MARTIN

Shoot.

A series of loud gunshots were heard throughout the basement. I turned out of the room but I could hear the faint crying of the girls' voice, two young girls were sobbing, I could feel the tremor in their voices as they countlessly begged.

Nothing else could be seen but the single light from above the room, the gaudy round moon and the vivid surroundings of the whole basement. While they were both crying, the men made fun of them, played with the gun and threatened them by firing it straight to their head.

"Martin..."

Shoot.

My blood was heating up, my vision was darkening as one of the men cut their hair until it was short and only reached up to their shoulders. They kicked the little poor girl, while another crawled away but they tugged her leg and tied her to the chair.

"No, please! W-we are begging you, please let us go."

"Do you think it's silly of us to do that? As long as we don't get paid, we won't let you go, and we will make you suffer even more."

After that word, an armed man gave a strong blow to the stomach of a girl with a long blonde hair. She suddenly started crying, he let go of the poor child causing her head and body to hit the cold, hard and crusty floor.

"Don't hurt her!"

My eyes opened vast when I saw another girl. She rushed at the man but they quickly hit her on the head with a gun. My sweat dripped more, my fist shook and I almost lost myself from the incident I perceived.

"M-Mariana..."

Shoot.

My eyes opened wide, wrath and hatred filled my sight when I saw them pointing a gun at Mariana. On the side was Mariana's friend who was almost unconscious, her head bleeding and there was a cut on her thigh.

"If they cannot give us what we ask for, we will take your life back from them."

"Martin..."

I could do nothing but closed my eyes firmly. A sound of gunfire echoed all around, everyone lounged. My own eyes saw the blood coming out of her, the crawling of her red liquid on the feet of the men, the collapse of her hands and the closing of her eyes.

Shoot.

"You'll pay, you all will pay."

Shoot.

"Martin!"

It was the last time I fired the gun to the last target, someone called my name out loud. It hit the heart side and almost destroyed the clothes of the stand.

"What the fuck?! You don't need to shout!" I irritatedly threw the gun.

I grudgingly removed the goggles and the earmuffs that were attached to me. I looked at the target stands. There were almost fifteen marks and I ruined it all, in great annoyance and anger, I destroyed them, almost even hitting a plant in the back.

I turned to Michael and handed him the gloves I had taken off. I was perspiring, I could feel the heat in my neck but I didn't try to remove the black leather jacket I was wearing, the man followed me.

"Martin! I called you earlier, and you seems busy. The group is in trouble right now."

"What else is new, bastard. Get out of my way."

I pushed him, but not that hard. I sat on a stool and drank the cold water, I swallowed a few times to quench the thirst I was feeling. I held my head and looked at the clock. Fifteen fucking more minutes before going to the meeting.

"Are you even listening to me? When you don't work out that solution, your dad will definitely get angry. Additionally, your business, the board members are in a commotion. Mrs. Acosta was looking for you."

"Call Bernardo, I'm not going to the meeting."

"What?! You can't do that!"

I stared at him wickedly and there, I saw how stunned he was. I lifted my right foot and placed it on my left, I rested myself by sitting.

"Get out."

"No," he lowered the gloves. "The group needs you, Martin."

"I said I won't come, right? Now stop being a nuisance and let me rest."

"You've been resting for one week--" I pointed the gun at him.

My eyes showed no reaction as I scanned his whole. Why can't I get him to leave? We've been together for almost a years, he always bothers me but I still can't get rid of him. Is that what sixteen years of friendship does?

"If you don't want to go there, then I'll do it. I will just call Bernardo, he would take care of the group, and I'll take care the business."

My brows elevated.

"Very good, now get lost."

Michael sighed and came out. He closed the door and left me not knowing what to do, I covered my face with my hand and looked up. I still can't get out of the incident I saw earlier-- no, I didn't saw it, it was just a memory.

Damn it! It's been nine years, and until now, Mariana's soul still does not make me quite.

"Come on, Mariana. Rest," I whispered while staying at my position.

I moved up and draw near a table, picked up the phone and instantly dialed Doctor Gonzalez's number.

Less than a few minutes later, he answered the call, I preceded him in speaking.

"I need psychological therapy, three pm. Don't be late or I'll fire you."

I said nothing else and immediately cut the line. I groped the edge of the table, bent down, blinked fixedly and bit my lower lip. Things that happened back then that I shouldn’t remember, continued to flash through my mind.

I should not remember those incidents that happened nine years ago. Because the memories just causing me a dread and trepidation, anger and the resentment they caused me. I killed them and I will never apologize, I'll never apologize for them to forgive me.   That was the compensation for what they did to Mariana.

I will never fall on one's knees, I will never implore, I will never apologize.

Because God knows how much I suffered. God witnessed how they tortured me, how I tortured myself.

"Martin!"

"Didn't I tell you to leave?!"

Michael intersected me with a familiar reaction. His face was pasty, even before he spoke, I knew he had something to say that I would not like. A bad news, I see.

"Martin..."

"You keep calling my name a few times, spill the tea."

He took a deep sigh.

"Your car, I mean the bag, where the newly delivered guns were hidden... it was stolen."

"What did you say?"

Michael countlessly took a deep breath.

"The guards left the car to eat for a while, but when they returned, the rear window of the car was broken. The thieves also broke its mirror side, a-and they found out that there was a missing bag--"

"Thieves?" My lips quirked up.

You've got to be kidding me.

"Y-yes, Eyewitnesses said there were three of them two women and a man. The man escaped with the woman with short hair, but the other one--. Our personnel are still chasing her, Bernardo said he knew the woman. It was probably--"

"Santoro?" I asked with my crumpled face.

He did not utter any word.

And silence means yes.

I was holding my head. I took the bottle and threw it with an able bodied force, the glass broke and the crystals bounced but I didn't care anymore. My whole face was Judas colored with anger, my head was hurting because of that woman.

"Yes, I just know that they thought it was money, but Martin, the contents of that bag were guns. We cannot lose what is most important to us."

"Tell those idiots to chase her until they caught that woman, I'll kill them if they failed."

I rubbed my forehead and took a deep breath. The orphan has abandoned her since she ran away, they get tired of her. I can't be wrong. The one who stole the bag was Lilian Santoro, she was known all over the place for stealing, she was once caught by the police but she was still a minor back then.

They did not even tried to bring her back to the orphan, they didn't like her.

How old is she now?

Nineteen?

"She didn’t have enough food, sometimes helped fish with fishermen, slept on the sidewalk, always steal foods and supplies. Do you think it's time to take her back to the orphanage--"

"She won't come back. She deserves it. And besides, she's already a grown ass woman. They won't accept her anymore."

After taking her to the orphanage, she always begged to be removed from there, crying and kneeling, that she wanted to go home with her parents without knowing that they were gone. Even though she was wishing me to do that, I didn’t allow her.

I hate her so much.

I hate her so damn much that I am wanting to make her kneel for me.

"Martin, Bernardo called. They already got her."

I turned to him, he was startled to see the strange in my eyes. My lips jerked up, I sat down again and calmly picked up my phone.

"Send them the car, cover her eyes and tie that sheep's hands."

"What? What are you planning to do?"

I held my bottom lip focusing at her stolen photos that I had long commanded to my staffs.

"Bring her to me."