ultraviolence // kai anderson

cold revenge

    Every knock of Kai's hand on Dave's door accelerates my pulse. There's no way we're really here and doing this. Any second he will answer and I'll hear his voice, just as I have a million times, but this time he won't be a family friend, or an uncle, or my husband's boss -- just our next victim. And who knows what violence Kai has in mind.

Finally, the lock clicks. I press my shoulder against the brick house and pretend to be reading my blank pages, letting my hat cover my face and hoping Kai is enough distraction to let me go unnoticed. The door opens and my legs almost give out.

"Hello sir," Kai's charismatic mask is on instantly, nothing but cordiality and innocence in his tone. "My apprentice and I are here from the Public Power Agency, we're just here to let you know that there are utility lines buried on your property that we'll need to get to. Before we can begin, our supervisor needs us to check the state of the gas furnaces in the few houses with prominent lines in their yard," I can hear his smile, "like yours."

I can't see Dave's face, but he must be listening. Kai hasn't really let him get a word in, but he hasn't slammed the door shut so he must be falling for the lies to some extent. I sneak a glance with my head and face still as lowered as possible, and glimpse Dave looking over Kai's attire and beginning to nod. His mustache is has more gray in it than the last time I saw him, but his already fully grey hair is the same, and he's still got that same hunch to his posture he's always had. He seems to be accepting things; even the raggedy bag over Kai's shoulder that we weren't so sure about isn't throwing him off any. Thank god he's in his sixties and wouldn't remember having a conversation with him at Gregory's party. Our plan would've gotten violent a lot quicker if he happened to.

"Will it take long?" he asks, exasperated.

"It shouldn't sir, just a quick check. But we can always come back when it's convenient for you if you're just heading out?"

"No, not heading out. Just the start of my weekend off and would like to relax uninterrupted."

Nice. He's managed to get it out of him that he's not expected anywhere-- and for a whole weekend at that. Dave breathes deeply, "Come on." I hear him move from the doorway, and Kai looks sideways at me with a brief, almost inperceivable smirk. I follow him inside as a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation surges through me. Dave is leading the way in front, followed by Kai, then finally myself. He begins asking what exactly we'll be needing to do, and I see Kai reaching around his back, pulling a dark object from the band of his pants.

The minute I kick the door shut behind me, Kai doesn't waste another second before using one of, if not the, tiniest gun I've ever seen to shoot straight through Dave's right knee from the back. I'm thoroughly surprised but not even a smidge disappointed, and I rip my hat off as he shrieks and hits the floor. He spews a string of loud curses as he does his best to turn himself over to look at us.

"What the fuck--" he's dragging himself backward in attempts to escape us. He flashes his palms in front of his face when the gun is pointed at him once again. "Please!"

Kai shoots his other kneecap without hesitation, the sound again muffled by a suppressor but still jarring. He rolls his neck casually as the man on the floor cries out again, grabbing at his leg as if it'll help any. "People really will believe whatever you say and let you do damn near anything if you're wearing one of these vests," Kai gloats with a maniacal grin.

"What do you want?! I have money, take it!" Dave's panicked eyes leave him and find me. His heavy breathing momentarily ceases. "You?"

I can feel that my pupils are dilated to their extent, adrenaline pumping through every nerve ending in my body and making me hyper-aware of every little sound and movement. "Me."