Free The Book of Paul -- A Paranormal Thriller by Richard Long Page B

that he put all his clothes on, thinking how he might run away down one of those long, black roads. But he didn’t know how he could find one by himself, especially in the dark. And he was torn between the fear of what she said and the fear of losing Daddy forever.
    Martin jumped back into bed and pulled the pillow so tightly over his head that he could barely breathe. He tried to pull the switch and turn his mind and ears off, but it wouldn’t work. When the sounds got really bad, he closed his eyes and prayed for the first time in his life, hoping he was special enough to have an angel watching over him too.
    “Please take me away from all this… take me away!” the trembling boy begged. And as it turned out, someone was listening.

“Put some clothes in this bag,” Momma said when she woke him up the next morning. “You’re going to Norine’s for a coupla days.”
    Martin couldn’t believe the words that came from her red, swollen lips. Did the angel make his wish come true? He felt like his heart might literally explode in his chest, but he did a good job of hiding his excitement so Momma didn’t change her mind or take him to the cellar. He let out a silent scream of joy instead, pounding his fists on the lumpy mattress. He was going to Norine’s! For a “coupla days”! Yes! Yes! Yes! Norine would know what to do. She would help him get away! She had to!
    Martin loved Norine more than anything in the world. Even more than Daddy. Whenever Martin came to visit, they would sit in the rocking chair for hours and hours. Sometimes she read stories, but mostly they stayed quiet while he sat in her lap and ran the back of his hand across her cheek. So soft. Martin thought Norine’s cheeks must be the softest things in the whole world. He would stroke and stroke and stroke that softness until the knot in his stomach was gone and he felt safe again.
    Most times when Momma dropped off Martin she would barely speak to Norine. When she did, she always said something mean. Today was worse than usual. She stopped the truck at the end of the dirt driveway and reached across his tiny chest to open the door handle.
    “Go on, git!” was all she said. She had more to say to Norine, yelling angrily, “Don’t dig in your claws too deep! Just ’cause you lost yours, don’t think you got any claim to mine!” Then she floored the accelerator and disappeared in a cloud of dust.
    “What did she mean?” Martin asked after he was sure Momma was really gone.
    Norine looked down at Martin, wiping her eyes, pretending she had dust in them, debating whether she should tell him, knowing he couldn’t possibly understand, if she did.
    “Are you scared of Momma?” she asked, her eyes still wet and red.
    “Yes,” said Martin, swallowing hard.
    “I’m going to tell you a secret, baby—I’m scared of her too.”
    Martin couldn’t hold back his tears. He threw his arms around her and they hugged so tightly he thought his little arms would snap.
    “Do you want to go away with me? Far away where she can never find us?”
    “Yes, yes, please, yes!” Martin cried, forgetting all about Daddy and the Maelstrom and his promise to take him there—crying with such a sad, desperate longing that Norine could only tighten her arms around him in a protective embrace.
    “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said, stroking his head. “We’ll get a good night’s sleep and leave first thing in the morning.”
    “ No!” Martin yelled, tugging at her arms with all his might, pulling her to the rusting sedan in the driveway. “We have to go right now! What if she comes back?”
    Norine sank to her knees and showered kisses all over Martin’s terrified face. “She’s not gonna come back tonight. She never comes back that fast. We’re gonna have all the time we need to get away.”
    Martin stood and cried, shaking his head in despair. But he stopped pulling and pleading when Norine said, “Let’s start packing the car now so we’re