The Many Lives of Casey L. Miller (4/5)

Personal note to the readers, this story is not for the weak of heart to read for the content of this story. By choosing to read it, you agree that you are over eighteen and mature enough to handle the content of this story, thank you.

1:15am

Logan jolted awake, the boy next to her didn't even stir. She was sweating, but she was freezing cold despite being under a blanket with a warm body next to her. Tony's father sat in a chair watching her. She felt creeped out by that, but so far, no harm came to her from him.

"I bet you are wondering," he said in a hushed whisper. "How little Tony can be so carefree on a night like this. He has always been an," He hesitated for a moment, "an odd child. He means well, he truly does. He has his reasons. He already lost everything he had years ago, so he has nothing to fear to lose anymore. That is sad I know. But it is true. He is alive and that is enough for him."

Logan pondered, so this man wasn't Tony's father. Then she felt bad for treating Tony with disdain and swore to keep him safe from this night's horrors. The kid was probably younger than her too. She felt slightly ashamed for writing him off as some nosy kid.

"I feel like a sorry excuse of a replacement, but he hasn't seemed to mind so far." He paused awkwardly wondering why he was telling this to a child. He took a deep breath and proceeded to ask, "In the morning, you are welcome to join us. We are heading to his grandparents house, and I am sure they will look after you too."

Logan blankly looked at the man. She had to wait for her mother who promised she was coming back for her. A small amount of doubt crept into her mind, what if her mother was long dead, her sister was murdered and she was still laying dead in the back room. He was genuine though, his offer was so tempting. Logan silently contemplated the decision to stay or go.

The man stood up, "I bet you're hungry, I'll go see if there is anything to make you and Tony to eat." He shuffled over to the kitchen and sifted through the cupboards and shelves. There wasn't much there he noted, but grabbed a box of pancake mix and grabbed a skillet and mixing bowl from the cupboards.

He set up the skillet and left it to heat up while he started to grab some milk and eggs for the pancake mix. As he whisked it all together, he looked up to check on the two kids, and saw the little girl pulling the blanket off Tony, wrapped it around her and walked over to the kitchen to watch silently.

She was still contemplating the offer he had given her. She grew confused about why he wanted to help her. She saw the cruelty of others and yet there were people like this man taking care of a kid that wasn't even his own, and she had a feeling Tony would grow up to be the same way.

The smell of the pancake batter was enough to make Logan's stomach growl audibly. She didn't feel hunger before, but it suddenly hit her hard, she was far from peckish. Her mouth was dry, but the smell made her salivate like a dog.

The man chuckled slightly about how fixated the girl was on the pancakes. Her entranced eyes watched his every movement. It was nice to see her act like a girl, as she was supposed to be. The skillet was hot now and he took a ladle to pour the pancake mix onto the searing metal.

There was the sharp sound of shattering glass. Logan snapped her head to where the sound came from, as a dark object blurred across her vision. For a moment, everything slowed and she watched, as the broken glass glided through the air, like falling rugged diamonds falling to the floor and shattering into more.

Behind her, she heard something else clatter to the floor. A metallic sound and felt a gooey liquid splattered on her. She felt the presence of someone fade, as a body behind her slumped. She barely heard the spluttering and gasping for air, as her hearing turned keen toward the window.

A figure darted by and just grazed her neck. The pain was quick, sharp, unexpected and followed by a cracking thump.

Logan felt something bubble inside of her and took flight as she opened her mouth and a high-pitched scream took flight, waking Tony up with a jolt.

"What is it, what's wrong?" He saw a rather large arrow impaling one of the cabinet doors, creating a rather large split down the center. His eyes found the slouched man, as he slid down onto the floor leaning against the oven door.

Tony's eyes grew wide and filled with tears. The man had an arrow shot through his neck. He coughed and spluttered up rich red blood. It thickly shot out and splattered over all the wood cabinets and counter tops. With each breath, he took, more shot out, but gradually steadied to an oozing flow from where the arrow punctured his throat. It seeped down his clothes and pooled on the floor mixing with the ruined pancake mix.

The young boy ran to the screaming girl and pulled her away, just as another arrow yet flew past and collided into the cabinet behind her, shattering it, for the second arrow had split it already.

Logan gathered her wits and began to run in tow. Her legs carried her as fast as they could, but not fast enough. Another arrow shot right between their legs, tripping them up and tumbling them to the floor. Either it was a great shot that their legs didn't shatter from being hit from the force of a powerful arrow such as that, or it was a miracle that it missed.

She felt a bony hand scrape against her scalp and yanked her hair into a fist, pulling her up in another merciless onslaught on her hair. This time Logan reached up and dug her nails into the wrist of the person behind her.

There was a yelp of pain, belonging to the voice of a woman and she released Logan. She scurried away, prying up a discombobulated Tony to run away. They tried to get to the back room.

The handle was right in her reach, but she froze. A putrid smell of blood lingered from behind the door. She couldn't move with the terrified sense that she was going through hell either way she chose.

A bulky figure snatched both children up, and carried one under each arm. Logan heard the little boy squirm and thrash about, as she shuttered in a dull cold that had swept over her. The figure tossed them onto the floor by a pair of hot pink high heels.

"My, how unfortunate such poor little lost souls," an overly sweet and obnoxious voice said in mockery. The lady knelt down. With one perfectly manicured pink fingernail, she hooked under Logan's chin and raised her up.

Logan stared into the sharp icy blue eyes of a busty blond with a pink feather boa and skin-tight silver sequin cocktail dress. The lady raised her hand, her nails like talons, as they struck her in the face, cutting her cheek even more than it was before.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Tony yelped in a high pitch squeak and she stepped on his hand with her heel.

"I do not like disobedient children," she sneered with complete loathing.

The one behind the kids spoke up, "You don't like children in general, Marge." It was a man's voice, deep and gravelly.

"Oh Anthony," Her eyes narrowed as she stepped up to him. "Why did you miss these rodents? You could have taken them both out with one single arrow." She callously glided her hands over his torso and neck.

Anthony grabbed her wrists and tossed her to the side. In his hand, he held a crossbow, he bolted another arrow and tapped Tony with his foot to get up. He dashed to his feet and hid behind Logan.

She could feel his trembling from behind her and she slowly grabbed his hand to try to calm him. The trembling remained until she realized it wasn't he who was trembling, but her own body involuntarily shook.

Logan watched as the man with the crossbow walked up to them and knelt down to their level. He lifted the weapon up and used the head of the bolted arrow to brush some of her hair out of her face.

"I don't believe I want to get into the habit of killing kids, my dear," Anthony replied to Marge's previous statement. "Also I find it would be more believable if we were a 'family unit' not some bastard with a whore."

Marge glared down at the man as he rose again, hooking his arm around the lady's waist. "Oh, my dear, if you're empty spiteful mind could only comprehend that your actions have consequences, maybe, just maybe I won't deport you back to that rotting brothel I discovered you in." She sucked her breath in and continued to glare but didn't argue further.

"That's right bitch, I'm the one who is in control," he murmured softly and grabbed the kid's arms and dragged them back to the couch. "Both of you sit down." He tossed them onto the couch and sat in the adjacent chair.

Logan watched as Anthony began to polish the wood of his cross bow. She noted that the other person snooped around the house. The sound of clicking heels came from the kitchen, and Logan watched, as she crossed over to the ladder to the attic.

Marge hesitantly gave the ladder a tug before stepping up onto the bottom rung with wobbly heels. She climbed up grumbling to herself, "Why the bloody hell did I have to get mixed up in this mess?"

Logan barely caught the lady's words and thought to herself what a selfish woman she was, everyone was in a mess, who was she to put her own burdens over others. She turned and saw Anthony's expression. He obviously heard her too.

He did not attempt to help his wife either. Anthony knew she was in a drastic mood and chose to ignore anything that she was planning to do. He watched, as the last stiletto disappeared into the attic and sighed. "Careful, my darling, you don't want to break an ankle and be stuck up there do you?" In reality, he hoped for something more than a broken ankle.

He looked at the two kids. He noted that they were behaving well. He didn't like the girl's silence, but he figured she was dumb or something to that effect. He grinned at them, "How much do you bet she'll fall down the ladder?"

Logan withheld her disgust, was that supposed to be humor? She remained silent thinking of a way to get Tony and herself to safety, but nowhere was safe at the moment. She felt the small boy clinging to her shirt like a lifeline.

Marge came down the ladder, and tumbled on to her ass. Anthony merely laughed at her plight in delight. She stood up and spat in his direction, "A true gentleman would help their lady to her feet."

"I would help my lady to her feet, sadly you're not a lady," he laughed heartily. Her face turned a beet red and she stormed into the kitchen, ripping apart the pantry, and pulled out a bottle of alcohol that Logan's sister had been saving for a special occasion.

Marge banged the cap on the side of the counters and sent it flying. She lifted the bottle by the neck, and took a swig. Anthony stood and walked over to her. "Aren't you going to share, my love?"

Logan took the chance, urged Tony to get down low and crept slowly over to the hallway. She watched, as Marge ignored the man and took another swig from the bottle. Logan slowly towed Tony down the hall and into the back bedroom.

She knew Tony froze at the sight of the bodies, Logan could sense them behind her but she closed her eyes and pressed her ear against the door.

Marge laughed into the man's face, and stepped around him pushing him to the side. "Alright, I will share, my love." She had a dangerous smirk on her face, "but first a toast, to my caring and endearing husband." She took one last drink from the bottle before handing it over and dropping the bottle before he could grab it.

He swung his fist out and smashed her face, "You little cunt, how fucking dare you." He shoved her against the refrigerator and pinned her there, using his forearm to start strangling her. Marge feebly banged her arms against his chest and tried to pry his arm away. Her surge of tears caused her heavy mascara to run down her face in black rivulets.

"You don't know how easy it is to watch you die like this," He grabbed her neck and twisted her around into a headlock. "You are such a beauty, unable to breathe in my arms, growing ever so much weaker with every passing moment." He shoved her down onto her hands and knees, as she gasped for air. He then pinched the back of her neck and lifted her up so she was on her knees.

Anthony knelt down and caressed her face with his other hand, brushing away the loose strands of hair. He whispered into her eye, "Do not forget, you are replaceable. I don't need you. It is you who needs me." He released her and stared, as she curled into a ball, and wailed loudly.

Logan heard the man look around for them and his footsteps moving towards the bedroom. She ushered Tony under the bed. She paused and looked at the mangle of bodies lying on top of the bed. She took a breath, stepped up, shoved the dead man to the side and reached into the pocket of the mean lady who killed her sister. She took out the social security card signifying the identity of Casey. She scrambled under the bed just as the door swung open.

Anthony glanced around the room and winced at the alarming pile of dead bodies. "Hot damn, this is some fucked up shit right here!" He walked over to the closet and thrust open the door. He hadn't realized his own strength, as it snapped off the hinges.

"Where are you fucking brats? Where did you two go?" He tossed the door onto the bed, causing the frame to shake and one of the bodies fell onto the floor.

Logan shuffled to cover Tony's mouth, before he could let out a scream, but she heard his breath intake and knew that Anthony had heard it too. The bed flipped over, and Logan kicked and punched at the grabbing attempts. She felt a fist collide with her face and had the wind knocked out of her. Then he lifted her up and tossed her to the opposite wall.

Her head crashed against the wall and limply watched Tony rush to her aid before blacking out.

1:45am

Logan shifted awake, she felt her hands twisted around and bound to a chair. Her fingers twitched and brushed against some other small fingers and knew Tony was bound to a chair as well.

Her tongue pressed against a cotton cloth tied tightly around her head, which stretched her lips and made the corners of her mouth tight. Her eyesight was hazy, but her hearing recovered quickly.

There were frantic footsteps, Marge must have tossed her shoes somewhere, as her steps were now softer and didn't have the annoying click. Logan began to wonder what was going on.

"You just had to go and call your friends, gave them our exact location," Marge's voice raged. "No, you couldn't have kept this one thing to yourself, this one little slip of paper with little meaningless numbers."

Logan felt dread as she remembered the social security card was in her hand before she blacked out.

"But this isn't just any card with meaningless numbers." Marge banged her palm onto the counter and shouted, "IT'S JUST THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER ITEM THIS NIGHT! HOW DID YOU NOT EXPECT YOUR FRIENDS TO BETRAY US?" She collapsed to the floor dramatically and sobbed into her hands. "I just wanted to be beautiful and young, and no taxes meant no interest. Which meant, I could have those surgeries to be a real Barbie, and you had to go and ruin that didn't you? Your so-called friends are about to kill us and each other, I'm too young to die!"

Anthony grew progressively annoyed by her screeching. He armed his crossbow and fortified the windows and doors to take out the group of men outside. He already took out two of them who tried to get inside and betray them.

"Anthony, I don't want to die in this shitty house, I'm too good for this shit."

"WOMAN IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP AND START SHOOTING THESE MOTHERFUCKING BASTARDS, I WILL SHOOT YOU RIGHT NOW!" Marge flinched and grabbed the gun that the dead man had.

She checked the gun, "It's not loaded!" Anthony gritted his teeth and shot her a glare to find some ammo then. She scrambled and started tearing out drawers and shelves in the kitchen to find a clip or another gun.

Logan's eyes focused and saw something break through the window in the kitchen and skidded across the floor. Marge dove out of the way. A cold clang of metal rung in their ears and something round rolled across the floor. Logan turned away and scrunched her eyes just as it exploded, sending shrapnel flying, and left a ringing sound in her ears.

Her arm began to hurt with a burning intensity, as she now had two or three shreds of metal impaling her skin. One however had cut the rope binding her just enough to let her wiggle out of her confining predicament.

With her ears still ringing, she quickly sought Tony, who tipped over from the force of the blast. With shaking fingers, she clawed at the knot of the rope binding him. She didn't care if Anthony or Marge saw her or not, they were too preoccupied with the threat outside to do anything about two kids escaping.

Marge watched, as Logan scrambled to free the boy and flee into the back. She gritted her teeth and couldn't wait for the moment she could kill them. Another metal object flew through the broken window and landed in front of her. She flinched into a beetle position waiting to be submerged in an explosion. Instead, gas started pouring out of the sides.

"Tear gas!" Anthony yelled and quickly took a washcloth and covered his mouth with it.

Marge felt the burn on her skin, the gas blinded her, as it stung her eyes and caused her to cough hard enough that she could barely breathe. She crawled forward, picked up the canister of gas and chucked it back out the window. She continued to hack and choke on the gas for several more minutes, while she continued to search for extra ammunition.

Logan locked herself and Tony into the bathroom, she used the towels to insulate the door to prevent most of the gas from seeping in. She held Tony tightly, as they quivered in the corner. All she could do was wait for the winner of the confrontation outside to come and kill them after they finished killing each other.

Anthony ran out of bolts for his crossbow and chucked it out the window, hitting one of the men outside in the head. "God damn woman, you are useless." He snatched the gun from her and pulled out a drawer. He ripped it out from its tracks and reached in. He felt around until his fingers brushed against a clip taped against the back of the cabinet. "With children in the house, they won't have spare bullets lying around." He loaded it and resumed taking out their assailants.

Anthony counted how many were left, about five, so a bullet for each. Marge slipped away to the hallway. She had about enough of his abusive mentality towards her. She wanted to prove to him that she was tough, strong and cruel. She wasn't just a play doll ready for manipulation and terrible mind games. Her anger and pain from all the hurtful words and not so friendly hands consumed her and she knew just who to take it out on.

Logan shivered, oddly cold. Her arm ached, but she did her best to ignore the shrapnel in her arm. She held the boy and repeatedly whispered, "It's going to be alright."

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