Chapter 15 - Well, shotguns hurt like sh-

Caleb stood there, his face a mix between surprise and embarrassment, not aware of what he had interrupted.

Carson was the first to react, moving away from Bradley, her eyes already clear of any tears. It simply look as if she'd just woken up from a nap.

"Hey Caleb," she said, her usual confidence lacing her tone.

Bradley just sat there, looking at her. It was as if their talk had never happened.

"Hey man," he said. "Where's everybody at?"

Caleb glanced back at the door, then back at his brother and Carson.

"It's just us," the younger boy replied. A sad look washed over his features as he nodded towards the door.

The other two got the message, getting up from the bed and following him out.

One the three of them were in the main room, sitting by the fire and wrapped in blankets, Caleb spoke again.

"Dad's been gone all day."

"Where'd he go?" Bradley asked, speaking both his and Carson's thoughts.

"I don't know," Caleb responded with a sigh.

Carson furrowed her eyebrows, darkness passing over her. Elliot never disappeared without some sort of warning.

"Did he leave a note? Or anything that could let us know where he is?" The girl asked.

Caleb shook his head, a concerned look on his face. "He's ok, right?"

Bradley was the one to answer this time.

"No."

Just then, the sound of a shotgun being fired filled the air, ringing in the trio's ears as the all snapped their heads in the direction of the door

Caleb didn't hesitate before running towards the door.

"Caleb, wait!" Carson yelled, throwing her blanket off and making her way towards the door, not waiting for Bradley to catch up.

After about a minute of running and shouting after Caleb, Carson finally came to a stop as she saw a figure leaning over something.

"Come here!" Elliot said, waving the two over. "Caleb! Carson! Come here!"

Carson started making her way towards Caleb, walking next to him as they neared Elliot and the dead deer.

"This thing could feed us for weeks!" Elliot exclaimed as they got closer to him. "Here," he said, "just hold that. hold that." He leaned one of the deer's legs towards Carson and she held it before Caleb could, already knowing what was coming.

"Close your eyes, this isn't something you want to see," she whispered to him so Elliot couldn't hear.

Caleb did as he was told, shutting his eyes and turning his head away from something that would probably have scarred him for life.

Carson tried not to look as Elliot cut the deer open, sticking his hands through the wound and ripping out its bloody insides.

Caleb gagged at the smell, but Carson simply did what she'd always done. She held her breath, slowing her heartbeat. She'd learned to hold her breath for about three minutes, a skill she had learned by going through the same process Elliot was going through plenty of times, but also while hiding in the closet of her old home, knowing her father would hear her if she did so much as let a small breath pass her trembling lips.

The memory brought shivers down her spine, though part of those might have been since she was wearing her hoodie instead of her coat, but she simply kept staring at the snow, holding the air in her lungs until she heard footsteps breaking the snow near them.

Elliot was up in an instant and Carson dropped the deer's leg, taking Caleb's arm and pushing him behind her, not a singly protest coming from the boy.

Carson relaxed a little as she saw it was Luke, but she was still tense. He was still a stranger, and, judging by the way he was stalking towards the group, he was angry.

"Richard," he said as he neared them, "where is he?"

"I don't know what you're saying," Elliot replied, starting to walk away from the kids.

"He's not at the truck," Luke said, sounding genuinely worried for his friend. "He should be back."

Carson and Caleb exchanged a glance before their eyes landed back on the scene in front of them.

"Hey."

The voice made Carson jump, a slap making its way towards Bradley's face as a reflex, but he stopped it, blocking Carson's hand with his forearm.

"Jesus Brad," the girl said, turning back towards Elliot and Luke.

"What's going on?" Bradley asked, but Carson and Caleb just shrugged, neither tearing their gazes from the men.

"Go back inside of the house," Elliot said, gesturing towards the direction with his hand.

Luke turned towards the kids, looking specifically at Caleb.

"Is he at the cabin?" He asked, his eyes filled mostly with anger and frustration, but also with the tiniest bit of hope.

Caleb, who was looking as scared as a puppy about to get beaten, shook his head, not looking away from the man.

"You do something to him?" Luke asked, looking back at Elliot, the only emotion lacing his tone being anger.

When Elliot didn't answer, Luke added; "My English, you don't understand?"

"Go inside," Elliot said, holding his rifle in front of him and shoving the kids behind his body. "Everything's fine, just go back to the house."

"No," Luke said, "you're coming with me." He looked at Carson then, a pleading look in his eyes.

The girl suddenly realized that they would probably be safer with a stranger than they would be with Elliot right then. Luke may have been trying to find out what had happened to his friend, but, maybe even subconsciously, he wanted to help those kids.

"They're not gonna come with you, you're outta your fucking mind!" Elliot replied.

Switching the roles around much?  Carson thought. She felt a squeeze on her hand and realized it was Bradley's as she glanced at him for a moment before squeezing back. She hadn't even realized they'd been holding hands up until now.

Luke then turned to Bradley, speaking to him in a language Carson could only assume was French, as the only word she actually knew how to say in the foreign tongue was baguette.

Bradley frantically replied and the man spoke back with even more urgency than before.

Before Bradley could reply again, though, Elliot turned the shotgun in his hands and slammed the butt of it into Luke's skull, a loud crack  filling the air around them.

Carson gasped, backing into the tree behind her, but she regained control quickly, her body moving on its own as she let go of Bradley's hand and immediately made her way towards Luke's body.

"Carson," Bradley tried to say, but she was already next to Elliot, attempting to grab his arm as he sent punches Luke's way.

"Dad, you–" Caleb's voice was cut off by Elliot punching Luke again. When he went in for the third punch, though, Carson was able to grab his arm stopping the impact.

"Elliot, stop!"

Elliot looked at her for a second, a look of insanity in his eyes, before taking the shotgun again and slamming it into the girl's stomach, sending her sprawling into the snow as she coughed.

"Dad!" Bradley yelled, already heading towards Carson, but she held up her hand, stopping him.

"I'm ok," she said, gulping down some air. "Jesus, shotguns hurt like sh–"

"Stop, dad," Caleb said next, realizing what his father was about to do.

At least I didn't eat anything this morning, Carson thought as she got back to her feet, holding her now probably bruised stomach. She looked at Elliot, who was now holding the rifle in normal position, taking the safety off.

"Luke, run!" Bradley yelled.

"Dad, don't shoot!" Caleb reached out, grabbing his father's arm as Elliot took his aim.

"Get off, get off!" Elliot yelled, trying to pry Caleb off himself.

"Dad, stop!" Bradley yelled again.

"Luke go!" Carson was next, copying her earlier actions and taking Elliot's arm along with Caleb.

Elliot pulled the trigger, luckily missing his aim by a few inches, hitting a tree rather than Luke's arm.

It was quiet for a moment. Carson was clutching her stomach with one hand and grabbing Caleb's arm with the other, getting him away from the crazed man that was once his father.

"Get back to the house," Elliot muttered, his eyes not leaving the place in which Luke had disappeared behind the trees.

When he didn't hear them moving, he tried again, this time his voice much louder.

"Now!"

"Come on!" Bradley yelled, grabbing Carson's hand and heading towards the cabin. "Caleb, come on!"

The three ran back to the house, Carson shutting the front door behind her before she reached the two brothers in their room.

"Do you think he's ok?" Caleb asked, his back pressed against the wall as he tried catching his breath.

Bradley didn't reply, instead he and Carson shared a look, agreeing to not tell the younger boy that his father was slowly going insane.

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ayeeeee another update ARE YOU PROUD OF ME?!