Fight For Your Life, Catherine Holland [intellectual books to read txt] 📗

family.” The killer said calmly, John looked up hopefully. “Will you tell me where they are?” Replied John. “Manners mean everything these days John, and you are just a worthless pawn in my game of chess.” The killer snapped. “Please? Please tell me where they are?” John replied, a hint of desperation in his voice.
“Begging now are we? Begging will get you nowhere.” The killer said ruthlessly. John sat in silence; the lives of his wife and daughter were in the hands of the sadistic cold man sat in front of him. The killer slowly withdrew a picture from his jacket pocket, and then pushed it across the table. “This is the location of your family, if all goes the way I want then you’ll never hear from me again, but... If things go wrong, there is no place on this Earth that you’ll be able to hide.”
The killer said sincerity and ice etched in every word; there was no sign of a bluff or of any emotion on his face. The killer stood up and walked out of the bar; John waited a full five minutes and then also left the bar with the photo of his family’s location.


Chapter Four


It’d been ten weeks to the day since the deaths of their parents, and the six teenagers were subdued for the ride to Lake View, and they were to be spending two weeks doing various activities such as kayaking, horse riding and cross country. Once the teens arrived at Lake View they were shown the bunkers in which they’d be staying and put their things away.
The team leaders were police officers from a training facility, they were the best at what they did, and Poppy had a feeling that their schedule would help them forget the significance of today’s date. Once the teenagers had all unpacked and were in suitable clothes, the team leaders took them on a tour of the Lake and showed them the facilities available.
Thea and Rashel chose to do kayaking while Jamie and Charlie went off to do archery; Poppy joined Sean on a long horse ride around the lake. One of the team leaders went with them, but allowed them to take the lead, “Poppy, about what your lawyer said, I’ve been thinking, you don’t think your dad would be behind all of this do you?” Sean asked nervously.
Poppy looked at him, “No, he wouldn’t do anything like this, I’m sure of it. My dad has always had his own money, why would he be after mine?” “I don’t know, but it was just a thought I had.” Sean said, Poppy nodded silently, she kept thinking back to the last night she’d seen her mom and knew deep down that it was her fault they were dead.
So as to not let Sean or the team leader see her cry, she made the horse gallop hard and fast, the wind blowing in her eyes and her hair blowing out behind her. Sean caught up to Poppy first and shouted, “Poppy what are you doing?” “I just need to be alone for a minute.” She shouted back, her voice was strained. “Poppy talk to me please.” He called, worry for his friend etched in every word.
“I can’t, I’m sorry Sean but I can’t.” She called back, her voice breaking in places. Poppy galloped the horse back to the Lake; she dismounted the horse in the stables and ran crying back to her bunker. Thea and Rashel returned to try and see what was wrong with Poppy, but they couldn’t get through. Rashel gave up first and went back to her activity, but Thea stayed and held Poppy close.
“I’m so sorry Thea, I really am, this is all my fault I can feel it.” Poppy said between her sobs, “How so? We were all at the party Poppy, not one of us is to blame.” Thea said, as tears were rolling down her face. “It happened at my house Thea, all of our parents were there, if it’s not my fault then why did this happen?” Poppy asked, but for that Thea had no answer.
Poppy couldn’t shake her guilt, it just kept coming back at her, and each wave was more painful than the last, made all the worse because it had been on Thea and Rashel’s birthday. Thea left Poppy alone at her request but returned with a glass of milk and a sandwich which she left on Poppy’s bedside table. Poppy cried herself to sleep that night, clutching the pyjamas her mother had bought for her, the milk and sandwich remained untouched.
Poppy awoke in the early hours of the morning; she crept out of the bunker and sat on the steps outside, listening to the sounds of the night. She looked at the calm lake and then at the bunker next to hers, a shadow moved and a scream caught in her throat. “Poppy?” Asked Sean, “Yeah it’s me, what are you doing awake?” She replied.
“I couldn’t sleep I’ve been worrying about you all day, since you came back here.” He said softly. “I’m OK I just needed to be alone for a while.” Poppy said, “You’re not OK Poppy, and I can see that just looking at you, come for a walk with me?” He asked, Poppy nodded and stood up. After they’d walked in silence for a few minutes Sean said, “So what was wrong today?” Poppy hesitated, “I just feel so guilty, like this is my fault.” She replied.
Sean stopped walking and looked at her, “This isn’t your fault Poppy, and no-one could’ve prevented this from happening.” He said softly. “It happened at my house Sean, all of our parents were there, if this isn’t my fault then why did this happen? Why throw the photo of all of us on the grass?” She replied. Sean thought for a moment, “I don’t know why this happened, and I don’t know why the killer would throw the photo of all of us on the grass, maybe the killer was just acting randomly, had a thing for the number thirty five or just liked the look of your house.
“whatever the reason it’s not your fault, and if it’d happened at my house then I’d feel guilty and try to blame myself as well.” Poppy thought about what he’d said, was the guilt just because it had been at her house? Or was it a deeper guilt? “Sean I’ve been thinking, what if it was no random thing? What if my mom and I had been the intended targets? What if your parents had been killed because they were there? What if this isn’t over?”
Sean’s face turned to stone, “If you and your mom were the intended targets, then it’d be something much more serious than what I thought, and it makes sense for our parents to have been killed, and if it isn’t over yet then this killer is in for one hell of a fight. You’re my friend Poppy and I’d never willingly allow anything to happen to you, or to the others.”
Poppy cuddled Sean and he cuddled her back, they stayed that way for a few minutes, when they broke apart they headed back to the bunkers. “Try to get some sleep Poppy it’ll be alright you’ll see.” He said. “Thanks Sean, you really are the best, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Poppy replied. Sean smiled then waited for Poppy to enter the bunker then returned to his own.
The following morning after Poppy had showered, dressed and eaten, she thanked Thea for being there when she’d needed her. “It’s no problem Poppy, what are friends for?” She’d replied, Poppy returned the untouched tray to the cafeteria and signed up for some archery and cross country. That night as she prepared for sleep, she could hear some sort of commotion outside.
Poppy put her trousers and boots on over her pyjama bottoms and poked her head out of the door. Poppy looked to the east past the boys’ bunker and saw the team leaders’ cabin ablaze. She went back inside and said, “Get dressed, there’s a fire.” Thea and Rashel quickly changed and the three girls rushed outside, a muffled screaming could be heard from the ablaze cabin, Poppy gasped, “They’re still in there, oh my god they’re being burnt alive.”
The three girls rushed to get buckets to put the blaze out with, but it was hopeless. Sean grabbed Poppy’s arm, “Poppy we have to go, Markus wants us all out of here now!” He said, Poppy looked next to her and saw Thea and Rashel backing away from the fire. “The horses.” Poppy replied, and she ran to the stables. Together Poppy and Sean managed to get the horses out; a few ran off into the woods away from the flames.
Sean suddenly said, “stay here, I’ll be back.” Poppy nodded and was left holding two bits of rope, a sudden thought came to her, Poppy tethered the horses to a nearby tree and went back into the stables and grabbed the equipment to saddle a horse, Sean came back half carrying, half running with a screaming Thea and a dazed Jamie behind them.
“What happened?” Demanded Poppy, Sean pointed to the west and Poppy saw a partial fire in the trees. “The killer’s here, he’s blown up the minivan, Charlie and Markus were trying to get it started, Rashel was standing too close when it exploded.” Sean explained. “What do we do now? Where’s the killer? He could be anywhere!” Cried Poppy.
The killer is most probably thinking we’ll go the only way where there’s no fire, we take these horses and we keep in the open, and head for the exit. But it means riding past the minivan.” He said, Poppy looked at Thea, “Are you able to ride past the minivan?” She asked, Thea didn’t answer, “She’ll have to ride with me, we’ll make it out.” Sean replied.
He un-tethered one of the horses and mounted it, then held out a hand and helped Thea up behind him. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.” Jamie suddenly said. “It’s OK Jamie you’ll be riding with me.” Poppy un-tethered her horse and mounted it, then helped Jamie up behind her. Poppy and Sean nodded to one other to signal that they were ready.
Once they were clear of the trees, they urged their horses into a trot through the burning campsite and slowed when they got near the trees. “Are you ready for this?” He asked, “We’ll have to be.” Replied Poppy. Sean took the lead and felt Thea’s arms tighten around his waist, “Hold on to me tightly Jamie.” Poppy said, she felt his arms tighten around her and then said, “OK Sean, let’s go.”
Sean took the lead and Poppy followed behind him, as they galloped past the wreckage of the minivan Poppy looked around and instantly regretted it. Rashel’s body was slightly charred and was impaled with debris from the blast; one of her arms was missing, blown off in the blast as she’d tried to open the door. Charlie and Markus had been totally obliterated, but there were chunks of their bodies all around the wreckage. The minivan had a gaping hole in the middle, which was where the