She pulled the trigger. The bang of the gunshot hurt her ears, and her fingers were a bit numb from holding the gun too tightly.
She dropped the gun, and tears came down her cheeks while she stood up, still staring at the fresh hole she made on the floor.
"I can't." she cried. "It's not fair. I won't do it!"
Nathan stood up fast, still a little shaken up from what happened, and held her in his arms.
"Audrey. You have to!" He reached the gun on the floor, and placed it on her hands again. "No!" She was still crying, and her hands were weak. He held it with his hands in place, right on his heart, again.
They looked at each other lovingly, and she could see he was crying too. "Why do we have to lose so much? Why us?"
That was not the time to start asking questions, he thought. It's not like he wanted to die. Audrey was back, and she was with him. After last night, the last thing he ever wanted was to leave her, but he knew it was his fault, whatever has been happening in town, and he had to do something about it, even if that meant he had to die. He held her head and kissed her with all the love, and begged one more time.
"Audrey, please!"
At this exact time, a bam sounded in the house, but this time, from the door.
"Audrey! What's going on? Nathan!" Duke was screaming outside, and Nathan suddenly hated him again. He knew! Why doesn't he leave us alone?
"Audrey!" This time it wasn't Duke's voice. It was Vince's. "Audrey, don't do it. Please, open the door. You can't kill Nathan."
They looked at each other puzzled, but Audrey immediately took the opportunity to put the gun aside. She went to the door and opened it.
The group rushed inside, and Jennifer sighed relieved when she saw Nathan alive. Vince and Dave looked at them shocked, Vince still holding the diary opened at the page that changed everything.
"What was once your salvation, is now your doom"
"What is this?" Nathan said, confused. "First you say I need to hurry and make Lexie fall in love with me, so she can kill me, and now she can't?"
"We both know she's not Lexie, Nathan." Dave revealed. Duke had slipped his tongue a minute ago and told the Teague brothers the secret only him and Nathan (and Wade) knew.
"What's happening, guys?" Audrey said.
"Everything has changed" Vince said, showing her the diary. "With the barn being destroyed, its door being opened to let you out before schedule, it released something, an inexplicable evil, and changed the rules. " He pointed to the message, and Audrey looked at Nathan, and her eyes suddenly glistened, a smile boldly forming on her lips.
"What was once your salvation – me killing you – is now your doom. Killing Nathan would make it worse."
"Exactly. Thank God you didn't." said Jennifer.
Audrey couldn't hold herself. She released the book and ran to Nathan, hugging him tight. He was still shocked and confused with everything. He was prepared to die, prepared to leave her, and now all the odds were in their favor. Why?
Was that the time to question? All of a sudden, something was good. Maybe not as good as they saw it, because the troubles were getting worse, without explanation, because someone was spreading family troubles, putting troubles in those who never had them. What else would happen to this town?
At least no one could wish him to die anymore. They would still blame him, it was still his fault, and he should've let Audrey go with the barn. But now he could stay with her, and solve this puzzle together, as it had always been. He felt guilty for being so happy.
"We understand why you hid your true identity from us, Audrey." said Vince. "But now the town needs to know it's you. There's no need to lie anymore. We can solve this, and you don't have to kill Nathan. I'll alert the Guard immediately. And maybe later we can talk about this." he signaled the book in his hands, and both him and his brother left the house.
"So, I guess we are all fine. For now" said Duke. "That's good, because then you two can tell us what the hell happened here, and how are you planning to explain that hole on my floor."
Audrey laughed, and Nathan held her tighter, being too obvious for Duke to pretend nothing was happening. He felt hurt, some of his old feelings for Audrey dying as he saw Audrey and Nathan being a real couple now. He held Jennifer's hand, and her soothing eyes relaxed him.
"Let's go downstairs. I'll make us something to eat, something really strong to drink, and we can explain what that book Vince has means."
"We'll be there in a minute" Nathan said, and Duke and Jennifer left, closing the door behind them.
"Well, I guess I'm a bit lucky, after all" said Nathan, while Audrey sat on the bed, and he crouched in front of her, the same position they were in the beginning, but now with the gun out of sight. "I have no idea what's going on, but I'm glad you didn't kill me."
"I wonder what would've happened if I had. Oh my God Nathan, one more time we would've destroyed it all, thinking we would be doing good."
"I guess we don't understand the troubles after all."
"We have no idea what we're doing. I know I don't. I guess it's time to be sure before doing anything else. The only thing we were sure of, me going inside the barn to stop the troubles for 27 years, that's long gone. We know nothing. Again."
"I am only sure that I love you. That's why I shot Howard, and to be honest I'm not sorry I did it. I'm sorry of what happened because I did it. I was trying to save you, trying to stop that crazy thing from happening."
"Well, it's time to stop trying. Let's investigate this, be sure, and understand everything that there is to know about the troubles, and about me, without sudden actions and without guns."
'Without guns" He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. She sighed disappointed when she broke it off and turned to the door. "C'mon, Duke's waiting".