Page 82 of Darkness

“Lincoln,” I finally manage to talk, even though it’s in a whisper. I wipe the tears away. “Cain’s been shot-”

“What?” Lincoln's shouts and I hear something behind him hit the floor.

“He’s bleeding-”

“Are you hurt?” Is the first thing he asks me.

“N…no.” I stutter. “Cain he’s not moving should I check on him? I moved then another bullet-”

“No! Stay where you are, I’m on my way. Do not move.” The cell line goes dead, and I hold it close to my chest, my heart is beating like crazy, and I can’t even move close to Cain to see if he’s alive.

My heart is pounding, every second which passes feels like eternity, I try to focus on Cain's chest, to see if it moves, nothing. Come on Cain, fight this. I see Lincoln and Hayden running into the apartment, they look around cautiously, ensuring its safe. Hayden looks at me, I wipe the tears away, and I give him a nod letting him know I’m okay.

“Miles, Mason.” Hayden shouts, and they walk over to Cain.Hayden is by the window with Lincoln.

Miles comes over to me and helps me stand up, pulling me behind him. Mason gets Cain and pulls him out of view of the window.

“How are you? You okay?” Miles asks me as he gets me to the bedroom, the room furthest away from the window. I can still see what they are doing. “Autumn!” Miles shouts, and pulls me into his arms as my body shakes. “We’re here, you’re safe,” Miles tells me, and all I can do is cry into his chest. He wraps his arms tighter around me, trying to soothe me.

“Is he-”

“He’s alive,” Mason shouts.

Once the room is clear, and knowing no more bullets are coming through, Lincoln heads straight to Cain and looks him over. My voice trembles as I ask, "Is he okay?" The words catch in my throat, and I can't stop shaking while watching Lincoln work frantically on Cain. My mind races with questions, trying to understand what is happening.

Lincoln finally breaks the tense silence. "We need to get Doc here, now," he says with an urgency that sends a chill down my spine. Hayden nods as he’s already reaching for his cell to call him.

I can’t shake the feeling of dread as I watch Mason and Lincoln staring at each other, as if they don’t want to say anything in front of me. Clearly, they’ve been here before, but worry in their eyes. This is Cain, their brother.

Lincoln and Mason lift Cain and carry him to the bedroom, I notice the faint traces of foam at the corners of his mouth. My mind races. "Poison?" my voice barely whispers.

Lincoln glances at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and worry. “What?”

“Cain was trying to talk, and I think it was poison he was saying, but-”

“Tell Doc he has less than twenty minutes, right fucking now!” Lincoln shouts and my body is shaking again. I’m scared.

“Lincoln?”

"I don't know yet, but we need to keep him stable until Doc arrives." Lincoln answers my unasked question.

I watch them lay Cain on the bed, and Lincoln rips off his clothes, while Hayden walks around the bedroom. I feel someone pull me, making me take a step back, and I hear David.

“Let them help him.” He puts his arm over my shoulder and takes me out to the kitchen.

I look over at Miles and Declan cleaning up the broken window, and clearing blood off the floor. I wipe the new tearsaway. Cain knew they would attack, but I don't think he thought they would come to his home.

Miles pauses for a moment, glancing over at me with worry etched on his face. "Are you okay?" he asks gently, his voice barely above a whisper. When you see the boys, you think one thing about them, they might be crazy, but when it comes to family, no matter what, they will all be here for each other.

I nod, though the lump in my throat makes it hard to speak. "I will be," I say, forcing a small smile which I know none of them believe. “I just want them to tell me what’s happening.”

They both get back to cleaning, and I wait for some news.

I pace the room, waiting for someone to tell me something—anything. The silence is unbearable, and the minutes feel like hours, fucking long hours. Miles and Declan are talking to me, trying to calm me down, but it's not working. Declan even made me some tea, hoping it would help me.

"Why don't you sit for a bit?" Miles suggests, his voice steady and reassuring.

I shake my head, ignoring the chair he pulls out for me. "I can't just sit here. I need to know what's going on." Doc came, and hasn’t left the bedroom since, no one has. Lincoln and Hayden haven’t once come out with even a small bit of information as to what is happening.

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