Chapter 19 (part one)

Both Derek and Rachel were frozen on their spots, what should they do? They have no idea; suddenly Ethan knocked one more time, this time with much more force.

“Come on brother, the food is getting cold now. Open the door let me in.”

Derek figured he must have not heard Rachel, he quickly got up on his feet and motioned Rachel to be quiet by placing his index finger on his lips.

Rachel nodded in return, unsure of what to do next, she felt so helpless and on top of that she was scared to death.

“In a minute little brother, just getting dressed.” He made his way to Rachel and grabbed her upper arm to help stand her up. “I am sure you don’t want to see me in my boxers, now do you.” He dragged her to the bathroom door and told her to lock the door in a whisper.

Rachel nodded but pointed her finger at the pillow on the floor and her boots lying in corner. They can’t let get Ethan suspicious now can they.

“Well you will surprised big brother, why don’t you try me?” Ethan’s impatient voice came from the other side of the door.

Derek tip toed his way to the boots and the pillow, he threw the pillow on the mattress lightly and handed over the boots to Rachel before closing the door on her face, before she can say anything, her hand stopped the gate from closing completely and asked a question from her pleading eyes ‘will we be okay?’

Derek was going to say something but the loud knocks on the bedroom door were kind of distracting him instead of saying something, he captured her lips for one short kiss and then closed the door before Rachel can say something.

He quickly examined the bedroom one more time and when he was satisfied he made his way to the bedroom door. Derek took a long breadth and tried to put on his best fake charming smile before tilting the doorknob.

“Well I never knew that you changed sides or else I would have...”

Derek’s stopped in mid sentence, when he saw that there was no breakfast, no food on the door Just his little brother smirking.

“So where’s the breakfast little brother?” his one hand was still on the doorknob in case he needed to close the door soon.

“Right here!!” and with that Ethan punched Derek in the gut with all power that the almighty could have provided him in that moment.

One blow was enough to send Derek to the floor, he felt as if somebody has just plunged a hot iron rod in his body. Taking in oxygen seemed like such a difficult task for him right now, for a few seconds he didn’t even register what was happening, then he started to gasp for short breadths.

“Come on at least give me a fight!! I haven’t even started yet.” Ethan stalked towards him, maybe he over did it with that punch, his own hand was hurting like hell, he can only imagine what Derek felt right now.

A matter of self pride took over Derek, and soon he felt himself getting up on his feet. He was shaking terribly but in all that misery he still managed to do it. 

“So I suppose you know huh?” Derek spat some blood out when he was finished speaking.

Surprised but kind of happy with his reaction Ethan replied “yeah I do, jeez was that supposed to be a secret.” He pretended to be nervous by biting his nails “I am sorry, I eavesdropped and ruined your moment with my wife.”

“How unfortunate for us right?”

“Very unfortunate, speaking of my wife, where is she? Because I can’t seem to find her anywhere these days.” Ethan moved in circular directions around Derek, checking every corner, every place where he would be able to find Rachel.

“Don’t you dare touch her, as long as I am alive you won’t hurt her.” Derek was surprised to see this hidden anger hidden inside of him.

Ethan stopped his search for Rachel and turned around to look at Derek properly before smiling and saying “she’s in the bathroom isn’t she?”

Derek’s silence confirmed his suspicion “oh halleluiah!! There is god in this world, but seriously in the bathroom, I mean come one... who’s brilliant idea was this?”

When Derek still chose to be silent, Ethan just waved him off and made his way to the bathroom door. He titled the doorknob but it was locked, he tried to open it again but before he can step back from the door in order to break it, Derek grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him away from the door.

Ethan’s head crashed with the wall, he wiped away the few little trickles of blood trails coming from his forehead with his hand, Derek was standing in front of that bathroom door like a shield, Ethan was enjoying this. He was angry but he enjoyed seeing his angelic step brother being something else than perfect.

Ethan licked his dry lips and started laughing, 

“I must say, I am a little surprised and a little happy too. But enough with the nonsense...” he picked himself up and very slowly limped his way to stand only a few inches away from Derek “Step aside Derek, don’t make me do this.”

“I won’t let you hurt her.” Derek’s body was shaking, his fingers were trembling, he was terrified but he was ready to do anything for Rachel.

“Fine have it your way.” Ethan took a swing on Derek’s face but he apparently managed to dodge it.

And soon enough both brothers started fighting to their deaths, at first Derek was giving equal competition to Ethan but after a few punches he started losing.

Ethan twisted Derek’s right arm and kicked him in his kneecap from behind, sure enough Derek screamed unable to cope with the pain and then he landed flat on his face, Ethan grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head to the floor over and over again until nothing but blood could be seen on the spot where Ethan was bashing Derek’s head.

Derek was lying on floor, he couldn’t even lift his finger so fighting Ethan back was a long shot. When he has completely given up fighting back Ethan got up from his back and kicked him in his stomach for one last time, Derek groaned on the floor but stayed silent.

When Ethan was done, he felt so relieved; all his anger towards Derek was gone now. He made his way to the bathroom door and tried to open it but the knob just won’t budge. Frustrated with his failed attempts he made up another plan.

He went outside of the bedroom to fetch his axe which he put beside the door, he grabbed it and went back inside and prepared himself for the heavy task which he was about to do.

Derek was watching him silently, his vision was blurry and he was sure that he will need serious dental work after this fight. He coughed some blood out and cleared his throat before speaking,

“You never wanted to know why she did it, did you.” Derek’s voice was barely audible but somehow he managed to catch Ethan’s attention.

Ethan thrashed his axe to the bathroom door, a small hole was now present  on the door, it was small but he will get there, he thrashed it one more time before saying,

“Did what?” Ethan knew Derek was trying play with his mind.

Derek used his hands to lift himself up from the floor and dragged his body to the nearest support it can find. He wiped away some blood trickling from his nose before smiling at Ethan,

“Cheated on you... with me.”

Ethan thrashed his axe again in the door but this time with much more power, he didn’t want to have this conversation. This task was taking much longer time than he thought it would.

“Shut the fuck up!!” Ethan exclaimed at him.

“Oh come on, you are telling me, that you never wanted to know why the love of your life, a woman who loved you more than anything was unfaithful to you.” 

It was happening he was getting to him now, Derek could see it by his changed body language, Ethan was becoming much more violent now.

Ethan thrashed is axe in the door again, but this time some flying pieces of wood entered his eyes, he kicked the door with his foot, he was being distracted by Derek’s tricky words.

“So then why don’t you just fucking tell me and be done with it already.” Ethan left his task now, he was hovering over Derek’s body now in a threatening manner.

“She really loved you, I was always jealous of you because she picked you over me.” Derek wasn’t trying to trick Ethan anymore he was telling the truth.

“So she changed her choice after all this time, didn’t she?” Ethan asked feeling completely broken now.

“No she didn’t, she came to me that night because she was worried. And then it just happened it didn’t even mean anything... she said she never wanted to see my face ever again the next morning.”

Ethan’s heart was beating out of his chest now,

“So why she was worried then?”

Derek tried to hide his tears, it was all to hurtful to think about but he deserves to know,

“Because she just found out that she was pregnant with your baby that day, and she was scared, she didn’t know how you would react so she came to me...”

Pregnant?

Ethan felt as if the ground below his knees has shifted. Rachel is carrying my child this explained so much, on why she was rushing the wedding.

“Make all the crazy plans you want to make in that crazy head of yours, but she is now never going to be yours now, she will never agree to be with you after this weekend, so that makes me...” Derek used his mocking voice “the new husband or should I say an uncle or a father, man this is complicated.” 

Ethan’s blood was boiling; his knuckles were completely white how he dares tell me that Rachel isn’t mine anymore.

“Why should I believe you?” Ethan asked in a hoarse voice, he could feel the lump in this throat.

“Because...” instead of answering Derek took out Ethan’s gun from his back, it must have been dropped during their struggle and pointed it at Ethan’s head. “I will do anything for her.” He whispered the last part before placing his index finger on the trigger.

But no bullets escaped the gun, no sound of a gun shot being fired could be heard for miles, the atmosphere was tense and everything was all too quiet.

Ethan’s axe was now not was in his possession because it was placed inside Derek’s head. Warm oozing blood trickled its way down on Derek’s face, his eyes were still wide open, his hand still in the air holding the gun.

Derek fell on his face sideways on the floor with a loud thump; the gun escaped Derek’s lifeless fingers and was now lying beside his lifeless body. A pool of warm red blood was forming around his decapitated head.

It was a reflex or a defence move, Ethan doesn’t know, but all he could manage to do right now was cry beside his dead brother’s body,

He closed his brothers’ eyes and Ethan couldn’t help but cry and sob like a little baby. It was all too different from what he imagined it to be, he just killed his brother, and this was the only reality playing back and forth in his mind right now.

He picked himself up and the gun too, he tucked it behind his shirt, he was completely lost, how will he ever forgive himself for the deed he just committed? He wanted to stay but he had to fetch Rachel, he was ready to forgive her, she was carrying his child, what more could he possibly want.

With broken spirits he made his way to the bathroom door, is this wooden door is the only thing which is separating him from Rachel? Ethan forgot that the door was locked but nonetheless he tried to open it for one last time and it creaked opened a little bit.

Ethan was kind of surprised to see it finally being opened; he must have broken the lock when he was breaking the door with his axe.

With a heavy heart he opened the door completely but he couldn’t see Rachel anywhere but instead cold breeze hit his face like stinging bees.

The source of cold breeze was a broken window and small pieces of broken glass were lying on the bathroom floor, Ethan gasped at the thought ‘she escaped.’

He poked his head out from the window to look for her and saw small footsteps making their way to the lake. The sky was gathering dark clouds now, the wind was blowing hard and thunderous sound of lightening was shaking the forest peace to its core.

 Ethan moved his feet as fast as he can and once he was downstairs, he made his way to the front door and opened it at once with shaky fingers and started running towards the lake with not a slightest idea on what he was going to do next. 

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