I wrap my arms around myself and glance up at the night sky. They’ve been gone for two hours now and the unsettling feeling hasn’t eased up in the least.
“Mom?”
I startle and whip my head around to find Richter standing in the doorway, watching me with tired, curious eyes.
“Go back inside, sweetheart,” I instruct him tiredly. “Your father will be angry if he gets home and you’re not in bed.”
Richter walks the few steps toward where I’ve set up camp, then he sits on the steps next to me and shrugs.
“I’m not scared.”
I smile slightly as I glance at him. He looks so much like his father, that it’s a wonder that being this close to him doesn’t set my teeth on edge. Especially in moments like this, when I don’t know what Dad is up to, and when I don’t know what’s going to happen to
my youngest.
But unlike Dad, Richter is a good person. I’ve never seen him yell at his sisters, and he’s the first to kiss their scraped knees and helps them hold the baseball bat when it’s their turn to swing.
He’ll end this fucking lineage of terror if I can’t. It will take time, and he’ll have to go through hell before he does, but he’s strong enough to do it.
Of that I have no doubt.
Richter scuffs his foot on the lower step as he makes himself comfortable. I know there’s no way I’ll be able to convince him to go back inside, and to be honest, I’m actually enjoying the company.
I reach over and ruffle his hair before I turn my eyes back to the long driveway that eventually disappears so far out of sight and spills onto the road. I wonder where Cleo is, if she’s afraid, hurt, or if he’s actually caring for her like the father that he sometimes is.
“Were you scared?” Richter asks suddenly.
“Hm?” I reply curiously.
“When you were down in the well.”
“No,” I say. And it’s the truth, I wasn’t afraid. I was angry that he sent Cleo down into that hell with me, but it gave me the chance to keep her away from his ire.
“Were you afraid, honey? When I was down there?” I press gently.
He shrugs as he chews the inside of his mouth thoughtfully, careful to avoid my eyes. If he’s ever been afraid of anything, I’d never know because of how brave a facade he always puts on.
My brave little man.
“Your father just sent me down there to clean it up some. I forgot about the ladder after I was done, and I think he assumed I was already in the house when he brought it back up. It’s not a big deal,” I lie skillfully. Richter turns his eyes toward me, narrow and full of suspicion, but when he lets out a sigh, I know that he believes me.
Wait.
“Honey, go inside and get the flashlight. It should be in one of the kitchen drawers, okay?”
He gets to his feet without so much as a question and does as he told like the good son that he is. A few moments later, when he returns, I get to my feet and hold my hand out. When Richter attempts to hand me the flashlight, I smile and shake my head, and wait for his hand in its place.
He takes mine reluctantly. Because he’s such a big boy now, he doesn’t think that holding his mom’s hand is a cool thing to do, but I’m lending him my strength right now since I know he’s going to need it shortly.
Richter doesn’t question me when I turn on the flashlight and lead him around the side of the property. He doesn’t even seem bothered when we end up at the oubliette. And when I pull the gate open and toss the rope inside, he’s still the brave boy that I’ve admired for so long.
“I need you to do something for me,” I tell him softly as I toss the ladder inside of the well.
“Near the bottom, there’s a space between the bricks. I felt something in there, but I didn’t have time to get it out. Would you …”
My son reaches for the rope without hesitation and climbs in, slowly make his way down into the darkness. I hold the ladder on my end as tightly as I can while still shining the light down on him. I don’t know how far down it will reach, but the longer I can see him, the better I know I’ll feel.
But when the light finally fades and I have no sight of my son, my hands begin to tremble. I can feel myself becoming afraid and wanting to crawl down into the hole after him. Until he calls up to me and assures me that he’s okay.