The Faith of a Mustard Seed

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Put her at my feet or I'll shoot" Mike snarled his gun pointed straight at Nathan's face.

"No," Nathan shouts as he turns to run, Melody held tightly against his chest.

All at once a loud 'BOOM' echoes all around and a sharp pain hits his back, tripping Nathan falls to the ground dropping Melody, who rolls several feet before stopping, her big green eyes frozen staring into his own.

Nathan tries to stand, but Mike kicks him hard, his laughter fills Nathan's ears, his taunts stopping Nathan's heart, "Looks like I'm not the only one with her blood on my hands. Too bad you were too late to save her, in fact, I'd go as far as to say this is all your fault."

Shaking his head Nathan spluttered, "No, I didn't do- I was trying to save her- I would never hurt-."

Mike sneered, "If you hadn't intervened, she wouldn't be laying there dead, this is your fault, you killed her."

Shaking his head Nathan snapped, "No she's not dead. I saw her. She's alive, I know she is." Grounding his teeth together Nathan pushed past Mike, running over to Melody. Gently he lifted her head off the ground begging, "Come on Mel, please wake up. I can't lose you too. Please. Please. Please wake up."

Cackling Mike continued to taunt as he drew closer and closer, "She's good and dead, and it's all your fault."

Tears streaming down his face Nathan shouts, "SHUT UP. I DIDN'T KILL HER YOU DID. I WAS TRYING TO SAVE HER FROM YOU. THIS ISN'T MY FAULT."

Mike's smile grew, "Her blood is on your hands, just like your cousin's."

"NO!" Nathan shouted sitting upright in bed, sweat trickling down his face, his chest heaving. Rubbing his face in his hands Nathan tries to wipe the tears in his eyes away as his bedroom door flies open, his brother Kevin standing in the doorway, his gun in hand, his pajama pants barely covering his boxers.

"Nathan, what's wrong? I heard you shout. Did someone try to break in?" Kevin looked around the room again before his eyes fully take in Nathan's trembling body on the bed, "Nate? You alright?"

Looking up at his big brother Nathan shakes his head, "No. It's all my fault. All of it is my fault."

Sighing Kevin sits down on Nathan's bed, "Another bad dream?" Nathan nodded pulling his legs to his chest resting his head on top of his arms. Looking down and then back at Nathan Kevin asks, "The accident?"

Nathan shakes his head and hides his face, Kevin getting slightly frustrated huffs, "You could do more than just shake your head, talk to me, Nate. What's going on? Every night this week you've had a nightmare, now I've tried to let you work it out on your own, but enough is enough. Talk to me."

Sighing Nathan looked up into Kevin's face and whispered, "It's all my fault."

"What is?"

Wiping his cheek with his hand Nathan whispers, "Melody almost died because I moved her from the basement, and I know none of you blame me, but...

Nathan stopped and Kevin finished for him, "But Gracie is your fault too?" Nathan nodded as Kevin sighed, "Nate, true you shouldn't have busted into that psycho's torture chamber without backup, but if you hadn't stepped in chances are Melody would have died in that basement."

Shaking his head and looking down Nathan asked, "What makes you think that? If I hadn't moved her from the basement you would have gotten to her sooner, and she would have gotten help faster. Therefore, I almost killed her."

Rolling his eyes Kevin replied, "Actually, we wouldn't have. You know we had just landed when I got your voicemail and we started to head that way, but what you don't know is that guy Mike's phone records show he took a call nearly ten minutes prior, and after some investigating it turns out that the caller gave the order for him to finish off Melody, so technically you saved the day, by being an infuriatingly meddlesome brat."