Bloodbreeders: The Revenge First Three Chapter

  BLOODBREEDERS:

The Revenge

Bloodbreeders: The Revenge is a work of fiction. Characters, names, place, incidents, organizations are a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

Bloodbreeders: The Revenge

Robin Renee Ray

Copyright Robin Renee Ray 2012

Published by Hellfire Publishing

www.hellfirepublishing.com

All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Digital ISBN: 978-1-937179-94-6

Cover art by: Dara England

※ Dedication ※

With all my heart and soul I dedicate this book to the family members that allowed me to use their first names as characters, Sidney Bruce Slayton, Jacob and Jessie Ray, and both of my dear friends named Tammy. My crew that is as alive to me as they are in the book. But most of all, I am grateful to Dawn Binkley owner of Hellfire Publishing for giving this series a chance to be read and for that reason I dedicate this book and the rest to come to the best company that I am blessed enough to be a part of. And last but not lease, my editor Jen Hart for putting up with all of my mistakes…Many Thanks!

Prologue

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

I once lived as those who did their biddings during the hours of daylight. I had the love of a large family on a modest farm back in a small town in Texas. Parents that I was so close to. I directed my thoughts away from marriage, so I could help raise my five younger siblings. Then he came, my tall dark nightmare. Was he to blame for their deaths? Or was it those who opened their animalistic mouths and laid their fangs to the innocent throats of my family? My maker would have to wait his turn for me to unleash my anger upon him.  There was someone else who was guilty above all others. I would make sure that she paid, even if it meant my own final termination or cost those who have chosen to follow me, with their very lives. Yvette may not have gotten their blood on her hands, but I have heard a great many things, before and after, I escaped her dungeon of torture and perversions. Enough that I felt her death in my palms, like gripping the stems of a rose bush and pulling my tightly closed hand upwards.

I would have my revenge for what was done to my family. I felt the guilt for my part in my beloved family’s demise, and I would walk the night for eternity correcting it. The one thing that I could do was make those who have committed crimes against all who have been unlucky enough to fall prey to the slavers of our kind, pay and pay dearly. I had four young orphans looking up to me as if I had hung the moon, not to mention, two that were waiting for me to save them. I was being asked questions that I had no answers for. Yet, here I sit.

I stared down at the young man that lay dying in my lap and was faced with the most difficult decision that I had ever encountered. In light of recent events, that was saying a lot. During the past few months, my life had consisted of nothing but difficult decisions. I had chosen to accept the love of a stranger. That decision ultimately leading to my death and subsequently, placed me into my new life. I chose to believe that this man had never loved me. That he was using me for some sick and twisted game. A game, in which he would sit back amused as I killed off my family one by one, all being told to me by those who readied a far more sinister plan for my services.

 I had chosen to ignore my maker’s warnings about the others of our kind that walked the land that I had called my home, choosing to take their side over his. I had unknowingly betrayed him as well as myself by going with them to Cuba, to their ‘safe-haven’, only to be led into the depths of hell itself – a slave trading ring, where I was caged like an animal, set loose only when it was time for another beating, rape, or rendezvous with some prestigious ‘client’. I had chosen to risk my life and the lives of those dear to me, by trying to escape one last time, and succeeded. I allowed myself to befriend four young orphans, and return to my home in that small town in Texas; regardless of how much I was afraid of what I might find. Despite all of that, this decision, the one that lay before me now, was proving to be the hardest one to make of all.

Chapter One

As I stared down into Brandon’s lifeless face, it was clear to me which choice I was going to make. Both choices would end in the loss of his life, but only one held the possibility of bringing him back. My only problem was I didn’t really have a clue where to begin. I could remember nothing after Martin fed on me until the time I awoke in my coffin, so I had no way of knowing what he did to finalize my change. Nevertheless, his words kept coming to my mind, “We must take in blood to survive.”

I pulled back my sleeve and bit into my wrist, the same way that I remembered Martin doing the first time that I fed. The blood started to flow immediately. I held my torn flesh to Brandon’s mouth, praying that it wasn’t already too late.

At first, the blood ran out the sides of his mouth, but then I could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. That little sign of life was more than I had expected, and once again my tears started to flow, only this time from joy. “That’s it, Brandon,” I cried past the lump in my throat. “You’re doing great.”

He swallowed a few more times. Within seconds his body was once again completely still, with my blood still running freely down the side of his face. “Brandon?” I whispered, shaking him lightly. “Brandon?” But there was nothing. He was gone, and the only thing that I could do now was, wait.

I lowered his body to the floor, saying a silent prayer. I wrapped my wrist in a piece of cloth, cleaned up the blood as best as I could and headed back upstairs. As I emerged from the basement, the three remaining kids stared at me in wonder, not one saying a word. I walked over to the fireplace and took a seat next to them. Ashley leaned over, resting her head in my lap. I stroked her hair absently. Nobody seemed to notice as the night slipped by in utter silence.

Dawn approached quickly and I knew I needed to get back underground. I asked that the others stay upstairs throughout the day, until I came back up the following night. I didn’t want Derek to see his brother in his stay of death. The sight of one’s dead sibling is not something easily forgotten. I should know.

I made my way downstairs, and lay down next to Brandon’s still body. I kissed him lightly on the head, and whispered, “Come back to me, Brandon.” I then rolled over, not even noticing as my consciousness slipped away.

***

I woke the next night, not remembering what I had done until I moved my arm and felt Brandon’s body lying next to mine. I sprang up, my memory suddenly very clear. I placed my hand on his chest, looking and feeling for any sign of life. But there was absolutely none. His chest was as cold and inanimate as a block of ice. “No!” I screamed. I pounded my fists against the floor, sobbing violently, that’s when I heard a stampede coming down the stairs.

“Renee, what happened?” Derek asked, breathlessly.

“He didn’t wake up.” I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze.

Derek’s eyes widened and he shot toward his brother’s body. “Brandon,” he yelled, bolting forward. Bo grabbed him, swinging around but holding him firm in his arms. Ashley collapsed to the floor, holding her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably. Bo just stood there silently, holding Derek as he mourned for his brother.

“What have I done? I knew better...” I said as I laid my head on Brandon‘s chest.

“Knew better than what?” 

            I opened my eyes to see Brandon looking up at me, pale and confused, but alive. I gasped in delight, and pulled him into my arms.

            “Oh my God, you’re alive,” I yelled, kissing him right smack on the lips. “You scared the hell out of me.” 

            Derek was so distraught that he never heard his brother, or me speaking.

            “Derek,” Bo said, smiling ear to ear as Derek continued to sob against his chest. Bo said his name a little more firmly, “Derek.”

            “What?” he asked obviously perturbed.

            “Look at your brother.”

            “No, I can’t.” He shook his head violently. “He’s dead. I don’t want...”  He was interrupted by a sharp slap from Bo.

            “Look, at your brother.”

Derek very reluctantly turned toward Brandon, who raised his hand to wave. Before he could completely get his hand in the air, Derek dove on him. They rolled around, laughing and crying at the same time. We were all sobbing, only now it was from pure relief.

After a few minutes Brandon told Derek, laughing, “Hey, you’re getting snot on me.”

“Sorry,” Derek replied letting go of him. “You really scared me, Brandon. I thought I would never see you alive again.”  When the sentimental moment had passed, a giddy expression crossed Derek’s face. “Oh, let me see your teeth.”

Brandon put his hand to his mouth, exploring his newest asset in amazement. His eyes widened, as a smile spread across his face. “It really worked,” he said in awe. Then he bared them for the others to see. The room filled with astonished chatter.

 Then as always, Derek started rambling on a mile a minute. “Did it hurt? What did it feel like? Is it...”

“Whoa, slow down little brother,” Brandon said with a snicker. “One thing at a time.”

“Yeah, Brandon needs to feed,” I explained. “It’s the only way he’ll build up his strength.”

“Do you want me to go find something for him?” Bo asked, grinning devilishly, “Oh, no wait. I have a better idea. Who’s next?”

I took a deep breath, letting out a little chuckle, knowing without having to ask, what he was insinuating and turned to Brandon. “How do you feel?” 

“A little weird,” he said. “But, great at the same time.”

“You’ll get used to the weird,” I reassured him. “Do you feel like you’re ready to try and feed?”

“Yeah, I think so,” he shrugged, dusting off his pants.

“Alright then,” I said, turning to face the others. “Bo, I think it would be best if you went next.”

“What?” Derek’s head spun in my direction. “Why Bo? Why not me?”

“Because I need you here with Brandon tonight,” I replied, knowing it was only partially true, I needed Bo to go next. He and Brandon were the largest of the four and I knew they could help me finish up with Ashley and Derek. My body was only used to taking in three or four cups of blood at a time, and after draining Brandon last night, I was already so full I was on the verge of being sick.

            “But...” he started.

            “No ‘buts’, Derek. Please, just let me do this my way, okay?” 

            “Fine, I’ll probably be last as usual,” he sulked.

            “No, you won’t, Derek,” Ashley said. “I want to go last.”

            “Alright, whatever,” he pouted. “Doesn’t matter what I say anyhow.”

            “Brother, I need you tonight,” Brandon reached over, putting his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to see this new world without you by my side.”

            “You really mean that?”

            “Sure, I do,” he said, patting him on the back. “Now, help me up, would ya?” 

 Brandon let Derek help him to his feet, although he and I both knew he could have done it on his own. It was simply another small gesture to make Derek feel better. Once on his feet, Brandon seemed to take on a whole new persona. He bent his head from side to side, cracking his neck and then stared at Bo with a slight tilt to his head. Brandon’s long brown hair hid half his face, but you could see the raw hunger in that one grayish eye that meet the not so easy gaze of, Bo’s.

“So, how do I do this Renee?” he asked, circling around Bo like an animal stalking his prey.

            Bo, who was almost a foot taller than Brandon, followed him suspiciously with his eyes. “Brandon, don’t go getting all crazy,” he said, a hint of fear tainting his voice.

            “Bo, Bo, Bo,” Brandon smiled, walking behind him. “Would I do that to you?”

Before Bo could blink, much less answer, Brandon had leaped on his back and the bloodbreeder in him had taken over. He struck, sinking his fangs into Bo’s carotid artery. Bo grabbed him by the hair, yanking with everything he had trying to throw him off, but Brandon held tight. Bo’s legs began to sway and his skin slowly became an almost bluish in color.

“Brandon, that’s enough,” I placed my hand on his back. “Let him go.” 

            Brandon didn’t listen, his body heaving as he gnawed on Bo’s throat like a wild beast. That’s when Bo collapsed to his knees, with Brandon still holding tight. I grabbed Brandon by the shoulder and pried him off of Bo, throwing him to the side with more force than I meant to use.

            Bo fell onto his backside, blood spraying from the open wound with every beat of his slowing heart. He pressed his hand against his neck, but his life fluid squirted forcefully between his fingers.

            “I’m sorry, Bo,” Brandon said, terrified and uncomprehendingly. “I couldn’t stop. I tried, but I, I...” his voice trailing away, as he tried futilely to clean Bo’s blood off of his face.

Bo didn’t respond. He leaned forward, and struggled to get back on his knees. He looked past Brandon and straight up at me. “Finish it,” he whispered, gurgling through the blood that was now seeping out the sides of his mouth. He closed his eyes as he forced his legs to hold his weight and pushed his upper body off the ground to stand on his knees. Bo leaned his head back, rocking from side to side, blinking through tear filled eyes, waiting for this madness to end.

I walked over and knelt beside him. I pulled his head to one side and did as he asked. I drank. His body relaxed more and more, until eventually his back was on the floor. I pulled away, turning to Derek and Ashley, who were standing behind us aghast at what they had just witnessed.

“Straighten his legs,” I instructed them. As they did, I reopened the wound on my wrist from the night before and put it to Bo’s mouth. “Brandon, take them upstairs while I tend to Bo.”

Bo swallowed weakly a few times, just as Brandon had. He soon took his last breath and I watched the life slip away from yet another set of innocent eyes. When the others were out of sight, I covered Bo’s body. I tried my best to clean up the blood, but the spray had gone everywhere. After a few minutes of wiping up the mess in vain, I went upstairs to join the others.

As I entered the room, I could hear Brandon explaining his experience to the others. When he saw me, he stopped. He got up and walked over to me, with his head a little lower than usual. “Renee, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I really didn’t plan to...”

“It’s okay, Brandon,” I interrupted. “I think we all react a little different to our hunger, and you just reacted by, well, going a little wild.” I smiled to let him know I was sincere and he grinned back. He put his arms around me, and pulled me into a hug.

“You’re my ma now, sorta,” he affirmed very sentimentally. “And I will never leave you.”

“I love you too, Brandon,” I concurred. “I love each and every one of you, but I want us to feel like equals. I don‘t think any of us need to be the boss.”

“But we do need a leader,” Derek piped in. “And you’re tops on our list.”

“I agree,” Ashley said. “Plus, you’re the oldest.”

“Well,” I said, putting my hands up in surrender. “My ma always told me I’d have a brood of my own one day, and now I guess it’s official.” Then I began laughing and they joined in.

“Come on, let’s go out. I don’t want Brandon to waste his first night stuck in this old house. I want to see his face when he experiences the world the way that I do.”

            “I can tell my bodies not the same,” he gestured to his teeth. “But, I don’t even feel like the same person.”

            “You’re not,” I said, patting him on the back. “Come on, let’s go.”

            “Wait. What about Bo?” Ashley asked, as we were getting to our feet.

            “We won’t go far,” I responded. “Besides, he’ll never know we left.”

            As we walked to the front door, we passed the fireplace, igniting a spark in Brandon.

“Holy shit,” he exclaimed. “Look at that fire.”

            The other two jerked their heads toward the fireplace, expecting to see something amazing.

            “What?” Derek asked, perplexed. “It’s just a fire. You sure you’re okay, Brandon?”

            “I’ve never been better,” Brandon smiled, unable to turn away from the blaze. “I can’t believe you don’t see all the colors.”

            Ashley looked at Brandon, one eyebrow raised, then back at the fire. “Looks like wood burning to me,” she said, unimpressed.

            “I think what Brandon means is that everything looks different with his new eyes,” I explained as simply as I could. They would understand in time, but until then, it would be impossible to describe.

            “Yeah, that’s it,” Brandon said. “And I can smell things, too. Like Derek and Ashley. They don’t smell like we do.”  He looked at me, as if for confirmation.

            “You’re right,” I confirmed. “It’s one of the first things that I noticed when I was changed, although I didn’t understand why at first. I think it’s a way to help us identify our own kind from normals.”

            “So, what other things can I do?” he asked with intrigue.

            “Honestly, I’m not really sure about everything that we can do,” I shrugged. “I have ideas, but I’ve never tried them myself, so I don’t know for sure.”

            “Like what?” Derek and Brandon asked in unison.

            “Well, like after Martin fed on me before he changed me,” I began, having to clear my throat, at the thought of him. “He was able to call me to him and he took my voice so I couldn’t speak. That makes me think that when we feed on normals we might be able to control them to some extent.”

            “So,” Brandon said contemplating. “If I was to take a drink from, say, Derek, he would have to do what I say?”

            “Oh, hell no,” Derek frowned, wrapping his hands around his neck to shield it from his brother. “You ain’t using me like no puppet.” He paused, and then added, “Besides, I ain’t no snack for nobody.”

            “Derek, you couldn’t stop me if you wanted too,” Brandon sinisterly smiled, inching toward his brother. “Bo couldn’t.”

            “Maybe not,” Derek retorted, unfazed. “But when Renee turns me, I’ll kick your ass.”

            “Nobody’s going to do anything against your will, Derek,” I said, shooting a warning glance at Brandon.

            “Aw, I’m just joshin’ ya,” he told Derek, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. “But I really wanted to see if it would work though.”

            Ashley looked from Brandon to me and then said, “I’ll let you try it on me, if you want.”  Brandon perked up, as Ashley narrowed her eyes and then quickly added, “Just as long as you don’t make me do something stupid.”

            “Does it work if their willing?” Brandon asked, looking back at me.

            I just shrugged my shoulders. He walked over to Ashley, grinning from ear to ear. She must have looked uneasy, because his smile faded. “You sure?” he asked her. “Because it’s okay if you’re not. I was just curious is all.”

            “I’m sure,” she said, trying to convince herself as much as she was Brandon. “But, be easy, Brandon, okay? You know I hate pain.”

            “I would never hurt you, Ash,” he said. “You know that.”

            “Yeah, I know,” she nodded. “So, how do we do this?”  Then they both turned to me.

            “Just do what comes natural to you, Brandon. Just remember, she’s not, Bo,” I replied with a wink.

            He smiled sheepishly in response, blushing a bit as he did. He raised his hand to her face like a lover would do, and Ashley burst out laughing.

            “What?” Brandon asked, shocked by the outburst.

            “I ain’t your girl, Brandon,” she tried stifling her laugh. “So cut the look, okay?”

            “Sorry, this is just somewhat personal, ya know?”

Ashley turned her head to look at Derek, and when she did, Brandon took hold of the opportunity. He struck fast. Ashley didn’t respond with a cry or a scream, like I had anticipated. Her head fell further to the side, and her eyes closed. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away, licking the blood from his lips.

            “Wow, it’s sweet,” Brandon said. “Almost like sugar or candy, I sure don’t remember Bo tasting like that.”

            “Well,” Ashley slowly opened her eyes. “Did you change your mind or what? Do it, or don’t, doesn’t matter to me.”

            “But...” Brandon looked at me, bewildered.

            “Wait,” I interrupted. “Ashley, how do you feel?”

            “Fine, why?” she replied, looking at me with that same bewilderment.

            I waved her question off with my hand, and called Brandon over to me. “Tell her in your mind to put more wood on the fire.” I whispered in his ear to keep her from hearing me. He did as I asked and closed his eyes in concentration. It wasn’t five seconds later that Ashley was walking over and placing another log into the fireplace.

It was at that moment that I realized how we could make our way back to Cuba. It must have been how they used Capie, I thought. It made me wonder just how guilty he had actually been in all of this. Had I taken the lives of men that were innocent, only doing what they were bound to do, under the influence of my kind? How many more would have to die? But more importantly, how many could we save? I thought, as I watched my first creation into this dark world play a few more games.  I then took him out to explore, leaving the other two behind, even though Derek was begging to go along. After seeing his reaction, and their reaction to his, I knew it would be better if we went alone. I wanted him to get the most out of this experience and not have to be questioned every other second. There would be time for that later. For now, I watched in awe as he discovered his new world and understood for the first time how Martin must have felt watching me.

Chapter Two

The next night when Brandon and I awoke we went over to Bo, while the other two slept. We watched him closely, not saying a word. Before long, his eyes flew open. He looked from me to Brandon, then back to me. “Am I dead?” he muttered. Brandon and I glanced at each other then back at Bo, trying our best not to crack up laughing at his statement.

            “No, sweetie, you’re not,” I softly whispered with a smile.

            “This is strange, Renee,” he said as he sat up, looking about. “I feel really weak. I thought I was supposed to be strong.”

            “Once you feed, Bo, you’ll feel a whole world different,” Brandon told him.

            “And I’m next,” Derek said from behind us. He and Ashley had woken and Derek was already on his feet.

            “Come to him, Derek.” I replied nodding toward Bo.

            “Okay…Sure,” he said, standing completely still.

            “Then you have to move your feet, Hun,” I said.

            He laughed nervously, but slowly began to move closer as Bo rose to his feet.

            “Don’t worry, Derek,” he said. “I won’t do it to you like Brandon did it to me.”  He then turned to look at Brandon, and said glaring, “I owe you one, by the way.” 

            “Whatever.” Brandon shook his head.

            “Close your eyes, kid,” Bo said turning back to Derek.

            “I ain’t no...” but before he could finish, Bo was latched on, and within minutes, it was over.

            Bo was supporting Derek’s body as the strength it had contained slipped away, then slowly lowered him to the floor. As Bo wiped the blood from Derek’s neck, the rest of us knelt down beside him.

            Derek was crying, and with the little strength he had left, he looked up at me. “I’m scared.”

            “I know, babe.” I tried to comfort him. “But if we don’t finish this, you could die.”

            “You’ll be fine, little brother,” Brandon added, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

            Derek looked up at me from the floor, tears running down the sides of his face, and nodded. That night continued on as it had for the others. I fed Derek my blood and then we waited to welcome him to his new family. He woke the next night, and the process began again with Ashley. And as she lay in darkness, the rest of us devised our plan.

            “We need a boat, right?” Bo asked.

            “Yeah, and weapons,” I said. “We can’t fight them one on one. We’re going to have to be quick to kill. Our lives will depend on it.”

            “Bo’s great with blades,” Derek interjected. “He’s showed us all how to use them.”

            “And we know how to get them,” Bo added.

            “Do you mean steal them?” I asked.

            “Not really.” Bo looked over at Brandon. “My dad has collected weapons for as long as I can remember.”

            I knew he hadn’t seen his father in quite some time, and that it was best that way.

            “That would help a lot, Bo, but are you sure you wanna go back there?”

            “He owes me big time,” he nodded firmly. “So yeah, I’ll go back.”

            “Where does he live?” I asked.

            A cunning smile spread across Bo’s face. “Corpus Christi.”

            “Hmm, you don’t say,” I joked. “I guess that means we’re part way there. We’ll leave as soon as Ashley’s been fed.

            “Hey, Renee?” Derek grabbed my arm. “Who’s she going to feed from?”

            “I should have thought about that. Bo, you and Brandon go out and find a goat or lamb.”

            “What about me, why can’t I go?” Derek asked.

            “Because, who else will keep me company?” I replied with me best smile. “I don’t wanna be left all alone.”

            “Oh, I get it. That’s right, y’all go and I’ll stay and protect the women.” Then everyone, including Derek started laughing.

            The next night I had all four of my little ones at my side. We fed Ashley first and then shared the remainder of the goat between the rest of us. After Ashley had a short time to enjoy her new body like the other three had, I decided it was time that we broke things up. They all agreed, so we loaded up and headed for the coast. We drove for hours; the little ones talking about their new world the entire time. I just sit back and enjoyed having them with me.

            “Ain’t nobody gonna push us around anymore,” Brandon said.

            “Yeah, and we don’t have to worry about going back to that damn orphanage either,” Ashley added. “I hated that place.”

            “That’s because we’re a family now. Ain’t that right, Renee?” Derek proclaimed.

            “Sure is babe. And we answer to no one but ourselves.”

            “Hey guy’s, don’t you think we better be looking for a place before the sun comes up?” Bo interjected.

            “You’re right, Bo. Everyone, keep your eyes open for an abandon house or cemetery,” I said as Bo turned down a dirt road.

We drove a few more miles when Derek sat up a little straighter, pressing his face close to the window. “There’s an old house to the right.” He rolled down his window and pointed.

            “Don’t stop, Bo. It doesn’t feel right,” Ashley whispered in a fearful tone.

            “What do you mean, Ashley?” I asked turning to look at her.

            “It’s in my head, Renee. I can see or feel people in that house, bad men.”

            “How can you know that?” I asked.

            “Ashley sometimes sees things. She’s always done it,” Brandon explained.

            “Never once been wrong either…might want to listen to her, Renee,” Derek added.

            “My ma use to tell me stories about folks like you that had special gifts.” I remembered her words as if she had just said them to me. “Bo, pull over by those trees.” Once we had come to a stop I turned back to Ashley. “I need you to try really hard, and tell me what you see inside that house. Can you do that for me?”

            “Sure, I’ll try.”  

            I watched as Ashley closed her eyes and a few seconds later her head fell back against the seat. At first she was completely calm, then out of nowhere her body began to convulse and foam started running from her mouth. I was over the backseat and had her by the shoulders within seconds. As soon as my hands touched her skin, images began flashing through my mind. Three men eating out of cans by a fireplace, and in a form of slow motion my eyes moved across the room until I saw two little girls covered in filth, crying. They were tied together at the wrists, facing one another. “Shut the fuck up, or you’ll end up just like your ma,” came from one of the men.

            All of the sudden my vision flashed to a woman doing the dishes, singing a song. She had no idea that she was being watched from the dark shadows of the night. Then just as fast as that vision came, the next that followed was almost too much to bear. The woman was lying face down in a pool of blood. Her head had been crushed in, she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, and the two children watched in horror the entire time. My eyes flew open and I found that Ashley and I were both screaming.

            The boys were pulling us apart. Brandon had to pin Ashley down in the seat, because she was thrashing about so bad. “They killed her... they killed her,” I heard Ashley crying over and over. I sat there in utter shock at what my mind had just witnessed. My breath came out as if I had run for miles without stopping, and my heart was racing in my chest to the point of exploding.

            “We have to do something, right now,” I said looking up at Bo as he held me against the seat. “Let me go, Bo. I’m fine.” 

            He slowly removed his hands from my arms as if he wasn’t sure, and as soon as he did I took Ashley in mine. “Shhh...it’s ok now, babe. I’m sorry you had to see that, but honey you just saved two little girls lives. Now wipe those beautiful eyes, we have work to do.” She nodded, gave me one final hug and sobbed as quietly as she could under the circumstance. I told the others what I, what we had just witnessed, but before I could let them in on my plan, they were out the door and headed for the house.

            “Shit,” I said out loud. “Ashley, honey, are you going to be okay staying in the car by yourself? I have to go after them.”

            “Yeah, I’ll be fine, just get the girls. Renee, those are really bad men. What they did to the little girls...” She started crying all over again.

            I gave her a quick hug, and a promise that I would do as she asked, but I had to hurry. My boys were pissed and those men could have guns. As soon as my mind thought on the harm the men could cause them, I ran at full speed. I came to a sudden stop at the tree line next to the yard, searching for any sign of my boys. I almost missed them, because they were hidden so well in the shadows. They moved in perfect unison on their stomachs in the grass, making their way up to the back of the house, moving like cats sneaking up on a juicy mouse. I watched in silence until they reached the back door, then I clapped my hands together one time, causing them to freeze in their tracks.

            I held my hand up in a gesture, telling them to wait where they were. I then sprinted across the yard to the front door. I could only hope that they had some idea of what I was doing, and wouldn’t try breaking down the back door before I had a chance to put what little plan I had, into motion. I reached the steps and called out, “Betty, you home? Got them eggs you asked fer.” I slowly made my way up to the door. I was hearing all kinds of movement in the house now, from furniture being shoved around, to shuffling of heavy feet.

            I knocked twice on the door and was about to call out for the second time, when the door swung open. A large man with a half grown, straggly beard and so much filth on his face you couldn’t tell what nationality he was, grabbed me by the throat and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind us. “Looks like we got ourselves another round boys.” The other two started walking closer so I played a little more helpless than I really was. One started to grope at my breast.

            “Wait, please don’t hurt me,” I cried out loud. As soon as the words left my mouth, my boys made their entrance. The man that held my throat was so shocked by the presence of the boys, that he never saw my hand go through his body.

            The man’s hand fell from my throat landing on my arm that now, looked as if it were a deformity attached to his body. His eyes traveled from their gaze at my arm, looking up as if in slow motion to meet mine. Once locked with my glare, they rolled back into his head, as his body slid off my arm and crashed to the floor, leaving me holding parts of his entrails in my hand. I threw the gore to the floor and looked over to the other two men that stood beside me. One went for a weapon he had on his belt, and the other one pulled a gun from the front of his pants.

            My boys were on them so fast that they never had a chance to use them. Little Derek was like a wild animal. He jumped on the back of the man closest to him, pulling his head back at a painful looking angle. He opened his mouth wide revealing his new set of long fangs, and the man began to scream. Derek laughed out loud then bit down on the front of the man’s throat before pulling back, ripping his wind pipe completely out. The man fell to his knees, with Derek still on his back saying, “You should have never hurt that woman. I’m the devil and you’re paying your due.”

            The other man tried to run for the door, but Bo got there first. He pulled his long blade, as the man pointed his gun. Bo brought the blade up in a movement so fast, that I don’t think the man ever saw it move, and only felt his hand when it left his body. He grabbed his wrist and started screaming. “You cut my fucking hand off.”

            “And what did you do to those little girl’s, mother?” Bo asked, raising the blade above his head.

            “No! Wait… Please,” the man cried, raising the only hand that he had left.

            “I bet that’s the very same thing that she said.”

            Bo came down with the blade, slicing the man, starting at the forehead and ending at his mid-stomach. The man blinked, almost as if he thought Bo missed, then he fell forward, pushing Bo’s blade deeper into his body. Bo put a foot on the blood soaked corpse and kicked him backwards, in order to retrieve his blade.

            We three Bo, Derek, and myself stood there covered in blood, looking down at our first kill as a family. “They were really bad men, right Renee?” Derek asked. His face was covered with that man’s blood, and yet he still looked so innocent.

            “They were very bad men,” I replied.  I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about what had just happened, until I looked over and saw the woman on the floor. She was face down, with her legs spread. Her hands were tied behind her back, and nothing covered her body but scrapes and bruises.

             Suddenly Derek started kicking the dead man at his feet. “You sick son-of-a-bitch.”

            “Derek...Derek,” I yelled, but he never answered.

            There was no doubt that he had seen the woman just as I had, just as we all had by now. I walked over to him and pulled him into my arms. “Listen to me. You’re a hero to these little girls, we all are.”

            “You did a great job Derek,” Bo said putting his arms around the two of us. “Hell, boy, I didn’t even know you could move like that.”

            “I don’t really remember too much. I kind of lost it when I saw Renee with that hand on her throat.”

            “Me too, but I saw the woman when we came in,” Bo added.

            “What about them?” Brandon called out.

            He crouched down in front of what I assumed was the little girls. Brandon covered them with a blanket, and was protecting them from seeing even worse carnage than what they had already witnessed as we took care of the men. “Sorry I didn’t help with that,” he said as he pointed. “But, they’ve seen enough.” Brandon was the true heart of our little group

            “I’m really glad you thought about them, and you’re right they’ve seen way too much,” I replied.

            “Want me to take them in the other room? I’ll untie them in there. I’m good with kids,” Brandon asked looking up at me.

            “You have a good head on your shoulders. Thanks for being the responsible one.” I smiled down at him, grateful that at least one of us had thought of the children.

            “No problem, I’m used to it,” he replied with a small smile of his own.

            I don’t think Brandon or myself wanted the girls to see the three of us covered in blood. So he took the girls in the next room and closed the door. The three of us looked at the bodies and started the task at hand. I told the boys that I would take care of the woman once we had finished removing the bodies of the men.

            “Why don’t we just put all three of them on a blanket and drag them out to the trees and bury them. It would be easier than taking out one at a time,” Derek suggested.

            “That’s twice tonight that you’ve fooled me. Good thinking,” Bo replied, slapping him on the back.”

            “Ouch, that stung.” Derek made a face, reaching back to touch where Bo had slapped him.

            “I agree, as soon as we get these...things out of here, y’all can bury them and I’ll get back in here and start cleaning this up. That way we can bring the girls by the fire. I’m going to put the woman in one of those back rooms, so her family can come and give her a proper burial,” I added as I spread the blanket that Bo found crumpled by the couch.

            Once we got the bodies into the middle of the trees behind the house, Bo and Derek started digging a shallow grave. I went back into the house, grabbed another blanket, and laid it next to the woman. I took out my knife and cut her hands free from the tight rope that bound them; her arms didn’t move due to the rigor-mortis, so I moved them down to her side and rolled her over and onto the blanket. I threw myself back so fast that I hit my head on the wall. Neither my eyes nor my mind could believe what they saw. The woman was pregnant; her swollen belly was a deep dark purple. I looked up her nude body, seeing that her breasts were also a dark purple. The only difference in the woman’s breast was one had the nipple horrifically bitten off. Her face was no face at all, her lower jaw was all that was intact and it lay in a frozen, morbid smile. They had crushed the rest in so badly that she was no longer recognizable. As I lowered my gaze down her body I began to heave. What I hadn’t noticed while she was lying on her stomach, I wished I had never seen now. There was a tiny foot protruding from her privates. The men had forced themselves on her with such violence they had caused the baby to start its birthing process. I threw the cover over her and started throwing up, and did not stop until my stomach was empty. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.

            “No wonder Ashley was so messed up,” I said out loud without thinking.

            “I was, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me, I just...” Ashley said standing in the door way.

            “No, no, Please,” I replied getting up and taking her in my arms. “You can’t think of it like that, after seeing firsthand what you saw, no one’s going to think a thing about you not coming in. You did an amazing job in seeing what was going on, if you hadn’t, those little girls would have ended up just like her.”

            “Can I see ’em? The girls?” she timidly asked.

            “Of course, there in that room with Brandon. I’m sure he could use your help.”

            “Want me to help you with...” she trailed off.

            “No Hun, I have this. You just go on in and help Brandon.”

            She smiled and turned for the door. “I saw them die in my head. I’m glad, they were evil and deserved what they got,” Ashley claimed then opened the door.

            I could hear the children crying for their mommy and saying not to let the bad men hurt them. Brandon was doing his best to reassure them that the bad men were gone, but he said nothing about their mother. Ashley went in and closed the door leaving me to care for the very person they cried for.

            I wrapped the woman’s body tightly within the blanket and then lifted her as gently as I dared. I carried her through the kitchen, and into the back bedroom. I laid her on the bed and placed another blanket on the top of her. I said a small prayer for her and the baby, then returned to the living room to start cleaning the bloody mess which was spread from room to room. I was mopping when Bo and Derek returned and started helping. Before long we had it as good as we were going to get it.

            “We better get ourselves cleaned up now, so we can bring everybody back in here. It’ll be dawn real soon, and we need to figure out what we’re going to do,” I explained as we headed for the kitchen.

            Bo got the fire blazing, while Derek and I cleaned up. When we returned he went into the kitchen to do the same.

            “Renee,” Derek said.

            “Yeah,” I replied drying my hands in front of the fire.

            “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. I ain’t ever killed a person before.”

            “Don’t think of them as people. You saw what they did, think of them as animals.”

            “Yeah, I know, but shouldn’t some part of me feel bad?” he asked looking down at his hands.

            “Look, Derek, if that makes you think like this, how are you going to handle what I told you about, Cuba?”

            “I can handle it Renee, it’s just not what I thought it would be like.”

            “It seems like we all grew up a little tonight.” I looked over at him.

            “Hell, I feel great, like superman. I hate bastards like that. The only thing I wish could have done different is,” Bo said then paused. “I would have killed that pig a lot slower, if I had a chance to do it again, that is.”

            “I agree with Bo, they’ll never hurt anyone else, and just think what would have happened if Ashley hadn’t seen what she did,” I added glancing at Derek.

            “I don’t want to even think about that. So, we’re really like heroes, for real?” Derek asked.

            “Just like, and you should be proud of that,” I replied with a wink.

            We gave each other a once over, but saw our clothes were stained with evidence of what had occurred. I found one of the woman’s shirts and put it on, and the boys just did their best to cover what they could with their arms. I went to the door and opened it. “Y’all wanna come out and sit by the fire?”

            “Mommy!” the youngest screamed and ran straight at me. I bent and took the child in my arms.

            “Their pa died a few months back, but that’s about all that Brandon could get them to say,” Ashley explained as she stepped out of the room.

            I took the youngest child as the others followed and we all gathered around the fire. Once I sat down, I sat the smallest girl onto my knee. She held me tightly, shaking so bad that I could see the material of my shirt vibrating.

            “You look like my, Ma. We’re gonna to have a baby brother or sister. Is my Ma gonna be okay?” the oldest asked.

            I looked at both girls and my heart sank. How does one tell two children that just lost their father that they have now lost their mother too? I brushed the hair back from the youngest one’s face.

            “Your mommy’s not going to be okay; she’s gone to be with your pa, in heaven.”

            “No,” the youngest started screaming, burying her face into my chest.

            “I’m sorry honey, but it’s true.”

            “She was crying really hard when those bad men were hitting her,” the oldest said, as two lines of crystal tears started trickling down her cheeks.

            “What’s your name, sweetie?” I asked.

            “Deanna. My sister’s name is Angela, but everyone calls her Angel.”

            “We call her Dee,” the youngest called Angel said, in a voice almost too low to hear.

            “My brothers use to call me ‘Sister’, but they’re in heaven with my pa and ma,” I replied past the lump that was threatening to burst in my throat.

            “Like our ma and pa?” Deanna asked.

            “Yes baby, but we’re here to take care of you until we can find some of your kin. Do you girls have family around, or maybe close by that we can take you to?” I asked.

            “Aunt Jeanette lives in Gordon,” Deanna replied looking up at me, showing the first sign of a smile.

            “Would y’all like to go visit your auntie?” I asked, smiling at the two.

Little Angela smiled from ear to ear, and it was breath taking, knowing what they had been through.

            “Her, and pawpaw Jim have five dogs and I know all of their names.” Angela’s smile grew just a bit.

            “Well, why don’t you tell us, so when we meet ’em we can say hello, proper like,” I replied in a very excited manner.

            “Okay! Well Nanny...”

            “That’s what we call my Aunt,” Deanna interrupted.

            “Trey is my Nanny’s old dog, and he bites if you touch him when he’s asleep,” she explained with joy. After what they had been through, it was a welcome site.

            “He does? That would scare me pea green,” I responded, acting a bit silly.

            “Yep, then she has a real good girl dog named, Molly. She’s so good my Nanny calls her Prissy, but her bestest one ever, is Chochie. We can’t hold him, cause he’s too little and we might drop him on his head, and Nanny said, she would cry real tears if he got hurt.”

            “You know Angel, you sure know how to tell good stories about them dogs,” Derek said, scooting a little closer to the girls. “Glad to know that one bites, I get a little scared of them biting dogs.”

            “Yeah, but he won’t get ya, if you don’t touch him while he’s sleeping,” Angela explained, causing a smile to spread across all of our faces.

            Ashley excused herself to go in and fix the girls something to eat, while Bo also stepped out to inspect the basement. The rest of us sat by the fire and listened to the little four or five year old, that just ten minutes ago wouldn’t say a word. Now she seemed to want to talk as if she had known us forever. It was good to see the young girls come back somewhat, to what might have been their normal personalities.

            “My pawpaw has a really small dog, but she is so fat. Her name is Connie,” Angela said and both girls started laughing.

            “Hey, what’s so funny, I wanna laugh too?” Derek asked, getting even closer to the three of us.

            “My pawpaw calls her, Pooter,” Angela replied and covered her little mouth as if she had said a very bad word, and laughed even harder.

            “I was named after my Aunt Dee, that’s my Nanny’s girl, she lives at home with them, because she gots stuff wrong with her. Her dogs name is...” Deanna had begun to tell her own little story, but couldn’t finish.

            “I was telling them first Dee,” Angela said, giving her sister a puckered look.

            “I was just going to tell them about Aunt Dee’s dog.”

            “Can I, please?” Angela asked, with a much softer look.

            “Yeah, you go ahead, you ’member more better anyway,” Deanna replied, and then smiled up at me, me giving her a little wink in return.

            “Aunt Dee’s dog is named Barbie; she’s a good dog until she’s eating. Know what?”

            “No, what?” I asked.

            “She bit me, ’cause I tried to love on her while she was eating, you don’t ever want to do that.”

            “Thanks, I won’t ever try that for sure, because that must have hurt,” I replied widening my eyes.

            She raised her tiny arm to show me where the dog had bitten her. My eyes filled with tears, not from what she had just showed me, but from what covered her arms closer to her hands. Her wrists were bloody and raw from the ropes that had held her and her sister. My eyes moved to her other tiny wrist, then down at her sisters. Both girls had suffered at the hands of those bastards. The young child must have seen the sorrow on my face.

            “It’s okay, it didn’t hurt very long and my Nanny spanked, Barbie,” Angela said, putting her tiny hand on the side of my face.

            I wanted to bring those bastards back and kill them all over again. Who could hurt anything so innocent, and vulnerable? “It’s not that honey, it just made me remember my old dog back home. By the way, my name is Renee. You know Ashley and Brandon, and this is Derek, and the tall one is, Bo.” I was trying to change the subject.

            “It’s okay, Renee. We lost our puppy a long time ago,” Deanna added.

            “What ya say we get you girls cleaned up and get some food in them bellies? Then you both can sleep in the basement with us,” I wiggled my brows, while making a goofy face.

            “It’s dark down there at night. Will it be night for a long time?” Deanna asked.

            “No, the sun will be coming up real soon, but some of us can’t be in the sun, so we sleep down in the basement when it’s bright outside,” I explained.

            “Are you sure you won’t leave me down there by myself?” Angela asked. “I’m scared of the dark.”

            “I promise. Now let’s go see what Ashley’s up to in the kitchen.” I stood, then both girls took a hand.

            It was easy to see that Ashley was way ahead of me. She had water boiling on the stove for their baths and oat meal almost ready to serve. The girls moved closer to my legs as we stepped toward the kitchen, both had one arm wrapped around one of my legs and the other hand in mine.

            “Renee, would you grab that wash tub for me?” Ashley asked from the stove.

            “Well, sure I will.” I replied looking down. “But one of you is going to have to let go so I can get it.” They both looked at each other from around my sides, neither letting go.

            “I’ll get it, Renee,” Brandon said as he entered the room.

            “I guess that means we have to go get some clean clothes,” I added, looking back down at the girls.

            “Come on, we’ll show you,” Deanna said, releasing my leg, pulling me back toward the front room.

            “I’ll show her where mine is, Dee,” Angela demanded.

            After we had everything back in the kitchen and the girls had started eating, Bo came back in. “Excuse me, but we have a little problem down in the basement and the sun will be up in less than an hour, maybe sooner.”

            “What is it?” Ashley asked.

            “Windows—six of them. I think we’re going to need to get on that like, right now,” he explained.

            “If you don’t have what you need down there to do it, you boys start taking whatever you need from up here. As soon as Ashley and I are done, we’ll be down to help.”

            We hurried as fast as we could, but I had two small hindrances, and both seemed to have the need to touch me at all times. Even when I bathed one, the other held my leg or leaned down onto my back. I knew we had to get them to their aunt in Gordon, and first thing tomorrow night we would do just that. However, right now they seemed to think that I was their link to safety, and I wasn’t going to change that in any way.

            Once we had the girls cleaned and fed, we went on down to help the boys, but they already had every window covered. The only thing we needed now was to make a soft bed for the girls. The rest of us could lay just about anywhere. I had Ashley and Derek run back upstairs to get the pillows and blankets just before the first break of dawn hit the side of the house. It was then that we all heard Ashley scream, followed by the two of them crashing down the stairs, making both of the little girls scream with fear. Both were crying.

            “Is it the bad men?” Deanna closed her eyes and buried her face in my leg.

            “I want my Mommy.” Angela grabbed me from behind.

             I stood up moving the girls aside and was just about to yell at both Ashley and Derek, thinking they were joking around. That’s when I saw the reason for their action. They both had a fine haze of smoke coming off their backs. That’s when I rushed to their aid.

            “It came through the kitchen window,” Derek explained.

            “Are you two okay?” I asked.

            “If Derek hadn’t pushed me, I think it would’ve been a lot worse,” Ashley explained.

            “Yeah, I saw the smoke on her back before I felt the burn on mine,” Derek continued, “So I grabbed her and knocked us both down the stairs.” Then he yawned.

            “That’s quick thinking, Derek.” I couldn’t help but grin.

            “And you didn’t even drop your blanket,” Bo laughed. “I don’t know about y’all, but I can’t keep me eyes open.”

            After I checked the backs of the two that had crashed down the stairs, I instructed everyone to find a spot to rest. I put the blankets and pillows in the corner and called the girls to my side. I cradled them both in my arms, doing my best to make them comfortable.

            “If you wake up before we do, I want you both to stay right here. Do not go upstairs… do you understand?”

            “Yes Ma’am,” Deanna replied.

            “They scared me. I really want my, Mommy,” Angela cried.

            I pulled her to my chest and hummed a tune I used to sing to Johnny and Edna. I couldn’t tell you who fell asleep first. It wasn’t long before they were out, leaving me a short time to move about. I got up and went over to where the others were getting their beds ready.

             “Y’all did a great job. I personally think we make one hell of a team.” I said as I sat down on the floor beside them.

            “We’re better than a team, we’re a downright bad ass family and Cuba better watch out for the storm that’s coming their way,” Derek said.

            “Damn straight little brother,” Brandon added reaching over and rubbing Derek’s head.

            “I wish I had as much faith in all this as y’all do, but these were normal’s. Everything we come up against in Cuba will be just like us, or maybe worse,” I replied.

            “If we’re together, Renee, we’ll be just fine,” Ashley said sitting up to give me a hug.

            I left them, as they too fell into their day slumber and returned to the girls. I laid there for some time thinking about the past and the now uncertain future, before the day took me as well.

Coming this Friday!