Charlie had won her father's approval and that's all she need as she kept her next plan hidden behind her poker face.
Her father held her hand as he lead her down the hallway, without looking down Charlie noticed the blood droplets from the bathroom.
She was thankful those still hadn't been removed, she watched as they followed the trail of dried blood down the hallway.
He stopped where the blood stopped, at the door where she had killed eight people.
Charlie looked at the open door, she noticed the floor hadn't been clean of blood.
Her father had a plan, she could sense it, but she had to figure out what his plan was for her to get free.
"Take pride" He kept hold of her hand.
Charlie lingered her gaze on the dried blood around the room.
"You did this."
She kept her breathing steady.
"Eight people in less than thirty minutes."
She felt robotic as she stared at the blood stains.
"Can you hear their screams?"
Charlie couldn't.
"Did they groan in pain?"
Charlie wasn't sure.
"Did they speak to you?"
Charlie knew they didn't.
"You spoke to them." He lingered his gaze on the side profile of her face.
"I said hello." She kept her gaze in the room.
"Why?"
Charlie thought for a moment "He needed to know he couldn't kill me."
"Why?"
Charlie thought for a moment.
"Why, Charlotte."
"Because." She beamed with pride as she slowly turned her head to her father "I know how to survive."
"No."
The pride quickly vanished from Charlie's body language.
"Because you knew it had to be him or you."
"I survived."
"No."
Charlie didn't understand.
"You killed eight people. None of them deserved to die."
Charlie remained quiet.
"They weren't the target."
Charlie didn't understand.
"You killed eight people but who walked out?"
"I did."
"No." He kept his demeanour calm "Who walked out?"
"I did."
"No. Think."
Charlie thought as she failed to understand what he meant.
"The lies you told yourself, the lies you told about me. The lies you told about yourself. Who walked out?"
"You did."
He felt his lower jaw tighten.
"You walked out. You closed that door and left me to fight. You opened that door and dragged me out."
He didn't respond.
"You. You always walk out. You don't hesitate when you walk out."
He softened his jaw line "Charlotte walked out of that room."
Charlie didn't respond.
"Charlie didn't. Charlotte walked out."
Charlie stared back at the blood in the room.
"Charlotte showed what she was capable off. Charlie wasn't taught any of that. Charlotte, you walked out of that room."
Charlie felt her eyes well up.
"Charlotte. Survived. She knows how to survive. Charlie. She only knows how to run."
Charlie let a breath of relief push through her lips.
YOU ARE READING
In Our Blood
Mystery / ThrillerCharlie has spent most of her young life running from the man that trained her to be a killer; her father, who had spent years breaking her down. She thought she was safe, she thought she had found her freedom until she wakes up one day in a hospita...
