Page 33 of The Heart of a Villain

My family is counting on me. From now on, it’s my responsibility to take care of them, and I have to live no matter what.

Digging my hands hard into the ground, I try to get up on my shaky legs, and that’s when I hear a gruff voice echoing through the distance, “Who the fuck is that?” My gaze shoots to the right, where two men are walking toward me, their hands holding rifles as they grin wildly. “Looks like one of the kids stayed, and he’s fucking pretty.” He licks his lips, revulsion washing over me as fear sinks into my gut. “We can have him and then sell him.”

The other one shrugs. “Not a bad idea, but the boss won’t like it. He wanted to kill them all. To get the message across.” He laughs. “The reason he sent us instead of his elite warriors.”

Elite warriors?

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, will it?”

The other man grins, elbowing him. “I like the way you think, Jim.”

I finally snap out of my shock and jump up, stepping backward, while Jim clicks his tongue. “Nah-ah, little thing. Let’s not make it difficult.” He pats his rifle. “Come to us willingly, and no one is going to get hurt.”

Who would believe such a tale? They killed my mother!

I take another step, and this time anger crosses their features, and they point their guns at me, Jim’s voice becoming deadly, sending horrible shivers down my spine.

“Stop this nonsense and come here, boy.” He licks his lips again. “We need some entertainment.”

Whatever this man plans to do to me is hideous. They must be the monsters Mom warned us about.

My heart pangs painfully once again, and for a second, I contemplate staying because she’s here.

But the other part of me that awakened the minute they showed, the one now responsible for my siblings, refuses to give in and let them all win.

I have to survive no matter what because only those who survive get their revenge.

“This one needs a little discipline, Jim.”

“He’ll learn. By the time I’m finished with him, he won’t so much as breathe without my permission.”

When hell freezes over.

I snatch out the stone I put inside my pocket and throw it as hard as I can at Jim, making the gun fall from his grip as he shouts, “Fuck!” And then spinning on my heel, I race through the garden as bullets fly around me, the two men chasing after me.

The ground seems to vibrate from their heavy boots, and my heartbeat speeds up with each passing second as different images fill my head of what will happen if they get their hands on me.

Rafael’s and my hunger for knowledge led us to learning many things we weren’t yet old enough for, and we snuck books in the library we shouldn’t have, among which was one about serial killers and bad men who use children for their horrendous desires.

The need to vomit comes at me again while my insides burn from the effort I’m putting my body through, but I pay no attention to it, focusing on the small opening in the distance, where I can crawl to the other side of the fence.

“Come back here, you bastard!” Jim shouts again, and this time his voice is raspy as their heavy breathing rings in the air. So I gulp more air into my lungs, push myself harder, and finally reach the opening, quickly crawling through it before emerging on the other side. And that’s when thunder rocks the sky once again, the clouds gathering above me, indicating another upcoming storm.

I run to the forest, and several more bullets whizz past me, making me jump up, and then I hide amongst the trees, aiming straight for the secret place I discovered a long time ago.

But not before hearing them yell, “We will find you, little bastard! You just wait and see!”

They don’t dare come into the forest during a storm then, cowards!

My entire body shakes in exhaustion; however, I keep going, needing to reach the cave. Nature will be ruthless toward me, so I gather a few fruits on my way because only God knows how long I will have to survive on my own.

Right in this moment, I don’t think about my mom and the pain consuming me or how the world as I knew it is shattered, stripping me of my childhood and leaving me an orphan.

No.

I only think about Rafael, who knows about our place and will come with help to find me. My twin would never, ever abounded me out here.

And when my family is with me, then I will allow myself the luxury of crying and giving up and showing weakness.

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