Page 26 of His Puppet

“What box, Emily?”

She doesn’t answer, and I remind myself this is the delirium talking. It can happen to a person when they get severely dehydrated, and up to this point I’ve found it amusing, but now she’s starting to worry me. I don’t think she’s talking about the bunker. I think she’s just confused.

I bring her to my chest and hold her, one hand firm on her back and the other smoothing her hair.

“It’s too cold.”

“I’ll take you out in a minute, but you need to calm down first.”

“Nooo,” she sobs, clinging to my shirt.

Chills run across my shoulders and down my spine. I don’t think she’s talking about the water.

“Is the box too cold?”

She nods, her whole body shaking.

“Where is the box?”

“Basement.”

“What basement?”

She doesn’t respond, and I pull her head back, trying to get her to look me in the eyes. Hers are pinched shut. I cup her face and speak as gently as I can.

“Where’s the basement, Emily?”

Still, I get no response. She’s opened up about something. I think her mind is imagining things, but it seems unlikely it’s concocted a cold box from nothing. The bunker isn’t cold.

I let her cry against me until she comes down from it, then I lay her against the tub and finish cleaning her, all the while my mind is searching for meaning.

Does it really matter, though?

No. It doesn’t. Who cares what her past is?

I take her out of the bath, wrap a towel around her and carry her to a guest bedroom. She’s asleep before I even lay her down, and she doesn’t flinch when I hook an IV up to her arm.

I stare at her sleeping form for a few lingering moments, my brow furrowed. She doesn’t look at all at peace. Her face scrunches like she’s trapped in a nightmare, but it could also be pain. She looks like absolute shit and is going to need nearly constant supervision until she’s healed, which is something I can’t give her.

I step into the hall, closing the door lightly behind me before pulling out my phone to dial my head of security, Ricard. He picks up on the second ring.

“Sir?”

“I need you to get a room set up at the main house and come pick up the girl. Have someone watch her for the next week until she heals. Got it?”

Ricard hesitates. “Yes sir.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Of course not, but … are you sure you don’t want me to get rid of her?”

I consider it for a moment, but dismiss the idea. Emily is a brat, but one I’m curious about and one who might actually come in handy. Plus, I don’t like the idea of killing her. It seems wasteful, and… And I don’t know what else.

“No. I’m not finished with her.”

This time, Ricard doesn’t hesitate.

“I’ll send someone right away.”

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