I looked at the anxious faces surrounding me, having been forced to stop working at the behest of the youngest daughter, a phenomenon I was sure they did not expect to see in their lifetime. They kept stealing glances at my parents, who ate in silence, having watched a video of their son getting blinded by their daughter's mute house manager. They also watched the only copy of Brian's friends going slowly insane and of Matthew's body burning. There was no need for me to do this, considering they had believed me the first time, but I was not one to take chances. I had gone through great lengths to get evidence of my crimes to have something to leverage over my parents.
Good morning, sorry for barging into your home in the morning, but I am afraid your day is not going to get any better. I want you all to do your final cleaning today. I want it done in under five hours, considering the house is mostly clean. How well you do today determines how good your severance package will be.
I shooed them away when they remained rooted on the spot, but they were all now facing my parents. There was no help for them in that direction; my parents weren't in a position to save themselves, let alone others. They dragged their feet, murmurs erupting even as they dispersed. I held no morsel of empathy for any of the occupants of this house; they did not deserve the courtesy of a forewarning.
Five excruciating hours later, hours which I spent in my father's study, poring over all his title deeds and making copies of what I needed, the house was ready. I sent them off promptly after inspecting their work and issuing payment. An hour later, the house I grew up in was closed, completely in the dark for the first time in decades. It was truly the end of an era, I couldn't help thinking as I led my trembling parents to my car. For all they knew, I was leading them to their death. Their hunched shoulders and shuffling feet were a pitiful sight, even more than the workers who still hung around outside the gate, probably not sure how they had woken up employed and were jobless before lunch. Even so, I was happy none of them tried to beg me for their jobs; at the very least, they had remorse, or they just knew better.
I secured the gate behind me before peeling off, leaving the disgruntled workers dragging decades' worth of belongings along the tarmacked road. I had functional cameras and some fail-safes that they did not know about, that my parents put in place in case they had disgruntled employees. At least they are aware of some areas of their lives. I drove to our rendezvous point with my girls and picked them up. Sunshine settled with my parents in the backseat, causing them to try and blend into the chairs, trying to put as much distance between them and the woman who had casually tortured their son.
I played music on the car speakers, blasting the entire seven hours we drove to their final destination. We alternated driving between me and Mercy, with Sunshine not so politely declining. We finally got to the place after midnight, and we had been driving blindly in the dark with nothing but our headlights lighting the road on the moonless night. Sunshine barked directions from the back seat until we pulled up to a wall with a steel gate that towered more than seven feet up in the air. She jumped out and opened the gate with keys that she somehow had, and I did not even question how she had gotten them.
The steel gate gave way, revealing a modest two-bedroom house in the heart of the massive property. The windows were barred, and the small veranda at the front of the house was also covered with steel bars. This house was ideal for keeping people both in and out. The two old birds were not escaping anywhere anytime soon. Sunshine nearly lifted my father off the ground as she dragged him to the house, my mother scampering quickly behind them lest she be subjected to the same rough handling.
There was a helper who was waiting when we came out after leading my parents unceremoniously to their new bedroom. It was a modern house with all the amenities they needed. This modest home would be the last place they would call home. I had taken them from the life of luxury they fought for and taken them back to their humble beginning; it was a full circle moment. Their beloved son was in a coma in the hospital, and they would die without knowing his fate. I would ensure it. We left their new caretaker with strict new instructions; it was only one, they were not allowed to leave the home under any circumstance, if the house was burning, I would rather they burn in it. The only time they would leave that house was if they were dead and they only had a few good years left.
Sunshine took the wheel, and I slept back home. I woke up to Sunshine carrying me up the stairs, got lost in her beguiling smile for a few seconds before losing the battle against my heavy lids. The next time I woke up, the sun was low in the sky and I couldn't tell if it was setting or rising. I don't know how long I had slept, but I still felt monumentally exhausted. I gave up trying to wake up and fell back into the sweet embrace of sleep. The next time I woke, it was dark, and I was pressed up against two bodies; the combined warmth of our entwined bodies once again pulled me under.
Two days, Mercy yelled when I finally sat up, feeling rested enough. You have been asleep for two days, she yelled, and would have continued to do so if Sunshine hadn't chosen that moment to cover her mouth; she probably would have said more scathing words. Sunshine pulled me into a hug, and Mercy squeezed in. I took a deep breath in and not even my musk could take away my sense of contentment. Had no desire to do anything, and for the first time, I was comfortable simply existing.