I’m in a shipping container, shirtless, cuffed to a metal chair.
It’s cold. My arms and legs are bound to it with thick leather straps, so I can’t really move. I pull against my bonds, but they’re too tight.
I can’t move. I’m helpless. Utterly at the mercy of …
Vince.
He’s standing in front of me, with a too-big grin on his face. He’s holding his switchblade, and he keeps opening and closing it. The container is dark, so the paleness of his skin really stands out.
He’s my uncle.
And he’s about to torture me.
I doubt he’s going to show me any mercy. Actually, he might even be more vicious with me, because I betrayed my family.
His family.
I need to outsmart him. What he wants is for me to give up Jason. To tell him his identity, and for me to tell him everything we’ve been doing. I can’t do that, though. I know what’ll happen if I do.
He’ll kill me, and then Jason.
“I won’t talk,” I say, trying to sound as stoic as I can. I splay my hands, as they’re starting to cramp.
“You will,” he says as he circles me. “Everyone knows how weak you are, Little Matty.”
“That’s just a rumor. You’ll see.”
“I almost hope that’s true.” He leans in close, so he’s whispering in my ear. “You might be a traitor, but I hope you aren’t a coward as well.”
I straighten up and stare him down.
“Just get on with it, then.”
I don’t know where this bravery is coming from.
I guess it’s because Jason’s life is on the line. I can’t let anyone hurt him.
“Okay, then,” he says. “Let’s start. Tell me who you’ve been spending time with.”
Vince runs the blade along my skin, walking in a circle around me. There’s not enough pressure on it to cut, but I know that’s coming very soon.
I start hyperventilating.
As much as I want to be brave and not give him any satisfaction, I know he’s about to badly hurt me. Right now he’s just playing with me. But soon, I’ll feel the real thing.
“Just a friend,” I say. “That’s all we are, I swear.”
I only just manage to say it, because I’m shaking so much.
“You’re lying,” he says.
“I’m not, I promise I’m not. Please don’t hurt me. Dad will kill you if you do.”
“Who do you think asked me to do this?”
He slowly moves the blade down, closer and closer, until it’s touching me. I struggle, but I can’t move, and then I feel the cold of metal on my skin, and I go totally still. My heart is pounding, and I want to scream, but it’s trapped in my throat.
“Last chance,” he says. “Tell me everything.”
I shake my head.
He tilts the blade slightly so the edge is touching me …
And then he presses down.
A thumping on my door pulls me from my dream.
I sit bolt upright and touch my chest.
I can still feel his knife cutting into me. I pull my blankets away and see that my skin is fine. I’m wearing a white tank and my boxers.
It was just a dream. I’m okay.
The knock sounds again, a fist pounding against my door.
I slide out of bed and walk over to my door. Moonlight streams in through my window, and my curtains flutter gently. I unlock my door and swing it open. Luke is standing outside, wearing a black suit.
He’s holding his mask.
“Good news,” he says. “They found him.”
I rub my eyes. “Found who?”
“The man who shot Dad. How fast can you get ready?”
“Huh?” I say.
“How fast do you think you can get into your suit?”
“Pretty fast, why?”
“Do it. Tony and Vince are already in the car. He’s vulnerable, but we need to act fast.”
Vince.
“Do you need me? I have school tomorrow, and…”
“Dude,” says Luke. “Do you really think Dad will be okay with you sitting this out? He’s the guy responsible. We need to make him pay. Key word: we.”
He’s right.
Dad would never let me sit this out.
I close my door and lightly slap my face a few times to try to totally wake up.
Come on, dude, get back here.
As quickly as I can, I get dressed in my suit. I haven’t done my tie up yet, but I figure I can do that in the car. I push my feet into my dress shoes. Last, I retrieve my mask. I look at it for a second, then I shove it in my pocket and step outside.
Luke is still out in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
“Have you got your mask?”
I nod and show him.
He stares at me for a second, and I think he’s going to say something. But then he just turns, and we go through the house. Dad is waiting for us. He’s leaning against the kitchen island.
“Make him pay,” he says. “I would, if I was strong enough.”
“We will,” says Luke.
I just nod.
Then we go out the front door to a burner car that’s waiting for us in our driveway.
Inside, classical music is playing. Tony is in the driver’s seat, and Vince is beside him.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” asks Tony.
I nod and put my seat belt on.
Tony starts the engine and pulls away from the curb.
I feel queasy for the entire drive.
This is so wrong.
Someone is going to die tonight, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
They tried to kill my dad. I should want this. I should need this, like everyone else in the car needs it.
I don’t, though.
I stare out the window. It’s pitch-black outside, and the road is empty.
I’m too scared to even cry. Mostly I feel like I’m going to throw up.
I hate this.
I hate it so much.
All I want is to be someone else. Someone who doesn’t have to do stuff like this.
We end up driving for about half an hour. I only just manage to keep myself from freaking out and telling Luke that I want to leave.
Tony parks in front of a single-story, slate-gray house.
There’s a flower garden out the front. It’s nice.
Vince hands each of us a pair of black earmuffs. Military-grade.
“Masks on,” he says. He sounds just like Dad.
I pull mine on.
It feels tight and scratchy against my face. Then, copying Vince, I put my earmuffs on, and the world falls into fuzzy silence. Luke is wearing a mask now, and with his new, bulky frame, and dressed in a black suit, he looks like a true criminal, just like Vince and Tony.
Tony glances at me, and then at Luke.
We both nod.
We open the car doors at the same time.
I get out of the car on the side that isn’t facing the house and duck down so I’m shielded. Just in case they’re expecting us.
Vince and Tony open the trunk of the car.
There are four black guns. One for each of us.
Vince grabs one. Then Tony does, followed by Luke.
I grab the last of the guns. It’s cold and heavy in my hands. We walk out to the middle of the road and stand in a line.
I can’t do this. I can’t be this person. I can’t shoot at someone.
Vince raises his gun. Luke and Tony do the same thing.
I do as well.
And then Luke pulls the trigger.
The gunfire is so loud. Deafening, even. The glass front window of the house shatters as bullets shred the house. Bits of plaster explode off the walls. The peppering of bullets is relentless.
I join in, aiming low. I know how to shoot; Dad made me take lessons when I was younger. I started with a handgun and then moved up until I learned how to shoot one of these. I hated it even then, I guess because I knew I wouldn’t be aiming at paper targets forever.
I aim at the garden out the front. I hope our shots will all blend together so nobody will notice what I’m doing.
There’s a gunshot, higher pitched than the others, and then I see a spark on the ground to my left.
They returned fire.
I crouch and run back to the car. There are more sparks on the ground.
My heart pounds so hard. Luke, Tony, and Vince join me behind the car.
Bullets speak against the front of the car. Luke is staring at the ground. I think he’s concentrating. Counting, maybe.
There’s a lull. Luke stands up, and aims his gun over the roof of the car.
He fires. I hear a single shout.
I know I’m never going to get that sound out of my head. For the rest of my life, it’ll be etched in.
The night stills.
I think he hit him. Luke has finally done it.
He’s killed someone.
“It’s done,” says Luke. “Let’s go.”
We all climb into the car, and I catch a glimpse of the house. It’s totally shredded. Through the shattered windows, I can see a body on the ground. He’s barefoot. We might’ve woken him.
I look down.
The once pretty flower garden has now been totally eviscerated. I was a part of this. A man is dead, and I was a part of it.
That’s undeniable.
I stare out the window again.
Tony plants his foot on the gas, and we speed away, into the night.