Wait to start the song. Savour this chapter. It's the last one you get.

Neither of Josh's grandparents said a word as they watched their grandchildren eat breakfast. It had to be interesting to watch given that none of them had ever had pancakes before, Josh hadn't eaten in two days, Ash couldn't use a knife, and Abby still had goat blood in her hair. Their mother remained quiet as well, but that was out of habit.

When they'd all finished eating, the kids went to the sink, silently helping each other wash their dishes. That was habit too. Their father had never approved of messiness. They'd been cleaning up after themselves since they were toddlers.

"I can get the dishes," their grandmother suggested.

"Let them," their mother said quietly when they all froze, unsure of what to do. Would they be punished? Was this wrong? Their mother looked to her parents. "If they're going to stay sane here, they'll need to adjust more slowly. They're used to cleaning up after themselves. Otherwise they expect punishment."

"Punishment?" Their grandfather asked. His voice was deep and harsh, making Josh afraid to be near him. It was illogical, but Josh was afraid he'd wind up being like Titus or his father.

Their mother nodded. "Yes. Their father was...strict."

"He'd never hurt them though, would he?" Their grandmother asked worriedly.

Their mother didn't respond, instead looking to Josh as he lifted Abigail onto the counter so she could reach to wash her plate. "Joshua, I need to check your stitches please."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied quietly as he walked over to her, pulling his sleeve up self-consciously and holding his arm out for his mother to inspect.

He heard his grandparents gasp when they saw the countless scars from bloodletting, punishments, and rituals marring his arm. "Oh my Lord," their grandmother gasped out.

The scars weren't the worst part. Josh's stitches hadn't fared too well during their exodus from the community. Three were torn and the skin around the cut was swollen and inflamed. Even his mother looked surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me it was infected?" She asked him, looking concerned.

He shrugged. "We had bigger problems. It's okay. I've had worse."

As soon as he saw the pain flash in his mother's eyes, he regretted the words. Her own regret was apparent as she pushed her hair back off of her face and sighed.

"We'll have to take these ones out and restitch it. I'll throw something together for the infection too, okay?" She told him softly.

He nodded, afraid that if he spoke he'd say the wrong thing. He flinched in fear when his grandfather spoke suddenly.

"What are those letters for?" He asked Josh. "You and your mother both have them."

Fear paralysed Josh, keeping him from responding. He kept his eyes down like his father had trained him to do in the presence of elders. Silence filled the kitchen as he tried to force the words out, but failed. Luckily, Ash came to his rescue.

"We don't use wedding rings. Instead we do scarification of our spouse's first and last initials," she explained quietly.

"Ash has them too," Jordan added. "Her husband sucked though, so he's dead."

Abigail nodded. "Our dad killed him because he tried to kill Bubba. It's okay though. He was probably gonna die soon anyways because he was old."

Ash glared at her siblings. Despite her hatred of Titus, she had still been conditioned to protect him. With his initials on her arm and their child sleeping upstairs, Ash would forever belong to him, even if only in memory.

Their grandfather nodded slowly while their grandmother put her hand over her heart in shock. He looked to Josh again. "So why do you have four letters then?"

Again, Josh's throat felt as if it was swollen shut. No words could escape as anxiety clipped his vocal cords. His mother pulled his sleeve down gently, careful not to harm his wound as she spoke.

"Joshua had two spouses, but he snuck both of them out of the community so they wouldn't be trapped there anymore. He was very brave," she informed her parents. There was a twinkle of pride in her eyes that made Josh smile slightly.

"I miss them," Abigail sighed. "Especially Tyler. He always let me tell him stories and take naps in your bed. Ashley was nice too. She was just scared a lot."

"So a husband and a wife then?" Their grandfather asked.

Josh nodded, walking back over to his siblings. "Yes, sir," he said quietly.

"At the same time?" He continued.

"Yes, sir."

His grandfather smiled. "Well I'll be damned. He's a stud with the ladies and the fellas. We must be related."

The response took Josh off guard. Jordan dropped the fork he was cleaning. Their grandmother chuckled. "He's joking. This is just his extremely inappropriate way of telling you that we won't judge you for that."

Josh wasn't really sure what there was to judge about that, but he nodded anyways. This was all so bizarre to him, but he'd have to learn to adjust. There was no going back. The community was gone and The Family was dead. This was his life now.

"Mom, we're late for school," Ash said quietly, pointing to the clock on the stove.

Laura Dun hesitated for a moment before telling them, "I think it would be better for all of you to just be here for a little while. You've been through a lot, and I think we need to work on learning how to function outside of the community."

"What?" Josh asked quietly, anxious confusion fogging his brain.

Their mother sighed. "Joshua, I know this isn't what you want to do, but it's what you need to do. Going back to school directly after something like that happened isn't going to be a good thing. I think if you just take some time off to-"

"What about school? We'll get behind," Jordan interrupted, something he'd never done before.

"We could homeschool them," their grandmother suggested. "That way they won't get behind, but they can still readjust. I homeschooled your brother. I could teach you how."

Josh's heart sank when his mother nodded. The only way he'd be able to see Ashley and Tyler was if he went to school. He couldn't just show up on their doorsteps after everything they'd gone through because of him. They had to meet again in a neutral setting where they had the choice to not talk to him.

He'd hurt them, especially Ashley, and he couldn't show up at the one safe place they still had: home.
They all flinched when Ash's baby began to cry upstairs. She wiped her hands off on a dish towel clumsily before hurrying out of the room. Fear was evident on her face, and Josh didn't blame her. This child didn't know her, but Ash was the only parent she had left. She had to earn her trust.

Abigail reached out for Josh, who lifted her off of the counter. She clung to him when he tried to put her down, so he stood again, holding her close. Her small head rested on his shoulder. She was holding onto him like she was afraid he'd disappear.

"Is Daddy dead?" She asked suddenly.

The room fell silent. Josh swallowed hard before nodding. "Yeah, he's dead."

She remained quiet, not crying or reacting much at all. "Was Daddy a bad person?"

"Yes," their mother replied quietly. "But he loved you a lot."

"He didn't love any of us," Josh replied quietly, which was apparently surprising to everyone in the room. "If he loved us, he would've gotten us out of there. He wouldn't have hurt us or made me hurt Ash or initiated Abigail or let Titus force me to hurt Ashley. He never loved us. He only loved Satan."

Start the song. It's Tomorrow Will Be Kinder by The Secret Sisters.

Josh set Abigail down on the floor despite her protests and left the room. His breathing was uneven and his chest ached. He had never felt so overwhelmed and frustrated in his life. This pain is his chest was quickly becoming unbearable.

How could anyone believe that their father was capable of love? Josh only existed because his father had willingly hurt his mother like he'd been forced to hurt Ashley. His solution to the cops coming was convincing everyone he'd ever known to kill themselves. He'd sold both of his daughters to the highest bidder. That wasn't love. That was evil.

Josh passed the room Ash, Abigail, and the baby were sleeping in. He could hear Ash speaking quietly to the toddler, who was no longer crying. That was love. Love was risking your life for someone else's and doing things you were afraid of because it could save someone else. It was surrendering your own comfort for the sake of someone else's. That being said, they hadn't loved their father either. They'd only feared him.

The door to his and Jordan's room creaked slightly as he closed it. He laid down on their bed, pulling his sleeve back up. The initials scarred into his skin calmed him slightly. He'd told Tyler that he was going to carve them out when they were free, but he could never do that. No matter what, Tyler and Ashley were the first real family he'd ever had. They were the first people he'd loved so much that he was willing to die for them.

His fingertips ghosted across the marks, making tears gather in his eyes. He was glad Pete and Patrick had gotten out together. Relief flooded him whenever he thought about the two of them being able to continue being married in a safer place. Part of Josh wished that had been how things with Tyler had ended. He loved Ashley so much that it hurt, but it was different with Tyler.

Tyler was the only person who could soothe Josh with a simple touch or a single word. He was the only one that Josh had been able to touch softly and learn every millimetre of. Tyler was buried so deep under Josh's skin that he would never survive carving him out. Maybe Josh had saved Tyler from Mathias, but Tyler had saved Josh from everything that had ever threatened him. He'd given Josh a safe place to go when things became too much. For that, Josh would never forget him. No matter what.

Pulling the covers up over his head, Josh closed his eyes. He missed having Tyler sleeping beside him and Ashley stealing all of the covers. He missed Tyler hiding his face against his neck and Ashley holding onto his belt loops as he walked. All of the little things he'd overlooked before felt a million times heavier, crushing his heart painfully. Just like he had been before either of them had been taken, Josh was alone.

Maybe that wasn't a bad thing though. If he was alone, they were safe. Distancing them from him was the best way to keep them safe. Perhaps someday in the future their paths would cross, but Josh wouldn't force it. He was good at being alone. Besides, he needed to focus on learning how to survive out here. He couldn't do that if he was preoccupied with protecting them.

The part of Josh that had been clinging to the hope that Tyler and Ashley would just show up out of the blue released its grip on him. A weight fell off his shoulders as he allowed himself to just be for a moment.

For the first time in Josh's life, he had the opportunity to focus on figuring out who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do with his life. After years of following strict guidelines and being unable to do anything that wasn't commanded of him, he was allowed to explore. Josh had never tasted freedom before, but its bittersweet flavour was something he could definitely get used to.

Well, this story has officially come to a close. There won't be an epilogue for this book. There will, however, be a sequel titled Basic Human Decency that will be posted in the near future. Keep an eye out for it. Thank you for all of your support despite how crazy of an idea this was.
xo-Memily