The Starling Vigilante [Watty's 2015 Award Winner]

Chapter 66

Sara turned round to Hendrick, who had terror in his face, his eyes wide with fear instead of that everlasting anger he usually had. If we handed over Hendrick, he would just be in place of Oliver's death. It was wrong to trade lives like this.

'Did you hear me?' Slade demanded after a long silence.

'I heard you,' Sara replied bravely. 'Hendrick's not here.'

Hendrick nodded his head at Sara in thanks as she closed her eyes in hope that Slade believed her.

'There's someone I'd like you to say hello to,' Slade said darkly.

From the radio came heavy breathing, the person clearly in pain.

Oliver.

'Don't give him anything, Sara,' Oliver said breathlessly.

'Ollie!' Sara exclaimed, trying to hold herself back from saying anything stupid.

'One last chance,' Slade repeated. 'Oliver for Hendrick.'

I could see the panic in Sara's eyes. She didn't know what to do.

'I told you,' Sara sniffled. 'Look, Hendrick, he didn't make it to the island, he drowned.'

I felt like the conversation was just going downhill, Sara not being able to persuade Slade to let Oliver go. Someone had to die.

'I think,' Slade said. 'It was only a year ago you were a little college girl, fretting about boys.'

'Don't listen to him,' I said quietly but angrily.

'Aria, I see you've joined the party,' Slade jeered, making me even more annoyed at him.

'What's your point?' Sara demanded, frustrated at Slade.

'You're not a good liar,' Slade remarked.

From the radio came an electrical spark, followed by Oliver's screams.

'Oliver!' I yelped.

'Slade!' Sara cried, emotional pained. 'Stop! Please! Look, he's your friend!'

The faces of Hendrick, Peter, Anatoly and the other escapees suggested they also felt pain for Oliver, but felt helpless themselves.

'That is the sound of electricity surging through my friend.' Slade said angrily. 'Five milliamps to be exact. Seven causes cardiac arrest.'

Another scream came from Oliver, making me cry even more. I couldn't take it.

'I swear, if you-' I shouted.

'You'll do what?' Slade interrupted me. 'Oliver just passed out with six milliamps. He'll be delivered with a fatal blow of seven in one hour if a Hendrick is not here standing by my side!'

Hendrick couldn't go. If he did, he was dead. But if Hendrick didn't go, Oliver would die.

'There's no way in hell I'm going back there,' Hendrick growled, pointing his gun at Sara and looking at me for support.

But I was both their friends. I was torn. And we had an impossible decision to make.

'It doesn't have to be this way,' I said. 'You don't have to die! We can find another way!'

'But I do, don't I?' Hendrick said worriedly, shaking the gun. 'There's no other way for precious 'Ollie' to live, is there? Is there?'

Hendrick steadied his gun and pointed it at me in anger of the inevitable. I immediately flinched at the closeness of the gun to my head and slightly stepped back.

'Hendrick, please, put the gun down!' Peter said, trying to be reasonable with him.

Hendrick just moved onto Peter, pointing the gun at him. He stepped back like I did, but putting his hands up.

'Why, so you can send me back to that hellhole?' Hendrick asked. 'I don't think so!'

Hendrick was seriously scary when he held a steel killing machine in his hand.

'That's not for any of us to decide who lives and dies,' Peter said, backing up my point.

Instead of saying anything in response, Hendrick just kept waving the gun at all of us while we held our hands up on surrender.

'In Hendrick's case I'd be willing to make an exception,' Anatoly commented.

Now was not the time for Anatoly's jokes.

'I'm leaving,' Hendrick quickly said, pointing the gun now at Anatoly. 'Don't stop me.'

'You're good at talking,' Anatoly said, wide eyed. 'But you will not kill me.'

Stupid Anatoly. He really knew how to wind up an angry man.

'Let's find out,' Hendrick said madly, moving the gun up to Anatoly's head.

'Stop!' I yelled. 'Don't do this, Hendrick! We all need to stick together if you want to live!'

'I've got this,' Sara whispered, taking an old pipe from behind her.

As Hendrick pulled the trigger, Sara hit him over the head with the pipe to stop him.

'Thank you,' Anatoly nodded after a while to take a breather. 'I wouldn't be much use dead, eh? But now, what are we going to do with him?'

We all looked down at Hendrick's limp and peaceful body, all his worries drained from his face as he slept.

'I don't know,' I shook my head. 'But what I do know I that we do need to rescue Oliver.'