Martha hadn't really expected anything to happen or for anyone to come, but still she felt the hope ooze out of her as she received no reply. She kicked the door, but only hurt her already bruised foot. She sat on the floor.
"I refuse to stay in here like this. I refuse to starve to death. I refuse to be forgotten and simply rot in this cell. I simply refuse to. There has to be a way we can get out. There has to be a way for us. I am not gonna just sit here."
"What are you gonna do?" Carl asked with a scoff. "It's not like we have a choice." Then he added, mumbling loudly under his breath, "Believe me, if we had, I would be long gone."
Martha turned and looked at him. "As in as far away from me as you can get, is that it?"
He didn't answer.
"You want to leave me, don't you? You’ve wanted to all this time, ever since that day Joanna left, but just never had the guts to, am I right?"
"She didn't leave; you threw her out," he grumbled, avoiding having to answer the question.
Martha looked startled, a little taken aback, then she recovered her tolerant half-smile. "Am I really that terrible?"
She walked to the bench that was supposed to be a bed and sat down. "I can't do anything right in this life, can I? Even Josh resents me for what happened back then. I can feel it when he speaks to me. He thinks I can't, but I do. I see it in the way he looks at me. And the way you look at me too. The resentment in your eyes. I try to pretend like I don't see it, but it gets me every time, every freakin' day of my life."
Carl was looking at her. She could feel his eyes on her and sense that he was about to say something, but he didn't. She wanted him to, though. She wanted him, for once, to just be honest with her and tell her the truth, tell her how he really felt. She was sick of pretending, she was sick of acting like everything was fine, like life just went on even though she had lost her only daughter and never got to see her grandchild. Yes, she was sad about it, she was devastated even, crushed. Who wouldn't be? She had never meant to throw her out; she had never meant to push Joanna away like that. She had been desperate. Scared and desperate. And she had regretted every second of that conversation ever since. Over and over again, she had gone through it in her mind. She had lingered on every word she had uttered and dreamt of taking them back, all of them, and instead take her poor daughter into her arms and just hold her tight, tell her everything is going to be all right, we'll get through this, together. For years, Martha had stared out the window, jumping every time she saw a car or someone walk by the house, wondering if it was Joanna coming back, finally coming back to her.
But it never happened.
Martha slumped her head and felt a tear leave her eye. It was all too late now. The child was ten years old and she had lost all those years, never holding her as a newborn, never cheering her on when she learned how to crawl and walk, never being there to take pictures on the first day of school or taking her shopping for back to school clothes. None of the grandmother stuff she knew she would love. Instead, she had done it all with Marley, and maybe overcompensated a little with her, doing everything with her, trying too hard, not letting even one day go by without calling their house or stopping by, sticking her nose into everything they did, making their lives overshadow her own, forgetting to take proper care of her own marriage. And Josh had let her because he didn't dare to tell her the truth because he couldn't bear to hurt her feelings. No matter how annoying it must have been for Irene.
"Carl…I…I think that if we ever get out of here, then you…I mean if it's what you want, then you shouldn't waste any more time here…I mean with me. You're free to go. No hard feelings. You deserve to be happy."
Carl looked at her, their eyes locked for a few seconds just as there was a rustle from the other side of the door.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Ridge Manor, Florida
You've got to make up your mind.
Wayne was sitting in his house with the girls, staring at Ellie Mae, wondering what to do. All he could hear was Mayor Stephenson's words that she had said to him as they left the inn after the meeting. It was nighttime now and the girls had to get to bed soon. What was he going to tell Ellie Mae?
I know a way to save your mother, but, hey, I’m not gonna do it?
He didn't know where Josh and Irene had ended up but hoped and prayed they were somewhere safe. The last thing he had seen was them disappearing between the buildings onto Lakewood Drive. If they had managed to get away or if they were in hiding somewhere, he didn't know. Worst-case scenario, he had to tell both of the girls their parents were dead, that they were now orphans. How on earth was he supposed to do that?
Wayne opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He opened it and drank from it. The girls had sodas and seemed to be doing just fine. He had heated some of the cans of ravioli that he stocked before the invasion. The girls had loved it and now they were playing with Arlene's dolls, once again.
Wayne went to the back porch and continued into the yard. The hole had grown since he had last seen it. The suction from it was getting stronger. Another tree was gone from the yard and he wondered how long it would be before it took his whole house. And would he be in it when it did?
Some days, he wished it would.
Why don't you jump in? Just close your eyes and jump.
Because he couldn't. Because he was a coward. What if he ended up somewhere else? What if he didn't get to see Arlene after all? What if it was all in his head and he ended up dead down there?
What if he couldn't find his way back?
"I miss you, Arlene," he said and drank from his beer. "I miss you so much I can't stand it. I know they want me to give in, to tell them about you and this hole that might or might not be a gateway, but then what? What will they do to you in there? I don't know anything about the place you're in, but I am not about to send a million Chinese lizard soldiers in there after you. I am not. I care a lot about Joanna, I really do, but you're my kid; I am not gonna do it."
Wayne walked back onto the porch and closed the door with the lock, just in case, so neither of the girls would go out there by accident and fall in. He walked back to the kitchen, where both girls had fallen asleep, heads on the table in the middle of some game. Wayne looked at the clock. It was almost midnight and way past their bedtime. He hadn't realized it was so late till now. He finished his beer and threw it out, then grabbed Ellie Mae and carried her to bed, put the covers over her small body, and kissed her forehead. Then he walked back, grabbed Marley in his arms, and carried her to the bed as well and tucked her in. The dog jumped in with them and fell asleep right away. Marley was mumbling something in her sleep. He stood for a few minutes and watched the three of them, as he remembered how he used to sometimes stand in Arlene's room and watch her sleep when tucking her in, just feeling so happy and grateful for her.
Boy, he missed that feeling.
Wayne closed the door to their room as quietly as possible, then walked back to the kitchen, grabbed another beer, and walked into his office. He sat in his chair, put his feet up on the desk, sipped his beer, and waited.
At precisely a quarter past midnight, the old Stromberg-Carlson rang.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Ridge Manor, Florida
It was pitch dark at night in the swamps. Josh had never spent the night out in the cabin before. It was really humid and they were sweating like crazy. Josh had found an old blanket in Wayne's truck and placed it on the floor for them to sleep on. Irene had wanted to curl up really close to him and have him keep his arms around her, but it was getting too hot for him and he couldn't fall asleep. So now, he sneaked outside, where he had wanted to make a bonfire on the day when he had taken Marley fishing. But they had never made it that far before she started to cry and wanted to go home. She had hated every second of it. Especially the mosquitoes.
Josh sat on an old wooden stump. He had found a flashlight in the car as well and was using it to shine light on the trees. There were many sounds in
the swamps and he knew there might be a gator or two close by. He knew this place like the back of his hand, even though he had never spent the night out there. He also knew this was the time when all the animals and critters came out, and it scared him senseless. At least they were far away from those lizards and their long tongues.
What are those anyway?
Josh had had a Chinese friend in high school. Gao Ran had been there as an exchange student and stayed the entire year. He had been the best friend Josh ever had, and he definitely didn't have a tongue like those creatures.
Whatever they were.
Irene talked in her sleep and Josh chuckled. She did that a lot, especially when agitated. He was just happy she had finally fallen asleep. She had been so upset when they got there, it was hard to calm her down.
"What about Marley, what about our daughter?" she had kept asking.
He couldn't blame her for worrying. He was worried too. He told her Marley was at the sheriff's house and that she was with her cousin and that they were safe, but he really didn't know that for sure, did he? He had to believe that both girls were safe. Sheriff Wayne was with them and they were fine.
Now, he was worried about Joanna. He was grateful for what she had done for him - don't get him wrong - but he really didn't need to have to worry about her now. Still, he did. He didn't know if she was alive or not. His brain told him she was long dead since there was no way these lizard people would ever let her live after what she did, but his heart told him otherwise. He had this deep sensation inside of him that she was still alive. He didn't know where it came from, but it was there.
"Wayne will take good care of Marley," he had told Irene, and now he repeated it to himself. "Marley is going to be just fine."
Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for Joanna.
Josh sighed and thought about Irene. He had feared he would lose her and couldn't believe she was actually here with him now. He loved her so much, it was like he just now realized how deep his love for her went. If they survived this, he was going to ask her if she wanted to have another child. He knew she wanted to because she had asked about it many times, but he had told her one child was enough. Now, while sitting there in the darkness, surrounded by animal noises, he realized he had been terrified of making his parents' mistakes all over again. He was afraid they were going to love the youngest more than the oldest and he couldn't do that to Marley. He couldn't bear the thought that she would have to go through what he did.
There was a rustle in the bushes not far from him and Josh shone the flashlight at it. A small chameleon crawled up a tree trunk and sat not far from him, looking at him with staring eyes. He let the flashlight shine across it with a sigh. He used to have one as a pet when he was a child. Karma he called it. It died eight months after he got it, when it escaped, ran into the yard, and was eaten by a crow. Josh watched the whole thing with terror and a little excitement. He hadn't thought about her for years and the memory made him chuckle. There was one thing in particular that he remembered about Karma that he now couldn't stop thinking about.
Her tongue. Her rapidly extrudable tongue.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Ridge Manor, Florida
Noon came the next day and there was still no sign of Wayne. They had brought Joanna out in front of City Hall, blindfolded and on her knees, while the rest of the town was forced to watch.
Mary stood a few feet away, heart throbbing in her throat, watching as Major General Li Xiaoyan walked close to Joanna and placed one of her two-fingered claw-like hands on her neck, enclosing Joanna's throat with her talons, letting them rest there without closing them.
"I snap her neck in a second, you know?" she said addressed to the people, then showed with the other hand how she would do it.
A whimper sounded in the crowd and several turned their faces away. Mary stood paralyzed and stared at the scenario. She couldn't believe Wayne hadn't told them yet. He was the one who could stop all of this. How could he not do it? How could he not save Joanna's life?
"How do we even know they'll let her go if they get what they’re asking us?" Wayne had asked her the night before at their meeting at the inn.
Part of her knew he was right. These strange people (if you could even call them people) didn't seem to be very trustworthy. But still. It was Joanna's life they were talking about. Joanna Pattison, daughter of Martha and Carl Pattison. Martha, whom Mary had known most of her life. Martha, whom she considered to be her best friend. Martha, who had been through enough.
Mary remembered vividly the day Joanna was born. Martha had always wanted a daughter, so as soon as she realized that was what they were having, she had been so happy, happier than Mary had ever seen her. Mary had come to the hospital in Orlando to see her when she was just born and Joanna had been so tiny, so beautiful and small. She still remembered holding her in her arms, being overwhelmed with happiness for Martha and Carl. She still remembered how tiny the girl was and how fragile she recalled thinking she was. Josh had spent the night at Mary's place while his mother gave birth and he was with her, holding Mary's hand, slightly afraid of this new creature in his life. But as soon as he got to hold her in his arms, he was sold. Josh had been completely in love with his baby sister from that moment on. Mary also remembered how Martha had cried in happiness in the hospital bed. Between Josh and Joanna’s births, Martha had been pregnant twice but lost both of them. One of them she bore almost to term but lost it when she went into labor after only eight months. The child was stillborn. It was a girl.
But you know it too, Mary. You know what they want and where to find it. Why don't you just tell them? You could save her.
Mary bit her lip, considering yelling it out, just not caring about Wayne. Mary had been awake all night speculating about it. And, this morning, she had gotten out of bed with the decision to do it, to simply tell them if Wayne didn't do it himself.
But now, it seemed that something was holding her back. She couldn't stop thinking that maybe Wayne was right. Would she dare to take that chance? What if they just hurt Joanna anyway? What if they hurt Arlene? And maybe it would be the end of the world if they gave them a weapon like that. To be able to see into the future. It was quite the deal to give to someone like them.
Mary dropped her head and rubbed her eyes. This was not good.
"I’m not gonna do it," Major General Li Xiaoyan continued, still scrutinizing the crowd with her staring green eyes that seemed to never blink.
"Not yet."
Maybe they won't use it for anything bad, maybe they'll…oh, who are you kidding? Of course they're gonna use it for terrible things. And they're gonna kill all of us because they no longer need us, aren't they? They're gonna strangle each and every one of us with those tongues or use their talons.
Mary wondered how they had even heard about the gateway in Wayne's backyard. Not many people knew about it in the first place. Wayne had told Mary a long time ago when it just happened, to warn her about the roof collapsing at the high school, but Mary hadn't believed him. Who else knew about it? His ex-wife Lydia, yes, but she didn't believe him either. She believed it was a sinkhole that simply took their daughter, as most people believed. A sinkhole or the Swamp-Ape. Why everyone insisted on it being the Swamp-Ape every time something bad happened, Mary didn't understand, but it had always been that way.
Stupid old superstition.
"Come on, people, I am waiting," Major General Li Xiaoyan said, her voice shrill. "Give what I want and woman live."
She received nothing but silence from the crowd. Someone was crying loudly. Mary couldn't tell who it was from where she was standing. She felt like crying herself. If Martha ever returned, how would she explain this to her? How do you explain to your best friend that her daughter is dead and you could have prevented it?
Major General Li Xiaoyan hissed at the crowd and people recoiled. "Tell me where is gateway. We know it is here. In town."
People looked at each other, confused, the
n back at Major General Li Xiaoyan.
You know what she is talking about, Mary. Tell them. Tell them where it is. How can you not? How can you live with yourself if you don't?
"No one?" Major General Li Xiaoyan said. "No one?"
The soldiers standing behind her repeated her words, over and over again, looking from one to the other.
"No one. No one. No one."
Joanna whimpered as Major General Li Xiaoyan tightened her grip on her, then shot her tongue out and wrapped it around her and started to squeeze tight, pressing all the air out of her.
You've got to do something, Mary. You've got to!
Major General Li Xiaoyan lifted up Joanna's body using only the strength of her tongue. The crowd gasped.
You can't just stand there and watch, Mary. They're killing her. Do something!
Mary took a step forward and opened her mouth.
"I have what you're looking for."
It didn't come from Mary, though. The words never left her mouth. Someone beat her to it. Mary turned around. She spotted Wayne approaching, the crowd spreading out to make room for him.
Major General Li Xiaoyan let go of Joanna and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Major General Li Xiaoyan retracted her tongue back, then chuckled.
"So?"
Chapter Sixty
Ridge Manor, Florida
Joanna hurt herself when she fell to the ground. She yelled. Not because of the pain, but because of what Wayne had just done.
"NO! Wayne!"
She pulled off her blindfold. The light blinded her, but she didn't care. In front of her stood Wayne. He reached out and grabbed both her hands in his.