The Proposed Prophecies
Chapter 16: THE FATHER SHE NEVER HAD

It was the middle of the night and there was a noise coming from the front door. Liv jumped out of bed. This must be coming from Jake, she thought. But then it had only been two weeks since he had left and she was sure he had said he would be gone for at least a month. The noise might have come from the guy from the army who brought the box of food last week but then she looked at her phone and realized it was a Thursday. He had said he would only come on Sundays and that would be the only time they were allowed to unlock the lock that Jake had placed across the metal plate that covered the whole door. It was the only way out as all windows and doors were covered with thick wood.

She grabbed the gun underneath her pillow and walked outside her room. Everyone else appeared to still be sleeping and the house was quiet. The gun felt strangely comfortable in her hand, as if she has been carrying it around her whole life. It made her feel secure holding it, and powerful,despite her trembling legs.

The noise was coming from outside, but it sounded very close to the front door. There was no way to open it from the outside, at least not the metal part which appeared to be secured very well and felt strong and unbreakable. But somehow she worried that there were millions of other ways to get in. The wood on the windows looked strong and covered everything but she often imagined how a group of infected people would be able to brake it once they united their strength.

Suddenly it sounded as if someone had closed a door on the truck. She walked to the living room window where there was a tiny space between two boards that she used to peek out onto the driveway. She had hesitated to look at first, since the small peeking spot reminded her of scenes in horror movies where victims look through a small spot and are suddenly confronted with a killer or a zombie looking back.

She took a deep breath and look thought the spot and exhaled as she spotted a dark green military truck. She couldn’t see anyone around the truck at first but from her vantage point she couldn’t see all the way around - it was big enough to see there was the parked truck but nothing else. A sudden loud knock made her jump and nearly took her breath away. “I have been sent by Jake to bring food. Please open the door,” said a deep male voice that sounded familiar. She unlocked the door and there he was, standing dressed in the same safety suit but this time without the mask on. It was her father Christopher.

“Hello, Liv,” he said, and for the first time she wasn’t even sure if she should be angry at seeing him. She could never forgive him for the terror he had caused in her and Becky’s childhood but she felt her sympathies shifting slightly now that she knew her mother was an Alter, as if it somehow made his abusive words less hurtful.

“I am glad you feel better. The day at the motel must have been terrifying for you,” he said as he started heading towards the kitchen with a brown box in his hands. His words sounded oddly expressionless, like they had when he had lived with them. Liv walked after him into the kitchen and supported her body against the kitchen counter with her hands.

“I know about mom and the proposal,” she said and he let go of the box on the kitchen counter, looked at her and exhaled.

“You have no idea how much I hated this whole proposal that your grandfather tried to push on me. Him and Axel. He was fully aware of the danger he had placed us in the day you were born but he still wanted me to be part of it.” His words sounded hateful and angry, like they were the only feelings that he could possibly show. He exhaled again and took a pocket knife out of his pocket and opened the box. He started placing packaged food on the counter, one box and can at a time. Just looking at all the cans of beans and chicken soup made her want to vomit. She hated this kind of food..

“He assigned your mother to work with me and as time passed by we fell in love. I wanted her to leave the project and go away with me somewhere far away from Jason but then when she became pregnant everything changed. We didn’t even know she was pregnant until the birth. She wasn’t even showing.” He stopped for a second and looked at one of the canned beans. His chest moved rapidly in and out even under the thick safety suit he was wearing.

“So that’s why you hated me so much? And Becky? Are we just mistakes to you?” She felt anger overwhelm her when she remembered the day she had seen him the last time. The way she always had to keep Becky quiet to keep her safe and how he verbally abused her mother and the glass table Liv had landed on as she had tried to help her mother as he choked her.

“You don’t understand. Every time I looked at the three of you, all I saw was the proposal and Axel and my father. I didn’t hate you or Becky. But when Axel came to the hospital the day you born, I had to make a deal to protect you and later on Becky too. I made a deal to continue helping with the Proposal plans and he moved us to Sweden where I was working on the design of one of the bunkers. The set-up made me miserable and I started to drink. It was a lot to take on. And your mom reminded me each day how important the process was and how much of a disappointment it was that I had turned back to my father Jason and Axel,” His words came out quickly and loudly, as if he was trying not to cry. He grabbed the empty box and exhaled deeply.

“I am sorry. For everything…This wasn’t your fault or Becky’s. I have failed and I know it. I have known it since the day I accidentally pushed you onto that glass table. I thought you were dying. Blood was everywhere and I thought the best thing I could do was to disappear out of yours and Becky’s life.” He started walking towards her, his eyes slowly flooding with tears but she looked away. “I think you should go,” she whispered and he shook his head. She couldn’t remember her father ever hugging her and it was strange that he wanted to now, after so many years. Her anger slowly disappeared as she saw him walking towards the front door. She felt as if she was finally able to let go of the anger that she had carried for so many years. Perhaps his actions had been because he just wanted to keep them safe but she suddenly didn’t feel anything towards him at all.

“Why did you go back? Into the project and working with Alters?” she asked and he stopped at the entry door.

“Because this whole economic downfall and the release of the virus wasn’t supposed to happen now. It was planned for 2020 and the bunkers are not completely ready and then ten percent of the population who are to be kept safe are not in them yet either. I was afraid that you and Becky would never make it there on time. Just because you are immune to the virus, it doesn’t mean you can’t get killed. So I joined the team again and I have made it my mission to help you and Becky no matter what. I owe you both that much.” He avoided her eyes, as if he was embarrassed by his tears. He turned around and walked towards the green army truck. Her eyes squinted at the sun light, it was more light than she had seen since they had been barricaded in the house. She walked out of the house and breathed in the fresh salty air. She looked at the truck leaving the long driveway, running over the for sale sign that wasn’t staked into the ground anymore.

She used to hate him but now she didn’t feel a thing. No hate but no love either. After all, it had been ages since he had walked out of her life and the skinnier man with grey hair didn’t look like Christopher at all. She walked back in and slowly closed the door and locked the brightness of the day out.

***

Liv opened one of the cans of beans and put it on the stove later on that day to make dinner but the electricity suddenly turned off. She got her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans but it wasn’t working. It appeared to be disconnected.

“I am scared. It’s dark and my cartoon won’t play,” said Tommy. Liv tried to find the way to the living room where she had a flashlight next to the TV. The darkness was hard to explain to Tommy as there was no more music played and no more TV and internet with cartoons and fake news where the government promised a cure and safety. She spotted Tiffany coming down the stairs with her flashlight, shortly followed by Carmen. “What is going on, L?” A strange noise was coming from outside. “Psst…” Liv urged them to be quiet. Suddenly they heard a scream from across the street. It was someone yelling for help.

“What is it?” Ashley’s voice suddenly appeared. She didn’t have a flashlight and Liv pointed hers onto Ashley who covered her eyes with her arm from the brightness and Liv lowered it right away. The sound was louder and closer. “Help me! Someone help me!”

Liv thought of the mutating virus. It hadn’t been a month yet since Jake had told her it would mutate into stage two. Liv grabbed her gun and walked towards the window. She looked back at Ashley who protested about going upstairs with Tiffany. Liv suddenly thought how unfortunate the situation was. Ashley looked so much healthier. She was like a normal teenager, even her hair appeared to be growing back during the past few weeks and yet the possibility that Jake would not come back or he would come back too late was growing each day.

She looked through the small gaps in the wood, but the driveway appeared empty. The scream had sounded like it was close. Suddenly she spotted the man. He had come all the way to the door and knocked loudly, continuing to yell for help. “Please! Let me in!” he repeatedly yelled. Joann seemed to be heading towards the door. “Are you crazy? He might be infected,” Carmen yelled and grabbed Joann’s hand. Liv looked at both of them and the situation suddenly felt like too much to handle. She saw Joann and Carmen fighting over whether to open the door or not and yet the man behind the door kept yelling for help. It was an overwhelming sound of voices echoing around her.

Joann pushed Carmen aside and unlocked the door. Liv pointed her gun at the door and the second Joann opened the metal part a man ran inside, urging them to shut the door and lock it again. He looked terrified, his short black hair looked like it was soaked in sweat and he was all dirty but there was no blood on him. Liv continued to aim her gun at him, in case he was infected. But as far as she could see the man looked healthy.

Suddenly they heard a deep scream and another man ran towards the front door from the driveway. It all happened in a matter of seconds but it played in front of Liv’s eyes in slow motion. Blood was streaming from the man’s eyes and nose, just like the man’s face at the motel or Carlotta’s. His skin was pale white with blue vessels and the blood was all around his blue shirt. He was missing his shoes. But this time the infected wasn’t asking for help. On the contrary, he looked angry. Liv froze but then Carmen’s voice woke her up as she yelled at Joann to shut the door. Everything was happening slowly and yet they were running out of time.

Liv aimed at the man and shot three times. She missed the first two times but for the final shot she shot him in his shoulder which seemed to stop him for a second. He managed to get his strong arm inside as Joann tried to close the door whilst Carmen tried to push it shut as well. The healthy man just stood there. He was possibly in shock. The infected man appeared to be so much stronger and faster than any of them. Liv suddenly realized than one of her questions had been answered. The infected ones were the fast runners, and didn’t move in slow zombie mode. It was definitely the scarier situation. He managed to push the door open a little more, enough so that his bloody head came through and his foot was wedged in the door.

Liv thought of the day Jake had taught her how to shoot. They were in the back yard and he had some cans placed on the white plastic table. Jake’s voice still sounded in her ears as he told her to exhale and to pull the trigger. Her heart beat just like it had done when he’d been teaching her but the situation was different.

“Shoot.” She heard his voice but it was followed by another voice. “Shoot, what you are waiting for you dumb cow?” yelled the healthy man standing next to her. Suddenly the slow motion stopped and the strong man continued to force himself inside. She shot and this time the bullet dug inside his infected scalp. He backed off the door and Joan was able to close it and lock it.

Everyone was breathing heavily, as if they had run a marathon. Liv pointed her flashlight to the man. He was breathing heavily too and he rested on his chest like he was trying to stop the excessive movement.

“He has a blood on the back of his neck,” Carmen yelled as her flashlight pointed at him from behind. “What? That doesn’t mean anything you stupid bitch.” He yelled back. “We have children in the house. We can’t take chances. You have to leave,” Liv said and Joann took his side right away. “It doesn’t mean he is infected.” But Liv didn’t care any longer. She aimed her gun at him. “This is insane,” he said.

“You have to leave. We can give you a gun.” Liv’s offer didn’t mean a thing to him. He looked at Joann’s way. “I am sorry,” she said to him and unlocked the door again. Liv could hear his heavy breathing and the anger coming out of it. She was ready to shoot if it came to it. “Fine, bitches.” He raised his voice and walked out of the door. Liv saw him passing by the dead infected person laying in front of the front door. “So, all this was for nothing?” Joann raised her voice as she closed the door.

Liv stared at the door for a while until she heard Ashely’s and Tommy’s crying voice. “L…?” Tiffany ran down the stairs with the kids and hugged her. Her body warmth felt calming and relaxing but Liv was unable to answer. Carmen explained instead and an argument started once Tiffany realized they had opened the front door. She appeared angry and yelled at Joann, which made Carmen wade in as well.

While they were fighting. Liv walked to the window and looked at the driveway through the small spot in between the wood. She saw the infected man laying on the ground. She sat down onto the marble floor and rested her back against the wood and listened at all the people inside the house. They were arguing and the kids were crying. It was a mess, she thought. Suddenly Tommy sat next to her. He was still crying. She hugged him and his body felt so much smaller than it actually was. She held on to him tightly and her tears started to flow. He was so small, too small for all this madness, she thought.

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