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It looks run down and the roof sags, but it’s upright enough to be noticeable behind what’s left of the house.
I don’t know why he brought me here, is it because it’s quiet and secluded? It looks like nobody has been down this road for a long time, let alone come near this house. I stare at it and my body has gone into some kind of shock, because I can’t think clearly. All I can do is stare out the windscreen, my mind blank.
“Get out.”
Gerard gets out of the car, but never once does he move that gun from my direction. I should attempt to run - at the very least I might be able to dodge him. I turn and glance out my window as I put my hand on the handle, and I can see the woods surrounding this place are thick and would be easy to hide in. All I have to do is run and pray I miss the bullet that he fires.
The piercing sound of a gunshot ringing out has me screaming in shock, my hands darting to my ears as they ring from how close it landed.
Lodged in the car right beside my head, is a bullet.
A threat.
A warning.
“Don’t even fucking think about it. The next one won’t miss.”
On shaky legs, I get out of the car and walk around the front, fighting back the urge to scream and cry. With every step closer to that run down old barn, is one further away from freedom. I don’t know how Spike will ever find me here, and I sure as hell don’t know how I’m going to get away.
This is bad.
It’s really bad.
Gerard waits for me to step in front of him, then he shoves the gun into my back and pushes me towards the barn. I can’t help but stare at the house as we pass, feeling sad for all the memories that must have been consumed by that fire. Someone lived here once, and I’m sure it wasn’t all bad, at some point that house must have experienced joy and laughter.
“I burned it down,” Gerard says casually, as if we’re suddenly having a friendly conversation. “My parents were inside.”
I flinch.
My stomach twists with horror as I consider how terrifying that must have been for them, especially the moment they realized it was their son who did it. That must have been soul crushing for them. Or maybe they were really bad parents who abused him and tortured him his whole life, maybe then this would somehow make sense.
“Why?” I dare to ask.
“Because they were in my way. Everyone is always in my way, trying to change me, trying to make me get help. I don’t need help. I need everyone to get the hell out of my way.”
“But they are your parents.”
“Were,” he corrects me.
“How aren’t you in prison?” I breathe, more to myself than him.
“Because nobody ever figured out it was me. I can play the traumatized son well. Everything left here was given to me and I decided never to build on it again. I enjoy looking at the burned down old house, knowing it was the last thing they saw.”
I feel sick.
I fight with everything inside me that screams at me to run.
I need to be calm.
Forcing me to open the barn door, Gerard shoves me inside and reaches out, flicking on a light. It barely illuminates the small, dusty, space but it’s enough for me to get a quick glimpse at my surroundings. The floor is entirely dirt, and there is a loft that has a ladder attached to it. Other than piles of old wood, hay and broken machines, there seems to be nothing else in here. A door that leads somewhere is right in the far left, but otherwise, it appears empty.
“Nobody will find you here, not for a long time. This barn is getting on my nerves now, so it seems fitting to burn it down with you inside.”
My body jerks with shock and fear.
He’s going to burn the barn down with me inside it.
No.
