Free Where by Kit Reed

their hole.
    I followed Mer over to scope the map and shit, it put me in this rotten house with Him. Mr. Powell and them dragged him here to this street. House just like all the other houses, deep-freeze white, tombstone front door. So the Dawsons grabbed Father’s elbows and shoved him in quick, before the sun hit the top of the sky and roasted us to death and ’od damn if Merrill didn’t pull me inside too, I don’t care if she cried while she was explaining, if I never forgive her, it serves her right.
    At least she came back that night, but only the once and I miss her, the bitch. She was all, “Are you OK?”
    No fucking electronics, no explanation, fuck. ’Od damn I was pissed at her, sucked out of my avatar back home just when we were fixing to crack the Eternal Gates, I was more pissed at her than I was scared of anything. Usually I like Merrill, but I went all Hydra Destroyer on her, “You tell me if we’re all right!”
    â€œI can’t.” Then my big sister’s face went eight ways to Sunday and I was like, oh shit, Mer, don’t cry, but Merrill sucked it up. She stood on the no-rug in our nothing living room and stared into her dead phone and shook it and stared into it some more. Like it would ever ring and it would be her boyfriend on the line. Shit, he’s my friend too, so where is he when I need him, right? She said, “I have to go to this meeting,” but she rushed out like she thought she would find Davy in the night, well, good luck with that.
    I wanted to go but she was all, you have to stay back.
    Meanwhile, Our Father stared into the blank white tabletop, and it’s not like he was looking for answers there. He didn’t turn a hair. I grabbed the beard and shook hard, thinking to piss him off, and I went, “Well, Moses,” like that would get him moving. “Are you supposed to preach at this meeting or what?” and if I thought they would snatch him bald-headed, well, fine.
    I waited for his twitch that turns into a roar but nothing moved, not even the tight, white muscles around his mouth.
    â€œIf you don’t go they’ll sacrifice Merrill or start blaspheming and worshiping the Golden Calf or some damn thing.”
    That didn’t get him. Nothing did. Either it’s shock or that white noise thing fried his brain, he hadn’t said shit since he ripped the sky with the big, “Explain!” and the screens went dark. It was kind of great, he was so convinced that for a second, everybody believed.
    Then, BLAM! God, I was pissed at him. Everybody was. “So what are you, Father, afraid?”
    He didn’t even twitch.
    â€œWell, I’m going.” I opened the front door. By that time I was yelling. “And you can stay here and fuck yourself.”
    Noise came out of him then all right, it was bigger than the loudest “explain” but it wasn’t exactly words, it was more like his guts were self-destructing and overflowing him like blood or tar, black sound. He surged up out of that chair like a shark jumping and flang himself on the door. He shoved me aside and shot the bolt. Then he fell across the threshold like a log and stayed there all night.
    It’s been days. I could go out to the rim and look for Merrill, except our windows are sealed tight and Father drops like a dead tree on that doorsill if he even thinks I’m fixing to leave, which he doesn’t explain, but won’t allow. It’s not like Merrill comes over. Nobody does except Ray, he’s all, I promised your sister I’d check . Then I go, Well, why can’t I go see her, and he cuts me down with his eyes. Because we don’t know what’s out there. So, what? Does everybody have a petrified Father blocking the door?
    Is it too hot out there, or too dangerous or what?
    Well fuck me, locked in this white hell for ten days or whatever with nobody to talk to and nothing to but do replay Level