Shattered

Chapter 29 Bradley

"Seemed so unnerving that she could hold my heart so tightly and still not see me here."Dave Matthews Band

Bradley could hardly swallow at sight of Mark's body visibly shaking in her arms, his knees pulled tightly to his chest. He was her rock, her strength and she drew courage from him. He was slowly breaking down and there was nothing she could do to provide strength and comfort back to him.

"Phil?" Bradley called, knowing he was the glue that held them all together.

Phil remained speechless, staring through the glass french doors. "I..." he muttered before tugging on his hair.

"Say something," encouraged Brody.

"You want me to point out the obvious? We're sitting ducks surrounded by glass doors in the middle of the mountains!"

Emma began sobbing quietly. Tommy exhaled into the phone, trying to rub her back with his free hand. Bradley looked around the dark room and wondered how it had come to this. The freedom they had felt in the mountains was just an illusion. None of them were safe, not now, not ever. Now, they were isolated in the middle of nowhere, in a place not even the police could get to in a timely manner.

"Mark," Bradley whispered holding his face. His eyes were dark and brooding. "Phil's right, let's all just make a run for it."

Mark suddenly rocked back on his feet, standing in an instant, wiping his eyes as he now towered over Bradley. "Okay," he agreed. He didn't offer a plan, but Bradley knew his focus was back and that was a huge relief.

"What's the plan, just walk straight out the front door?" Emma asked, her voice quivering.

"No," snapped Phil. "We make a run for it. We cause chaos."

"No offense," Brody snapped, "But the element of surprise really isn't on our side when they can see our plan coming together."

Brody had a right to be snarky, the picturesque windows gave the outside world a perfect view. Whoever was out there would be waiting for them before they even made it outside. Bradley shuddered and suddenly didn't want to follow the lead.

"What's wrong?" asked Mark.

"I don't think I can go out there..." her voice trailed off.

"Why not?" asked Brody.

"I'm with Bradley," agreed Emma. "We don't know who's out there."

"Or how many of them there are," echoed Tommy.

Mark wrapped his arms around Bradley and pulled her to the kitchen. "Mark, whoever is out there killed your sister," she spoke softly. He slowly opened her hand with his and wrapped the car keys in her palm. "No," she pleaded. His eyes were dark and he blinked away his tears several times before wiping the falling tears away from her eyes. "Please don't..."

"I won't leave you," he promised. "But I need you to leave me, if it comes down to that. I need to make sure you're safe."

"Mark," she swallowed.

A loud crash interrupted them. The french doors shattered, sending glass flying into the room. Mark was on top of Bradley in an instant, his strong frame protecting her from the evil pursuing them. She could feel his heart pounding through his chest against hers.

"Are you okay?" he whispered running his hands along her face, checking every inch. Cassie tried to nudge her way between Bradley and Mark.

"Cassie bear," whispered Bradley. "We're safe," she promised feeling the dog shake nervously.

"I've had it," spat Brody standing up from behind the couch.

"Brody, no," begged Phil grabbing his arm.

Brody exhaled and gave Phil a quick hug. "I'll distract them until you guys get out of here. I'll be right behind you, I promise."

"No," Bradley scrambled to her feet. "We're six strong! We stay together!" Mark grabbed her waist from behind pulling her in tight. She struggled to break free. "Brody, please don't go out there!"

Tommy handed Emma the cell phone and walked over to Brody to pick up the baseball bat from the glass covered floor.

"No!" screamed Emma as Tommy and Brody disappeared through the broken door. Phil quickly grabbed Emma and covered her mouth.

"Let's go," whispered Phil, dragging Emma behind him.

Bradley motioned for Cassie to follow but Cassie stood in the middle of the room curiously looking between Bradley and the broken glass door. Bradley's eyes widened suddenly realizing what her furry best friend was about to do.

"Cassie, NO!"

Cassie looked at her apologetically and then bolted after Brody and Tommy. Mark's arms tightened around Bradley as she tried to go after Cassie.

"You can't," he hissed into the back of her neck. "She'll be fine. You on the other hand need to get the hell out of here."

"But..." sobbed Bradley... "I can't lose her."

"And, I can't lose you," threatened Mark.

"What?" dizziness set in.

"Bradley, the blood is draining from your face. Say something, what's happening?"

"This isn't just a game," she muttered, the realization of the situation was overwhelming and disorienting. "They're not trying to scare us, they're trying to kill us." She slid to her knees and grabbed the wood floor for support.

"Snap the fuck out of it," commanded Phil. "You can have your meltdown when we get to a hotel."

"I'm sorry, Bradley," Mark mumbled before lifting her over his shoulder.