The Starling Vigilante [Watty's 2015 Award Winner]

Chapter 74

'I'm here!' I shouted as I shut the unlocked door of Isaac's house from the inside. 'Come and get me, Merlyn!'

Glancing at the array of photos hung on the walls of the house, I could learn about Isaac's whole life. He had managed to graduate. He had a boyfriend. He even had followed his astrophysics dreams, a picture of him starting to work in an observatory amidst the display.

And now he could die tonight.

I felt awful. Truly awful. Ethan died because of someone he hadn't seen in four years, and now Isaac was headed that way, all because of me. I knew it would be hard to prevent Merlyn from killing him if he had his mind set on that; even though I agreed to join Merlyn when Harper's life depended on it, he still murdered her in cold blood. And what would I tell Isaac's family when their son, brother and partner was murdered? Ethan hadn't had any family to tell the horrible news of his death to, and Rose had decided to take care of telling the rest of Ethan's friends about his death, her being close to Ethan whilst I was away. But Isaac? He had a whole network of people to tell of the news.

Isaac hadn't spoken to me in years, and yet he was much more involved with me than he thought.

A dark shadow crept through he doorway, shocking me out of my thoughts. The shape of the shadow gave away that the owner surely was Merlyn, dressed in his assassin suit.

'Why couldn't you have just said hello?' I asked bravely.

'You wouldn't have turned up,' Merlyn pointed out, strolling into the living room.

'Why make all the fuss?' I persevered, trying not to let him in.

I was stronger than he could ever imagine.

'I want you to go back to Starling,' Merlyn asked without expecting defeat, his attitude telling me he thought I would agree to his standards.

'Isn't Tommy capable enough now?' I asked patronisingly. 'He's an adult now, Merlyn. It's time you saw that.'

'I thought you'd want to see your boyfriend?' Merlyn said just as patronisingly, raising one eyebrow. 'But that's not why I need you. It's the city. It's falling apart. The Glades are falling into even more poverty; they are much worse than when you saw them, and now, the government is even more corrupt. I need you to protect our city.'

'Starling City isn't my city,' I protested. 'I have my home now. And I don't need people like you telling me what I can and can't do.'

'Fine,' Merlyn said. 'But you'd better be sorry.'

He dragged Isaac from one of the rooms, his body beaten down and binded.

'Isaac!' I shouted at once. 'Why have you done this to him?'

'To make you change your mind,' Merlyn said manipulatively, drawing his bow at Isaac's head.

'Please, just, let him go,' I said coolly, trying not to sound too desperate.

'If you agree to come with me, then yes,' Merlyn said. 'Those are my terms.'

'I really don't trust you, Malcolm,' I said doubtfully. 'That's why I'm going to do this.'

Taking a gun out of my bag Amanda had given me, I shot Isaac with a tranquilliser that made it look as if it was a real bullet. Plus, it was laced with an amnesia sedative that would wipe Isaac's memory of the day's events.

'You were going to kill him anyway,' I hissed, before running in front of him.

'I'm impressed,' Merlyn smirked. 'But not that impressed. I know you didn't use a real bullet, Aria. Do you think I'm stupid?'

'No,' I shook my head. 'Its laced with an amnesia sedative. Isaac won't remember anything that happened today. So now you have no excuse to kill him.'

Taking my real gun, I pulled the trigger back and pointed it at Merlyn.

'But I am not going back to Starling,' I growled.

'Well played,' Merlyn laughed. 'But we're not done, Aria. You'll see.'

---

'How are you finding it back here?' My mother asked as I sat down at the table for dinner.

'Nice,' I said appreciatively. 'It's nice to be home.'

'Good,' she said, before taking her first mouthful of chicken.

'Where's Rose?' I asked, suddenly realising that she hadn't joined us.

'She's just gone out, actually,' my mum explained. 'She says it was something important.'

I just prayed it wasn't anything to do with Merlyn.

'You've missed quite a bit since you've been gone,' my dad said, thinking about what had happened the in last four years. 'Oh, for one, they've redone Dr Who, I think there's been about four series now.'

'Seriously?' I exclaimed. 'That sounds amazing! So, not just Classic Who episodes then.'

'Oh, also Labour got into power, again,' my mother added. 'The last Harry Potter book's been released too-'

I stopped listening after that. I couldn't help but sense that something bad was about to happen.

As I collected my plate from the table and took it out into the kitchen after a long half hour, I heard my phone ring.

'Please don't let it be Merlyn,' I whispered as I answered it.

'Hello again,' Merlyn's voice came from the phone.

Dammit.

'What is it now?' I asked, bored with his tricks.

'If you want sweet little Rose to stay alive, you better listen to what I have to say,' Merlyn threatened.

So I was right. Rose was in trouble.

'There's a car just waiting for you outside,' Merlyn told me. 'Get in it. Alone. And unarmed.'

'And if I don't?' I asked, gritting my teeth.

'Then I kill her,' Merlyn stated. 'Am I clear?'

'Crystal,' I said almost too sarcastically.

Now what did I do? If I complied to Merlyn's directions, I would surely have to go back to Starling. But if I didn't, Rose would die, just like Ethan. The decision I had to make should have been effortless, but one tiny part of me kept trying to gnaw away at me, telling me I should leave Rose to Merlyn's will. But I was not selfish enough. I couldn't let her die.

I really wished Merlyn would just leave me alone.