A story based in the real world. For some reason, a high school boy named J.J. went to sleep and didn't wake up for nearly 3 years. Someone else was awake in his place ...

		Sacrificial Alter Chapter 11 of 13 The Finger on the Photo by **Sigh** Copyright© 2017 plaintivesigh All Rights Reserved.

Detective Castro walked back out to his car and got in quickly, not even bothering to close the door in the thick Florida heat. He kept an eye on the roads he could see around him as he picked up his car radio unit.

“This is Detective Ray Castro. I need an APB for Bob Evarist. Large overweight man driving a silver Buick Legac-“

Suddenly Castro was fighting for his breath, his very life. His vision was covered by something thick and sopping wet being pressed hard into his lips and nostrils. Noxious smelling liquid streamed into his nose, mouth and lungs. He dropped the radio and grabbed towards his face; his fingers felt the outline of a huge, gloved hand holding a wet cloth there. Castro grabbed the attacking limb by the wrist and attempted to pull it away, and he tried to squirm – but he quickly felt his strength dissolving, followed by his consciousness. He now was no longer awake enough to feel the finality of death overtake him.

Castro’s final earthly thought was Chan - Help!

He had no way of knowing that the Lieutenant stationed at the back door was dead. Chan had gotten the same treatment as Castro, one minute earlier.

Dr. Rama was inside on his cell phone relaying information on Bob Evarist to another detective at the police station when he saw Becky re-enter the living room where he and J.J. were.

She had a huge shotgun with her.

“Becky – I’m not comfortable with you bringing that in here.”

“To hell with your comfort, doctor. I’m protecting my child.”

“Becky, the police are outside. They will give us all the protection we need. See? I’m pulling back the blinds; there’s Detective Castro – “

Castro was indeed there. Sitting in his car, door closed, and head leaned back as if asleep. The physician noted a darkening blue tint on the lawman’s face as the sun reflected off of it; he also noted the total absence of any movement. Was he even breathing?

“Ma’am, keep J.J. here. I’m going to … talk to the detective. I’ll be right back.” Rama didn’t want to unduly upset Becky further, not with a firearm in her grasp. He exited the front door and quickly began to approach the cruiser, carefully scanning all of his surroundings.

All of his surroundings except directly behind him. That’s where the big arm came from, grasping his neck and choking him furiously and silently until he passed out.

Finny fretted as he drove up towards the Evarist house and saw the police cruiser in front.

So much for getting my transmitter back today. Too much heat. Wait. What in the hell?

The officer in the cruiser looked to be asleep. Then Finny saw through one of the hedge lines to see the outline of someone lying on their back ‘spread eagle’ and motionless on the lawn. He scanned the rest of the grounds but saw no one else; the outside front doorway was excluded from his vision by a huge citrus tree in the yard.

Finny quickly opened up his laptop and engaged his transmitter; he got a quality sound and video signal from inside the main hallway of the house. He turned the volume on high and hit the RECORD function.

Becky had just checked the shotgun; it was full with shells, so she pulled up on the barrel until it clicked in place. She reviewed in her head: Loaded. Safety off. When ready, pull back on this part to ‘cock’ it. Aim and shoot.

“Mom? What’s going on?” said a girl’s voice to her side.

“J.J.! Is that you?”

He smiled. “Who else would it be?”

“Kitty was present just a few minutes ago.”

“REALLY? I just changed to her? I don’t remember it at all. I hate that. What’s the gun for? And – have you been crying?”

“Yes, I have. And the gun is for our protection. Honey, this is too convoluted to explain right now, and I don’t know that we have time for me to go into it because I’m so confused. I just know I want you safe, and you need to trust me, OK?”

“Okay,” said J.J. with a worried look.

Suddenly, Becky heard the unmistakable rumble of a large diesel engine outside of their door. She looked out the window – there was a big gray truck cab, without a trailer attached. DTT was printed on the side – Becky recognized that as short for “Dustin’s Tampa Trucking”.

“He’s here,” she mumbled to herself.

“Who’s here, Mom?” J.J. asked, walking up behind her.

Becky looked back at J.J. foggily. “I didn’t tell you?”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Becky opened it to see her older son, Dustin. He was rippled with muscles and tanned; clean shaven, and with a close-cropped buzz cut on his scalp. He wore a sleeveless tee that was stained with sweat.

“I’m here. And it looks like Dad is too.” Dustin said with alarm.

“B-Bob’s here?” Becky gasped.

“I haven’t seen him, but I see his work in the police cruiser and the dude on the lawn.” Dustin could see from Becky’s bewilderment that she knew nothing about what he’d just mentioned. “Look – I’ll explain later. Let’s get inside and set up a safe room; I’ll stand guard.”

Becky looked over at J.J. “Jacob, look who it is! Your brother, Dust-“ she stopped in mid-sentence.

Kitty was back. She sat on the floor, knees pulled up under her chin, and arms wrapped around her legs. “NNNnnnNNNnnnNNNnnnNNNnnn…”

“What the hell – who is this girl?” gaped Dustin.

“This girl is your brother. She was changed into a female by kidnappers. And as a result of all her trauma, she now has multiple personalities. This is one of them; her name is Kitty, and she appears to be a young child.”

“What the – is this for real or are we in the twilight zone? J.J. is a transsexual freak?”

“Careful how you speak around your brother – or, sister right now,” admonished Becky. “Kitty has been essential in understanding what’s gone on. She’s the only personality who remembers who really killed Missy Renquist; the same person who raped J.J.’s body.”

Dustin turned pale. “Dad, right?”

Becky began to cry once more. “Yes. Bob. You were right. I’m married to a monster.”

Dustin’s face glared with urgency. “Speaking of that monster – there’s two dead guys out front. Dad’s here, somewhere. We need to get y’all out of this hallway NOW, to an interior room, where I can hold him off with your gun.”

Becky was near total meltdown. “Dustin! Can we make a run for your truck? I’m not staying here one more second in this horrible place! Take J.J. and me in somewhere safe, and I’ll get the law involved after we’re there. Will you stay with us and protect us for right now?”

“Ah,” Dustin thought – “OK. Yeah. Let me look out the front door to make sure the coast is – ”

“NNN! NNN-NNN-NNN!” Kitty’s humming got violently loud suddenly.

Becky put her arm around Kitty. “Baby, I need you to stand up. We need to-“

Kitty suddenly straightened and extended her whole right arm, and reached over to the poster board with the pictures on it. Becky had it with her to take it to the police for evidence. Kitty now pointed her finger to the same big picture of Bob standing in the yard from five years ago.

Becky sighed. “Yes honey, that’s the bad man. Your Da-“ … she stopped talking as her blood froze in her veins.

Kitty’s finger was now actually touching that picture, but not on Bob’s form. Instead, it rested on a partially obscured person sitting on the porch behind Bob.

Dustin.

Becky looked up at her oldest. She couldn’t fully mobilize all of her faculties in the midst of the sudden new shock and horror flooding her brain. “D … Dustin??”

The older brother wore a new look of disgust and inconvenience. “Well, shit,” he remarked as he brought his fist down on his mother’s face in rapid multiple punches.

To be continued tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! **Sigh**