Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 154: The Hut

At night.

Nathan and Zane sat on the floor of Nathan’s bedroom, surrounded by open books and laptop screens. They had managed to finish half of their assignment.

The room was quiet, except for the hum of the computers and the sound of Eli’s controller. Gabriel was lying on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.

Nael came to talk to Nathan and ask him to play with him. Just then he ended up playing with Eli and they made a lot of noise.

Then Eli stretched his body, stood up, and walked to the glass balcony doors. He pushed them open, and the cold air entered the room. He stared out into the darkness.

The forest at the edge of the property was a black wall against the night sky.

When he wanted to go back to the room, he stopped.

"I don’t know what they are looking for out there," Eli said. He pointed toward the trees.

Nael walked over and stood next to him.

"What?" Nael asked. He looked out at the forest. Far away, between the thick trunks of the trees, a small light was moving. It bobbed up and down, flickering as it passed behind branches.

"It’s the same as last night," Eli said.

Nael watched the light for a few seconds. "Maybe they want to hunt a bear."

Nathan and Zane stood up from the floor. They walked out onto the balcony as well. The four of them stood in a line, watching the distant yellow glow. The wind was loud, moving the tops of the trees.

Then, a sound cut through the wind.

It was a scream.

It was high-pitched and sharp. It sounded like it came from a person in extreme pain or terror. It lasted for several seconds before it was cut off abruptly. The sound came from the middle of the forest.

"What is that?" Gabriel asked. He had joined them on the balcony, his face turning serious.

Nathan began to shiver. He thought about last night. His mind immediately went to the worst possibilities. He feared that his brothers were doing something terrible again, but this time they were doing it in the woods.

The scream happened again. It was shorter this time, ending in a wet, choking sound.

"What is happening there?" Nael asked. His voice was shaking. "Should we call the police? That sounded real. I’m sure someone is there."

"If you call the police here, they will find nothing," Zane said. He looked at the forest.

Nathan gripped the railing. He felt a heavy sense of guilt. He had let Ray get hurt because he was too slow to act. He didn’t want someone else to die while he sat in his room.

"Let’s go check," Nathan said.

Gabriel looked at him like he was crazy. "Oh, again? Can we just enjoy our night for once?"

"Maybe someone is dying while you are sitting here playing video games," Nathan snapped. He looked at Nael. "Nael, do you know how to get out without the guards seeing us?"

Nael nodded slowly. He was terrified, but he was also curious.

They moved quickly. They put on their heavy jackets and sturdy boots. Nathan grabbed a small flashlight from his desk, but he didn’t turn it on yet. They slipped out of the room and walked down the hallway.

Nael led the way. He knew the rotation of the guards. They waited in the shadows as a pair of security men walked past the intersection.

They reached the service stairs. The air in the stairwell was cold and smelled of detergent. They descended quickly to the ground floor. Nael opened a heavy steel door, and they stepped out into the snow.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of white. The temperature was below freezing. They walked behind the large stone statues that lined the basement garden. They cast scary shadows on the ground.

They reached the edge of the lawn and moved toward the lake. The water was dark and still, reflecting the small amount of light from the moon.

"This is stupid," Gabriel whispered. His teeth were chattering. "It’s freezing. We’re going to get caught."

"Just stay quiet," Zane sighed. "If you talk, the guards will hear you."

They walked along the edge of the lake until they reached the tree line. The snow was deeper here, making it difficult to walk without making noise. The sound of their boots crunching in the frozen snow felt very loud in the silence of the night.

Nathan led them into the trees. He didn’t turn on his flashlight. He used the pale moonlight to see the path. They moved deeper into the forest, heading toward the area where they had seen the lights.

"I can’t see anything," Eli whispered. He was walking close to Zane.

"Shh!" Nathan signaled for them to stop.

He had heard something. It was the sound of heavy boots hitting the ground and the low murmur of voices. Nathan pointed toward a thick cluster of pine trees. They scrambled behind the trunks, crouching low in the snow.

A group of five men walked past them. They were only twenty feet away. The men were wearing black jackets and heavy boots. They carried high-powered flashlights and long, thin bags over their shoulders.

Zane narrowed his eyes. "Those are Salazar guards?"

Nael looked through the branches. He knew almost every guard on the mansion. "No. They are not. I don’t recognize those men."

The men were talking in a language Nathan didn’t recognize. They looked calm and dangerous. They moved with purpose, heading back toward the main road of the estate. They didn’t look around. They seemed confident there were no people around.

The teens stayed hidden until the sound of the men’s footsteps faded away. Nathan stood up, his legs shaking from the cold and the fear.

"Where did they come from?" Nathan asked.

"There," Gabriel pointed.

A small path was visible in the snow, leading further into the thickest part of the forest. The snow on the path was disturbed, as if many people had walked over it recently.

They followed the path for five minutes. The forest grew denser. The branches of the trees scratched at their jackets. Finally, they saw a structure.

It was a small hut. It was made of old, dark wood and had a rusted metal roof. It looked like a shed for hunters or foresters. There were no lights inside. The door was hanging open, swaying slowly in the wind.

Nathan turned on his flashlight. The beam of light hit the front of the hut. The wood was stained and rotting.

"Hello?" Nathan called out. His voice was small. It’s a stupid move.

But there was no answer.

They walked to the entrance. Zane went first, holding a heavy branch he had picked up from the ground. He pushed the door open the rest of the way. It made a loud, creaking sound.

Nathan shone his flashlight into the room.

The hut was empty. There was a small wooden table in the center and a single chair that had been knocked over. The floor was made of rough planks.

"There’s nothing here," Eli said. He sounded relieved.

But then Nathan moved the light to the floor.

A large pool of blood covered the center of the room. It was bright red and looked fresh. It was still wet. The blood was splattered against the legs of the table and the base of the walls.

They were trembling and scared to see it.

Too much blood.

Nathan moved the light further. On the table, there was a large, deep metal pan.

Nathan walked closer. His stomach turned. The pan was full of blood. It was a thick, dark liquid. A piece of white cloth was floating in it, soaked through with red. There were no bodies. There were no weapons. There was only the blood.

"Oh my god," Nael whispered. He backed out of the hut, his face turning gray. "We need to go. We need to go right now."

Eli was shaking so hard he had to hold onto the doorframe. "Where is the person? Who did this?"

Nathan looked at the pan. It looked like someone had been drained of their blood into the container.

"Do you think it’s human blood?" Nathan asked.

No one answered.

"Those men," Zane said. He was looking at the path outside. "They were carrying bags. Long bags."

Nathan realized what Zane meant. The bags were large enough to hold a human body.

"They took whoever was screaming here," Nathan said.

A loud snap came from the woods behind the hut. It sounded like a large branch breaking under a heavy weight.

They were on alert.

"Someone is there!" Gabriel shouted.

They didn’t wait to see who it was. They turned and ran and hid.

They heard people talking. Were those men back?

Why were they there? Why were they collecting so much blood? Who were they?