Status: Updates are sporadic and may occur at whim, but I do try to add chapters regularly.
Silent Nights
Aftermath
“Holy shit,” Drew says. My ears are ringing and his voice sounds muffled. I blink, still not really comprehending what just happened. One minute Sara was telling me to start the truck, and the next she was talking like a hillbilly with these four strangers that just showed up out of the woods. And now those strangers are dead. Holy shit indeed.
I look over at Sara. Her eyes are wide, just staring at the body by her feet. Blood is seeping from the man’s head and slowly getting closer to her boots. The gun is still gripped tightly in her right hand, but her arm is slack at her side. She’s taking slow, shuddering breaths, like she’s trying to calm herself down. If the way her hands are shaking is any indication, it’s not working.
Matt calls my name, grabbing my attention. I have to step around one of the bodies to get to him. I try not to look at it too closely, but it’s hard not to. There’s blood everywhere, seeping from the man’s destroyed face. Pieces of skull are sprayed all over the road behind it, behind all of the bodies. I swallow to keep from gagging and pull my eyes away from the sight. I take the last few steps to Matt and use my pocketknife to cut the zip ties off of his wrists.
“You okay?” he asks. I nod and he pulls me into a hug. He kisses the top of my head- an odd display of public affection for him- and I hold him tighter. After a second, though, he pulls back. He trails his hand down my arm and takes the pocketknife from me before pushing himself to his feet. A moment later I hear the snap as he cuts the ties off Drew. I ignore the body just to my left and stand up.
I hear something hit the blacktop. When I turn, the first thing my eyes are drawn to is Sara’s gun, lying in a puddle of blood. Sara herself is walking toward the median. As I watch, she drops to her knees in the knee-high grass. When she leans over and pukes, it’s all I can do not to follow her lead. I close my eyes tight and try to block out everything around me.
“We need to leave,” Drew says quietly. I’m only too willing to agree. I feel a hand rest on my shoulder and look up at Matt. He takes my arm and leads me around the bodies.
I look over at Sara. Her eyes are wide, just staring at the body by her feet. Blood is seeping from the man’s head and slowly getting closer to her boots. The gun is still gripped tightly in her right hand, but her arm is slack at her side. She’s taking slow, shuddering breaths, like she’s trying to calm herself down. If the way her hands are shaking is any indication, it’s not working.
Matt calls my name, grabbing my attention. I have to step around one of the bodies to get to him. I try not to look at it too closely, but it’s hard not to. There’s blood everywhere, seeping from the man’s destroyed face. Pieces of skull are sprayed all over the road behind it, behind all of the bodies. I swallow to keep from gagging and pull my eyes away from the sight. I take the last few steps to Matt and use my pocketknife to cut the zip ties off of his wrists.
“You okay?” he asks. I nod and he pulls me into a hug. He kisses the top of my head- an odd display of public affection for him- and I hold him tighter. After a second, though, he pulls back. He trails his hand down my arm and takes the pocketknife from me before pushing himself to his feet. A moment later I hear the snap as he cuts the ties off Drew. I ignore the body just to my left and stand up.
I hear something hit the blacktop. When I turn, the first thing my eyes are drawn to is Sara’s gun, lying in a puddle of blood. Sara herself is walking toward the median. As I watch, she drops to her knees in the knee-high grass. When she leans over and pukes, it’s all I can do not to follow her lead. I close my eyes tight and try to block out everything around me.
“We need to leave,” Drew says quietly. I’m only too willing to agree. I feel a hand rest on my shoulder and look up at Matt. He takes my arm and leads me around the bodies.