Powerless (Book 1): Powerless (41 page)

Lee
did
this
with
relative
ease
and
went
home
to
wait
and
see
what
would
come
of
his
article.

Going
to
sleep
that
night,
he
expectantly
awaited
the
early
edition
of
the
paper
to
reach
him
by
7am.
However,
at
4am
Lee
heard
a
loud
bang
on
the
door
and
went
to
see
what
it
was.

Opening
the
door
and
peering
outside,
his
eyes
searched
the
area
for
signs
of
life,
there
were
none
to
be
seen
anywhere.
Looking
down
he
saw
a
copy
of
the
post
with
a
note
attached
to
it.
Lifting
the
paper,
bemused
that
it
was
there
over
three
hours
before
it
was
due,
he slipped
off
the
band
that
held
the
paper
folded
and
kept
the
note
from
falling
away.
At first
glance the
note
was
just
a
page
folded
in
half.
He
unfolded
it,
looking
to
see
what
it
said.

It
only
had
one
word
written
on
it.

“RUN!”

Startled
by
this,
he turned
his
eyes
to
the
paper
gripped
underneath
the
note.
He quickly
read
the
lead
article
headline
and
to
his
surprise
it
was
not
that
article
he
had
written,
but
rather
it
read,
“Local
man
wanted
for
questioning
over
disappearing
soldier
and
in
relation
to
the
death
of
brother.”
and
under
the
headline
there
was
a
picture
of
Lee.

A
gut
wrenching
feeling
of
panic
set
in
Lee.
Turning
to
go
back
into
the
house
to
wake
Jennifer,
he
hesitated,
thinking
there
was
only
a
small
window
to
get
to
safety.
He considered that
if
he
told
Jennifer
where
he
was,
he
would
make
her
an
accessory
to
any
crime
they
were
going
to
pin
on
him.

Lifting
his
keys
he
drove
off
into
the
early
morning. Driving
straight
to
the
cabin,
it
only
took
him
a
short
time
to
get
there.
When
there
it
was
his
intention
to
lay
low
and
see
how
things
would
unfold
over
the
coming
days
. He drove
up
the
lane
to
the
cabin,
parking
his
car
and
walking
to
enter
the
house.

Turning
his
key
in
the
door
his
entire
body
palpitated
with
tremendous
force
as
the
door
was
blown
out
from
the
inside.

Such
was
the
force
that
it
sent
Lee
flying
back
off
the
porch
to
land
hard
on
the
ground.
Lee,
in
pain
and
shocked
by
the
force
with
which
he
was
hit,
looked
up
at
the
house
and
saw
a
menacing
and
haunting
figure
appear
from
the
darkness
within.

Lee
was gripped with fear, unsure of who or what was there and waited for the figure to manifest
. It
was
not
the
first
time
he
saw
a
menacing
figure
appear
from
darkness
and
as
he stepped
out
into
the
dawn’s
dark
haze,
the
shadows
on
his
face
fell
away.
Lee
once
again
faced
the
man
in
the
mask,
the
man
who
scarred
his
face
and
took
his
brother
away
from
him.

McKay
had
survived
the
gunshot
and
subsequent
fall.
Stepping
out
he
slowly
approached
Lee.
He was
still
rattled
from
the
blow
he
sustained and
could
only
ask,
“How
did
you
survive?
How
did
you
find
this
place?”

“That
is
the
least
of
your
worries…”

As
Lee
heard
these
words,
the
realisation
of
what
was
about
to
happen
hit
him.
McKay
was
there
to
kill
Lee.

McKay
spat,
“You
know
there
was
no
one
to
link
you
to
any
of
this
and
you
could
have
gotten
away
unknown?
But
no!
You
had
to
try
and
expose
everything.
You
had
to
push
your
luck
and
write
the
article.
Did
you
not
think
we
would
see
it
before
anyone
else
could?
Did
you
not
think
we
would
know
where
to
look
for
you?
I
am
glad
I
found
you
here,
it
saves
me
visiting
your
home
and
making
a
martyr
of
that
lovely
lady
you
live
with.
Would
be
a
shame
if
anything
were
to
happen
to
her,
off
course
if
anything
did,
people
would
think
is
was
you
that
did
it
in
an
angry
rage! I couldn’t protect my men because of your brother and now you won’t be able to protect her, in the same way you couldn’t save him.”
He delivered
these
words
threateningly
as
Lee
got
to
his
feet.

Lee stood, paralysed with fear; he was face to face with the man that ripped his brother from his world. He turned his face so McKay couldn’t see the scar he had left there. Lee knew that there was no way he could defeat McKay again as the last time they met only the intervention of Philip had helped Lee to survive. Panic set in and fear pumped through his body, he began to shake.