The Blood Gang

Prologue

(1 Year Ago)

I sat up in the hospital bed, wincing at the stab of pain in my head.

Michael entered the room, followed closely by his friend -- Madelyn, I thought. "Flores. Um... how are you?"

"Fine." I might not have been, but no dad tells his kid his heat hurts when the kid's school was blown up and his mom murdered. "How..."

"M-Maddie called the hospital after, after we... found you."

I nodded tersely. "Sorry you had to see that. Zudd --"

"I know. Dad. I know."

I blinked. "Everything?"

Michael held up the locket in his hand. "Everything."

"Then... where's Zudd? It's hard to believe he didn't get you guys..."

Michael bit his lip. "Flores. I -- well, he's... ahh... kinda... dead."

There was a long and uncomfortable silence as I put the pieces together. "You shot him."

He nodded.

"You're only... fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Fifteen."

"And you killed someone?" I sighed and buried my head in my hands. "Michael, Michael, Michael..."

"Sorry?"

Madelyn elbowed him. "It was in the heat of the fight, Flores. He had no choice!"

"Zudd killed at least three hundred students, my mom, and he tried to kill you, and would have killed me!" Michael sighed. "It was me or him."

I glared at him. "Fine. When you get home, you are going to turn in the gun. It stays out of your room and away from your hand. Okay?!"

"Yes. Oh, and Flores?"

"What?"

"Can I... uh... hold off on... calling you--"

"Yes." The Dad thing was probably a little much, considering recent events. "I under-- oh, crap."

"What?" Michael and Madelyn asked at the same time.

I rubbed the side of my head with two fingers. "I forgot to tell you. Zudd has a brother. With resources."

"And you didn't tell me before now?"

"I didn't know you were going to kill him!"