Banished To Earth Book One (20)

 He jumped up, snatched a napkin and wiped his face.

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    Nikki remembered how it was when her daddy was in their life, got up and ran around Pry’s chair and stationed herself between Pry and Chase. Wrapping her arms around Pry, she began crying and pleading.

    “Don’t hit her, Chase!” She begged, tears streaming down her chubby, greasy little cheeks. “Hit me. I’m the bad one! I started it!”

   Chase's shoulders dropped like burst balloons. His flash of anger became smoke in a vacuum, vanishing instantly.

   “Nikki, oh Nikki,” he walked over to her. “I would never, no way ever hit you or Pry, not in a million years.” He squatted down beside Pry, gently cupped her cheek and kissed her right temple. Pry's hair curled around and actually patted Chase’s hand. “I don’t do that. Real men never do that. Come here, baby, it’s alright.”

   Nikki slowly withdrew her arms, head bowed, and hands clasped in front of her. She inched her way toward Chase.

  Pry turned to him and studied his face. Pink tears welling up in her eyes.

   The moment Nikki got within arm’s length of Chase; he reached out and drew her tightly to his chest. “Your Daddy did this to you, didn’t he baby?”

   He felt her little head nod yes against his shoulder. “He’s never going to hurt you or your Mommy ever again. I promise.”

   He thought to himself, ‘that’s one monster I know I can protect you from.”

  Beth was standing in the doorway. She heard everything Chase said and murmured to herself, “Where were you when I was dating Nick?”

Chapter 14

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   Later that same day, Chase sat on his deck and worked out a plan of action should he sense the opening of another Shift Portal or the presence of another Hunter or monster.

   He held little hope that they could remain at the beach house, but he figured they were about as safe there as anywhere else, at least for the present.

   If the next Hunter proved to be a reasonable decent sort, then he could likely make him or her an invaluable ally. If not, he would make his stand on familiar ground and use it to his advantage.

   In any case, he wanted Pry as far away as possible and as difficult to track as he could make it, if a new Hunter dared to step out onto ‘his’ beach.

   Beth had already agreed to drive Pry to his childhood home. He’d sworn he never would return there, but things changed.

   Simply shifting there would be preferable, but it would also make it extremely easy for the next Hunter to track her down and kill her right in front of Nikki and Beth. That was a nightmare he could not bear to think about.

   Should the next Hunter use his old shift portal to track her, he would step out at least a mile from his home, near enough to sense their arrival but far enough to give his new family a head start. He, of course, would be staying behind to confront the new Hunter and secure their escape if he failed to make a new friend.

    After a bit, Beth, who was sitting on the beach watching Pry and Nikki play in the surf, crunched up the sandy embankment and joined him on the deck. The sun was low but still blindingly bright.  But the cool, steady sea breeze made watching their two ‘children’ quite comfortable.

    He handed her a road map. The route to his old home was clearly marked. “Here,” in case cell service plays out. I’ve already texted you the address. Pry, and I share the same memories now, so she can guide you if necessary, just don’t let her drive.”

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   “Don’t worry, I won’t; that car is the only thing of value I own.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“I don’t own Nikki, but she does have me right by the heart.”

“Yeah,” Chase replied, “she has the three of us wrapped around her little finger.”

  “So strange,” Beth said as the balmy breeze blew her long brown hair across her face, “my baby is playing with an alien, and here we sit waiting for the end of the world, yet in this moment…”

“Calm before the storm.”

  “Yeah, a crazy peace, maybe it's just resignation. Or maybe I’ve lost my mind, and I’m just too crazy to know or care.”

  He stared in the direction of his old shift portal, then back at her, now seated on a lounge chair beside him.

   “No, Beth you’re not crazy. It’s not like the world was some wonderful place where nothing bad ever happened. You know that from personal experience.”

    “But monsters from outer space, invading the planet.” She looked at Chase, “is not exactly an improvement over a sorry, abusive husband.”  

  “Or a really crappy childhood. Maybe it's just cleaner and simpler, and long overdue.”

   “Now that’s cynical, Chase. No wonder they chose you to be a Hunter. But who are they? And who gave them the right to pass judgment on us?”

    “I'm not sure. They call themselves The Transit Authority. I’m thinking they have some power over the shift portals. Transit Authority, that’s an Earth title, doesn’t mean much, doesn’t give away much.  Pry summed it up pretty well when she said they have the power. Oldest story ever, you got the power, you call the shots. They do what they please. They could easily wipe us all out and populate Earth with their ‘people’ .”

   “So, they’re doing us a favor?” Beth snapped.

 “Well, they’re giving us a chance.”

“No, Chase, they’re giving you and your kind a chance, not us regular folks. You are the one who's being kind and decent -generous, not them!”

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   “Kind and generous, me? Then why am I not standing on my rooftop with a bullhorn screaming at people to head for the hills, or driving around in a bus picking up anyone I can make believe? Or or…”