Chapter 7
Lucy stood in the doorway, clutching her stomach. Blood was seeping over her dress. Lord Bryan sat in a chair at the end of the table with a smoking gun. Thomas was standing behind him. He had turned at the shot and stared in horror at Lucy. "You look familiar," said Lord Bryan calmly as he reloaded his gun. Lucy tried to run at him, but her stick fell and she clutched the table end opposite the two lords. "Ah yes, the lame girl." Thomas took a step towards her, but his brother held out his hand to stop him.
"How?" gasped out Lucy.
"Did we find you both? The gossip in the town about a hermit brother and sister was very suspicious. Especially when my brother Thomas reported the familiar carvings in the church. We found the cabin and have been waiting for Cut. I really had forgotten about you."
"Cut will kill you," spat out Lucy.
"Not before he watches you die. Besides, I've alerted the villagers of the dangerous, lying murderer. That and the dead body I showed them will get them here anytime. So do I finish you now, or wait for Cut?"
"Brother stop this! She's an innocent," interjected Thomas.
"So was our sister."
"Sister? Was she the one who died?" asked Lucy.
Thomas pushed his brother's hand aside and crossed over to Lucy, he examined her wound and shook his head. "You need a hospital."
Lucy felt herself fading, but she saw something. Something of the trapped look she'd seen in Cut's eyes. "He didn't kill your sister."
Thomas' eyes clouded over. "They all did."
He had been asleep that night. Just dozed off when he heard the scream. Loud and piercing. "Kate!" he had called out. He ran out of his bed and threw open the door. The patients had gotten out. Kate's room was at the end of the hall. Some of the patients had run into his brother's room in the middle of the hall. Horrible monsters. His brother dashed out of his own room holding the door shut with both hands. "Thomas, help me!" Bryan's keys were gone. Quickly, Thomas had reached for the ornaments on the hallway table and jammed the lock. Both brothers heard the sound breaking glass in Kate's room. They had run to Kate's room. One thought driving Thomas. Someone was hurting his baby sister. Bryan reached the room first, he paused, and then ran to the broken window. Thomas came in after him and almost fell to his knees right there. His sister was in her bed. The covers still covering her, but she wasn't sleeping. Her head and arm hung over the bed. Her eyes wide and empty. Blood was trickling through her hair, a bullet wound through her head. As Thomas held her in his arms, the tears flowed freely and hot. He let a howl like a wounded beast. Why? Why her? He felt Bryan's hand on his shoulder. Heard him say something, but he saw nothing other than Kate's dark hair painted with her own blood.
"We have to go Thomas. They're breaking through. Come now, through the window."
"We can't just leave her here!"
"We have to. There's nothing to do for her now. We'll avenge her, I promise, but we have to go now!" In a stupor, he allowed his brother to pull him through the window, climbing the sheets he had ripped from their sister's bed to let themselves down to a ledge. They had left her and the castle behind that night, but Thomas carried it with him, and would not fail his sister again.
As Thomas dwelt on that night, he carried Lucy over to the floor behind his brother's chair and set her down. Her crimes would be dealt with later. Just then the door was smashed in as Cut barreled into the room.
"Lucy!"
Lord Bryan aimed at Cut. "One more step and you're dead."
Cut's eyes flashed hatred, then he looked at Lucy.
"You've hurt her."
"Not nearly as much as I will."
"I'll kill you," he said choking on the words.
"Not this time," replied Thomas rising from Lucy and lowering his gun at Cut as well. Lucy grabbed the chair closest to her. In one burst of strength she pushed off from it, lifted it, and brought it crashing down on Thomas' head. They both fell the ground.
"Lucy!"
Lord Bryan fired a shot as he turned to see what had happened, but it only grazed Cut's arm, not stopping him from leveling a blow on the Lord that sent him out of his chair, knocked out cold. Cut picked Lucy off the floor and cradled her in his arms.
"Lucy, I heard the shot. I worried it was you. I should've waited for you."
"Cut, you need to run. The villagers are coming. They think you killed someone."
"You shouldn't have gone to the priest."
"No, he was going to help us. He was going to marr….UGH!" gasped Lucy.
"Lucy? Luc?!"
"Cut, I love you." Lucy fell unconscious.
"Lucy!
Cut looked down at her wound. The bullet was still in, blocking the wound. She had lost a lot of blood though, and some was till seeping through. Her heart was weak. Lord Thomas started stirring. Cut only knew one group of people who could help. He'd have to find his way back into the castle. Cut ran outside, clutching Lucy. The villagers were coming. He could see their torches. Lord Bryan ran towards Cut, his guns empty.
"Stop them!"
"No!" Cut saw the priest trying to stop the crowd. "I promise you, they are innocent. The girl came to confession this morning."
"The man's a murderer. He killed old John. We'll finish him," shouted the men.
"They wouldn't!" creid Mrs. Tori stepping in front of the mob.
While the mob was halted, Cut took off, running into the night.