"Yeah Mum I'm in the taxi right now, I'll be there in 30 minutes." Diana said, her mother growing impatient of when her she will see her daughter. The brunette
cupped her hand over the phone, giving the driver directions to her mothers.
It had been a year since she has seen her mother. Diana was living abroad, travelling around as a representative for Trio-core Enterprises which deals with;
large engines, vehicles, steel, and 'specialized' machinery.
She placed her phone back up to her ear "Alright, I'll see you in 30. Love you too mum, okay, bye!" And with that she hanged up, leaning back in her seat and
exhaled.
It was hard for her to be away from her mother for so long, and the same was said for Diana's mother. Since her father had left when she was 3, they only had
each other. Her mother's family lived back in Europe, and her father's family was non-existent. Besides, when you raise a child on your own, trying to make
ends meet, you couldn't spend all that money to go back. America wasn't so bad, and it was their home now.
Diana was abruptly awoken when she heard the cabbie honk his horn. She had dozed off to find herself in the middle of a traffic jam. They were off the highway
and on were on the Main roads.
The long-haired brunette leaned forward "Hey, how much longer do you think this will take?" She looked at the time, seeing that she was already 10 minutes
late. 'Shit'.
Diana hated to keep people waiting, especially her mother. "Another 30 minutes, they have some serious road blockage; apparently some serious accident
happened up ahead."
She flopped back against her seat, looking out the window 'Jesus Christ! I could walk there in less time..' "Know what man, I'm going to walk the rest of the
way, what do I owe you?"
Diana started the short trek to her home, her backpack secured to her as she sped walked. She was happy to have her long legs, which have always been a
reliable way for her to get from one place to the next. She was also dressed comfortably; tight black leggings with a pair of boots, and a simple form-fitting blue
grey top.
'Only 3 more blocks than I'm home sweet home.' The thought was a happy one. She smiled, her dark green eyes shined. The streets became quite as she
drifted from the main roads. Where her mother lived wasn't a bad area entirely, but it sure wasn't a gated community. Diana never felt scared walking the
streets; she knew confidence was the first thing that keeps weird guys away. They were the kind of scum who looked for an easy fight, to scare people to
make them selves feel big. Dai has given them the title of 'pussies'; creeps who look to intimidate people who are smaller and of the opposite sex;
Even though they cower away when they get an answer back.
Once her mothers house came into view, she started to jog. "Finally! Oh how I have miss-." Diana stopped in her tracks. The front door had been forced open.
Her face turned pale, and her stomach was turned into a knot. "Oh god…mom.." She whispered. Quickly and quietly she tossed her back in the bush by the
door and took out her cell phone before quietly pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Everything was overturned and thrown about, and the house phone had been ripped out. "Mom?...Mom ?" Diana whispered, trying to force those words out of
her mouth.
She wanted to cry as thoughts flew through her head 'please god, please let her be alright..' But her worst fears were realised when she sat a trail of blood go
up the stairs. "mom…MOM!" She yelled, throwing caution into the wind as the young woman sprinted up the stairs, and followed the trail of blood into her
mother's bedroom.
There she was, laying on her bed, blood flowing out of her and all over her once crisp white sheets. Diana's mother was tall herself, with short-cropped dark
brown hair and fair skin, which was paler than usual.
The girl flung herself onto the bed, hand covering the chest wound which bled profusely. Hot tears streamed down her face, trying to shake her mother awake.
"Mom wake up! Please..Please wake up!" she cried, hoping that her mother could her hear frantic speech.
Her wish was granted when her mother's eyes fluttered open, and she began to cough up more blood. "D..Diana? You're alive.." her voice was hoarse. Diana
nodded, cupping her mother's cheek with her other hand "Yeah mom, I'm here. I need you to stay awake okay, I gotta go get help…" Diana tried to smile,
hoping that her mother would hold on just a bit longer. Her mother shook her head "No..no you have to go..please-." her mother urged.
There was a loud crash though the front door and the sound of feet running through the house. They both looked towards the bedroom opening, knowing that
there wasn't much time. Diana was certain that she was going to die along side with her mother. All she could think of doing was pulling her mother up into an
embrace and hold her protectively. At least they could die as a family; together.
In busted a rough-looking man. Tall, with olive skin and a rough face with a trimmed beard. He was wearing a heavy Kevlar vest with black pants and a pair of military issued boots. His muscular arms had tattoos from the elbow up and in his hand was a revolver, ready to fire.
"Jesus Christ, Judith what happened to you." His voice was deep and his words sounded slurred as he lowered his weapon. He stepped forward "Who the fuck
are you?! Stay away from my mother!" Dai yelled, tightening her grip on her mother.
"Barney…Barney thank god you're here…Please get her out of here.." Whispered Judith, and Diana in reaction looked down at her mother "Mom, who is he?
How do you know him?" her green eye's darting back up to this 'Barney'. She had never seen him before, but for some reason, he seemed very familiar.
"Please just go with him…Barney take her…" Barney grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her up and away from her mother, which lead to protest "No! Let me
go! I ain't leaving her like this! Let go of my damn arm!" She yelled, thrashing about, pounding his chest with her fist.
Judith started to cough up some more blood, flopping down on her bed again. She smiled weakly at her panicking daughter "Diana..go with him..go with you
father…he will keep you safe..". The girl stopped her thrashing for a moment "…my father?.." she whispered before being pulled from the room and down the
stairs.
She was shocked. This was her father? Some big muscled, slurring, gun wielding mad man? It made no sense. Why now? Why would he show up after all these
years, right when her mother was brutally attacked? Before she knew it, Diana was shoved into an old ford pickup truck and being driven off to god knows
where.
She snapped out of her daze when Barney shook her "Hey kid, You okay? Snap out of it." Diana's face turned red, turning to Barney "You have no right to call
me 'kid'! My name is Diana, use it." She said bitterly. He nodded "Fine then. I'm Barney…You can call me that or..Dad..or-" "No way in hell with I ever call you
that…be happy that I will call you by your name and not something more suitable for a man who doesn't just leave my mother with a young child, but leaves her
bleeding to death." Barney rose up his hand in defence "Whoa there! If I didn't leave with you then and there the cops would have shown up and the guys
who did this to your mother would show up and kill you next! Your mother knew this, and that's why you had to leave."
His daughter placed her hand on her forehead, bewildered by what he was saying "Kill me? Who would want to kill me?! I'm 25 and hardly ever did anything
that would even bother a cop enough to give me a $20 ticket over!" She curled up, placing her head between her knees, feeling nauseous. Barney sighed,
looking at the road ahead, leaning back in his seat "It's not something you have ever done Kid…Its because of the job I have.."
She ignored the fact that he called her 'kid' again, Dai would rather ask him a very important question "...and what is that? Don't tell me you're the tax man…"
"...Actually, something worse." he paused, looking at his daughter curled up in the seat next to him
"I'm a mercenary."