Chapter 039

Lawrence and the Brothers of Fervor emerged from their house to see what was going on, then suggested Damien bring Zoe in out of the heat, but stopped short of offering their own bathroom for either sibling. Freyja didn't blame them, there was a lot of blood.

The explosions in the distance had died down but now smoke billowed up from the direction of the city as well as what appeared to be a swiftly growing grass fire a few miles to the south. The direction of the wind suggested it was burning away from them for the time being. An unchecked fire like that made her stomach turn more than witnessing President Butcher being devoured.

She felt for Odin in the Link but kept coming up empty as she quickly toweled off after a quick shower. Gee insisted on Freyja washing first, even though he was covered in far more blood. She dressed in jeans and shirt Kait had produced from somewhere. Wearing someone else's clothes was nothing new. Freyja had grown up in second hand fashion, often things donated to the various churches and houses of worship the pair had shuffled between until Gee was able to get them a more stable place to stay. They were always things someone else had outgrown and no longer needed. She hoped this set didn't mean something to Kait given the fates Freyja's last outfits had met. She had 'outgrown' one of them in an entirely new way.

"Shower's your's," Freyja said as she left the bathroom.

"That was quick," Gee noted. He was doing his best not to sit on any of Kait's furniture despite visibly being exhausted. It resulted in him standing awkwardly near the armrest of the couch nearest the hall that lead to the restroom.

"Didn't have much blood on me. You still had your luggage in your car, right? I'll get something out for you.'

Gee shook his head and held up a plastic grocery bag with one hand, "Damien already did. You should rest."

She pursed her lips then sighed. "Sure."

He hurried down the hall and shut the door behind him, leaving Freyja alone for the first time all day. She could still feel him in the Link, as well as Damien, Sprinkles, Gravy Train, and Bumble Bee. If Odin was still alive he was still too far for her to detect which made the additional presence she felt all the more unsettling.

Freyja browsed the myriad of books filling the tall bookcases in Kait's house. She casually checked over her shoulder to make sure no one was there. Not even Kait's inside cats were present, however. It was just Freyja, books, and the lingering feeling of someone watching over her shoulder, leaning a little too close, holding their breathe so they didn't make a sound. Everything on the shelves was organized by author and genre, like one might find in a store. She felt a pang of familiarity to one dystopian sci-fi series she was sure she'd never read before. The Divided Time Trilogy by Frigga Wayland featured the gods and some magic mixed with a space adventure.

Freyja shut her eyes, cutting herself from the Link. The sensation of not being alone continued, as if someone stood in her blind spot, waiting to step into view.

Page read this one, but hadn't gotten to read the third volume, she thought to herself quietly. I only know about it because they did and I kept a copy of their memories.

Freyja took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she opened her eyes to the sound of footsteps entering the living room.

"Just leave that towel on the back of this chair when you're done with it," Kait said stiffly.

She nodded and walked to the designated chair, an old wooden rocker with a high back. She didn't want to ruin the finish by placing a damp towel on it however, and hesitated.

"Here, I'll just take it," Kait offered, relieving her of the towel. A silence filled the air between them, thick like the smell of a wet dog, until Kait spoke again. "I think you should leave."

"I'll go outside," Freyja replied. She re-establishd her connection to the Link in case Gee or Damien needed to contact her.

Kait shook her head. "Yeah. You've hah, got a whole metal building in my yard you can stay in. I can't believe I'm saying that. This is fucking nuts, you know that? My cats are all dead. I hate this."

She shook her head. "They're not all dead."

Kait gripped the wet towel in her hands tightly, wringing it once as she held back tears. "Sure. The kittens are fine, right? And my inside cats? But the rest? They've been dead since when? March? February? January? When? When did it happen? When did I lose them all? And, then you roll up with your freaky inside out cat-man and killer robot to-to-tell me they're all dead."

Freyja knew the words 'I'm sorry' weren't enough.

She thought about having searched through Odin's mind. The cat's memories were still there, absorbed by Fetter who had then assumed the animal's identity. He acted like a tom cat himself. Not to mention his theory that the barn cats had influenced their worms enough to compromise their judgment. Didn't that mean the cats were still alive in there? They'd refused to die so hard that they'd affected the very aliens that had tried to snuff them out. It seemed General Latch hadn't remembered most of his life before being in Sherlock beyond citing protocol. He'd practically been absorbed by the cat rather than the other way around.

Freyja grit her teeth then relaxed her shoulders. "There's nothing I can say or do that makes any of this right."

"But?"

"But, what?"

Kait twisted the towel again. "That's when you're supposed to say 'but' and offer something, anything. It may not make it right but it would be a fucking attempt. You have no idea what it's like to have your whole life upended. For someone you thought cared for you to turn out to be a monster. Or monsters. To lose everything. Forget for a moment the world's gone to hell and that there were fucking jets bombing Georgetown earlier," her voice cracked, tears pouring from her eyes as her nose began to run. "Even if the only thing that happened this week was losing my cats. They were my family. They were all I had and now I find out they're sick with alien brainworms?" She grew louder, choking out her words while leaning on the back of the rocking chair, gripping the towel for dear life, "And if I'm not careful they'll bite then eat me? And and you...you fucking ATE SHERLOCK! He turned into a monster and ate that biker and you did the same fucking thing. So, what's that make you?"

The feeling of someone behind Freyja grew more intense for a brief moment before she hung her head. "I'm certainly not a normal Human anymore, that's for sure."

"But you're not a monster?" Kait asked sharply.

She shook her head. "I'll be whatever I need to be to protect my family and my friends."

Commander, a vehicle is approaching, Bumble Bee said over the Link.

Freyja turned her head in his direction. What's it look like?

A red pick-em up truck, he replied.

Kait continued to clutch the damp towel as she sobbed. Hugging her felt like both the correct move and worst idea in the world, especially given the news from the cat outside. So, Freyja shook her head and started toward the front door of the house.

Thank you for the warning, Bumble Bee, Freyja said. Then, she made sure her thoughts could be heard by Sprinkles and Gravy Train as well, I'm on my way. Do not attack the truck. I'll handle it.

"Someone's coming. I'm going out to check on it," Freyja said.

Kait hitched back another racking sob and coughed out, "What if...it's more Butcher Boys?"

"Then I'll be a monster."