Page 103 of Knot Your Pawn

So, as long as the rich woman is just screaming, I’m not shooting her yet. At least, not until the teens are all safely in the hallway.

Once they can no longer see and hear what’s going on, there’ll only be dead bodies in this room.

“Go to him. He’ll bring you to safety. The people with him will protect you.” Vera keeps her voice soothing, trying to look as harmless as possible in all her gear.

The first of the teens, a girl, starts to move, slowly taking a step in Luca’s direction. When there’s no other sound, no other movement, she gains confidence and sprints to him, kicking off her pretty but impractical heels along the way.

“You’re safe.” Luca sounds relieved and it feels good to know that we’ve got the first one out.

Now the rest.

When the other teens watch the girl walk down the hallway, which I follow in the reflection of the windows as I don’t dare to look behind me, two more, two boys, hand in hand, take slow steps in our direction.

“Only look at me.” Luca keeps his voice steady. “Don’t look anywhere else. They have no power over you anymore. You’re free.”

The two boys take larger and larger steps, their speed increasing the closer they get to Luca.

Once the two boys are in the hallway, more of the teens start to move, holding hands, staying close, but they’re moving in our direction.

The woman in the expensive dress, clearly unhappy with what’s going on, starts waving her arms wildly. “You’ll never be safe. Don’t think you can⁠—”

Her words are abruptly cut short when Vera shoots her right in the head and her body drops to the floor with a dull thud.

The teens immediately stop moving.

“Look at me!” Luca’s voice turns frantic. “Only look at me. You’re going to be safe. Only look at me. Don’t look at anyone else.”

Most of the teens follow his words, but one girl is frozen in place, her head slowly moving in the direction of the dead woman.

No.

No, no, no!

Vera steps in front of the girl, they’re about the same height, and she covers the girl’s eyes with one of her hands. “Don’t look. There’s nothing to see. Keep walking. Keep walking and you’ll be free.”

She quickly puts her gun away and takes the girl’s arm with her other hand, guiding her in Luca’s direction.

“Follow the others. You’re safe now.”

As soon as the girl is through the door, Vera starts to push Luca through it too, but he fights back.

“You don’t need to see this. Go back with the kids.” Vera’s voice is cold, only fury remaining. “Unless there’s someone in here who doesn’t deserve to die?”

In the reflection of the windows, I watch as Luca looks around the room a final time. His eyes falling on every person in here, his gaze as cold as Vera’s voice.

After a long minute, he shakes his head, leans close to Vera, and gives her a kiss. Mask-to-mask, but it’s still a kiss. “No. Go ahead. I’ll see you two outside. I love you.”

Then he steps into the hallway, closing the door audibly behind him. The kids are safe and won’t be able to see anything anymore.

Now we can let loose in here.

Vera slides under my arm, taking my hand, as she’s got her gun in the other hand. We’re both right-handed, so it’s a little awkward with her under my arm at this angle, but this will do.

This is for what they put Mathew through.

This is for what they put Luca through.

And this is for what they put all the other kids and adults through.