Thread: Blank Slate (Dane Stalling & Malicious Lullaby)

Penny was putting things together fast. Something was going on with her memory- it was getting better, but he wasn't sure that was a good thing- not for him right now. Still, they were each other's best chance at figuring out what happened, and maybe surviving. Why couldn't you have just said... Her arms crossed angrily over her breasts. Pablo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired. He had been driving for almost ten hours and it had gone quietly enough until just the last fifteen minutes. She had moaned in her sleep, and called out Danny's name before she woke up. Look, I... he started, but stopped. How could he explain the dark anger and still have her trust him? You're right. He took a deep breath and continued, I've been looking for your brother for a year because he killed Sueco. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had caught him though. Part of me wanted to kill him, part of me wanted to see him in jail for the rest of his life. It was so senseless- we didn't even have guns drawn when he started shooting. He laughed as he ran away, and I think that's what makes me the most angry. It was some sort of game to him. He looked over at Penny. You're also right that I wanted to catch you to get to him. I transferred my anger about him on to you, and that was probably a mistake. I don't think you would have tried to kill me or Sueco. I'm pretty sure you've had opportunity to kill me in the last six months and I've never seen any evidence that you have even tried. You had reason to kill and you haven't. He didn't have a reason and he did. You're different. Pablo got out of the car and stretched. He put the keys in his pocket and walked over to the cabin door. It was empty, as he had expected. Manuel, the owner, rented it out in the summertime, but he wouldn't lower his prices for winter, so he rarely had renters then. He just didn't like the hassle of maintaining the place when it was cold. Pablo found the key under the flower pot next to the door where it always was. There were still places you could trust people, and apparently this was one of them. He opened the door to the musty smell of a long-closed cabin and smiled. He had spent a month here after the divorce, just to detox and get some perspective. Something about the place relaxed him. He wandered around, turning on the water heater and the furnace. He checked the fridge and there was just some beer and something in a plastic container that probably used to be a salad. He tossed it and checked the cupboards. They were well-stocked with canned food. They wouldn't starve, but they wouldn't be eating steaks either. He had an old laptop propped against a wall behind the table and Pablo wondered if Penny could get an internet connection using the satellite dish on the roof. He hadn't ever been able to make it work. Welcome home, honey, he said, a small grin on his face. She was still angry though, and just scowled at him. Mi casa es tu casa. He figured he was already in trouble, so he went ahead and pushed his luck. I'll chop the wood and fix the homestead. You cook, clean, tend the garden, do the shopping, and if you have any time, see if you can get an internet connection here. If anyone can do it, you can.