Burnt Offering

Chapter two

Burnt offering

chapter two

Robin Hood sat quietly behind the trees and watched the house below. He was not afraid. He was a christen crusader, he was not Todd, now he was Robin of Loxley.

The woods were dark at this time of night but the house glowed. Ribbons of light slashed out of the windows and illuminated the grounds. he was invisible in the dark and shielded by the trees.

He had a clear view of the man in the house, a short dark haired man wearing an apron. He was in the kitchen preparing dinner and waiting for his partner to return from work. The crusader knew their schedule. He had studied and prepared for tonight.

The house was a large wooden structure made of wood and glass and set alone in the woods miles from the city.

The crusader reached into his back back and pulled out a sandwich. It was curried eggplant. He ate clean meals and would not consume animal products. If Noah took the time to build an ark and collect the creatures of the lord then he would not eat them God provided enough sustenance to maintain his health. The good lord cared for his flock.

Headlights cut through the trees and announced the other man was returning home. Todd finished his sandwich quickly and pulled an arrow from his quiver. The tip was wrapped in cheese cloth and smelt of petroleum jelly.

The car arrived and the man climbed out He wore an expensive navy suit and a red tie which hung loosely from his neck. he pulled a leather bag from the back seat and walked into the house. Todd placed the arrow in the crossbow and watched silently. He could see the kitchen man talking and then the other one entered the kitchen they hugged and kissed and Todd lit the arrow. A flame lit the night.

He aimed at the back of the house where wood had been stacked and earlier in the evening he had soaked the wood in kerosene.

He was a good shot, captain of his school archery club. Todd was not athletic. He would never take part in any team sport but archery was a skill that could be honed through constant dedication. A keen eye and a commitment to perfect a talent was what was needed and Todd was always committed to what he believed.

He fired the arrow. A flame hissed and left a track as it flew but it missed the stack of wood and burned out immediately in the dirt where it lay.

He pulled another arrow from the quiver, lit it and fired . His second shot was a direct hit. Todd was disappointed as the flame appeared to burn out but then suddenly the wood exploded into flames. The fire burned large at first and lit up the back of the house.

Both men ran to the back window and hurried out of the house. Todd pulled a second arrow from his quiver and waited for the men to reach the back of the house.

Frantic voices could be heard as they circled the fire and then the one in the suit lifted a fire extinguisher and began to extinguish the flames.

The Crusader stood up now and stepped from behind the bush that hid him. He took three steps forward as he aimed and then breathing slowly through his nose and out through his mouth he released the arrow. It whistled through the night and stuck the man in the suit deep in his left thigh.

He howled, dropped the fire extinguisher and stumbled forward a step then fell to one knee.

The man in the apron raced to him and held him in both arms and then turned towards the hill behind him where he could see a lone figure standing in the trees. Then an arrow appeared and struck plunged four inches through his abdomen and into his liver. He fell to the ground and curled into a ball as writhed in pain.

The other man struggled to his feet and pulled on the rod that hung from his leg but he ached to pull conn it and he hopped towards his dying partner speaking reassuring words to him until he heard someone coming towards them from up in the hill.

Todd reached the bottom of the hill and the man in the suit turned towards him, looking straight into his eyes as Todd pulled aimed another arrow towards the man and fired it into his cheek the man fell to the ground beside his partner as he struggled to speak.

Todd dragged the two helpless men to the house and left them side by side leaning against the wooden wall at the back of the house. Then he walked to the front of his house and pulled his bike from the bushes where it had been hidden. He would ride all night and most of the next day before he was home.

The closest neighbor was three quarters of a mile away and the fire burned for nearly an hour before the smell of smoke in the woods aroused suspicion. The fireman were unable to save the house or the car that burned infront. Hours later, in the light of the early morning they found the chard remains of two male bodies.

Sebastian stood by the door of the club and watched a man grab a waitress for the third time.