Night Horror

Rachel was sleeping in her bed with rain leaking down onto her head. She pulled up a wool blanket over her head. She hated the rain. She was still shivering under the blanket and was developing a cold. She tried to imagine she had a totally different t life.

BANG! Rachel fell out of her bed and hit hard on the floor. She screamed when her door went flying off the hinges and people swarmed in. She backed up against the wall terrified. “It’s just the kid,” groaned a man. “Where are you parents?” asked another man.

“I don’t know,” said Rachel her voice quivering. Tears forming in her in fear of what the peacekeepers would do because peacekeepers in her home wouldn’t end well. Who knows that they would do? One of them gruffly picked her up and threw her into a kitchen chair. She was shacking head to toe. “Use her if they won’t cooperate,” snarled a man, the one she supposed was in charge.

Next thing she knew the men had her parents out in the kitchen with her. Her father gruffly shock off a man’s grip on his arm. Her mother just wondered around dreamily. She was curled up in a ball hoping it would all end swiftly.

“We are here do to a disturbance of the peace occurrence that happened earlier and in a case of robbery,” announced another faceless men. Rachel supposed there were at least a dozen of the male peacekeepers in her home. Who knew who they were?

“I didn’t steal anything and no one here as disturbed the peace,” said Rachel’s father. “Well, that’s not what we heard,” snarled a man. I clung to my father knowing what was coming. They couldn’t take them from me, I had no one else.

“Someone get her off of him!” boomed the man. Rachel kicked any peacekeeper that got close to her. “She’s a child not an armed beast!” yelled the man his face flushed with anger. “Rachel, stop. You aren’t helping,” said her father softly. “BUT THEY’LL KILL YOU!” Rachel sobbed. “Then let them burn in hell,” her father growled. Rachel starred in shock. This was the first time she had heard her father use any vulgar words. One of them pulled Rachel off them and the rest herded the family outside. They lined up Rachel’s parents against the pathetic thing of an outside wall. Despite Rachel’s screaming, kicking and biting they wouldn’t let go of her. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Everyone but the peacekeeper holding her shot down her parents. Her father’s last words had been “You’ve made a huge mistake. You all will pay one day.”

Rachel finally broke free and ran as fast she could away horrified by what had just happened. She ran into the side entrance to the barn so the peacekeepers would think she ran off into the meadow. She found a pile of hay and jumped into it. Trigger came up and snuggled with her. She latched onto her dog and sobbed into its long gray and white fur. The fur muffled her sobs along with the bahs of sheep, rain and thunder. What would she do now? She didn’t know. Would peacekeepers come and force her into a home? Or would they let her starve to death? Maybe someone will find her before the peacekeepers came after the storm to look for her.

Seldom were Lillith and Lyndis home, and when they were, they were usually together. often times Lyndis went out around the district just to find a good quiet place to be by herself. while she wasn't strictly obedient, she didn't really break rules, and so she wasn't seen as much of a problem.

she was out late as she usually was, and this time she was under some trees, which meant the rain was only occasionally hitting her. she liked sleeping outside sometimes with distant flashes of lightning or the soft hum of distant thunder sounding rather relaxing.

this storm was much closer than that though. as a result, Lyn couldn't sleep outside. once the lightning got closer she made her way far from the trees, and out into the open where getting struck by lightning was not as likely. luckily it was not as frequent as she had thought.

then another loud bang was heard--several of them. there were gunshots, and even the half-deaf girl could hear those. she raced towards the sound of the commotion,realizing too late that it had come from around Rachel's place. she cringed to think at what had happened, but her keen eyes saw the Peacekeepers before her awful ears heard them, so she made sure to stay out of sight till after they had disappeared.

after this happened, she decided to have a good look around. she didn't dare go towards the house yet, but she did poke around inside the barn to see what she could see.

"Rachel?" she asked curiously; she couldn't hear her quiet sobs, and it was awfully dark this time of night, so she wasn't sure what--or who--she'd find.

Rachel was clinging to Trigger, the only thing she had left of her life, for dear life. She didn’t want to lose him too. She was trying to squeeze the horror of the past few minutes out of her mind. But every time she closed her eyes she hear the rounds of bullets and see the bloody and bodies of her parents falling.

She heard someone come inside the barn. She pressed herself up against the wall still holding Trigger tightly. She instantly stopped crying and went silent. She was petrified it was a peacekeeper coming back to finish the job. She covered her mouth to quiet her breathing. She was shaking head to toe praying she was going to die.

She heard her name being called. It wasn’t a man’s voice but a women’s. She was still too terrified to move even if the voice sounded familiar. She’d wait for them to find her. Trigger freed himself from her. She tried to reach out before he ran out there but couldn’t. Either Trigger was going to save her life or end it.

Lyndis crept inside, calling out Rachel's name again, slightly softer. she slowly crept inside, not sure what she'd find in the darkness. she suspected Rachel was in here, especially after she was met with her dog at the entrance. Trigger's presence more or less confirmed Lyndis' suspicions.

she stepped cautiously inside, wanting to give the girl her space, wherever she was.
"hey..." she whispered again, "Rachel? it's me. Lyn."

Rachel’s heavy uneven breaths slowed down. She slowly inched forward. She wasn’t going running out in case it was trap. What if Lyndis was being involuntary forced to come in here and Peacekeepers had a gun to her back. She wasn’t ever going to be so naive to trust voices.

“Prove to me you don’t have them with you,” she whispered. “That you aren’t leading me into some sort of trap involuntary,” she added. Her voice had a certain edge to it, not the innocent edge she had only a few hours ago but something of mixed with hate, anger and fear.

She covered her ears and put her head between her knees as another flashback of what had happened moments ago rocked her world. Everything was gone. Her parents were dead. They wouldn’t be coming back, just like Andrew and Sonny. She had no one but Trigger. What would happen to her now? Would she end up in one of those horrid Group Homes or on the streets or would someone take her in? She just didn’t know. She wanted this to all be a horrible nightmare she’d wake up from.

Lyndis stopped, looking confused in the shadows.
"uhh... don't have who with me. it's just me right now... because screw the peacekeepers."

she paused, and there was near silence.
"I think they'd have beat me down if I said that and they were behind me." she hoped it would work. the innocent had nothing to hide, which was why Lyndis was being as open as she was.

"it's just me and you. just Rachel and Lyn." she reassured her. she was confused, and slightly edgy, still trying to think about what had happened.

Rachel slowly inched out. She was near the place edge of a stable were she knew on the other side were pitchforks. She wasn’t sure if she’d actually use them but she guessed if there would Peacekeepers, maybe she would. She didn’t know what to think or do anymore.

“I’m guessing you heard. Probably half of the neighbors heard but yet no one is brave enough to see what happened. It seems that the District 10 is filled with cowards,” she snarled. She wasn’t sure why she was lashing out words at District 10 when it was the Capitol’s peacekeepers that killed her parents. She was just trying to lash out at whatever she could.

Lyndis frowned. "for me... I have a pretty clear idea of what happened... I just don't really want to see what's... err... left."
she muttered that last part sheepishly. this was one of those awkward moments where she didn't really know what to say, or what to do.

she crouched down next to Rachel. "I'm sorry." she said softly, hardly even hearing herself, "I really am. Is there anything I can do for you... anything at all?"
she didn't really know why she was asking this, or why she cared so much... but at this point she wasn't thinking too deeply about it. it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Rachel’s eyes went dark again as they flash of the gunfire started again. She swore if these flashbacks didn’t stop she was going to lose it. How did tributes in the Games handle this? She had seen people go complete crazy in the Games; she understood why they did now.

“What is there you can do? There’s nothing left,” she said. There really wasn’t anything left. She didn’t know what Lyndis could do for her. She didn’t even know what she could do for herself. She started to sob again. She couldn’t control it. Was this what her mother felt? She cursed silently at that idea; she would not become her mother.

Lyndis fell to her knees, carefully putting an arm around Rachel.
"I'm not about to leave you all on your own." she insisted, "I've got your back."

she didn't know exactly how this would help, but there had been something she had seen in Rachel when they first met that always drew her back. all she knew was that her friend needed someone to cry on more than ever right now... and while she wasn't sure that she was the best choice for the job, she was going to be there either way.

Rachel starred at the arm around her through teary eyes. She didn’t protest but didn’t seem to care about it. She knew Lyndis was trying to comfort her but deep down she knew that the wound she had just received was too deep to heal. She wasn’t sure it would ever heal. She knew one thing for sure; she’d never be the same. She swore that those peacekeepers will one day pay for this.

“Where am I going to go?” she asked in a hoarse voice. “I don’t have any other family members,” she added. She really did have no one left. No one to take care of her, she was on her own. She knew one thing for sure; she wasn’t going to go into a group home. Peacekeepers would have to kill her first. She knew they wouldn’t kill an innocent child, it would cause uproar.

Lyndis knew that there was nothing she could do that would ever fully help Rachel recover, but she didn't want to just go without trying at least to reassure her somehow.

she did pose a significant question though that made Lyndis wonder.
"Well..." she remarked, "how hard would it be for ya to move in with me? the 'rents won't care, and half of us sleep outside anyways..."
Lyndis' parents were easy-going, and didn't worry too much about their daughters, because they could take care of themselves. another helping hand never hurt in an farming district like this one, and so she wasn't even worried about convincing her parents. that would be the easy part if Rachel was interested.

Rachel was completely stunned. She couldn’t understand why anyone would care about her enough to offer her a place to stay. She hadn’t ever done anything to deserve such kindness. She was just a normal farm girl, why would anyone pay any attention to her. She wasn’t anything special, just another kid who had worked their whole life and hadn’t ever really been a kid.

“I’ll only go if Trigger can go with me. And what about the sheep?” she asked. She still cared a lot about the sheep. She’d hate to see them all be killed. She’d also hate to see them starve to death too. She knew she couldn’t care for all of them, at least on her own.

Lyndis pondered these conditions, neither of which seemed too difficult. "I think as long as Trigger's fine with staying outside, they wouldn't care." she replied, referencing her parents. most dogs in the district were outdoor ones as well, but there was always an exception. but, given the nature of both Lyn and her family, she strongly doubted that this would be an issue.

"hmm... maybe Lil can help ya with the sheep... or one of my folks. I ain't sure exactly, but you'd probably like 'em... Lillith... well, she's not as crazy as I am... but still..." she half-chuckled, "we can probably figure something out. don't worry--I'm not gonna let this fall by the wayside or anything.

[OOC--I will probably end up making Lillith as an official character sooner or later. she is Lyndis' younger sister.]

“He loves the outside. We goes nutty if we keep him inside,” Rachel stated “we think he’s part some sort of the wild dog.” She petted Trigger and he liked her hand. She just wiped it off on Trigger’s fur. Trigger didn’t seem to care.

“I’d never forgive myself if I let the sheep farm go on the wayside. It’s been in the family for so long,” she said. “It would be such as waste of hard work,” she added. She refused to let herself cry anymore. She doubted there was much tears left in her body. She adored this farm, just the barn and the house were going to kill her each time she saw it. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to tear down the house. There is no way to get the blood out of the side of that house even at that the memory will last forever.

“We can’t just leave them there,” she said talking about her parents. She didn’t want to see their bodies again but she didn’t want to leave them there to rot either. She doubted that her neighbors will come by and take care of the bodies. If they hadn’t come to see what happened what is the chances they’ll come to remove bodies.

[OOC—Sounds good]

Lyndis chuckled. "I figured as much; so that's good." she nodded. "and leaving the sheep farm would be a dreadful waste of work... maybe I can put in a few extra hours with ya too once I'm done at the butcher's shop.... I guess I'll see."

she paused for a moment when she mentioned the bodies of her parents. Lyndis wasn't really sure how to respond to this at first.
"I..." she muttered, "what do you propose?"
she asked this with sincerity, and with a tone that indicated that she would be willing to help how she could. these were Rachel's parents though, so they were going to do things her way.

“Thank you so much,” said Rachel her voice cracking. She had never thought someone who wasn’t family would care so much about her. Why did Lyndis care so much? It didn’t matter. Long as she had someone she’d be okay, she thinks.

“You don’t have to really go near them just look out for Peacekeepers. All I have to do is dig two graves since we have coffin in storage in the barn. Someone made my brothers’ coffins too large so they let us keep them,” she said. She didn’t wait for an answer when she went and drug the adult sized plan simple wooden coffins from the tack room, which was also known as storage. She grabbed a shovel and headed towards her brothers’ graves. “You can help dig if you want,” she called as she stalked the coffins on top of each other and pushed them out the door. She didn’t care if it was raining or not. Her parents weren’t going to decompose in the open air.

"you're welcome, I guess." she smiled. she didn't know why she felt such compassion on this young girl, but she did, and she couldn't get the nagging feeling out of her head, so she decided to just go with it instead of let ignoring it end up driving her insane.

she nodded. "lemme grab a shovel." she replied, finding one near where Rachel had grabbed hers. Lyndis, like most farm-dwellers, was physically strong, and despite being barefoot, she was able to plunge the blade of the tool deep into the earth, which had been softened a bit by the rain.

Rachel wasn’t sure how long she was digging but she was hoping she had dug the grave deep enough. She was soaking wet and exhausted. The rain had stopped a while ago but it was nighttime so there was no sun to help dry out clothes. She knew she had to put the bodies in the coffins. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

“Keep on digging here. I’ll take care of them,” she stated. She didn’t want anyone but herself doing this.

She had to push one of the coffins toward the house forcing her to go to the murder scene. The blood on the ground had been washed away but the bloodstains on the house wall would forever remain. She doesn’t know how she manages to get her mother in the coffin without going into a crying fit. She shut the coffin refusing to look at her mother’s body. She stopped at the barn and found a hammer and nail then nailed the coffins shut. She knew just were to hit the nails into the coffin so it wouldn’t be opened, she didn’t want to know why someone would even try. She pushed her mother’s coffin near the gravesite then left to go get her father. She pushed another coffin back towards where her father is. She struggles to get her father in due to the fact he weighs so much, and is all muscle, but she manages. Again she had to nail the coffin shut. When she returned Trigger had one of her father’s spare building hammers in his mouth and a bread knife was sitting on top of her mother’s coffin. She knew had been Trigger right away. “Good boy,” she says taking the hammer. Trigger licks her hand.

“How do we get them down in there?” she asked. She had no idea how to do that. She hadn’t thought about that.

Lyndis nodded and kept digging till they were significantly deep holes, long and wide enough to fit the coffins with a few inches to spare. she kept digging as Rachel took care of the bodies, and she was quiet as she worked, musing to herself about various things. hopefully their little plan worked out, because Lyndis liked Rachel; she had a soft spot for younger children, especially those in need.

she did pose an interesting question soon enough. how *were* they going to get them in there? Lyndis was strong, but she couldn't simply hoist up a coffin and throw it down into a hole.

"hmm..." she muttered, "only thing I can think of is if one of us, probably me, climbs down in the hole as we push the coffins down so we don't just disrespectfully drop 'em or somethin'... I'm probably strong enough that I won't be in any danger. what do you think?"

in the end, she was to get the last word, as these were her parents. Lyndis was just here to bounce ideas.

“It’s worth a shot. I don’t want to just throw them down there,” Rachel said in a small voice. She felt as small as her voice. Why did this happen? It wasn’t fair. They didn’t deserve to die.

She turned and looked at the coffins. She wanted to get this over with. “Let’s just get this done. I don’t want to make this any longer then it has to be,” she added coldly. She was beyond feeling sad. She was angry at life itself. It never seemed to be fair and was the hardest for the people who deserved the best.

Lyndis nodded. "well," she quipped, "luckily we don't plan on tossin' 'em down here. just don't try and think of what'll happen if I botch up."
"there goes an arm, a leg... me, if I'm THAT stupid... but I know myself better than that. if I botch up and drop a coffin on myself, I deserve to be buried then and there." she ruminated. she knew that that was extremely unlikely.

she hopped down into the hole. "just slowly slide 'em towards me." she instructed, "I won't let go."
Lyndis knew her strength, and could roughly estimate the size of these two individuals added to the weight of the wood that surrounded them. she wasn't some muscular behemoth, but she was considerably strong despite her size. her confidence in her physical strength was what kept her going with this idea.

"ready when you are." she called out.

Rachel pushed her mother’s coffin first. She wanted her mother to be in peace for her. She wanted to her to give her mom a proper passing. It seemed so only far if she was so tortured in her life she should have a peaceful afterlife.

“Down she goes,” she announced. Time to let go and it couldn’t come fast enough. Now Rachel knew her parents would be able to move on if they were buried. They’d always be watching her at least they would be in peace.

She slowly slipped her mother’s casket downwards. She’d rather get wood stuck in her hand then drop her mom. She would never forgive herself if she dropped her. Hadn’t her mother gone through enough?

Perhaps Lyndis had been a little overconfident about her strength, as she lurched for a moment.
"Don't worry," She grunted, keeping the coffin from crashing to the ground by falling out of her hands. "I... I've got 'er."
this was honest; Lyndis was not about to do her friend a heinous disrespect by dropping the coffin. her back or her legs might scream at her for a couple days afterwards, but that was nothing she couldn't eventually shake off and get over. Lyndis crouched down, groaning a bit more under the weight. despite being 17, Lyndis was still a very small girl.

a couple moments later, however, she had placed the coffin on the floor of the hole. she almost smashed her fingers between it and the ground, but luckily her digits all managed to get out of the situation safely. she was ready for Rachel's father, which she knew would be more difficult than her mother, given that he was much larger. she popped her knuckles and took a deep breath.
"alright," she called out, "ready when you are."

It was right in this moment that Rachel wished her brothers hadn’t died so young. She knew Lyndis might not be able to handle her father. She was hesitating lowering her father down. She didn’t want Lyndis to get hurt.

“Down he’s coming,” announced Rachel slowly slipping the coffin down. Her hands were digging into the wood and starting to bleed. She dug her feet into the soggy ground. She was going to try to help Lyndis if she could but she wasn’t that strong. She can carry a young sheep and throw bales of hay around the barn but she wasn’t built to handle carrying people. She was a bit too young to be very strong, she was strong for her age but she wasn’t built like an ox.