At first, Bill couldn't fully process what he was looking at. Aaron's body was a mangled, bloody mess, his features entirely masked by the crimson stains. But as his eyes focused and the realization hit him, he froze right where he stood.
"What... what happened?" Bill stammered, his throat tightening. He took a step forward to inspect the body closer, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
"Aaron..." Bill became incoherent. The sheer shock of Aaron's death was too much to process all at once.
Seeing his brother unravel, Elijah felt his own fragile composure shatter again, his eyes welling up with tears. He still couldn't accept the suddenness of it all. The raw grief he had fought so hard to suppress flared right back up the moment he saw his brother's reaction.
"A gunshot wound... how did this happen?" Bill asked, his voice raw.
The onlookers watched the scene unfold, a heavy weight sinking into everyone's chests.
"Let's get inside first," Leonard said quietly.
