"Some Family" (SOT)

This is the third episode of "Somewhere Out There"

"Some Family"
Douglas poured the vase shards into a box, sealing it tightly. It was obvious that the vase meant a lot to him.

His attention was redirected when all of a sudden, he saw something through a minute gap in the wooden boards. Peering through it carefully, he could see the light from a torch surveying around the area.

In an instant, he pulled open the cutlery drawer, arming himself with his service pistol.

Upstairs, Daven had taken Bram to meet the rest of the group; This turned out to be just two other people.

“Hey guys! Here’s the newbie. His name is Abraham, but, he prefers to go by the name Bram,” Daven stepped aside, allowing Bram to enter the room.

The two people in front of him stood up. The girl appeared to be only a few years older than Bram, perhaps twenty or so, “Well, hello there, Bram! My name is Lily Warren. This here,” she gestured to the man beside her, who also looked around twenty-years-old, “This is my boyfriend, Robin.”

Robin stepped forward, shaking Bram’s hand – But he didn’t say anything.

“You’ll have to forgive him, he’s a bit antisocial,” Lily was half-joking, but half-serious as well.

“Watch it!” Robin responded, but said nothing else. This gave more truth to Lily’s claim.

Once again, Bram’s introduction to new people was interrupted by an unwelcome sound.

Douglas burst into the room, gently shutting the door behind him. He gripped the pistol firmly, leaning against the door.

“Douglas? What is it?” Lily leant against the door with him. He didn’t respond, listening out very carefully.

Bram looked at everyone, noticing they were all between their Late teens and Early 20s.

Robin noticed Bram examining all of them, “Something wrong?”

He was startled by Robin speaking up. “Huh? Oh, no… It’s just, well you’re all around the age of twenty or so. Yet Douglas is, what, forty? Don’t you suspect him at all?”

Robin shook his head in disbelief at Bram. “Are you kidding? The man just saved your life, and you think he’s a paedophile?”

While Bram was going to deny this at first, he opted not to, as it indeed was what he suspected.

Robin grabbed Bram, turning him to face Douglas.

“You see that?” He pointed to the pistol, “That is a service weapon. Douglas was once a police man. He saved three children from abusive parents back in the old days.”

But this again prompted Bram to be even more suspicious, “But… How do you know that he’s, you know… Telling the truth?”

Robin shook his head in disgust as Elliot, “Because I was one of those children that Douglas saved… He took me in as his own adoptive stepson eleven years ago.”

Bram went red in the face, realising he had completely misjudged Douglas.

“It’s in his nature to save people in need. Especially the younger generation. It’s why he became such an honoured policeman. For saving me, and for saving those two other poor children. You and I both know where they are now, but the point is, Douglas did something. He acted out on their behalf. So how very dare you even suspect him!”

For an anti-social person, Robin had said a lot. Something which Bram was mentally joking about at that very moment.

“Robin, I’m sorry… But go easy on me, man. Less than an hour ago I woke up in a room that was all boarded up! I know that’s for a good reason now, but back then, things just didn’t sit right!” Bram defended himself, but Robin didn’t care.

Outside, there was gunfire. Douglas put his hand out, prompting everyone to go silent.

Then, Douglas could hear the front door being busted down. He clenched the handgun a little tighter…


 * First appearance of Lily Warren.
 * First appearance of Robin Ascot.