Page 12 of Havoc

“I knew they wouldn’t be asleep, nor would you. In fact, I wanted you out of the house anyway.”

“You think this will end well for you, little girl?”

“Oh, I know it will.”

It’s almost as if Tannis hadn’t noticed the revolver in my hand. Now that I brought it up in front of me, he looked down at it, fear appearing for a moment before he laughed.

“You think you can threaten me?” He began to come closer and without hesitation I pulled the trigger. The loud bang deafening me and the recoil hurting my wrist.

Renee was surprised, but she didn’t run to her husband’s side as he bled out on the road. His children cried behind her, but I doubt it was for their father. I saw the fear in her eyes. The fear that he would get up again.

I shot at him again, in the head this time.

That’s when she looked up at me, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please, spare my children.”

“I told you I’m not a kid killer.”

She thought she was safe. She forgot that I remembered everything. I remembered when she told my mother what a horrid child I’d been to her and had helped Naomi stuff me into a closet and locked it for the night. I’d spent the entire night in a stuffy, dusty and rotten cupboard, only being let out by Hendrix at the end of the night when everyone had passed out.

I hated Renee.

I moved the gun back up and took aim between her eyes. She didn’t have time to react. Her kids were revealed when she fell to the road, her eyes wide open, but lifeless. She was dead.

They didn’t look at me and I realized they’d been taught never to look at whoever was talking. They were true kids of the syndicate, just like I had been. They were shaking with their sobs and waited for their deaths.

I felt a kinship with them, only I was broken beyond repair now. At lease they had a chance.

“Wait here for the fire brigade,” I told them. “Don’t look at me, just wait.”

They didn’t say anything, but their sobbing eased slightly as I walked away.

“You’re leaving witnesses.”

“They won’t talk.”

York wasn’t so sure, but I told him to drive away. I could already hear the sirens in the background, and I watched as the kids slowly looked over the bodies of their parents and they clung to each other. After all, they were all they had left.

Just like I’d had with Hendrix at one point.

Lennon

I waited for the car to leave. The house was already alight, the dead bodies lying on the street in front of the boy and girl. Tannis’ kids.

Poor kids.

Once she was gone, I headed over to them and knelt down in front of them. They wouldn’t look at me.

“Hey,” I said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll help you. My name is Lennon.”

The boy, the eldest, looked up at me. He couldn’t have been older than eight. His eyes were red and puffy, tears flowing freely down his cheeks but he made no sounds.

“What’s your name?”

“Colby.”

“Okay, Colby, now I need you to come with me, alright? I know your dad, I used to work with him. I’ll make sure you’re looked after.”

“But…”

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