Again...Write it Out!

Once back in the little cabin, she hardly looked over to where Wreke sat slumped over in his chair by the fire. She crawled up the ladder quickly and dropped the trap door softly as she turned to lie on the straw mattress. She could feel her brothers steady breathing and was lulled into an almost sleep state next to his warm body until she felt something tug on her skirt. Still in a dream like state she batted at the edges of her skirts.

The cold edge of a knife at her throat forced her blue eyes to open and search the darkness. Adelaide suddenly knew why Margaret had told her to lock herself away at night. She realized that he was breathing heavy and that his pants were unbuckled and draped down around his ankles. Her eyes widened as he continued to run his hand up her leg. She tried to squirm away but the knife pushed against her neck, and she went completely still.

She tried to slow her breathing, but she failed. She was sure that her brother would wake up from her moving so much. All she could do was watch in horror as Wreke moved over her, and pulled against her undergarments with his free hand. He was not coordinated, and his breath smelled of whiskey as he breathed into her face. Her eyes flitted to her sleeping brother, and a tear slid down her cheek.

“Don’t…move…wouldn’t want…to hurt…either …of you.” Adelaide couldn’t see his eyes in the dark, but she thought that he sounded serious.

She tried to think of anything but what was happening. Of home, of the fields surrounding their house, of the animals outside in the barn, or the sun over—

Wreke was abruptly pulled off of her. She hadn’t realized how much he had actually been lying on her. She gasped for breath, and heard her brothers grunts as he moved to get between her and Wreke.

“Go Adelaide.” His voice was urgent in the dark.

“James, he’s—“ Wreke had recovered from his disorienting fall when James had pulled him off of Adelaide and was moving towards them in the dark.

“I know.” She could see a little light coming from the fire on the floor below them. “Get out Adelaide.” His voice had steel to it, the same tone that their fathers had when he wanted them to listen, and listen right then.

She slowly backed towards the floor door but stopped short as Wreke lunged for her brother. James bowled into her, and she felt his chest collapse as the breath was knocked out of him. Suddenly her dress was wet where he had fallen and the metallic scent of copper filled her nostrils.

“Adelaide…get out…” her brothers voice came in little breathless spurts. Her cheeks were wet as she felt her brother trying to push her onto the ladder with one hand and the other held to his side. Her hands slipped on the rungs of the railing and she fell the last few feet to the wooden floor. She looked up to her brother falling from the attic, and she just barely moved to avoid being flattened. She crawled over to his side. His chest was barely moving and the knife that had been pressed to her neck was now sheathed in his abdomen.

His dark blue eyes were dimming as he gave their secret sign for ‘run’ to her. He managed to pull out the knife, and handed it to her. Their hands were covered in his blood and she dropped the knife before getting a grasp on the handle.

A thud from above them caused her to look up. Wrekes booted feet appeared on the top rungs of the ladder. Adelaide glanced back at her brother and saw that his jaw was set in a harsh line, and he tried to prop himself up on one elbow.

“Adelaide, RUN!”

So she did. With tears streaming down her face she ran into the woods around the small cabin. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to get away from that cabin and the horrible scene of her brother trying to stand after being stabbed twice to keep her safe. His blood was all over her. It was staining her dress and she wondered vaguely if it would ever wash off of her hands.