Page 55 of Praying for Thunder

TEN

GOLDEN TIES AND ONUS

Evil is… cold.

Up to this point in my life, I had known nothing but kindness.

Kindness is… warm. And, when true, it can spread warmth to other hearts.

Sadly, evil spreads, too. Wielded by the corrupted, or those who are too blind to recognize harsh words or actions are just that, a chill can be set free in the world to create… more.

How did I come to learn this?

I witnessed it on a grand, undeniable level. Once Tiny’s abuser came back for vengeance, it felt like his hatred attracted more hatred. Like it had opened a portal for darkness to creep through.

Sounds simple, ‘every action has a reaction’, but I’m grateful for the correlation that was taking root at such a young age.

I wonder if things could’ve been different had Piercer known this truth. Would he have changed his actions had he known he was creating misery for himself, as he tossed Anita’s unconscious form into yet another backseat?

Every few hours, it was the same. He was covering a trail that led across the United States, heading toward the east coast. I’d never been out of Nevada, not that I knew of, but was sure that place was far behind me now.

Buckled up like the good boy I’d been raised to be, I stared out the passenger window of the backseat. I had slid my legs underneath Ani’s head so she could rest on my thigh. Was I offering compassion to gain some? No. It doesn’t work like that. It must come from the heart, with no expectations on what abundance you may receive in the future.

No, I was simply exuding what Ani’s selflessness had taught me. What Dio’s sacrifices had shown me.

Dio…

In my heart, I kept sending him apologies. I couldn’t help it. My life was, undoubtedly, in danger, but I feared for his mental well-being. By now, his beast had awakened him. I was sure of it.

I glanced down at Ani, wishing she had such a being inside her, too. I wanted her to wake up. I wanted her to tell me I hadn’t made a horrible mistake. I wanted… her to hum to me so I could breathe again.

The crusted blood in her hair taunted me. It snickered that she may never wake again.

Like my family at Myths, I didn’t give up. I let my heart call out to her anyway.

Piercer didn’t speak to me as we traveled. He just kept driving. When my stomach growled in the quiet vehicle, he didn’t offer me food like Dio would’ve. He just turned on the radio.

Dio…

Yes, Jesiah David Holmes, my Dio, had something inside him that didn’t have the wings of an angel, but I sensed he was part of a balance that was needed. Meeting someone like Piercer, it was easy to suspect the necessity for Dio that pertained to men like him.

A humble ‘Good versus Evil’?

I glanced down at the dry blood on my Ani.

No, Piercer’s kind of darkness needed a special breed to fight him.

Diablo…

At first, Anita’s coming to was a slow process. Her breathing changed. Her body started to move. Her hands searched… then found me. Blissfully, she sighed, wrapping her arm around my legs and hips while she rolled over as if to fall back to sleep.

Snuggled into me and facing the back of the seat, I thought she had, until her body froze.

Evil is… cold. She knew this well.

Her chest began to heave while one hand blindly searched the seat…

Beginning to sit up, as if hoping her mind was playing tricks on her, her brown eyes slowly peered to me. “No.” She stared. “No.”