Chapter Eleven
Charlotte tried to hide her shock when the guards brought Peter out. He had aged over thirty years! His hair was gray and he was going bald, his face was pale and wrinkled, and his eyes looked dull and colorless! But he didn’t just look old–he looked ill. His eyes were sunk back into his skull, his lips were purple, and he had to lean against the wall to support himself. As she helped him to the car, he stumbled and grimaced and she saw that two of his front teeth were missing.
My God, Peter! What has he done to you?
They drove without speaking at first, Charlotte focusing on the road and Peter gazing numbly out of the side window. There was so much to discuss and explain but neither of them knew where to start.
Finally, Charlotte broke the silence.
“He made me do it.”
“I know,” Peter said, avoiding her eyes.
“H-He told me he made you watch–all of it.”
“It’s alright,” Peter said. “You had no choice.”
But they both knew that it wasn’t alright and a lump rose in Charlotte’s throat. That evil bastard had stolen something precious from them and it could never be replaced.
“I thought he might kill you if I didn’t do as he said,” Charlotte said.
Peter let out a wheezy sigh.
“Maybe he already has,” he said.
They lapsed back into silence, like strangers searching for some common ground.
This time Peter spoke first.
“He injected it into me every morning. He said that once it has a foothold in my system, it will never go away. It just gets worse.”
“We’ll go to the Ocean Clinic. They have the very best specialists there,” Charlotte said.
“He told me it’s irreversible,” Peter said.
“We have to hope,” Charlotte said. “We are free of him now. We’ll get you fixed up, leave the city, and put this behind us.”