The Bloody Handprints

Chapter Six

John ran to Katie's house and saw blood everywhere. John went back to his house. "Where is she!"

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" David said with a smug smile.

John took a batarang and shoved it in his wound. "You should know by now that I don't have the patience for this shit!" John said picking up the gun.

"You really think that you can scare me into telling you?" David said in pain.

"No." John said shooting David's leg. David screamed in pain but John spoke over him. "I know that I'm the one who has the gun and the only one here that determines whether you live or die. The Grim Reaper so to speak." John smiled.

"Fine...fine. She's at the abandoned mansion down by the lake." David said. "But if I'm not there in 30 minutes they'll know something is wrong and they'll kill her."

"You better not be lying." John said. "And if you tell the police what I did to you to you or where I'm going. I'll kill you."

John then hit David in the face with the butt of the gun rendering him unconscious. He dragged him to Katie's house and used her house phone to call the police. John ran to Katie's car trying to get in but saw that it was locked. He punches the driver side window and unlocked it from the inside. He finds the keys in Katie's purse and drives to rescue her.

He parks about 50 feet away from the abandoned mansion so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes. John took the clip out of the silenced pistol and saw that he only had three shots left. He walks down towards the mansion and hid behind a tree, seeing his former friends Jerry and George with assault rifles patrolling the property.

John using his arm to steady the gun, aims it at George. Tears form in his eyes as he pulls the trigger, killing his best friend. John runs to the mansion where Jerry was standing and throws a batarang at him. The blow winded him and he was just lying there on the floor. John walked to his friend and saw bruises, and cuts on his face and chest.

"Jerry...what happened?"

"I thought we were just going to scare her, but after I found out what we were going to do I tried to set her free her, but they caught me and beat me and forced me to help them."

"Can you fight?" John asked.

"Yes, I'll help you free her."

"What are they doing to her?"

Jerry frowned. John looked at his watch. Five minutes. John picked up George's gun and they snuck inside the mansion and onto the roof to get a vantage point. There they saw Katie tied to a chair and about sixty feet in front of her there was an automatic pitching machine going full speed aimed at her chest. They heard four sounds. The machine throwing the ball. The loud thump it made as it struck her chest. The grunt Katie let out and the laughter of the two boys who were smoking on the dock.

"Why doesn't she scream?" John asked angrily.

"Try screaming when spherical bricks hit your chest going 75 mph."

"How long has this been going on?"

"About 20 minutes, they aimed it at her arms before so she wouldn't struggle."

John looked at his watch. It was time.

"Ok Ben, David hasn't called or texted. Now he told us to kill her if he wasn't here by now."

"Your right." Benny said pointing his gun at Katie. John got up to shoot but tripped, causing him to fire his gun.

"John is that you?"

"..." awkward silence. "Yeah its me." he said finally.

"What you doing here man?"

"David sent me to tell you that...that he had a change of heart. Let Katie go."

Benny looked at Todd. "He knew John would ruin everything and if he wanted to pull the plug he would've done it himself." he whispered.

Benny pointed the gun at John and fired. Jerry then pushed John off the roof, taking the bullet for him. John fell in the bushes below. Dazed and confused he tries to get up.

"Go get John!" Todd yelled.

Benny went to the side of the house and was met with a punch to the face. Benny recuperated and punched John back. Benny got on top of John and wrapped his hands around his neck.

"You just had to play the hero didn't you John." Benny said tightening his grip.

"No." John said pulling out his batarang. John jabbed it in Benny's neck. As Benny was bleeding out John spit on him. "Heroes don't kill...but I do."