Payback
by Victor Thomas
Chapter 2
The second I stepped through the front door of my house, my mom greeted me with a warm hug and a kiss on my right cheek. There was a concerned look on her face and her eyes seemed tired and sleepy.
"Scott? Where did you go?"
I took a deep breath. All I wanted to do was go to my room and plot my revenge.
"I went for a walk, mom."
She quickly scanned my face with her hands, wiping my tears away.
"But you had me so worried," she said.
"I'm fine, mom," I told her. "I simply wanted to walk and gather my thoughts."
Slowly and gently, she combed my hair with her hands.
"I know, but after that call and what Ms. Fowler said…"
My blood boiled in a matter of seconds.
"Don't remind me, mom. Please."
"I'm sorry, dear," she said. "Maybe you need to go ahead and go out to your Aunt Sandra's and stay…"
Three weeks ago, I had been looking forward to visiting Blackford and staying with my aunt, but not any longer.
"No, mom. I want to stay here and mourn Brian. I'll be fine. I just need time to heal from all this."
She smiled weakly.
"Just remember, we're here for you, dear," she said.
Now they were here for me! If my parents had been there for me from the beginning, none of this would have ever happened. Now it was too late.
I shook my head, headed to my room and left her standing there alone and silent.
"I just want to be left alone, mom. Please."
As soon as I stepped into my room, l locked the door and ran to my computer, turning it on. I waited patiently while the computer dialed up the internet and connected, a sometimes slow and tedious process.
I needed a foolproof plan in order to achieve what I had sworn on Brian's grave a few minutes ago. I clicked on a few websites and found an article that intrigued me. It was how to carry out a perfectly planned murder. A smile of satisfaction slowly adorned my face. I was now one step closer to achieving my objective and becoming the exception among the crowd. I wasn't going to be the victim anymore. I was going to be the victor. Brian's blood was plastered all over their hands and soon their blood would be on mine. Only then would him and me be together until the end of time.
I spent two hours reading article after article, taking down notes on what I needed to do. First, I needed a place where I could carry out my heinous acts without getting caught. But where? Where could I kill someone and get away with it? In what part of Chouteau could I do such a thing? In a second, my mind clicked. How could I have been so stupid? I knew exactly where.
There was an old abandoned barn a few miles south of town, just over the state line, in a remote and secluded area. It was near the Summer's farm, and according to Mark, had been abandoned for close to thirty years. It was the perfect spot to carry out my plan.
Now that I had a location, I could carefully plan out my every move. I went to my Facebook account and logged on. Ashton and his friends hadn't bothered to unfriend me when all this had started, so I figured I could check that out first.
I went to Ashton's account and saw a few hateful posts against gay people. Of course, his faithful posse were the only ones commenting on them. What else would you expect from them? I took another hour going through their profiles and found out several key pieces of information from them.
The four of them were planning a camping and fishing trip this weekend, where there would no doubt be plenty of beer and who knew what else. Perfect! I took a deep breath, thinking. My mind clicked again as a smirk developed on my face. Now, I had a plan.
I began to write down the things I would need. First of all, I didn't want to get caught. That was very critical for my plan to work. If I got caught the first time I wouldn't be able to fulfill my promise to Brian. I had to strike instantly until I completed my objective. I tore the paper from my notepad and ran to my closet, where I found a small plastic container full of money. I had been saving part of my allowance for several years, but now was the time to use it. They had taken my boyfriend away, and soon they were going to pay.
I opened the container and emptied it on my bed. One by one, I began counting the bills. I counted over eight hundred dollars in my hands. That was more than enough to get the things I needed. In a matter of time, I was going to avenge Brian's death.
I then ran out of my bedroom and headed straight for the front door. All of a sudden, mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
I took a deep breath and smiled at her. I needed to appear happy so my parents would leave me alone. I needed to stop their constant monitoring of me.
"I'm going for a drive out to Mark's house, mom," I said. "I'll be back in a little while."
She had a look of concern on her face.
I wrapped my arms around her. She welcomed my embrace with a tender hug.
I'll be fine, mom. I'm going to get over this and move on to better things. You'll see. If I continue feeling better, I might go back to school on Monday."
"That's great, honey," she smiled. "Your father will be home at five. Try and get back before he does."
"I will, mom. I'm just going out to Mark's for a while. I won't be gone long." I released her and walked to the door, opening it. "See you later."
With that, I closed the door and ran out to my car, before she had any more time to stop me from fulfilling my destiny. I was going to do it. I was going to avenge Brian's death. There was no turning back now. I climbed into the car and floored the gas, heading toward Lowe's in Joplin.
Ashton and his friends took Brian away. They stole my one and only chance at happiness. But I was going to get even. I was going to kill them in the most painful and miserable way anyone could endure. Soon, their blood would be on my hands.
I arrived at the store about forty-five minutes later and headed straight for the entrance. Once inside, I began to look for the things I needed to carry out my plan. I found everything under one roof, which is the reason I picked Lowe's to begin with. As soon as I picked up the last item on my list, I walked up to the counter to pay. I had everything ready.
"You ready to pay, young man?" the man at the register asked.
I nodded.
"Yes," I said. "Good afternoon by the way."
"Good afternoon to you too, young man." He began scanning my items. "You going hunting or something?"
"As a matter of fact, I am," I said. "Me and some friends are going to spend the weekend camping and fishing. And I might be doing a little hunting as well."
"That's great to know," he said. "Kids these days don't like hunting, fishing and those sorts of things. All they want to do now is stay home and mess with their computers."
I laughed.
"I used to be one of them," I said. "But now, I'm going hunting this weekend."
"That's great, young man," he said, grinning at me. "That will be $146.98.
I smiled and paid him.
"Thank you, Sir, and have a nice day."
"You to, and have fun this weekend," he said.
I intend to, I thought.
I took my items and ran out of the store, throwing them in the trunk. I had accomplished the first thing on my list and now I needed to move on to the next one, the old abandoned barn. I climbed into the car and headed toward home.
Once I arrived back in Chouteau, I turned south toward the state line. I turned right on the state line road, and drove west for about two miles, then turned back south again into Oklahoma. I was only about three miles from the Summer's farm. I soon came to an old, rough path toward an old abandoned barn. Soon, the pathway led to a smaller one. I drove for another minute until the old barn appeared from behind a large cluster of trees.
I parked near the entrance and looked around. It was completely secluded from the outside world. Stepping out of the car, I took a deep breath. Yes, this was the perfect spot to carry out my acts. I ran to the trunk and retrieved the items I'd just purchased. Slowly, I walked toward the main entrance. I pushed one of the doors open and stepped inside. A large and thick wooden table stood in the middle of the room with four small stalls to the right side of the building. I dropped the things on top of the table.
I then walked over to one of the stalls to check them out. This would be the perfect place to hide some of the stuff I had bought.
I then walked back over to the table and started filling the kerosene lanterns. Strategically, I set them all over the small room. I knew I would need them for nightfall. I took a few cans of kerosene and hid them away inside one of the stalls, along with two cans of gasoline, and a bundle of rope.
Only a hunting mask, a pair of gloves and a black camo suit were left inside the large bag on the table. I had to take those items home with me.
I strolled to the back of the room and looked around on the floor until I found a ring. By pulling hard on it, I lifted the small opening to the cellar. It was dark and perfect. I closed the door again. Now everything was set. I walked back to the table and picked up the things that I needed to take home. A smile of satisfaction spread on my face as I neared the door.
"I'm going to do it, babe," I said. "They won't get away with it, I promise.
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