Backwards Into Hell

Part Two: The LFG

Jake's Diary

Friday 29th October

It wasn't until nine o'clock that David reappeared with Caleb in his arms. We watched as he entered and Lily's leg brushed against mine. We'd moved to sit next to each other during the card games, and feeling her there was a comfort.

Silently, David strapped Caleb back into the high chair, and before darting to the kitchen, paused to make an announcement.

'I'm leaving in the morning,' is all he said, not making eye contact.

That meant I didn't have to kill him—not tonight, anyway. I jumped to follow him as he pulled a few plates from the cupboard for a cold dinner—I guessed Caleb still hadn't eaten as I leaned against a counter.

'Are you sure about this?' I asked.

I didn't really need to try, but it was exciting to see if David could be convinced not to leave.

'You won't trick me into staying. Don't even bother.' David neglected to look up as he searched for something to eat.

'Can we at least eat tea together?' I asked as my stomach growled. None of us had eaten many sandwiches after the fight.

David paused, hand resting on the top of a cupboard.

Eventually, he nodded. 'It's not like I can cook much for myself, anyway.'

I chuckled.

'Me neither.'

And so, after informing Lottie and Lily, we cracked open the last cans of soup.

'We should raid one of the shops in Castlebay tomorrow,' Lily said, blowing on her spoon to cool it down.

She'd chosen tomato soup—my favourite.

I agreed, despite knowing that by tomorrow, food would be the last thing on everyone's mind.

Caleb picked at his meal. He'd been left with a bowl of questionable-looking leek and potato and David, credit to him, did his best to perk him up.

'It's not so bad, see?'

He took a spoonful of his own but still, Caleb refused to eat. David hoisted him from his chair.

'Tell you what,' he said. 'I've got some chocolate in my bag. I'll let you have some once you've finished.'

Caleb squealed with delight and banged his fists against David's chest. It was a display that would normally provoke a scolding, but that night, David didn't care.

Lottie set down her spoon. 'You'd better watch him. My Jane could open and eat a whole bar in thirty seconds when she was his age.'

Lily and I laughed politely as David frowned. As our laughs died out, a noise came from the lobby: a sharp bang against glass.

We froze.

I glanced around the table as my stomach dropped. 'You heard that, right?'

'Just a tree on the window,' David explained, nonchalant.

Lily's hand was on my knee. 'There aren't any trees out front.'

David sighed.

Scaredy cats.

'Fine. I'll go check.'

He stood from the table like an old man and shot me a final glance. It felt like I should go with him, but the fear tied me to the chair. I'd got this far by controlling everything and everyone, but now there were too many moving parts and The Old Man was getting more erratic by the minute. It was too dangerous.

Lily managed to stand, however, and quickly shifted Caleb to hide in the toilets before coming to stand in the doorway.

Lottie took a final mouthful of her soup with a trembling hand. She gripped her spoon harder, trying to hide it.

What if it's Darren?

I didn't think it was. It couldn't be.

Chances are, it was just The Old Man playing a few final tricks. It didn't matter, I thought as I watched Lily's face, strewn with emotion.

Everything should be smooth sailing from here.

David made his way through the room, checking the windows were jammed shut and the door was still locked.

It was at that point I managed to leave my chair, bravado returning, and shifted past Lily into the lobby.

'Everything alright?' I asked.

'Fine,' David said, examining the last lock. 'I think we just imagined it.'

Lily and I stood next to each other, shoulders almost touching as David finished his checks. She breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, it had really felt like we were in danger.

I was about to return to the table when David, looking behind us, froze.

A click sounded. The click of a gun being cocked.

The time it took me to turn my head felt like a millennium.

Darren was back. He stood between the kitchen and dining room with messy hair, torn clothes, and a muddy face.

He wouldn't shoot me, would he?

I moved to stand behind Lily. She was the only clear innocent in all this. The only one I was certain Darren wouldn't target.

What happened next wasn't my fault.

Darren raised the pistol to head height, and David slipped backwards, deeper into the lobby, thoughts focused on finding a weapon.

'You... you told me I could get out of here.' His hand shook, and my stomach twisted. 'You were lying. Because I've been talking to the person who can help me.'

I did my best to look clueless, but this was bad. Darren had figured it out but the timing wasn't right.

I didn't want to die. I couldn't. I wasn't done.

'Darren, please...' Lily said gently, raising her hands and taking a delicate step towards him.

I, meanwhile, distanced myself further from the gun.

It'll be fine, I told myself, repeating it over and over again like a mantra.

He won't shoot her.

As long as I'm behind her, I'm fine.

How did Darren know it was me? Had he seen my figure the night I released him and realised who it belonged to? I was the skinniest, after all, and he'd been suspicious of me for a while.

Or had The Old Man told him?

At that moment, I sensed David from the corner of my eye, running for the dining room door. The idiot was trying to be a hero.

The Lodge echoed with his steps as he crashed forward, giant book in hand like a makeshift club. Darren turned, but he was too late.

David shoved Darren to the floor, and they collided.

I ducked, not knowing what would come next as the gun fired.