Not what I thought

Ants and raindrops

The car slows and pulls up in front of the shed. It's a large building covered in corrugated metal. Its surrounded by nothing, just overgrown grassy fields.

I'm hesitant to get out. Not because I'm scared but because I don't trust anyone. Angus looks over at me before getting out and shutting his door. He walks around the car to my side and opens my door, standing off to the side and waiting for me to get out.

"The man you spoke to on the phone, Alastair. That's who's inside. He just needs to talk to you."

I unbuckle my seatbelt and stand off to the side as Angus closes the door and puts his hand on my back slightly to push me inside. Chris is waiting at the shed. He holds the door open for us.

Inside is relatively empty. The building is much larger than it looks. It has a high ceiling and a small mezzanine level but not much else. There is a table in the middle with some papers and folders sprawled out in it and a chair either side. A man walks down the steps from the mezzanine level, adjusting his cuff links on his suit.

I take a few steps back. Chris and Angus stand behind me to stop me from moving further back.

If I've been taught something in life it's don't trust easily. I don't care who this guy says he is or what anyone else says, I'm need time to warm up.

"Charlotte. I'm Alastair. We spoke on the phone."

He's not very tall neither is he short. He has short blonde hair, electric blue eyes like mine and he is dressed in a classy black suit.

Alastair takes a few steps towards me. I try to push back against Angus and Chris but they hold me in place. Alastair notices my fear.

"I just want to talk."

He turns away and removes his jacket, hanging it over the back of the chair at the table. He folds his sleeves up and sits down with his hands on the table.

Angus leans down to my ear.

"Go and sit."

I take a second to gather myself before walking cautiously over to the spare chair and slouching down in it.

"It's nice to see you."

I have nothing to say. I sit there looking at the table and all the files and folders on it.

"We need to talk. I have lots to tell you and 99% of it concerns you, your safety and your future."

I nod once.

"There is no easy way to tell you this but your father was killed on his job today. Like I told you, he was involved in some bad business. He owed a lot of money to a group of bad people."

Alastair opens one of the folders and spreads out some photographs of men.

"Have your ever seen any of these people? Take your time to look at each of these carefully."

I look at each photo. All the men look foreign. They don't look like your nice neighbour next door either. They all look like they have malicious intent.

"I have never seen any of these men."

"Are you sure."

"Very."

Alastair gathers the pictures and puts them back in the folder. His phone rings. The sound echoes through the shed.

"Please excuse me."

He stand away away from the table with his back to me. He talks very softly.

"Are you sure?"

The only words I'm able to make out. He turns back to me with a look on his face.

"Charlotte. I have something else to tell you. I'm sorry for your loss but your mother has been found dead."

I sit for a second. I feel anger bubbling up inside me. It makes my whole body burn. I stand up, flip the chair and walk outside as fast as I can.

"What the fuck?"

Angus and Chris try to follow after me but I hear Alastair faintly call them back.

I don't know why I went outside. There's nothing out there. I walk in circles in the middle of the dirt road.

Rain still trickles from the sky. It makes me flinch as its cold drops fall onto my skin. I crouch down with my back up against the back passenger side wheel of the 4WD.

I have never had a feeling to this extent before. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm confused and now that I think about it, I'm more scared than I've ever been before and I'm in the middle of fucking no where.

I hear the door open and the sound of shoes scuffing against the dirt. Angus peers his head around the car to look at me.

I don't change my glare. I watch as  ants scurry around, dodging rain drops. He approaches slowly and crouches down next to me.

"I lost both my parents pretty soon after one another. It take a while but the pain eases." I stand up and charge back inside.

"Where are these pricks? When I find them and when I do I'm going to kill them, take their throats out and shove it up their arses."

Alastair stands looking shocked at me.

"I want to as well. If we knew where they all were we would've killed them already."

He pauses for a second.

"Ok. I'm under the impression that if they've killed your parents there's a pretty good chance they're after you too. You're obviously in shock. You're coming home with me tonight-"

"But-"

"But what?"

"My cat. And my stuff."

"Really? Of all the things you could worry about now, it's your cat?"

"I could be worried about my ice cream in the freezer. Actually can we get that too? It's my favourite and it's expensive and I really love it."

Alastair's face eases and we both manage to smile a little.