Chapter 10: Facing the Madman

Stacy has busied herself in the warehouse all of yesterday. She tested weapons and new devices. At the end of the day, she came up with a list of parts they’ll need.

It’s noon and nobody was in the clubhouse. Everyone busied themselves with tasks around the territory.

Chad has left to meet with the dealer. She definitely hoped that everything they planned would go accordingly. She remembered the old times when Hank had faced challenges and failed. He would go frenzy and those around him would face the consequences. She was one of those who was burned by his anger. Unnecessary punishments and torture was his way of letting out steam.

If the plan proceeded accordingly, Hank would be in a good mood. Her mom wouldn't be punished. He’d be happy, thinking that he won big time. She couldn’t rub the giddy smile off her face as she pictured him going around with that smug face when in reality, he’s actually fallen into her trap.

Elated, she finished her last bite and cleared the counter. She had gotten used to having meals in the kitchen. Those men usually stopped by for a short while in the kitchen and ate in the common area. By eating in the kitchen, at least she could avoid having someone sitting near her all the time she was eating.

She decided to spend another day in the warehouse. At least, developing something new would be a more efficient way to spend the day rather than loitering around an empty clubhouse. She had new ideas when she woke up that morning. Eager to put those ideas into action, she made her way to the warehouse. Chad had given her permission to enter the warehouse whenever she needed to, even when he’s not around. Those men guarding the warehouse were aware of her job there so they didn’t stop her. Once inside, she immediately switched on her working mode and delved into her new model development.

She’s not sure how much time has passed when she heard the door to the warehouse opening, followed by footsteps. Knowing that the warehouse security was tight, she didn’t even look up to check. ‘It must be Chad, or a random member retrieving equipment,’ she thought.

“Why are you here?” a cold voice rang out behind her. She turned to see a man in a plain T-shirt staring at her. His expression was cold and his unfriendly demeanor was obvious. She recognised him immediately. He was the man who strongly voiced out his dissatisfaction from the hallway the day she woke and tried strangling Chad to death. Guess that explained his animosity towards her.

“I’m modifying,” she ignored the venom in his tone and opted for a plain reply. “This is not a place you should be in, woman. Get out!” He ignored her words and commanded.

Stacy looked up at him, marvelling at the fact that her first encounter with another member would be this off. “Is that order from your leader?” She asked calmly.

“Chad’s a busy man. We don’t bother him with small matters. Stop your nuisance and go back to your room. We’re doing a charity by keeping you here. Don’t be too outrageous!” He continued spitting words after words.

Stacy sighed. There’s no point talking to a madman. She stood up and limped towards the shooting range. He took big strides towards her and furiously grabbed her arm, holding her in place. “I’m talking to you! The door is over there. Where do you think you’re going? Put that gun down!”

His grip on her arm was tight, like he intended to snap her bones into two. She took a deep breath before facing him and stated calmly, “Chad allowed me to be here. I’m making alterations to improve the weapons. You can confirm this information with those guarding the warehouse or with Chad himself once he’s back from the meeting with the dealer.”

She thought she could talk sense into him but she was proved wrong. His deathly grip tightened. “You may want to tune that sass down. It might work on Chad, but we can see through you,” he hissed, not bothering to hide his contempt.

She tried to yank her arm away from him but he tried dragging her to the door. “STOP!” She shouted, “I had an agreement with Chad. He’s given his permission for me to be here and work on the equipment. Do you want to go against his order? Do you know the situation with the dealer? Once the Vipers get their weapons, we’ll need to have ours ready. What are you doing trying to stop me now? Are you going to take responsibility if my work is delayed?”

She turned her head to look at the target across the room. That angered him further. His other arm moved to grab her head, intending to twist it back. Before he managed to touch her, she twisted her body to the side and lifted the gun in her hand to hold it at an odd angle.

The gun was pointed directly at him. Shocked by the sudden threat, he froze eye-wide. It took him a second before his face contorted in anger. “You’ve finally shown your true colour! What do you intend to do? Kill me? You won’t get away with it! This place has tight security..”

“Shut up,” she hissed. God knew how hard she was controlling herself at the moment. Her tone came out low and threatening, “take your claw off me.” His hold on her loosened instinctively. She used the distraction to yank her arm away.

“Woman.. put down the gun! The Reapers wouldn’t forgive you for killing one of us in our territory,” he stammered. She maintained eye contact. “Step back,” she commanded. His brows furrowed in a dilemma. “Not stepping back?” She mused, “sure.”

Right at that moment, the door to the warehouse opened. Chad appeared at the threshold. His eyes widened in shock at the scene in front of him. “Mark! Sam, what are you doing? Put..” before he even finished his words, Stacy pulled the trigger and the bullet went off with a loud bang.