Читать книгу Wings Of Vengeance - Adam MD Hamedi - Страница 6

It was the day after Christmas 1998. The Hunters had just finished breakfast. It was the start of a great day. As forecast, the temperature was cold and the skies clear. Austin was in his office trying to put together a new computer, a Christmas present from his wife and daughter. For a few months now he knew what his Christmas present was going to be. He had wanted to upgrade for a while now but they would not let him buy one. They always complained about how hard it was for them to decide what to get him because he always just went out and bought whatever he wanted, when he wanted it. When they do know what he really wants, it makes things easier on them, so when they asked if he wanted to accompany them to the mall, he declined. He knew it was going to be a while to load all the new programs plus the old ones he already had. They also knew how much he hated shopping on such a day, so they did not insist. Besides, they were not doing any shopping really, unless they found some great bargains they could not live without. The trip was merely to exchange some of the presents they received for ones that fit a little better.

On their way to the mall both girls joked about what a big kid Austin was with new toys. They talked about how he would never change and that’s what they loved about him.

It was a little after 8:00 a.m. and they wanted to get to the stores before the after Christmas rush. The stores opened early to accommodate the flow. It was a very cold morning and when they arrived, the parking lot was practically deserted.

“Great,” said Megan, “it looks we’re the first ones here.”

“I know,” said Marina. “I’ve never seen the mall’s parking lot so empty before.”

As they carried their merchandise and walked toward the mall entrance, two men came out of the shadows, grabbed them and dragged them to a waiting car. Their presents were strewn all over the entrance while the two girls were fighting furiously, trying to get away kicking, scratching and struggling with all their strength. But they were no match for the Johnson boys.

“What the hell do you want?” screamed Megan once they were in the car.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” yelled Randy as he punched her on the mouth.

“We just want to have some fun, girls,” interjected Jeffery.

Marina surprised everybody when she unexpectedly swung and caught Randy on the mouth and nose, immediately drawing blood. She could not stand the idea of anyone hitting her mother.

“No!” cried Megan. “It’s OK, baby.” Megan had realized the boys were drunk and knew that any more efforts at a struggle would only aggravate the situation.

The shock of Marina’s punch lasted only a few seconds. No one had ever hit one of the boys before. They went wild and began hitting the girls with such ferocity, but through the struggle, Marina managed to punch and scratch every one of the boys while Megan was pleading with them and her daughter to stop the madness. The drive was quite long and the struggle continued for most of it, and by the time they reached the water tower at the lake, which seemed to be the boys’ favorite dumping ground, Megan and Marina had bruises all over their faces and bodies. Their eyes were closing shut from the swelling as they were being dragged out of the car. They had no more energy to struggle any longer.

“You’ve had your fun,” whispered Megan weakly. “Please don’t hurt us any more.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet, lady,” answered Randy. “Now comes the fun part.”

“Hey Jeff,” he continued addressing his cousin, “have you fucked an older woman before?”

“Well, I really don’t believe so, but I guess I am about to.”

“Please let my daughter go,” Megan pleaded some more.

“We ain’t letting anyone go, lady,” said David. “I got to have me some fun too.”

At that moment, Megan realized that they were in real trouble; she came to the realization that these boys would actually kill them. She no longer cared what happened to her; she only worried about her precious daughter.

She had a great life and if it was going to end today, at least she would be leaving this place knowing that she had been loved like no one ever had the right to, but her daughter, Marina was only eighteen years old and deserved to experience what she had. No one had the right to take that away from her. And what about Austin, what would happen to him if they were killed today? She knew that beneath the façade of toughness that he projected, he was very fragile and extremely emotional, especially when it came to his family. She remembered how long it took her to nurse him out of the nightmares of his childhood. She was not sure he would survive this. Things like this just did not happen in this part of the country. She was really getting mad and wanted so much for Marina and herself to get through it.

The Johnson boys kept on raping and beating them. They took special pleasures in inflicting pain on the girl. She was the only person who was able to ever take swings at them and actually land a few punches and cause them pain. They continued hurting her even after she lay there motionless and probably dead. When they were finished and were sure they had killed both women, their concern switched to trying to explain the cuts and bruises on their faces. They never gave the girls another thought.

The boys got in their car and drove off and for the longest none of them had anything to say. They had never killed anyone before.

After what seemed an eternity of silence, Randy finally addressed his cousins.

“We have to get our stories straight,” said Randy. “We can’t let anyone know that it was us who did this. This time you know our dads would probably kill us if they find out.”

“Are they dead,” inquired David.

“You didn’t see them moving, did you?” replied Randy. “You saw what we did to them. You were there. Of course they are dead.”

“We never killed anyone before,” said David. “I am scared, really scared.”

“Shut the fuck up, boy! Don’t you ever say a word about this to anyone, you understand me? God help you if I ever find out you did, I will kill you myself,” threatened Randy, giving David a look that made a believer of him.

About a couple of hours later, but what seemed like eternity, Megan opened her eyes as much she could and whispered her daughter’s name, but Marina did not stir. As she was trying to move, looking around, Marina noticed a blurry object next to her and took a while to realize it was actually her purse. She prayed that the boys had not looked inside as she started fumbling for her cell phone, agonizing with every move she made and finally reaching it and immediately calling her husband at home first.

The boys did not touch any of their items; they did not want to be caught with anything that tied them to this crime. No one in the county ever accused the boys of being bright.

Austin picked up on the first ring; he was getting worried wondering what was taking his family so long at the mall. He could swear he heard Megan’s voice but it was so faint he was not sure until he heard her mutter his name ever so faintly that he realized she was hurt. He felt his heart hit the pit of his stomach, thinking they had had a car accident.

“Sweetheart, just tell me where you are and save your strength. If you can dial 911 do so, but don’t worry about it, I’ll make the call myself.” He hung up the phone after she told him where they were. He slipped his shoes on, grabbed the keys to his truck and raced outside the house while he was dialing the emergency number.

“Come on answer, damn it,” Austin swore as he heard the phone ring for the third time.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“My name is Austin Hunter. My wife and daughter are badly hurt. I want you to send an ambulance and the police to the water tower at the lake.”

“OK, Mr. Hunter, we have your wife on the phone right now talking to her and the police and ambulance are on their way.”

After hanging up, Austin realized that the lake was in a totally different direction from the mall. What was his family doing there? He could not shake the awful feeling he had. He was doing 110 miles per hour and, without even realizing, he had picked up two sheriff’s deputy cruisers in his wake, making chase. He was oblivious to everything except where he was heading. Tears were flowing down his face and he was praying that his family would be all right.

“Please God, don’t let them die on me. I have never asked for anything before and I am asking now. Please don’t take them yet.”

They were everything precious he had ever had. He had never prayed before. He just could not lose them. God would not be that cruel. They were the only reason he tolerated life. Without them, life meant nothing.

Austin made the lake in ten minutes when it should have taken thirty, running through all the traffic lights on Wilshire Boulevard like they were not there. The only reason he did not have an accident of his own is that this was the day after Christmas and very few people were out this early in the morning.

He usually made that drive with Megan, and sometimes Marina when she was not busy with school or friends, and sometimes they would even stop and visit with their friend and hairdresser Lisa at Lisa’s Kountry Cuttery. They never failed to admire her place, which would be the envy of the big boys in the business. Today, however, he didn’t even see the place as he passed by; he didn’t even notice the town of Joshua, where the shop was located. He had one thing on his mind and one thing only - to get to his family as soon as he could.

He stopped his truck by the water tower, noticing that his wife’s car was not even there, and ran to his girls. He was sick and wanted to throw up when he saw the condition they were in. He knelt down beside them, trying to comfort them, wondering who could do anything like this to two precious people, knowing that no amount of comfort was going to stop the pain.

Megan saw the puzzled look on her husband’s face and whispered in his ear the names of the Johnson boys.

The two sheriff’s cruisers that were chasing him had just arrived. The two deputies jumped out of their vehicles with their weapons drawn.

“Put your hands in the air and step away from those people,” yelled one of the deputies.

“These people are my family and someone tried to kill them and you’d better get your asses over here and help me.”

“We don’t care who they are. Put your hands up and move away.”

Austin realized that the deputies had a pretty good idea who might have done this. After all, how many times did they have to clean up after the Johnsons, this being their favorite grounds? And he suspected that their first instinct would be to protect the boys. Not necessarily out of love for them, but to avoid the wrath of the sheriff.

Austin gazed at the deputies with a stare that chilled them both. They could have shot him, he suspected, but how far would these people go to cover up a crime? After all, no one was dead as far as they could tell and by this time the sirens of the approaching police vehicles and ambulance were getting louder, indicating they were very near.

The two deputies stood there with their guns drawn, looking like idiots, when a man who seemed to be in his late thirties or early forties commanded them to put their weapons away as he walked quickly past them toward Austin and his family. Austin did not fail to notice the look of disgust the deputies gave this man.

“Mr. Hunter, my name is Detective Rice,” he said without extending his hand. “Please step away from your family and let the medics take care of them.” Austin took a step back and let the detective lead him away, dazed, knowing that this was not a time for formalities. He stood there watching the medics try to patch his family as best they could.

As the medics were loading Megan and Marina into the ambulance, Austin insisted on riding with them, drawing no objections from anyone. Before they started moving, he handed the detective the keys to his truck.

On the drive to the hospital, Marina finally stirred and whispered, “Daddy.”

At the sound of his daughter’s voice, Austin felt his heart melt. Not wanting his sweet daughter to see him break down was what kept him from bursting out in tears. He held her hand and started talking to her, trying to assure her that everything was going to be all right.

“They hurt us, daddy,” she whispered again.

“I know baby, just keep quiet for now and save your energy. I need you to get well sweetheart. I can’t make it through life without you.”

Both Megan and Marina were quiet the rest of the ride to the hospital and Austin was not sure whether this was by choice or due to totally spent energy.

The medics radioed ahead advising the medical staff at the emergency room to expect internal injuries, but one thing put Austin somewhat at ease: he heard the medics say that they were able to stabilize the girls. As soon as they arrived, both patients were rushed into the emergency room with Austin standing guard outside. When the hospital staff tried to guide him to the waiting room, he refused and told them in no uncertain terms that he was not moving from his position until he saw his family again.

After what seemed like hours, Austin was becoming alarmed. He hadn’t moved from his spot outside the door to the emergency room.

“Mr. Hunter,” a now somehow familiar voice called from behind him. Austin turned and saw Detective Rice.

“I’d like to talk to you if you don’t mind,” said the detective as he handed Austin the keys to the truck, telling him where it was parked.

“Can this wait until I know how my family is?”

“Just a couple of questions really,” said the detective. “It would help keep your mind off the incident for a moment.”

Austin thought that was such a ridiculous assumption.

“You can talk all you want as long as I do not move an inch from here. I will tell you what I told everyone else in this hospital. I am not moving from this spot until I see my family again.”

Suit yourself,” said Rice. “I just want to know if you have any idea as to who did this to your family.”

“Yes I know,” Austin replied and stopped there. That was all he said.

Detective Rice did not like the look in Austin’s eyes.

“Listen to me, Mr. Hunter. I want to assure you that I know how you feel.”

“Yeah, right,” said Austin. “How do you think I feel right now, detective?”

“I think, or make that I know, you feel a lot of rage and probably contemplating revenge, but let me assure you Mr. Hunter, revenge never works. I would say that in all cases the wrong person landed himself or herself in jail, as I am sure the outcome would be the same here. And tell me, Mr. Hunter, who would take care of your family then? Please let the police handle this. Let me handle this and I promise you that when I find out who did this, he or they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

Austin was starting to think that, under different circumstances, this would be amusing. He wanted to make sure to register the reaction on the detective’s face when he hears what he was about to tell him.

“You really want to know who did this, detective?”

“Of course I do. Otherwise what do you think I am doing here?”

Austin looked at Detective Rice for a few seconds concentrating on the face. “It was the Johnson boys, detective. All three of them.”

Rice stared back at Hunter. The names hit him like a tornado, practically paralyzing him for a second, and then a look of despair registered on his face.

“Yeah, I thought so,” said Austin. “Speechless detective, are we? I don’t hear you making any promises now. Did you run out of assurances?”

Rice knew what this man was talking about. He wasn’t sure he would be able to do anything about those boys. Matter of fact, he knew he couldn’t. He did know that both the sheriff and the judge would not allow anyone to touch them. He had intimate knowledge of that family and their tactics. He knew they would do whatever it took to protect the boys. Rice was no longer worried about what Hunter would do to the boys, but what that family would do to the Hunters to keep them from pressing charges. And file charges they would, if he was any kind of decent judge of character, and he was great at the art. He had to think - and think quickly - of a way to protect this family. These would be some serious charges, and the boys would be put away for a long time. He knew that the Johnsons were not going to let that happen. He would be damned and everything he ever prided himself on being would vanish if he were going to be just a bystander while the Johnsons destroy such a decent family. He knew he cannot get through to the Johnsons, but he would try his best to get through to this man standing before him.

Eudean Rice would have been embarrassed if he noticed Austin Hunter studying his emotions and the turmoil he was feeling. He was saved by the door to the emergency room opening. The doctor came out.

Rice was a familiar face to the doctor. He immediately looked at Austin, addressing him.

“Mr. Hunter, we are not finished with your family yet, but I wanted to let you know that we tended to most of their injuries and they are stable. I just wanted to assure you that they will be all right.”

On hearing the news, Austin collapsed on the floor, covering his face with both hands, and started sobbing. For once he did not care who saw his weaknesses, he was just relieved and thankful that his loved ones were staying with him.

Detective Rice did not know how to react to this burst of emotion. He was looking at a man who looked strong enough to take on anyone, but fragile and vulnerable enough to break down in tears. He knew he was looking at a very good man and instantly made up his mind to help him any way he could. This decision could mean a lot of trouble for him, and possibly his own death, but that was a chance he was willing to take. He had to make a stand and choose a side. It was no choice really; he knew what he had to do.

By the time the Johnson boys got home that night after trying everything they could to stay out of the way and try to treat some of their wounds, all three elders were waiting impatiently on them.

“Hi, Uncle Tommy. Hi Uncle Butch,” greeted Randy with a shaky voice. “What’s going on?”

Unexpectedly, the sheriff slapped Randy for the first time in his life. “What happened to your face, boy? You look like you have been in a fight and got the short end of the stick. As a matter of fact, you all look like it. You want to tell me what happened and who beat you up like this?”

“Nothing, Uncle Butch. We were not in a fight. We were just fooling around with each other and fell in some brier bushes and got all scratched up.”

It was Al who slapped his son this time. “You want to try again and tell us the truth this time or shall we beat it out of you? That woman and her daughter you raped and beat up are still alive, and from the gossip we picked up from town and what the two deputies that saw them afterwards said, you probably tried to kill them and failed.”

“We all know that they will probably file charges against the three of you, and with your history of all the fuck ups, we have no doubt that you will wind up serving time. Your uncle Tommy doesn’t think he can protect you this time. This will bring the state’s law enforcement agencies on us.”

The two younger boys were ashen with fright and worry. So was Randy, but he was the oldest of the three and it was up to him to do the talking. Besides, those were his instructions to his younger cousins.

“Impossible, they can’t be alive,” he said. They were dead when we left them. No one could have survived what we did to them. Ask Jeffrey and David,” he pleaded.

“How in hell could you let two little women do so much damage to your faces,” asked the sheriff? “They were girls, for Christ sake.”

“It was the younger one that put up most of the fight,” said David. “No matter how much we beat her, she kept coming at us, but we showed her,” he continued with some satisfaction in his tone.

“You showed her all right, you idiots. You have forced our hand and now we have to think of something to clean up your mess. Even though everyone in town thinks that you three did this, it’s only the women’s word against yours and from what we hear, they are not talking yet and won’t be for a while. Now get out of here and you’d better stay indoors until your faces heal, and I mean if you hear someone coming to visit, you’d better get back in your rooms and hide. Don’t even let the help see you this way. You will be eating in your rooms until all the scars are gone.”

“But that could be days,” said Randy.

“You will do what I said even if it takes months, you understand me, boy?” said the sheriff with a tone that brought immediate compliance from the three.

“What do you intend to do?” asked the judge when the boys cleared the room.

“I have an idea. I have someone that will take care of it for me. You don’t need to know, judge. Just don’t worry about them. It may take a few days, but I will take care of the problem.”

Over the next three days, Megan and Marina were regaining their strength. Austin spent every moment he could with them. He would only go home at night to sleep, and only after the hospital staff practically threw him out by telling him that his family needed their rest and as long as he was there, they were not getting enough. They also knew that this would be the only way Austin himself would get any well-deserved rest.

What Austin did not want his family to know was that even with going home, he was not getting the rest he should. Ever since the incident, every night, someone - and he had a pretty good idea who it might be - would cruise by, shining some mighty powerful light beams at his house to keep him awake, and when he would come out of the house in the morning to head for the hospital, he would find all kinds of immoral graffiti on his front and garage doors.

Every morning he would clean the filth off the doors, wanting to make sure none of it was there in case his wife and daughter came home that day. And although he did the cleaning alone the first day, every day since, his neighbors would arrive with their own buckets and cleaning material and work alongside him in total silence. No one knew exactly how he felt, even though they all had an idea how they would feel if the same thing had happened to their families. They did not want to intrude on his feelings or his thoughts. Some would come by with a dinner plate when they saw him pull up at night, but he thanked them and told them he won’t be eating at home. He felt close to his neighbors and never appreciated them more, even in total silence.

The whole town was enraged when they found out about the graffiti, and it only stopped when the townspeople took it on themselves to start patrolling his neighborhood at night.

The district attorney was building a strong case against the young Johnsons and he needed the statements and testimony of Megan and Marina. He was determined to finally put a stop to those boys and their atrocities. He never had a chance like this to do it. Powerful family or not, there was no way out of this one.

Dr. Shirley, Megan’s cousin, took over the girls’ care. Her real name was Shirley Swan but everyone referred to her as Dr. Shirley after the movie starring Dolly Parton. It was a small country hospital and they all knew and were friendly with each other so that almost everyone had their own nicknames. Shirley didn’t mind, she even thought it was amusing. What was real important to her at this time was that her relatives would receive the best possible care. She also wanted to keep an eye on Austin. She knew that his wounds, though psychological, needed just as much attention, especially when she heard him on several occasions blame himself for the whole incident, rationalizing that it would not have happened if he had accepted their invitation to accompany them to the mall.

On the fourth day after the attack, Austin, Megan, Marina, Dr. Shirley, Detective Rice and the district attorney, along with some of his assistants, were in the hospital room discussing their strategy for the courts. The doctors had agreed that the girls could leave the hospital in a couple of days, long enough to go to court, on the condition they return to continue their treatments.

The district attorney was to file the necessary papers that day.

Austin’s heart hurt every morning when he arrived at the hospital and saw his beautiful family in bandages and so much pain. He was so grateful they were alive. Nothing else mattered. Even though he went along with Detective Rice and the district attorney to let the law take its course, he didn’t think they would be able to accomplish anything. He had made up his mind and was determined to take revenge on those boys himself. He was sure that his justice would be the only justice the boys would get.

Late that evening Dr. Shirley received a call that almost devastated her. A chill ran through her body and she became furious. Her heart racing, she threw on her clothes and hurried to the hospital and on her way she dialed Austin’s telephone number at home, asking him to meet her there.

As tired as he was, Austin jumped out of bed and was standing up as soon as he heard Shirley’s voice.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“There’s been an accident at the hospital,” she said. “I don’t have all the details,” she lied, “but I do know that it concerns Megan and Marina.” Austin felt a shiver run through him as if someone had doused him with a bucket of ice water. He could not believe what he was hearing.

“They were doing fine just a few hours ago when we left them. What could have gone wrong?”

“I don’t really know yet,” she lied again. “I just wanted to let you know first so you can meet me there as soon as you can.”

“I will be on my way immediately,” he said as he started hurriedly throwing his clothes on.

Immediately after Dr. Shirley received that horrible phone call, the same call was placed to Detective Rice. But this time, the details were not spared.

Austin tore out of his house, got into his truck and practically flew to the hospital. What Dr. Shirley did not want to tell him was his wife and daughter were already dead.

On his way to the hospital, Austin was becoming furious. “Those goddamned boys are dead,” he screamed. He could care less if they were sent to prison. He would wait until they were released and he would kill them. All of them, he promised himself. Right now he just wanted to get to the hospital and tend to his family. This time he would not leave their side until they are fully recovered and home again.

When he arrived at the hospital, Shirley and Rice met him at the door.

“Hi doc, how are they?” “What are you doing here, detective?”

Before Rice or Dr. Shirley could respond, Austin was tearing through the hospital lobby trying to get to his family with a knotted feeling in his stomach, shouting that they’d better be all right. Rice and Shirley were hot on his heels.

By the time Austin reached the elevators, Rice was right behind him pleading with him to stop and listen.

As Austin started to get in the elevator, “Stop, they’re dead,” he heard Rice yelling behind him.

Austin froze and for a few seconds did not move. He finally turned around slowly to face both the doctor and the detective. What they both saw in his eyes scared the hell out of them. All the emotions they were accustomed to seeing from this man the last few days disappeared. His eyes went cold. Rice, as accustomed as he was to seeing all kinds of reactions from people, saw nothing there. This man had just shut his emotions down. Rice could tell how this man’s brain was calculating and contemplating his next moves. No one ever scared Rice, but what he saw in this man’s face sent a shiver down his spine.

“You take a message to your employer,” said Austin. “You tell him that every one of those boys will die. You tell him that this Earth is not big enough to hide them and if he tries, I will kill him also.”

Austin’s world just went dark. He no longer would listen to reason.

“Listen to me now, Austin. I don’t want you to do anything stupid. Let me find out what happened here.”

Dr. Shirley, standing there watching this scenario unfold in front of her and worried about the shock that Austin had just received and the change she saw in him, decided without his agreement to give him a sedative shot.

When Austin awoke the next morning, Dr. Shirley and Detective Rice were there with him.

“Where am I?” Austin asked.

“In the hospital,” answered Shirley, wondering if the trauma caused him a temporary loss of memory. She had seen it before; she saw how some people would completely block out the memories of a certain incident. The memories always came back with time. She immediately noticed the realization appear on Austin’s face.

“What did you do to me? What did you give me?” he asked.

“We gave you a sedative to calm you down,” said Rice. “I am glad the doctor here decided to do that because I wanted to talk to you about what happened.”

“And what do you think happened? Like I told you before, I am going to kill those boys.”

“You have every right to do so; however, you need to look at the whole picture. Those boys could not have killed your family.”

“I guess the next thing you will be telling me is they died of natural causes. You were here yesterday. They were recovering nicely. They were supposed to be out of here in a couple of days, for God’s sake.”

“That is not what I am saying. What I am trying to tell you is that it had to be one of the older Johnsons and I am willing to stake my life on which one. We don’t know who committed the actual act, but it must have cost them a bundle to get someone here at the hospital to do it. Your family was poisoned last night, and even though we don’t know who administered the poison right now, that won’t take long to find out, if the poor bastard is still alive.”

“It really no longer matters to me. I will kill those boys if it’s the last thing I ever do and if you want to arrest me for making such a threat, you just go ahead and try.”

“I don’t want to arrest you,” said Rice. Austin’s calm demeanor convinced him that this man was deadly serious. He knew that no one would be able to stop him from killing those boys or getting himself killed in the process. The sad part was, he also knew the Johnsons.

What both men didn’t know was the doctor’s call had actually saved Austin’s life. The sheriff had sent someone to Austin’s house to kill him but did not expect him to be awake and could not take the chance of fouling that up.

“I need you to promise me something,” said Rice.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want a promise that you will not attempt to do anything until I have had a chance to sit down and discuss a few things with you.”

“You will be wasting your breath, detective, if you try to talk me out of doing this. You see, my life means nothing to me any more, and even if I go to jail, I will come out one day and still kill those boys.”

“I promise you I will not try to talk you out of doing anything, I just want that talk, and I will not leave you alone until I have your word on that.”

Austin was getting bored with where this conversation was heading and finally agreed.

“That’s all I wanted. Now you may leave. Megan’s parents are waiting on you in the lobby.”

Shirley was listening to the dialogue between these two men, wondering what in hell they were talking about. “You can’t tell the law that you are going to kill someone and them ask you to promise to wait on whatever you want to do until they have a chance to discuss a few things with you.” She was wondering if this was a trick on the detective’s part to lay a trap for Austin. She could not understand Rice’s motivations or feelings, but right now her main concern was the protection of Austin and Megan’s parents.

When Austin stepped into the hospital’s lobby and saw Van and Ruth waiting, looking like they hadn’t slept in ages, he felt guilty for getting some rest, even though it was not voluntary. When they saw him, they ran to him and hugged him.

“They killed my babies,” sobbed Ruth. “Why would anyone do that? My babies never hurt anyone.”

“I know, Mom. I promise you someone will pay for this.”

Van touched Austin’s shoulder gently and very softly, with a broken voice, told him he would take care of the funeral arrangements.

“Why don’t you go home and get some rest.”

“Thanks, Dad, but I don’t think I can sleep. I don’t think I can live any longer without them. They were my whole life.”

“Go home, son, and get some rest. We don’t want to hear such talk from you, and we need you. You are the only thing left of them. Don’t take that away.”

Austin did what he was told and went home. He spent the rest of the day lying on his wife’s side of the bed for a while and going into his daughter’s room and lying on her bed, trying to smell their scents, all the while crying in silence before he finally collapsed from pure exhaustion.

That night the nightmares returned, only this time they would include his wife and daughter, and at times he would actually talk to them.

”They hurt me, Daddy. They hurt me real bad,” Marina would tell him. “Please don’t let them hurt me any more, Daddy. Please stop them, Daddy.”

Austin would have the same dream several times that night and would be jolted awake every time, soaked in sweat. One time he even heard himself promising his daughter that he would stop them.

“They will all be dead. I will not let them win this, and that’s a promise to the both of you,” he heard himself say.

After catching his breath from his nightmare, he consciously made that promise to himself this time and at the same time made a promise to his wife that somehow he would live long enough to fulfill the promises.

Austin hoped he was not losing his mind when he realized he was actually talking to Megan and Marina as if they were still alive and standing right there in front of him. He knew life was not going to be easy for him.

In the days leading to the funeral, no one saw Austin leave his house, though he did talk to his in-laws on a couple of occasions. Any time he ventured out was at night and in complete stealth. On one of those occasions, he noticed someone lurking, watching his house. He even thought that person had a rifle-like object. It actually surprised him to think that the Johnsons would contemplate having him killed this soon. He thought that would really be stupid on their part, but again no one ever thought they were smart. He understood what made Detective Rice so worried and promised himself to be very careful.

The funeral was very emotional. The entire town showed up, except for the Johnsons, and that was on Detective Rice’s advice. Those idiots were actually discussing attending the funeral. It was Friday and Austin wondered why these people were not at work. He totally forgot that it was a holiday. Holidays no longer meant anything to him.

He found out later that the Johnsons actually threatened some of the residents with their jobs if they attended the funeral, but this time and for the first time ever, people didn’t care and were fed up. Those boys had crossed that invisible line; they had killed one of their own.

When the funeral was over and everyone had gone home, Austin lingered behind and sat on the ground between the two graves and wept.

“None of this would have happened if I weren’t so selfish.” He was addressing no particular grave. “I am so sorry for not going with you to the mall. I don’t know how and if I am going to survive without you but I did make you a promise. I will keep going until I fulfill my promise at least.”

This was a new era in Austin’s life. It was a day he will never forget. It was New Year’s Day, the first day of 1999.

Austin spent the whole day at the cemetery, and when he finally got home that evening, he was surprised to see a truck parked in front and breathed a little easier when he saw Detective Rice step out of it heading for the front door. He tried, without drawing Rice’s attention, to see if there was anyone else lurking in the shadows, but did not notice anything and figured whoever it was would not be stupid enough to show himself with one of Burleson’s finest there.

Austin had no idea that his little war had just started, and never would have thought that neither the Johnsons nor himself had started it.

It was all a piece of luck. As Detective Rice was approaching the Hunter residence, he could swear he noticed someone there lurking in the shadows with a rifle. He had been on his toes for a while now. He was very careful and alert to any unusual movements around him, and when he realized that the sheriff had Austin in his sights now, it was time for action. He wished that person would be the sheriff himself, but he knew better. He knew he would find some poor schmuck the sheriff somehow forced into doing this, just like the poor bastard at the hospital who poisoned the girls and was found dead the next day with a suicide note. Rice could not understand how some people could be stupid enough not to know that the sheriff would not let them live after doing his dirty work.

Rice approached the man from behind, moving like a leopard, without a sound. That was not an easy task with all the fallen dried leaves on the ground, but the detective was the best at what he does, and that poor asshole never even knew he was going to die. By the time he thought he felt someone grab his head from behind, he was dead. With one swift movement, Rice broke his neck. It was more troublesome dragging the man’s body to his vehicle.

Rice was glad he decided to drive his own vehicle tonight when he was throwing the body in the back. It was a pick-up truck with a locking cover on it. He knew that if this were an official police car, at least one of the neighbors would likely be watching.

Rice knew exactly what he had to do with the body. When it was all over, the body was buried on the ranch he inherited from his father. No one would ever find him.

No one ever knew what happened that night. The Johnsons always suspected Hunter, but had no proof and were not willing to bring the issue out in the open.

Rice never told anyone, not even Austin. To Austin it was always a puzzle how this person just gave up on the idea of killing him. He always thought that the Johnsons must have called it off.

“What is it you want now?” Austin asked Rice when he saw him approach.

“Just the talk you promised me.”

“What are you talking about?” Austin inquired.

“Remember that day at the hospital? You promised that you would listen to what I have to say.”

“Come in, detective,” Austin finally said.

As they entered the house Rice proceeded to talk.

“I know you want revenge and I don’t blame you. However, you have to be smart about what you do, Mr. Hunter.”

“What do you mean, detective?”

“What I mean is you have to plan those things. Don’t let your emotions dictate your actions. Don’t let your heart guide you, let your brains do it. I know you are an airlines pilot and it must have taken a lot of work and effort to accomplish that, and I am sure you have to be very smart to do what you do, traveling around the world and commanding multi-million-dollar equipment. But this is different. It’s like nothing you ever attempted, so please take my advice. I don’t want to throw you in jail, but if you get sloppy and get caught, you will leave me no choice.

“Why are you telling me this, detective? Is it not your job to try to stop me from going after them?”

“God help me, I would if I knew I could. The truth is I have seen the look in your eyes that day and am convinced that there is no stopping you. It is well known that I have no love affair with the sheriff, but I want you to know that Sheriff Johnson is a mean bastard and nothing is beyond him. He has no doubt that you will be going after his son and nephews and will try everything in his power to stop you. One guarantee I will give you, he will try to kill you first.”

Austin liked this man. There was something reassuring about him, and as much as he really wanted him to stay and talk, he had already planned his evening and that would only complicate and delay matters. Maybe he would have another chance at possibly forming a friendship with the detective, but right now he had to get rid of him. Austin had no idea what a major part of his life this man was going to be.

“Thank you for the advice, detective, but right now I am extremely tired and really need to get some sleep.”

“No problem, I know you need the rest. I will leave you alone, but please think about what I told you.”

When Detective Rice reached the door, he turned to Austin and handed him some keys. “I forgot to tell you, I took the liberty and drove your wife’s Blazer to the police garage. Just let me know when you want to pick it up, I’ll make the arrangements.”

When Austin closed the door he wondered how he totally forgot about his wife’s car, which brought a tear to his eyes.

Austin went hurriedly to his bedroom and changed into black clothing, picked up a small canvas bag and went to town, never noticing the detective’s truck as he drove off.

Austin was engrossed in thought with a hint of a smile on his lips. He had spent most of the three days since his family died doing nothing but planning and preparing. He even snuck into a construction site and helped himself to some explosives. It was unbelievably easy to search the Internet for bomb-building instructions. He had already made a trip to a distant nondescript electronics store and purchased a tiny receiver and transmitter. He would have rather picked that up from a pawn shop but could not afford to waste his time searching for what he needed. He did make sure to pay with cash, though.

The plans were already made. What a surprise this town and this county were going to have if things go according to his plans. He hoped nothing would go wrong. He knew that to the best of his abilities, he did not leave anything to chance. He was sure he was not very good at this, but he tried to think of everything. He even plugged in his old computer’s hard drive and did his research, and when he was done, unhooked it and took it to the garbage dump after breaking it apart. He was sure the day would come when the authorities would check his computer for evidence and he did not want them to have any.

Be smart, he was told, wondering if he really was smart enough. He was new at this. He tried to think of all the angles and hoped that he was good enough to fulfill his promise. What happens after that did not really concern him. He really did not care.