Chapter 20

Charles and Lynnette walked down the hallway of the five floor tenement that led towards his
apartment. The wallpaper was peeling and the hardwood floors creaked with every step. Termites could
be seen crawling in and out of the walls, while the light bulbs above fizzled off and on every other
minute.

But to Charles, his surroundings were all just mere annoyances that he managed to bypass with every
day that went by; in other words, he didn't care what his new home looked like, it was a home.

The second they reached his apartment, Charles took out his key and unlocked the door. Before they
could even enter, the aroma of fried chicken immediately made its way into their nostrils and out into
the hallway.

Allowing Lynnette to enter before him, Charles snickered, "I've been trying to fry some chicken like Mrs.
Mercer used to do, but I still don't have the hang of it after all these years."

Lynnette just casually smiled as Charles closed the door behind him. The apartment was only one
room that consisted of a murphy bed that was still lying flat on its feet, a tiny stove and fridge to the far
corner and a bureau that sat right next to a window that overlooked Downtown Cypress.

Directly in the middle of the floor was a small dining table. Charles placed his bible down onto the table
and meekly uttered, "I'm sorry that the place is such a mess. I didn't get much of a chance to pick up
this morning before I left."

Grinning, Lynnette said, "You don't have to apologize. Believe me, I've seen worse."

Rubbing his hands together in a nervous fashion, Charles said, "Well, go ahead and have a seat."

Lynnette sat herself down at the dining table while Charles went for the fridge. "Did you want something
to drink? I have water and milk."



"I'll have some water, please."

At once, Charles took a glass and filled it with water before handing it to her and sitting himself down
on the other end of the table.

The man sat in distant silence and watched as the young lady took her water down in one, continuous
gulp before she sat the cup back down onto the table.

Charles thoughtfully reflected upon Lynnette, from her eye all the way to her missing finger. Isaac was
everywhere; no matter where he turned, his son was there. He tried so hard not to stare, but the urge
stabbed at him like a sword to the stomach. Just Lynnette's mere presence inside his apartment was
both surreal and haunting.

"So, this is where you're staying at now?" Lynnette glanced all around.

"Yes, yes, this is it." Charles aimlessly tapped his fingers on the table. "Sometimes we all have to just
move on."

Concealing her right hand out of sight, Lynnette said, "I went away for a while after the incident, too."

"Yeah," Charles murmured to himself before looking away for a second. "So, how has the rest of your
family been lately?" He looked back at Lynnette.

Playfully rolling her eyes, Lynnette replied, "My family is my family. My sisters are still crazy after all
these years."

Smiling, Charles said, "I hear you."

Lynnette then leaned forward and asked, "So tell me, why did you leave your church?"

Grunting, Charles answered, "Child, sometimes this life takes us in all kinds of unexpected directions."



"Don't I know it?"

"Heck, the men and women in the bible went through all kinds of crazy journeys. I just needed to back
away for a moment or two."

Lynnette humbly nodded her head. "I know you look at me and wonder just what in the world I've been
up to."

"It's crossed my mind a time or two."

"Well, I've been working a lot, and I—

"Young lady...don't try and con a con man." Charles blatantly stepped in.

At once, Lynnette sat perfectly still while her eyes jittered back and forth in their sockets. Charles
waited for a moment while staring continuously at the woman in the most doleful way.

"How long," he asked.

"How...how long what?"

"How long have you been a junkie?"

Immediately, Lynnette blushed while giggling, "A junkie? Are you serious?"

Charles simply sat and watched as Lynnette tried to laugh away another response. "Isaac told you all
about my life before I met his mother. Believe me, I know a junkie when I see one. And as much as I
hate using that word, that's exactly what you are."

Lynnette turned her head away from Charles at that instant. "What do you want me to say?" She
shamefully uttered under her breath.



"I don't want you to say anything. I'm not a stupid man. I realize that what you and the baby went
through nearly killed you. But by the grace of God, you're both still here." Charles could tell that
Lynnette was trying to hold back tears as hard as she could. "Who are you getting the drugs from?"

Snapping back around, Lynnette boldly said, "No one anymore. Clavell is dead."

"Clavell Diggs?"

"Yep, he got killed the other night. He and his crew," she indignantly responded.

Charles gently nodded his head up and down. "I knew that brother way back when. I didn't know him
personally, but he was a real beast back in the day. It looks like the devil finally snatched him away
from this here world."

"I was never afraid of Clavell." Lynnette stated. "I've seen worse."

Charles sat and looked as hard as he could at Lynnette before leaning forward and asking, "Lynn, I
need for you to tell me something, and I want the truth. Now, I know you hate talking about him, but I
need to know what really happened inside that house."

Instantly, Lynnette shot up from her seat and began wandering about the apartment in an agitated
fashion.

"I know it's a terrible situation to discuss, but I have a feeling that you haven't discussed it since it took
place."

"What do you want me to say?" She spun around shouting.

"You and I both saw him that night right before he left this world. That young man that I saw down at
that church was a completely different man. But I know for a fact that you saw something else. Isaac
didn't just beat you, there was something else going on."



"Yes, something else was going on!" Lynnette screamed. "But if I told you, you would never, ever
believe me! Why? Because I still can't believe it myself! Hell, as far as I'm concerned, I'm still having a
nightmare!"

"This is no nightmare, Lynn. Whatever happened that night has got you hooked on drugs. Look at you,
you're slowly wasting away into nothing. You look like you haven't eaten or slept in weeks. Believe me,
child, I understand tragedy, but what you went through was more than just a tragedy. You can't even
say the man's name. You won't even look at the picture sitting next to my bed. You're avoiding it like a
plague."

"I can't imagine what to tell you!"

Getting up from the table and approaching Lynnette, Charles desperately stated, "You should've seen
his eyes when he came to the church. He didn't look like himself. He didn't sound like himself. Isaac
was never perfect, but I know that he was no junkie, either. Something else had my son."

Lynnette began to cry while trying to back away from Charles, but the man was relentless as he kept
pace along with her, practically not allowing her to distance herself from him.

"What was it?" He glared strangely into her eyes. "Did it have something to do with the way his eyes
were? I'm still trying to figure that mess out, too."

"Please, Mr. Mercer, don't do this!" Lynnette wept even louder.

"I need to know what had my boy!" Charles roared into her face.

"Oh, God, I don't know!" Lynnette hollered while crumbling to the floor in a heap and curling up in a ball.

"Keep that shit down over there!" A man's voice yelled from the other side of the wall.



Staring down at Lynnette, Charles stood back in jolting fear. He then looked at his hands which were
shaking, along with the rest of his body. What he saw lying on the floor was a petrified child.

Slowly, the man knelt down and cradled Lynnette in his arms; Lynnette in turn grabbed a hold of
Charles and gripped him as tight as she could.

"I...I'm so sorry." His skittish voice whispered into her ears.

Lynnette's body shook inside Charles' arms while she sobbed. All Charles wanted to do was hold her
and not let go, while looking over and trying to catch a glimpse of Isaac's picture on the nightstand next
to his bed.

"Do you think he's in heaven?" Lynnette whimpered into Charles' bosom.

"Who, honey?"

"Him," she pointed behind the man.

With his eyes closed, Charles responded, "I sure pray to Christ so."

Gradually releasing herself from his grip, Lynnette got to her feet and made her way over to the
window.

"I can't even look at my own son. Or better yet...I don't even want to look at him."

Charles as well got up from off the floor and stood beside the table, looking straight at the young
woman.

"Does he remind you of Isaac?"



Lynnette hesitated before saying, "I don't know. All I know is that I don't even want to go back home
again. I just need to stay off the streets while this thing is running around out there."

"The police can take care of that."

"No, they can't." She adamantly stated.

Charles then stared oddly at Lynnette before asking, "How do you mean?"

Lynnette then slowly turned around. "There's something running around out there. It killed Clavell and
his entire crew. All it does is kill."

Charles listened as Lynnette went on. Something inside of him wanted to query deeper into just what
she was talking about, but he held his tongue, not wanting to inflict any more damage than there
already was upon her.

"I always pray to God that things could have been different." Mercer lamented.

Lynnette never turned around; she just remained at the window where she dropped her head and
sighed.

"I wish it would rain." She faintly murmured. "At least it would cool down some."

Charles watched her a bit more before he himself sighed and turned around to see to his shock a blood
soaked body hanging by a noose in front of the door.

The man nearly fell all over the table from the sheer sight of the scene before him. Lynnette spun
around and ran over to his aid.

"What's the matter?" She frantically asked.



Clutching his aching chest, Charles began to make out the face that was behind all the blood. It was
Isaac's fully naked body hanging before him, with both of his eyes wide open and staring back at his
father.

"Mr. Mercer, are you okay?"

But all Charles could do was lean against the already fragile table and reach out for the horrifying
looking boy that he wanted so badly.

"Get her out!" An awful sounding voice hissed from somewhere in the apartment.

"Can I get you something to drink, or—

"No, just go!" Charles yelled as he struggled to lift himself up.

Lynnette appeared completely shocked and confused. "What did I do?" She panicked.

"Nothing, I just need you to go!" He began shoving her towards the door before the grisly image
vanished altogether.

"Remove her!" The menacing voice commanded.Charles opened the door. "Go on, and don't come
back here again!"

"But I have nowhere else to go!" Lynnette pleaded. "Please, just let me stay one night!"

But Charles would have none of it. He slammed the door in her face before turning around and
listening for the evil voice to utter another order.

With two bulging eyes, Charles gazed all over the apartment while whispering, "Where are you? Where
the hell are you?"



But the only thing that could be heard was Lynnette crying her eyes out as she walked away from
earshot.

Charles remained there against the door, a sweaty, huffing and puffing heap of nerves. He stood, and
waited, just so he could hear another voice.


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