Killer Child

Chapter 3 - Otto

I lived in an old abandoned factory with Gary and all the other killers. They were all boys and their ages ranged from 14 into their mid-twenties. There were also boys under ten but they lived in another part of the building. Nobody knew we were here and but if they came snooping, Gary had guard dogs at every entrance. He had also put up an electric fence with CCTV surveillance.

As I walked towards the fence, I thought about my meeting with River. Up close, I had to admit that she was very pretty, but quite nosy. It was none of her business to know where I was going, but she still had the nerve to ask! I was also a bit worried about that man she had given the newspaper to. He looked like he couldn't believe that she was there, as he if was expecting her to be gone... A growl brought me to my senses as I approached the fence. One of the guard dogs had caught my scent. Gary had trained them to attack only strangers, but that didn't stop them trying to take a bite out of me. I pressed a buzzer on the fence and the CCTV camera slowly turned to fix it sight on me.

"Ah, Otto. Welcome back." Gary said, his voice full of static. The gate swung open and I hurried through, trying to keep my distance from the hungry guard dog. As I walked into the building, my nose was filled with the familiar stench of cigarettes, mould  and oil.

The corridor had a ripped, mouldy carpet and the peeling wallpaper hung sadly from the walls. However much money Gary got, he certainly didn't spend it on fixing up this old dump. Speak of the devil, Gary suddenly appeared in the doorway and grinned when he saw me.

"Ha, ha, ha! Well done Otto! So, how did it go?" Gary demanded, shoving a ciggy between his cracked lips, lighting it and taking a deep, long drag.

I shrugged, trying to look bored and careless. "Piece of cake. Over in a second."

Gary nodded, obviously happy with the way I was taking it. "Good, and with it being your first assignment, I think we should celebrate! Come to my office." He grabbed my shoulder and steered me towards his office.

As I got pushed inside, I took a look at my surroundings. We were never allowed to come into Gary's office unless he asked us. He and a plush purple sofa at the back of the room, facing a polished oak desk. His walls were filled with old and new newspaper clippings about the murders each one of the boys here. Gary caught me looking and smiled.

"Ah yes. My pride and joy. Your one shall go here." He said, pointing to a spare spot on the wall above the sofa. I gulped. That spot would never get filled by me.

"Now, I know that you're under age, but this is a special occasion." Gary laughed, bending underneath the desk before standing up with a bottle of wine clutched in one bony hand. So this was what all the money was being spent on. Gary placed two cups on the table and filled them with the wine, filling one slightly more than the other.

"To you Otto, one your first successful assignment!" Gary toasted, grabbing the fullest glass and draining it in one gulp. Tentatively, I took the second glass and had a sip. Wow, that was strong! Suddenly, the phone on Gary's desk rang and he picked it up.

"Hello?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped and stared at me. "Really? Well that's interesting. He told me that he'd done the job."

I gasped and dropped the glass, the red wine pooling over the expensive looking carpet. Gary didn't even notice.

"Ever well. Yes, thanks. Bye." He slammed the phone down and rested his hands on the table.

"That was the man who had sent the picture of that girl you were meant to kill. He said that he had just seen her today in the street."

"Maybe he's mistaken..." I spluttered, backing away slightly. Gary looked at the pool of red wine of the carpet.

"I highly doubt that." He straightened up and went over to a cupboard in the corner of the room. "Now, Otto. You know how much I hate liars, so I'm definitely not going to regret doing this." He turned around with a shotgun in his hands. Without waiting, I sprinted from the room and down the corridor. A loud bang and the splintering of wood told me that I had got out of there just in time. I flung open the front door and ran towards the gate, ignoring the vicious barking from the guard dog. My breath came out in in short gasps and I was sweating like crazy. Suddenly, a shot ran our past my ear, missing me by inches. It crashed into the fence, cutting the electricity off. Without stopping, I glanced over my shoulder and saw with horror that Gary was untying the guard dog from its leash. He ordered something and the dog darted after me, it's teeth glinting in the sun's glaring rays.

I got to the gate and kicked it with all my might. It didn't budge. I heard Gary's laughs as the dog got even closer. In desperation, and jumped onto the gate and scrambled up, whimpering in pain as the wire dug into my hands. Out of the blue, the dog pounced and lashed itself onto my leg. I roared in pain but managed to kick it off with my other leg. The dog went flying and landed on the grass with a thump. I swung my good leg over the top of the fence, looked back at the building and saw Gary pointing the gun directly at my head. I jumped off the fence, screaming in pain as I landed on my bad leg. Somehow, I managed to limp away, expecting a shot to coming flying into my head and killing me, but nothing came.

Back at the building, Gary watched as Otto limped away. Gary had seen the wound on Otto's leg, and knew that if he didn't get any treatment soon, Otto James would bleed to death.