“Hey, what’s that for?” Dez asked when Sapphire came in from the back room carrying a long rope.
Sapphire smiled sweetly. “Well, darling, do you remember that talk we had last night? About how some people have those big, mean demons who want to make them do bad things?”
Dez widened her eyes and nodded.
Sapphire handed the rope to Gabriel and continued to talk as if she were a Sunday school teacher telling her students about Jonah and the storm. “Well, sometimes those big, mean demons have to get prayed out of people, and sometimes when that happens they make them do mean things, like try to fight off the ones who want to help them. So the rope’s to make sure your mommy doesn’t hurt herself when we pray the demons out of her.”
Dez crossed her arms and pouted. “What makes you think Mama’s got demons?”
Jade tensed. Wished she could find some way to communicate with her body. Dez was doing such a good job playing the role of the obedient, compliant child. She had to keep it up if they wanted to get out of this alive.
Sapphire’s voice was patient and melodic. “Well, your mom’s angry. She’s got a lot of hurts about a lot of things, and we want to pray to make her all better. But sometimes this kind of praying we’re going to do makes people get angry first, so we’re just going to use this rope to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself or anyone else.”
Jade’s mind was working five times as fast as normal. As long as it was a human constraining her, she had a chance of escape. If Gabriel got complacent or distracted, she could make her move. A rope didn’t have those kinds of weaknesses she could exploit.
Get closer to the door, she tried to tell her daughter. Why couldn’t telepathy work? Move closer to the door, baby.
At this point, Jade knew that hoping for her safety as well her daughter’s was too much to expect. She just needed to give Dez a chance to run. Jade had no idea where they were, if they were still near Eureka or not, but it wasn’t dark out yet, and if they were surrounded by woods, Dez could get away.
That was the goal.
Get closer to the door, baby.
Dez was still staring at the rope and ignoring her mom.
Sapphire took a step closer, her face hardening as she addressed Jade. “Remember now, I gave you the chance to do this the gracious way, and you turned it down.” She draped the rope around Jade’s shoulders like a scarf.
“What are you doing to Mama?” Dez demanded. With her eyes, Jade tried to calm her daughter’s fears. Tried to communicate what she needed to do. Get by the door, baby.
Dez took a step backwards. One step closer to the exit. To freedom.
Good job, baby.
Jade tried to give her daughter an encouraging nod, and while Sapphire tied a knot in the rope, Jade kept her eyes on her daughter, praying she could understand.
By the door, baby. Keep going. I love you. You’re going to be okay.
The knot was complete. Jade couldn’t wait much longer.
Sapphire leaned down to tighten the noose. “Don’t make this any harder on your daughter than it has to be,” she whispered.
Now.
Jade kicked Sapphire in the groin, splaying her backwards. “Baby, run!” she shouted. She turned around as Gabriel pulled out his gun. She tackled him onto the floor, grabbing his wrist with all her strength.
He wrapped one leg around her, trying to knock her off balance. Jade held fast. She couldn’t see if Dez had fled or not, but there wasn’t time to check. If she lost her grip, she was dead.
Letting out an animalistic grunt, Jade held onto Gabriel’s wrist, trying to slam his hand on the ground to make him lose his grip. The flickering lamplight glinted off his eyes, and she knew what she had to do. It was her only hope. She gouged one of his eyes with her free hand, turning her brain off so she didn’t have to register the feel of it.
He screamed. The distraction had worked.
Jade grabbed the gun.
There wasn’t time to think. If she stopped to think, she might change her mind. Might not have the courage.
She aimed. Braced herself for the deafening burst, the powerful kickback. Gritted her teeth in determination.
Jade pulled the trigger.