Days of Love and Blood

her mouth open, like this.” I felt two sets of fingers in my mouth, forcing my jaws apart in opposite directions. I tried to pull my face away and bite down, but his grip was too strong.
    “What the fuck?” said Anand.
    “What?”
    Willie shouted and let go of my face. My head smacked the ground and I heard Willie smash against the counter as Anand pulled out of me. Someone stepped over me and Anand screamed. I rolled over and squinted through my swollen lids. Cooper had Anand on the ground and was stomping on his face. Willie was lying against the cabinets moaning. I struggled to my feet and felt the blood running down my thighs. Willie had managed to get on all fours and raised his arm up to grab for the counter. Moments later he was on his feet, stumbling toward Cooper’s turned back with a knife in his hand. I bent down and rushed him with my head and shoulders. We toppled over the kitchen table and I landed with my back on him. Before I could roll off he grabbed the top of my hair and slid a blade under my neck.
    Cooper rushed over but froze when he saw the knife.
    “This is what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna let me up or this bitch is gonna get her throat slit.”
    Cooper winced when he took in my pummeled face. He nodded his head and took a step back. Willie pulled me up by my hair and I screamed once more.
    “ Anand, come on.”
    “I don’t think your friend will be wakin’ up for a while,” Cooper said.
    “You fuck. Fine. You can have him.”
    Willie began walking backwards to the foyer. Every step back Willie took, Cooper took one forward.
    “Let her go,” Cooper growled.
    “You stay there, asshole. I’ll let her go when I’m gone.”
    “You’ll let her go now.”
    “I said stop right there or I’ll cut her!” he screamed. The point of the knife stuck into my neck and blood dripped out of the puncture.
    Cooper stopped moving and suddenly widened his eyes, looking behind us. I felt Willie’s head whip around and Cooper made his move. He grabbed Willie’s arm and wrenched it away while I ducked. I heard his fist connect with Willie’s face and the knife hitting the ground. I crawled to reach it but Cooper accidentally kicked it away. I stood up and took a few fumbling steps but slipped on my own blood and crashed into the ground, hip first. My foot touched the cold metal of the knife and I swiveled around to reach it. When I whipped back around, Willie was lying unconscious on the ground and Cooper had a gun pointed at his head.
    “No,” I gurgled.
    “No?”
    “No. Please, not yet. Help me.”
    Cooper’s face changed from scathing anger to grief in the instant he turned his head and looked down at me. He ran over to me and wrapped both arms around me.
    “Jesus, you’re bleeding bad,” he said. “Oh my God, Ronan.”
    “He escaped,” I assured him.
    “I have to go find him.”
    “ He’s at the Fielding’s already. I hid a four-wheeler in a shanty out in the woods. Just in case something like this ever happened. In case he needed to go it alone. Please get my robe, cover me.”
    Cooper gently pulled the robe over me and then pulled me into his chest. His arms cradled me softly and he kissed the top of my head. I doubled over and sobbed in his lap.
    “I’m so sorry, Carson. I’m so fuckin’ sorry. Christ, I’m so sorry I didn’t get here fast enough.” I felt his grip tighten and his heavy heaves of breath turned into cries as he rocked us both back and forth.
    “You were right, Cooper. They are worse than homicidals. You were right.”
    The door smashed open and Johnson ran in with his gun drawn. Tasha, Solomon and Brigham followed behind.
    “Jesus!” Tasha screamed. She crouched beside us and tried to lift my face but I was reluctant. I wanted to hide behind Cooper rather than show my defeat. “Carson? Carson? Are you okay?”
    “Where’s the other one?” yelled Johnson.
    “In the kitchen,” Cooper replied. “Fuckin’ animals had her tied up when I got here.”
    “I’ll get Gretchen,” Brigham said as he stepped out the house.
    “Ronan?” I called out.
    “He’s at the house,” whispered Tasha as she stroked the top of my head. “He’s okay. Where’s all this blood coming from?”
    “ They raped her,” Cooper answered. “Johnson, Get these two assholes outta this house. Get them the fuck outta here.”
    “They still alive?”
    “They’re breathing,” Cooper answered. “Not for long, though. Bring them over to the barn. The big one.