for Jimmy, ruining any hope that Chase had left. “I’ll tell you what we are going to do…” He pulled the small revolver from his waistband to end all doubts about what he meant.
“Maybe we could just ask him for some food?” Jimmy begged, reaching for anything that might change George’s mind.
“Hell, even if he did give us some food then what? Go ask him again the next day?” George growled. “No…Then he would just know we are around. We take this dude tonight…We’ll bust that big ass glass door of his with a tree branch or something. When he stumbles out to see what has happened, we will all bum rush his ass.” George smiled cleverly and continued, “We will go over there in a couple hours. Let him fall asleep first. Won’t even know what hit him.”
George tried to exude confidence as he said this, but failed. Still, neither Jimmy or Chase said a word in reply, as neither brother could think of a viable option that would put a stop to what was about to happen. All they could manage was disinterested nods of agreement to George’s grand postulating about what kind of foods they were bound to find after the deed was done.
……..
Wednesday
Allen Moore was long dead, and Daniel’s sleep was rarely invaded by the caustic memories of his father anymore. He was dreaming of him now though. It seeped out from some dark, mental crevasse, thought to be long forgotten. The theme of the visage was guilt. A deep-rooted shame felt over the last few days that father and son had spent together. Daniel and Allen had devoted years to becoming journeymen of how to talk without communicating. Then, in the last few days they would have together, just before Allen was killed Daniel suddenly became interesting to his father.
Allen spent those last days with his son trying to rectify all the years of neglect. First, he helped Daniel sift through and reorganize the items Daniel had acquired, which were spread all around the garage and house. After that, Allen led Daniel into the bedroom downstairs that held all of his own hard-earned plunder; the same room that Daniel had just broken into. Allen showed and itemized everything in the room for Daniel without reproach.
The next day, Allen let Daniel drive his truck around the subdivision, laughing and coaching the entire way. The drive ended at an old branch of the library system several blocks from the house. Allen taught Daniel how to breach the rear door by using a long pry bar, heavy wooden shims and a hydraulic jack that he carried around in the bed of the truck.
Daniel made sure that he was as unaccommodating as possible to his father on those last days. He had no way of knowing that there would not be another chance to gain his redemption.
In his dream, realization washed over Daniel. Allen Moore knew he was going to die.
Daniel was back standing in the dark library, acting like he was alone even though he was with his father. Holding a hard-covered red book in his hand, Allen was telling him to make sure that he read it someday. Allen then set the book high up on the top of one of the book shelves so that Daniel would remember where it was amongst the sea of look-alikes.
Terror still had a hold over Daniel when he realized that he was now, in fact awake. A hand was painfully griping onto his left shoulder. Daniel reflexively brushed the hand away with his right arm, startled to find that it was Corinne’s. He rolled onto his left elbow to look at his wife. Corinne was trying to whisper something to him, as she made a grab for his right shoulder this time.
“What?!” Daniel sleepily cried out, while blocking her hand at the same time.
Corinne cringed at his volume. “Shhh! someone broke a window…upstairs!” her low tone and finger up to her lips demanded attention, immediately and quietly.
Rebecca awoke with a shutter, immediately trying to crawl inside her mother’s torso to find safety. Daniel was glad that he could not see the fear in Rebecca’s eyes, of which Corinne had spread to her like a disease. Feeling the first symptoms himself Daniel bolted out of the bed. He then just stood dumbly, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Allowing for enough time to recognize his own basement, reflex took over.
Daniel had to crouch down to raise the edge of the