Prologue

Keith ran as fast as he could across the street, his heart racing. He could hear the gunshots getting louder, multiplying as well.

Screams and cries filled the air as people fell dead to the ground.

"Why is this happening?" he asked nobody in particular.

Trent street had always been so peaceful, and in the fifteen years Keith had spent there, the greatest crime had been petty theft.

Until today.

A properly aimed bullet had gone through his mother's head as he sat in their warm kitchen with her, making her fall over the spicy stew she had been making.

That was when Keith had dashed out of the house, horrified and breathless.

Soon, he sighted his father and uncle, who were manning their post, dressed in the blue regalia of the countryside policemen.

"Dad! Uncle!" he called, running to them.

"Are you okay, Keith? What's wrong?".

"We're under attack" he gasped, leaning on the wall "mum was killed and..."

Two shots cut him off, and he looked up only to see the two men fall to the ground in a pool of blood, with a hole on either of their foreheads. He stared, filled with shock. He couldn't even scream.

He looked up to behold a young girl not much older than him. She was pointing a pistol down, her long ponytail flying lightly behind her as she stood on a roof. Her soft eyes rested on him for a few seconds, then she turned away.

Keith stared.

This girl had killed his father and his uncle. And now she was calmly walking away. As if none of it mattered.

Keith felt a sinking despair, then it was replaced by a fierce, choking anger. He grabbed his father's rifle from the dead man's shoulder and raced after the girl. He ran up all the stairs of the building and arrived at the roof.

She was standing with her back to him, but he was not in any way stealthy, so she stirred before he could take more than two steps.

"You're that kid" she muttered, her expression and voice monotone.

Keith pointed the rifle at her, and her eyes widened. Her lips parted, then shut. She hesitated, then raised her hand, pointing her gun at him.

Keith would never forget her face. She looked like she was going to kill herself later for what she was about to do. But she was spared the trouble.

Keith pulled the trigger first.