The Palmer Legacy

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!

"I've got a better idea. Take this." Samantha handed Noah the box cutter. "Hold this to his throat. Get him to leave." She glanced at Paul. Her brother, Eddie, was taking a defensive position in front of his new master. Paul and his mother were whispering together.

"No, Sam. I couldn't do that. It's... Paul." Noah gestured at his recently insane acquaintance from school.

"Okay... I'll do it." Samantha frowned at him. The full effect of her dour expression was blocked by her respirator.

"Noah's right. We can't do that." Paget put a hand on Samantha's shoulder. She glanced at their enemy. Paul's mother was running across the lawn toward the Reader's house. "I think she's going for reinforcements. We better hurry."

"Noah's plan it is." Samantha nodded, tossed away the box cutter and raced to intercept Shannon.

"Only pretend like you're trying to stop him. When you let him go, run away," Noah said to his sister. When Paget nodded, he sprinted toward Paul and Eddie.

"He always forgets... who has all the brains... in our family," Paget whispered to herself as she jogged after her brother. She wasn't an athlete. She wasn't going to keep pace, but she wasn't supposed to.

"No, you don't... Mrs. Botti... uuugghhhhhhh." Samantha lowered her shoulder and plowed into Shannon. They tumbled to the turf. She could hear the older woman groaning. She hoped she hadn't hurt her too badly. In the distance, Samantha heard Paul screaming for his mommy. That brought a smile to her face. She stood, lifted Shannon like a sack of potatoes, and swung the woman over her shoulder.

Noah feinted right and spun left around Eddie. He whooped as he passed his girlfriend's brother. Adrenaline surged. He straightened his arm and clotheslined Paul as he ran by, felling the other teenager. He skidded to a stop and turned a one-eighty. "I haven't forgiven you, just so you know." He punched Eddie in the jaw. It was an awkward swing, and pain flashed in his fist, but it seemed effective enough.

Eddie staggered to one knee. "I don't have a choice. I have to serve." He looked up at Noah with wet eyes.

"You were always an asshole, Eddie, and full of excuses." Noah picked up the semiconscious Paul and flung him over his shoulder.

"Eeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Paget finally arrived and dove on top of Eddie. They rolled together in the grass, struggling.

"Okay... okay..." Noah watched Samantha run over, Shannon bouncing on her shoulder. "Ready?"

"Ready." Samantha gave him a thumbs up. "Let's do this."

~~

"Rrrrrrroooooooaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr." Kathy arched her back at the top of the stairs, her voice thundering through the house. Below her, injured bodies were pulled out of the way so that the invaders could try another assault up the stairs. "Hand me another one, sweetie." Kathy held out her hand.

"Here you go." Hailey stood with her back to the hallway wall, not far from Kathy but out of the way. She handed Kathy another wooden disc. Paget had bought the heavy wheels to be converted to shields, but Kathy had turned them into projectiles. She watched Kathy hurl another one downstairs and listened to the resulting crash, followed by cries of pain. Hailey couldn't see downstairs. She didn't want to. Her childhood home was a war zone, and the thought rattled her mind as surely as Kathy's roars rattled the walls. She handed another disc to Kathy when the tall woman held her hand out.

"They're using sofa cushions as shields, Hailey. They think they can take me... with pillows?" Kathy heaved another wheel down the stairs. It caught the foremost cushion right in the middle and sent the men and women behind it tumbling down the stairs. Kathy let out another roar. Her eyes glowed red, and her smile revealed canine daggers. "I'm going to eat you all up. All of you. Awwwooooooooooooo." The howl was long and piercing.

Hailey had learned to cover her ears when Kathy roared or howled. Her pussy throbbed seeing Kathy in this feral state. She prayed that Kathy would save some for the bedroom once this was all over. She removed her hands from her ears. "Another one?"

"Wait..." Kathy watched and listened. "No... no... they're running away. Eddie's calling them from the front door." She took a step down the stairs. She could hear feet running out of the house. Cautiously, she descended to the first floor. There was no one there. Apparently, she hadn't hurt anyone badly enough that they couldn't run away. She looked back up the stairs and could just see Hailey's eyes peering down at her. "Guard the stairs in case they come back. Don't let anyone up."

"How do I stop them?" Hailey couldn't stop her limbs from shaking.

"Throw a wheel at them." Kathy smiled, shrugged, and prowled toward the kitchen. She needed to find her mother.

~~

"Oh... gosh... oh... gosh... they're getting in." Jessica pushed at the desk. It was a futile effort. "Eloise... please." The door was almost open far enough for a person to slip through. Jessica gave up on pushing the desk and reached for the knife. She brandished it in front of her, retreating to the center of the room. But the desk stopped sliding. When she looked at the crack in the doorway, there was no one there. "Hello?" Jessica took a couple steps toward the door.

"Hello." A woman's voice came from right behind Jessica, practically in her ear.

Jessica whirled, the knife slicing through the air, until a cold, delicate hand caught her wrist.

"That is no way to greet a friend." Eloise smiled and carefully took the knife from Jessica's trembling hand. Eloise glanced at the desk by the door. "What on Earth is going on, dearie?"

"Did you make those people go away?" Jessica nodded toward the door.

"What people?" Eloise furrowed her brow just enough to let Jessica know she was perplexed. "I returned to my painting to find you in the dark, waving a weapon at a wayward desk."

"I've been calling you and calling you." Jessica slumped into Eloise's arms, resting her cheek against the ample bust of her Victorian dress. "You didn't come."

"I can't hear you calling me, Jessica. I'm not wired like a telegraph machine." Eloise patted Jessica's silky copper hair with one hand, she dropped the knife by her side with the other. It stuck point down in the floor. "I was busy overseeing a delightful joining by a robust man of twenty and his scrumptious mother of forty-four. It was their first time, and they were glorious together."

"I'm..." Jessica didn't know what to say. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, dearie." Eloise cupped Jessica's head and held her tenderly to her breast. "Now tell me. What happened here?"

Jessica told her everything she knew of the assault.

~~

"Ooooooof." Paget rolled off Eddie, doing her best to sell that he'd successfully fought her off. She popped up onto her feet, did her best to look scared, and backed away from him. She was frightened, so it wasn't surprising that he seemed to buy it.

"Get away from me, bitch!" Eddie spat the words and slowly pushed himself to his feet. Between Noah's punch, Noah's sister's tackle, and Paul's kicks, he wasn't feeling all that well. And to make matters worse, ever since losing his painting, his brain was muddled. Thinking about Paul caused fear to well up inside him. He could sympathize with the terror on Noah's sister's face as she turned and ran away. Eddie focused his attention on Paul, awaiting orders.

"Get the others, you vile boy." Shannon kicked her feet in the air, straining to look over at Eddie from her awkward position on Samantha's shoulder. "Save us."

Eddie ran toward the Reader's house. He yelled for help through the front door. When the entire congregation came flooding out, he ran with them. Noah and Samantha jogged down the street ahead of the pack, with Paul and Shannon slung over their shoulders.

"Stop them!" Joanna screamed.

"Yes... we're trying..." Antonio panted. They had only run a few blocks, and he was already sweaty and out of breath. His arm throbbed where a wooden wheel had crashed into it. He wouldn't be surprised if it was broken. His former wife lagged toward the back of the ragged pack along with his daughter, but he didn't wait for them. He pressed himself onward, willing his body to catch the kidnappers.

"They're... getting... away..." Lindsey reached a frantic hand out. It was a fruitless gesture. She was near the front, but still far behind Noah and Samantha.

Eddie saw the look of desperate longing on his mother's face, and it bit like a dagger in his heart. Not long ago, she had looked at him like that. Now, she didn't even glance at him. He wanted to quit and run home, but to his shame, he could not. He plodded on with the rest of the bleeding, exhausted group. They slogged on, their quarry always just out of their grasp. They were miles from the Reader house when Noah and Samantha pulled ahead and finally disappeared around a corner. The congregation couldn't find them. The one true God, and Mother Shannon, had been absconded. Mother Mary had been martyred. The thought of it twisted the knife in Eddie's heart further.

At Joanna's direction, the congregation split up and searched Clover Falls. They coordinated with cell phones. All of them prayed that they would find Paul unharmed. At the same time, many prayed they would not. When night fell, Paul's followers returned to their homes, promising to search again in the morning.

~~

"Mom!" Kathy stepped through a broken door into the bathroom. She found Andrew, Clive, and her mother bound and gagged. The men were in the bathtub, and her mother was on the tile floor. She lifted her mother tenderly into the air and carried her out of the bathroom. The men made loud muffled sounds and their eyes bulged. Kathy looked back at them. "I'll come for you when it's safe."

Or eventually, anyway.

She walked into the living room. The sofa was missing its cushions, and it had been tossed on its side. The entire house looked like a tornado had swept through. Books were on the floor, framed pictures were broken on the floor, and the fireplace poker jutted out from the wall. Anywhere she looked, it seemed something was smashed and torn. She cleared space on the carpet with her feet and set her mother down. She removed the gag.

"Ohhhhh... Kathy... it was terrible. I thought they were going to hurt you." Adeline's eyes darted over her daughter's face. She didn't see any new cuts. When Kathy broke the cords that bound her, she threw her arms around Kathy's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Kathy smiled. "I'm the undisputed Queen of the Stairs. Are you hurt?"

"Not hurt." Adeline softly wept for joy onto her daughter's neck. The pungency of Kathy's sweat filled her nostrils. She kissed her way up to Kathy's jaw, across her cheek, and to her lips.

"Oh... I guess everyone's okay." Hailey blushed, standing in the doorway. She watched mother and daughter make out.

"Oh... gosh." Paget stepped up next to her sister, her cheeks turning even more crimson than Hailey's. "They are close, aren't they?"

"It's odd seeing them together." Eloise joined the two Reader women, watching the Blys. "I marvel at how the small woman could have created a woman so tall."

The comment made Paget and Hailey blush even deeper.

"Where are the men?" Jessica peeked cautiously into the kitchen. The attackers had annihilated her wonderful home. But she would deal with that later.

Kathy broke the kiss and smiled at Jessica. "Your husband is tied up in the bathroom with Clive. They seem fine. Noah was outside last I saw him."

Paget's eyes dropped to the floor. Embarrassment flooded through her at not asking about Clive first thing. "Noah and Samantha will be returning soon." She looked at Eloise. "Thank goodness you're here, Mrs. Palmer. We didn't know how to contact you."

"I'm not your servant." Eloise frowned.

"But we need you for Noah's plan to work." Paget moved down the hall and waved the rest of them to follow. "Come to Mom's office. That's where they'll meet us."

The crew followed Paget. Everyone except for Clive and Andrew. Nobody went to the bathroom to free them.

~~

"We're... back." Noah dropped Paul on the floor and put his hands behind his head, sucking in air. He looked around his mother's office, seeing worried and eager faces behind respirator masks. "It might seem... easy... running around Clover Falls... carrying a dude. It's... not." He longed to take his mask off, it was very unpleasant running with one on. But he couldn't yet.

"His mom is... even... heavier." Samantha set Shannon on her feet and leaned against Jessica's desk.

"Dad and Clive?" Noah looked at his mother.

"They're fine." Jessica had almost forgotten about them. "We're leaving them in the bathtub until this is all over."

"Bathtub?" Noah shook his head. "You can tell me later. Everything here good?"

Jessica, Paget, Hailey, Kathy, Adeline, and Eloise all voiced an affirmative.

"You will burn in hell, Noah." Paul stood and hugged his mother tightly. "You will all blaze for this. I am God. I am the Almighty. I... ow." Paul stopped speaking when Samantha painfully flicked his ear with her finger.

"We actually met God. He wasn't you." Samantha frowned. "But he was sort of like you. You know... a jerk."

"What do we do with them now?" Kathy pointed to the Botti's. "Is their mob coming back here? We can't just keep them prisoner."

Paul and Shannon clutched each other and glanced around the room with hateful eyes.

"We lost the mob on the other side of Clover Falls. If they do come back, Paul and his mom will be long gone by the time they get here." Noah herded his prisoners toward Eloise. "On our travels, Sam and I stopped by the Botti's house. Their painting really is gone. They think it was destroyed. But I don't think so. Their magic isn't gone."

"How do you know?" Kathy said.

"Well, his dick is writhing like a sandworm." Samantha wriggled her arm. "I swear the thing has a mind of its own."

"You saw it?" Jessica put a hand to her mask in shock.

"You violated me!" Paul hissed.

"Look, it was no picnic for us either, buddy." Noah shook his head. "We had to check," he answered his mother. "So, there's no painting to destroy. But the magic is going strong. We can't hold onto them, but we can't let them go. We need a prison."

"I see." Eloise nodded, frowning in distaste. "You want me to put them in Palmer Mansion."

"Exactly." Noah nodded. "You and Thomas are the only ones who can bring people in or out." He didn't mention the windows into the worlds of other paintings. They were hidden behind the fireplace, and Noah didn't think Paul would ever learn that secret.

"Except for -" Kathy was quickly cut off.

"There is no other way out." Noah said.

"And after a couple days, the people they brainwashed will go back to normal." Samantha was eager to get on with it. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could start rebuilding her family.

"We're really going to lock them away?" Jessica didn't know what to think. "But this isn't their fault, is it?"

"When we find and destroy their painting, we'll let them out." Noah pushed Paul and Shannon toward Eloise. "They're too dangerous to keep in our world."

"No... wait... Mrs. Reader... Jessica... you can't." Shannon held her son protectively.

Paul said nothing, closing his eyes. His face went slack.

"Sorry." Jessica shrugged.

"You can't... you can't..." Shannon looked from person to person with wide eyes, the vitriol gone.

"We don't have a choice." Noah broke the string around Paul's neck and pulled the rings off him. "We'll give these back to their owners."

"I don't like the thought of them living in the mansion. But you've done much for me, Noah. I suppose it's the least I can do." Eloise placed icy hands on both Bottis and climbed into the painting, pulling them in after her. Shannon's pleading abruptly cut off as she entered the canvas. Paul was silently dragged in right after her.

"Someone open a window." Noah watched the three figures, painted now, as they moved up the garden path to the Victorian mansion. He heard the windows slide open and felt a frigid breeze on his forehead. His house had become a good deal more drafty. Wind whooshed through the door and out the window. He pulled off his mask and breathed deeply. "One down. Lots more to go."

"Let's clean up the messes first, then we can take on the rest of Clover Falls." Samantha stepped up next to him and squeezed his waist. She stared at the painting as the Bottis disappeared into the mansion. "They'll probably be happy there. They have each other."

"Yeah." Noah smiled. "And I have all of you."

~~

None of the congregation returned to the Reader's house. Before freeing her husband and Clive, Jessica hid the painting in the basement as a precaution. The men were confused, and the explanations they received did not satisfy them. Clive called the police, but he wasn't able to get anyone to answer the phone.

"I've had enough, Paget. Let's go. This has been a nightmare." Clive walked into the living room with their suitcases packed. Things were looking a little more orderly in the house, but evidence of the attack was still all around.

"We're not leaving, honey. I have to help my family fix the house." Paget looked at her brother who was using an electric screwdriver to secure plywood over a broken window.

"This is insane. All of this is insane." Clive spent the next half hour trying to talk his fiancée into leaving. When that didn't work, he gave her an ultimatum: either they leave Clover Falls, or he was leaving her. When that didn't work, he left.

Noah joined his sister at the front door, watching Clive drive away. There were still cars strewn all about the curb in front of their house. "I guess we were asking too much of him. Even Mr. Helpful has limits." He put a hand on Paget's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Noah." Paget circled her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.

"It is?" He let his sister hold him, feeling the warmth of her soft curves.

"I was going to leave him anyway... I think." Paget pulled her brother away from the door and swung it closed. It didn't latch, instead banging against the broken frame. They might need to drill some boards over it to keep it closed. She didn't let up on the embrace.

"You were?" Noah said.

"I'm moving back home. I'm going to help you destroy those other paintings." Her hands roamed his lean, strong back, eventually falling to his butt. She grabbed two handfuls.

"You are?" Noah was both mystified and elated. "That's awesome." He kissed her on her freckled cheek. "You'll have to take Eloise's deal. It'll make you strong."

"I don't know... eeiii!" Paget squealed when he tossed her into the air and gracefully caught her. He held her in his arms, pressing his face into her breasts.

"See?" His voice was muffled.

"I'll think about it." Paget laughed. Here she was, freshly dumped by her dream man, whom she had planned on marrying, and she was laughing in her brother's arms. That may have been the most insane thing of all.

Andrew left the house a short time later. He claimed he was having a nervous breakdown. Nobody doubted him. He drove off to stay with his sister one state over until Clover Falls was safe again. Jessica didn't point out that he was leaving his family when they needed his help the most. She didn't feel like arguing. It was simpler that he left. She had the man that mattered to her most. Her sweet son wasn't going anywhere.