was as she heard Luda Mae mention earlier, that no one apart from family had ever shown Thomas any semblance of kindness. Then she came along, just being her usual, kind self as she normally was with everyone. From the great brute's own thoughts that fateful day, Blake remembered hearing that he had said she didn't scream at him or call him names. But now that he found someone who was kind, he, THEY, weren't going to let her go.

Until she could study this family and figure out her next move, Blake merely sighed, wincing slightly in pain. She chanced a glance out the window, a pit forming in her stomach. The Soldiers of Eternal Damnation were still out there. Regardless of how wacky and off the rails these people were, even they didn't deserve to get dragged into that messy affair. ...Did they?

Yet little did Blake realize that the true nightmare was far from over. Oh no, this was merely the beginning!

::To be Continued::

Author's Notes:: So, finally, the conclusion to Chapter 1's cliffhanger!

Honestly, I did a lot of debating with myself, waffling back and fourth before ultimately deciding... "Yup, I think I'm going to kill off Blake's Father." Seriously, when I cried myself to sleep on the thought, that's when I decided it had to be done this way. Although he was a minor character, I liked Tobias McCormick. It's so rare to see kind-hearted single fathers, most of the time they seem to be written as abusive jerks. So, R.I.P Tobias McCormick, the one other person even the fearsome Jason Voorhees might have possibly considered a friend!

Poor Blake! How'd you like to wake up to a beast of a man snuggling up to you as though you were his teddy bear? On top of all her other misfortunes... her psychic abilities aren't responding and now she's being forced into the Hewitt family. Oh dear...

I figured that Thomas would probably be incredibly clingy to anyone that actually showed him any kindness and treated him like a person. And now more then ever, Blake needs an ally and friend, but how will she deal with the controlling family that hold's Tommy's leash? What will happen when she learns of the true horrors that go on inside that house? Will her powers return? Well... I'm still working on it, so you're just gonna have to wait and see.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed (or even teared up a little), reviews are awesome, I love reading what you guys have to say, it really helps me out and inspires me. Also, I'm really a very chatty person, feel free to PM me too.

Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or any of it's characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Vorrhees' story, The Strange Good Girl.