The Final Gathering

Chapter 8: A Sacrifice

"Wait! Wait! Stop! Zach!" Lisa was screaming, her voice cracking.

Zach poked his head into the living room, "fuck, bitch? Yell much? What do you want?"

"Take me. Please," Lisa's tears were gone.

"Lisa," Carol said quietly, still looking down, "I made my decision. Don't make this harder on everyone than what it is."

"Fuck your decision!" Lola yelled. Lisa shot a look at Lola that made her shut up real quick.

"Did you hear her mom? She's pregnant. Zach's going to take me. And he's going to take Cruz."

"What?" Cruz looked up at her, defeated.

"Who died and made you boss?" Zach pointed the gun at Lisa.

"No one, but I want Cruz to be the one to do it." She looked at her husband.

"Hmm," Zach thought, "plot twist. I like it. Riggs! Bring the skinny one back! I've got two more for ya!"

"Lisa, you can't. You can't leave me," Carol cried. Lisa ignored her mother and looked at Lola. Lola didn't know what Lisa had up her sleeve, but she knew it was something. She hoped it was something.

Riggs dragged Lilly's chair back into the living room, sliding it over Asher's smeared blood. Lilly was hyperventilating. Riggs dragged Lisa's chair out while Max escorted Cruz. Zach told the family, "no funny business," then followed the procession.

"This is your fault," Carol whispered. No one was sure who she was talking to, but Lola assumed it was Lilly.

"Are you really pregnant, Lills?" Mike asked, tears flowing down his face, getting stuck in his facial hair. Lilly nodded rapidly between gasps. More tears fell.

Bang!

The family jumped.

Bang!

"Two?" Lola asked nobody in particular.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"What the fuck is happening?" Lola's fear came creeping back. The garage door slammed. Lola swallowed hard. She could feel it. This was it. This was the moment that she died. All the emotions came at once: fear, panic, regret, anger, sadness. She felt like she was going to faint.

Footsteps from the kitchen began to grow louder. Lola couldn't tell how many there were. She braced herself. Lisa came running around the corner. She was breathing heavy, everything about her a mess. There was blood on her cardigan.

"How? How?" Lola stammered.

"No time!" Lisa yelled as she began untying Lilly. Once loose, Lilly fell from her chair. She was crying too hard to stand, let alone walk. Lisa helped her sister up and walked her over to the couch, laying her down. She patted Lilly's head, telling her she was sorry. She ran over and untied Mike who hugged her like it was the last time.

"You've got to get Lilly out," she told him. Mike ran over and picked up his grown daughter like she was an infant.

"I'm going to wait," he assured Lisa. However, Lisa had a plan and she was sticking to it.

"Take her outside, get her air. Get us help," she gave orders very easily. Mike looked around, uneasily, before leaving running out the front door with Lilly in his arms.

Lisa looked over at Carol, who was sitting quietly. She looked over at Lola and began untying her.

"How'd you get away?" Lola asked, stunned.

"Cruz is a fucking idiot, that's how," Lisa assured her. The ropes let loose around Lola. She grabbed her sister's shoulders and shook her.

"What. Happened?"

"Once Cruz had the gun, I convinced him to untie me so I could hug him goodbye," Lisa explained quickly, "Zach said no but Cruz assured them that I wouldn't put up a fight. I hugged him and pulled the trigger. Zach shot at me but I shot him back. His two dipshits didn't even have real fucking guns, Lo. They were fucking fake. They tried to run but I got them. Then I busted ass out of there."

"He shot you?" Lola asked.

"In the arm. I'm okay, Lo," Lisa said, smiling at her sister. She ran her fingers through her hair and placed her hand upon Lola's cheek.

"I love you, you know. And I know he was a liar and an asshole. I'm sorry."

"I know, you don't have to do this now. Or ever," Lola gave out a pathetic laugh.

"So, what do we do with her?" Lisa cocked her head toward their mother. Carol was still staring down at her feet.

"I say we don't invite her to the next family gathering?" Lola suggested.

Lisa let out a little laugh, "I think this should probably be the last one of those," she looked back over at her mother, "I'm so disappointed in you, Mom."

A tear hit the floor.

As sirens outside grew louder, Lisa helped her younger sister up and out of that house. Lola turned around and looked back at it and knew she was done there. Her father would be okay, she knew. Her sisters, on the other hand. Lola had a feeling the three of them were about to get a lot closer.

"How's Georgia?" Lola asked Lisa as her older sister was being lifted onto a stretcher.

"It's lovely. You'd really like it," Lisa smiled.

"No way it's as nice as Colorado," Lilly chimed in. She was wrapped in a blanket twice her size. She gave her sisters a sad little smile.

Lola laughed, "Colorado is farther away," she gave Lilly a little hip bump.

"Now that you mention it," Lisa smiled, "far away sounds way better."