Seeing is Believing, Right?

5) Five golden rings

Waking up in a start at the sound of two gunshots, I sat up and frantically looked around. Seeing everyone else looking at the door, I knew I wasn't the only one hearing this.

I watched as mom stood up and went to the door, putting on her jacket in a hasty fashion before Aunt Linda with Krissey in her arms. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked with a waver in her voice.

"To find them. I don't like this." Mom said as she finished putting on her jacket, facing Linda with a frown. "What are you talking about?" Aunt Linda replied, glad she was speaking what I was thinking. "Yeah mom, what do you mean?" I asked.

"Tom and Howard know what they're doing. They're fine." Aunt Linda continued with a hopeful sigh. "Are they?" Mom asked with a skeptical look on her face, not at all convinced in the slightest.

"Mom?" Max and I asked her, I knew she'd try to leave and with how cold it was, she'd freeze to death as soon as she opened the door. "Honey, I'll be right back. I promise. Just lock the door--" Mom was cot off by a loud bang as Dad slammed open the door, carrying a limping and bleeding Howard in his arms.

"Oh, god!" I screamed and jumped back at the sight of blood, scared on what the fuck happened out there. "Max, get the first aid kit!" Dad barked orders. "Sarah, lock the door!"

"Girls! Make some room for your dad!" Aunt Linda said and shooed the girls off the couch, setting Howard down on it and wrapping him up in a blanket. "Get the door! Shut the door!" Dad yelled out again

"Where's Beth? We heard gunshots!" Mom cried out as she looked for her only missing daughter. "I'll explain everything, but right now everybody just needs to stay calm and stay inside!"

"And get away from the windows! Swords, guns, knives, pots, pans! Get whatever you can--" Howard screamed out in pain, still having his shotgun in hand as he lifted his bleeding leg up. Max returned with the first aid and passed it to dad, then running to my side as I hugged him tightly. I didn't know what was happening and I was terrified.

"Howard!" Dad screamed again. "What?" Howard would yell out in pain, glaring at my father on the floor helping the best he could. "Not here." Whispered dad in a growl, seeing the kids and adults all freaked out.

"Jimney Christmas" Sarah said with a gasp. "What happened out there?" She continued as she stood behind Howard, watching how his leg bleed out. "Nothing. It's just a scratch." Howard said meekly, obviously lying.

"Oh, my god. It looks like something bit you." Mom said with her hand over her mouth. "Nope. Probably a bear trap under the snow or something." Howard denied, even if I say it looked like a bite and nothing like a bear trap. I've never seen this type of bite before, it was large and covered his entire calf, much like a shark bite or a really large leach.

"We don't have bears here." Max and I said in sync, something we've been doing often. Sarah looked even more scare as mom and dad gave us a side glare. Aunt Sarah spoke up. "Okay. Um-- kids, why don't you go into the kitchen and get something to eat now, okay?"

"You just don't wanna tell us what's going on here!" I said as Howard bled all over our couch, dad still trying to wrap him up and stitch the wound.

"Everybody into the kitchen right now, Max, okay? Right now." Mom yelled and shoved us out of the room, I growled and went with Max, knowing he needed me badly. "Come on. Let's go. Girls, come on." Sarah said to her daughters.

"Aunt Dorothy, will you keep an eye on them?" Mom asked the large lady who was drinking on the recliner. I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen, munching on some gingerbread men with Max.

"Why me? I never liked kids, even when I was one." Dorothy asked with a exasperated sigh, not wanting to do this. "Please." Mom begged her in a whisper, that was enough to trigger aunt Dorothy.