A Debt Repaid

The orange glow reflecting off the walls of the small room cast back upon the four of us sitting at the table. The man sitting at the head of the table, who is clearly the host, calls for the butler to bring in the drinks. The butler, a rather odd figure, walks in with a silver tea kettle resting on a platter. Each of us have a small ceramic cups in front of us that the butler fills carefully.

"So, who would like to go first?" asked the host. The room is quiet as the muffled cries bleed through the tape gagging us. "I say the child should go first." He points in my direction. Before I have time to react I feel the tape get ripped from my mouth and hands holding my head back, prying at my mouth to keep it open. The hot tea pours into my mouth and I collapse onto the floor. The sounds of muffled cries become louder.

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It is December 31, and the new year is here. My mother, my father, and I leave the house around 4:30 am to meet up with some family for lunch. We get into my father's red sedan and we pull out of the driveway. I haven't seen my uncle and grandparents since Fourth of July. They live out of state and we can only make the trip when my father doesn't have work.

It took us around seven hours to arrive at my grandparents house. The smell of warm tea and ham filled the room as we entered.

"Welcome!" cried my grandmother. She rushed over and gave me a huge hug. "It isn't often I get to see my babies. Say you are almost fifteen now aren't you?" I nod. "Almost done with my first year of high school" I reply.

We all gather around the table when my uncle rushes in. "Sorry I'm late mom I just had some things I had to do before I could leave, you know with moving out of my house and all.""Aw can't you get one of your workers to do that for you, you were always big on money" my grandfather laughed. "Don't worry I got that handled, say Mikey how's school treating you?""Not bad, although algebra is really confusing to grasp for me" I reply. "Oh don't worry about that, I remember your father's first year, always slacking off and getting whoopings from your grandmother when he got home" everyone but my father laughed. My father hated his brother ever since he got caught stealing hundreds of dollars from us.

"Say John," he looks to my father "It's been awhile since my little 'incident' after we are done here I'd like you to come over to my place, there is something I feel the need to give you."

We eat lunch around 1 pm and spend another few hours talking and catching up. Once 3:30 rolls around my father decides its time to go since he needs to be at work early tomorrow. Even though we couldn't stay long I was grateful that I got to see my grandparents again. We got back in our car after saying goodbyes and my father followed my uncle to his house. We weren't planning on staying long just enough to see what his brother needed to give him.

We pulled over to an old parking lot and my uncle comes up to the window. "I forgot my phone at mom's house, mind if I run back and get it, should be about ten minutes tops?" he asks my father. My father agrees, although you could tell he was annoyed. my uncle pulled around and headed back to my grandparents home. We stayed in the parking lot and my parents got into an argument.

"Why do we need to wait for him, what has he ever done for us?" asked my dad. "Listen dear, maybe your brother is just trying to do something nice, yeah he stole from us but that was four years ago.""Four years ago? My brother was a pain my whole life, he's never cared about anyone but himself.""Maybe just give him a chance, you never know--" my mother paused as a black van pulled into the parking lot we were in. We all watched cautiously as it pulled up next to our car. It was close enough that my mother could not open her door. My father got out and walked over to their van.

Two guys with hoods and masks got out and one had a gun, the other had a crowbar. Before my father could react the guy bashed him in the stomach with the crowbar. The other guy pointed the gun at us and ordered us out of the car. My mother crying told me to do as they say. We slowly got out and they put bags over our heads. My father kept yelling and we couldn't see what happened but we heard a loud thud as my mother's cries grew louder. They stuffed us into the back of the van and we couldn't hear my father anymore. The van stirred off as we bounced around in the back. One guy was tying my arms behind me and I assume my parents too.

After about what felt like two hours of driving, the van finally stopped and we were ordered out of the back. I was crying and my mother was trying to talk to my father who was still unresponsive. They took us into a building and sat us down. Just then we heard a deep voice. "Ah, our guests have arrived" he announced. Our bags were taken off of our heads and they placed tape over our mouths gagging us. We could see my father had a huge blood stain on the side of his head. They must have hit him hard.

The man that announced us was wearing a mask, similar to those of the other thugs. He got up and lit a candle. The flame cast an orange glow on the walls and all of us. He ordered for someone to bring in the tea and the butler poured the tea into each of our cups. "So, who would like to go first?" the crying of my mother and I must have woken my father up as his eyes opened and he looked around panicked. "I say the child should go first." Hands rip the tape from my mouth and hold my mouth open as hot tea fills my mouth. I collapse to the ground and feel the slightly sour tea go down my throat.

I hear the sound of tape being ripped off of my mother as she cries out my name. "Micheal!" I lay there coughing and gagging on the floor. I hear her scream as they supposedly do the same to her that they did to me. Next I hear my father's tape being removed. I cried but stopped once I heard the words leave his mouth. In a calm manner he said, "C'mon, you didn't have to hit me so hard.""My apologies Mr. Terrin" a voice said. "So is the plan done? Our parents?""Yes brother, and as for the money I owe you, I think their life insurance should suffice."

I layed there crying wondering why I was still alive unlike my mother. "On second thought," the host says. "What is it?" asks my father. "What? Wait wait wait wai- NO!--" A loud gunshot cuts him off. Then another. I hear sirens as the two men behind me scurry to leave the house.

Three days later and I am in an orphanage. The police said as far as it seemed, two criminals kidnapped my mom, my dad, my brother, and I, poisoned my mother, shot my dad and uncle, and were probably planning on killing me too before they showed up. They also told me that my grandparents were found dead. Shot with the same revolver as my dad and uncle. As for the two that did it, they still haven't found them. But I know the truth, and I can still hear the cries of my mother, who saw her son die and never found out anything else.

It has been 7 years since then and I still don't know what fully happened or why I didn't die. I never had any trace of poison and I was left our families wealth. I don't know if my uncle planned to leave me alive or if it was a huge mistake I walked out alive. All I know is I don't have any family anymore, and everytime I see a black van I get terrified that it's those guys coming to finish the job.