BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Thirty-one

“Go to bed now, sweetie” Velda took the snow globe from her and placed it on the bedside table and then she gently pulled the blanket up to her chest. “Good night” She leaned and placed a kiss on her temple “Love you lots”

“Love you, mum” She whispered back, slumping further into the comfort of her bed.

Velda walked down the stairs and proceeded to get water from the fridge. She placed a glass cup on the table, poured in the chilled water and then she put the jog back into the fridge. She took the glass of water and emptied it before dropping the glass back on the table.

Eventually, she settled into her home office. She jotted down on a piece of paper before sticking it next to a photo that belong to the guy she had met. She let out a slight sigh as she returned to rest on the desk.

It's been some minutes since Milo departed when Devyn arrived at the entrance of Ruin’s room. He stood for a while before extending the door and then leaned against the door frame. He subconsciously pictured Ruin in the room before the clear image of Asteria took over, the memory of her playing with the ruin-board game earlier that day.

Devyn was about to close the door when his cell phone beeped. The alert continued as Devyn took the phone from his pant pocket. His brows rose in an alarmed arch and the muscles in his jaw tensed as his face stricken.

“Milo!” Devyn called him rushing down his stairs, his cell phone placed against his ear. “Get to the detective’s house, now!” He instructed, hurrying through his corridor before he finally opened the door to the garage. And immediately pressed the button for the garage's gate to unfurl.

Hurridly, Devyn climbed onto his spirit GT Sport R motorbike, he slide his head into the helmet in a blink and instantly drove out of the garage, leaving the gate to fall back as he speeded off.

The sound of the window glass crashing caused Velda to slightly startle in her office, she shifted to the window to glimpse the outside and then she immediately went for her drawer. Bringing out her pistol, she carefully moved to the door of her office.

Gradually she came forth and was ambushed from the corner. A hard kick against her back ushered her fully into the living room while her gun fell from her grip.

She reacted quickly, turning to face the three men in her living room. “Leave why you can” Velda warned.

“You think I care, detective?” One holding a chain declared and swung the chain in her direction.

The grappling hook sailed through the air and drifted toward Velda. She quickly dogged it, falling to the couch. The chain goes around, which forces the grappling hook towards her. The sharp points only missed Velda’s face by a centimetre when the hook was again swung in her direction.

Velda moved backwards, closer to the kitchen. She was about to grab a knife when he swung the chain at her, she dogged and pushed the dining table at him and immediately went for the chain, using it to belt around his neck. The male landed a cut on her arm with the blade he pulled out of his boot and used his leg to kick her backwards before she could suppress him more.

Her eyes had only peeked at the cut when another came at her from behind. She struggled to free herself but his grip was hard. She jumped, slamming her foot on the chain guy that was about to attack from the front and then rashly elbowed the one holding her before drawing a blade from his boot, which she used to dive into the heart of the chain man.

She had only pulled the knife from his chest when she was suddenly shot in the arm. Luckily the bullet had brushed past her, releasing some drops of blood. The other man sent a hard punch into her stomach and then he gripped her arm.

Velda groaned in pain letting the weapon drop from her grip. They were done being roughly manhandled by her. He twisted around with her injured arm still in his iron grip and then grappled her over his shoulder. Velda felt hers dislocate as he propelled her over his. She cried out in more pain as she travelled to the rigid floor below. She grasped his back with her good arm, and they both tumble downward. Hitting hard on impact with the unforgiving surface. Static danced before his eyes from the blow, face hurt from her hard pelvis and before he could move, Velda slammed her elbow hard into his throat, he stiffed before falling back onto the hard floor like a corpse.

The other male surged toward her and she rapidly shifted and grabbed the knife from the floor. Sharp pointed pain in his kidneys as she struck repeatedly into him. Foreplay is over now. She wasn't going down without a fight, though yet again she was unexpectedly struck from behind by another, an additional one.

The pain was unbearable. Velda groaned in pain, squeezing her eyes shut as blood dripped from the corner of her head. Trying to ignore the sharp pains of the assault that was just unleashed on her head.

She moved to get hold of the gun that lay by the side of the unconscious body and pulled the trigger on the recent man that had attacked her, only for the pistol to be empty. Instantly she threw the pistol at him before darting for another weapon. Swiftly he dogged the throw and anchored his boot hard against her stomach, and again he sent another strike.

He was about to land another hit on her when she brushed him off and forced her left arm between his legs and beneath him as he tears into her. Her other arm groped around for some part of him to hold onto in the front. All she heard was his fury and contempt. Her hand found purchase on his collar flesh where his neck and shoulder met. Clamping onto it like a vice. Pushing up from him as he struggled to free his flesh from her grasp.

Velda Forced herself into a kneel and raised the man off the soiled floor. Roughly, she forced his spine across her knee and bent him backwards with all the strength she could muster.

He tried to use his legs for leverage, which gave her the opportunity she needed. As he tried to flail his legs in an attempt to free himself. Velda bent him with all her rage, and his spine snapped. A sharp gasp on his lips and then she shoved him off of her to join his companions.

She tiredly dragged herself to a corner before raising to her feet. She exhaled shutting her eyes for a brief second as she felt her head spinning. She used her arm to rob the blood stain off her temple before the sound from the door caused her to turn.

Velda's eyes went wild as she sees the men ushering themselves into her house. She pulled herself back to ready for their attack.

“You’re not bad,” The leading man said stepping forward in a painful slow proud manner, his eyes travelled at the men on the floor. “I might say you're even too good. So, how do we begin this round?”

Velda positioned her blade, her fingers holding it with much vigour and she swallowed, sensing that she might not get out this time around.

“The negotiation is over” The leading male finally said when she gave no response. He turned to one of the men behind “Get her” He demanded and the male brought himself forward, a horrible grin as he began to move towards Velda. Velda again swallowed, her gaze immediately travelling to a corner. She glance to the left to distract him and thrust a fast jab straight ahead to his jaw to confuse him, and then she stepped forward to silently plant the knife in his gut. It was too fast that every move ended in seconds. The victim wasn't even aware he can’t breathe as she allowed him to fall, his eyes going dull as he reached the floor.

Velda had only taken a step away from the fallen enemy when the tiny voice of Asteria sailed from the top. It was painfully clear to Velda that the little of was standing outside her room. Terror instantly stabbed her heart at the thought of what would go next.

“Mummy?” Her distressed voice came again, this time clear to attain.

Their heads lifted to the sound and a mischievous smile turned up on the leading male’s face. “What a nice present,” He told her and Velda shifted to the stairway, ready to defend it at all costs.

“Sweetheart, get into your room and lock the door, now! Fast!”

Velda instructed, her entire focus descending on the men a few steps from her. In a blink, the men charged at her, a single kick sent her back colliding hard with the stairs. She groaned in pain and moved to yank back a male that had passed over her. And her elbow thrust to another’s jaw before an unexpected punch came upon her from behind. She staggered forward and quickly turned, but received another to her stomach.

“You thought you could defeat us, huh?” A male mocked as she struggled to endure the pain. Her left hand curved to her abdomen and back slightly bent. “You can't even defend yourself you piece of s**t”

Rage throbbed in her like a heartbeat and she spat her blood, and then dragged her free arm across her lips in a rough swipe. Another charged at her and before she could do anything to defend herself. Before she could even move, she had been hit again with an unpleasant strike and she came hard upon the floor of her living room. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that she no longer knew where she was— a blade pierced her skin, her head was surely going to burst with pain, and she screamed more loudly than she’d ever screamed in her life— a hush fell as she embraced the pain.

“I need you alive for now” The leader’s voice punctured her now sensitive head. She glanced up at him with her currently blurred vision, her gaze silently travelling to the one moving up the stairs. She coughed, spatting more blood onto the floor, the sole of the man going up the stairs anguishedly echoed in her head.

Mustering the last bit of energy she could conjure. Velda grabbed her blade from the edge of the stairs and rashly sliced through the leading male’s thigh, he groaned and kicked her against her jaw. She rolled meeting the edge of the stairs, she let out a hard cough before she hurried up the stairs. She turned to punch the male coming after her, swinging with a hard left strike and sending him down the stairs.

Like a flash, she moved and roughly crashed against the male who was on the verge of using his body to break the door to Asteria’s room. They both fell to the ground. They rose immediately and the male pulled out a blade from his back. He dodged Velda’s fist and sent his leg into her stomach. Velda reacted quickly, kicking off the blade from his grip before using her body to lift him off of the ground with a grunt, throwing him onto the hard floor.

She rushed to pick up the knife before the unexpected sound of a trigger being pulled echoed throughout the space, a reverberating bang. Velda fell to her knees in shock as she clutched at her bleeding chest, the knife clattering to the floor.