"Graham, stop it," Phillipa warned, her wrinkly hands opening the kitchen drawer. She brought out a kitchen knife and the FFs moved away. "I have had enough of your brutal games, it's barbaric. These youths have done nothing wrong—"

Graham surged forward and thrust his axe into Phillipa's neck. The old woman screamed, falling back. Lin gasped as the knife fell out of Phillipa's hands. Lindsey scooped it up and screeched, jamming it into Graham's thigh.

"Lin, we got to go!" Indira hollered, grabbing the girl, and pulling her to the back door connected to the kitchen. They ran to the door, swinging it open, and yelling for the others to follow.

"Phillipa!" Ashur cried out as Erwin grabbed him.

"Go! I'll distract him!" Phillipa was bleeding heavily but threw one last punch to Graham's nose before going still. Another murder, Ashur had a dozen thoughts running through his mind. And Graham's own wife.

The boys ran out of the house with the girls, but not before Lin snagged a hunting crossbow that rested against the wall. They bolted out of the cabin, only to hear Graham's cruel laughter.

"He's going to kill us!" Indira screamed, tearing from Lin's grip. They were fleeing past trees as Graham's words floated around their minds. Payback is the best revenge. Payback is the best revenge. Payback is the best revenge.

"Run and don't stop!" Erwin shouted as Lin wailed. She was always a slow runner, she lagged. Graham had Lindsey in a chokehold. The rest of the FFs stopped, spinning around. "Lin!"

"H-Help!" Lindsey went pale as Graham's dark-skinned fingers tightened.

Ashur growled. "Let. Her. Go."

Suddenly, Graham snapped, and the deafening sound of bones cracking sliced through the air as Lin's head twisted. She face-planted to the ground, her neck twisted like a ragdoll. "Lindsey!" Ashur shouted, staring at her body.

No, not another one.

NO.

"You may have b-been a slave, but you're just like those powerful white men!" Ashur yelled, anger boiling through his veins. How could Graham be so reckless? "First, Marcel, and now Lindsey—"

"RUN, ASH!" Erwin's voice dragged Ashur back into reality. The three FFs ran forward, trying to escape the grasp of Graham Johnston. Suddenly, Ashur saw a highway ahead. "A highway! Run, run!"

Graham was laughing, trailing after them. Indira tripped over a stone, crashing to the ground. The boys halted, turning around. Indira was Graham's new target. "I'll get Indira, go to the highway, Ash!"

Without another word, Erwin Holland went off to get back Indira Singh. Ashur wanted to go back but knew his best bet was to find help with people on the highways. With all the energy he could muster, Ashur Adeoye surged toward.

He was so close to the rim of the highway, he could basically taste it. But the breath was stolen from him when he heard Erwin and Indira scream. He spun around quickly to see Graham Johnston's axe thrust down to both of their heads. "ERWIN! INDIRA!"

Blood splattered from their heads, freckling Graham's screwed-up face with dots of red. Ashur went pale, gasping for air. They're all gone, he thought endlessly. They're all gone, they were killed.

He stumbled back, shell-shocked. His chest felt heavy as he tried to catch his breath. The FFs are dead, Graham Johnston killed them. Ashur heard the blaring of cars. My best friends are gone forever—

A car slammed into Ashur and he dropped to the ground. Pain flared from his ankles to the rest of his body. Ashur's vision went black as whispers and yelling for 9-1-1 clouded his hearing.

"What the hell is this boy doing, standing on the highway like a gangster!"

"Call the cops!"

"Check for ID!"

"Where are the boy's parents?"

Ashur Adeoye's head turned sideways to see Graham Johnston standing in the shadows of Bombard Forest. His axe was slung over his broad shoulders and he faded back into the forest, but not before uttering five single words.

Payback is the best revenge.