Chapter Thirteen

Cali stormed up to the front door. “I’m gonna fucking kill Kenz!”

“Bob! How was she meant to know it was a hoax,” Martin said reasonably, following behind.

“She’s a Meena, Meena’s are meant to know things.”

“So are teachers,” Marie pointed out. “They don’t always do.”

“Not the same thing.” Cali tried to open the door, but it was welded shut. “What the fuck?” She aimed a heavy kick at the door, but all she got was a tingling leg. She pounded on it with her fists.

“Watch out!” Brendan yelled. Cali jumped back sharply just in time as a large metal shutter came down where she had just been standing.

“Someone’s put a lock-down on the house!” Phillip marvelled.

A voice floated out the speakers next to the camera above the door, “You lose your hands Cali, I’ll personally saw off my feet to get revenge.”

“Kenz? What’s going on?” Raymond called.

“Computer malfunction. I’m trying to sort it out. Give me a minute.”

There was a pause, though the speaker was still clearly transmitting. “Did you turn it off?” another voice asked.

“Is that Bourne?” Cali asked in shock.

“Yeah, but if I hadn’t. You would’ve just given yourself away.” There was a smack. Cali’s hand flew to her cheek.

“He just fucking backhanded her!”

“What’s going on?” Kyle asked, his face pale.

“The red light’s on, Mackenzie. I’m not stupid.”

“No, you just don’t pay attention. That means it’s charging. It’s been on the whole time. You just didn’t notice. What, you think I’d been stupid enough to even try to leave it on?”

“No-one knows what you’re capable of. And I’m not taking any chances!” There was a shot, and the speaker buzzed and stopped.

“He has a gun…” Martin muttered. “Oh, God.” He looked at Deryck, who looked grief-stricken, but Martin knew he would be too if Phillip was in there, and Stacey was definitely the closest thing Deryck had to a sister. “You okay…?” he asked him in a stage whisper. Deryck nodded.

“We have to get in there,” Olivia decided.

“How? The house in under lock-down, we know he has at least one gun.” Andrea began to state facts. “We can’t.”

“Andy’s right, Liv. It’s gonna take us a month just to work out how to get in there!” Lisa muttered.

“Unless…” Brendan mused, a small smile appearing on his face.