Carter's POV (after he and Ethan separated to the gym and bus loop)

I hate lying to Ethan and Soph. I just lied to Ethan, I knew exactly why I had to be home. My sister and I had to be home because if the house wasn't completely spotless and dinner wasn't made by the time my dad got home from his "job" at the local bar we would get beaten, Amanda, my mom, and I had to have everything perfect by the time he got home, otherwise we suffered. I called Amanda and she answered almost immediately.

"Hey Carter."

"Hey Amanda, are you at home yet?" I asked.

"Yeah, but we're not gonna get done in time, dad just called mom and said he'd be back home a few hours earlier. What are we gonna do?" She said, I could hear the worry and fear in her voice.

"Ummmmm... I don't know. Just try to hurry. Can you put mom on the phone?" I said.

"Yeah hang on." She said.

A few minutes later I heard my moms voice, she also sounded scared and worried.

"Hey Carter. Are you almost home?" She asked when Amanda gave her the phone.

"I just got dropped off at the bus stop, I'll be home in a few minutes. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." I said.

"I know exactly what you want to talk about but we can-" she started to say before I heard the door slam and my dads voice.

"Erica! Amanda!" He shouted.

"I-I'm in here George!" Said my mom. Then I heard her whisper to Amanda. "Go hide in the pantry baby, I'll deal with him."

"Mom. I'll be there in a few minutes just hide with Amanda." I begged her.

I couldn't, no I wouldn't, let them suffer because of me.

"No, I can't keep letting you take all the beating just to protect your sister and I. I need to take some." She responded.

"Mom we can't keep living like this. Just go hide! Please!" I said.

"There is nothing we can do. I made a commitment when I married him. He wasn't always like this but now he is and I have to deal with it, you and your sister shouldn't have to. I'm not hiding this time." She said.

"Erica who is on the phone?!" Shouted dad.

"It was just Carter calling to say he's almost here." Said mom.

Oh god I need to get home, fast.

"Give me the phone Erica." Said dad.

There was a few seconds of silence then my dad shouted into the phone.

"CARTER ISSAC MICHAELS GET YOUR WORTHLESS ASS IN THIS HOUSE NOW!"

I flinched at his shouting.

"I'm almost there dad." I said.

He hung up.

Oh my god! He's going to beat mom and Amanda! I can't let that happen, I'm always there to protect them and now I'm not there soon enough! It's going to be my fault if they get hurt.

I ran as fast as I could so I could get home.

When I got to the door I heard cries of pain that sounded like my mom.

"G-George wh-aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" She shouted.

I'm to late.

I pushed the door open and ran in the living room, my mom was laying on the ground and my dad was kicking her.

"Stop it!" I shouted.

Dad turned and looked at me.

"Don't yell at me you worthless little shit." He said quietly, he was more drunk and angry than I've ever seen him, and I've seen him throwing knives at my mom before.

"Leave her alone. You want to beat someone then beat me." I said.

"C-C-Carter... d-don't..." came my moms weak voice, then she passed out because of the pain.

"If you insist. I always enjoy beating you. You little faggot."

He's always calling me that, just because I'm gay and he's a huge homophobe.

Before I could say anything he launched himself at me. He grabbed ahold of my neck and threw me into the kitchen, before I could even stand up he had started kicking and punching me.

I have to get up. I have to keep him away from Amanda.

I stood up and punched him in the stomach.

"Oh that was a mistake you little shit. Now you're gonna pay." He said as he grabbed a couple kitchen knives and started swinging them at me, one sliced through my hoodie sleeve and cut my arm, I could feel my warm blood flowing out of the cut.

I caught a glimpse of Amanda in the pantry, she was watching with a look of horror on her face. Without my dad noticing I had been dialing 911 on my phone, but before I could hit call my dad punched me in the stomach again and my phone flew out of my hand, it landed screen up a few feet in front of the pantry.

"That phone better not be broken, otherwise I'm gonna do a lot worse to you." My dad said as he got ready to turn around and pick it up, I couldn't let him see that I was trying to call the cops, so I did something stupid, I grabbed a plate off the table and threw it at his head. It shattered when it hit his jaw, he turned back to me and all I saw was pure hatred in his eyes.

"Ok. You want to play rough, maybe I'll just kill you now." He said.

I saw Amanda creep out of the pantry and to my phone, she picked it up, hit call and hid back in the pantry.

"You'll have to catch me first." I said, then I ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, I was at the top when I felt a searing pain shoot up my leg, I screamed in pain then I looked down and saw one of the kitchen knives had gone through the side of my left thigh.

"You can't run from me. I'll always catch you." Said my dad as he started to climb the stairs.

I pushed through the pain in my leg and continued down the hall to my room, I had a baseball bat in there in my closet, I just had to get to it.

Amanda's POV

I heard Carter scream from the staircase. I had hit call but hadn't been answered yet.

"Hello, this is nine-one-one, how can we assist you today?"

"My dad is really drunk and is trying to kill my older brother, he may have already killed my mom I don't even know! We need help now! Please." I said immediately after the call got answered.

"Woah, woah. Sweetheart I'm going to need your address before I can get you help." Said the man on the other end of the line.

I gave him my address and he said that help would be here as soon as possible.

Come on... come on! Just hold on a little longer Carter, the police are coming.

I heard another scream from upstairs. Then I heard my dad shout.

"ARE YOU READY TO DIE YOU STUPID, WORTHLESS, WEAK LITTLE FAGGOT!" He shouted.

I have to do something.

I grabbed a glass out of one of the cupboards and ran up the stairs and to Carter's room, when I got there I saw Carter on the ground and dad above him holding a baseball bat, he was about to beat him to death with it.

"No!" I shouted as I threw the glass, it hit dad in the back and shattered.

"You stupid little bitch." He said as he turned to face me, I saw Carter look at me, I could see him mouthing the words I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you from him.

Dad started to move towards me, he still had the bat in his hand, I ran down the stairs and heard him behind me stomping down the steps. I went over and stood in front of mom, dad walked in the living room, but before he could get any farther the sounds of sirens came from outside, and our front door got busted open. Police ran in, all holding their guns up and at my dad.

"You're going to regret this later in your life Amanda. I promise you that." He said as he dropped the bat and the cops put him in handcuffs.

Hey guys, well now you know a bit about what Carter, Amanda, and Erica's lives were like pre-apocalypse. I cried while writing this, but I love how I made Carter protect his family at risk of his own life.

There is still a little more to Carter's backstory, you'll learn about it in a later chapter.

I am very happy with this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed reading it.

THANKS FOR READING!