Chapter 50: Adam
With a look of bewilderment on her face, Sophia’s mother gazed at her daughter. Sophia found significance in the name Adam. It was an urgent sign.
"You know him?" she inquired, her voice still trembling from the horror she had just experienced. "That boy? He rescued me from some men outside."
Sophia’s concern only grew when other men were brought up. Her anxiety increased. "Is he Alright? He is where? You did not leave him alone, did you, Mom?"
A voice broke the tension before her mother could come up with a response. It came from the direction of the kitchen at the end of the hall.
"You’re all making too much noise."
Adam emerged from the darkness. His face was an unreadable mask, and he appeared totally composed. The violent struggle he had just been through was nowhere to be seen. He casually pointed his pistol at the ground, which was incredibly unnerving. He was a young man with a weapon of war, and he appeared totally comfortable.
"Someone will hear you" he continued his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Come help me before they do."
He did not wait for their response. He just turned and walked away from them, back toward the kitchen. More disturbing than any threat was his total indifference to their shock. He thought they would follow.
For a brief moment, Sophia, her mother, and Anastasia stood motionless in the hallway. They exchanged wide-eyed looks and spoke in silence about their mutual fear and incredulity. What was going on? This boy was who? The first to move was Sophia. She must have known. She moved forward hesitantly at first, then again. Attracted by an unseen current of fear and morbid curiosity, her mother and Anastasia trailed closely behind.
Their footsteps reverberated in the strange silence of the house as they moved down the hallway. They came to a complete halt at the kitchen doorway. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.