CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE WAR
After going through this part a couple hundred times. I've realized that it is SO much more fun to read the talking parts out loud. You feel silly, but it makes the chapter much more enjoyable. Cheers! ~
They ambled into the house. Awkward. Hanging off one another.
"Quite a scare at the park today I see."
Lara came in. Her arms were around Catcher's shoulders. Like the blanket. And Agatha held his hand. On the other side.
Squinting through the darkness. She looked for the person. "Who are you?"
How'd he know they were at the park?
"You don't even know your own husband anymore..."
"John?" She squinted hard. Trying to make out his form. It was the first time he'd been back home. The entire week.
"We're lucky he didn't die today."
"It was just a little scare, nothing at all..." She tried to smile. But the darkness took it from her face. The hair on the back of her neck. Stood up on end. There was something wrong.
Lara turned loose and leaned down. Talking to Agatha. "Why don't you take him up to bed. I'll be there in a minute to check on you."
Agatha looked at the dark room. Feeling her hair rise too. Hesitating.
"Go on sweetie. Daddy and I need to talk." She tapped her on the nose. And Agatha nodded. Pulling Catcher up the stairs.
She heard the groan of leather. And turned back to the darkness.
"What are you doing?" Lara asked warily. Coming forward. Her hand going to the light switch. Flipping it on. But no lights came on.
"No. What are you doing?"
"What did you do to the lights?"
"I disconnected them." He said matter of factly. "What have you been doing with him?"
"What are you talking about? John? What's wrong with you?"
"He's dead Lara. Witwer is dead."
"I know that." She contested. "That's not Witwer."
"Who is then? A figment of my fucking imagination?" Anderton seethed. Mockingly amused as he said it.
"His name's Catcher. He's..."
"What?" he cut her off. "You named the fucker?" He threw something in the dark. And it shattered. Making her jump. "You know you can't name things. You get attached to shit when you name it. You know that."
"Don't swear John, Agatha can hear us."
"How would you know that?" She didn't know where he was now. His voice sounded like it was in a million different places. All at once.
"They can hear through the vents."
"The vents huh?" She heard him move. And jumped in surprise when there was pounding. His fist clanging loudly. Against the vent.
"Can they hear that?! Can you fucking hear that?!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs
"Stop it John! You're scaring me." She commanded. And the clanging stopped.
"I'm scaring you?" He came close. But she couldn't see him. Only feel his breath on her neck. "My fucking family's being ripped away from me and you're scared?" He laughed amusedly. "You have no idea what scared is."
"Nobody's taking your family away from you." Her voice hitched in her throat. Her arms clutched about herself. "You're pushing us away."
"Oh yeah Lara?" he breathed vehemently, "I'm pushing you away? What about the night he came? You let him sleep in our house. The joy ride to the city? What was that about? The lunch? The park? It seems to me I'm not doing any pushing, you daffy bitch."
She only knew one time. When John had ever spoken to her like that.
"You've been using again, haven't you?" She didn't have to see. To know. Her voice shuddered. As she tried to hold her ground.
"This isn't about me. It's about the man who's trying to steal away my family. The dead fucker you're replacing me with."
"Replacing you? How can he be replacing you when you're not even there to be replaced?!" She'd said too much.
And clamped her hand over her mouth.
"So that's how it is, huh?" He moved through the darkness like a snake. "I'm a bad husband, a bad father. Is that it?"
He was to her left. No. To her right. No. Was he behind her?
"No! You've changed John. Ever since Lamar -"
"Shut up about Lamar!" A backhand came from the darkness. And struck her across the face. Nearly knocking her over.
Tears welled in her eyes. But she did not step back.
"You ever talk about Lamar again and I'll kill you! Understand?"
Her hand went up to her face. Shaking. As he padded around her.
"He was a great man..." Anderton breathed.
"He killed two people in cold blood. That makes him a horrible person." She found the transparent faults. But stuttered none the less. "H- h - He screwed with America's sense of security, that's nothing we'll never be able to win back."
"Fuck America's security!" John yelled. "Most of those people out there don't even deserve to live. They're only ever gonna be half of what Lamar or I am."
"Catcher's twice of what you'll ever be!" Again. Too much. Words in haste. With horrible consequences.
"What?"
Oh shit. She tried to crowbar her foot. Back out of her mouth.
"He makes Agatha smile John. For the first time since she was a baby, she smiles." Lara broke down. Trying to explain. Sympathetically. "He makes her..."
He could feel him circling her. But always stayed far enough away. So that she couldn't see him.
She didn't want to say the word.
"Happy?" he asked. And sadly. She nodded.
"So that's it..." his voice had faded. Now instead of anger. There was clearness. Understanding. Hatefully so. "I don't make her happy..."
"No John," she tried to counter. Putting out her hands. Trying to feel for him. "That's not what I said...."
"You don't have to say it Lara," he was angry again. "It's clear enough now. I don't make you happy..."
"John..." she tried to reason.
"No." He cut off. "That's it. This is the end."
"What 'end' John? You're confused, let's sleep on it...we can talk about it in the morning."
"No, there's not going to be a morning." He fated. "You have to make a decision Lara. Right now."
"A decision?..."
"It's him or me! Who's it going to be?!" He talked like a game show host.
One that was going to kill the contestant.
"The stakes are in! All bets are off! Take a stand sweetheart!" His voice was like venom. Acid in his throat. As he spat it in her ear.
She stood with her mouth open.
"Your husband, whom you're legally contracted to, till you die, or some fucking corpse who's come back from his own death?!"
"You can't -" She thrust her finger out. And he grabbed it. Twisting her wrist around. Breaking it. Hearing the bone snap.
She cried out. As he thrust his face at hers. Coming into the light. There were deep bags under his eyes. Dark. And blue.
"John..." she whispered hoarsely. "You're hurting me...please stop..." tears were finally in her eyes.
"...John...stop...." As she looked into her husband's.
No. Not his eyes. Someone else's.
"HIM OR ME!??!"
After going through this part a couple hundred times. I've realized that it is SO much more fun to read the talking parts out loud. You feel silly, but it makes the chapter much more enjoyable. Cheers! ~
They ambled into the house. Awkward. Hanging off one another.
"Quite a scare at the park today I see."
Lara came in. Her arms were around Catcher's shoulders. Like the blanket. And Agatha held his hand. On the other side.
Squinting through the darkness. She looked for the person. "Who are you?"
How'd he know they were at the park?
"You don't even know your own husband anymore..."
"John?" She squinted hard. Trying to make out his form. It was the first time he'd been back home. The entire week.
"We're lucky he didn't die today."
"It was just a little scare, nothing at all..." She tried to smile. But the darkness took it from her face. The hair on the back of her neck. Stood up on end. There was something wrong.
Lara turned loose and leaned down. Talking to Agatha. "Why don't you take him up to bed. I'll be there in a minute to check on you."
Agatha looked at the dark room. Feeling her hair rise too. Hesitating.
"Go on sweetie. Daddy and I need to talk." She tapped her on the nose. And Agatha nodded. Pulling Catcher up the stairs.
She heard the groan of leather. And turned back to the darkness.
"What are you doing?" Lara asked warily. Coming forward. Her hand going to the light switch. Flipping it on. But no lights came on.
"No. What are you doing?"
"What did you do to the lights?"
"I disconnected them." He said matter of factly. "What have you been doing with him?"
"What are you talking about? John? What's wrong with you?"
"He's dead Lara. Witwer is dead."
"I know that." She contested. "That's not Witwer."
"Who is then? A figment of my fucking imagination?" Anderton seethed. Mockingly amused as he said it.
"His name's Catcher. He's..."
"What?" he cut her off. "You named the fucker?" He threw something in the dark. And it shattered. Making her jump. "You know you can't name things. You get attached to shit when you name it. You know that."
"Don't swear John, Agatha can hear us."
"How would you know that?" She didn't know where he was now. His voice sounded like it was in a million different places. All at once.
"They can hear through the vents."
"The vents huh?" She heard him move. And jumped in surprise when there was pounding. His fist clanging loudly. Against the vent.
"Can they hear that?! Can you fucking hear that?!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs
"Stop it John! You're scaring me." She commanded. And the clanging stopped.
"I'm scaring you?" He came close. But she couldn't see him. Only feel his breath on her neck. "My fucking family's being ripped away from me and you're scared?" He laughed amusedly. "You have no idea what scared is."
"Nobody's taking your family away from you." Her voice hitched in her throat. Her arms clutched about herself. "You're pushing us away."
"Oh yeah Lara?" he breathed vehemently, "I'm pushing you away? What about the night he came? You let him sleep in our house. The joy ride to the city? What was that about? The lunch? The park? It seems to me I'm not doing any pushing, you daffy bitch."
She only knew one time. When John had ever spoken to her like that.
"You've been using again, haven't you?" She didn't have to see. To know. Her voice shuddered. As she tried to hold her ground.
"This isn't about me. It's about the man who's trying to steal away my family. The dead fucker you're replacing me with."
"Replacing you? How can he be replacing you when you're not even there to be replaced?!" She'd said too much.
And clamped her hand over her mouth.
"So that's how it is, huh?" He moved through the darkness like a snake. "I'm a bad husband, a bad father. Is that it?"
He was to her left. No. To her right. No. Was he behind her?
"No! You've changed John. Ever since Lamar -"
"Shut up about Lamar!" A backhand came from the darkness. And struck her across the face. Nearly knocking her over.
Tears welled in her eyes. But she did not step back.
"You ever talk about Lamar again and I'll kill you! Understand?"
Her hand went up to her face. Shaking. As he padded around her.
"He was a great man..." Anderton breathed.
"He killed two people in cold blood. That makes him a horrible person." She found the transparent faults. But stuttered none the less. "H- h - He screwed with America's sense of security, that's nothing we'll never be able to win back."
"Fuck America's security!" John yelled. "Most of those people out there don't even deserve to live. They're only ever gonna be half of what Lamar or I am."
"Catcher's twice of what you'll ever be!" Again. Too much. Words in haste. With horrible consequences.
"What?"
Oh shit. She tried to crowbar her foot. Back out of her mouth.
"He makes Agatha smile John. For the first time since she was a baby, she smiles." Lara broke down. Trying to explain. Sympathetically. "He makes her..."
He could feel him circling her. But always stayed far enough away. So that she couldn't see him.
She didn't want to say the word.
"Happy?" he asked. And sadly. She nodded.
"So that's it..." his voice had faded. Now instead of anger. There was clearness. Understanding. Hatefully so. "I don't make her happy..."
"No John," she tried to counter. Putting out her hands. Trying to feel for him. "That's not what I said...."
"You don't have to say it Lara," he was angry again. "It's clear enough now. I don't make you happy..."
"John..." she tried to reason.
"No." He cut off. "That's it. This is the end."
"What 'end' John? You're confused, let's sleep on it...we can talk about it in the morning."
"No, there's not going to be a morning." He fated. "You have to make a decision Lara. Right now."
"A decision?..."
"It's him or me! Who's it going to be?!" He talked like a game show host.
One that was going to kill the contestant.
"The stakes are in! All bets are off! Take a stand sweetheart!" His voice was like venom. Acid in his throat. As he spat it in her ear.
She stood with her mouth open.
"Your husband, whom you're legally contracted to, till you die, or some fucking corpse who's come back from his own death?!"
"You can't -" She thrust her finger out. And he grabbed it. Twisting her wrist around. Breaking it. Hearing the bone snap.
She cried out. As he thrust his face at hers. Coming into the light. There were deep bags under his eyes. Dark. And blue.
"John..." she whispered hoarsely. "You're hurting me...please stop..." tears were finally in her eyes.
"...John...stop...." As she looked into her husband's.
No. Not his eyes. Someone else's.
"HIM OR ME!??!"