Daddy's Home Part 3

Carl thanked his partner for a great shift and started on his way to the locker room. He kept replaying his last interaction with Daniel. He hated how he treated him and how emotional he had been since his sister’s death. She and her family were all he had left. No parents, no romantic partner, no children. Just him and his work. The idea of driving off the only person connecting him to his sister was eating at him. It had been a week since he had last seen Daniel. He was starting to talk himself into reaching out to Daniel. 

After changing into his street clothes, Carl asked his partner if their Captain ever got back from his meeting with those detectives. His partner explained that he hadn’t. Both acknowledged it was strange. Carl asked if he knew what the meeting was about. His partner made a joke about being about the sheriff that went missing. Carl groaned about the idea that their department might have to get involved. His partner joked about how Carl doesn’t have anything else going on. Carl joked about how he was thinking of starting a family. They both shared a laugh and Carl patted him on the shoulder as he walked out the building.

Sitting in his car, Carl worked up the courage to call Daniel. It kept ringing. Carl tried again. And again. After the third time, he cursed and drove away. 

Passing his sister’s old house, he thought about the last conversation they had. It started off as a conversation about the next vacation location. It eventually became an argument about her failing marriage and his lack of one. He remembered how hurt they both were from each other’s words. He remembered Charlie being woken up from the yelling being the reason the arguing stopped. They sat and comforted Charlie while eating ice cream as he watched his cartoons. She reminded Carl that she named Charlie after him and how she knows if anything were to happen that he would do what’s best for Charlie. Carl punched his steering wheel and sighed heavily. He called Daniel one more time. Only to hear the ringing coming from inside his sister’s old house.

Carl parked in the alleyway. Looking at his sister’s back door, he called again. He could clearly hear Daniel’s cell phone coming from inside the house. He slowly approached the backdoor. Hearing footsteps inside, he prepared to kick in the door.

“How do these things work? They’re so different than the ones I used to use. So noisy.”

Carl kicked open the back door and pointed his gun at Charles. “Freeze!”

For a moment, Carl thought he saw a lanky pale male of great height with long dark hair and light green eyes that were so bright that they appeared to look like headlights for a moment. He fell back and took a shot at the figure. “You crazy or something?!” Carl started to catch his breath as he realized the man in front of him wasn’t as monstrous as he first envisioned. He struggled to rationalize how and why he saw him so drastically different.

“Why are you in my sister’s house?!”

“Your sister? Oh, you must be Carl. Pleased to meet you. I’m Charles.”

“I don’t care who you are, why are you in my sister’s house?!”

“You’re ruder than expected. But then again.” Charles walked over to the stove. “Fear can cause people mistakes.”

“Answer the question!”

“I owe my life to Daniel. He asked me to find his son.”

“Daniel… He can’t give you permission to be here.”

“He didn’t.”

“I’m going to have to take you in for trespassing.”

“Actually, I don’t think you will.”

“Oh yeah? And why’s that smart guy?”

“Don’t you want to find your sister’s killer?”

Carl got closer, still pointing his gun at Charles. But even more cautious, he didn’t let his eyes stray. Charles let his fingers follow the top of the oven. Tracing it without a hint of distraction. 

“What makes you think you know the killer? Were you involved?”

“No, I was imprisoned. But I know this hate..”

“Hate?”

“There’s traces of very refined hatred here. It’s unmistakeable. I know exactly who did it.”

“Traces of what? Are you on drugs or something? Is “Hatred” a drug?”

“No wonder you never made detective.”

“I can make detective!”

“This is your best chance to prove it. Join me. We can find them. Return Charlie, get closure for Tess.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“We have the same goal, don’t we? To return Charlie.”

“Home, right. Not to Daniel?”

The two looked at each other with a serious expression.

“Do you want my help or not, Carl?”

Hours had passed of the two giving vague information to each other on what they know. Both arguing how the other should trust them. Neither really getting very much out of the other. That was until the sun was finally all the way down. Charles looked outside and exhaled. Carl felt uncomfortable as he saw him breath, for some reason that he couldn’t explain. 

Charles stood up from the table and began to walk out. Carl pointed the gun at him, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Charles’ eyes gracefully slid to their corners, to look at Carl. Carl felt so uneasy that he put his finger on the safety. “You know I don’t like being ordered around, Carl. If you’re coming, get up and let’s go.” Charles walked out the front door. Carl followed after him, slowly. Charles walked down the street. Carl got in his car and slowly followed. They had walked for miles. Out of town. Over the old bridge. Into a nearby clearing. Carl began to complain about how Charles won’t make it far if he’s tricking him. Charles kept walking. Carl started to lose his patience but just as he felt himself about to yell, Charles stopped. Charles took a deep inhale. His hair got longer, darker, straighter. His skin went pale white. His eyes turning light green as his blue tattoos began to glow. He got taller as his muscles became more detailed. He went from looking like a simple man to the imposing figure Carl thought he saw in the kitchen. Carl stared in terror seeing the slow but strangely alluring transforming, “What the..”

“This air is filled with terror. A beautiful mix of fear and sadness. Is that a taste of hopelessness?” Charles took a deep inhale. Exhaling deep blue sparkles from his mouth. “Exquisite.”

Carl turned on the high beams of his car thinking that he could limit Charles’ sight. The high beams did quite the opposite. It revealed to Carl that they were surrounded. The soulless gleam from the eyes of many small figures. Carl took the safety off his gun and locked his door.

“You’re a terrible uncle Carl. Don't you want to say hello to Charlie?” Charles smiled as Charlie walked into the light. “We came all this way, the least you can do is say hi.”

“Are… are these all missing kids?”

“We prefer to call them, rescued.”

“You were involved… You were kidnapping kids!”

“Your sheriff thought so too. Even when they kept happening while I was locked in his basement for months.”

“How did you know they were here?!”

“The same way you did. I followed the scent.”

“... What are you?”

Charles smiled, “Come on, Carl. You of all people should recognize me. Your jokes about starting a family. Your obsession with being a cop first, letting that be the excuse you never settled down. Your jealousy of Tess and Daniel. Your animosity poorly hiding your satisfaction in Daniel being seen as a failure. Your deflection of responsibility whenever it came to Charlie, despite your love for Tess. Your projecting onto Tess but constantly hounding her on every little shortcoming as a parent.”

Carl’s high beams flickered as if they were being drained of energy. With the light, he could see the gleam of the children’s soulless eyes. Without the light, he swore he could see other figures farther back with light green eyes. Getting closer every time the lights went out. 

A faint light green mist formed inside the car. Deep blue sparkles began to shimmer within the mist. “Let it sink in, Carl. Let it boil until the words overtake you.”

“You’re a nightmare…”

“A nightmare you can’t shake. Something chained to your people.”

The car turned off. Carl reached for the ignition. The keys were gone. He looked to the side to see a fancy white glove jingling the keys as it floated away. He reached to grab them. Another fancy white glove grabbed his wrist and pulled it down to the passenger seat. Carl couldn’t pull away. Another grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back. Two more came in through his opened windows and held him in place. His hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel. His head locked in place on the headrest, looking forward as his eyes were forced open. Charles was standing in front of the car. His perfectly white teeth illuminated from below by his glowing tattoos, and above by his bright light green eyes. Carl began to hyperventilate. 

“I am Charity, the Fear of Fatherhood, and I am free.”

“I am Charity, the Fear of Fatherhood, and I am free.”