Chapter Text
Courtland heard shouting as he walked up to the house. His stomach roiled and he started running. He shouldn’t have gone to work. He should’ve stayed home and taken the twins to the library program Ry had wanted to go to. But dad had been out, he was sure the twins would get to the library and back without him ever knowing.
Ryland met him at the back door. His face was covered in blood from a broken nose. His hair was dripping water onto his shoulders and down his face making the blood run down in pink rivers.
“You gotta do something,” he blubbered. “I tried to distract him but he won’t even look at me and Colt’s bleeding a lot. Like more then normal and he’s really quiet. I don’t-“
Courtland grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him to their bedroom. He pushed Ryland into the closet and stuffed him into a corner. He knelt down to his level, “Ry, I need you to stay here. Don’t come out until I come and get you. Do you understand?”
Ryland nodded, cracked glasses slipping off his nose, his lip quivering. Court stood back up and reached for the closet’s top shelf where the gun he’d stolen from his father was hidden. He’d taken it just to have it away from his father while he was at work and couldn’t protect the twins. He wondered what would’ve happened if his dad had the gun right now.
He checked the gun was loaded before kneeling down in front of Ryland again. He held out a pinkie to him, “Ryland, promise me you won’t leave this spot.”
Ryland’s eyes didn’t leave the gun. “What are you gonna do?”
“Ryland.” He held his pinkie in front of his brother’s face, “Promise me,”
Ryland linked his pinkie through his brother’s.
. . .
With Ryland putting pressure on Colt’s bleeding head Courtland walked to the kitchen and took a deep breath before pulling the landline off the hook.
“911 what’s your emergency?”
“We need an ambulance. My brother is bleeding and-”
“What’s your name honey?” the operator asked, her voice soft and gentle like he remembered his mother’s voice.
“My name is Courtland Gentry. I just killed my dad.”