The Bow

Before reading, be sure to check out the previous chapters!

Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four

Quinn got out of her car, stretching after a long drive. She eyed her watch, sighing when she saw the time; it was getting late again. She wasn’t sure why she was here, and she certainly had no idea what she was to look for. Would there be another note? Would the answer pop out at her?

She took a moment to look around and truly appreciate the scenery. It had been a long time since she had been around, though not much had changed. The same trees sat around the cabin, the beautiful lake sat picturesque in the background; no wonder they use to come here so often.

She took note of the pear tree that sat right beside the entrance to the cabin, and smiled, trying think of the happy memories she had beneath. But that’s when reality set in; she couldn’t remember much of her childhood; and it saddened her.

Taking in a deep breath, she unlocked and opened the door to the log cabin on the lake her parents had always taken her to as a kid. It had been over ten years since she had been to the cabin. She had fond memories that always seemed to be incomplete or fuzzy. It was strange, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she had almost no memories of her parents or her childhood at that. She was told her parents were killed in an accident a long time ago. Being the naïve girl she was when she was younger, she believed them.

Everything over the past two weeks had opened Quinn’s eyes. There had to be a connection between her missing memories, her parent’s disappearance, and Adam being destined to kill her; it was the only logical thing that came to mind, and she was determined to find out the link between the three.

Yawning, she realized how tired she truly was. Normally, she would have fought off sleep to continue her search, but lately her dreams weren’t really dreams; they were flashbacks of memories from the past.

Laying down on the old, beat up black leather couch, she closed her eyes, hoping her dream would give her some insight about the crazy situation she found herself in.

“It’s done” Ben’s voice was quiet as he whispered into the phone. A ten year old Quinn peered down the staircase to where she could see her father, pacing back and forth anxiously. “I did what had to be done, we didn’t have any other choice!” his voice raised slightly.

There was a pause, Ben listening to the person on the end of the line, eyes wide with terror.

“You can’t be serious” he replied, alarmed.

“Ben, what is it?” Gloria came into the room in her night gown. Quinn tried to stay as still and as quiet as she possibly could; it was way past her bedtime, and if her parents caught her snooping again-

“One second” Ben whispered to Gloria, shushing her immediately.

“I understand your point but-” Ben sighed as he was cut off from whomever he was on the phone with. He stuck his phone into his pocket, eyeing his wife with worry.

“They know” he told her, his voice trembling. He went from worry, to extreme anger in a matter of seconds. “How the hell did they find out? Our identities were supposed to be kept a goddamn secret!” Ben exploded. Quinn jumped back, not expecting her dad to blow up the way he just had.

“Shh, you’ll wake up Quinn” Gloria hissed angrily. “What are you talking about?” Gloria then asked, despite already knowing exactly what he was referring to.

“They know it was us” Ben bit his lip. “They know it was us that killed them”

Quinn’s eyes bulged out of her head; did she just hear that correctly? Her parents killed somebody? She never knew the jobs her parents held; they never discussed it with her. Quinn had no idea her parents were murderers.

“How did they- they said that-” Gloria exclaimed, clearly flustered.

“I know. He didn’t say how they found out” Ben muttered, cursing under his breath. “They don’t know about Quinn, though”

What about me? Quinn thought, getting more and more interested by the second. She remained crouched down, clutching her teddy bear as tight as she possibly could, trying to remain as quiet and calm as possible.

“Oh thank god” Gloria let out a sigh of relief.

“They all know, and they’re going to come after us” Ben informed his wife worriedly.

“How can we be sure?” Gloria gasped.

“Because Gloria” Ben began, pacing around the living room. “You know how they are. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want” he reminded her sternly.

“What are we supposed to do then?” his wife asked softly.

“I-I don’t know” Ben sighed, taking his wife into his arms. “We can’t stick around to find out though” he added.

“What do we do about the- well, you know” Gloria asked, eyes darting back and forth as she bit her lip nervously. The question appeared to catch Ben off guard; he was unsure of the answer himself.

“We have to do something” was the only answer Ben had. “They put us in charge of protecting it, and I intend to do so, even if we-” he cut himself off, not wanting to finish his sentence. He didn’t need to; Gloria nodded in agreement.

“I have no idea how we’ll hide it, or how much time we even have before they come for us” Ben spoke up solemnly.

“Well, how many of their people do they still have left?” Gloria asked.

“We’re not sure on the exact numbers” Ben answered with a frown. “But Elmer and Theresa were at the head of it; there’s no way that they’re not going to come after us to avenge their deaths”

Quinn gulped, eyes widening when she realized her parents were about to come upstairs. She bolted from the spot she was crouched in and threw herself into bed, pulling the covers up over her head.

Before long she heard her parents come upstairs, her bedroom door creaking open ever so slightly.

“I don’t want to leave her, Ben” Gloria sobbed, the reality of their situation setting in.

“I know Gloria” Ben sighed, slinging his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “I don’t either. We knew this was a risk though; we have to do what’s best”

Quinn’s eyes shot open abruptly. She was panting, drenched in a cold sweat. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and why she was there. The dream she had just had was replaying vividly in her mind. She had no idea where the memories were coming from, or that she even had them; they were unlike anything she ever would have imagined.

Her parents were killers? They had killed two people- Elmer and Theresa; but why? Were her parents’ part of a secret group? The names Elmer and Theresa sounded vaguely familiar to Quinn but she was unsure why.

Sighing, Quinn got up from laying down on the couch and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She took her phone out of her pocket, looking sadly at her lock screen. It was a picture of her and Adam, right after he had proposed to her.

She smiled happily at the memory, trying hard not to cry. Adam was so nervous; he even used his mother’s engagement ring to propose to her.

“Oh my god” Quinn gasped, suddenly realizing who Elmer and Theresa were; Adam’s parents.

Quinn’s parents were responsible for the murder of Adam’s parents.