Prologue

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      Tonight was the darkest night of the month, but for Clara this was the darkest night of her life. Under the starless sky, a twelve year old girl was kneeling on the back seat of her car.

        "Daddy! They are catching up on us. You need to hurry!" The twelve year old Clara told her father who was controlling the wheels.

         “Clara! Sit back down” Her father said through gritted teeth as gunshots from the car behind them became louder. Clara could hear her mom grunting from the passenger's seat. She was trying to be strong but seeing her mother bleed from the gunshot wound from her stomach, Clara couldn't keep her cool and started to tear up as unnoticingly as possible.

         Beside Clara, a very traumatised 10 year olds eyes glanced at her.

         “Clara, are we going to die? I am scared.” Connor, Clara's younger brother asked her. He was so scared that he could barely speak. His whole face was wet in his tears and sweat. Looking at her brother, Clara wiped her tears and forced her best attempt at a smile. She sat back on her seat and put her arms around her brother. His small form was trembling in her arms.

          “We are not going to die, Connor.” Clara whispered in his ears repetedly. But she was unsure whether she was assuring Connor or herself. Connor seemed to calm down a bit after hearing from Clara. But they both jolted when they heard their father scream their mom's name.

        “What happened dad?” Asked Clara she already had a bad feeling about her mom. “Why is she not saying anything dad!” Clara couldn't keep her cool anymore she started screaming. She pushed Connor aside who was already crying and started shaking her mom. She could hear her father sobbing and repeatedly appologising to her mother.

         She felt her car hit something really hard and then her car toppled over and they were all locked inside a drowning car. She could not understand how they fell from the bridge. Her father was used to driving on dark roads and bridges. But it was different when one's wife had just lost her life beside them.

      “Clara come on. Grab my hand.” Her father somehow got out of the car and pulled Clara out from the window. Clara looked back at Connor and her heart almost stopped beating, he was not moving. She reached out and grabbed his brother by his waist and yanked him out of the car. Her father carried both of them in his arm and carried them towards the river bank.

        Just when they thought they had lost the ones who were chasing them. The reason of the chase was still unknown to Clara. Gunshots were heard and the next thing Clara saw was her father laying half dead on the ground. The people who shot her father were approaching towards her but she couldn't move it was as if two hands from the ground were holding her. She couldn't cry it was as if too much loss had left her empty. She looked at Connor whose eyes fluttered so softly it was almost unnoticeable but Clara could always notice small things especially if they were about her brother. She wanted to snatch him up and run for their safety, even if she couldn't save herself, she wanted to save her brother.

        “Run” Her father whispered to her. Clara was coming back to her senses. She looked at her father and then at the ones who were advancing towards them.

        “Run!” Her father shouted with all the strength left in him and that's when she started moving. She ran, she ran as fast as her legs could. She did not have the heart in her to look back at her brother and father.

        “One day, when I will be stronger I will kill them all.” That was the thought a twelve year old beared as she ran for her life.
       
                                   ***
   

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