“Uhh, those two have been gone for hours.” I got left back at the shack to dig some of the trenches for the fields. The work itself wasn’t that bad but with no one to talk to, no music, I was getting bored digging holes.

“I mean I know I suggested that they go together, John and Cat need to loosen up around each other. I mean the tension could be cut with a knife between those two.” They were getting better since the cabins were finished but still, it was like Cat couldn’t trust the guy to boil water. “I mean I get it the guy killed some maniac with an ax. But come on, that was like almost three weeks ago.”

I mean John seemed like the typical rugged mountain man, never talking to anyone and happy to go about his business working around us. However, Cat had to be in charge or at the very least co-in charge. Her control issues were probably because of our parents death, she constantly worried about something like that happening to me.

But I was old enough to take care of myself, at least to the point that she didn’t need to dote on me twenty four seven. She could go out and have fun or get a boyfriend or something. “Hell I mean I was dating someone before she did, sure it was only for a few months but still. “

I was nearly finished digging the flow paths in the last field when I heard rustling in the woods. “Finally, I thought you two lovebirds were going to stay out there all day.”

Turning around to see John carrying Cat was a good sign, for all of about two seconds.

“Move.”

He rushed past me and into Cat’s cabin, I thought she was sleeping as she didn’t answer. Then I saw the trail of blood that followed John. “Is Cat alright?”

There wasn’t any answer. “Hey, what happened?”

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Cat was pale, she had a huge red stain on the right side of her stomach. The blood was pooling on the ground, it covered the dirt floor of the little cabin. “Holy shit. What happened? What are you doing, help her!”

Looking over to John staring at her in a daze, his back was covered in blood. His shirt and pants had huge holes blown in them. “WHAT HAPPENED? Do something.”

“Shit, Shit, Shit.”

“Do something, put pressure on the wounds.” I had never seen John show really any emotion at all. To see him so afraid and confused to the point that he couldn’t even save my sister. It made all the talk seem like just talk, build a society my ass.

“Damn it shut up! We can’t do that.”

“Can’t do what, you're not doing anything.”

“Shut up.” He was banging his head with his hands. His eyes glowed so bright, it looked like they lit up the room. “We can’t do that to her.”

“Move over. I’ll do something.” I tried to put pressure on the wound, it only made the blood flow faster. We didn’t have any gauze or wrap, and I didn’t know what to do to help. “Come on Cat, wake up. Please wake up. I can’t do this without you.”

“Because we can’t force it on her. Because I’ve been through it and I won’t put her through that without giving her a choice. I don’t care.” John was freaking out, still banging his head with his fists, pacing in little circles.

“You were right, Cat, we should have just left. We shouldn't have stayed here.”

“I know what is going on. I know it is his sister that doesn’t mean we can just force this on her. I don’t know. THEN JUST DO IT!”

Everything got quiet all of a sudden. Looking up, I saw John’s eyes flash with a teal light. Before he stopped, he stopped pacing, his arms were lowered to his sides and he faced me. Usually his face was stoic, calm like the little pond. But now it was like there was nothing there, it wasn't a calm expressionless face. It was like there was nothing there, like looking into a void.

“Move over, I will help your sister.” He pushed me aside, and kneeled down to lean over Cat. The look in his eyes was strange and it betrayed the lack of emotion on his face, his eyes were panicked and teary. It was like looking at a human's eyes on a robot's face, I didn’t know which part to trust.

“I am sorry that we were not able to let you choose this. It isn’t how either of us wanted this to happen, however it is this or death. We have been in both situations and neither is a place to be making life altering decisions. However, it seems like it is the only time we are ever given the choice. We hope you will forgive us one day.” John looked at me, his face matched the sorrowful expression in his eyes. “Both of you.”