I couldn't see straight.
Charlie and Kent were a dark blur, rolling around in front of me, fists flinging and legs kicking everywhere. I had yelled so much, there was no use.
"What's going on?" I heard Rebecca call from up above on the deck. She leaned over the railing to watch as Kent and Charlie continued wrestling and cursing at each other.
"Go get the guys, they won't stop!" I called up to her but she glanced back at the boys with a worried look before making eye contact with me again.
"There's something wrong with the power in the cabin, they're in the basement trying to figure it out! I'll be right back!" Rebecca hurried off and for a second I considered the idea that Charlie had purposefully done something to the power to distract the boys.
"I can't believe you!" I heard Charlie yell before kicking Kent back and away from him. The two stumbled to their feet, wiping blood from their mouths and I took this opportunity to jump in between them. It was a classic movie scene, my arms were held out straight to keep the two as far away from each other as possible.
"Why are you doing this Charlie?" Kent yelled back and Charlie stepped forward, pressing against my hand. Kent did the same.
"You couldn't even let me have Sadie, you have everything else I've ever wanted and you had to take Sadie away from me too! I'm tired of constantly living in your damn shadow!" Charlie yelled, his fists shaking with anger. Kent glared at his best friend of so many years, confused and hurt.
"You knew how I felt about Sadie from the very beginning Charlie! You never once told me you had this strong of feelings for her, I'm not stabbing you in the back. You're my best friend, Charlie," The hurt and confusion was plain on Kent's face, not from being punched either.
"What does it mean then Kent? Because as far as I can tell you get everything and I get left in the dust. Always!" Before Kent could respond or I could stop him Charlie leaped forward and tackled Kent around the waist again, sending both of them backwards into the bushes and rolling down the steep and snowy hill.
"Kent! Charlie!" I called after them right as Rebecca slid up to my side.
"Did they just fall down the hill?" She asked, grabbing my shoulders. I was shaking, but not from being cold.
"Yes, Charlie just tackled Kent and they're down there," I pointed to the broken bushes in front of us, "Where are the guys? They need to stop them,"
"They're trying to find flashlights, it's pitch black out here Sades," Rebecca explained and I started shaking my head.
"Sadie, listen to me, listen!" Rebecca grabbed my shoulders and made me look at her finally, "The Ambien bottle is spilled all over the bathroom, it looks like quite a few pills are missing but I didn't stop to count,"
Rebecca's comment from earlier, the one about her dad's ex-girlfriend going crazy when on Ambien, flashed through my head. I thought Ambien made people lethargic, although I'm not sure what it would do when mixed with that other pill or alcohol. Was Charlie even taking those other pills?
"I've gotta stop them," I jumped away from the Rebecca and slid down the hill towards Kent and Charlie, not caring about the snow going up my pant legs or the fact that my pants were now completely soaked and ignoring Rebecca's pleas to stop.
"You bastard!" I could hear Charlie yelling and Kent grunting as I quickly approached the two, still rolling around in the snow and trying to punch each other.
"Will you two stop it already!" I screamed, grabbing the back of Charlie's shirt and tugging as hard as I could. In less than two seconds Charlie had turned and shoved his elbow so hard into my nose, I felt it crack. I fell to the ground and clutched my throbbing nose. I could already feel the warm liquid running down my chin.
"What the hell did you just do?" I heard Kent from behind me, he grabbed Charlie and threw him to the ground before rushing to me. Kent's arms wrapped around me and helped me stand up.
"Are you alright Sadie? Please tell me you're okay," Worry was written all over his face and in his voice as he stared down at me. Tears were falling from my eyes involuntarily as I continued to hold my nose and try to blink so I could see clearly.
"I think it's broken," I whispered and Kent's face grew a shade darker.
"Son of a bit-" Before Kent was able to turn around to confront Charlie a large branch came crashing down over his head and he fell to the snowy ground, limp.
"Kent!" I bent down to see if Kent was okay but Charlie had other plans. His heel connected with my sternum and sent me back, tumbling to the ground and now clutching my chest, allowing the blood from my nose to pour out.
"You dumb bitch, you should really stay out of this!" Charlie yelled, reaching around his back and fiddling with something in what looked like his back pocket. In the dim lighting from the moon I could barely make out Charlie's face.
"Charlie please stop," My heart was pounding and the blood rushing through my ears was so loud I could barely hear what Charlie was saying.
He took a few steps away from me. Kent still laid on the ground a few feet away from me, motionless. "I was willing to give you everything. I even let your annoying, dumb ass friend tag along with us this weekend. Then your knight in shining armor had to show up and ruin everything. Why wasn't I good enough for you, Sadie?"
"Stop it Charlie, just stop. He's your best friend, why are you doing this?" I screamed at him and this time Charlie knelt down before me. I could see his face clearly now. Gone was the nice, charming Charlie I had once known, instead he was replaced with an evil, dark eyed maniac.
"It's too late now, I've seen who you really are and let me say," Charlie grabbed my chin and forced me to stare at him, "I'm not too impressed sweetheart,"
Charlie shoved my face away and stood back up, finally pulling out whatever item he had stuffed in his back pocket. I might not have been able to see much before but with my eyes adjusting to the darkness I could clearly see the small pistol that Charlie was now grasping in his hands.
"The hardest part is, who do I kill first?" He asked, pointing the gun at his own head and scratching his temple with the barrel. "For me, it's probably the most fun part though,"
He pointed the gun down at Kent and I leaped forward without thinking, covering Kent's body with my own and choking out a sob, a plea, a prayer.
"Please don't Charlie, please don't!" I begged and Charlie chuckled, lightly kicking Kent's limp leg.
"Wow, you'd even sacrifice yourself for him," Charlie tisked and shook his head. "That's so pathetic, you'd actually give your own life for him? He doesn't even care about you!"
Charlie had snapped, he couldn't be controlled anymore. Where the hell were the others?
"You're lying. I know how Kent feels and I'll never feel the same way towards you!" Charlie's face grew more serious, no signs of joking anymore.
"Charlie stop," Kent's strained voice mumbled from beneath me. I moved carefully off of him and Kent slowly rolled onto his knees, staring up at Charlie. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I'm finally standing up to you, Kent," Charlie's words were sharp, intended to cut. "For years I've stood on the sidelines watching you always get what you want, always come in first place, always taking what is mine.Everyone thinks you're such a great guy, but you're not! Your time in the spot light is over,"
Kent reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly but we both kept our eyes on Charlie, who was waving the pistol around like a mad man. He was a mad man. Had he taken those pills too?
"Well I'm stopping it right now, if Sadie isn't mine, she's not yours either," The anger that was darkening Charlie's eyes scared me, the gun in his hand definitely didn't help either. I'd like to say I know Charlie well enough to know he wouldn't shoot us, but I don't. I don't know Charlie at all.
"Charlie just calm down," Kent spoke again but now Charlie turned and whipped the pistol against the side of Kent's head. Kent's motionless body fell beside me once again.
"Charlie what did you do?" I bent down next to Kent and made sure he as still breathing, thank goodness he was.
I wasn't sure if any of the others could hear me but I screamed as loud as I could back up the trail that the three of us had slid down. Where was Rebecca and the other?
"This sad, pathetic human is who you want instead of me?" Charlie's large hand was suddenly grabbing the back of my neck, squeezing hard and yanking me to my feet. I kept my eyes glued to Kent as Charlie shook me around like a rag doll, screaming profanities that entire time. I grabbed his hands to try to ease the pain of his grip but it didn't work.
This wasn't Charlie, this wasn't who he really was. Why had he snapped like this? I knew coming up here was a mistake, now I wish I had never come. Then again if I had never come then I wouldn't have seen Kent again. Although none of that matters if we're dead.
"He knew I loved you Sadie, he knew from day one and he still took you from me," Charlie continued to ramble on, hanging on to my neck for dear life and fiddling with the gun in his other hand. "I'm not a huge fan of people taking what's mine,"
"I'm not yours to claim, Charlie! I don't belong to anyone!" I yelled, trying to slap Charlie but he blocked my hand and smirked. A smirk that sent cold chills through every bone in my body.
"No, unfortunately you can never be. Not after you've been with that thing," Charlie kicked a pile of snow towards Kent and half of it landed on his legs. Kent was going to get frost bite if I didn't get his face off the snow covered ground soon.
"You two are best friends Charlie, please stop this," I begged one more time, hoping that by some miracle Charlie would snap out of this blind rage.
"Not anymore, what a shame," Aiming the gun towards Kent I watched in horror as he pulled the trigger, the gunshot echoing through my brain and a high pitched tone took the place of all other sounds. The bullet had successfully impaled itself into Kent's left calf and he was now groaning in pain but hardly moving still.
"Kent! Charlie what the hell are you doing!" I screamed, I think that was me screaming, I really couldn't hear much of anything. Charlie's face was bunched up with laughter and he tossed me to the ground next to Kent.
Before I could scramble to Kent's side Charlie was pressing the cold metal of the barrel under my chin and forcing me to stare up at him.
"Say goodbye, sweetheart,"