Crossing The Line 2

....Well, I have spoken enough and it's time to get the job done. 'Don't worry, I would give you an opportunity to redeem yourself Marko'.

'Redeem myself ?' he asked me warily. I could see the doubt on his face, of course he shouldn't and wouldn't believe a word I would say. I mean, why would a man let the human who caused him such pain go away with his life or provide another grace for him to save himself. I mean only our Lord God can do that. While me, I'm the one who sends them to him with a piece of metal. Yeah, I won't kill the both of you, especially you Jessica. I have no use for you. I mean, you weren't the one who pulled the trigger, same goes for your children but then it's a shame that 'the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children'.

'William Shakespeare; the merchant of venice'. Marko softly muttered.

My eyes brightened, 'oh you have read that book too. 'I'm impressed Marko, I'm. But hey Marko, not for you to be thinking that i have been on your trail for long. That would be a lie if I said so, I was just lucky'. I nodded as I continued.

'lucky that my mole was your chosen butler and he was still willing to complete his quest for vegenance'....

"You are one crazy bastard Otis!" Lisa screamed at him, thereby cutting his story telling short.

She held him by his shirt collar as she sat up fully on h0ais lap and spoke to him sternly.

"Did you kill those kids Otis ? talk to me Otis, tell me you didn't kill those little children. Even if it was for revenge, please tell me you didn't?".

She looked into his eyes, searching for the answer.

"Please answer me" she mouthed softly to him.

Her voice quivered as she didn't want to accept what might be the possible reality that he really did kill them. That the man whom she once had feelings for and still had, even though not as strong as before, was a child killer.

Otis just simply smiled at her and said to her gently but in a stern way.

"The next time you interrupt me baby girl, I will be forced to spank you".

"Hold up a minute Otis" Liss spoke fiercely now, not backing down from his threat.

"It's a yes or no question" she asked.

"And I want answer now".

He stared at her with an amused expression, as he held her soft cheek and gently squeezed it.

She pouted at his actions while he playfully laughed it off.

"Lisa, even if I did kill them, would you still walk away? or would you go down stairs, walk across the road and report me to the police precint for murder, sorry I mean triple homicides ?".

He stopped for a moment, allowing his words to sink in.

"See Lisa, I know I wasn't the only one that was damaged by Annie's death. I mean some humans feel that when one lose their loved ones, over time they would get over it, they would heal and go on with their life. But then anywhere there's a positive, a negative always exist. For this world to be balanced, good and evil must exist. That's why no matter how many people you send to God, someone would still wake up tomorrow, say his prayers or not, pick a gun or use his hands and take a life. indirectly or directly.

The other is when the a part of such person dies with his loved one. When we both lost Annie...dear, even if we were not together again as a family. But you and I both know that on that day something in us died alongside her. We both lost part of ourselves when we lost her. You see, that's what makes me immune to some decisions despite how severe my actions might be, I would always care less because of the longing in my heart to see Annie once again.

However, I'm not one who's willing to take his life, that's a coward way out. My motto has always been to die at rest or by another man's hand while taking him down. No one was ever going to kill me and walk away from my dead body, not even the blue toys. That's why I choose Marko as my get away ticket; he's my ticket to see Annie".

The room was silent. She knew he wasn't kidding about all he said. She knew that the day she got the call from the police about the possible death of her daughter and been invited to identify the body at the police morgue.

The walk to the morgue, though the roads were loud and busy, it was all calm in her own world, in her own head. All she thought about was her possible fear, her possible fear of her daughter, her only child been dead. Until she got to the station, she kept praying that it shouldn't be her daughter laying on the cold pan. Even if it was to pray that let it be another mother who would cry in her stead, she would have done that. As the door ot the morgue was opened, and chill air gave her a welcoming embrace after having answered all required questions from the police, her heart kept on thumping as she got closer to the labeled cold box that the dead little girl was in.

The present man in white coat slowly opened it and dragged out the metallic pan. It made a clinking sound as it vomited its content out into the open. She stared in horror as her fear came through. The voice in her head that was telling her to brace herself for the forthcoming inevitable event was all right and had also gone silent. Leaving her to her thoughts in the cold room, both in the physical and mental. Her body was numbed, her mind was off. She woke up few minutes later on the infirmary bed of the station. she was told that she fainted upon identifying the body. she couldn't remember doing so, but she was shown a record of her saying it can't be true. All identification evidences were shown to be correct that it was really little Annie that died.

Home she went as her daughter body was transferred to a local mortuary. She didn't even bother to call Otis who was with their daughter at her time of death. She was all shut in and distant from the world. So she knew what he was talking about, she knew how he felt, how their daughter death caused their lives to crash down.

Softly, she leaned back on him and laid her head on his chest and quietly told him to continue.

He nodded his head, his face all serious as he continued his story telling.