Rats: Shai's Story

The Butcher

Author's Note: Please comment and vote. I really want to know what you guys think of this story

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After leaving Mikko's house Brodhi ran home. He hadn't expected his brother to really go along with Shai's plan. He had to let all of the tension in his body go and running was to release it. He also wanted to be home as quickly as he possibly could be. He wanted to be in his familiar house with his mother and Lynn.

The cold trickle of sweat running down his back felt refreshing in the sweltering heat. He cursed Mikko for living so far away from the City as his feet pounded against the ground.

When his house came into view, Brodhi started to push himself even harder. His knees ached and his lungs started to burn. He flew up the stairs and ran into his house.

"Brodhi!" he heard Lynn scream as the door closed behind him. Her voice came from upstairs and he ran up. His mind started to spin. He suspected that Lynn may have gone into labour. She still had a few more weeks, but it was still a possibility.

"What's wrong?" he shouted as he came to their room. He looked in and saw that it was empty.

"Come quick!" she heard her scream again.

He ran down the hallway checking every room quickly as he passed them. He finally saw her in the bathroom. She was on her hands and knees and her belly was blocking his view. He ran over and got down on his knees to see that Darla was lying on the ground.

His mother's body was lied down on the cracked tiles of the cold bathroom floor. Blood was trickling down her chin and neck with a mixture of saliva. Lynn was sobbing heavily beside him. Her red curls matched the colour ringed around her eyes and they stuck to her face with tears. Brodhi reached down and pressed his fingers up against her neck looking for a pulse. He felt nothing; only the tears that had begun to run down his cheek.

"It was awful," Lynn sobbed. "I came into the bathroom and she was on the floor. Her body was jerkin' and I couldn't stop it. Spit was foamin' out of her mouth. It was disgusting."

Brodhi threw his arm around Lynn and she pushed her face into his neck so she didn't have to look at her body anymore. Brodhi began to cry too. He knew he should go back to Mikko's and tell Jasper, but he had made his decision. He preferred to go with Shai and her ridiculous plan instead of taking care of his mother. To him, Shai was more important. If Brodhi didn't have to take them to Mikko's he would have been here. He could have spent those last moments with his mother. He may have even been able to save her life. He defiantly could have saved Lynn from seeing Darla like that.

He slowly got up off the ground and pulled Lynn up with him. Her face was still pressed into his neck; her tears were moistening his shirt. Shuffling his feet slowly, he guided Lynn out of the bathroom and down the hall to their room. He pulled her curls away and she pulled her face out of his neck.

"Go back to sleep," he told her. "I'll take care of the kids today. Don't go into the bathroom or let any of the kids in."

"I can't sleep, Brodhi," she sobbed. "I know she is in the bathroom like that."

"Just lie down for now. You need rest."

Lynn just nodded her head and lied down on their bed. Brodhi threw the blankets over Lynn and kissed her forehead. He hurried down the stairs when he heard someone knocking on the door. The kids started to arrive and when they asked about Darla, Brodhi told them she was upstairs resting.