Keditha's Destiny

Chapter Twenty Seven

I spin on my heel, looking to see what the voice belonged to. "Listen, I just-" I freeze, stiffening.

Blood dripped from their lips, their hands tightly binded and their wrists red and bleeding from the ropes.

"Athi?" I rush to wife. Wrapping my arms around her, I squeeze her tightly. She sobs into my shoulder.

"Julian I'm so sorry."

I shush her, slowly brushing my fingers through her hair. "It's okay, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright."

"Where's everyone?" She asks. "Where's Donnie?"

I frown, pulling her back at arms length. "Athena, I'm sorry but... Donnie's gone." My thumb lightly brushes her cheek.

She shakes her head, disbelief in her eyes. "No, he can't..." She pauses, looking around the room. "He tried to save me, but he couldn't. Then they killed him." She squeezes her eyes shut, tears slipping down her face. "I should've helped him, somehow."

I pull out my pocket knife, cutting the ropes on her wrists. She winces as they rub against her skin. "We need to go." I tell her.

I wrap my arm around her, ready to lead her out of there. I turn to leave, stiffening when I noticed someone was standing behind us, watching us. "Dad?" I question.

My father smiles warmly. "Julian, we weren't going to give up on you. We couldn't bring ourselves to do it." My mother then rips Athena from my arms.

I chuckle. "What are you going to do? I'm not going to help you, you'll have to kill me." I tell them. They exchange a look, remaining silent. "I'll be leaving with my wife now."

I reach for Athena but my mother pulls her back, pointing a gun at my head. I freeze, narrowing my eyes. A small smile tugged at my lips.

"We might just do that." My mother tells me.

"You're not going to do that. I know you can't. I'm your son. Though I may have no attachment to you, you have an attachment to me that'll never die." I grin at them.

My mother hesitates sightly, giving me a chance to act. I grab her arm, lifing it into the air. A single shot goes off. I tighten my grip on my pocket knife, shoving it into her gut.

She gasps, stumbling back. "Lotte!" My father shouts. He grabs my shoulder, shoving me into a wooden crate. He grips my hand holding the knife, holding it tightly. I cry out in pain, it drops on the floor with a loud clank.

I knee him in the stomach. He grunts, doubling over in pain. I reach for my knife but my dad grabs the back of my jacket shoving me to the ground, on my back. He takes the knife and tries to stab me.

I push against his arm, trying to keep as much distance between it and my abdomen. I notice a scar across his ear.

Athena holds my father's arm. "Get off  him!" She snaps in scary tone I've never heard before.

My father swings his arm up, slashing Athena across the face. She screams, dropping to her knees.

I stare in horror as blood seeps through her fingers as she holds her face. Frustration floods over me as my father only smirks at her.

I elbow my father in the face, shoving him off of me. I scramble to my feet and pull out my gun.

My father stares up at me, breathing heavily. His eyes widen at the gun pointed at his head. "Julian don't do this." He says.

"You gave me no choice. You killed my brothers and you hurt my wife!" I snap at him.

He shakes his head, fear in his eyes. "Please son, I beg you. Don't do this please."