8
483words
It was pitch-black. Peering through the door, I saw a faint glow.
With reckless courage, I pried the lock and slipped inside.
Light spilled from a back room. I crept through the hall, seeing the carpet pulled back, a white tile lifted, revealing a one-meter square hole. Someone was moving something out.
I trembled—my hunch was right. But before I could do anything, a sharp pain hit my head, and I blacked out.
When I woke up, I felt groggy. I was on the floor, my hands and feet tied up, and my head was pounding. I could hear voices.
Voices drifted.
"You can't kill him! He's my sister's boyfriend!" It was Claire.
"He snuck in and saw everything. If I hadn't caught him, he'd have called the cops. We'd all be in trouble. I won't risk the sisters."
The cold, rapid voice was Ms. Morgan's.
Claire's tone was firm." No. The Purge Club only kills scumbags. I tested him—he's not one. You can't kill him. He'll care for my sister forever."
Morgan snapped," Claire Brooks, the police could return any moment. You're endangering us!"
"We only kill scumbags, not innocents. If I kill him, Lily will never forgive me."
"Kill him. Your sister won't know," another woman said.
"No, Lily loves him. His death would destroy her."
Morgan sneered."You're choosing to protect your sister's feelings and let the Purge Club get destroyed?"
Claire's tone softened as she pleaded, " Ms. Morgan, we're fleeing anyway. Killing him changes nothing."
"He's awake. His eyelids moved."
"You don't have to do it—I will."
I opened my eyes, terrified. Claire struggled against the women holding her.
Morgan walked towards me with a dagger. I was tied up and couldn't fight.
As she swung, I rolled toward the hole. The blade grazed my cheek, and I fell, landing on bodies below.
Police sirens wailed.
"Jack, are you in there?" It was Lily's voice.
Morgan stood at the hole, angry but defeated.
The door crashed open. Police stormed in, arresting everyone.
Later, I found out that Lily, worried because I didn't return, used my car's GPS to find me and called the police.
With the evidence, interrogations were quick, and the truth emerged.
Ms. Morgan was abandoned when she was young. She formed the Purge Club with other women who had been hurt by men.. They targeted men they considered "scumbags." Claire was a key member. Their group actions and alibis kept them from getting caught.
Claire's seduction was a test of my loyalty to Lily, but I accidentally witnessed their killing. This led to their downfall.
Claire tried to protect me, but her crimes were undeniable. Despite Lily and me hiring great lawyers, there was no way to save her.
The Purge Club's women had their tragedies, but that didn't give them the right to break the law. Killing for revenge, no matter the reason, has to be punished.
