Ryann - Chapter 3

Jenny shut the door behind her. “Mom! Grandma! I’m home!” She was so excited to be back. She hadn’t seen them for so long. She had written consistently during her time in training but that had been their only contact. She set her bags down next to the door and sought her family out. She saw her mother first. A woman in her late forties, her hair was quickly losing its once natural blond color. Her face showed many lines but had been that way for much of Jenny’s life. She was shorter than Jenny and of a much different build. She had never met the man who fathered her but had suspicions that she took after him. “Mom!” She ran and hugged her mother tightly. “It’s so good to be home.”

“It’s so good to have you home.”

They came apart. “Where’s grandma?”

“Right here,” she heard from behind her. Her grandmother was standing halfway down the stairs. She descended the rest of the way and met her granddaughter for a hug. “You seem much happier these days.”

Jenny smiled, that was her grandma, and she never wasted time getting down to the nerve of the issue. “Yes, Grandma, I have been much better as of late.” Excited to once again be together they quickly ushered one another into the living room to sit down and have a nice long talk.  “As I’ve written things are going much better at the base.  I’ve made times of progress with my stone wall.”

She spent the next few days playing catch up with her mother and grandmother.  Jenny had missed her family more than she had realized.  When the possibility had opened up for her to join the woman’s combat training units, even though she was unsure why, she’d felt drawn to it.  She had known it would take her from her home but there was something there that was pulling her to it.  She had to admit now that being away had made her appreciate her family more.

Yet even with being home, she couldn’t get Ryann Kodi out of her mind. She told her mother and grandma all about their recent progress. As was her habit she referred to Kodi as the stone wall.

“You seem to be making a difference with this stone wall of yours,” grandma interpreted. She filled her plate with whipped potatoes.

Jenny shrugged.  “She gives only what she wants to give. She’s still very much in control of our friendship.” She took the bowl of potatoes, took what she wanted and passed them to her mother. “For instance, I had asked her name before I left. She refused to tell me just because I asked. She’s stubborn and defiant as all get out. But I must have said something that finally got through that wall. In fact it was a pretty big crack if I do say so myself. Stone wall Kodi may fall yet.” She noticed the tension and her grandmother immediately. The woman sat straight up into shock to look crossed her face. “What is it?”

Her grandmother seemed to be debating something. “It couldn’t be, could it?”

“Be what? What are you thinking?”

Her grandmother’s gaze drew in on her with a concentrated look. “Did she tell you her full name?”

“Yeah.  What’s going on grandma?”

“I might know something about this woman.  What is her name, Jenny?”

“Ryann, her name is Ryann Kodi.”

Her grandmother leaned back with an odd expression on her face. Jenny looked at her mother. Her face was unusually blank. She looked back to her grandmother. “Do you know her?”

“I have a magazine, at least I think I still have it, there’s an article in there,” she tapered off. “Let me get it,” she said as she stood.

Jenny waited impatiently for her grandmother to return. She couldn’t imagine what the older woman was so shocked about. Her grandmother entered and took her seat. She looked hesitant. “It’s an article about unsolved murders. Is this the woman?”

She handed Jenny the magazine opened to a page in the middle. Jenny’s gaze was on her grandma. She was almost afraid to look down. When she finally did she was in instant shock. There was a picture of a family covering two thirds of the page. The woman was smiling brightly. She had dark eyes but they were definitely blue and full of life. She smiled so big that her teeth were showing brightly. She looked genuinely happy. Jenny flashed to those same eyes not so long ago, eyes that were gripped in pain.

She had thought of Kodi as having no heart, of being dead inside, and now she knew that it was true. Now that she could see this picture she knew that this woman had died. Kodi was the living dead. She walked and breathed but all the life that Jenny could see in this picture had been taken from the woman. “What happened?” she couldn’t focus enough to read the article herself.

Her grandmother hesitated but told her what she knew. “She came home from the grocery store to find two men in her home. They had her son and her husband held at gunpoint. They killed her family in front of her. One man got away; the other was killed while fleeing. They’ve never found even a clue to who these men were or why they did what they did.”

Jenny turned the page. There were more pictures. She shifted from picture to picture until she thought she was going to be ill.  Every negative thought that she’d ever thought against Kodi came to her mind. She had judged this woman time and again and had even wanted to condemn her to death. What had gone through her mind as her blood had seeped over her chest? Had she ever thought why not me too? And wondered when the bullet had hit, was it finally the end? She was likely to. Had she been torn between wanting to die and being afraid of it? Jenny had seen enough pain in those eyes to know that part of Kodi welcomed death.

“I have to go,” she said in a crackled voice.

Her mother and grandmother looked at one another. Grandma turned back to Jenny. “Go, honey, go help your friend.”

Kodi lay back in her chair, her feet propped up on the desk. She had been sleeping soundly but was beginning to become uncomfortable in her slumber. Slowly she opened her eyes and listened carefully for any hint of what might have bothered her. Hearing nothing she closed her eyes again. It wasn’t often that she slept soundly. Anymore she had to drug herself to sleep with half or a whole sleeping pill depending on the night. She had tried the alcohol route for a while, but that wouldn’t fly here, and this base was all that she had. The pills typically helped her to fall into that first good sleep and her body took over from there, so that when she closed her eyes she immediately fell into that state between day dreams and sleep.

Seconds later she shot out of her chair at the slamming of her office door. She took a few moments to stable herself from having stood up so quickly. She mentally kicked herself for having such a slow recovery time. When the white light disappeared and her balance was restored, she looked over to find who had disturbed her sleep.

“McCarty? What are you doing here?” Kodi rubbed her brow.

McCarty was quiet for a long moment. There was a clear struggle crossing over her face. She walked over to one of the couches and sat as if defeated. “I’m sorry, Kodi.”

“For what?” She was focused now.

“I failed you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I tried to convince you that we were friends but I see now that you were right. I don’t know you at all.” She sounded so defeated.

Kodi pulled her chair up and sat directly across from McCarty. She wasn’t sure what was going on but whatever it was she wasn’t going to like it. “Not many people do these days.”

“I once referred to you as the living dead,” she stated almost as though she were talking to herself.

Kodi wasn’t surprised that she had thought it but she was surprised that she admitted it. She didn’t think the comment unrealistic. She often felt like the living dead. “What is wrong?”

McCarty looked up at Kodi. “I never knew how right I was until tonight. I solved my mystery, Kodi.” Kodi sat back in her chair. Was that a look of fear McCarty saw in the other woman’s face. She was certain it was. “I was so curious that I stayed. Then I found myself just wanting to be your friend. That’s all I wanted.”

Kodi’s face had turned neutral but not necessarily stony. “Granted.” Her voice was soft.

“Really? Then let me in. Tell me about your life.”

“You see my life everyday.”

“No, I see your death every day. Tell me about your life, Ryann. Tell me about your past.”

Kodi just stared at her in a very controlled manner. Finally she spoke, “The past doesn’t matter.”

McCarty gave the woman a sympathetic look. “Then why the zombie routine?”

Kodi swallowed down the lump rising in her throat. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You’re dead. What happened to your life?”

“You aren’t making sense.”

“What happened to this woman?” She raised a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it before Kodi.

Kodi recognized the magazine cover page. She had dreaded this but seeing the magazine didn’t fill her with quite as much dread as she thought it would. She looked at McCarty. “What do you want from me? That article told you all you want to know.”

“I didn’t read it.”

“Really?” she asked surprised.

“You were almost desperate to keep me from walking out of that hospital room. You needed a distraction from the pain, didn’t you?”

Kodi was surprised how well McCarty hit the mark. She was speechless. She had no argument.

“I warned you then that I wanted answers. Now it’s time to give them. I won’t take no for an answer, Kodi.”

“Just read it and you’ll get the gist.” Kodi countered.

“I don’t want just the gist. I want your gist.” She leaned back. “I’m calling you out, Kodi. This is my challenge for you. Do you have any backbone left to stand up to it?” She felt guilt sweep her at her taunting, but she felt this was the only way to get to the woman.

“Fine,” Kodi stood up in a jilted huff. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” McCarty asked confused.

“To get your answers.”

            Kodi closed her eyes as the cab pulled up to the driveway.  She wasn’t sure what she was doing there.  She didn’t think she could handle this and she definitely wasn’t going to break down in front of McCarty.  McCarty opened the door and stepped down.  She waited for Kodi to get out.  Kodi slowly slid over in her seat, turned and placed her feet on the ground.  She stood up and surveyed the area.  Nothing had changed.  She paid the taxi driver and walked over to a flower bed near the door.  She reached down and found the spare key that was hidden there.  She handed the key to McCarty.  “Go ahead and unlock it.”

            McCarty took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and entered.  She wasn’t sure what she expected to see.  It looked like a normal living room in a normal house.  To just look in there you would never guess that someone had been murdered in this very room.  She set the key down on a small table by the door.  She turned and watched Kodi slowly walk in the door.  This was not easy for her.  Somehow though, McCarty knew it needed to be done. She wasn’t sure what to say to Kodi.  Did she comment on how nice the house was?  Did she try to make small conversation until Kodi was ready to talk?  This was a horrible situation and she wasn’t sure she knew what she was getting herself into. 

            Kodi stepped into the middle of the room and completed a 360 surveying the area.  It looked just as it had that day.  She could almost picture herself grabbing her keys and kissing her husband goodbye.  She had hugged and kissed her son on the cheek and told him she would be back soon.  She wished with all our heart that she had taken him with her that day.  Why had she left him there?  He had a new video game that he wanted to play.  She turned to McCarty.  “This is it.”

            She placed her hand on the sofa and ran it over the back.  This had been her home.  She and David had spent a month looking for the right place to live.  They had seen this house and fallen instantly in love with it.  She had started a family in this house and she had lost a family in this house.  Kodi retreated from the pain.  She pushed her emotions way deep inside and looked at the situation as though she were an outsider.  Jenny was looking at her for an explanation of the events that happened that day.  As though a narrator in the story, but not a character herself Kodi related the event. 

            “It’s simple enough.  I came home caring two bags of groceries, one in each arm.  I shuffled them around and opened the door. I didn’t see them at first because the bag was blocking my view.”  Kodi began to stare off into space as though her eyes wouldn’t focus on any one given thing.  It was as if she were looking into the past watching a movie playing.  “I shuffled the bag into the other arm so that I could see where everyone was.  That’s when I saw them.  There were two of them.  One was standing over David with a gun to his head.  The other was holding onto Jance.  I drop the bags and just stood there dumbfounded.  I asked them what they wanted.  The man standing over David said that they already had what they wanted. 

            “Without moving I searched the area to see if there was anything that I could do.  The only thing I noticed was a security box by the door.”  She motion to the box.  “There’s a panic button built in. I had my keys in my hand still.  I figured that if I could just hit it then maybe the police could get there, but I was afraid that would push them over the edge and they would shoot.”  She closed her eyes and braced herself against the couch.  “I tried pleading with them. I tried bribing them with money. I offered to take their place but nothing worked.  Finally I asked them what they were going to do.  David was kneeling down his hands were tied behind his back.  He hadn’t said anything he just watched.  I looked into his eyes right as the man answered my question.  He said that he was going to kill my family.  David must have seen me eyeing the security box.  He motioned to it with his eyes.  The keys where in my left hand but I’d always been a pretty good shot with either hand.  I gripped them tightly.  I was just about to throw when the man spoke again. 

            “He looked me straight in the eyes and said for the other man to shoot the boy. David yelled no. He pushed himself up off his knees and threw himself at the man holding the gun.  At first I thought that just one gun had gone off.  I threw the keys and then looked back to see who had been shot.  I noticed David first.  He was lying with his face down on the floor.  Then I noticed the silence.  Not the fact that it was quiet because the alarm had sounded.  It wasn’t a silent alarm.  It was designed to scare the intruder by the noise.  It did that.  The two men began to panic.  The one holding Jance yelled for them to run, to get out.  I didn’t care what they did at that point.  The silence I heard was Jance’s silence.  I didn’t have to look to know that he was gone.  I felt it with every one of my senses. I fell to my knees.  The two men ran out the back.  I crawled over to Jance and pulled him into my arms.  He felt like a little rag doll.  I have little recollection of what happened from then on.”

            Kodi stepped away from the couch.  She walked past McCarty towards the hall.  McCarty followed her into a room down the hallway.  Kodi opened the door. She just stood there as if an invisible barrier held her from that next step. Jenny pushed lightly against her back with her hand. Kodi looked at her then turned and walked in.  She hadn’t been in this room for a very long time.  “This was his room.  This was my son’s room.”

            McCarty looked around.  It was apparent that the room belonged to a small child, a young boy who enjoyed baseball in fact.  There were a lot of pictures in this room.  Jenny stepped up and looked at each one.  Every picture showed a happy and loving family.  She had seen one of the pictures in the magazine but favored the ones in here more.  She ached for Kodi, to have had all this and lose it. She couldn’t even imagine the pain that this must have caused. She sought out Kodi.  She was a holding a picture of Jance.  He was in a baseball uniform at bat.  He had a very good stance for as young as he was.

            “David taught him how to bat. Even at his age he was really good at it.”  She laughed softly to herself.  “David had already looked into names and numbers of scouts for the majors. He was certain that his son was going to be a major league baseball player.”  She sat the picture down.  “Does this satisfy you?” She asked McCarty. 

             “Ryann, I just wanted to be your friend.”

            Kodi turned and looked at her. “And what good has it done?  What good has seeing this place done?” She felt panic rising in her chest. Clamps seemed to be tightening on her lungs with each exhale. It was so hard to get them to re-inflate. She fought the feeling.

            McCarty crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.  “Don’t you know?  The only reason I stayed was because I was determined to get through that brick wall of yours.  Now I know what’s under there.  I’m gonna find out more too. It’s time to come out of that shell of yours Ryann Kodi.”

            Kodi’s face was expressionless, but for the first time McCarty thought that she saw color in Kodi’s eyes.  Kodi walked out of the room without a word. She needed a breath of fresh air. McCarty followed after her.  They walked out the front door, turned, locked it and walked down the front steps.  Kodi took out her cell phone and called for a cab.  She turned to McCarty.  “I think it’s your turn now.”

            “What do you mean?” McCarty asked. 

            Kodi said down on the curb.  She motioned for McCarty to do the same.  “The cab company said it would be a while so why don’t you tell me about your life.” She was curious, but anything to make her stop thinking about her past would be welcomed.

            McCarty sighed.  She sat down and looked out across the street.  She didn’t like to talk about her life but she just forced Kodi to tell her about the most horrifying moment of her own, so is only fair that she did the same.  “So you want the worst moment in my life do you?”

            Kodi picked up a pebble that was on the side of road.  She tossed it and it skipped across the asphalt. “Well, Jenny, we both have attitude problems.  You now know what mine is a result of, I think it’s only fair that you tell me what yours is result of.”

            Jenny picked up a small stick and began to draw in a pile of dirt underneath her.  “Well, my father left us when I was around a year old.  I’ve had absolutely no contact with him.  I don’t even know who he is.  My mother has issues with men and as a result of the abandonment and my mother’s issues, I have issues with men’s well.  When I was seventeen I became friends with an older man.  I met him at the library.  He was 35 years old and had a lot of time on his hands.  He loved to read so he was that the library a lot.  He began to help me with my homework. In a way he was like the father that I had always wanted to have.”  She broke the stick in half and played with two pieces in her hands. “I became infatuated with him.  On his behalf he tried to put a stop to it.  I really believed that I was in love with him.  I was just sure that he loved me and wanted to take me away from all the pain-- that he would heal me.  I went to his house one night.  He had forgotten to lock the doors so I walked in.  He was already in bed asleep.

            “So I took off my clothes and I crawled in next to him.  I woke him up with a kiss.”  A shiver rippled down through her body.  She took a deep breath and continued.  “The affair lasted just under two months.  Then one day I went to his house and knocked on his door and a woman answered.  He told me that he was divorced, but in reality she had gone home to take care of her sick mother. I haven’t trusted a man since.”

            “So you’re telling me that you seduced him and not vice versa.”

            McCarty nodded.  “Yes.”

            “Really?  Did he usually lock his door at night?”  Kodi asked. 

            “He told me that I could come over any time that I needed him-- that he would leave the door unlocked for me.” She explained. 

            “Why leave the door unlocked?  Why wouldn’t he just come and answer the doorbell?”

            “I don’t know, Kodi.  It doesn’t matter.”  McCarty stared down at the ground just so she didn’t have to look at Kodi’s face. 

            Kodi inhaled a deep breath. It was easier to breath now. She studied McCarty’s body posture.  “Is it easier to pretend that it was your full responsibility than to feel as though you were used and abused?”

            McCarty looked over Kodi.  “I don’t fault him for taking what I offered him.  I fault him for lying to me about his wife.  He didn’t call off the relationship, I did.  I wasn’t about to break up a family.  When it comes right down to it I may have been substituting him for a father figure in a way, but I really liked him.  He was kind and gentle.  I had always hid from the world by losing myself in books.  He shared my love of books but he showed me that reading wasn’t as much an escape as it was an adventure.  He treated me well.  He made me feel good about myself.  I didn’t care about the age difference.”  She shrugged.  “But I knew it bothered him and even if he hadn’t been married I should’ve known that it would never have worked out.  Even so, I chose to go for it and was burned.  I haven’t gone for it since.”

            Kodi saw the cab approaching. She padded McCarty’s knee.  “The cab’s coming.  Let’s get out of here.” They jumped in the cab and headed back towards the base.  It had been an exhausting day for both of them.  It was time to get back to work and leave the past behind them.

            McCarty watched Kodi closely as she explained to the company the upcoming games. Kodi was a pacer and as she spoke she walked up and down the audience with her hands clasped behind her back in a relatively relaxed manner. McCarty wasn’t sure what to think about Kodi.  She knew a great deal about the woman but at the same time she didn’t really know anything. Kodi made short eye contact with McCarty as she walked by.  She saw the slight shake and wondered what it was about.  She made a mental note but continued on as usual. 

            “We will take the offensive.  We will be put to the test of recovering stolen coded information before it is deciphered. This is an important battle.  It is more than just a test of our training but a test of our gender’s ability to combat.  This will be an all male team trained specifically to undermine and disprove our ability as women to fight.  I expect each one of you to prove that our gender is not the question here, but our training and skill is the answer. You will each be given a folder telling your positions, the scenario, and any other information that you may need.  Study it thoroughly and be prepared.  I have watched you train and I know that you can succeed.  I know that you have the training and the skill to win.  Let’s show these,” she paused, “men that we are not inferior.”  She nodded to Doog. 

            Doog stood and dismissed the group.  McCarty waited until most had left and then joined Kodi.  “What was that all about?” she asked Kodi. 

            Kodi shook her head.  Doog smiled and laughed at her annoyance.  “She probably wanted to call them sexist pigs.” She looked at Kodi.  “Am I close?”

             Kodi shrugged, which meant to the others that Doog had hit it straight on.  “Why?” McCarty asked. 

            Doog laughed again.  “Oh, Kodi had a nice little meeting with their representative the other day.”

            McCarty sat down and leaned back.  “Oh really?” she teased, “do tell.”

            Kodi looked at her un-amused.  “There’s not much to tell.”

            Doog shook her head.  “Fine, Kodi, I’ll tell.” Kodi sat and began going through a stack of papers.

            Doog got comfortable before she started her story.  McCarty was looking forward to this.  She could see that just thinking about it was making Kodi act like agitated cat.  This was going to be good.  Doog started. 

           

            Kodi and Doog walked into the empty office and took a seat.  “Where are they?” Doog asked. 

            Kodi’s jaw was set and the anger was already starting to surface.  “They’re trying to send us a message of unimportance.  They don’t deem this meeting important enough or worthy enough of their time, so they’ll walk in late with fake apologies and smart-aleck grins on their faces.” Just as Kodi had predicted, it came to pass.  A very attractive man walked in with empty apologies and an open faced smirk.  Doog watched in silence as the two most competitive people in the room sparred back and forth. 

            He extended his hand to Kodi.  His eyes slowly moved down her body and quickly up to her face again.  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He cleared his throat “I’m Bryant Kacie.”  He flashed her a sexy grin.  “I’ve been selected to approach you with the terms for the,” he laughed as if amused, “war games.”

            Doog knew Kodi well and could see the point of irritation that she was experiencing.  However, to the outsider Kodi remained in stealthy, cool and calm composure.  She did not let him know in any way that his words and laughter were getting on her nerves.  Rather she ignored them and focused on the business at hand.  “Fine, then let’s negotiate.”

            He nodded in agreement.  “OK, well we wanted to make it as fair as possible in order to give your girls as much opportunity as possible to do well.”  He handed a list to Kodi.  “We thought that you might be able to handle us with that information up front.”

            Kodi took the list and looked it over.  It wasn’t hard to figure out that this was a complete farce as far as this man and many others were concerned.  “You may as well have given us your bathroom schedule; it seems to be the only thing that you left out.”

            He winked at her.  “If you think it will help.”

             “What will help,” Kodi stated curtly, “is for you to get your testosterone out of your mouth and talk to me like a human being.” That seemed to throw him off.  There’s nothing more unnerving than an insult in a complementary tone. “This is what you’ll do,” Kodi ordered.  “You will throw this trash away,” she tossed his list at him.  “And you will come up with a scenario worthy of my time and effort.”

            She stood up and planted both hands flat on the desk.  Leaning into him she continued.  “Furthermore you had better make your best effort so that when you run away with your tail tucked between your scrawny little legs you won’t be able to come crawling back whining in my ear about losing to a group of highly trained and skilled women.  I do not want a bunch of pitiful excuses when this is all over.  You plan to win and plan to win big.” She straightened up.  “That way when you lose, you will know it was because we are, as everyone knows, superior in intellect and ability.” She took a step back.  “I’ll be sending scouts out to get as much information as possible.  I suggest you hide it fairly well.”

            She looked at Doog. “We’re finished here,” and with that she walked out. 

            Doog stayed behind a few moments.  The man didn’t take his eyes off Kodi the whole while she walked away.  Doog swore that she could see burning fire of hatred in his eyes. 

            She stood.  “Thank you for your time,” she said politely. 

            He glanced at her with a nod and then turned and walked out the door. 

            Doog laughed as she finished her story.  “Talk about cutting tension with a knife.”

            Kodi half snorted.  “He was a Jack.”

            Doog was taken back a little.  She had heard that term before a long time ago.  It was a polite way to call someone a not so polite name.  She could see a part of Kodi that had been repressed seeping through.  This was encouraging. 

           

Kodi stared at the map, lost in thought. McCarty watched curiously. She could almost see the wheels turning. She waited patiently for orders. Kodi looked up. “Our enemy is arrogant and underestimates us. He’s going to have the plans with him. He wants to see the look on my face when he captures me. So he has them and he’s ready for a full out attack.”

“So what are you thinking?”

Kodi picked up a ruler and lightly tapped the palm of her hand. “We’re going to play on his underestimations. We’re going to let him assume we’ve guessed wrong.”
            “You’re going to attack the wrong camp as a diversion.”

“No, you are. It’s all yours. I want you to attack as though you are a hundred percent sure the plans are there. Give it everything we’ve got as if the war depends on it. It’s all yours and I will be critiquing it later so you’d better do a good job.” Kodi’s face was dead serious but McCarty thought she could see a hint of a smile in the cool eyes.

“Oh trust me, I know.” She couldn’t hold back a small grin. Kodi ignored it. “And what, per chance, will you be up to during this?”

Kodi looked down again at the map. She brought the ruler down on the location where Kacie had been spotted. “Just a little special ops.”

It was dusk and growing darker as Kodi crouched above the camp. She was decked out in dark camouflage, her face blacked out. She knew the area fairly well and had already mapped out her entrance. Special Intelligence had locked down two possible locations of the document, both places frequented by Kacie. She chose the one most likely to hold the documents. She slowly made her way down toward the camp. She stayed low to the ground, sometimes creeping on her belly, feeling much like a snake. Half way down she stopped suddenly. She needed to change her route. Kacie was arrogant but not stupid. He would still try to protect the documents best he could, which meant that they probably weren’t in the most likely place. She changed her course slightly and headed for a tent at the opposite side of the site.

She stopped a few yards from the back of the tent. There were guards placed on either side of the tent but down several yards to not draw attention to this particular location. Luckily for her, they had not picked over this location for the safe house before putting up the tent. Had they, they would not have put it so close to a drainage ditch. She crawled up through the ditch and was led to the north back corner of the tent. She could hear three voices inside. One was definitely Kacie’s.

She knew that she couldn’t cut open the tent. It would make too much noise. She had a special tool that would silently melt a straight line like a cut. The problem was the two guards in eyesight of the light it would make. She put her hand over the tool and lit it. She kept her hand closer than was comfortable but kept the light hidden. She cut a line straight down and then to the right to make a flap the shape of two sides of a square. A radio sounded off inside. Kodi made out enough to know that McCarty’s attack was going strong. She heard Kacie laugh. “Sad, they couldn’t even pick the right target.”

“Could it be a diversion?”

Kacie took a deep thoughtful breath. He grabbed the radio. “How big is the attack?”

A war stressed voice responded. “We’re under full attack.” Orders were being shouted in the background. “Need reinforcements.”

“What should we do?” asked one of the men in the tent. “Can we risk it? We lose points for losing a camp site, even if the plans aren’t captured.”

“We might lose a battle, but I’m not prepared to risk the war,” Kacie answered. “Still, you take a small sniper outfit up and see if you can help from a distance. Retreat back if they head this way. I want this camp to be our number one priority.” The officer barked out his compliance and left. “I want you to do a security check of the area. Make sure this tent is watched but not pinpointed by guards.”

“Yes, sir,” he barked and turned to leave.

This was her chance. She silently slithered through the flap. Kacie’s back was to her. He was watching the door intently. She put the gun to the back of his head and noisily pulled back the hammer. “Hands straight out to the sides.” He hesitated but complied. She had a piece of duct tape already out and ready. She pulled it out with her free hand. Using her teeth, she pulled the strip off. She pushed the gun closer to his head and reached around to secure the tape over his mouth. She couldn’t have him yell for help. This wasn’t exactly her normal procedure, but she’d picked out duct tape especially for him. She grabbed a chair and set it behind him. “Sit,” she ordered with a push downward on his shoulder. She grabbed a heavy duty zip cord and secured his hands behind him. “Now I don’t want you getting up from the chair now,” she grabbed another, longer strip of tape. She pushed up his sleeves to reveal the hair on his arms. She wrapped the tape around his arms and the chair covering as much hair as possible.

She knew that she was being a bit childish but it was so much fun. She taped his feet to the chair as well. Once secured, she walked over to the desk in the center of the room. There was a lock box hidden beneath it. She walked over to Kacie and checked for a key. He had it on a chain around his neck. She pulled the chain breaking the clasp. “Thank you.” With the key she opened the box and pulled out her reward. Carefully she stored it on her. She walked over to Kacie. His face was burning with anger. She had very little time left, but she couldn’t help herself. She took the map on his desk, one that indicated where her headquarters were, and folded it to about twice the size of a regular sheet of paper. She grabbed a black sharpie off the desk and wrote a note on it. The writing was, ‘Help me, I’m all taped down and I can’t get up’. Then she added a frowny face to it. She took another strip of tape and attached it to his chest. “Thanks for the plans, sugar lips,” and kissed him on the cheek. Then she was off.

She knew she didn’t have much time before the second man returned for his report of camp security. She took her time until out of ear shot of the guards. Then she sacrificed sound to speed. She called McCarty on a secure line. “The plans are secured. What is your position?”

“Our target has been taken. Site is secure,” McCarty responded.

“Leave Lacey in charge and bring Staner with you to our rendezvous point.”

“Roger that.”

Kodi made it there first and waited. She readied her gun as she heard them approach. She relaxed slightly with visual confirmation. “Here’s the plan. He’s likely to have moved his troops to block our route to our final check point. I want you and Staner to approach from the west and scale the wall. Buzz me the instant you walk through the office doors. I will attack from the east side. Kacie will assume that I am as arrogant as he is, which I am most days, and will have the plans with me. However, Staner will carry the plans. Your job is to get her there at any cost. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. I am going to get our troop and head up. Good luck, ladies.”

Kodi stood silently waiting with anticipation for the buzz. She had to give Kacie props. His team was not letting her even budge toward her goal. She advanced enough to appear to be giving it a realistic try but with as few losses as possible. It wasn’t an easy call. She cringed with each report of a soldier down. “Come on,” she whispered under her breath as another of her girls went down. As if on queue she felt the vibration. “Stand down,” she barked out. Her orders were followed immediately. “Signal a white flag talk.”

She stepped out with her hands spread out to the sides. She could see the burn of hatred and the smug look on Kacie’s face as she approached. He stepped up to her. “Did you really think I would let you take a step inside this building?! Hand over the plans.”

She pulled out the empty casing she had tucked them into and handed over to him. “You’re not even asking why I’m here.”

He snorted. “Sentimental women,” he spat out. “You start losing too many troops and give up.”

Her brow rose. Could he really be that incredibly blinded by testosterone? “It’s sad, Kacie.”
            “What?”

“You might actually be a good soldier if you weren’t so arrogant.”

He was about to respond when the siren sounded the end of the games. He spun around and looked at the building. McCarty and Staner were standing in the window. McCarty waved. He span back around. His face was an exposé of shock, anger, stunned shame, and disbelief. Before Kodi could mock him, and she was about to do just that, a general they both knew well, stepped out of the front door. They both silently stood at attention, Kacie because he had no choice, Kodi out of respect.

The general shook his head with a laugh. “I would have never believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. He looked at Kodi. “You would make a mighty fine spy. I was watching your progress in the monitoring station. Your outfit, your equipment, and leadership are all top of the line. Our government will definitely be contacting you.”

“Thank you, sir.” She stood at ease. “You have a fine troop yourself. They weren’t about to let me budge. They are extremely efficient against a full out attack.”

“The problem?” he asked.

She took a deep breath as she prepared and answer. “Special Ops.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “We needed to have sent you a more diversified group for defense.” His pager went off. “Excuse me for one moment.” He stepped away.

Kodi turned to Kacie. “You can thank me later for not bringing up your sad tendency to underestimate the enemy. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.” She could see that he wanted to hit her. His right hand was straining to stay open. He couldn’t very well do anything to retaliate with his superior standing a few yards away. “Thank you for playing and have a nice day.” She turned and walked away. She indicated to the general that she would be inside.

The general finished his call and walked back over to Kacie. “Now that is one impressive woman,” he said in marvel. He laughed. “If I were a few years younger…” he grinned at Kacie. He noticed then that Kacie was in no mood to kid. The general didn’t need to be informed of Kacie’s weakness toward women. He had chosen Kacie specifically for it. Kacie was a good soldier but he had a few lessons to learn. The general had learned a few himself this trip. “Go get the troops ready to move out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kodi’s victory was sure and it impressed many people who hadn’t thought it possible. She received a few offers on her program ranging from military and secret service to the top video gamers in the country. She was thoughtful on each but had not made any decisions.

Doog walked into Kodi’s office without knocking. Kodi was sitting at her desk staring at a fax she had received. “What is that?”

“It’s a congratulation note for you.”

“For me? Why me?”

“Because you set up the task and we used your name for all the contact information.”

“Who’s it from?”

Kodi was slow to answer. “The director of intelligence at Warsha Base, Walter Patterson.”

Doog looked up sharply. “Oh, yeah, I know him. He’s an awesome guy.”

“Yeah.”

“You know him?” she asked.

“We’ve met,” she admitted. “He wants to arrange a meeting to discuss the possibility of taking over here.”

“What’s the hold up? Do you think they’ll take your technology and dismiss your main point?”

“I did at first but I’m not so sure now.”

Doog suppressed a knowing grin. “Why’s that?” she baited.

“Like you said, this is a good man. He is trust worthy so his offer must be as well.” Kodi admitted.

“That’s high praise coming from you. You must really like him.”

Kodi flinched ever so slightly.

Doog continued without a response. “So you’ll meet with him?”

Kodi slowly shook her head. “No, but you will. I will stay out of this process. You will represent the unit. I completely trust your judgment.”

“Okay, Kodi,” she said with a sad sigh.

Kodi’s secretary walked in, “You’re not going to believe this,” she said.

“What?” Doog asked.

“Todd Walmack is on the phone. He wants to talk to the person in charge about helping him set up a men’s combat unit.”

“Isn’t that what the armed forces is?” Doog asked.

“He said they want to gear it differently. It sounds as though they want to add another branch or maybe training for the Feds.”

Her technology and training development would most definitely be purchased by the government but now the question remained; which branch? “The F.B.I.,” Kodi said thoughtfully. “That might be an idea.”

Doog was surprised that Kodi was shrinking away from the military. Doog herself didn’t necessarily want to go that way either. She didn’t really want to change the way things were. She didn’t want to be drafted or to see footage of men and women lying dead on a battle field. She was only at this base for one reason and learning to fight was not it. Doog would go as far to venture that Kodi wasn’t really all that keen toward it either. She simply wanted to prove to the world that she was capable. She was trying to find herself and establish equality. Kodi was for women being strong and not letting anyone take anything from them. This war game was Kodi’s proof that nothing could touch her. She was accomplished her goal. What was left now?

“Doog,” Kodi said forcibly to get her attention. “I want you to prepare for your meeting with Walter Patterson. I want his take before I make any decisions. You fly out tomorrow afternoon. I’m going to talk with the Todd guy and see exactly what it is that he wants.”

McCarty sat across from Kodi who was staring out the window. “So it’s all going to happen.”

Kodi took a sip of her drink. “Yes, it has all been arranged.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll get it started and then we’ll see.”

“Are you okay with this?”
            Kodi looked over at McCarty. “I agreed with it, I’d best be okay with it.”

McCarty could feel that something was not right. “You need a break,” she decided. “After all of this gets established you should come home with me.”

Kodi’s brow rose speculatively. “You think?”

“You hardly ever leave this place. It’s time you reenter the world at large. I insist.”

Kodi shrugged. “We’ll see how it all goes.”

McCarty smiled. She would get her way.

“I don’t believe I’m here.” Ryann said softly. 

            “Why?” Jenny asked, “Because you’ve shut out reality so long that any normal activity throws you off.”

            Ryann shook her head and smiled lightly.  “That’s quite bold of you to say.  You’re starting to get gutsier every day. I’m making a mental note to keep you and Doog far apart.”

            Jenny chuckled. “Come on,” she opened the door and let Ryann through.  “Mom, I’m home,” Jenny called out.  “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”

            They walked into the living room and waited.  Ryann looked around, keeping a careful distance inwardly.  “It’s nice,” she offered.

            Jenny smiled, knowing the compliment as it really was, politeness in the face of distancing herself, “Thanks.” 

             “Jenny?” her mother walked down the stairs.  “It is you!” she jogged the rest of the way down the stairs and ran to embrace her daughter. 

            “Who else would it be?” Jenny teased as she gave her mother of warm hug.  She stepped back so her mother could see Ryann.  “Mom, this is Ryann,” she smiled at Ryann.  “Ryann, this is my mother, Sarah.”

            They reached out their hands and shook saying their greetings.  The three of them spoke for while about nothing in particular.  Jenny watched her friend carefully.  She was still trying to figure her out.  She knew now what had causes great stonewall before her, but she did not yet know the complete person behind it.  She heard the door open behind her and smiled happily.  Her grandmother was home. 

            Jenny jumped up and ran to her grandmother.  They hugged as well.  “Grandma, hello!”

            “Hello, Jenny!”

            “Come on, there someone I want you to meet.” She led her grandmother around the corner.  Her grandmother paused when she saw their guest.  Ryann looked up and froze.  Jenny, sensing something was going on, just waited for it to reveal itself. 

            Ryann took a step back and covered her mouth in silent shock.  She just stared at the old woman before her.  It took a little time for her to be able to talk, but when she was able she did so.  “Well, now I understand,” she said simply.  “You weren’t just being a pack rat by keeping all of those articles on what happened to me.  You had a very personal reason for keeping them.”

            “What are you talking about?” Jenny asked. 

            Ryann never took her eyes off of the grandmother but she answered Jenny, “This is David’s grandmother.”

            “No,” she was about to protest further but she looked at her grandmother pausing slightly “Grandma?” She shook her head, “No, this is my grandma” she looked at our grandmother questioningly.

            Grandma took a deep breath and sighed. “It’s true, Jenny.”

            “What?  How?” she asked confused.

            “David is your half brother. He is your father son.” she said softly, an amount of defeat in her voice.

            Jenny looked over at Ryann, who was staring into thin air. Oddly, she didn’t appear to be confused. In fact the opposite was true; it looked as if she finally got something, like questions that were unanswered and confusing all the sudden had come together to make one definite answer. It didn’t appear to be a comforting answer.

            “Mom, what?” she couldn’t even ask the question, she was so befuddled.

            Sarah shrugged, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t know he had a son when I was with him,” is all she said.

            “When did you know?” Jenny asked.
            Sarah didn’t answer; which was an answer in itself. Jenny took a few steps back unable to take in all she was hearing. She had a brother? The realization hit her, a brother who was dead, and a nephew who was dead. She had been lied to her whole life. How did she accept that?

            Ryann didn’t really hear or see what was going on. She was busy building a few more bricks for her wall. She had to abandon the project when she saw Jenny’s image run past the window. She looked around for Jenny and realized she had runoff. Still stunned she stared for a moment and finally moved into action and ran after her. It was raining outside which in the dark made it even more difficult to see. Lightening flashed and she caught a glance of Jenny and set out after her. Jenny was a fast runner, Ryann herself had trained her to be so. Fortunately Ryann was faster when pushed to be so and fear was pushing her. She wasn’t sure fear of what but it was in there and she ran from it in an attempt to catch her friend. She ran up and jumped on a short stonewall and taking a couple of steps dove onto Jenny. They rolled a ways together and Ryann pulled her onto her lap and held her. “It’s okay, Jenny. It’s going to be okay.”

            Jenny clung to her friend sobbing. As she started to get control a thought started to develop and she stood up quickly pushing Ryann away. Ryann stood as well not sure what was coming. “Jenny?”

            “No, don’t!” she shouted.

            “Don’t what?” Ryann asked.

            “I don’t want to hear anything of you have to say. You’re all liars.  Go away!” she shouted above the storm.

            “Jenny, I didn’t know. Honest, I had no idea David even had a sister. Please, you have to believe me.” Ryann pleaded.

“I believe you,” Jenny said. “That doesn’t change the fact that you used to me.”

            “What?” Ryann asked. “How?”

            “You said yourself that something beyond your understanding drew you to me. Now we know what. You used me to feel close to David.” She paced back and forth, and then suddenly stopped. “No more,” she yelled. “I’m not David.  I’m not going to let you use me any more!”

            Ryann stood silent, unable to deny the accusation and unable to keep the wall she relied on so much from teetering. “Jenny,” it came out as a quiet plea.

            “No!  Get away from me!” she started to walk away.

            Ryan felt herself grow weak.  She was seeing a picture of her life and it was drowning her. “Jenny!” she yelled. “Please, don’t.”

            Jenny stopped but didn’t turn around. “Go home, Ryann.” She heard Ryann softly say her name followed by a soft sigh. She turned around slowly. “Ryann!” she ran to her collapsed friend. She fell to the ground and pulled Ryann onto her lap. First she checked Ryann’s pulse and breathing and when that was ok she held the woman tightly in her arms and cried. She cried for all she had gained and in the same instant had lost.

            “Ryann, wake up.” Sarah padded her face lightly.

            Ryann took a deep breath as her consciousness returned and looked around. “Where am I?”

            “On the porch.” Grandma said.  She was standing behind her daughter in law.

            “How did I get here?” Ryann asked.

            “Guess,” Sarah said lightly. “We heard the doorbell and came out and found you lying on the porch.”

            “Jenny.” Ryann said. 

            “That’d be our guess,” grandma agreed. “Now get up and come into the house.”

Ryann did as she was told.  The three women walked into the house and sat down in the living room.  Ryann sat on the couch facing the two older women.  They were silent for a while, reflecting on the events of the night.  Ryann was the first to speak.  “So are you going to tell me what happened?”

Sarah nodded and left the room abruptly. Ryann watched her go in surprise then turned a grandma. “What’s the deal?” She was in shock and her habit was to hide, but her curiosity was pushing her forward.

Grandma took a deep breath and side. “You know my son,” grandma started, “Blake has his good points and his bad.”

Ryann nodded, “yes, I know.”

“Before Sarah, Blake was living with a woman.”

“Liza?” Ryann asked.

“Yes,” grandma answered. “She became pregnant. Blake had no desire to be a father; he suggested that she have an abortion. Liza was no fool, she wasn’t about to kill her own child. So, Blake left.” Grandma leaned back and fell into the memories of the past. “He met Sarah and they married. Sarah and I got along instantly. She was the smartest thing that my son ever did. They stayed happily married for some time and Sarah became pregnant. Blake stayed. It’s much harder to leave when you’re bound by law, at least back then.”

She stood up and walk to the window as of searching the darkness for Jenny. “When Jenny was born I thought that things were going to turn out well. He held her, played with her, and changed her.” She looked At Ryann. “You could see in his eyes that he loved her.” She was silent, unwilling to say what came next for shame of her son’s actions. She sighed realizing that this young lady sitting before her deserved answers as well did her granddaughter. “Then one day he just left. He didn’t give Sarah an explanation, he just left. That’s when I found out about David because Blake went back to them.”

She sat down again seemingly exhausted. “I chose to stay with my granddaughter. I loved David the moment I found out about him but he had his parents, both of them. I decided to help raise Jenny, it was the very least I could do and the very least she deserved.”

“That’s all good and well but why weren’t they told?” Ryann asked on the verge of annoyed anger. The older woman didn’t answer. “David would have adored her. He would have loved her as much as I do. Jance…” Ryann stood unable to finish her sentence.

Tears rolled down grandma’s cheeks. “I know.” She choked out. “At first Blake chose not to for shame. Sarah chose out of anger.  I chose for peace sake. Then we’d just waited too long and fear stopped us as well as other reasons. No one would take the initial step. Not until recently.”

“What happened recently?” Ryann asked.

Grandma looked her in the eyes. “Not until hope of gaining something back that had been lost,” she explained. “No one knew where you were or how you were. Then one day my granddaughter came home and all she could talk about this extraordinary woman that is a complete mystery to her.” She smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. “I knew that if anyone could reach you it was Jenny. She’s very special in that and many other ways. I knew it would eventually lead to this day but it was our chance to get you back.”

Ryann stood up and walked to the door. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

The old woman watched her go, wondering what would happen as a result of this night’s events. She always knew this day would come. Part of the reason she led Jenny to it was in hopes to have some control over the situation. Now she knew that nothing is controlled in a situation such as this. Now she may lose her granddaughter as well as David, Jance, and Ryann. “What have we done in our foolishness, fear, and pride?” she asked to the air.

“We’ve lost more than can ever be regained.” Sarah answered from the doorway. 

As Ryann stepped from the porch she shot into a dead run.  In the back of her mind she had some idea of where she was going, but right now she didn’t really care she just ran with all that she had inside her.  The sweat on her forehead ran together with the still pouring rain.  She felt on fire.  Her heart was a volcano erupting, the lava flowing through her veins.  She ran as if to escape it, hoping somehow that she could leave behind what was so deeply imbedded inside her. 

The faster and longer she ran, the hotter the fire grew.  Her muscles began to burn but she pushed on.  Lightning flashed around her that she took no notice except to dare it to strike her, entreated to strike her.  The storm raged on, both within and around her. Her heart beat to the rhythm of the thunder, each lightening flash an explosion within her, and she ran. She ran from the pain of the past, ran from the pain of the present, she just ran.

Unable to go further and plagued by fatigue, she fell to her knees. She knelt there on all fours breathing heavily. Her lungs burned and her limbs were limp. She didn’t want to think or feel so she concentrated on taking in air. Headlights from a car turned towards her and drew nearer. It drew up beside her. “Need a lift?” the driver called out.

Ryann noticed then that it was a cab and nodded her head. She forced herself up and dropped into the back seat of the car. She gave him the address and lay back in the seat. The trip went quickly. She had ran farther than she knew. She paid the man and walked up to the house and let herself in. She walked into the kitchen straight to a far cabinet. She opened it up and pushed aside the paraphernalia and reached deep to the back pulling out two bottles. Both bottles were unopened, both containing alcohol. She stared at the bottles now sitting on the counter.

She drank very little. Even after it initially happened she never drank. These two bottles were bought on impulse years ago. Ryann hadn’t bought them to drink but to just have them. She winced as she remembered the smile on David’s face.

“Planning to have a party?” David grinned. He had a unique grin.  It sat a bit crooked on his face.  The right side stretched out a little more than the left.  His whole body leaned to the left, his arms usually crossed, and his eyes twinkling. 

“No,” Ryann shot back playfully.  “I just felt like buying them.”

“Why?” he asked. 

“Just to own it, I guess.”

“Yes, I can see how owning alcoholic beverages could make someone feel complete.” He teased.

“You be quiet. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sure there’s some reason they’re here. We just can’t see it right now.” Ryann defended herself.

“Oh, I see.” He stood up and walked over to her. “You, a person who does not drink, will one day walk through the door, walk up to the cupboard, open it up and know exactly its purpose is in your life.” He put his arms around her.

“Exactly,” Ryann agreed. “Mark my words, these bottles have a destiny.” She laughed.

“You’re a nut,” David kissed her. “Lucky for you I have the instincts of the squirrel.”

“Does that mean you’re going to nibble on me?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered and kissed her. “Put away your destined bottles and I’ll carry you to our room. I’m storing up for the winter you know.”

Ryann grabbed one of the bottles, not even noticing which one it was. She opened it and took a long drink, throwing back her head to give it a straight passage into her system. The wall she had been sheltered by had slowly started to crumble. Now it was in danger of falling. She poured in the alcohol to cement up the cracks and holes in her wall. The alcohol had the effect she was reaching for; painful thoughts swam around in the foul tasting liquid and never quite landed on the surface. It not only burned her throat as it went down but it was also burning up the unwanted images.

Ryann felt, rather than heard or seen, someone standing in the room.  She turned slowly and then seeing her guest leaned back against the island counter for stability.  “Jenny.”

“I thought to find you here,” she said coldly, “Thought you said you didn’t drink?” she asked without much interest. 

“I’m trying to start.” Ryann looked at the now half empty bottle, her bottle with a destiny.  She sat it down on the counter behind her.  “Jenny.”

“Don’t, I don’t want to hear it?” She folded her arms.  “Let’s not have a repeat.” She leaned against the wall.  “I thought it the only humanly decent thing to do,” she stated. 

“What?” Ryann asked confused.  She was suffering from the effects of the alcohol, though not enough to shelter her from the open disdain on Jenny’s face.

“Checking up on you.” Jenny finished.  “I figured that I should make sure you were ok, wouldn’t want to stoop to their level.”

“Am I one of them?” Ryann asked, unwontedly starting to sober up. 

“Not exactly,” Jenny answered, “in a way, you’re worse.”

“Jenny,” Ryann softly pleaded. 

“You used me.” Jenny’s voice began to crack but she caught herself.  “Will you or can you deny that?”

Ryann watched her for a moment, trying to relive that first day. “I don’t know.  Maybe that very first day it caused me to give a second glance,” She admitted.  “Oh, Jenny, I…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.  She was so emotionally raw already.  This was tearing her part.  “You’re the only person I’m close to,” She substituted. 

“You can’t even say that you care for me,” Jenny accused.  You don’t care for anyone or anything.  Your heart is stone cold, Ryann Kodi.” Jenny step towards her.  “Who’s to say what there was before the stone cold figure but she died with my newfound brother.  Don’t use me to relive his life.”

“Jenny, I do care for you.  I know that you are not David. You’ve created your own spot in my life that only you can fill and you cannot fill David’s,” she desperately tried to explain.  “Maybe it was David that pulled us together but it was you that kept us that way.” She stopped and stared or her friend.  “David would have adored you.”

Jenny took a stumbling step backwards.  “Stop it!” she ordered. 

Ryann didn’t hear.  “He would have spoiled you, I think.  I can see it now, the way he would look when he looked to you, the love on his face.” She took a step forward.  “He would have felt the same way that I do.”

She couldn’t handle this.  She’d been lied to her whole life.  Who could she trust now?  Should she trusts this woman, a woman who hid behind a stone wall; a woman who couldn’t even trust herself.  Strangely enough, without realizing it Jenny was picking up the blocks from Ryann’s slowly shattering wall and making all wall of her own. 

Kodi saw those eyes every day of her life.  Every time she looked in the mirror, they were her eyes.  They were eyes that revealed nothing.  No trespassing eyes that would not let anything through.  Her wall came crashing down.  “What have I done?” she asked softly, to softly even for Jenny to hear.  

Jenny backed away.  “You and your bottles can just have a grand old time,” she shot out.  With her angry words spoken she turned and walked away. 

“Jenny!” Ryann fell to her knees.  “Jenny!” she yelled loudly.  She turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the living room.  Staring at a scene she tried to forget, “David!” she screamed. 

The scream echoed loudly through the early morning air.  Jenny froze at the end of the walk, pierced to the heart by the painful cry.  For a moment she wanted to run back but then the cry stopped.  Silence filled the air like a heavy blanket.  Jenny watched the house for any sign of what was going on inside.  Nothing happened for a while and then she saw a shadow.  Jenny cross the road and waited.  She was not willing to go back but could not force herself to leave either. 

Ryann reached for her bottle.  Jenny’s presence had temporarily sobered her up a bit but now she was free to drown again.  She could no longer feel the burn or taste of liquid as it went down.  She crawled to the phone and took it off the hook.  She had the operator connect her to a cab company.  Ryann quickly gave her address and hung up.  The cab pulled up to the house and she and her bottle made their way to the caller.  Ryann asked how much it would cost to get her to our destination.  He gave her a rough estimate.  She handed him near double the amount and finished off her bottle.  Tossing the bottle away, she sat down in the cab and waited. 

Jenny watched the cab drive off down the street.  She wondered where Ryann could be going but told herself that she didn’t care.  Filling free to go now she took a last look at the house.  Her brother and her nephew had been murdered there.