• 2 am, I lay awake in my bed. I could hear Anisa, my little sister sleeping a few meters away. The wind whistled through trees that surrounded our house. I often lay awake listening to the wind run through the trees. Mum and dad where sleeping in the room next door. It was a warm night and Anisa was twisting and turning in her bed. I was getting out of bed to untangle her from the blanket when I hear a sound. Footsteps. I heard the familiar creak of the front door. Someone was coming into the house. A lot of someone’s, by the sound of their footsteps. The hallway light flickered to life. I could see the light under the door to our bedroom. The door to my parent’s room opened as the intruders went in. Another light was turned on. The light woke my parents. “Who the blazes are…” my father got no further than that as a shot rang out. A gun shot. My mother screamed. “Mark what was that?” asked Anisa who had been woken by the shot. I pressed a finger to my lips “Quiet”. Anisa nodded and shut her mouth. I stood up and walked to the door. Bending down I peered pot the key hole. I jumped back. Someone had had the same idea and was now staring at me through the key hole. I heard the rustle of clothes and the creak of floor boards as the man stood up. “Hey guess what” he said. “What?” asked another in an irritated voice. “They got some brats”. “Well not any more” said another. At that they laughed; it was a cruel laugh as if they knew something really bad was going to happen and found it amusing. The door burst open as two men came in, their guns cocked. One grabbed me and pointed the barrel of the gun into my neck. The other moved to Anisa and did the same. “Good quality, we might even get promoted” Said the one that was holding my sister. The others chuckled. They pushed us forward out the door into the hallway. One of the men was holding my mother pushing her out the front door. We passed the door to our parents’ bedroom. I caught a glimpse of father he was lying on the floor. Limp with a puddle of blood around his head. I shivered. They led outside to the little lawn that was a part of my mother’s garden. The flowers had bloomed in the heat of the last few weeks. The man holding my mother let go of her and she fell to the ground. “Mother” shouted Anisa as she ran forward. The man who had been holding my mother grabbed her and threw her on the ground. He raised his gun level with her face and nodded at the man who seemed to be the leader. He turned to me. “Shoot your mother or the girl dies”. Handing me a gun he moved out of the way leaving me a clear shot at my mother who was sobbing face down on the ground. Tears streaming down my face I turned towards the man. “No”. He laughed. “It’s always more fun when they resist ". They were laughing, all of them. They had killed my father and wanted me to kill my mother. No. No. No. I would make them pay. Oh yes. That is what I would do. Let’s see what they did. I raised the gun. But not at my mother, but at the leader of this group. Too late they realized what was happening. Taking aim at his head I pulled the trigger. Bang. The gun jerked back with the power of the blast. I saw a splash of red. Blood. I had hit my target and now he was dead. He’s dead. I killed him. I looked down at my hands and saw I was still holding the gun. When I looked back up I saw the rest of the men moving towards me. “Get him. He will pay for this” shouted one. The closest man grabbed me. “I know, kill the girl” he said. The one closest to Anisa raised his gun at her. He pulled the trigger. Anisa slumped to the ground. I could hear mother screaming as she lunged forward at the man. Clawing at his face. My captor let me go. He stepped forward and he raised his gun. Another shot. Mother fall backwards, blood pouring out of the wound. I screamed. They were dead. All of them. My family. Dead. I felt cool metal in my hands. Looking down I saw that I was still holding the gun. I raised it up, not to kill them. Turning the gun so the barrel was pressed against my temple, I pulled the trigger. I have killed a man. I’m going to Hell. If I’m going to hell, they must be too. Already dead I smiled. Serves them right