Suddenly silence crawled in and his eyes opened. He saw Duke Rexon standing by the door with a gun in his hand staring at him. Collins, Sandra, and Annora were all frozen in the chair they sat. He now knew how silence walked in a while ago.
It was Duke Rexon that came with it!
"I am sure you won't use that on me or my family nor will you use that on Sandra?" Bruno said. He remembered Collins saying Duke has a crush on Sandra and that perhaps will let him have a rethink by his intended action.
Duke Rexon looked in Sandra's direction. He seems to have a soft spot for her. Looking more at her, he saw beauty beyond description. At thirteen she looked lovely and her piercing eyes and naturally red lips got him even more dumbfounded.
Suddenly, he felt his brain aching. He turned in Bruno's direction. "I have only two bullets in my gun. One for you and the other for her, I was sent to do this and I must."
Annora's heartbeat raced. She can't believe what her ears heard. With her frozen hands now nervous, she asked. "Who sent you?"
"Shut up and pray your last before I blow your brain off," Duke shouted and his voice echoed into the darkness sending shivers into the nerves of Collins and Sandra who sat speechlessly but observing everything—everything happening.
It seemed like a dream except that it wasn't. And as Collins made to stand up, Duke's voice pulled him down to his seat. "Don't even think about that or you watch them die—"
Suddenly Annora's mind began to work.
Was this the threat Donna talked about?
Why was Duke here and with a gun?
Could it be that Donna framed a lie to get them all killed?
When did Duke start handling a gun? Is he one of Lisbon's terrorists?
It can't be, she thought.
As her eyes stayed on Duke and his gun, she could smell death so close and she screamed Jesus Christ.
Duke was forced to look in her direction. "There is no Jesus Christ that can save you from my bullet today. You will all go down perhaps not Sandra or—" He smiled at Sandra and then put on a weird smile as he stared at Collins.
Bruno wondered what he meant and instantly knew there was something wrong with Duke. Something so hideous, he can't possibly tell.
The more he put his mind to work. The more he finds it difficult to figure out anything useful but only knew he has to explore Duke's weakness. "Do you want to kill Sandra—I thought you love her and—"
"I do and I have always loved her" Duke interrupted angrily. "But you never wanted me to have her. I don't want to kill her if you think so. She will be mine when you are all dead." He put on an unbelievable smile and that sends waves of shock through the spine of Sandra who was looking—looking at everything in despair.
As the atmosphere became tense, she knew she has to say something or Collins may want to fight Duke even with a gun in his hand and that will be way too dangerous.
She could see that in Collin's eyes already and could feel the heat boiling up within his stomach and could also smell his thoughts from afar—and that is a boy my age mate and he can't intimidate my family.
Sandra also knew he has to say something or watch his Parents die and perhaps Collins live if Duke was truthful when he said he has only two bullets left.
How many bullets did he have before?
Has he murdered somebody before coming here?
If he did, why was she not hearing sirens and possibly police presence around as usual?
The gun, yes the gun was it real?
As that thought came. She heard the first gunshot and that came like a blast.
She screamed closing her eyes.
And as she reluctantly opened it, she noticed everybody on the floor closing their eyes but Collins was still on his feet staring at Duke. She could read Collin's mind saying you can't scare me.
Duke had shut down one of the large ceiling bulbs and that partially left the sitting room in darkness.
Her thoughts kept on climbing and finally stopped when she felt Collins wanted to act perhaps foolishly. "Drop your gun Duke if you say you love me."
Everybody was surprised to hear Sandra talk of love.
Duke's bloodshot eyes fell on Sandra. "I have to do this first and drop the gun. I guess I shot wide a while ago. Not this time Sandra. I will aim correctly now. It is my assignment and this experiment must be done—"
"What experiment?" Sandra cut into Duke's astonishing words. "And who sent you?" Sandra asked wondering.
"Pamela my grandmother sends me and I must finish this—"
"What?" Annora's voice cut Duke's attention and he looked in her direction.
"Yes Pamela told me and I must return to her and tell her my assignment is completed after I watch you die, both of you—all of you." Duke's voice echoed once more into the moonless night.
"Did you hear that, the gunshot? It came from that direction." Nathan began. "I think I also heard somebody scream, did you hear that too?"
James nodded but this time fears ran through his heart and the urge to urinate came strong. Now he has two options to urinate on the floor or wet his trouser.
The more he thought over these two options, the more he became confused."I think I have to do this—"
"Do what James? Come on, we are running out of time." Nathan's eyes rested on James's nervous face. "What's that look on your face about?"
James unzipped his trouser and started urinating near a shrub for minutes and that got Nathan upset. "You mean you got that inside of you and you refuse to let it out until now? Or the gunshot accelerated it?"
James just nodded and zipped his trouser. And then held his gun firmly, "Let's go, that direction you said, right?"
Nathan didn't bother to repeat what he said before but just started running.
And James had no option now but to run after him to house 15. But he never stopped wondering why Nathan made him leave the van behind.