A. H. Wong

Chapter Twenty Two

 

Taylor begins to laugh. His eyes sparkling, he hurls back his head. The sound echoes around the hallway, shivers running down the spines of everyone present. Beatrix looks at her love in quiet fear, reaching out to take his hand. Realizing only now the effect his malevolent voice has upon those around him, Taylor takes her hand tightly, giving her a squeeze. When he is able to stop his laughter, he smiles at Martin. "I knew that that would surprise you, Martin. I have always viewed you as lacking in intelligence."

 

Martin, his face flushed in fury, walks forward. Just as he is raising his fist to hit Taylor, with ample force, in the face again, Maverick steps forward. She folds her arms across her chest, her smile evil. Martin, taking it for the hint it is, quickly backpedals. "T-Taylor, are you serious?"

 

Maverick speaks up this time. "He's more than serious. I've killed plenty o' men, you see."

 

Martin swallows, taking several steps back. "B-But that's insane!"

 

Maverick snickers. "Nope, actually it's pretty smart. Ol' Master John takes kids who have got nothing to lose, and uses them as assassins."

 

"B-But he can't be-"

 

"Oh, but he is. He's definitely the type for it. Master John is, in fact, little more than an intensely clever psychopath. You see, you really ought to have figured this out much sooner."

 

Martin flushes, shaking his head. "B-But there's no way...."

 

"Martin, you are beginning to sound like a broken record. You must accept this as truth-if Beatrix remains here much longer, I have no doubt that my boss will cause her to become a killer once more," Taylor says softly, fixing Martin with his steely gaze. "And you should truly take that as fact, for if you do not, I will ensure that you believe me one day. In fact, one day, the way I will make you believe me is by showing you the psychological damage that this action will cause her."

 

Martin swallows hard, shaking his head. "N-No, he wouldn't. Not to Beatrix."

 

Taylor shakes his head quietly. "Now, I wish that was true. Unfortunately, Master John does not give a single damn about those he hurts. In fact, it almost surprises me that she has not made her first kill yet."

 

Beatrix squeezes Taylor's hand tighter, saying slowly, "As am I. Master John has already approached me about it, and told me that I will need to kill soon. That does, of course, all depend on whether or not he throws me out."

 

Martin stares at her quietly, his eyes wide. He shakes his head quickly. "N-No. Not you, Beatrix, not you. H-He can't do that to you."

 

Beatrix leans against the wall, stepping away from Taylor. Fixing Martin with anger in her eyes, she lets her voice grow cold. "You know nothing about him, Martin. You never have."

 

Taylor nods, looking over at his girlfriend. "Not even I know everything, which is exactly why I am doing this. There is a secret that lies at the heart of the Agency for Unwanted Children, and I am going to figure out the truth."

 

Martin looks at him, laughing a tiny bit. "And you're going to do that how?"

 

Taylor smirks. "By making the world burn."

 

Yells sound somewhere, the sound of stamping feet drowning out any further sound. Before anyone can speak, a crowd has found its way to them. Taylor faces them with a smile, hearing their yells and howls. They are filled with anger, and he knows it is justified-their worldview has just collapsed, and they want to shoot the messenger.

 

Taylor isn't going to let them.

 

Perfectly at peace, Taylor raises a hand. He smiles at them all, and the crowd instantly silences. Before too long, every single pair of eyes is focused on him.

 

Taylor is going to win.

 

"Now, I'm certain that every single one of you has questions. Also, I am definitely certain that all of you are justified. You are angry, flooded with emotions you can't control, and you are looking for someone to blame."

 

Leslie steps out of the crowd, her voice spitting, "What the fuck were you hoping to achieve with this, Taylor?"

 

Taylor smirks. "Exactly what I'm achieving as we speak. I want all of you, every single resident, to know the truth about the Agency for Unwanted Children."

 

Leslie marches forward, looking like she's a second from punching Taylor. "You fucking idiot-don't you see that Master John will have you killed for this?"

 

Taylor leans his head to the side. "I doubt that somehow. Why? Because....He will have a hard time explaining this entire conversation to the cameras."

 

Everyone become silent instantly. Taylor's lips quirk up into a smile-he has them all listening now. "There are cameras in every single corner of the Agency. Now, that alone is unsurprising-a place like this SHOULD have security cameras. However, the cameras that I have found are not like the ones you use for security. They are the ones people use to provide live feeds of people's lives."

 

They just stare at him silently, not a single one able to speak. Taylor snickers softly. "This is why every single Plucked Feather resident is required to keep their mouths shut. This is why even talking about the Plucked Feather's life is a ban-able offence. This is why he is so careful: The cameras that feed into your bedrooms, into your showers, are...."

 

A gunshot.

 

Bloodsplatter.

 

Screams.

 

Red upon a carpet floor.

 

A corpse.

 

Sobs, and tears.

 

A voice, speaking coolly through the chaos: "He should have known better."