'You'll not get away with this, General Ronald will hear of this and you'll get the ultimate punishment,' he shouted angrily.
I was about to stab him in the heart, when Kitaro stood next to me and said, 'I want to be the one to finish this bastard off, he poisoned my only daughter.'
His voice was so full of anger and hate, I could not deny his request if it was me in his shoes I'd want the same.
'Hold him down boys,' I ordered Lance and Jack. Between the three of us we held him in place, he was fucking strong I'll give him that. It took all of our strength to keep him down. I saw the look of satisfaction on Kitaro's face as he stared into Leroy's eyes.
'You know I had no choice,' Leroy told him sternly.
'There's a difference between following orders and being a murderer, she was ten years old. She was still my little girl, she was innocent. You didn't just poison her did you?' He asked fiercely.
Judging by the look on Leroy's face he knew exactly what Kitaro was on about. 'I didn't think so, your the worst kind of monster. You portray as being a good guy, as someone who wants to save the world. But you just want to control it, rule it with terror. I saw the video, Ronald showed me what you did to her. How you abused my baby girl, made her do things and not just to you but to your twenty men. I saw what was left of her, before you killed her.'
'You think I'm the monster? Everything I do is at his orders, even I've been through the punishment. You think I would disobey again? No, the only way to survive this war, is to obey orders,' Leroy growled at him.
I was amazed that my troops could listen to this without being overcome with rage themselves, though I could see it in their faces, they wanted Leroy not just to die, but to suffer. As did I.
'You keep telling yourself that, but we both know the truth. At least I get to be the one to end your miserable life,' he replied suddenly lunging for him. Time sped up, one minute we were holding him down, the next Kitaro had knocked Leroy to the floor. He was freakishly strong for such a tiny man. Leroy didn't even get a chance to defend himself, no sooner than he was on the floor, Kitaro plunged the knife into his heart. He was dead instantly.
'I'm sorry you had to hear that, but I needed to know the truth,' he said sadly. I got up off the floor and walked over to him, clutching my knife behind my back. I didn't want to kill him, but I had no other option. I couldn't take the chance that letting him live would put my people in danger. I truly felt for him though, I could imagine the awful things he'd had to see him daughter go through before her death, it would be enough to drive anyone crazy.
'I understand, we all do,' was all I could say before I plunged the knife into his chest.
He didn't fight or try to stop me, he actually smiled as he fell to the ground.
'I'll be with my daughter,' he mumbled before death. We all stood for a moment surrounded by the dead bodies. I couldn't think or move, I felt- traumatised. Of all the horrific things I'd seen in these last five years, I never thought I was would betray my General. I could only hope and pray, that he never found out the truth.
'Clean this lot up,' I ordered them as I walked towards the exit. Now as I stood in midst of this battlefield, I found myself wanting to cry. I'd given up my family, my baby sister for this cause and they had turned out to be so evil, so corrupted that I didn't know what to do any more. I couldn't quit, he'd find me and my troops and make us pay for deserting. Yet nor could I continue to serve such a monster.
'Roy, we need you. The General is on the radio, he says it's urgent,' Willow shouted in a panicked voice.
I took a deep breath as I followed the sound of her voice, I found her shaking leaning against a burnt out house.
'Are you alright?' I asked fretfully.
Willow said nothing, she just shook her head and handed me the radio.
'This is Major General Roy, over.'
'We've been attacked, we need you back on the Isle of Wight, now!' He screamed down the phone. 'Yes sir, right away.' I stood for a moment, staring at Willow's petrified face. I ached to comfort her, but as the rest of my troops were heading this way, I knew it would be inappropriate. Once the others saw our faces they too became concerned, I dreaded having to tell them, well those that knew what we'd done but I had no choice I could not disobey a direct order.
'We've been called back to the Isle of Wight, they're under attack,' I said calmly.
I saw the fear cross their faces, facing the dead, fighting the living was nothing compared to facing the General after what we'd done. As I marched my troops away from the dead, decaying bodies I ordered them to burn it. There were no survivor's and the smell would only attract the infected, if there was anyone alive nearby this act could very well save their lives.
We walked away, watching as the flames licked at the remained monuments, destroying all evidence that there had once been a bright, beautiful town there. The biggest question on my mind, was whether when I returned to the General would I remain the loyal soldier or would I be the one who led the revolution against his tyranny?
Dead World Rising (Book 2): The Second Coming Page 29
