"To thine own self be true" Yellowstone fanfiction

chapter 23 "keep the wolves away"

1987
Twitty 11, lee 7, beth 4, Jamie 6
6pm

"You have to eat your veggies boys. Don't you wanna be big and strong when you get older?" I smiled at the young boys as I cut up Beth's food. "Like daddy?" Lee questioned. I nodded "just like daddy" lee suddenly shoved his mouth with food. Jamie pouted at his plate "I hate green things" he shoved his dinner plate. "If you don't eat your green food the green monster will come and bite your toes off" I shrugged nonchalantly. His eyes widened. "What!?" He shouted with fear. I nodded "you heard me" quickly Jamie shoveled his food into his mouth. "Twitty!" My mother scowled. I looked up at her. "It worked didn't it?" She shook her head with a smile. "You kids will be the death of me" she took the empty plates from Infront of the boys. "help them to bed would you twitty?" My mother asked sweetly. I agreed. There was a time where my mother was nice and Caring towards me. It wasn't until this night where her hatred began. I stood with my arms crossed as I watched the boys brush their teeth. They spit into the sink then made their way to their beds. "Jamie did you go potty?" I asked. He nodded. "If I find out you pissed the bed I'll be pissed myself"
"I did twitty! I did!" I pulled the blankets over his body. "ooookay I'm taking your word" I kissed his head along with lee's. "Goodnight boys" I shut the door behind me as I hear a crash of glass come from downstairs. I quickly stepped slowly down the stairs peeking through the stairs railing. There I saw my mother standing in shattered glass with her back against the counters in fear, Infront of her stood a masked man holding a gun to her head. My eyes widened as he demanded the worst from my mother. My mother turned around as the man tore up her dress. I quickly ran upstairs to my father's bedroom, beside his bed he kept a rifle. I was taught how to shoot at the age of 5, so it wasn't new to me how to fire. I stumbled quietly down the stairs pointing the rifle between the railings posts. I closed my one eye and fired. My mother screamed in horror as the man's brains splatted all over her and the kitchen. Her eyes were wide her mouth was frozen. She was shaking so bad she couldn't pick up her knife off the counter. My mother jumped at the sounds of gunshots roaring from outside. I knew at my young age we were under attack. My mother scurried through the kitchen drawers then ran to me on the stairs. I stared at the chunky blood on her face and dress. "I want you to take this" she handed me a pistol that was cold to the touch. "grab your brothers and sister and run straight into the woods. Don't stop until you can't hear gunshots anymore you understand me?. Don't let them get hurt! Don't turn back! Go through the back door. I don't need them seeing this mess!" Her hands were shaking. She kissed my head as she quickly ran outside. I made my way upstairs opening my brother's doors. "Come on! Lee grab Jamie! We have to go!" The boys we're already up, they were shaking with confusion. "Hurry!" I yelled. I ran into Beth's bedroom grabbing her as she was half asleep. I put the pistol on my waist band as I scooped up my tiny sister. In a matter of seconds I was able to get my small family out of the house. It sounded like a war zone outside. Gun Fire after gun fire. Even the barn was actually on fire. The kids cried as we ran deep into the woods. We just kept running. We didn't stop. "Come on lee!" I yelled. He was panting with exhaustion. "Just a little farther!" Jamie was sobbing as he said "twitty I'm...I'm scared.." he huffed with tears. I held beth against my chest as we trampled farther into the woods. I noticed we were met by a ravine. I could see it in the moon light. "This is far enough" I sat beth on a rock wrapping her in her blanket. "What is going on?" Lee asked. I kneeled to the ground zipping up Jamie's pj's. "It's just a fire drill. remember when you were in school? They practice fire drills? Well this is another one" I say. I noticed Jamie was wet. I looked at him with sympathy. "Jamie..." Jamie sobbed "I didn't have to go then!" I kissed his head sitting him next to his sister. "It's alright. I'll get you changed once the drill is over" I say as I made lee stand infront of them. "How long is the drill?" Lee asked. I shrugged "it's over when daddy comes to get us"
"Isn't that daddy right now?" I couldn't see where lee had been pointing. All I could see was a mass. It was closer to the ground, not human. We could hear the footsteps getting closer, snapping sticks on the way. I pulled the pistol out of my waist band. I pointed in the direction of the mass. I could hear growls, low grows, low hungry devilish growls. I pulled back the hammer keeping my eye wide open. "..t..twitty.." lee shivered in the dark. "...shh.." I stared at the glowing eyes getting closer. The set of eyes turned into dozens of eyes. A pack of eyes. They were only feet away, I did the first thing I thought to do. I shot one. The animal screamed and yelled in pain. I rang multiple shots at the animal and into the air. The pack of the animals ran off but one had a fighting chance I felt teeth think into my arm. I screamed at the fear of the dog ripping me to shreds. I pounded my fist into the animal I couldn't see. I had dropped my pistol on the way. I screamed in pain as I pried the teeth off my skin. I kicked and kicked it in its head. A gunshot had fired hitting the dog through the head then into my thigh. I screamed and cried in pain. "Lee!! What the...fuck!!" I gasped for air as my small body was freaking out. My sibling where screaming and crying beyond me. I grabbed the pistol from lee holding it out Infront of us for protection. I shoved lee behind me. "A...are you okay!?" Lee sobbed. "Y..yeah! I'm..I'm fine shit them up!" I called out. I kept the gun locked and loaded. I could feel blood pouring down my arm and leg. My heart was pounding. I was in so much pain, I've never felt so much pain before as a young 11 year old. I braced myself as I watched flashlights flashing in the distance. Names were being shouted. "Daddy!?" Jamie shouted. "Shut up Jamie! Shh!" I kept my gun aimed. I was shaking. I was terrified of what kind of man could be trying to kill us. As the flash lights flashes in my eyes I kept my gun aimed high. "... twitty!" My father shouted as he dropped from his horse. He quickly kneeled down Infront of me. "You're safe baby...you're safe..you can put it down" I dropped the gun as I saw my father's face. I was shaking so bad a couldn't hold still. I kept and eye on my siblings as my mother and Lloyd grabbed them. "Baby...hey...honey.. it's okay... they're safe now... they're fine" my father redirected my face to look at him. He took Beth's blanket ripping it in half. He continued wrapping it around my thigh and arm. "I...I..killed a dog" I said with no expression on my face. I was in shock, I stayed in shock for months. My father held me close to him as he rode me back home to the cabin. We would stay in this cabin for months as our kitchen was under construction my father would go on to tell the kids, although I knew the truth. The kitchen was filled with brain and blood. You can't get out blood stains. My father had the doctor patch me up and give me shots. My mother came down into the room after putting her scared children to bed. My father gave her a filthy look an almost an angry look. "She's going to be alright" the doctor says "Bullet grazed right past her" I watched my parents. My father smiled and nodded "thank you doc" my mother shook her head without a word then angrily went going into the kitchen that was still in the same room as I was. "There is a very large check coming for you in the mail doc. thank you" the doctor left. My father stood hunched over the small counter space next to my mother. He shook his head with a sigh. "The fuck were you thinking Evelyn?" My father pushed off the counter looking at her with anger in his eyes. "Are you blaming me for this?" She growled. "You sent our children out in the woods! With nothing but a gun!" She crossed her arms "it was the best choice John! They would've been murdered! Or even-" she looked back at me then leaned into my father with a whisper "or even raped!" My father shook his head "fucking kidding me! So you see what happened to her? She nearly got torn apart by a god damn wolf! Coyote! Maybe even a fucking bear! I would've been her who was killed and then it would've been the rest of them!"

"I'm glad it was her! I'm glad! If it was anyone else I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself!" My mother shouted. My fathers face dropped. "That's your fucking child Evelyn! Your kid! The fuck is wrong with you!" My mother released and evil laugh. It's as if she forgot I was there. "My kid! But not yours!" She shouts with so much anger in her voice. At the time of 11 years old I had no clue what she meant by that. I do now. My fathers face went pale as if all the blood ran out of his ears. "daddy?" I called out shyly. I broke the tension. My father posture softened as he walked quickly to me. "Go to bed baby. You need your rest" he stroked my hair as I leaned back onto the couch. My mother shook her head. "Don't even bother John" she grumbled. My father was angry. Infuriated. He laid a blanket over me before stepping outside with my mother. "Who's" my father asked her. She stayed quiet. "Who's!" He yelled. I listened closely to the muffled voices. I watched it the widow from the couch. "we weren't together. It was before we were married!"
"

Don't make me ask again Evelyn!"
"It was 1975! At a party! We were just starting out! We weren't serous!"
"Who!! Who is he! That little girl has been lied to her whole life!"

"Lloyd" my mother mumbled. All I heard was silence. Cold hard silence. "He doesn't know. Don't tell him. It was before we were even a thing"

"Evelyn I married you because I got you pregnant!"

"It was the best mistake I ever made John! I wouldn't change a fucking thing!" My father shook his head in disbelief "I don't think I can handle to look at you right now. I ain't gonna tell him. I'm not even going to tell her. You're gonna keep your mouth shut about this. She doesn't need anymore damage that you've already caused"
I knew something wasn't right. All my life I realized something was different with me and everyone else. I kinda just thought maybe it was because I was older than my other siblings. Now I know...