Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I was too busy to post this yesterday, but here's my Holiday Short story for Thanksgiving this year. Yeahhhhh.... It went a *little* tragic on me. SORRYYYYYYY. 

Rayver and his family got together every year for Thanksgiving and had many wonderful traditions. Well, when Rayver was younger, he always thought they were boring and repetitive, but now that he was 19, he was starting to see the importance of it all. Typically in the afternoon, everyone would work together to rake leaves and then they'd play games with the younger kids of the family jumping and bouncing in them. Sometimes, the adults would rate the kids' jumps in a pretend competition, making the children believe they were in the Olympics. When Ravyer was seven and eight, he was always so competitive that it sometimes ruined the fun for everyone. Now he was content to watch and laugh with everyone.

Then the family would head out onto the back deck overlooking Ravyer's parents' ranch. The entire morning, since four am, of course, had been spent doing chores. Even Rayver helped out since he was visiting from college. After that, the ranch hands all took over, to give his parents time to ready themselves for the day. Now that the chores and leaf-jumping was done, it was time to start dinner. Ravyer's mom and her two sisters stayed inside and did all the "inside cooking," as Ravyer called it; the turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, casseroles, salads, green beans, corn, apple and pumpkin pie... The list never ended. Meanwhile, Ravyer's dad and his dad, Ravyer's paternal grandfather, along with Ravyer's sister and brother, would all stay on the outside deck and grill burgers and hotdogs. Rayver's older sister, 24, would be out on the deck with them taking all sorts of pictures for her photography class. His younger sister, age 16, would be videotaping them, going back-and-forth to try to capture the entire family on video.

Every year they would pray and sit around the dining room table and eat as a family. No cell phones, just visiting, talking, catching up. They'd take turns filling each other in one what had happened lately. Rayver's father, Raymond, had just acquired several more acres were he planned to add in more stables for other horses. His mother, Veronica (that was where his name had come from; the Ray from Raymond and the Ver from Veronica) had taken on a few more students for riding lessons. Veronica's two older sisters, Patricia and Nikki, were both pregnant at the same time, so that was a huge deal. It was Nikki's first; she and her husband had just gotten married five months ago. Pat, on the other hand, was currently on her fourth child. She was a stay-at-home mom who also was a hobby-writer on the side while her husband, Dan, worked in construction as a foreman. Nikki and her husband, Josh, both worked full time. Josh was a psychologist and Nikki was a doctor. She was worried the baby would take time away from her work.

Rayver's older sister, Sarah, had been hired as an intern, so she needed new material every week and her boss was quite impressed with her work. His younger sister, Lucy, couldn't stop gushing over her new boyfriend and how one of her teachers had recommended her video footage to a summer camp that gave college credit.

Meanwhile, Raymond's side of the family had quite a few stories of their own. Ravyer's grandfather, Howard, and Raymond's younger brother and sister, Danna and Greg, had just gotten back from vacation in Nashville. Apparently, several people were still interested in Howard's albums (he had been a singer back when he was younger).

Rayver grabbed some of the plates as the family scattered. Most of them went in to the living room to watch football while the kids went to go play. He, instead, helped his mom start washing the dishes.

"You don't have to do this. Go spend time with your uncles," Veronica said.

Ravyer shook his head. "No, it's alright, Mom. Let me help you."

Raymond joined them and patted his son on the back. "So, Ravyer, have you joined up with the team yet?"

Ravyer shot him a look as he filled the sink with water. "Dad, I don't think I'm gonna join football. They have some other programs I'm kind of interested in."

Raymond frowned deeply at him and crossed his arms over his bulky chest. Somehow, he looked a whole decade older. "You have a full scholarship for the team, and you're not taking it? You've worked your butt off for this."

Ravyer slammed the plate down. "Yeah, but I'll be doing what I want to do, Dad! Not what you want me to do."

"Both of you, stop it! Not now. It's thanksgiving!" Veronica scolded.

"Young man, you'll do – "

Ravyer interrupted his dad. "No, I don't do as I'm told because I'm an adult now. I don't have to do everything you tell me. If I don't wanna join the team, then I won't. I'll find another way to pay my tuition if you won't lend me the money."

Raymond growled at him. "The only reason why I even let you go to college instead of taking over this ranch for me is because you agreed to use the full ride and join their team! Then you could come home and take over the ranch!"

Rayver narrowed his eyes at his father. "You can't control me anymore! I don't want this ranch. That's your dream, Dad! Not mine!"

Everyone in the living room had their eyes glued to them both. Anger gripped Ravyer so he clenched his fists and kept his eyes on his father's hard stare.

Suddenly, a shot exploded through the window. Rayver ducked and his aunts screamed, along with the children. By the time Rayver looked up, one of the children was in the arms of a masked man. He had a pistol pointed to the kids' head.

Danna screamed, but Raymond grabbed his younger sister and his eyes stayed on his young 5 year old nephew in the arms of the man. "What do you want?" Raymond asked. "You want money, we have plenty of it! Take it and leave us alone!"

Rayver stared at the man, briefly wondering why their security alarms hadn't gone off.

"You want the kid to live, then do as I tell you. One wrong move and I'll blow his head off," the man ordered.

"What do you want?" Raymond repeated.

Greg stood in front of Howard, as Raymond's hands came protectively over Veronica. Pat and Nikki stayed behind their husband's and all of Pat's children gathered behind them.

"You!" The gunman nodded to Rayver.

Fear laced through him but he swallowed deeply with a nod. "What do you want?" Rayver tried to keep his voice steady but it was hard with the fear making every part of his body quiver.

"Use these to tie everyone up. Now!"

Upon the gunman's prompting, Rayver shakily picked up the rope he had dropped on the ground. Unshed tears made his eyes burn as he slowly tied up his family one by one. None of them had a chance to attack the masked man, not with the pistol right up against Danna's son's head. Trying anything would be playing with the boy's life.

Rayver glanced at the kids. "What about them?"

"Tie them up too! Now!"

Rayver trembled but tried to murmur comforts to his younger cousins as he tied them up, trying to leave them as loose as possible. Both Sarah and Lucy glazed at him with tears streaming down their eyes. Rayver finished tying them and then looked at the masked man. "I did what you wanted. N – Now let him go."

The masked man nodded and threw the boy toward Ravyer. He caught his younger cousin in his arms as the masked man aimed a gun to his head. Rayver's mind completely spaced out, but he heard his mother scream his name as Raymond begged the man not to hurt him.

Rayver squeezed his eyes shut just as the shot exploded.

Nothing happened. No pain, no blackness, nothing. He opened his eyes, only to see his father slumped on the floor.

"Dad!" Shock rippled through him. Veronica shrieked in agony as Howard cried out in grief for his dead son, while Raymond's three siblings all sobbed. By the time Rayver blinked again, the masked man shot Howard next, the old man's body collapsing to the ground in a heap. Danna's body followed, then Greg.

Josh charged toward the masked man, but the man quickly shot him. As Nikki screamed, her body collapsed as another shot rang out. Before Rayver could fully process what was happening Pat and her husband were killed next, followed by each of their kids.

Instinctively, Rayver lunged toward the masked man and tackled him to the ground with a roar of anger. Distantly, he could hear both Sara and Lucy sobbing and crying out to him, but he kept his mind focused. His first reaction was to grab the man's wrist that held the pistol and get it away from him. The man's left hand jerked toward his side.

Rayver didn't react in time.

A knife he hadn't realized the man had had plunged into his side. Agony exploded through him and he collapsed onto the ground in a fetal position, hands covering the wound to try to stop the bleeding. Blood oozed onto him and he cried out in pain, but the loss of his entire family was worse than the stab wound.

"Rayver!" Sarah shrieked.

A shot rang off.

"No..." Rayver crawled toward them as Sarah's body collapsed onto the couch, lifeless. Pain tore through him and for a moment, he was completely paralyzed. Another shot. Lucy fell. Then Danna's son, Rayver's five-year-old cousin.

Rayver closed his eyes as tears coated his cheeks in thick layers. This is it, he thought, but he wasn't afraid. At least, he would be with his family soon.

Silence.

When he opened his eyes, the man was gone.