sorry. It's just...well...it's just..."
Adam knew what the problem was . Big Mike . "I am sorry," he said again. "I really shouldn't have done that."
"No, don't say that. It's…" Claire sounded as though she felt guilty for her reaction. "It's just…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
"I really am sorry. You don't have to explain anything."
She turned to look at him, a soft look in her eyes. "I know that…but, you know, maybe it would be good for me to talk about it. At least, some of it."
As much as he wanted to help her, now that it was happening Adam didn't know if he actually wanted to hear about Claire's time in the cage, or what had happened before that. He was worried that he wasn't going to be able to handle it.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"No, I'm not sure. But it might do some good."
"Only if you want."
To Adam's surprise, Claire chuckled. "Of course it's only if I want. It's not like you're going to torture it out of me."
It had been meant as a joke. Adam knew that. But he could tell that Claire regretted saying it as soon as she had. After all, sh e ha d been tortured.
“I...um...,” she began. Then she took a deep breath before she spoke again. She wrung her hands together.
"I was with my mom," she said, "when everything happened. We were watching the news when the reporter changed into one of thos e thing s . We didn't know what was happening."
"You mean you and your mother?" Adam asked.
"Yes."
"So she didn't turn into one of thos e thing s ?" From what he had seen, the probability of a mother and daughter remaining unchanged was extremely low. It made him wonder once more about his own family . Not that he could do much about finding them.
"No, she didn't."
Adam started to ask his next question - what happened to her ? - but was able to stop himself before the insensitive words came out. Embarrassed, he broke eye contact.
"I know what you're wondering," Claire said. "It's okay. It's the only question that makes sense."
He looked back at her. "I don't want to pry."
"You're not." Claire took another deep breath. "We were trying to figure out what was happening when my father burst into the room. I knew straight away that he had changed. My mother wasn't as quick. He attacked her. I had to hit him on the head with a lamp to stop him. I may have killed him." She shuddered as she spoke. "My brother came in next. He had changed as well. I tried to get my mom to come with me before anything else could happen, but she wouldn't listen. She even tried to hug my brother as he attacked her. She was smiling as he bit into her neck." She shuddered again. This time, Adam did as well. "Then I ran."
There was a brief pause that Adam filled with, "There was nothing else you could have done."
Claire quietly agreed, then continued her story. "He must've heard the door shut behind me. I got into the woods behind my house and tried to lose him. I couldn't. It was only when I thought about the gas station near my house that I figured I might have a chance. The problem was that I didn't know who was waiting for me there."
She told Adam about how she had run for the station, her brother coming behind her; how she had turned the corner and had fallen to the ground; how her brother nearly was on top of her when his face was blown apart.
"It all happened so fast," she said. "One moment I was afraid for my life. The next I was happy that I’d been saved. It didn't take me long to realize that I was still in trouble." She ran her finger along the mark on her wrist. "He had me handcuffed to a desk for days."
She didn't say much else about what had happened with Big Mike, though she didn't need to. Most of it was obvious.
When she stopped speaking, she looked at Adam, her eyes dry. "It's funny," she said. "I thought that story would have made me cry. But if anything, it just makes me mad." She clenched her teeth and bashed her fist against the ground. "I can't believe he did that to me!"
Adam couldn't believe it
Adam knew what the problem was . Big Mike . "I am sorry," he said again. "I really shouldn't have done that."
"No, don't say that. It's…" Claire sounded as though she felt guilty for her reaction. "It's just…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
"I really am sorry. You don't have to explain anything."
She turned to look at him, a soft look in her eyes. "I know that…but, you know, maybe it would be good for me to talk about it. At least, some of it."
As much as he wanted to help her, now that it was happening Adam didn't know if he actually wanted to hear about Claire's time in the cage, or what had happened before that. He was worried that he wasn't going to be able to handle it.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"No, I'm not sure. But it might do some good."
"Only if you want."
To Adam's surprise, Claire chuckled. "Of course it's only if I want. It's not like you're going to torture it out of me."
It had been meant as a joke. Adam knew that. But he could tell that Claire regretted saying it as soon as she had. After all, sh e ha d been tortured.
“I...um...,” she began. Then she took a deep breath before she spoke again. She wrung her hands together.
"I was with my mom," she said, "when everything happened. We were watching the news when the reporter changed into one of thos e thing s . We didn't know what was happening."
"You mean you and your mother?" Adam asked.
"Yes."
"So she didn't turn into one of thos e thing s ?" From what he had seen, the probability of a mother and daughter remaining unchanged was extremely low. It made him wonder once more about his own family . Not that he could do much about finding them.
"No, she didn't."
Adam started to ask his next question - what happened to her ? - but was able to stop himself before the insensitive words came out. Embarrassed, he broke eye contact.
"I know what you're wondering," Claire said. "It's okay. It's the only question that makes sense."
He looked back at her. "I don't want to pry."
"You're not." Claire took another deep breath. "We were trying to figure out what was happening when my father burst into the room. I knew straight away that he had changed. My mother wasn't as quick. He attacked her. I had to hit him on the head with a lamp to stop him. I may have killed him." She shuddered as she spoke. "My brother came in next. He had changed as well. I tried to get my mom to come with me before anything else could happen, but she wouldn't listen. She even tried to hug my brother as he attacked her. She was smiling as he bit into her neck." She shuddered again. This time, Adam did as well. "Then I ran."
There was a brief pause that Adam filled with, "There was nothing else you could have done."
Claire quietly agreed, then continued her story. "He must've heard the door shut behind me. I got into the woods behind my house and tried to lose him. I couldn't. It was only when I thought about the gas station near my house that I figured I might have a chance. The problem was that I didn't know who was waiting for me there."
She told Adam about how she had run for the station, her brother coming behind her; how she had turned the corner and had fallen to the ground; how her brother nearly was on top of her when his face was blown apart.
"It all happened so fast," she said. "One moment I was afraid for my life. The next I was happy that I’d been saved. It didn't take me long to realize that I was still in trouble." She ran her finger along the mark on her wrist. "He had me handcuffed to a desk for days."
She didn't say much else about what had happened with Big Mike, though she didn't need to. Most of it was obvious.
When she stopped speaking, she looked at Adam, her eyes dry. "It's funny," she said. "I thought that story would have made me cry. But if anything, it just makes me mad." She clenched her teeth and bashed her fist against the ground. "I can't believe he did that to me!"
Adam couldn't believe it
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