Fingers in the Mist by O'Dell Hutchison

Author:O'Dell Hutchison [Hutchison, O'Dell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, horror, paranormal, fantasy, male lead, ghosts, demons, death, dying
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2015-02-02T08:00:00+00:00

***

Mitch and I play two very long rounds of Battleship, my father’s snores punctuating the intensity of the game. When we’ve finished the second game, Mitch asks for a third, but I’m already bored with it. Judy hasn’t come out of her room since her biting remarks earlier, and I’m okay with that. I’d rather spend my last few hours with Mitch anyway.

“I’m hungry.” He flops down on the couch and stares at the ceiling.

“Me, too. How about a PB & J?”

“I’m sick of sandwiches. I want some real food. A cheeseburger would be so good right now. Or pizza. Man, I would really like some pizza.”

My stomach growls when he says the word. I would love nothing more than to bite into a thick, cheesy slice right now.

“When this is over, maybe we can drive to the city and have huge slices of deep-dish,” I say.

“I’m going to eat a whole pizza myself,” he says with a smile. “A large one.”

“You’ll explode,” I say, tickling him. “You’ll get so fat you’ll float away like a balloon.”

“No, I won’t.” He starts to giggle at the thought. His laugh is infectious, and soon I’m giggling along with him.

His smile fades, and the mood in the room grows somber, “I wish that could really happen.”

“Why won’t it?” I ask. “We’ll just hop in the car and drive.”

“We can’t. If what Mom said is true, they’re going to take you away.”

I don’t know how to respond. I want to tell him they won’t take me, but what’s the point?

“I’ll make sure you get your pizza,” I say, offering him the only promise I know I can keep. “But for now, we get sandwiches.”

“Where do you think you’ll go?”

I really don’t want to talk about this, and the fact that he’s on the path to accepting my demise is a bit unsettling. Still, I know that as an eight-year-old, he’s curious, and possibly seeking comfort by knowing what will happen.

“I don’t know.”

He climbs onto one of the chairs and watches as I spread peanut butter across a slice of bread. “Are you going to die?”

“Everyone dies eventually.” It’s the only non-answer I can think of.

“Why are you two being so morbid?” Dad asks.

I wonder how much of our conversation he heard. “Do you want a sandwich?” I ask, happy to change the subject.

“I’ll pass. If I have to eat another sandwich I just might turn into a loaf of bread.” He walks to the cupboard and grabs a bag of chips. “I’d kill for some real food right now. I could really go for some pizza.”

“We were just talking about that,” Mitch says. Obviously, Dad has been awake for a while.

“I say once this is all over, we drive into the city.” I can’t help but smile. He’s going to ensure my promise holds good. Does he know what’s going to happen to me?

I give Mitch his sandwich and then place a hand on Dad’s shoulder, checking for the intense jolt that hits me whenever I touch a Redeemer.

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