HiT 149: Anna Brookes First Chapter (2 page)

This is the day that Henry was killed.

Chapter 3

Henry and I went to the shooting range and I was doing my usual target practice. Mike, the owner of the range had told Henry and myself that there were 2 men here to meet me and to watch my practice. I really didn’t care; I wasn’t there to impress anyone. I was there because I loved being there. I had been practising shooting with both hands and hitting the bullseye with one gun in each hand at the same time. It’s actually a lot harder than it sounds. I’m right handed but shooting and getting the bullseye with my left hand was as natural as with my right. I had, though, worked and worked and worked at it until I had mastered it. This day I held 2 G30’s and started on my practice. Dad had me holster my pistols and told me that a Nox and a Damon wanted to introduce themselves to me. Apparently, they were from some government agency and had heard about a girl who could shoot anything and from any distance. They wanted to come out and meet me and here they were.

“Hello Anna – my name is Damon and I just want to watch how you handle those weapons. Is that ok with you?” Damon said as he stuck his hand out so I could shake it.

Henry looked at me with a smirk and nodded for me to take Damon’s hand and shake it.

“Sure” was the only word I said as I took Damon’s hand. The moment I took his hand in mine, I felt it. A cold chill shot up through my arm and it was like a serpent bite. It was quick and forceful. It was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced. Right at that moment I gasped and looked at Damon, he knew exactly what I felt. Fear. The feeling in my stomach that knotted and twisted and turned told me that he was not who he said he was.

This man was evil. I stole my hand back from him.
This man wants to scare me, well guess what? I’m the one with the guns!

Nox must have seen that small exchange I had with Damon and he stuck his hand out and said “Anna, you are one very interesting young lady. I’ll be watching you practise today too.” Again I took his hand and felt the same thing I felt with Damon. These 2 men were anything but who they said they were. They knew I knew. There was a look in their eyes that told me that they were capable of hurt. Not just the hurt that you feel when you are sad, but the hurt that you feel very few times in your life. The one that wants you to stop dead in your track and end everything that’s around you. The one where the hands on the clock stop and you can see every minute detail without actually looking for anything. These 2 men knew how to enforce pain. I might only be 15 today, but I also knew these 2 men were very dangerous.

I stood tall, pulled my shoulders back and gave them the warning look they deserved. They can certainly watch, and was I going to give them a show. I asked Henry to go in and ask Mike to get me a diet coke. This was the only way I knew to get my Dad out of harm’s way. Henry left and I quickly turned to the 2 men.

“You are not government. You may have others fooled but I know you are not who you say you are.” I spat the words out with venom waiting for an explanation.

Damon turned to Nox and I could see just the smallest hint of a smile on his mouth. So small, that unless you were looking you would have missed it. Nox gave one small shake of his head. They were having a silent conversation and it appeared I was not invited to this party. Henry was still inside getting my drink. I had seen in the fridge on the way in that Mike had run out of diet coke so I knew I had a good 5 or 6 minutes before Dad came back out.

I turned to the men and said “if you want me to show you what I can do, you need to tell me who you are.”

The silent conversation continued with the 2 men for another few seconds.

“We are private contractors” were the only words spoken from Damon. I knew right away what that meant.

That meant that they were sizing me up to see if I could join their ranks. Maybe not right now, because let’s face it, I am 15. Today actually. Now at this very point in my life I had a decision to make. If I showed them what I could do, the likely chance is that I would be recruited the moment they were able to, which means I would be on someone’s list and being watched until that day came. If I underperformed, then I may still be on a list, but a different kind and for a different reason.

I could see Henry coming back out and knew I needed to make my decision on how to play this out. Henry was by my side with a can of coke.

“Sorry sweetheart, Mike ran out of Diet and we looked in both the fridges. So I brought this out for you” Henry said as he gave me the coke.

I opened the can and took a drink, never leaving eye contact with Nox and Damon.

“It’s ok Dad, thank you”

I gave the can back to Dad and stood back. I put my face on. The face of concentration. My façade firmly in place. I turned around and headed to the start of the range.

I heard my Dad say, “You’re in for a real treat gentleman”. My poor Dad, he had no idea the two men standing there were not who they said they are. Pure evil.

Breathe.

Breathe.

I focus and take my pistols out of my holsters.

There are 40 targets around the range. There is no one else on the range today. I step forward and start. From where I stand I put a bullseye bullet hole in 30 of the targets. I don’t move from my one spot. Yes, I really am that good. I reload both my babies. I look over my right shoulder and see Dad with a huge grin on his face. Damon and Nox are still standing there with their own masks on their faces. I’m still staring at the men when I shoot the other 10 targets. I haven’t even blinked. I AM that good. I watch Damon and Nox as I holster my weapons. The 3 men start over towards me, when Damon asks something of my Dad. My Dad turns and goes towards the main office where Mike usually is. Damon and Nox wait until Dad is far enough away and walk towards me, giving them those extra few feet of distance between us and Henry.

“Anna, it appears that you hit most of the targets” Damon says with a smile on his face.

“Hmmmmm” is all I say.

“Most is still very good for a girl your age” Nox says.

“It’s not most” my voice laced with disgust at these two evil men.

The men look at each other, again having their own little conversation I’m not privy too.

“You weren’t even looking at those last 10 targets. If you hit even one I would be impressed,” Nox says with a smirk on his face.

Do these men not know that I can take them out right here, right now before they would even consider reaching for their own weapons??? I’m sure they were packing heat.

“Hmmmmmm” is my answer again to their ridiculous statement.

“It’s not a bad thing Anna” Nox continues.

I stand to the side to let them through so they can go see the targets themselves. As I gesture with my hand to have them step ahead of me I say “I have every target on bullseye. The last 10 I hit them twice – in bullseye”.
Yes, I really was that good.

The men looked at each other with a surprised look on their faces. I stepped aside again and indicated for them to go have a look for themselves.

Damon did not want to believe me and literally ran to all 40 targets. Nox stood there waiting for Damon to return with the target sheets. He faced me and his eyes refused to leave mine. I had my façade on and was not going to show him weakness. No way! I knew he was dangerous, I knew he could evoke pain and hurt but there was no way I was going to let him get to me.

Damon didn’t collect all the target sheets. He came back with only a handful. I suspect the last 10 I shot whilst I was watching the men from over my shoulder.

Damon held the target sheets out to Nox, and that’s where you could see them. Two holes in the bullseye perfect next to each other in all the sheets they held. At that stage Nox’s eyes left mine and looked at them. He gaped. His mouth only opened for a few seconds before closing again. They looked at each other. I was getting sick of these two having their own private conversations.

“Is that all for today gentlemen?” I asked with a snide look on my face.

“You really are very
very
talented” Damon said emphasising his words.

“I know”. I turned away from the men and left. Henry was already half way to us.

“What did they say?” Henry asked when we crossed paths.

“Actually Dad, not much. They did sort of freak out that I put two bullets in the last ten sheets though. Other than that they didn’t say much”

I kept going towards the main office and Henry started walking towards Damon and Nox. I didn’t want to know what was said and I couldn’t hear anyway.

I got to the main office and Mike looked over at me, “How did you go Anna?”

“Really Mike?” I said with a huge grin on my face. Mike just laughed and shook his head. He knew EXACTLY how I went.

Henry, Damon and Nox came into the main office 8 minutes after I did. They shook Dad’s hand and walked out, not even acknowledging myself or Mike. Fine with me, they were not nice men.

“Ready to go home Anna?” Dad said encouraging me towards the exit.

“What was said Dad?” I asked turning towards him on the way out.

“You know Anna, not that much. They said they were super impressed with you and that once you join the force they’ll be recruiting you for themselves. Isn’t that just terrific Anna? You are already being headhunted for your shooting skills”

You have no idea Dad.
He really wasn’t like this ordinarily. Well maybe he was. He didn’t know how his daughter studied weapon upon weapon and the love she had for guns. And he certainly did not see the evil in those two men’s eyes. I did. I knew. Today was not ‘future head hunting interview’. Today was something else entirely. I got into Dad’s Police car knowing something was going to happen. It was going to happen soon. I just didn’t know how soon.

Dad and I stopped over at the diner and got dinner. I’m not into birthday parties and frilly dresses or make up or anything else. So dinner at the diner then home for a movie was just perfect for me.

We got home, I went upstairs, had a shower and came back down to the lounge room where Dad was sitting in his recliner with a cupcake and a candle burning on top of it. He sang happy birthday to me. A perfect way to end a perfect day.
So I thought
.

That feeling though, just would not leave my stomach. That feeling of dread that something bad and evil was looming.

After my cupcake I kissed Henry goodnight and made my way up to bed. If only I knew that was the second last time I would ever see my Dad alive.

I went into my room, closed the door and lay in bed. Those two men kept repeating in my mind. If my eyes were open, I could see them, if my eyes were closed I could still see them. That feeling I got when I shook their hands was hanging over me. I couldn’t shake it. It wouldn’t leave my body. The serpent bite, the cold running through my veins the hair rising on the back of my neck. Eventually though, sleep took me into a deep darkness. I didn’t stay asleep for long though.

It all happened so fast.....

I heard a huge bang like glass being broken.

I startled awake.

Façade automatically on.

Shit, no guns in here, Dad kept them locked in his gun safe. In his room. Down the hall.

I heard someone say “Upstairs”.

Did I have time to get to the safe?

I was up out of bed within seconds of opening my eyes. I threw myself at the door and opened it hoping to have seconds to get in Dad’s room.

I fling the door open and there he is.

Damon.

No mask, not even trying to hide.

“Anna” he says. He can see I don’t have my gun. He does have his though and it’s pointed straight at me.

“Damon,” it’s more of a whisper then an actual sound. My heart pounding in my ears.

“Here is your choice Anna. You leave now with us or we kill your father and we take you. You are far too valuable to leave you here in this hell hole.” He’s very sure of himself and the plan he has already started to execute.

Cross roads. I leave and Dad never sees me again or they kill Dad and they take me. Easy choice.

“I’m coming with you,” I say in a confident voice, though really my insides are almost liquefied for fear of safety for my Dad.

“Can I change?” I’m still in my pyjamas.

Damon eyes me up and down and licks his bottom lip.
Yuck
, is all I think.

“I’ll stay with you, I don’t want you to have a gun in here and shoot me” he says with a Cheshire grin.

“You would already be dead,” are my only cold and confident words to him.

I turn and change, keeping my back to him. What a disgusting man. Looking at me and even thinking about me like that when he’s just threatened the only person I love.

I’ve changed and Damon grabs my arm and drags me down the stairs. I pass the lounge room. Dad is sitting in the chair he was in when I went to bed, he has a pure horrific and fearful look on his face. His arms are taped together, his legs taped together and he has tape over his mouth. I can see tears streaking his face, his eyes are red and puffy. Nox is standing behind him with a gun pointed to Henry’s head. I stop and jerk my arm away from Damon. I run to Dad and say the only thing I can to try to keep him safe. “Do not try to find me Dad. I’ll be fine. Promise me Dad, do not try to come after me”. Dad is crying and nods. I don’t think he wants to, but he’s forced to accept my plea. I kiss him, get up and turn to leave. “I love you Dad”. They are my final words to the only person I have ever loved.

I turn to leave and I hear it.

One small sound.

One small whoosh.

I know what’s happened.

I turn to see my father’s head slumped down chin on chest. I see the blood. I see Nox standing there with a smile on his face. My façade is fully on now. I straighten my body and I know what I have to do.

“See!” Nox says to Damon.

“Hasn’t shed a tear. Can see I put a bullet in her father’s head and there’s no emotion in her at all. She’s a fucking natural. She’s gonna be fucking unstoppable once we’ve trained her up,” Nox says to Damon again.