I can’t die like this.
I’ve got to run!
Slim as it may be, that could be my only chance at survival!
In one swift motion, he suddenly hurled a wine glass at Zeke and bolted towards the outside.
Zeke turned his head slightly to dodge the glass. As he did so, he sent two needles flying towards Shade Jenkins with the flick of his right wrist.
Once the two needles had embedded themselves inside both his legs, Shade immediately felt his legs go numb and weak. With a loud thump, he collapsed onto the floor and started bleeding.
Zeke sighed. “I was going to let you die a painless death. But I certainly didn’t expect you to be so naughty. In that case, I’ll have to make you suffer before you go.”
Zeke turned to Wayde and said, “Hey, old man. I heard your Breathless Poison is pretty strong. Come on, show us what it can do.”
The expression on Shade’s face changed drastically.
The Breathless Poison was known as the sulfuric acid of poisons.
Once ingested, the poison would corrode a person’s vital organs. The pain would get so unbearable that the victim would end up dying from it alone!
How could you?
The tears started streaming down Wayde’s wrinkled face. How can he bear to kill his own grandson?
“You have one minute,” Zeke warned, “If you don’t poison him within the next one minute, these other grandsons of yours are going to die.”
One minute...
Wayde was left with no other choice. With trembling hands, he fished out a ceramic bottle from within his sleeves and walked towards Shade.
“Grandpa!” Shade cried out desperately, “No... Don’t... Please. Just kill me... I don’t want to die from the pain.”
“Shade, don’t worry,” Wayde said in a voice choked with emotion, “Grandpa will burn your offerings on the first and fifteenth of every month.”
Wayde knew he wouldn’t be able to escape his fate of getting poisoned to death.
Thus, he steeled his heart and bit his own tongue. As he gurgled on his own blood, his lifeless body fell to the ground.
Wayde immediately felt a lot better. At least I wouldn’t have to kill my own grandson.
Zeke sighed. “What a pity.”
“Wayde, remember this. On my friend’s death anniversary, I want you and the other three families to personally move his coffin before you kill yourselves in front of his grave. Wolf’s Greed, let’s go.”
“Hold it right there,” Wayde roared, “Where’s the antidote?”
“The antidote is the wine we were drinking. But there isn’t much left. You probably only have about three to four people’s worth of antidote. That should be more than enough for the Jenkins to carry on the family name.”
Ptooey!
Wayde spat out a mouthful of blood.
Only three or four? That means ten members of the Jenkins are going to be killed by the poison!
You’ve gone too far!
Zeke and Wolf’s Greed got into the car.
“Now that we’ve taught of the four major households a lesson,” Zeke mused, “Do you think they’ll do as we asked them to and move Frederick’s coffin when the day comes?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Wolf’s Greed replied.
Zeke huffed, “Well if they refuse to cooperate, we can always teach them a second lesson.”
The next day, news of the mass funerals held by three of the four major households in Atheville - the Zellys, the Counts and the Jenkins - shook the entire city.
These funerals were held for all the younger members of their families who had just recently died.
Out of which, the Jenkins were the worst off, with ten members of their younger generation having passed on.
Xander from the Moore family had been buried alive by Zeke. His corpse was now being guarded by Sole Wolf. That was why the Moore family was currently unable to hold a funeral for him.
The people immediately sensed an unusual tension hanging over the city.
With more than ten people from the four major households dying at the same time, it was clear that these people had not died from natural causes. It was highly likely that they had all been killed.
It looked as though the four major households were being targeted by a mysterious organization.
Who on earth is so powerful that he or she is capable of taking on all four of the major households at the same time?
Up till now, they were still unclear about what had happened.
They didn’t know Helen Zelly had caused Frederick’s death. And neither did they know that Frederick’s friend had come looking for revenge.
At that moment, the Jenkins family home was filled with visitors, as numerous people had come forward to pay their last respects to the people who had passed.
However, they were really there to find out more about this mysterious organization.
The usually boisterous Jenkins household was now immersed in a sea of sorrow.
The next day, news of the mass funerals held by three of the four major households in Atheville - the Zellys, the Counts and the Jenkins - shook the entire city.
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