Page 61 of Claimed By Ruin

“I said get out of here, girl,” he said.

I looked at him, seeing the sternness in the set of his jaw.

Saw the love.

“We don’t have time for this! Let’s go. We’ll figure it out later,” Caitlin said.

“Go,” he whispered.

I lowered him to the ground slowly. Then I squeezed Uncle Levi’s shoulder, refusing to believe this would be the last time I would see him, and carefully, cautiously, made my way to the side door.

Caitlin was a step behind me, and I pushed the door open carefully. Once I found it clear, I stepped outside. She followed and closed it behind her.

“What do we do?” she whispered.

“We find Christopher and end this,” I said, gripping my knife.

“Then let’s go.” She stepped off the porch a second after I did.

I rounded the house, freezing when I saw dirty brown boots.

Stayed frozen when I heard the shot.

I tensed and air was forced out of my lungs when Caitlin slammed her hands into my back, harder than should have been possible, and sent me careening forward into the dirt.

I smelled the gunpowder, the blood on my arm from the glass—heard another shot.

I looked towards the man, watching his skull cave in as blood bloomed out of the new hole between his eyes.

He flopped onto the ground, the way he fell hitching his shirt up so that his soft, hairy belly was exposed. Almost immediately, mosquitoes and gnats swarmed around him.

I heard another thud, and whirled back to Caitlin.

I stared at her face, but looked down at the hand she pressed against her abdomen, staring at the blood pouring through her fingers.

“You’re hurt! Let’s go. I’ll get you to Lourdes. She can help⁠—”

“Yeah,” Caitlin said.

She coughed and her pale lips specked with rich red blood. She tried to sit up but collapsed back down.

I scrambled to her and grabbed her hand.

“Caitlin!” I said.

She coughed again, then looked at me. I was shocked to see her lips lifted in a smile. “I always thought you were a bitch.”

I smiled through the tears that ran down my cheeks. “You, too.”

Caitlin laughed, coughed, squeezed my hand.

Then she was gone.

I squeezed back, held her still-warm hand until mine was numb. Could barely hear anything over my pounding heart.

Only let go when the heavy crunch of boots in the yard left me no choice.

I gripped my knife tighter.