The doctors who kept coming by every day to take care of the wounded members of Thomas' family were persistent. At first, he didn't like these strange people one bit coming in and out of the family house. He would throw a screaming fit of protest before Hoyt struck him across the back telling him that the family would have to play pretend prisoners for now, "Until we get what we can to pull the rug under em boy!"
Whatever that meant, all that Thomas knew was that this wasn't right. Poor Luda Mae, she couldn't have a full night's sleep ever since the shifters took their posts out in the trees. Instead, she would stare out into the woods from her bedroom window, eyebrows furrowed seeing this as ultimate disrespect. Realizing how dangerous the situation was, Thomas's family decided to put the blonde girl, Qianna, outside with the other Gatlin children just so it wouldn't disturb Mama's peace. But what else was disturbing the peace much more was Vilmer, W.E., and Darla's presence. Other men of the family ripped into all three of the Slaughters asking just what the hell their involvement was about.
Vilmer explained it had to do with how he met Darla. How he and W.E. were committing murders in the town and one night bumped into Darla also carrying out dead bodies with her ex-husband at the same time. Supposedly Vilmer stated how Darla couldn't stand being around her husband and then they started having an affair. This got back to Darla's husband, & it then got back to Rothman. To which Rothman paid Vilmer and W.E. a visit. Thomas long distant cousin, explains how he's now in a mercenary position that likes to, "strike fear into people's hearts," as a preferable means of coming from his "customers" from Rothman's orders. Ultimately striking the Slaughter boys a deal as Darla now estranged husband decided to relocate to another state.
It still didn't make total sense to the rest of the family and everyone started pointing the finger at Darla, at one point making her take a beating from Hoyt, Drayton, the twins, and just about anyone else at that moment. Thomas' aunt, Anne, & his uncle Monty stepped in to stop the beatings - declaring how it doesn't matter whose fault it is now that it is an "us against them" situation. Monty yelling out while hammering his walking stick down on the wooden floor, "It is us against them damn devils outside, don't ya hear?! They keep their animal noises up all around us, laughing, knowin they got us all trapped here. As much as I'd love to see this harlot skinned in the foyer, we don't have much choice no mo. They want to see us dead because we aren't them."
Anne nodded in agreement before reaching for her voice box to speak, "Charlie, Luda, you know I love ya'll but Monty's got a point. We're their prisoners now. We ain't got no one to help us except ourselves. Can't turn on each other, we do what they say but we gotta get out of this someday."
It was silent after that as Thomas and his family contemplated the situation. Some of their strongest and younger family members were all injured. And even though Thomas was strong they all knew the demons outside would overpower him, it wouldn't be fair to put it out all on him. They agreed they needed to play along to whatever demands the pack of Texas commanded of them...for now.
Taking a peek at Tex's wounds, it was pretty much healed. As he winced in slight pain, Tex covered his bandages back up and tried to get up slowly, "Hey Tommy come help me up boy!" Rushing over to his cousin on the other side of the guest room, Thomas slowly helped Tex up from the bed, allowing him now to carefully walk towards the living room area.
"Man now I know how Mama & Uncle Monty must feel like getting old." Tex chuckled tucking blonde hair behind his ear as he made his way down on the couch joining his elders & family friends Gladys and Henrietta in the living room. Scenes like this warmed Thomas's heart seeing all his family members under one roof despite the circumstances. How he wished things were different.
"At least you get to walk again boy," Anne fizzled out hoarsely, " Aw, hell thought your pelvis done broke from that cat bite but you got lucky with a flesh wound like that now." Tex slyly smiled and tilted his head to the side in a short understanding. He knew he was lucky that the bite wasn't too deep, but was even more lucky that Thomas came to help him in time. "Could be a dead man if it weren't for our baby boy Tommy here, an absolute man of the world ain't ya boy!" Tex smiled as a shy Leatherface averted his eyes to the floor.
"Now come on," Drayton grinned, "He can't take a compliment like that, no ounce of pride in that boy. Aw hell, probably a good thing."
Luda Mae beamed at the attention the apple of her eye was getting, "You all know Tommy loves each and every one of you, he won't ever say it but a mam sure knows."
"Funny how we weah sent heah ta protect her. Only fawr ya two ta keep standin' ahround... Bloody oath mate." Brutus scolded in his thick accent. The Aussie group leader emerged from the darkness of the bushes into his human form, looking up at his sisters in the treelines. They bothered not transforming back just to be berated and only Beatrice spoke up while in the disguise of a mourning dove.
"She needs some time ta herself dont wawrry. Things av been quiet enough ahround heah. Those ding bats inside are too scahred." She hated how tense things were getting, but they were all on a mission. No escaping now but that didn't mean to get excited about every little thing.
Before Brutus could yell at his sister again he heard the backdoor of the main house open with some of the men fumbling out cackling maniacally. Just then, a flash of two cameras appeared from the darkness, one from Alfredo and the other from Nubbins.
"Heh-heh! See now that's a picture for National Geographic!" Nubbins said with his finger on the camera button taking continuous pictures.
"One fer Discovery Channel and one fer the papers!" Alfredo chopped out before taking several more polaroids.
Both bawled in laughter before Brutus made a loud animalistic roar from his chest as the two stumbled over in sudden fear. This only caused other family members to scurry outside on the scene: Tinker, Vilmer, & W.E.
Brutus spat out "I dont wannah be heah as much as ya all do. Besides, ya'ah fahkin' lucky some of our clan's doctawrs came out heah ta help yah feeble sawrry asses."
Vilmer deciding to always be the most upfront, strolled up behind Alfredo and Nubbins facing Brutus head on with a smirk, "Ain't nothing wrong with a proper introduction. Naw shoot, after a weeklong silence watching yall critters fly around in them trees and prowling around in the dirt. We all thought getting your faces right in the family album would be nice."
The alpha panther leader continued to glower with a low brow and bared teeth. He wanted to be someplace else with the little family he had left in peace, only to be dragged again doing dirty work for people higher above him. He wanted freedom and had to stew in the facts there was a debt to be paid and that this was just him paying his dues. Still, if he had it his way, all these people in these houses would be dead with their throats mauled out and all.
"Ah hell!" Tinker yells out from the front porch, smirking, "We're kin now buddy! You really gonna act like that?"
As Brutus began to step towards Tinker, a shot was heard. It was Drayton holding a shotgun with Chop Top coming back from checking on the Gatlin children's house.
"Now come on we don't need any more excitement for at least another year." Drayton said out loud, smiling, "Boys, get inside and help your mamas & Tex out. There's still some fixing to do around here."
The air seemed to settle down in an instant with one of the family patriarchs' commands. All shuffled back into the house, no words, but plenty of dirty looks exchanged.
Brutus spun around to see Hoyt and the other massive family member, Thomas or "Bubba." Brutus really couldn't make out anything with that one; he didn't want to write him off as an invalid just because he never spoke. But he truly knew if it came to be toe-to-toe with him, he wouldn't last. Seeing them now before him in view, Hoyt had his hand on his holster, ready for anything
"Awh hey now hey now-" Brutus began before Drayton shooed him with the barrel of his gun
"Go on now," He said before turning towards the sheriff, "I had to shut them nap-haired idiots somehow! Squealing louder than a damn pen of pigs."
Hoyt relaxed his gait, seeing now the naked man Brutus turning away slowly and transforming back into the trees. Signing off in the darkness once again - watching.
Patting his cousin on the shoulder, Drayton exchanged a small look of resignation before whispering, "Just what the hell we gon do Charlie? The kids down yonder shook up, can't trust them sharing space with that devil bitch. Our boys almost dead nevermind how this them Slaughters fault for this pile of cow shit!-"
"Now, now," Hoyt raised a shaking hand, "Can't lose our minds. These here our woods and this here our home. Can't conquer and divide us. It's us against them."
"Ooooo Weee!" Chop Top cheered out disrupting the short silence, "We're going to out-guerilla the guerilla! Can't let no Charlie kill us in the dark that's right!"
"Oh shut up you damn fool and get in the house!" Drayton yelled out angrily as his son giggled escaping the shove of his shotgun.
"Damn it hell, that boy seems to get worse every day!" Hoyt said rubbing his temples in annoyance as all men walked inside.
The last to walk in was Thomas, and he paused before entering inside. He looked back in the treeline to see the blonde girl out in the treeline watching them. She had been spared from Hoyt's harassment and simply stood by the entire time. In Thomas' mind he couldn't make sense of any of these beings' existence, but seeing her angelic eyes and knowing biblical scripture, he guessed she couldn't be that bad. After all Mama Mae taught him those that are delivered by His words are truly saved.
Taking in the last few seconds of eye contact, Thomas turned around and walked inside. Knowing tomorrow and the day after, he'd have enough time to figure out demons do have souls.