The Burn Our Houses Down Series: Painted Red (#3)

Chapter 4

        The bullet misses and hits a tree behind me. I let out the breath I held when I heard the gun fire. My balance is thrown off, but I manage to stay on my feet. 

        “The second one is a kill shot,” the soldier says.

        I nod my head once and let my hands fall to my sides. The forest is quiet. It feels like the whole world’s watching this moment. I turn back once more to see the barrels of rifles pointed at me from all the soldiers at the front doors. I know now for certain that I’m not getting in there.

        The snow makes a soft swish with each step I take towards the hotel. I want to be happy that Hayley is alive, but I can’t. I won’t. This world that we live in— the one I thought was such a beautiful and delicate thing—is breaking and crumbling. It’s clear to me now that not even family exists. 

        If I had a gun, I wouldn’t think twice about implanting a bullet in my brain. 

        I feel my chest constrict. My knees buckle, and I collapse into the snow. “God dammit, Hayley,” I say. My voice echoes through the trees. “I did this for you. You would’ve died. Why can’t they see that?”

        Shouting comes from somewhere in the forest. I grab the sides of my head and rock forward and backward on my knees. I’d do anything to get this pain in my chest to subside. The shouting gets louder. I can hear branches breaking and slushy footsteps making their way towards me.

        I don’t care if I’m found by them anymore. What could they do that’s worse than losing the only two people you have left? I pull my head up from my hands and push myself up until I’m standing. 

        “Look what we found!”

        “Oh man, Earl is gonna be stoked.”

        I clench my fists and glare at them all. These monsters are the reason Hayley, Aisley, and I were separated. I reach behind me and tighten my grip on my knife handle. 

        “What are planning on doing with that?” I hear the familiar click of a shotgun cocking. 

        “I was gonna slit homeboy’s throat over there,” I say. “But I guess you caught me.”

        He shoves me down to my knees and rips my knife from my belt loop. “You’re lucky Earl wants you alive otherwise I’d rip your throat out with my teeth,” he says into my ear.

        I laugh and feel the anger flood through me again. If there’s anything that’s going to give me purpose until I can figure a way to get Hayley and Aisley back, anger is it. 

        “What the hell are you laughing at?” one of them says. “We’re the ones with the guns? And what do you have?”

        I look up at the one who spoke and smirk. “Nothing,” I say. “I’ve got nothing.” I laugh and fold my hands behind my head. “Are you taking me to your master or what?”

        “I think this guy lost it,” the third one says. “Can’t we just kill him now?”

        “Shut up man,” the other one behind me says. “Earl wants him alive.”

        I feel a rush of pain and then sink into a world of darkness.

*   *   *

        The smell of burnt flesh fills my nostrils. I think for a second it may be me, but I don’t feel any pain. My arms are tied to a hook in the ceiling above my head. My toes barely graze the floor. Across from me are rows of bodies. Some are skinned completely with bloodied ropes tightened around their tendons and bones.