In Cold Blood | Apply Fic

Chapter Seven: Blood Runs Cold

Ethan jumps awake, pain running through his forehead. He looks up to see Rosalynn and Rory standing over him. Rosalynn has her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Ethan puts his hand to his forehead.

"Did you just thump me?" he asks.

"Where the fuck is Noah?" she snaps back, ignoring his question.

Ethan looks at the couch where Noah fell asleep and is surprised to see that he isn't there anymore. He rests his head back against his chair, closing his eyes.

"I don't know. He probably woke up and had to take a piss or something," Ethan mutters.

"Oh yeah? And why didn't he wake you up to help him walk like Ro told him to? Nurse Ro is not going to be happy with you idiots."

"Well, I can't help it that he walked off on his own."

"I knew we should have left someone down here that actually wakes up when other people are being loud," Rory mutters, turning and walking into the kitchen.

Rosalynn sighs as Rory leaves them. After a minute, she turns her attention to Ethan.

"Figure out where he went. I'm going to go wake Ro because she told me she wanted to check him out early this morning."

"And Flynn's okay with her checking out another man?"

"Not that type of checking out."

Ethan laughs to himself as Rosalynn turns and heads for the stairs. She's barely halfway up before Rory starts yelling.

"Guys! Everyone wake up! Come here!" he screams.

Rosalynn turns around and runs into the kitchen. When she sees Rory standing by the door to the dining room, she slowly approaches him, putting one hand on his shoulder. She steps up next to him, finally seeing what he was talking about.

The back patio door. One of the glass panes is cracked and there's frozen blood clinging to the glass. Ethan walks up to the entrance connecting the lounge to the dining room, his face going pale at the site.

"What the fuck is happening?" Flynn asks as he walks into the kitchen, sleep still in his eyes. "Why are we yelling?"

"Because this isn't good," Rosalynn mutters, her voice cracking.

Flynn's eyes shoot open and he pushes past Rory and Rosalynn. The second he sees the door, he turns back towards the stairs.

"Ro, you're going to want to see this."

Roselyn comes to the entrance where Ethan is situated, looking at the crime scene. She pauses for a few moments before turning to him.

"Where's Bubba?" she asks. "I know where Milo and Sara are so where's Bubba?"

He laughs awkwardly, watching as anger spreads across Roselyn's face.

"Listen-"

"I gave you one fucking job last night. I told you to do one thing. We made one rule," Roselyn snaps, her voice getting louder with each sentence.

"We're not playing a blame game. Let's just find him and hope he's still okay," Flynn says.

"I'm going to go wake up Milo and Sara," Rosalynn says, pushing off of Rory.

"Ro, why don't you, me, and Rory get dressed up and go outside to look for him?" Flynn suggests, moving close enough to take her arm.

She shoots Ethan another look before heading towards the door, Flynn and Rory following her. Ethan tries moving from the spot but his body refuses to cooperate. All he can do is stare at the glass door, eyes stuck on the blood-filled cracks. High enough on the door that when combined with Noah's height shows that it was his head that was smashed against the glass. And he slept through it. He slept through it all. Noah leaving the main lounge, slipping outside, having his head slammed against the glass door, possibly even more than that. He wasn't there for his friend. He let whoever attacked Elijah attack Noah as well.