Page 75 of Burn For Me

Her eyes went wide.

“I don’t know, do you know Mathers?” she asked, whispering like we were talking state conspiracies. Her eyes darted around as her tongue slipped between two of her fingers. Before I could have any more inappropriate thoughts about the girl, the other blonde yelled for her.

“Ava! Get back here now! I’m not chasing you all over the city. I have better things to do,” the girl I was pretty sure was Princess yelled, hands on her hips and lips puckered so tight she looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon.

The dragon girl looked over her shoulder and sighed as she pulled her hand out of her mouth with a sucking sound.

“She probably wants spring rolls.” Shrugging, the little blonde turned and skipped off. One of the top ten strangest interactions I’d had in my life, hands down, and I’d fucking lived in an asylum for nine years. Turning, I pulled the hood low over my face and made my slow, deliberate escape.

I’d gotten behind in my timing for the last couple of stops, and it wasn’t until the sun was fully up that I reached my last target. The cops had blocked off a much larger area than I’d anticipated, which caused delays getting to the required locations.

The truck rumbled to a halt down the street from the last target, which happened to be a small house in a low-income subdivision. I stared at the home before realizing that it looked exactly the same as my childhood home. My hands squeezed the steering wheel hard, the leather gloves covering them squeaking in response.

Smack.

The hand had come out of nowhere, cracking me across the face.

“You didn’t cut the grass,” my father yelled. I could feel the eyes of neighbors staring at us, but no one told him to stop. No one came over and offered to help me. Instead, they all looked away as I looked around.

“I’m talking to you, boy.” My father’s hand grabbed my arm, fingers digging deep into my skin. “Answer me.”

“It was too hot all day, dad. It would burn the grass up. I was going to do it once it cooled off,” I said, trying to reason. He shook my arm hard in response.

“Don’t you lie to me. You’re a worthless piece of shit. Can’t even do a simple task.”

My dad raised his hand to smack me again.

“Dad! Look what I got,” Asher called out as he peddled up the sidewalk. A large smile stretched across his face as he held up a football. My father let go of my arm with a shove and smiled at Asher.

“That’s my boy! Where did you find that?”

“Tommy gave it to me. He said that we can join the school team together, and one day, I can join the NFL. His dad is the school’s coach, and I’m a shoo-in if I can throw. I tried a few passes already, and he said I was a natural.” Asher hopped off his bike, which clattered to the ground as he left it behind. If I’d done that, I would’ve gotten a beating.

“Well, at least one of my sons is going to do something with their life.” My father glared at me. “Cut the fucking grass and put your brother’s bike away. I hate clutter on the lawn.” He wrapped his arm around Asher’s shoulders as he listened to him happily talking about trying out for the school team. I watched them walk away and couldn’t help but wonder why I was the child he’d chosen to hate.

I loved my brother, but in that moment, I hated him for having something I’d never experience. Even if it was short-lived, even if it was a fleeting thing, Asher had our father’s love and pride.

Grabbing the last remote, I snarled as I slammed my thumb down on the button. As the house erupted in flames, I turned the truck around and turned on the radio. The song “Flowers on the Wall” was playing. My left foot and hands tapped in time to the catchy song, and as I watched the fire rise into the sky behind me, I smiled.

My only wish was that I hadn’t killed my father so quickly. I would’ve liked to see him scream as he burned.

The smile stretched across my face from the last seventy-two hours of adventure slipped as I turned onto my road. I needed to go see Dora. I hadn’t made sure she didn’t need anything for a week now, and the little knot in my stomach was yelling at me that I was being a pussy for staying away so long. She’d been nothing but kind to me, and I had promised to help out around her property. After everything she’d done, I had to suck up my fear and pride and go see her before I did anything else.

I drew in a deep breath and then smiled as I pulled up beside her white car before jumping out of the truck. The place really was in a stunning spot. I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate it before, but the layout of the large property combined with the small pond, naturally rolling fields, and old bank barn, which still looked new, all added to the mystique of the place. It was as if someone had waved a magic wand and frozen everything in time.

I made it to the front door and took a second deep breath as I readied myself to be greeted with Dora’s grandmotherly concern. Opening the door, I stepped inside, but only silence greeted me. I looked back out the door, and yup, the car was still there.

“Dora? Dora, it’s me, Derek,” I called out. Everything seemed to be in place, yet I couldn’t help feeling like something wasn’t right. “Dora?”

I marched down the hallway toward her bedroom, poking my head into every open doorway along the way. Nothing. I looked into her bedroom—the bed was perfectly made, but she wasn’t in the room.

“Dora,” I called out again into the quiet home as I made my way to the kitchen. Bowls and ingredients were laid out on top of the island like she was in the middle of baking.

My foot faltered as I spotted the hand on the floor.

“No, Dora.” I darted around the island, the pounding in my head forgotten as I took in her still form lying on the floor. Going to my knees, I touched the side of her neck only to find that her body was cold to the touch. I couldn’t find a pulse.

“Dora,” I whispered as I slowly turned the woman over and pulled her into my lap. This little old woman had been the closest thing I’d ever had to a loving mother, and with a howl of pain, the tears came as I realized I was truly alone.