My Little Shadow

Chapter Thirty-One: Flames

This was going to be the end of my story. So violent and reckless but was there any better way to go than to go by protecting the ones you love?

It would be an honorable death, one I would gladly embrace.

They were at my house, eight cars parked in the field in front of the porch. There were far too many for me to take them on one on one. I was going to have to use my brain and think of a plan. I knew that house with my eyes closed, did they?

That would be the base of my plan.

I park at the edge of the woods, out of their view. I would have to use the element of surprise, they wouldn't think that I would show up this quickly, this out of the blue.

I had one advantage, one that I would have to use to its full ability.

I knew the layout, so how could I cut out their view? It wasn't dark enough outside to obstruct their sight by blowing the powerbox, but I couldn't sit around and wait because May was liable to show up sooner rather than later if she convinced Sin to give her a ride here.

Smoke.

Smoke would run them out in the open and then I could pick them off one by one. I would be too busy fighting through them to make sure Archer got out alright.

If there was a way I could communicate with Archer and let him know what I had planned but it was impossible. There is no telling what shape he is in, could he even walk?

I was thinking like the cattle. I needed to think like the coyotes that I use to repair fences because of.

Every man that wasn't Archer within those walls was cattle and I was going to rip their throats from their bodies. 

I had to ignore the self-persevating thoughts. If burning the house down was what needed to be done then I couldn't afford to think about Angelina's things in there, couldn't think about Mays paper animals.

This wasn't personal this was business and I began moving like a well-oiled machine.

If I light the fire on the left corner of the back side of the house. They will run out the front and it should give me enough time to get Archer out of there.

Before I circle back around to my truck and start picking them off one by one with the rifle I have hidden under my bed.

I crouched down in the tall weeds, making sure I was low enough that my head was covered. It would take me a while to get up there crouched down like I was but I couldn't afford for them to spot me before I got archer to safety.

All of this would be pointless if he died.

Step by step I made my way around the seemingly deserted house. I snagged up the full gas can from the lean-to in the shed that was still full of Mr.Jaded's things. I had never got around to going through them, thankfully he had a habit of stocking up on gasoline for the tractors.

It wouldn't take much to get the old wooden house to light. They say older houses were made of more flammable materials, hopefully, that was true.

The back door opens and I throw my back against the inside wall of the shed, my heart beating wildly.

This was life or death. This was, my brother's life I was fighting for, not some mission on a video game with the ending already mapped out. Anything could happen...

Two men talked in an unknown language, seeming to be laughing at something. I peeked through the hole in the wood siding noting they were sitting down smoking a cigarette like this was a causal thing. Torturing people and taking over their houses.