The stranger

Discovered

Eddie: It's been a while since we last saw Lauri...

As he broached the subject, worry washed over everyone's faces.

Alicia: Maybe... child services took her? We've been calling forever... perhaps that's it, right?

Violet: Oh-ho, with all the gossip around town? Uh-hum... I would've heard something by now.

Francis: I'm going to go see her brother.

Eddie: I'm coming with you.

Alicia: Alright, my favorite boys! Keep me posted. I love you!

Eddie and Francis arrived at her brother's trailer to find the wheel cart she had used a month ago when she did the laundry. Clothes and pages of books were strewn about, damp from humidity. It seemed like there had been a violent episode recently. Eddie's breath trembled, his body shaking with fear. "Oh my god, what if he hit her again like last time?" "Is she still alive?" "Where is she?" "We should have done more for her!" Seeing his step-son getting pale and anxious, Francis tried to calm him down.

Francis: Focus, Eddie. Nothing happened. These are just clothes. She's quick on her feet; she probably got away. Look, there's no blood and no sign of violence.

Eddie: Where would she go if she got away? To the mountains?

Francis: For that long? No. But remember, we helped her set up a small room in the shed of our neighbor's house for her birthday two years ago.

Eddie agreed, and despite their anxiety, they knocked on the trailer door. A man with pale, unhealthy-looking skin and greasy brown hair, stumbling as if he were a zombie, opened the door.

Brother: What?

Eddie: Have you seen Lauri?

Brother: No, and I don't give a sh*t where she is. Get out.

He slammed the door at their faces. Francis sighed and walked back to his car with Eddie They drove back home thinking of a strategy to go to the neighbors without startling them. They thought that if she was there, maybe the neighbor didn’t know and would be surprised to see them on his property. They decided to lure them with food. It worked once to made contact, maybe an other shot could help break the ice.

They walked there and were joined by Billy, trotting through the forest by himself. Francis roughly petted the dog and gave him treats he had brought along. Billy nudged Francis' hand, silently asking for more pets, but Francis had a mission. As they headed straight to the house, Billy quickened his pace, barking four times. Eddie noticed it was a signal and smiled at the thought of the neighbor, probably trying to find a way to escape them before they arrived.

Once they reached the house, they noticed how well-maintained the garden was, and the lonely but beautiful deck. Natural sounds surrounded them, and then they heard the chickens from the shed. Francis sighed in worry.

Francis: There’s chicken in the shed… she’s not here.

Eddie's heart dropped, but his relief was swift as he glanced behind him and saw Lauri sitting at the kitchen table, writing.

Eddie: Lauri! My… you scared us!

Lauri lifted her head, her complexion paling as she caught sight of them. She knew John was fishing, so he wouldn't try to flee, but if he knew they were here, she had no idea how he might react. The most likely scenario would be for him to retreat and hide until the threat passed. "Meh, I'm pretty sure there's no danger for anyone," she reassured herself, quickly calming down and joining them.

Francis: Are you okay? We saw the cart and the clothes. Did he hurt you?

She shook her head.

Eddie: Why are you here? You know someone lives here, right?

Lauri: Yes, I know… But he said I could stay, so… I stay.

Eddie: Wha- What do you mean, you stay? We offered you to stay with us a million times, why a stranger?

Lauri: You eat the eggs he send you and you never met him!

Francis: It’s not the same. Where is he right now? Did he … touched you or…?

Lauri let out a frustrated growl, her body language reflecting her exasperation.

Lauri: No, he would never hurt me! I don’t even think he ever touched me at all except when he found me in the forest.

They went inside, sitting around the table.

Eddie: In the forest? Found you?

Francis: Explain yourself, please.

She inhaled deeply and exhale with control, just like John showed her. She took some time to think about how she could explain herself without having to go back to her brother's or having to go to their house and leave this place and this man she began to grew fond of.

Lauri: Aem… So about a month ago, I got scared of My brother because I accidentally destroyed his c*caine and when I saw him I got so scared that I ended up running over here. But I had broken my nose and I was hurt and I fainted so he healed me and I asked him to stay here. And I would like it if I could stay here… Because he said yes.

Francis looked baffled, at a loss for words.

Eddie: Why didn’t he called the cops?

Lauri: He didn’t think of it… I don’t think he even knows how a cellphone works except when people call him. I saw him once with it and it's like an old flip flop phone.

Eddie: Don’t you think it’s odd? How old is he?

Lauri: I don’t know. Your age?

Francis stood up abruptly, his thighs bumping against the table as he began to pace around the living room, trying to make sense of the situation in his head.

Francis: I need to meet that person. Where is he?

Lauri: Fishing… but he said he should be back for dinner and it’s almost time.

Eddie gave her the big tuppeware of chili he had brought along with sour cream and tortillas. She began to heating it up and not long after, Billy barked four times. Thats when Lauri went outside and screamed.

Lauri: John, come please! They are friendly!

“I knew he was a guy. Mom owe me ten bucks” Eddie thought while both of them were impatient to meet that ghost. But Eddie thought that if he did showed up, it would show that he trusts Lauri at least a little and he was not wrong; John slowly appeared, showing a little bit of himself as he observe the two tall men in his kitchen.

Lauri: They’re our neighbor. I talked to you about them. You said yourself that you wanted to meet them, so here they are.

He nodded awkwardly, his face turning crimson. It was evident that he wanted to flee, but Lauri signed something to him, keeping him rooted on the porch.

Eddie: Sit down with us.

John: No…

Francis: Why not? Are you scared of us?

He kept silent, backing out a little.

Francis: What are you intentions with her?

Lauri lost patience.

Lauri: All right, I get it. You’re worried about me. But that guy is the sweetest, most amazing person I’ve met and he isn’t scared of telling me the real stuff! He never hurt me of forced me to do something I don’t want to! And I’m safe from monsters if anything happened because he is a sin soldier…

Upon finishing her sentence, she clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at John with apologetic eyes. He appeared confused, not understanding why she reacted like this.

Lauri: Sorry, I didn't mean to...

Francis and Eddie: A SIN SOLDIER?

Their reactions startled him. If it weren't for Lauri telling him to stay, and the uncertainty about whether they would harm her or not, he would have already left.