Blood for Blood

by Simon Smith-Wilson

  This move might prolong an attack just long enough for the plane to arrive. It didn’t matter what happened when his army touched down. This also killed two birds with one stone. JR’s crew was down to just three people, including him. Allowing them to rape those women might do just enough to tie them over until the reinforcements arrive. He needed them. He didn’t want to do this alone. Jillian’s bitching was annoying, but he needed her, too. Her mind worked differently to his. She was helping keep him on track. He knew she would hate this move, but it wasn’t her job to like it. He needed her to hate it. She would be like a leash that kept him at bay.

  ‘How could you do that to those poor women?’

  ‘How is it any different from you?’ he asked, without looking back.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she replied, slightly hurt by what he said.

  ‘They fucked my men to live. It was their choice. I didn’t make them do it. They wanted to survive. How are their actions any different from yours? Aren’t you fucking me because you want to live?’

  Jillian opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

  He was right.

  How was it any different?

  Those women just did what they needed to survive.

  ***

  Jasmine Murdock surveyed the room. It was a congregation of cowards, backstabbers and extortionists. The eleven remaining families had gathered for a meeting. Jasmine had heard the rumours being whispered in the shadows of North City. Marcus Riggs was offering cease-fires, peace treaties and all sorts of deals to bring an end to the bloodshed between the warring factions. She sat in silence and watched, as the various leaders spouted what they had heard, what they had been offered and their thoughts on the matter. The general consensus was that defecting to the Riggs Crew was the best way to enhance life expectancy.

  ‘Cunts,’ she allowed the word to linger in the air.

  A confused hush came across the room.

  Every man and woman were replaying the word in their head.

  Had she just said that?

  ‘You are a bunch of ungrateful cunts,’ concluded Jasmine.

  She got to her feet and glared at each and every one of them.

  ‘You belong to the Murdock Empire. MY EMPIRE! If you want to join the Riggs Crew, then go. Fuck off. I don’t need bitches. I need an army. But heed my words. I will remember those who stayed loyal to me. The rest of you will die long, slow and horrible deaths.’ And with that she turned on her heels and exited the room.

  ***

  Darkness led up into the attic. Kerry held the step-ladder steady, as River struggled to fit through the tight hole. Any time for doubts was long since gone. Kerry was committed to the plan.

  ‘I really appreciate you doing this for me, River.’

  ‘No worries,’ he said, from the shadows.

  ‘It would have been hard clearing out Malcolm’s stuff on my own. I thought it was about time that I moved on, you know? Change energy and clear things out.’

  ‘That is nothing to feel guilty about. I did the same thing when my dad died.’

  ‘Still, I appreciate it.’

  River’s face popped into view. He smiled a charming smile.

  ‘You don’t have to thank me, Kerry. We are practically a family now.’

  ‘Yes. We are, aren’t we?’ That just made what she had to do a whole lot harder.

  ***

  ‘Chelsea, if there is any news what so ever we will call you,’ said the Doctor.

  ‘I need to know if she is okay.’

  ‘Cassie is in the best possible hands.’

  ‘Can’t I come in and see her?’

  ‘I have explained this. Cassie is under quarantine during her treatment. You won’t be able to see her for nearly a month.’

  ‘But what if she gets scared?’

  ‘We have people here to take care of her.’

  ‘But...’

  The doctor cut her off. ‘I will call you when I have news.’

  And with that the phone line went dead. Chelsea felt like crying. It was the not knowing that was the hardest part. She had only been away from Cassie for a day and already her heart had a hole as big as the moon. This was going to be the longest month of her life. She just had to remind herself that it was for the best. Cassie will come home healthy and happy. That didn’t do much to counterbalance the maternal feelings that consumed her heart.

  ***

  The scent of the flowers felt foreign to her young body. These natural smells were long since gone in this dark and decaying world. Jillian couldn’t believe how bright and colourful the petals were. She walked with her mother, hand in hand, through this private sanctuary. The indoor garden belonged to an associated of her fathers. They had to get special permission to come here. This room was one of the richest treasures in the known world. Security guards were positioned at the end of each row of flowers. You were not allowed to pick them, or even touch them.

  Her mother pulled Jillian to a standstill.

  The beautiful blonde haired woman knelt down in front of her daughter.

  Intensity burned within her eyes.

  ‘I want you to promise me something.’

  ‘Yes, Mother.’

  ‘I want you to remember this place. I want you to remember the scents, the colours and just how peaceful it makes you feel. Can you do this?’

  ‘Yes, Mother.’

  ‘There will be times in your life when things get hard. I wish you didn’t have to face the same things as me, but your father has plans for you. He has plans that I cannot stop. When you are sad, when you are in pain when you feel lost, I want you to go back inside your mind and remember this place. Drag the memory out and re-live it. This memory will be a shield to the real world.’

  ‘I promise, Mother.’

  Jillian’s concentration was momentarily broken, as a strong hand yanked on her hair. The memory of her mother and the incredible garden vanished. Reality snapped back. JR let out a deep primal groan, as he forced his manhood back inside of her. Jillian felt like she was going to be sick. Her fingernails dug into the wooden table top, as his thighs slapped against her naked ass. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes tight. Her body was tense.

  When would this end?

  She tried to recapture the memory.

  She had to do what she promised her mother.

  She had to escape reality.

  She had to return to the dream until he was finished.

  This was the only way that she could survive.

  ***

  A strong fist thumped off the front door. Travis made a clicking sound with the inside of his mouth. Unconsciously, he scanned the street, but nothing looked out of place or overly suspicious. Elizabeth lived in a row of houses. A single street separated the row of houses opposite. Cars were parked up by the pavement, and a few houses had lights on, curtains were drawn. He had been out here for nearly five minutes, and he hadn’t heard a single sound from within the house.

  He bent down and pushed open the letter box.

  The interior lights were out.

  He could see a hallway, leading into a kitchen.

  There was no movement.

  ‘Elizabeth!’ he yelled through the letterbox.

  No answer.

  It was clear to see no one was inside. A thought occurred about breaking down the door, but if Elizabeth was fine and dandy, she was not going to be overly impressed to find her front door smashed in. He also suspected that she wasn’t here due to the fact her car was missing. There was one other possible place she could be. It wasn’t going to be a fun place to visit.

  ***

  The elevator doors closed, offering temporary peace for the two of them. Danny slipped his palm into Fiona’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The girl was nervous. Her pupils were as big as saucers and all the blood had drained from her face. She swallowed hard, as she counted down the levels. In one minute, they would be face to face with Jasmine. That was when the lies really bega
n.

  ‘Don’t be nervous,’ whispered Danny.

  ‘I’m trying.’

  ‘I know you are,’ he replied, sympathetically. ‘The plan is going exactly as we predicted. Nobody is connecting us to Elizabeth’s disappearance. We will use this situation to lure out Travis, and when they are out the way, we will deal with my mother.’

  ‘Okay,’ she didn’t sound overly convincing.

  The elevator doors opened to reveal a long corridor.

  A few office workers were walking into various rooms talking figures and news.

  ‘We will bring them all down,’ he added, before pulling his hand away and marching out into the corridor. Fiona swallowed hard and then followed.

  ***

  The cloth was wiped along the barrel of the beast. Riley’s sniper rifle was sat upon the coffee table in all its glory. It was stood up onto its bi-pod. This gun resembled some kind of deadly cannon more than anything else. It was more than capable that bringing down an elephant. Chelsea marvelled at her deceased lover’s weapon of choice.

  ‘Just how many people did you kill?’ she asked the world.

  Images of what she would do the people that killed Riley appeared in her mind.

  ‘How many people will I kill with it?’

  ***

  ‘Does he tell you about my mum?’ asked Samantha.

  Anne momentarily tensed up. She thought about changing the subject or avoiding the conversation, but what was the point in that? Anne was sleeping with Travis. Travis was Samantha’s father. Of course, she would want to know about her mother’s role. This must be confusing for the girl.

  ‘He does.’

  ‘She hates him.’

  ‘I don’t blame her.’

  Samantha looked slightly puzzled by this. ‘You don’t blame her?’

  ‘I would hate him if I was in her shoes. Listen. I am not trying to break up your family. Your dad is a good man, and I have fallen in love with him. I wish he wasn’t in a relationship with your mum, but sometimes life puts you in these situations. You can either follow your heart or listen to your brain. I have listened to my brain far too often. This time I decided to listen to my heart.’

  ‘Okay...’ Samantha thought about this for a moment.

  ‘What does your mum do for work?’ asked Hazel.

  ‘She works in the Eat Easy superstore, but I am not sure for how long. She wants to get a transfer to a new store outside of the city.’

  ‘What?’ Anne’s words came out before she could stop them.

  ‘She wants to get away from North City. I think she is being stupid. I like it here.’

  Anne’s mind went into overdrive. Did Travis know about this? It was doubtful, or he would have told her already. If Kerry was leaving North City, she would take Samantha with her, but that would mean Travis would go, too. Anne couldn’t allow this to happen. Her life was finally feeling settled for the first time in god knows how long. Something had to be done. Kerry could not be allowed to leave North City.

  ***

  His heart glowed with pride at the sight of her. Melissa’s beautiful face covered the entire television screen. She was delivering a statement to the media of North City. Marcus sipped at his whiskey, as he watched the live recording. His eyes were fixated upon her soft red lips. They were lips he wanted to kiss. How would it feel to kiss her? He gave his head a quick shake. What was he thinking? They were blood. Yes, she was his step-sister, but they were still blood. He had to stop these teasing thoughts. He didn’t want anything to jeopardise his relationship with Melissa. He loved her more than anything in the world.

  ‘North City is entering a new era,’ explained Melissa, to the sitting journalists. ‘We are entering an era of peace and security. President Riggs is returning North City to its former glory. In eighteen months, North City will hold local elections.’ The journalists shouted questions, as cameras flashed. Marcus smiled. Melissa was handling it very well. She raised her voice and continued speaking. ‘President Riggs is handing back power to the people. This is how it should be. In three years, we will hold a presidential election and the people will elect a new leader. This is the first time since the war that elections have taken place anywhere in the world.’ Melissa paused, as the noise of the crowd continued to grow. It was a verbal stoning of questions. ‘President Riggs will create new schools, new hospitals, new jobs and a cleaner safer city. In addition to this the North City Police Department will be formed and led by an independent body. We are saying no to corruption, we are saying no to crime, and we are saying no to terrorism. Thank you.’

  Cameras flashed in a show of lights, as Melissa Riggs exited the podium and disappeared through a side door. Marcus downed the rest of his whiskey and allowed himself a smile. The plan had been laid out for the entire world to see.

  ‘President Riggs,’ he rolled the word around on his tongue, ‘I like that.’

  ***

  Eavesdropping was an art she had mastered at a young age. Kerry hung back in the hallway and listened to the conversation. It was starting to get late. River had been here for a few hours by now. Kerry could tell he wanted to head home, but the young man was too polite to say anything.

  ‘Is that okay?’ asked River.

  He waited for a reply.

  ‘I don’t know, maybe an hour or two.’

  Silence, as Ariel replied from the other end of the phone.

  ‘You head off to bed. I will see you when I get home.’

  She said something else.

  ‘Don’t be like that, Ariel...’ River let out a heavy sigh. It sounded like the conversation had been prematurely cut off. Were things between Ariel and River that bad? Kerry knew she was struggling with depression since the baby, but how bad had things got? She hated herself for the next thought that crept into her mind. If they were really that rocky, could she use it to her advantage?

  ***

  Shadows consumed his presence. Travis weighed up his options, as he watched the queue of women shuffling towards the bouncers that guarded the door. A neon sign above the door proclaimed that this was “The Pussy Club”, the first female gay bar in North City. This was where Elizabeth could be, or at least where her lover would be working tonight. The issue was the bouncers and the patrols. The Pussy Club was just within the Riggs Crew territory. Had the Riggs Crew grabbed her from here? Were they using her lover as a hostage to lure Elizabeth out? It was all hypothetical. The only way to get answers was to find the girlfriend, but it wasn’t going to be easy and came with a lot of risks.

  ***

  High heel shoes clicked on the marble floor. Office workers nodded and smiled, as she walked by. Finally, Melissa was attaining the respect she deserved. For too long she lived in the shadows of her two younger step-siblings and their bitch of a mother. The people here looked up to her. She was the most powerful woman in North City. She was the right hand of the new President. At the end of the corridor was an elevator. She pressed a button and waited. Pride, happiness and an overwhelming sense of achievement were flowing through her body. It was Marcus. He had placed his trust and faith in her. She was reaching her full potential because of him.

  The elevator opened with a ping.

  Marcus greeted her with a smile.

  Her heart fluttered at the sight of him.

  He looked so damn handsome in that grey suit.

  ‘Going up?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’ She stepped into the elevator with him.

  ‘Going to your office?’

  ‘Yes. I have to make sure our writers are working on your speech.’

  He pressed the button for the appropriate level and the doors closed.

  ‘When will you be finished?’

  ‘It will be in an all night one.’

  ‘That is fine, but you will need to eat.’

  ‘I will get someone to pick something up for me.’

  ‘Take an hour.’

  ‘I can’t, we have to...’

  He cut her off. ‘Take
an hour. Come out to dinner with me.’

  Melissa thought about this for a moment. ‘Okay. How can I refuse the President of North City?’ The truth was that she could do with getting out of the hotel for a while. She needed to change frequency. The last few days had been moving at a hundred miles an hour. A little alone time with the man that she secretly loved would go a long way to refreshing her energy levels.

  ***

  A single gunshot boomed through the snow covered silent suburb. It was followed by an annoyed tut. Anyone attempting to spot where the sound had come from would be looking for a needle in a haystack. Chelsea had done exactly what Riley had written about. It said to use the natural environment to your advantage. Riley had snow camouflaged clothes, thermals and a white wrap that went around his sniper rifle. Chelsea took in a slow deep breath of freezing cold air, as she looked through the enhanced scoop of the sniper rifle. It looked so easy in the movies. Action heroes could pick up any gun and shoot a bad guy at four hundred yards, but Chelsea was learning the sad truth. It took years of practice. She had placed a can on a fence outside of the local town. The glow of the city lights indirectly illuminated the can in this dark world. Concealed upon a hill of white, she took aim and fired. The sound of the gun nearly blew her eardrums even with the earplugs in. She checked through the scope. The can was still standing. She didn’t even know where her bullet had gone. This was proving much harder than she had hoped, but it was fine. She would master it. It didn’t matter how long it took. She would get her revenge on the people that killed Riley. She would make this world a better place.

  ***

  The bouncer stood like an unmoving tower. His planetoid shaped body was grotesque and impressive all at once. The fat black man raised a palm, as Travis cut to the front of the line. This was not one of Jasmine’s men. This guy worked for the Riggs Crew. A second bouncer, who was currently chatting up some scantily clad jailbait, turned an eye towards Travis. The second guy was huge and had a chest measurement the side of a Greek God.

  ‘Back of the line,’ warned the fat bouncer.

  Travis disarmed him with a smile, as he freed his revolver from his pants.

  ‘He’s got a...’ was the only thing the guy managed to say before the butt of the revolver smashed against his skull. Screams went up from the queuing public, as the fat man’s head bled like a burst pipe. Travis was slightly taken back by this. He hadn’t expected such a dramatic effect. Sausage-like fingers clutched at the severe wound, but the man remained standing. Travis pointed the barrel of the gun at the other bouncer, who instantly decided that Travis was more hassle than he was actually worth. Travis stepped around the bloody bouncer, kept his gun on the other one, and backed into the entrance of the gay club. He had about two minutes before the place was swarming with Riggs Crew soldiers.