Words On My Skin

Chapter 24

Author's note: Hope you all had a great day! Try not to body slam someone for a TV, today! LOL Does that even happen, anymore?
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If your father's wavering voice wasn't cause enough to be nervous, his shaking hands sure were. His trembling hand reached out to grab the drink your mother had just poured him - handing you yours, as well - and he threw it back quickly, leaning forward to grab the bottle your mother left on the coffee table to pour himself another.

"I... I was hunting in my deer stand." He began, leaning back to get comfy on the couch and staring into his glass as you and your mother leaned in to listen. "It was... one of the weekends that we let you come up, and I let you fish by the river."

"Alone." Your mother muttered to you, tone laced with disapproving bitterness. "That's why I never wanted you back there, again. You were unsupervised."

"Well, Adira, it fucking bit me in the ass, didn't it?" He snapped at her, throwing back the second drink and setting the glass on the table. "Can I fucking finish my story, or do you not want to know?"

"Carry on." You mother waved him off, dismissively, crossing her legs properly in front of her.

"Anyways," He continued, after a small pause, "Jimmy Stahl... Jimmy heard some screaming echoing through the woods. He was panicking, because he recognized the screams to be yours, and sent George - you knew him as Mr. Chomilo - to come get Frank and I... while he set out to find you." He closed his eyes, and your mother quickly poured him a third drink, placing it in his feeble looking hands. The man looked twice his age, in just a matter of moments."Stahl found you first. You were... you were covered in dirt and blood. Your jacket was missing, your shoe was missing... You looked... you looked like you'd been through hell."

He took a small sip, before staring into his glass - as if reliving a nightmare - as he continued, "As I got closer to you, I could hear you screaming... You sounded so terrified." He gulped, lip wobbling slightly, "I can still hear that scream in my head, nearly twenty years later..."

"What... happened?" You asked, voice thick as you tried your father's tactic of calming down and took a gulp of the bitter, burning liquid - trying not to gag on it. The liquid warmed your belly, but also threatened your gag reflex. "What happened in the woods?"

"I heard a gunshot." He whispered, still loud in the dead silence of the apartment. "The gunshot was... loud. I almost didn't believe it was a gunshot at first... but then I heard you. You sounded... so broken. That scream nearly stopped my heart."

"Oh, god." Your mother's face was pale, her hand covering her mouth in horror as tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh god."

"When I found you... You were standing there... with a gun in your hand."

"I... I..." You gulped, chest painfully squeezing as you tried to process what your father was telling you. "I shot someone?"

"Yes."

No...

God, why couldn't it have been your father that was the murderer. Why did it have to be you? That person probably had a family. That person probably had friends. That person... Oh god. Who was it?! Did you even want to know?

"I'm... Oh my god." You shook your head, standing up and nearly dropping your glass as your palms became slick. Your heart was racing just as fast as your mind, the both of them nearly competing to send you into a panic attack. "I'm a murderer."

"It was self-defense." Your father shook his head, standing as well and placing his glass on the coffee table. "Honey, it looked like... he attacked you... because... he was HYDRA."