Page 26 of Tenebrous

My words cut off once I spot the shovel in my uncle's hand. A grim frown pulls his expression tight. And beside him on the ground, sitting wide open, looks like the rusted lid to a… a mine shaft.

“No,” I whisper, trying to back up slowly, but the rifle at the base of my skull forces me into place. “Gale, what the fuck?”

My uncle says nothing, only glances over my shoulder at Earl. “The other kid taken care of?”

“He will be, once Hank finds him in the morning.”

“And no one knew you was coming out here?”

The Sheriff scoffs and shoves me to my knees beside the shaft. “Do I look like an idiot, Gale? Everyone'll think your nephew did the job, just like I promised.”

“Wait, no,” I begin to struggle against his grip wildly. “Are you fucking serious? You're blaming Manny's death on me?”

“Wouldn't be the first time you got somebody killed,” Gale says roughly, causing me to freeze.

My attention flies to his face, where those eyes that looked at me fondly just yesterday now hold nothing but contempt. “Are you… talking about mom?”

His lips thin into a grim line. “I won't lie and say this isn't personal, Benji, but you have to understand. We've got a town to protect.”

Against my will, a bitter laugh bubbles out as I struggle to my feet. Neither man stops me, probably because Earl’s gun is still pointed at my temple. “How many?”

When both of them look at me in confusion, I kick a tuft of dirt toward the mine shaft. “How many innocent people have you put down there to protect this thing?”

Earl’s jaw tightens, and my uncle looks down at the rusted door with no amount of guilt or shame. “It's not the one that needs protecting, son. There are families here. Children. One life every so often in exchange for keeping the many safe. That's the price we pay.”

“That's such bullshit! Why not kill it instead?”

“You think we haven't tried?” Earl snarls. “The miners attempted it. Hunters. State police were on its trail back in the seventies after a string of disappearances, and every one of them ended up dead. There is no escape.”

“There has to be another way,” I plead desperately. “Killing people? Seriously? What makes either of you any better than that thing?”

My uncle shakes his head and huffs an irritated breath. “This ain't about good or bad, Benji. There's no right versus wrong here. This is survival, and it's either you or us. Sorry, boy, but I know who I'm choosin’.”

Anger replaces the terror in my veins, burning hot enough to chase away the panic. For the first time since Earl put a gun to my head, I stop begging. Stop trying to make them see reason.

They know exactly what they're doing out here, but they just don't give a shit.

“So, that's it, then? You kill me, toss my body into the mine and then tell everybody I murdered Manny before running off?”

Neither one answers this time. Silence surrounds us, even the wind through the leaves having stopped.

“You know,” I spit, facing the sheriff fully so that his rifle points between my brows, “everyone in this town believes that some kind of monster lives in these woods, but the only monsters I see are you two.”

Something flashes across my uncle's features, not quite anger but not sorrow either. He lifts the shovel and jerks his chin in exasperation. “Shoot him, Earl. Let's get this done. I'm tired of hearing him talk.”

For one long, agonizing second, Earl doesn't move. His eyes focus on my face, and then he sighs heavily, his finger hovering over the trigger. “Sorry, kid.”

A strange calm settles over me, and I keep my eyes wide open, bracing for impact.

Maybe it's the shock. Or acceptance. Maybe I've just run out of fear entirely, but the thought of death doesn't scare me. I guess, in all honesty, it never really did.

The only thing that ever kept me up at night was the thought of losing the ones I love, but they've been gone for a while now. My mother, my dad. Even my brother, who I haven't heard from since the day our parents died.

In all reality, I suppose this actually makes sense. Who better to sacrifice than someone with nothing to lose? No one to miss them, or avenge their murder. No roses on my grave.

No unfinished business, I think, my mouth pulling up at the corners as darkness closes in on me. And isn't that just the most me thing to do? Die with a smile on my lips?

One breath, then two. Earl's finger twitches, slowly squeezing the trigger until a blast echoes off the trees. I jump, throat tightening as all my nerve endings scream in pain. Fire dances up my leg, ripping through my body, and the last thing I hear before I tip sideways into the mine is the agonized roar of something barreling through the trees.