Vengeance In His Veins

Chapter 5: Primary Instincts

Lucas sprinted, his entire body covered with sweat and dirt. His heart was beating loudly in his chest as he navigated the extent of his father's large mansion.

There were times where he’d admired this place for being so big, it meant he could smoke and drink away from the gaze of judgmental eyes.

However, now that he could hear the sounds of gunshot and he could feel the heels of assassins hellbent on putting a bullet in his head behind him, he cursed it for being so damn big.

He glanced back and realized no one was chasing him and he began to wonder how Kenji was faring, although something told him that man would make it out.

He felt like something from the movies, unnatural so to say. Lucas wondered how anyone could move that fast with such precision.

He shelved the thoughts as he decided to focus on escaping, soon enough he was in the courtyard that led to the main gates, escape was nigh.

His speed increased in anticipation as the pointy tip of the metal gate came to view.

However as he neared the gate, his hopes were dashed.

There were two more masked men, standing guard, making sure no one could leave the house. Lucas ducked behind a pillar, trying to quiet his breathing as fear tightened his chest.

He cursed under his breath. There was no way he could sneak out with them there.

Lucas hid behind the pillar, as he slid to a sitting position, he could feel tears stream down his own face. He couldn't really control his emotions as it was and he sobbed softly.

He wanted to ask the universe why this was happening for the umpteenth time.

Now that he knew for sure he couldn't escape and he was trapped in the slaughterhouse his own home had become, he was devastated.

He wondered if any of his family were alive, if any of them had made it out. He couldn't conceive that image of his entire family dying in less than a day.

His thoughts went to his father, remembering the smile on his face when he’d spoken to him a few minutes ago.

His father had been distant lately, caught up in the family’s business dealings, not that they spoke regularly before.

Although now he wished he’d been more of a better son.

Lucas had always thought his father was invincible, a man who could handle anything. If his father was dead like Kenji said, what chance in hell did he have?

“No,” he thought, forcing himself to breathe. “I have to stay focused. I have to survive.”

He breathed, and peeped at the mansion again and the masked men were in the same position since he last saw them.

He decided that the main gate wasn't his way out. He glanced at the walls that surrounded the mansion, but he knew there was no way he could scale them.

Then it clicked in his head. He remembered the day he’d seen the skeletal blueprint of the mansion, he bulged his eyes in realization.

Closing his eyes, he tried to remember the layout, he might not look it, but he had a really good memory.

The kitchen. Beneath the kitchen floor was a bunker. If he could reach it, he could hide there for a while till all these passed over.

He breathed once and burst out of his hiding, heading towards the mansion again, praying not to meet any of the assassins on the way.

He jumped into the mansion through the window, navigating the corridors as he made his way to the kitchen.

These halls that he had pulled a series of pranks now felt distant and cold to him. The thought of it shattered him but he pressed on.

As he approached the kitchen, a sound behind him made his blood run cold.

“You, stop!!”

A voice, sharp and filled with malice. Lucas whipped his head around, eyes wide. One of the masked men had spotted him.

Panic surged through him as the man raised his gun, ready to fire. Without thinking, Lucas bolted, his heart slamming against his chest.

“Oh God, Oh God!” He repeated as he sprinted down the hallway.

The person opened fire but he took a sharp turn before the bullets could tear him apart. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw bullet holes embedded in the wall where he should have been.

He slid across not even daring to glance back, the echo of the footsteps in the hallway told him everything he needed.

Finally, the kitchen door came into view. He dived into the air, sliding into the kitchen and slamming the door behind him, swallowing as he tried to steady his heart.

He was gasping for breath and wheezing but he didn’t have time to rest. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes looking around the room.

The bunker was hidden beneath the tiles by the kitchen table.

But before he could even think about shifting it, the masked man was at the door.

The door burst open, and the man stepped inside, his gun aimed directly at Lucas. His face was covered, but

Lucas could see the twisted smile beneath the mask. The man was toying with him, savoring the moment.

“You made me run all that distance, I won't let you die that easily,” he said in a crooked tone.

Desperate, Lucas’ eyes fell on the gas stove. His mind raced. He didn’t have a weapon, but he could make one.

In a split second, he lunged for the gas pipe, yanking it free from the cooker with all his strength. The man’s smile faltered, confusion flashing in his eyes as he watched Lucas pull the pipe toward him.

“You’re dead, kid,” the man sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger.

But Lucas wasn’t listening. He twisted the gas pipe, aiming it directly at the man. Gas hissed into the air, filling the room in a thick cloud. The man hesitated, unsure of what was happening.

Lucas’ heart was pounding, his hands shaking with adrenaline. He didn't really know what effect what he was doing would have, he was running in a primal instinct to survive now.

His brain went to sleep some few minutes ago and all that he had left was that need to survive.

The man, now panicked, fired his gun blindly and the spark created from the gun, caught the gas that's already filled the room.

The masked man and Lucas realized what they’d done a nanosecond before anything happened.

And then, everything exploded.