Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
This is bad.
It’s really bad.
Gerard waits for me to step in front of him, then he shoves the gun into my back and pushes me towards the barn. I can’t help but stare at the house as we pass, feeling sad for all the memories that must have been consumed by that fire. Someone lived here once, and I’m sure it wasn’t all bad, at some point that house must have experienced joy and laughter.
“I burned it down,” Gerard says casually, as if we’re suddenly having a friendly conversation. “My parents were inside.”
I flinch.
My stomach twists with horror as I consider how terrifying that must have been for them, especially the moment they realized it was their son who did it. That must have been soul crushing for them. Or maybe they were really bad parents who abused him and tortured him his whole life, maybe then this would somehow make sense.
“Why?” I dare to ask.
“Because they were in my way. Everyone is always in my way, trying to change me, trying to make me get help. I don’t need help. I need everyone to get the hell out of my way.”
“But they are your parents.”
“Were,” he corrects me.
“How aren’t you in prison?” I breathe, more to myself than him.
“Because nobody ever figured out it was me. I can play the traumatized son well. Everything left here was given to me and I decided never to build on it again. I enjoy looking at the burned down old house, knowing it was the last thing they saw.”
I feel sick.
I fight with everything inside me that screams at me to run.
I need to be calm.
Forcing me to open the barn door, Gerard shoves me inside and reaches out, flicking on a light. It barely illuminates the small, dusty, space but it’s enough for me to get a quick glimpse at my surroundings. The floor is entirely dirt, and there is a loft that has a ladder attached to it. Other than piles of old wood, hay and broken machines, there seems to be nothing else in here. A door that leads somewhere is right in the far left, but otherwise, it appears empty.
“Nobody will find you here, not for a long time. This barn is getting on my nerves now, so it seems fitting to burn it down with you inside.”
My body jerks with shock and fear.
He’s going to burn the barn down with me inside it.
No.
“You don’t need to do this,” I say, as he shoves me towards a large structure pole in the middle of the barn. “I won’t say anything. Just please...I have kids.”
He ignores me as he pulls a set of handcuffs from his jacket pocket and shoves me against the pole. I know if I let him cuff me, I’ll never get free. I have to fight; I have to at least try. I won’t let this creep get me down without effort. It’s just me and him, if I can get the gun away from him that is.
It’s worth a damn try.
I do the only thing I can think of, I kick out.
I have the beauty of being flexible, so I use my leg to kick the gun out of his hand. He doesn’t see it coming, and for a moment, he stares at me in shock before jumping into action. He launches at me as I drop and scurry for the gun. If I can get it, I will shoot him, no questions asked. His hard body lands on top of mine, crushing me into the dirt. Squirming, I keep trying to move toward the gun even though his weight is holding me down.
“I’ll fucking kill you.” His voice is a low growl as he takes a handful of my hair and jerks my head back.
I keep fighting.
But he’s stronger than I am.
He presses a hand over my nose and mouth, the other holding my head back with a large clump of hair. I squirm as the air quickly becomes trapped in my lungs. He’s going to kill me. I thrash and fight, I try to bite his fingers, but he’s too strong.
“Stop fighting or this will be how you die.”
My vision blurs and I know I have no choice.
I have to stop fighting.
I let my body go limp and only then does he release his hand. I suck in a breath, never realizing just how good it feels when it fills my lungs. The burn as they expand is incredibly relieving.
Gerard moves off me, taking the gun before I can.
He spins it on me, and he fires.
For a moment, I wonder what he shot at, but then I feel the pain ripping through my hand that is planted firmly on the ground. Staring down, an agonized scream rips from my throat as I see the hole that has been created from the bullet. Blood gushes out and pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt consumes me. Gerard leans down and hauls me up. I’m screaming and trembling as the realization that he just shot a hole in my hand totally takes over.