“This is for my family and Kora’s mother,” he whispers, still staring into his uncle’s eyes. “And for all the others you and your sorry son have killed.”
Samuel shudders, letting out a few incoherent noises. Blood seeps from his mouth. I watch, unable to turn away, torn between the horror of it all and my desire for vengeance. Wreck stabs Samuel repeatedly in the chest. He begins slowly slicing his uncle’s throat and I finally have to look away. That is not something I really need to witness. A few moments later Wreck approaches, carrying Samuel’s bloody head in his hands. He drops the head to the floor and kicks it violently. I stagger a few steps back, terrified, no longer recognizing him.
He smiles cruelly and says, “I can’t wait to meet my aunt and cousin. Come with me. You can help hold them down.”
“No, Kris,” I breathe out. “You shouldn’t. It’s not right.”
He doesn’t listen, brushing past me into the corridor, still wearing the same scary grin. I grip his sleeve, trying to stop him. He pushes me away.
“Please, don’t do this,” I beg, following. “Let’s just leave, please.”
Ignoring my pleading, Wreck continues searching for his aunt and cousin. I don’t know how I can stop him. Will he really kill his innocent relatives? Is he that violent or just insane?
He yanks open a door and I hear a high-pitched scream. A young girl attempts to run past him. He roughly grabs her arm, pulls her in close and holds Samuel’s knife to her throat. The girl freezes, helpless and sobbing. She has long blonde hair and clear blue eyes.
“Hello, Stella,” Wreck says. “Have you missed me?”
He smiles, licking his lips, and there’s something revolting and obscene in the gesture. The girl screams again, trying to push him away, but his grip is too strong. I feel sick.
“Kris, let her go!” I demand, but he doesn’t listen.
He forcefully drags his cousin back inside the room. I have a strong urge to run, but follow him into the large bedroom. A middle-aged woman is searching for something inside a closet. She turns toward Wreck, her face whiter than snow.
“Mom!” Stella cries out.
“Shut your mouth,” Wreck says with an eerie calmness, pushing her onto the bed.
The girl falls on her side, covering her face and shivering. Her mother stands motionless, facing him.
“My dear aunt Agatha,” he smiles. “You know who I am, don’t you?”
She doesn’t answer, her lips pressed tightly together. Wreck approaches her, grabbing her shoulders, and throws her onto the bed as well. She lands on her stomach, hurriedly crawling toward her daughter and wrapping her arms around the girl. They both sit on top of the bed, hugging each other and watching Wreck in horror. They understand they’re at his mercy. Stella’s face is wet from tears and her lips move, but no sound comes from her mouth. Wreck stands unmoving in front of them, holding the knife. His back is turned to me, so I can’t see his face. My teeth begin chattering. I’m terrified of what he may do. I must stop him somehow, must snap him out of the killing mode he’s in, but I feel paralyzed. My throat closes up and I can’t speak, just like Stella.
Don’t do this, I repeat in my mind over and over. Don’t you dare. They’re innocent. And they’re your relatives.
I can easily envision him lunging forward, gripping Stella’s long hair and slitting her throat. I can imagine her mother trying to defend her daughter and Wreck furiously stabbing his aunt into the stomach and chest. I can almost hear their anguished screams mixed with his crazed laughter. I know I won’t be able to forgive Wreck should he actually go through it.
But after a few moments of hesitation he finally draws in a deep breath and lowers the knife. He takes a couple of steps back.
“Nah, I’m not Samuel,” he says. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Just stay in this room, all right? Everything will be over soon. You’ll never see me again. I promise.”
I feel a flash of relief and my muscles relax. Wreck turns and begins walking toward the door. Agatha quickly leaps off the bed, runs toward the closet and starts frantically searching for something inside. A moment later she has a gun in her hand. Wreck turns to face her. Agatha shoots and I watch in horror as he falls. I scream and fire my gun at the woman, but miss. Somebody grabs me from behind and something smashes into my head. The room darkens as I pass out. When I open my eyes, I find myself lying on the floor. A guard holds my arms twisted behind my back. I squirm instinctively, but an intense pain in my shoulders restricts my movement. Two more guards hold Wreck’s arms, forcing him to stand on his knees. He doesn’t look injured so I guess the bullet hit his vest. Agatha stands in front of him, pointing her gun at his head. Stella is still sitting on the bed, sobbing and shivering, her face reddened from tears.
“I always knew you’d return one day,” Agatha says, grinning. “I asked my husband to send his soldiers to finish what we started. But he didn’t have enough guts.”
“What?” Wreck looks up at her, wild-eyed. “You knew Samuel was planning to kill my family?”
“Oh please,” she sighs. “Of course I knew. Who do you think persuaded him to take over? Do you really believe he had enough will to go against his stupid sister on his own?”
“Shut your filthy mouth!” Wreck bares his teeth. “Don’t you dare say another thing about my mother!”
Agatha
