Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
DARKEST DAYS TO COME-Merrill Hess can't seem to get over what has happened. Night terrors are destroying his sanity as well as his life. Finding it hard to cope he tries to hide his feelings from the family; they aren't fooled for a second. Can he sort out his feelings before it's too late?
Chapter I: The Day After
The house was clean now; the moldy, dingy boards that covered the windows and doors were gone. The Hess household was back to normal, or so they thought.
"Bo, go get your uncle, Morgan and I will be waiting in the car." Graham called from the master bedroom as he was getting ready to leave.
"Okay daddy." She replied, before bounding out of the front door in her cute lacey blue and white Sunday dress.
Merrill sat up in his bed, his mind was clearly troubled. He hugged his legs tightly to his chest, he didn't sleep very well that night. He had been up since three that morning, just thinking about everything that had happened. Yesterday had finally gotten to him. He could feel the tears starting to pool up in his bright green eyes, he closed them tightly for a second trying his hardest to fight them back, he didn't want anyone to see him like this.
There was a sudden knock at the door of the garage house.
"Uncle Merrill, daddy wanted me to come get you." Bo's sweet voice called from behind the door, snapping him out of the trance he was in. Damn he thought to himself, he threw on the dark grey shirt that was next to the bed and went to get the door.
Bo smiled sweetly when her favorite uncle came to the door. Merrill loved her to death she reminded him so much of her mother. He kneeled down to her level before looking into her big eyes.
"Bo honey, tell your dad I'll meet you guys there and be careful going down the stairs, Okay?" She nodded before hugging him and skipping down the stairs. He watched as Bo got lifted into the SUV and drove off. As soon as they were out of sight, Merrill closed the heavy wooden door and started getting dressed in a white button-down shirt, navy blue tie, black dress trousers and shoes. He combed his hair back, bounded down the stairs, got into his car and left for the church.
He got to the church just in time, the sermon hadn't started yet. He walked into the huge red brick building and found his usual seat between Morgan and Bo. The congregation stood to sing the first hymn of the morning.
"Please be seated." Graham instructed as soon as the song ended. As soon as everyone found their seats once more, the preaching began. It hadn't been 20 minutes before Merrill felt his mind start to wander again. He didn't even notice that Bo had fallen asleep in his lap, an hour had passed and he only snapped out of it when Morgan placed his hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly.
"Come on Uncle Merrill. Church is over." He said. Merrill just smiled, he loved his nephew to death as well and forgot just how mature he was sometimes. He picked up his niece trying not to wake her, with no avail and handed her to her father.
Graham looked into his younger brother's eyes.
"Why don't you go home and get some rest, you look exhausted. I'll bring you back some lunch." He told him with the utmost care in his voice placing his hand on Merrill's shoulder. He nodded, before walking out of the building. Moments later he got to his Pacific blue Toyota Corolla, got in and started back towards the house.
When he got back, he parked in his usual spot and picked up the lighter off the passenger side seat and opened the door. He stepped out of the car and made his way to the trunk, as he leaned against it he pulled an ultra light cigarette out of his pocket and lit it taking a long, slow drag. He had quit the habit after Morgan was diagnosed with asthma, ironically that was part of the reason he started again. Graham would kill me if he knew I started smoking again. He said to himself taking one last drag before putting it out on the gravel road. Merrill walked up the stairs slowly loosening his tie. When he got through the door, he started getting undressed. He then put on a tattered old pair of blue jeans and the grey shirt he answered the door in and some tennis shoes and made his way to the main house.
As he got in the house, he went into the kitchen and got a coke out of the fridge, he moved to the couch and plopped himself down reaching for the remote. He turned on the baseball game and reminisced about the time he used to play, anything to get his mind off of what happened. He opened the coke can and took a sip, he felt himself dozing off so he put the can on the coffee table and fell asleep. Just as fast as he fell asleep he woke up again to the slamming of the front door.
"Kids, go change and give me your clothes, I need to do the wash." Graham instructed, standing behind the couch. He handed Merrill a white styrofoam Togo box.
"I brought you back a cheeseburger and fries." He said. Merrill just smiled his thanks and started eating it.
Later that night Merrill decided to get some fresh air and have one last cigarette that night, he made his way slowly to the picnic table, lighting his cig. He suddenly heard a door close, as he sat down.
Christ, I hope no one saw that. He thought to himself, the last thing he needed was a lecture from someone with so much "faith" in God that he blatantly told him he hated him. He let out the breath he was holding confident that no one saw him. He took another drag closing his eyes, he started to relax, and little did he realize that Graham was standing behind him.
"I thought you quit Merrill!" Graham said, nearly knocking his young brother off the table with his tone.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" He continued, damn he saw me! He thought to himself as he tried to gain his composure again.
"I did, but…" he started but was cut off by the words he thought he would never hear.
"Just don't do it around the kids alright." Graham said with a wink and smiled. Merrill just laughed before calling his brother an asshole and playfully punching him in the arm.
After dinner the four members of the Hess family were sitting in the living room, watching the news. Graham stood up to go into the kitchen and clean up.
"Bo, Morgan its past your bedtime, I'll be in there in a minute to tuck you in." Bo looked to Merrill then her dad.
"Can uncle put me to bed?" Bo begged, pouting. Her dad just laughed and nodded, and with that, she started pulling on her uncle's arm and off they went to the bedroom.
Twenty minutes later, Merrill walked into the kitchen to help with the clean up. He still looked tired, he looked to the ground as he grabbed a plate and started to dry it.
"You didn't get any rest when you got home did you?" He asked knowing full well what the answer was, Merrill just shook his head.
"Why don't you go to bed?"
"I figured I'd help you with the dishes." Merrill offered, yawning, hoping he would sleep better tonight.
"I can handle this, just go to bed. I'll need you to help cook for the BBQ tomorrow." He said washing another plate. Merrill just patted his brother on the back and made his way to the garage house. He got inside, he went into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before going to bed. As he reached the bed he took off his shirt, jeans, and shoes before moving back the sheets. He put his head on the soft pillow while reaching for the small clock radio on the bedside table turning it on.
Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" quietly flooded the room that night. He had always liked Johnny Cash, and he was relieved that there was music on the radio rather than news about the damned aliens.
"When I was just a baby, my mama told me 'Son, always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.' but I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. When I hear that whistle blowin' I hang my head and cry." He sung to himself, he turned off the radio when the song ended; he also turned set the alarm for 9am. As he reached for the lamp to turn it on, he took the book off the small wooden end table. After reading for an hour, he looked at the neon red numbers on the clock that read 11:30pm, I should really try to sleep, he told himself, turning off the small dusty lamp.
He pulled the faded red sheets over his head and proceeded to doze off. Merrill woke up screaming in a cold sweat, he sat there for a moment trying to steady himself once again. All he could wonder was why? He couldn't understand why this had to happen to them, first his sister-in-law's death, now this? He looked at the clock; it read 2:45am.
Another sleepless night, he thought to himself as he got up to get a shower. He tested the water after turning it on for a few minutes and proceeded to get in. He thought what if they come back? And if they did, what if they succeed? He finished his shower and waited for the sun to come up.
Chapter 2 will be up soon.
I couldn't help but add the Johnny Cash song. Congratulations to Joaquin Phoenix and Walk the Line on their Golden Globe victory