Part XXIV:
The bond between father and daughter is a strong one. Until one has experienced it first hand, it is difficult to understand what connects the two creatures that share a similar genetic construct. As Caleb caught sight of his daughter, who he had last spotted several yards behind him, he was filled with emotion. The recent events back at the greenhouse had all but dissipated. Dripping with sweat, Caleb prepared to hop off his bike as the house was now in sight.
“When we get to the house, go straight up to your bedroom and lock the door,” Caleb called back to Jessica. “I want you out of danger. I am going to call the police.”
Jessica had reached the house before her father and as he jumped off his bike, she reached out her arms to give him a big hug. “Papa, I love you. Please be careful. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
After saying this, she flitted into the house and did as her father asked, heading straight up to her bedroom and locking the door behind her. As she sat there in the silence, she could hear her father on the telephone with the local police, requesting them to come out to the property. Caleb’s footsteps sounded on the stairs and she knew he was coming upstairs to be with her.
To be continued…