Chapter 3

"Dad, listen to me carefully." I lowered my voice and made every word count.

"From this moment on, you do not go back to Raymond's apartment. Go home, throw the deadbolt, and don't open that door for him no matter what. It doesn't matter what he says or how loud he screams. Even if he says he's dying. Do you understand me?"

My father was stunned by my tone and stammered. "Nate, don't scare me like that. He's still your uncle."

"Do what I'm telling you, Dad. What's happening to him can cause psychosis. That won't be your brother out there anymore. That'll be a sick man who isn't in control of himself. Do you understand?"

Dad sounded frightened. He started to say something else, then finally just agreed.

The second I hung up, I didn't waste another breath.

If Raymond's mind was going, it would happen within days. I had to get home and protect my father.

I ran out of the dorm toward my adviser's office, buying the next intercity ticket from Merriton to Kingswell on my phone as I went.

"Dr. Parker, there's an emergency at home. My father's life may be in danger. I have to leave right now."

I burst into her office and put the ticket confirmation down in front of her before I'd filled out a single line of the leave form.

One look at my white face and bloodshot eyes was enough. Dr. Parker approved the leave in the university system without a word.

In the back of the rideshare to the station, I called my mother with shaking hands.

Mom had been stationed away from home for years, and she came back so rarely I could count the visits.

Her personality matched her uniform: hard, severe, rigid, all discipline and principle.

She was an absolute materialist, and she'd never once hidden her contempt for Raymond's rituals.

Raymond was more afraid of her than of anyone alive.

When she answered, that cold, steady, commanding voice hit me like a shot of adrenaline and steadied everything.

"Nathan? Why are you calling at this hour? What's wrong?"

"Mom, Dad's life is in danger. I'm already on my way home. Can you get emergency leave?"

I pushed the fear down and laid it out. "Raymond's gone over the edge with this immortality thing. I think he's going to come after Dad."

The line went silent for about two seconds.

"I'll clear it with my CO now. Fort Vardon is about four hours from Kingswell by car. I'm walking to the motor pool." Her voice dropped into something that frightened me.

"Nathan, listen to me. Stay in contact with your father the whole way and confirm he's safe. If Raymond touches one hair on his head, I'll put him down myself."

Her promise loosened something in my chest.

But four hours, plus my train and my transfer, left a gap wide enough for anything.

The landscape outside the window blurred into streaks while I sat there and burned.

I had to keep Dad safe.

I opened our family chat and started firing messages at him.

I didn't dare ask outright whether Raymond had shown up. I was afraid of tripping his nerves, and more afraid he'd decide I was overreacting and hide it from me.

So I used the dumbest, most reliable method there was.

I sent him every piece of junk I could find.

As long as he kept replying, he was awake and he was safe.

Those three hours on the train were the longest of my life.

I refreshed the screen about once a second, terrified of missing anything.

Just before we pulled into Kingswell, my phone buzzed.

Dad had sent a long voice message.

I played it and held the phone to my ear.

"Nate, stop worrying. Your uncle came by and knocked. He looks pitiful. He's nothing but skin and bone. He couldn't even stand straight, just held onto the doorframe and wheezed."

Dad's voice had gone soft with relief. "He told me through the door that he knows he was wrong.

"He seemed sincere, and as weak as he is, where would he get the strength to hurt anybody? He's my brother. I can't just let him starve out in the hallway. I'm going to help him in, sit him down, and make him something hot. You do well on that exam. I'll call you back in a bit."