Chapter 1 LET IT RAIN
CHAPTER ONE
LET IT RAIN
I was completely covered in shadow, blood, and exhaustion as I stumbled towards what used to be the front door. Now it was cracked down the middle and hanging off the hinges from the violence that took place here tonight. The house reeked of burnt flesh and death and I needed to get outside and into the night air before I passed out from the stench. It was a little difficult opening the damaged door, and the scraping sound it made while I attempted to pull it open sent a dark and hallowed sound throughout the house. As I opened the door the cool air from outside rushed in, attempting to sweep away the gloom and smells of the horrible happenings that occurred here. But I knew it would take much more than the cool night air to cleanse the filth that lay throughout the halls of this Spaniard estate.
Stepping outside, the downpour greeted me with a thunderous round of applause as it washed over everything in the darkness around me. I imagined myself on the stage of a large amphitheater covered in blood and shame with judging eyes staring straight through me.
Take a bow you sick bastard. You’ve outdone yourself tonight.
I made a mental note that once my brother arrived I would submit myself to the rain; letting it wash away all the blood and filth that covered my body. I knew I would never forget this night but I was hoping the rain would help me to forgive. I sat down on the front step leading into the house and just stared out into the unknown darkness in front of me. It’s been over an hour since I spoke to Manny on the phone and no one has shown up yet.
Where were they? With everything’s that’s happened how could they take so long to get here? I may not be a military genius but it just didn’t make sense and I wondered if the Navy decided to lighten their requirements for promoting leaders in their ranks? Manny was too impulsive and incompetent to be allowed to lead anyone. But again I’m no military genius, so what the hell did I know?
I wondered about the lasting affect this night would have and what Karma had in store for me after what I’d just done. I promised myself I was done killing, but tonight I was more brutal than I anticipated; driven mad by revenge and by the time my rage was satisfied I’d sent multiple souls to the afterlife.
After another thirty minutes or so I started to hear the footsteps and vehicles of my brother’s team approaching the house. Before long they had the entire area lit up and began searching around the estate. They would periodically yell “Clear!” after they felt an area was secured. I chuckled to myself because I knew I was the reason for so much death here tonight and they all knew what I was capable of. So how could they feel secure anywhere around this house while I still drew breath?
Oh, here comes Manny now, this should be interesting.
“Aiden, what happened here?”
I wanted to answer him, but why should I? He left our family with guards so clueless they couldn’t stop a kitten with a tank. He should’ve been here; the mighty, highly decorated eldest son. But he decided to give the responsibility of protecting his family to someone else and when death came knocking they let me in. And now he’s concerned and wants to know what happened?
“Aiden, I’m talking to you! Where are Mom, Sarah, and our grandparents?”
“They’re inside,” I answered rolling my eyes.
“Are they okay? Are they alive?”
“Go inside and see for yourself, Manny.”
Manny sighed while looking at the two men on either side of him and gestured for them to move inside the house. Manny knelt down in front of me looking in my eyes trying to read me.
“Aiden, how many are there inside? How many are dead?”
The question sparked a feeling of pain and anguish inside of me as I began to count the number of victims who lost their lives here tonight. All because of what I am.
“Seven, including an eleven-year-old boy,” I answered, looking Manny in the eyes with the look of a madman ready to snap again.
Manny almost fell back on his ass at the revelation that a child lay dead inside our grandparents’ home.
“Who was he?”
“Who?”
“The boy Aiden, the eleven-year-old boy.”
“Jason’s son, he was Jason’s only son.”
“What’s his name?”
“He was already dying before I was able to play nice and get that info from him,” I replied looking upward towards the dark and flashing night sky. Manny became annoyed realizing he wasn’t going to get any more answers out of me; so he decided to go inside the house and leave me outside by myself.
On this night at the age of seventeen, seven people lay dead inside our grandparents home and among them an eleven-year-old boy; whose father I’d once loved as a father. But this wasn’t the first time I’ve killed someone and I can tell you now, it wasn’t the last. Actually, thinking back on my life and tallying up the body count I’d accumulated, I have to admit that compared to what I’ve done after that night…it was a pretty lack luster performance for me. But during the initial stages of my life being turned upside down; this was a world-changing experience. I often wondered how did it ever come to this, what drove me to such lengths? As morbid as this scene is I can expect my answer would be even more absurd…it was love. Love drove me to do these terrible things and by the time I could pause and reflect, I wasn’t sure if I would have done things differently if given a second chance.
I was lost and nothing made sense. What I wanted to be seemed worlds away and who I used to be was being torn away with every life I took; leaving behind an empty shell. So it came as no surprise that the old Aiden also died that night and all I wanted to do was wash away whatever was left of the old me.
The storm began to intensify around me seemingly inviting me to join its violent bombardment of the Spanish coastal landscape. Welcoming me into is wet and cool embrace. I was done fighting the darkness that was growing inside of me. It was time to accept who and what I was now and stop trying to resurrect an already lost soul. With each passing second the storm seemed to entice me further to step out from under the protection of the front porch to dance in the wind and rain.
Ok, let’s dance.
Inhaling deeply I wiped away the remaining blood from my hands, slowly stood up, and began walking in the rain…
