“So the man was right.” Elena whispered.
Abel’s head snapped to her.
“He was right.” Elena said again, taking a step forward. She lifted her head, staring at him, refusing to be afraid of him. “You’re not just a teacher, are you, Daddy? You’re a murderer!” she screamed the words, remembering what that man in the mask had said about her father. Remembering how she had defended him. It made her sick.
“You killed his family, didn’t you?” her words came out in a whisper. Afraid of the answer.
“Yes I did.” Abel whispered. “And I enjoyed every minute of it.”
“Oh God.” Elena swallowed, feeling like she was going to be sick.
“Why?” she whispered, afraid of the answer.
“Because he betrayed me, Elena. Betrayal, it’s the worst kind of thing a person can do to another. He made me weak. He made me doubt myself. Two things I never, ever tolerate in myself, and something had to be done. And there was only one thing that could make him feel what I’d felt. Killing his family.”
“You’re sick.” Elena whispered.
Abel laughed. “No, Elena. I just have a different view of the world than you do. I see things differently, and I believe that this world can be better. I am going to make it better. ”
“And what about the people here?” she whispered. “What are you teaching them, Daddy?”
“To be the perfect soldier.”
Elena froze.
“So you’re teaching them to hunt? To kill?” she whispered, feeling her stomach rolling. “Who are they killing?” she whispered. “Who are they killing, Daddy?”
“Anyone I see fit to kill.” Abel whispered, taking another step towards her.
His hand reached out and he grabbed her around the neck.
Elena gasped, as he raised her high in the air.
“And you are going to help me.” Abel whispered. “You see, I am going finish what my father started long ago. I am going to rebuild this organization and bring it back to its former glory. And you, Elena, are going to be one of my willing soldiers.” His hand released her.
Elena gasped, her body hitting the ground with a thud.
She lifted her head, pushing herself to her feet, staring at her father. Fear suddenly washing over her as she stared at him. Realizing that the man she had once known was gone. Realizing that her life was gone. Realizing that everything was changing for the worse.
“Today, everything changes.” His voice echoed all around her. “Today, we are no longer a family. Today, you are no longer sisters. Today, I am no longer your father. Starting today, you will address me as simply Abel, and today is when the work begins. “He stopped, turning, walking down the line of his daughters. Staring at each one of them. “You see, just one week ago, something unexpected happened. A man came into our house. A man who wants vengeance on me. On my father. On our family and took the one thing I’ve always held dear to me. Your mother.”
Sobs echoed from her sisters.
Elena turned her head.
Watching as tears ran down their faces, hating that they had to find out this way. She should have been the one to tell them.
“And now, I am a man on a mission. I must find this man, and make him pay for what he’s done to me. For what he’s taken from me. Especially now that I have this.” he lifted a box high in the air, dumping onto the ground.
Elena jumped. Staring at the body parts that now lay on the ground before her.
“Mom.” She whispered.
“That’s right.” Abel whispered. “Your mother is dead and I vow with every fiber of my being that I will find the man who killed her and make him suffer for what he has done, and you are going to help me. You are going to learn how to fight. You are going to learn how to use different weapons. You are going to learn how to speak twelve different languages. You are going to become my most dangerous weapons, and are going to help me take over the world!”
“And if we don’t?” Elena whispered, from where she was lying on the ground. “What if we decide that we don’t want to take any part in what you’re building, Daddy?” she said the name purposely this time. “You can’t just play God whenever you feel the need. You have no right to do any of this. You have no right to decide who lives and dies. You have no right to train us to kill. You have no right to turn us into monsters. You have no right.” She whispered, rising to her feet. “You have no right at all. So tell me, Daddy, what are you going to do if we refuse to go along with your plan?”
“Because refusal won’t be an option.” Abel whispered, his voice deadly quiet. “Because if you refuse to go along with me, you will pay the ultimate price. Your life.” He stopped in front of Elena. Staring down at her. “You know, Elena, you always were my favorite. You always had this calmness in you. You were always so sure of what was right and what was wrong. You’re going to be a fun one to break.” He whispered. “And I’m going to enjoy turning you into the perfect example of a willing soldier.” He smiled, his fist striking out, and getting her right in the stomach.
Elena gasped, falling to her knees.
Somewhere, a loud ding sounded.
And Abel raised his hands above his head, clapping them together.
“It’s time!” he shouted. “Take your seats, ladies, it is time for the first fight! The first fight to see just how tough you all really are.”
Elena pushed herself to her feet.
“Nah uh.” Abel grabbed her by the wrist. “Not you, Elena.” He whispered, watching as the rest of the girls were led away by his soldiers. “You and I are going to fight.”
“What?”
Elena stared at him.
Turning her head, watching as the soldiers lead her sisters to the seats that surrounded the auditorium. Staring at their tear streaked faces. At the sadness in their eyes.
Realizing for the first time, that she didn’t have a choice.
She had to do what he said.
Or he would kill her.
Of that she was fairly certain.
Because this was no longer her loving, doting father she had known her whole life.
He was now a stranger.
She lifted her fists.
She drew in a deep breath.
Remembering her mother’s words.
“Be brave, Elena. Be brave.”
She closed her eyes.
Remembering how she had been dragged out of the house.
She remembered waking up in that dark room, surrounded by her sisters.
She remembered the fear in their eyes.
She remembered Irena’s screams.
And she remembered the feelings that had rolled through her at the first sight of her father. The hatred she had felt for him. It was the first time in her life she had ever hated anyone so much.
Except for that day he had taken her out of school.
Refusing to let her be around people.
Refusing to let her enjoy life.
Locking her in the house, in a bubble.
Is that when all of this had started?
He had taken everything from her.
He had taken her dreams. He had taken away her wishes. He had taken away her hopes. He had taken away her future.
And now, the only future she had, was becoming a monster.
A cry of outrage escaped her mouth, and she lunged forward.
He stepped out of the way.
His fist snapped out, connecting with her jaw.
Elena gasped, her head snapping back.
He lunged forward, pushing her to the ground.
She cried out, as her body hit the ground with a hard thud.
His fist smashed into her stomach.
She doubled over.
And as her vision blurred, she watched him rise to his feet. Taking a step towards her.
“Everyone has to learn the hard lessons sometime.” He whispered, just before he lifted his foot, striking her in the back of the head.
Elena felt her vision darken
.
She felt as if her head was floating.
She vaguely heard her father laughing somewhere nearby.
And then she was greeted by pure darkness.
Chapter Two
Eight years later
The darkness of the night surrounded her.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of her footsteps echoed in her ears.
She took another step forward, stopping at the edge of the rooftop, her hand tightening around the duffel bag and stared out into the darkness of the night.
Above her, the moon was full, and shining brightly.
Stars littered the dark, black sky high above her. Twinkling.
“So pretty.” She whispered staring above her. Closing her eyes, as the wind whipped through the air, brushing against her skin.
The sound of an explosion filled her ears.
Her head jerked up. Her eyes jerking open.
A cloud of smoke rose up in the air.
In the distance, she saw a building crumble to the ground.
Debris flew through the air.
People were thrown from the building, pummeling to their deaths.
And then she heard the screams.
She leaned her hands forward on the ledge. Staring below her at the people on the sidewalk. Watching as people began running frantically. People were screaming. People were crying. People were yelling. Horns could be heard from miles away, as people raced into the street, fearing for their own lives.
The sound of gunfire echoed in her ears.
Men dressed in black stepped out onto the streets.
Wearing black helmets on top of their heads. Black masks covering their mouths.
And she watched, as they stopped. Lining the sides of the street.
They lifted the rifles they held in their hands.
And pulled the triggers. The sound deafening.
She saw a man lying on the ground, rise to his knees. Reaching towards the soldier closest to him.
“Help me.” She saw the man mouth, even from where she was standing.
The soldier stared at him.
Lifted his rifle.
And pulled the trigger.
She gasped, covering a hand over her mouth. Watching as the man fell to the ground. Blood pooling all around him.
And silence descended over the city once again.
Blood coated the streets.
Bodies lay all over the street, completely motionless.
Cars careened into buildings. The sound of the horns going off, echoing in her ears.
Fires lit up the streets.
And the city, was nearly destroyed.
It was happening, she thought to herself. The end of the world was finally happening.
Another bomb had just blown through the city of Chicago.
And yet there was no one to defend it.
No one stood up for the country they lived in.
No one had the courage to fight back.
Everyone in this world was just weak.
What had the world come to?
What had happened to the world she had once believed so strongly in?
“This world is not how you once imagined it, Elena.” Abel’s voice echoed in her head. “The people who live here, they’re strange creatures. They’re not like you and me. You see, we genuinely care about this world, Elena. We care about the people in it, but those people you see walking next to you on the streets… They’re selfish, Elena. They’re greedy, and they only care about themselves. They don’t care that the world is ending. They don’t care that jobs are disappearing by the second. They don’t care that schools are being burnt to the ground. They don’t care about anything. Armies are scarce these days. There’s no one left to defend the world, except you and the organization. You, Elena, can help save this world. You, Elena, can help end this madness. You can be the hero. You can be the savior. You can be the gladiator, and you can save this world. It’s what we do, Elena. We are saving the world, a little at a time.”
Save the world.
Abel’s words rolling through her head.
She dropped to the ground, unzipping the duffel bag.
Assembling the rifle without even a thought to it.
Sadness rolling through her, as she thought of the world. As she thought of the city she was standing in. Staring at the darkness. The emptiness, and wondering, how anyone could have thought it would have all come down to this. A world, with no armies. A world with no homes. A world where people lived on the streets, fighting to stay alive. A world where no one believed.
But she believed, Elena thought to herself. She believed in herself. She believed in the organization.
She believed in Abel.
Abel.
A smile spread over her face as she thought of the man who had built the organization, and a man who she owed everything to. He had shown her so much. He had taught her how to fight. How to survive, and because of him, she would never be like those people she saw running below her. Weak.
Disgust rolled through her.
As she stared at the people, now lying motionless on the street.
How could they live like this? She wondered to herself, as she stared out into the city. How could they just stand there and do nothing as their homes crumbled right before their very eyes? How could they just run? How could they be so scared? So selfish? Why were they so concerned about their own lives, and not about the world they lived in?
“Because they’re not like you, Elena.” She whispered to herself. “And now it is up to you. It is up to the organization to take care of this country. No one else is going to do it. So you have to be the hero.”
She was going to be the hero. She was going to be the gladiator. She was going to be the savior. She. The organization. Abel. They were going to bring the world back. If it was the last thing any of them ever did.
She guaranteed it.
And it all started with this man.
Her eyes narrowed, as she stared through the rifle scope, hatred racing through her body.
Victor Alejandro.
The man was a traitor to this country, she thought to herself, her finger grazing the trigger.
He was the master mind behind the attacks happening all over the country. He was building the bombs and selling them, taking down businesses as he saw fit. Destroying homes. Taking lives. He was hiring men, training them, sending them to cities all over the country and killing the people who lived there.
He was turning the lights off in cities.
He was causing people to run from their homes, to live on the streets.
He was creating the chaos in this world
Someone had to stop him.
Someone had to stop him soon.
That someone was her.
The com in her ear went on.
“Elena, are you in position?”
“Yes.” She responded. “I’m in position. I’m ready to take the shot.”
“Whenever you get the clear, take it. And Elena, remember, you are doing the world a favor by taking out this man. He’s wanted dead by everyone in this country. Your country is counting on you. You are helping your country. You are saving it a little at a time.”
The com went off.
“Save the country, Elena.” She whispered to herself, taking the com out of her ear. “Do the world proud.”
She started to pull the trigger.
Then out of the corner of her eye, something caught her attention.
She stopped, her finger relaxing around the trigger. Staring into the room just outside the office where a young woman was making dinner. Sonya, she remembered. Victor had a wife. She was making dinner in the kitchen while her two daughters Maya and Tanya were doing their homework at the table. A young boy, Dimitri, was sitting on the floor playing with a toy truck.
“It doesn’t matter, Elena.” She whispered to herself. “You have a mission to complete. That’s all that matters. The mission. It always comes first.”
&nb
sp; She turned back to Victor.
Watching as he got up from the desk. His computer monitor moving a little, allowing her to see the FBI symbol that lay in the middle of the screen.
The FBI.
Elena felt a gasp escape her mouth.
She stumbled back, falling on her butt on the rooftop, and just stared ahead of her. Watching as Victor stood at the window, staring out into the night.
The FBI? She blinked. What the hell was going on here? Why had Abel sent her to take down a freaking FBI agent?
The telephone next to Victor rung.
She frowned.
“Who is calling you, Victor?” Elena whispered, watching as he picked up the phone. Ruffling in her duffel bag for the earpiece that was connected to the bug she had placed in Victor’s office this afternoon when everyone had been gone.
She quickly put it in her ear.
“Good evening, Victor.” A soft, feminine voice came over the line. “It’s so good to hear from you.”
Victor laughed. “Oh come on, Director. You know as well as I do that you’ve been calling me every four hours for an update on what I’ve found out about the bombings.”
“Well, excuse me for being concerned for my country.” The woman murmured. “So, do you have anything?”
“Maybe.” Victor paced in front of his desk. “Do you remember a man named Dominic Rodriquez?”
Silence was on the phone.
“I don’t recall the name.”
“You don’t recall the name?” Victor laughed. “I find that hard to believe, since I know you’ve been visiting him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He was a known terrorist years ago, Director! He had all these notes on the world. Notes about how wrong the world has gone. That the leaders of this world need to be eliminated. That the people who live in this world need to be eliminated. He drew up these blue prints for an organization and started kidnapping and training sixteen year old boys until two of his recruits escaped. The kicker is, Dominic was in the process of building an army. Of building a bomb. The same bombs and armies that are destroying cities just as we speak. Why are you pretending that you don’t know who he is? Your name is in the log, Director!”
Fearless Page 3
