The Neighborhood by Matthew Betley
Author:Matthew Betley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2022-05-19T17:00:42+00:00
Chapter
TWENTY-SIX
Ben York sat with his parents and Percy along the railing at middle of the back of the pavilion, waiting and watching the men dressed as police officers, mostly focusing on the crazy one that had nearly executed one of their neighbors. The initial shock and adrenaline surge from the violence and death had worn off, and exhaustion was starting to set in, even with the heightened sense of terror. Fortunately for the group of hostages and Percy, the temperature had only fallen to the low fifties, although it felt cooler with the endless breeze and gusting winds. They all knew the cold front was coming, but Ben also knew that this entire horrific ordeal would be over before morning. It had to be.
Once morning arrived, with it came a sense of normalcy: early grocery deliveries, parents picking up friendsâ kids for sports, and even landscaping servicesâall of the Americana youâd expect on a Saturday morning in suburbia. And once that inevitability was a reality, the jig was up, as Benâs dad wouldâve said. Heâd been hearing it all his life, but he didnât know where his father had picked up the saying, although he was certain it wasnât from Elizabethan times. Parents always tried to sound cool, even when they didnât.
Percy let out a whimper, the stress and tension affecting the sensitive dog. âItâs okay, boy. This will all be over, and then weâll have you back home. I promise.â He leaned in and placed his head on top of the dogâs as if telepathically transferring some larger cosmic knowledge. âI love you, Percy.â
Ben felt his motherâs hand on his shoulder. âWeâll be fine,â he heard Charlotte York say, and he turned to face his parents. He knew she was right, but he wasnât worried about them, even though they were the ones held at gunpoint. He was worried about Sam, about where she was, praying that sheâd remained hidden and out of danger. His stomach was knotted, and he felt helpless, just as heâd felt moments after Mr. Flores had been shot and killed by the man Ben had fought, a man that was now dead too, shot by an unseen force in the woods.
âI know. Iâm just worried about Sam. Thatâs all,â he replied, continuing to scratch Percy behind the ears.
âSon, sheâs a strong-willed young lady, and I have no doubt sheâs fine, wherever she is,â David York said. He was a relatively fit man at the age of fifty-five, which was surprising, considering he was a highly paid, brilliant, and overworked commercial lawyer for a firm in DC. âAll that matters is that sheâs not here.â
Ben was silent, nodding in acknowledgment of his fatherâs statement, although not necessarily in agreement. The fight with the killer had rustled something awake inside him, a confidence in himself that he hadnât fully understood but was accepting by the minute.
A wiser and older man wouldâve realized Ben was transforming, shedding the skin of adolescence, maturing in real-time. But Ben was
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