The Dark Hunters

Chapter 30

Odeya POV

I lie in bed. Alone. Thinking.
I open my eyes.
It's still light out.
I lay there for about ten minutes. Then my phone beeps.

My heart says, No, don't do it. But my body has other plans. Something causes me to sit up and grab my phone, and turn it on.

It's Kerani. She looks at me with those eyes of hate. "Ready?" She sneers, and moves out of the camera's way. I can't even scream.

There they are. All chained up, bloody, beaten, and tortured.

Kyle's corpse is on the ground, next to Dad.

They are all so beaten. Dad can barely even open one of his eyes, Mom has whip marks all over her arms and legs, and Carly, oh Carly, she has whip marks all over her face. All of them still bleeding.

Kerani walks right up to Dad and slaps him in the face. He winces, but doesn't say anything.

"Thomas." Kerani hisses. "Are you ready to die?"

"No." I whisper.

Dad still doesn't say anything as Kerani takes about ten steps backwards, and pulls out a bow and arrow.

Kerani looks right at me as she knocks the arrow.

A guard puts a blindfold on Dad.
Kerani pulls back the string-
Takes aim-
Releases-
Right into my father's heart.

I drop the phone before I can see the light leave his eyes.

I grab the nearest pillow and scream into it. Cussing and screaming. The feeling of complete utter lost comes rolling back in.

I am beginning to understand the order now. Mom and Carly will be tortured some more, then Mom will be killed. Then Carly.

"Daddy." I whisper. A tear slides down my cheek. But that's all that comes. The tears have gone. I just feel depressed now.

I know what Kerani trying to do. She's trying to get the guilt to destroy me. Make me be like someone I'm not. It's working.

My brother and father are dead. My Mom and Carly will be next.

I shudder with the effort of breathing. I don't want to breathe anymore. I want too......My phone beeps again. I don't even look at it. I just slump forward, with my elbows on my knees, face in my hands.

I hear Kerani's voice again.

My eyes find the clock, and I squint at it to make sure it's right.
According to the clock, it's been two hours since Dad's death.

What? That can't be right. Dad just died, and Braden's not back yet. He said he would be back.

Everything is in a hazy, slow motion.

Has it really been two hours?

I can fully hear Kerani now. "I'm tired of waiting." She says. "I'll just kill them now."

I slowly avert my eyes to the floor, where I dropped my phone. There is my mother and Kerani.

Kerani is forcing a cup between Mom's lips, trying to force her to drink whatever is in the cup.

Kerani wins, and whatever liquid was in the cup, now travels down Mom's throat.

The ropes that keeps Mom's hands above her head, releases, and Mom slumps to the ground, writhing, and spasming.  She screams in pain.

I can't take my horrified eyes off the screen.

Mommy's eyes roll into the back of her head, and she stops.