HEATHENS:Fall of Man

Chapter 33

Sleep was a tender burden. It played back over and over again like clockwork. All the times she had been a bipolar mother to the young Erin, young Lucious, young Dani, Piper and the tiny Emma. Nearly set on fire by Sister Delgado, encountering Frost at the bar with her elder sister Pearl for the first time, being hurled from the bridge by Dean and to waking up in the morning with Rico beside her.

Why couldn't she just open her eyes to see that she was dreaming all this while? And that she was still l
ate to taking Rico to school? This
was the only chance to live forever but what if the ghost of Josiah was just a figment of her imagination. What if it was just just hallucinating caused by Fear and anxiety?

The Wilders drove all the way back home in silence. They figured out everything already. Moriah was definitely hiding something. Danica felt so much in comfort watching her son draw the girl he encountered on a fresh page. It completely cut her from the reality that they were yet again, abandoning Moriah. She smiled at Rico despite being huddled next to Lucious in the back seat. An anxious Piper being squeezed next to the right car door and Emma seated in the front seat with the even more anxious Erin. Piper couldn't stand this at all. The silence and the feeling of abandoning Moriah again.

That feeling had been so infectious, it ate all the Wilders alive. Emma broke into the silence minutes later.

"We're going back for her. Right after we get Dani.", she finalized in her overly masculine and fierce tone of voice. Erin, Piper, Danica and Lucious couldn't agree more.

"Yeah", Erin nodded to clear the air of anxiety for mother. It was only till that moment Danica realized Rico still had his earphones on and had the Mp3player in his chest pocket. What was the sin in thinking or having the thought and belief that her son was weird after all?, Danica muttered in her head. The kid had been clearly autistic and Danica only pretended to deny it. She memorylaned herself back to Heathen High before the Fall of Man, her life as the pretty Spanish teacher and having to watch him get hurled into toilets by Terrence, the one kid that hated him in the entire school.

His red curly hair was so visible. His sadistic laugh would never stop ringing. She never could contend with both Terrence's laugh and Erin's verbal attacks back home when they were in bed. Erin spilled a lot of secrets only when they were in bed. His reason for being a sociopath all his teenage years and why he chose to become Heathen High's principal. Well, it wasn't entirely to make a better name for himself, it had been clearly to protect Rico from Terrence and his boys. Erin actually believed the boy needed an idol, not a parent.

Erin tried all his life trying to impress his son but being school principal wasn't it. Rico had always been the type of kid who only needed his pen and notebook, not being around people. Danica then remembered the Fall of Man, and it dawned on her that Terrence already faded away by now. Danica smiled and slithered her hand over Rico's shoulder to smother him against her left breast. He wasn't  at all interrupted from his drawing. This reminded Piper of the wedding ring in his right pocket.

They were going to be the last humans on Earth forever, why not have this wedding before they move out of this wretched city? Piper wanted it to be special. He gazed at the million dollar ring, and fully decided to marry Sinara before they took their leave. They were going to hold the ceremony in Heathen High. But by the time this fantasy hovered around,

"What the fuck?!", Erin yelled atop his voice, his wife so glad Rico's  headphones were on. Piper just dropped the ring inside the door, he immediately got out and searched frantically. He realized Erin, Emma, Lucious and Danica were motionless by the time he found it.

"Guys,what's the hold up?", he foolishly asked, then turned to stare at the completely deserted area that was once Moriah and Frost's apartment. 

"Guys, where's the house?", Piper went on stupidly and Emma now fully understood why only a witch would agree to live the rest of her life with him. Lucious got out to make the sign of the crucifix, then Emma and Erin rushed to the area filled with burning smoke. Droplets of kerosene was still visible around their feet. Rico was already left in confusion and suspense.

"Fuck!!", Erin cursed again and now Rico heard it.

"Oh, Jeez," Danica whimpered, "This was our only safe place."

"W-w-w-where's Dani?", Erin stammered in shock.

"Her car's gone," Lucious spoke, "She probably left before this happened."

"I'll call her," Emma muttered, taking out her cellphone to dial the numbers shakingly, fearing Lucious' answer might not have been all right. She dialed twice, but no response.

"Its the mob. They must have done it," Piper voiced out.

"All our memories. Gone," Emma muttered to herself in disbelief  but Erin didn't waste much time.

"It doesn't matter," Lucious went on, "we're getting our stuffs and bailing before things get much worst."

"Right," Erin complied, "We stay at my house for the meantime to sort things out."

"No. Forget it," Piper brushed in, "We stay at my house instead. I've got a mansion that's big enough to keep us safe."

"Well excuse me, Mr. Mayor," Erin shot back wildly at his little brother, suddenly remembering he was the only responsible elder sibling amongst them, "Not everyone here is used to living in big fancy mansions these days. Most of us like to keep it quiet and simple."

"W-what? So you admit you're jealous of me now?", Piper shot back like the idiot he has always been. Rico was fascinated by the feud between father and uncle.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Erin snarled, "What have you done to protect this city before the end of the world happened? All your big talk of politics and making this city a better place. Well, look around. Shit's happened!"

"I've achieved far more greater things than you ever have, Erin," Piper went on stubbornly, "And I've got the keys to prove it. I say we cruise in my mansion for safety and that's that."

"No fucking way. We're cruising in my house." Erin slapped back.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not friggin stupid," Erin snarled again, "You live in a mansion. Why wouldn't the mob or any thing out there not think twice before burning it down?"

Danica felt so sick to her stomach. She felt the urge to kick these two in the balls where it hurt. Lucious already left to Emma's side.

"Are you seriously doing this now?!", she roared in their ears, calming her inner rage down, "Jesus Christ. Erin, we're staying at Piper's for the meantime. I agree with him."

"What? Why?"

"Because I say so!", she snapped wildly. Feral rage was boiling in her veins. He finally shut up when he noticed Rico was still watching him and agreed. Lucious urged Emma to wake up from the nightmare. The nightmare of reality which burned down her favorite Mary Poppins attire, her "Regan McNeil" attire, the numerous classic horror movie DVDs she loved so much, the Ouija board game she borrowed from Edna, her fortune telling friend, and Moriah's very own guitar she loved listening to her play in the morning, as well as that 80's music player.

Whoever did this was a soulless monster and fiend, Emma muttered to herself. At this hour, Dani found her way to the hospital Moriah, Frost and Sinara were.