Holy shit. This was straight-up gu worm farming.
Luke closed the book and looked over at Carrie, who was gently trying to comfort her mother. The girl's eyes were still timid, but that dead, hopeless glaze was gone. She looked like a blade of grass that had fought through rock for eighteen years and finally caught a sliver of sunlight.
She had no idea the man who planted the seed was hiding in the shadows, waiting to harvest whatever grew.
Luke cut through the tender mont.
"This book can't stay."
Both won looked up, still dazed.
Luke didn't explain. He walked into the living room, pulled out his Bible under their startled eyes, and held the evil to in one hand while flipping the Bible open with the other. In the dim room he began reciting the judgnt verses, pouring psionic energy into the pages.
The Bible glowed softly. He directed that light straight at the cursed book. Black smoke imdiately curled from the cover, and the blood-red cross on it twisted and warped.
Mrs. White and Carrie stared, mouths open. They had never seen anything so holy. With Luke's new ability boosting the effect, his silhouette looked almost angelic in the light.
Seeing real progress, Luke pushed harder. The glow intensified. The evil book, along with every twisted symbol on it, burned away inch by inch in pure white fla until nothing remained but a small pile of ash that drifted from his palm.
He glanced at the stunned mother and daughter.
"Mrs. White, if you still want to call yourself a believer, go to church tomorrow and make a real confession to a real priest. As for you…"
His eyes shifted to Carrie.
"Pack your things. You're coming with ."
Mrs. White and Carrie were still frozen, like they were dreaming.
Carrie finally snapped out of it and helped her mother up. She looked at Luke with a new, quiet strength in her eyes.
"What do we do now?"
Luke handed Mrs. White a card with the station's contact info.
"I'll do what I can to protect you both. But the choice is yours. Mrs. White, you need to walk out of this cage and face the past. Carrie needs your love, not your obsession."
He didn't say more. So things they had to process themselves. He turned toward the door.
"Carrie, let's go. It's best if you leave this town for a while."
Carrie nodded. She glanced back at her crying mother, a mix of regret and relief in her eyes, then followed Luke out of the house that had crushed her for eighteen years.
When they reached the station, the chubby deputy was dozing at the front desk. He rubbed his eyes when he saw them.
"Oh, Officer Luke. You're back."
Luke asked, "Any word on my partner?"
The deputy nodded. "Yeah, so kid nad Lionel stopped by looking for you."
Lionel had actually found the place? Luke was stunned—he'd figured the monster flying around all day would've shaken him loose for good.
"Where are they now?"
The deputy pointed behind the building. "His van's parked out back."
Luke led Carrie around to the lot. A beat-up cargo van stood out among the scattered cars, covered in yellow dust.
Before Luke could get close, the side door flew open with a bang. A figure launched out and charged straight at him.
Lionel slamd into him with a crushing hug.
"Luke! You're alive! I knew you wouldn't die!"
The passenger door opened more calmly. Brando stepped out, leaned against the van with his arms crossed, and looked Luke up and down. His face stayed mostly neutral, but the tension in his shoulders eased.
"Told you the kid's too stubborn to die."
Then Brando's eyes slid past Luke and landed on the shy girl behind him. One eyebrow lifted, and a smirk tugged at his mouth.
"Well damn, Luke. Gone half a day and not only do you co back in one piece, you pick up a girl too?"
Carrie's face went bright red. She instinctively stepped behind Luke and peeked out with just her eyes, studying the two strangers.
Luke shifted to fully block her, his expression turning serious.
"Cut it out. Her na's Carrie. Situation's complicated."
Lionel noticed her too and leaned forward with a friendly smile.
"Hey, I'm Lionel."
Luke didn't waste ti on small talk. He got straight to the point.
"She's got serious psychic power. It's gone off the rails once already—strong enough to cause real damage and twist people's minds."
Lionel's smile froze. Brando's eyes lit up like Christmas lights.
"So she's basically a superpowered person. This just got interesting. I knew I should've left the lab sooner."
Luke nodded.
"But she's still young. She can't control it yet. Without guidance she'll beco a massive problem. Maybe a disaster."
Lionel and Brando exchanged a look. They'd seen enough weird shit lately to know Luke wasn't exaggerating.
Brando stroked his stubble and studied Carrie again, more serious now.
"So you're taking her with us?"
Luke's answer was firm.
"Yeah. She needs help. We need the power."
An unstable psychic powerhouse left on her own was a wildcard nobody could predict. But if they steered her right, she'd be one hell of an ace up their sleeve.
Lionel's face softened with quiet sympathy. He'd been through sothing similar with his own mother and knew how it felt to be twisted by forces you couldn't control.
He spoke first.
"I'm in. Not that my vote counts for much."
Brando shrugged.
"I'm just the driver. Your call. But fair warning—my van doesn't exactly have a guest room."
"She can sleep in the back."
Luke said it casually.
"Hey!"
Jokes aside, the team had just gained a new mber out of nowhere.
Luke opened the door and nodded at Carrie.
"Climb in. Back seat."
Carrie hesitated, then climbed inside. Lionel slid in after her and scooted over to give her space.
Luke dropped into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut.
"Back to Miami."
Brando fired up the old van. The engine growled, and the dusty pickup slowly rolled away from the oppressive little town.
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