four | bat out of hell (backdated to after midnight)

[strike_you_out]

 [An hour after midnight, after he and Susan were caught by Police Chief Grady hiding a fugitive in their home, and after being launched bodily through the air by Susan to make an escape, Slugger is out in the streets and yards of Mayfield sprinting at full speed with no intention of stopping until he reaches a certain destination

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[humandeath]

[Evening is disturbed. Actually he's still awake in the living room reading. He glances up when he sees his great grand son come running in talking rapidly.]

SLOW DOWN. I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU ARE SAYING.

[strike_you_out]

[The boy nearly collapses against the side of a chair and stops to frantically catch his breath. His eyes dart from place to place, as if expecting something exceedingly awful to appear at any moment.]

Grady--! ...F-found the guy. At our house. [pant] Caught her. Susan. He--

[Slugger freezes with a start, thinking he's heard a sound in the house. He has never been this terrified.]

[humandeath]

[That he understood and he stands up. Looking suddenly a great deal more serious.]

CALM YOURSELF. YOU ARE SAFE HERE.

[strike_you_out]

[shaking his head] Nowhere is safe.

[He sinks to the floor and crouches between the chair and a wall to hide.]

He shot someone... I heard it.

[humandeath]

IF NO WHERE IS SAFE THEN WORRYING WILL DO NOTHING.

[Straightforwardness runs in the family]

WHO SHOT SOMEONE?

[strike_you_out]

[...Well, that's certainly true.]

Grady... Had the gun. He's after the fugitive... And anyone who aids him.

[He's still quite convinced that he himself can only escape punishment for so long before he's found and punished, too. He may have even been followed on his way here. There were the men in gray...]

[humandeath]

[He nods. She's dead.]

YOU WILL STAY HERE THEN.

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger seems to accept the words as a final order and will remain in this spot at least until the panic works its way out of his system.

While he doesn't take too kindly to relying on others, he is undeniably thankful for having somewhere to run to where he isn't alone.

Damn this place for making him feel almost human.]

I will.

[humandeath]

GOOD. TRY TO CALM DOWN A LITTLE.

[And he'll be back soon to pass the boy some food.]

HERE. EAT THIS.

[strike_you_out]

[He takes it -- a saucer with some cookies and a tea cup of milk -- and holds it close to his chest. He's still fairly worked up and will stare into the tea cup for a while before he takes a sip.]

[likescats]

[Death will just remain in the room. Keeping an eye on him as he sits on the couch]