New to the Family

Help Me

Lindsay and I clung to each other as Gabe loaded the truck with their suitcases. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying, but Lindsay had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I promise I'll write to you two," she said. "You'll have your baby soon, and I promise we'll come down to help."

"Thank you," I said. "We will miss you too."

"Come on, sweetheart," Gabe said. "We have to go."

Lindsay nodded her head. She wiped her tears off of her cheeks with her sleeve. We said our goodbyes and Lindsay kissed Jared and I's cheek. Jared put his arm around my shoulders as we watched them climb into the truck. They backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the road.

I bit down on my lip and my hands went over my stomach. I watched my biggest help for this baby driveaway.

--

When I first came to this house it always seemed so busy. Six of us lived in this farm house. I would spend all day with Lindsay and Jenny. Now, the days were quiet and dragged on.

I did my chores and I would wait for Jared to come back inside. Emme came over one day, but she was silent. She did not say a word to me as she cleaned the house, but I saw her peek at my belly every once in a while.

My stomach had slowly grown in size. My jeans were tight and I had to suck in a deep breath to do up the button. Most days I wore Jared's clothes because they fit me better.

I had spent the day alone and was at the stove stirring a pot of stew when Jared burst through the door. There was a female scream, and I looked over to see him dragging in a girl. She screamed and was thrashing around in his grasp.

"Leah, pull out a chair and get a knife," he yelled over her screaming.

I opened up the drawer and pulled out one of the butcher knives. I ran to the dining room and pulled one of the chairs over to the hooks hanging from the ceiling. Jared threw the girl down onto the chair and ripped the knife out of my hand. He held the blade to her chest. Her eyes went wide, and she trembled in fear.

"Now, are you going to be quiet?" he asked.

"Please," the girl said. "Let me go."

"Not going to happen," he said. "Leah, come here."

I stepped over to Jared. He took my hand and wrapped it around the handle of the knife. He put his hand on my hip and shuffled me over so that I was standing directly in front of the girl.

"Stay here," Jared said. "I'll be right back."

"Jared-"

"We're alone," he cut me off. "I'm going to need your help."

I was hit by a wave of nausea when his words sunk in. He was going to make me help kill this girl. I sucked in a deep breath to try and stop my hand from shaking.

Jared came back with a coil of rope. The girl started to scream again as Jared wrapped the rope around her body and the chair. He tied it into a knot and pulled on it to make sure that it wouldn't come undo. The girl grit her teeth together. I took the knife off of her chest.

Jared let out a huff of breath and wiped the sweat on his brow with the back of his arm. The girl let out a scream and pulled against the ropes. Jared rolled his eyes and walked over to the oven. He grabbed the dish towel hanging and rolled it up in his hands. He went over to the girl and tied it around her mouth to muffle her cries.

"I have to go out and get the other one," he said.

"Another one?" I asked.

"Yeah, she was with a guy," he said. "I already slit his throat."