Infamy

The Longest Hour

"C...C...C..." Ryan stuttered as he stared, with his tear stained face, at his terror-struck wife.

Carrie couldn't muster any words, she held her hands over her mouth as she shook with shock. Ryan crawled over to her, when he got close, he reached out his right hand to place on her shoulder.

At the sight of the blood stained hand approaching, Carrie screamed and smacked his hand away, "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

Carrie pressed her hands against the sides of her head. Ryan was frozen, his hand stood still after being smacked away. He stared in desperation.

"C...C...Carrie..." Ryan uttered shakily and despairingly. Carrie looked over at Cole and back at Ryan with tears welled up in her eyes, she shook her head and looked at the ground as she weeped.

"I...I..." Ryan whimpered, he pointed at Cole and continued, "Cole...he...I..."

"I DON'T WANT EXCUSES!" Carrie shouted as she closed her eyes, then she began weeping again, "Why...Why is this...happening?"

"Carrie...I can't...I..." Ryan muttered with desperation, "Please...I had to..."

"YOU HAD TO MUTILATE HIM!?" Carrie screamed, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"Carrie...he...he..." Ryan fumbled, "he...he dared me to..."

"AND YOU LISTENED!?" Carrie pleaded with red eyes, "THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS!"

Ryan looked at the ground, his eyes continuously twitched, looking all over the floor.

"Why...did you listen to him..." Carrie whispered with hurt.

"He...he egged me on..." Ryan stated with shame, then he looked up, "Carrie...he...he..."

"He what? Ryan." Carrie responded sternly, "please tell me, it better be good..."

Ryan weakly stood up and then began running towards Carrie, who flinched in response, until she realized he ran right by her and out the shed.

"Where...are you..." Carrie sniffed.

Ryan tripped and wiped out into the leaves and dirt. He grabbed a handful of dirt and punched the ground as he squeezed out the last of his tears in the light of the moon. Carrie slowly peeked out the door, with realization how hurt he was.

"He beat me Carrie..." Ryan gasped for breath, his voice feeble, "...He beat me..."

Carrie stared at her destroyed husband, he was broken, possibly beyond repair. She held one hand over her heart, took a deep breath.

"Fix yourself..." Carrie muttered as she looked away.

Ryan turned his head to look at her and responded in confusion, "What?"

"I said, FIX YOURSELF DAMMIT," Carrie hollered, "HE MAY HAVE YOU NOW, BUT YOU CAN STILL WIN!"

"How..." Ryan mumbled with a frown.

Carrie's expression turned stone, "If you show him that you can recover...that you are tougher than that...he will lose..."

"Carrie," Ryan pleaded with quivering lips, "I can't recover...this is too much...it's too much for me..."

"THAN DON'T DO IT FOR YOURSELF!" Carrie demanded as she stood up and walked over to Ryan, her legs were shaking but she was trying to make them firm, "DO IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE, DO IT FOR ME!"

"But you know who I really am..." Ryan whispered hopelessly, "You have seen the dark side of me...more than once...and now worse than ever...I'm a monster..."