Tradition Comes Third

Protecting Ourselves

Author's Note: Between school and work, it is going to take me awhile to update. I guess that will just build up more suspense.

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 Ava clung to me as I stood up. I pulled her hands off of my shirt. She sat on the foot of the bed and I kissed her forehead before opening the door. I opened it a crack to see Dad standing there.

"Come downstairs," he told me.

"Ava's really scared," I said. "I don't think she should go."

Dad looked over my shoulder at Ava.

"Bring her downstairs," Dad said. "She is going to watch. It will help her see what we have to do to protect her."

"I don't-."

"Be down in a minute."

There was a faint cry coming from downstairs. Dad turned, and I closed the door. Ava squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head.

"I don't want to go down there," she said.

"We have to," I said. "I don't want us to get punished."

I extended my hand down to her. She slid her shaky hand into mine, and I pulled her up onto her. Her face was pale, and her eyes were bright red from crying.

"You can close your eyes," I told her. "It will be like you are not even watching it. It will be the same as if you were up in our room."

I pulled her tighter into my body, and guided her down into the kitchen. My stomach twist, and I was hit by a wave of nausea. A cry echoed through the house. I curled Ava tighter into my body when we stepped into the kitchen.

The plastic curtain that was hanging in the corner was pulled back to reveal two large hooks dangling the driver upside down. He had been stripped from his clothes, and his nose was dripping blood into the drain below him. The hooks were buried into his side, and the blood was dripping down his body. Rope was tied around his ankles, and secured him to the ceiling. I must have let out a gasp because Ava tried to wiggle out of my grasp. I dug my fingers into her and held her against me. I didn't want her to start crying again.

Leah and Mom had pulled two chairs out of the dining room and were sitting against the wall. Leah had propped her glasses on the top of her head, and was staring down at her knees. Mom stood up and pulled two more chairs out of the dining room. Jared rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and his skin was splattered with blood. I sat down in one of the chairs, and pulled Ava down with me.

The driver was gasping for breath and his eyes were barely open. I wonder if they left his friend's bloody corpse in the car.

Dad walked in with a box in his hands. He set it down on the counter, and opened it. He pulled out an assortment of knives.

"Hunter, come here," he told me.

"Jim-" Mom started to plea.

"Julie," he snapped. "Don't infere. I need to teach him."

I stood up, and sat Ava down in the chair. I kneeled in front of her to block her view from the driver. She must have saw the ropes because she tried to twist her body to get a better view. I moved with her to continue to block her view.

"Keep looking down," I told her. "Promise me you won't look up."

Ava bit down on her lip before nodding her head. She looked down at her knees, and I stood up. Dad had a knife with a large blade in his hands. He held it out toward me.