[The Wattys 2021 Shortlisted Finalist]
One case, two detectives, three friends, and a thousand emotions.
Sometimes nothing is a coincidence, but then again, everything is.
After the mysterious deaths of Amyra Valdez's eldest Uncle followed by her...
It couldn't be. Jonas had parked it beside Kelvin's bike. It must be there. Unless-
Did he leave me here alone?
Uncle Josh flung the car's front door open for me.
Nothing mattered anymore actually, absolutely nothing. The two people I placed all my trust upon betrayed me- one left me alone, and the other was taking me to my death himself. At this point, I honestly didn't care whether I lived or died. The latter was anyways most likely to happen in a few more minutes.
I got into the car, partially unwillingly and partially helplessly. Kelvin took a seat at the back while Uncle Josh settled on the driving seat.
I just hoped that someone else, probably Mr. Amberson, Brian, or even Jonas, would someday avenge Uncle Dave and Pappa's deaths. Mine too, maybe.
Uncle Josh texted someone amid our journey, giving the location of where we were heading to.
Who was it?
I glanced over at the back to have a check on Kelvin. He was doing something with his gun when I looked. So desperate to kill me.
I turned around, not wanting to see his face anymore.
Raindrops dribbled down the glass panel, blurring the windscreen. The wipers flailed persistently to clear the screen, giving out a faint view of the clear road.
Uncle Josh brought the car to a halt at the threshold of a partially deforested land that ended in a cliff, the location of which I didn't know.
"Get down," he instructed both of us after getting out of the car himself.
He was swilled down with beads of rain, but that seemed of little concern.
I didn't want to get out.
No matter how little I cared about my life at that moment, I couldn't deny that I was scared.
Uncle Josh threatened me with Uncle Nick's name once more to get me out. When I showed distrust, he took out his phone and called up someone.
"It's time to remove Brother Nick's ventilation-" he intentionally spoke in a loud tone to make sure it reached my ears.
"No!" I instantly screamed.
"Get out of the car then."
Kelvin didn't utter a single word the entire time Uncle Josh was putting all his effort into getting me out. He seemed busy with God knows what.
"Xaviers," Uncle Josh called after I followed him some distance away from the car.
"It's time."
Kelvin looked at me, rainwater dripping down his face as if they were streams of tears. I wished they were.
Seconds passed in silence until Uncle Josh alarmed him again. Kelvin staggered towards me, the gun in his hand.
Was he actually going to-?
He stopped centimeters away from me, the curtain of rain separating us. Droplets of tears escaped my eyes involuntarily like a river spilling over a dam the moment our eyes met. Thankfully it was raining, and the rain droplets hid my tears; I didn't want him to notice them.
He no longer looked at me the way he used to, and that reminded me of the distance between us. The distance that will never eradicate.
"Destiny is surely strange-" Uncle Josh commented in a keen voice, "-but I must say that in this case, it's more than that."
It indeed was.
"It's sad how hatred wins over love," he continued.
"The one shooting her today is not the person she loved," Kelvin interposed in a hushed tone. "It's a double agent."
Sure he was a double agent to Uncle Josh from day one. A killer in the disguise of a saviour. I was just too naive to understand that.
"Well, as long as my secret dies with her, anything is fine," Uncle Josh smirked.
"Brother Nick is not likely to regain his memory even after he gets out from his coma," he added. "So no more threats."
That means he didn't know that Uncle Nick had confined it in Brian and Mr. Amberson.
I hoped he didn't. They were the only ones who could put his game to an end if I'm not there.
"What are you waiting for, Xaviers?"
Kelvin turned back to me and lifted the gun. My eyes widened with terror as he pointed it at my forehead. The cold touch froze all the nerves in my body. The same person who taught me how to fire a gun was going to fire it at me today.
"Shoot at the heart," Uncle Josh instructed. "The heart will then know the cost of beating for someone else."
I noticed Kelvin's left hand clenching into a tight fist at the words. His face suggested that he was clenching his teeth as well, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't know what that meant; yet, somewhere deep inside, I believed that he wouldn't shoot.
I was wrong.
Kelvin slowly lowered the gun to a point where it directly aimed at my heart. I could feel my breathing fluctuating, my heart pounding to the point where it might implode in my chest.
A clap of thunder cracked in the distance, deafening my ears to the extent that I couldn't even hear the sound of the gunshot.
"I'm sorry," were the last words I heard from his mouth before he pulled the trigger.
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Author: Okay so, here comes the most intense chapter of the book...
I'm sorry guys, Amyra had to die in the hands of Kelvin...
But the story doesn't end here, does it?
Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share if you want to know what happens next!
