Chapter 15

The night had fallen.

The night is the perfect time for some and horrible for others. Perfect to rest, dream, and even forget about the problems that plague us during the mornings, but none of its benefits were adjusted to what was happening at the moment.

A boy, young and with agile legs, ran without giving any rest through the dense black forest. Anyone would think that he was running from something or someone, but the reality was very different.

Inside him was an immense combination of anger and resentment that, added to the knife he hid in his jacket, turned him into an unstoppable killing machine, and unfortunately... He had already found his target.

He longed for this day for years, the day in which he could finally do justice, the day in which he would vent all his anger and resentment, the day in which he would be able to live in peace, but most of all, the day in which he would avenge his parents.

So, he had arrived at the place. For his taste, it was a very homey cabin, with various natural decorations and a huge variety of other flowers that made it look truly colorful and happy.

―Is this what they did with the money? ―Thought that boy. ―Bastards.

He pulled out the photo he was hiding in his pocket and smiled wistfully. ―This is all for you. It was always for you. ―He said looking at his parents in the image.

He had found the guilty ones thanks to his group, his family as he nicknamed them since they had given him help and a roof to stay, as well as love; a lot of love during his most difficult moments when he had no one.

He kicked the back garden door hard, not being afraid to wake up the owners of the cabin. He knew they would continue sleeping and would not wake up for twenty minutes, the perfect time to get everything ready and kick off the bloody show.

He took out the container that he kept in his pants pocket and smiled knowing that he was much smarter than that family. Then the Turpin family, and sadly, it was also his own family. Sleeping pills

First things first: parents. He leisurely walked up the stairs, reveling in the photo frames he saw as he climbed. Destroying that family to pieces was what he wanted. And he was going to get it.

He opened the door to the parental room and watched them, so calm and unaware of what was going to happen in a few minutes. The only thing he felt for them, unlike his daughters, was hatred. Hate at the best of him. However, he could not afford to leave any witnesses alive.

He used the rope that he kept in the back pocket of his pants and tied the hands and legs of both spouses to two chairs, with the back of one of the seats glued to the other back.

―Three. Two. One... Time to wake up~.

―What...?

The woman had awakened and when she felt the pressure that the ropes gave her, she only could reflect a feeling in her features. Panic.

The young man wore a macabre smile as he gazed at the spitting image of dread and fear through the eyes of those who would become his victims.

Victims.

That word, so sweet to him, so delicious that on his palate it was like eating chocolate ice cream.

―Honey, wake up. ―She tried to move his arm, but she could not. ―What the hell are you doing at my house, Kevin?!

―Shhh. ―The aforementioned placed one of his fingers on the mother's lips. ―Let's wait for your husband to wake up. Or, Do you want... ―He showed the knife. ―the show to start early?

Like a trained dog, the lady simply denied and closed her mouth. She thought, at that moment, that all the signs of concern and suspicion that her daughter, Isabella, had shown her a few days ago regarding her sister's boyfriend made sense now.

However, it was too late to do anything.

―Honey, what is it? ―The husband asked, waking up.

«Now they will find out and they will pay dearly for their mistake», the boy thought. «I take care of that».

―Ugh, you are nothing but a stone in my shoes. But do not worry, it will not take me that long to kill you. ―the young intruder murmured.

―What do you want? ―This time the tears were running down the woman's face.n―I came to settle accounts, my dear uncle and my loved aunt. Remember this? ―He dropped the bomb, showing the photo of his deceased parents in front of those spouses' eyes. A huge explosion appeared in their eyes.

―It can't be... ―said the mother.

―Ni-Nicolas? ―His real name was finally heard.

Hearing that just fanned the memories inside him like the flames of a fire. For that reason, he had located them.

―How good! You still remember me. ―He just wanted to make them suffer, as they did with him, but he had to pay them with the same coin. ―You know what are we are going to do now?

The husbands, slaves to terror and guilt, turned their heads from left to right. ―Well, we will have a lot of fun, and then comes the best part. I am going to steal the most valuable thing you have, just like you did to me, you bloody killers.

―No Please. ―Begged her aunt. ―We will give you whatever you want but do not hurt our daughters.

―Oh darling. ―He smiled tenderly, showing her gums and then stretching her lips further, looking like a patient out of a psychiatric hospital. Then, he pointed to his heart. ―There is no mercy here. ―In a continuous step, he pointed to his mind this time. ―And there is no sanity here. But still, I remember what you did so well as if it were yesterday.

[...]

[Flashback]

It was a quiet morning in the city. The rays of the sun entered through the holes in the curtain while both parents waited for him with a smile at the door of the room.

―Happy birthday, Nicolas! ―His mother celebrated. She was carrying in her hands a box decorated with wrapping paper in his favorite colors: blue and white.

―How did you sleep, champion? ―His father lifted him off the comfortable mattress, making his small body fly thanks to his father's arms. ―We have a surprise for you.

―A surprise? ―Asked the boy with a twinkle in his eyes. ―What kind of surprise?

―We will spend your birthday at your uncles' house. ―The woman clarified.

The smile that illuminated Nicolás's face was quickly replaced by a straight line on his lips. Just that? He loved his uncles, but he wanted to spend that special day in the company of only his parents.

―Don't make that face, honey. Your uncles adore you and they will prepare a delicious lunch for your birthday. In addition, you can play with Lía. ―She replied.

Lía, his cousin, was not someone with whom he shared much in common. She was very selfish and several times, if not all, she made fun of the boy and did not even lend him her toys.

They arrived at his uncles' house half an hour later. This was a little small compared to our house, it was rather worn and the paint on the walls was beginning to peel.

―Good morning, sister! ―His mother greeted. His aunt hugged her and we went into the house. There, sitting on the sofa in the small living room, was the person Nicolás loved the most: his grandfather.

―My boy, you are getting older. ―Said the old man. ―Come, here is your gift.

―Thank you, grandpa. ―He took the box, but before he left, he placed a kiss on his bald head. Then he withdrew from the living room to play on the patio.

The car-patterned paper was soon ripped apart by the boy, who found an action figure inside the box. It was a soldier and brought various weapons, such as submachine, guns, and rifles. He found himself playing with the new toy for a long time until he began to feel thirsty. So, he walked in through the back door and walked into the kitchen. He was about to pour himself a glass of water when screams from the living room were caught by his ears.

―How can you be so selfish?! ―His aunt yelled. ―I am your sister, Damn it!

―It's not about being selfish, Alicia. ―His mother's voice was heard. ―It would be unfair if you kept the entire inheritance.

―Have you seen the place where we live? Help us, Claudia. ―She ―his aunt― begged.

―No. ―Finished his mom. ―You do not deserve it, neither you nor your husband, both are lazy people who do not care about getting a job. ―She spat, basically. Nicolás smiled at her response.

―You are amazing! You may not even be able to help your own sister!.

―Enough already! ―Shouted the oldest man in the room. ―The inheritance will be distributed equally, Alicia. You have to solve your financial problems alone.

―I get out of here. ―Said his mother. ―Let's go, Nicolás. Then she turned to her sister, looking at her with great intensity. ―When you become a more responsible person, you can talk to me again. For now, do not even bother looking for me.

The time it took to get home was extremely short. The day was full of discomfort and tension, so little Nicolás was really tired. He just went to his bed, put on his pajamas, and bundled himself up. He could not blame his parents for the sudden disaster on his birthday, seeing his mother sad and devastated after the argument she had with her sister made him feel somewhat tolerant of the situation.

[...]

Nicolás waited impatiently for the school clock to strike two in the afternoon, at which time all his classmates could leave the classroom and return to their homes.

Going home, a phrase that meant little to him when mobility parked in front of his house. The phrase that made him envious of all the children who had their parents by their side, alive. The phrase that reminded him all the time of his unfortunate luck.

Fire. The fire was all he saw, or at least for a few seconds because the driver covered his eyes so that he would not notice that catastrophe.

―Close your eyes, children! ―She yelled from her seat. ―Close them now!

Sirens from the ambulance buzzed in his ears. «What had happened?», he thought. «Why were my parents on stretchers?»

The owner of the mobility took him to the hospital where the ambulance that was on the side of his house had gone.

―Nicolás, stay here. I will be back in a moment.

He nodded weakly, he had too many questions inside his head, but no answer. Mrs. Collins was talking to the doctor for a few minutes. The more they talked, her face grew paler and a sad grimace formed on her lips.

He was scared when she approached. He knew she was going to tell him something vitally important that would destroy him sooner or later.

And so it did.

―Nicolas... ―«Don't say anything, please.», he asked her internally. «I prefer a lie, but not the truth». ―You won't be able to see your parents. ―She said.

―Why? ―He asked in a small voice, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

―They... they went very, very far. I will call your uncles to come to pick you up. ―That being said, Mrs. Collins walked away.

A call. Two calls. Three calls. Four calls. Five calls. His uncles never showed up at the hospital and after that, he never saw them again.

A few days passed and Nicolás was taken to a large white building. They explained to him that it was an orphanage and in that place, they were going to take care of him while my parents were not with him. Time passed and his sadness increased. He was alone in the world, his family ―the one that was left alive― had completely turned their back on him. Or was that what he thought until that night.

[...]

October 17, 2012

Six years had passed since he stepped foot in this orphanage. Now he was twelve years old and was sleeping peacefully until he woke up hearing a tapping on the window of his current room. A boy, with black hair, was sitting with his head leaning against the window frame.

―Who are you? ―He asked fearfully.

―Hi, Nicolás. I have been watching you for a long time. ―He said as he approached the bed. ―Oh, don't panic, little guy, I have come to make a deal with you."

―W-with me? ―Even in circumstances like these, curiosity was stronger than reason.

―Yes, one in which we will both win. You see, I am forming a group with other boys and girls to do justice and make it clear that sooner or later, the guilty ones are going to pay. These guys, like you, lost their loved ones to the wicked acts of other people, and... in short, what we do is eliminate that machiavellian mass that does not deserve to live.

―Do you murder? ―He asked. He was dumbfounded, that is, how was it possible for teenagers to commit such crimes? They must not have a heart.

―Sometimes it is necessary to take drastic measures in situations of this magnitude.

―I don't want to be part of your group! ―He yelled. Who did he think he was to take on the role of a murderer?

―It's interesting, you know because for a moment I thought that you at least wanted to get back at your uncles.

―What do you know about them, uh?"

―I was there, Nicolás. I contemplated how your world collapsed in the embers of the fire and watching them flee. I was watching through the window of the mobility we were riding in.

―Tell me your name. ―He ordered. This was truly strange, but he did not want him to leave without first telling him more about that new fact of that day.

―I am Felipe. A pleasure, after so many years. Now, Do you agree to join or not?

The cruelty in his gaze managed to shake every tiny fiber of his body, but he, in turn, showed a knowing brilliance of so many secrets that Nicolás also wanted to know.

―I agree. ―They shook both hands and closed that deal and then headed to the window.

After jumping, they walked a few blocks until they came across a building that had three floors and its doors, like the bars, sported metal decorations.

Felipe took some keys from his jacket pocket and opened the gate, then did the same with the wooden door. Upon entering the home he was able to contemplate a group of people who were just as stunned as he. Nicolás could notice that most of the boys gathered in the living room of that building belonged to the group of children who went in the mobility of Mrs. Collins.

―Nicholas! ―Yelled a cheerful girl whom he had not seen since the fire at his house.

―Sophia, hi. ―He greeted with a smile.

This was his best friend during school. He remembered that she had told him about his life and her family problems on occasion. At least he already knew why Sophia was in such a place.

―I see you remember some. ―Felipe said. ―I will introduce them to you anyway, the red-haired boy is Mauro, she is Tania, ―he pointed to a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, covered in tattoos. ―They are both the brains of the team, in charge of searching, investigating, and knowing everything about our victims. That big man you see in the kitchen is Johan, he and I take care of the physical strength in the missions, and Sofía, well you know her, is in charge of supervising the perimeter around the missions. We will teach you everything you need to know to defend yourself and do what we do here.

―Are you ready? ―He asked.

―More than ready. ―Nicolás replied.

His answer sounded so firm and sure that even himself was frightened. Still, he had to. He must join that clan no matter what happened because he wanted revenge. He wanted it. He wanted to see them cry and beg. See them in the same hell he was in.

―Here, put it on. ―Felipe said, showing a mask made from the skin of a fox. ―We all have one here.

As soon as he placed that mask on his face, a presentiment grew within him, warning that the previous Nicolás would die. That naive boy who still thought the best of his uncles, that there were the possibility and a very good reason why they did not claim to be his relatives in that hospital, that perhaps they were looking for him to protect him at home and treat him like a son. But no, it was not like that all this time. It was never like that all this time and he was very sorry for them because now he was projecting himself in another way, one in which he became a ruthless person. Ruthlessly without limits. And they would be the first and only privileged ones to know that part of him.

He just hoped that they would prepare for the worst of the torments that they would experience in a few years. There was no going back.