"No..."
Scarlett choked the words out, her heart clenching once again. Her hand flew up towards her mouth, her stomach churning at the gorey scene in front of her.
Ben grabbed Scarlett's hand and squeezed it, though it did nothing to keep her from wavering.
Jake and Juila had run out of the room at the sound of the gunshot, both stopping abruptly when they finally pieced together what happened.
"Jesus Christ.." Juila mumbled, biting her fist.
"Is that..?" Jake murmured, looking at Scarlett sideways.
Scarlett simply nodded, shaking more aggressively with every passing second.
She was right along. Barry had killed Samantha.
But, she hadn't even considered the guilt it must've put him through.
"Oh, God.." Jake gulped, grabbing Scarlett's arms and lightly pulling her into his chest, shielding her from the scene.
Scarlett allowed a few tears to slip from her eyes, in both grief and guilt. She was the one who pushed Barry about the whole situation.
She realized that, while she didn't pull the trigger, she still had blood on her hands.
"Scar." Ben called softly from beside her, causing her to lift her face slightly in order to look at him.
"I know this might be too soon, but you're technically the one in charge here." Ben started, Scarlett feeling Jake tense up slightly in anticipation.
"So.. What now?"
Scarlett sniffled. Jake softly tapped her on the shoulder in silent question. Scarlett shook her head minutely, clearing her throat before responding.
"I don't know.. Maybe call the police? Report the gunshot?"
"What's a police gonna do?" Juila muttered.
"I don't know, Jules. But they won't just leave him there. " Scarlett explained.
Then with one last solemn look at Barry's slumped dead body, she broke free from Jake's hold and went back into the room where her sister stayed. No one followed her, knowing they had to give the siblings their privacy.
"Scar?" Holly asked aloud, relief flooding into her voice.
"In the flesh. Let's get you outta here." Scarlett chuckled dryly, moving behind the chair Holly was seated in order to untie her hands.
"Goodness, don't scare me like that! I thought you had gotten hurt." Holly breathed, wiggling her wrists a little bit.
Scarlett tilted her head. "Why would you think that?"
"Well there was the gunshot, and I was still stuck in that chair, and I thought you got-"
"There we go. Good as new." Scarlett interrupted. She had untied the ropes bounding her sister to that chair, rising from her kneeling position.
"O-Oh! Thanks." Holly said, standing up from the chair and walking towards the door of the room.
Scarlett was about to respond when she remembered exactly what awaited Holly outside.
"Wa-Wait, Holly!"
An ear-splitting scream told Scarlett that she was much too late.
She rushed out of the room to find Holly rushing past Ben and Juila, crouching in front of Barry's body, sobs wracking through her petite frame.
YOU ARE READING
The Family Mission
Mystery / Thriller17-Year-old Scarlett Anderson has been haunted with the exact same nightmare for 5 years. Except, it's not just a dream. It's a memory. When her mother died tragically, police think it's just an suicide. No signs of struggle. No blood. Her mom han...
