Sky's POV:
I sat on the edge of Zed's bed, needing time to myself. The rest of the Benedict family were situated downstairs, being informed of what had happened whilst they were gone.
The journey back to the benedict's had been gruelling and far too long.
I ran my hands over my face in frustration. Why was there nothing I could do to save them? Why did I have to be so helpless?!
Everyone was attempting to think of ways to locate them, but so far every idea had been useless and got us nowhere.
I laid back down on the bed and thought of what my poor babies were going through. Were they calling out for me? For Zed? Were their mouths covered? Were they injured? Or worse?
I shivered at the thought and pushed it to the back of my mind. I would feel it if they were dead. Somehow I would know if that happened, it's a mother's instinct.
I heard hushed voices downstairs and it sounded like a heated discussion had ensued, but I couldn't work out who the voices belonged to.
Zed's POV:
"Well tell us what we should do then since you're such an expert!" I snapped at Victor. He'd rejected all our ideas and it was beginning to piss me off.
"Look, Zed I want to find them as much as you but none of these ideas are going to help. We need to wait it out longer and they will slip up somewhere and then we'll catch them." Victor replied keeping his tone level and calm. Though his words were complete bull, he didn't care as much as me it wasn't his kids taken from him. Right now I needed Sky, to hold her in my arms and take comfort from her to relax me, but she was upstairs away from me.
"So what you are saying is we have to wait till her hurts another one of us!"
"Zed, that's enough you're scaring the children." My dad's voice of authority silenced the argument at once.
I looked over at the children sat on the other side of the room playing games. Some of them had now stopped and were staring at me, a look of fear on their faces. Did I really just scare my nieces and nephews?
"Sorry." I apologised accompanied with a reassuring smile towards the children. I then turned towards Vic "Sorry, bro."
"I understand." He responded shortly and walked over to dad and then proceeded to have a hushed conversation with him.
I walked out of the room and into the kitchen to get a drink. I grabbed a beer from the cooler and drowned half of it in one go. I thought about going up to see Sky but thought it was best to leave her some time to herself.
Sky's POV:
The argument had seemed to stop as abruptly as it had started. I presumed Zed was involved, I knew he was attempting to contain his anger for my sake but it was eating him up inside.
Just as my thoughts settled on Zed, my phone began I ring. I looked at the caller ID, though I already knew who it was.
"Kelly." I answered the phone with as calm as voice as I could manage. I was attempting to channel Zed's calm yet demanding tone I heard him use earlier today.
"Sky, it was a shame I couldn't see you today I assume you saw my little gift I left in the woods."
"What do you want? I'll give you anything, just give the kids back."
"Well it's interesting you say that, I do have a little proposition for you." His voice was willing me, taunting me to fall for those words and land into his trap. And I fell hook line and sinker.
"What is it? What do I have to do?"
"I want you to meet me, but you have to come alone."
"And what?"
"And I will drop the children back at your home, as long as we get you in exchange."
"How do I know you are going to keep your word? You could just capture me and keep the children also."
"Very true, but right now you have no other option."
"What do you want me for? Why go to all of the trouble of taking the kids just to get to me?"
"Your gift would be very useful to us, Sky. Can you imagine the number of people who lie to us? And I also hear your telekinesis is incredibly strong, very useful also. So are you going to meet me?"
I knew this was a trap for me. He probably wouldn't even let them go and would only take me along with them. Daniel Kelly would probably use them to make sure I do as he says, and I'd spend years helping him pull of whatever evil plans he had in action.
But like he said what other option do I have? Even if he does take me and still keeps the kids I can make sure he doesn't harm them and they'd be far more reassured having me there.
There was no other way.
"Tell me where and when."
"In the woods you went to earlier today at the stroke of midnight." I looked at the clock it was now 9:00pm.
"See you there."
"Good, oh and Sky make sure you come alone otherwise I have no choice but to kill poor little Luke, Amelia and Jasmine." And with that the phone line was dead.
I sat staring at the phone for god knows how long, practically paralysed by what just happened. I wasn't until Zed walked into the room at quarter to 10, that I began to focus again.
"Hey, baby. You ok?" He questioned looking at me quizzically. I plastered a fake smile on my face, covering the fear. He couldn't know what I was planning.
"I'm fine, just a little tired."
"Same, here. Why don't we get an early night?" I nodded in agreement and we both got ready for bed.
Once I got into the bed zed pulled me into his arms and kissed the crown of my head delicately. "Goodnight, my sweet angel."
"Night." I felt like I was somehow cheating on him by doing this, like I didn't deserve to be in his arms. But he would understand right? I was doing this for our family.
I never actually slept and spent the couple hours listening to zed's heartbeat from his chest where my head lay. His gentle snoring soothing me.
Once the clock read 11:30 I gently eased myself from Zed's arms and quietly as possible got dressed in the same clothes as earlier.
I walked over to the chest of mahogany draws and pulled open the first draw, it was full of some of Zed's socks and underwear. Under those though laid the loaded revolver Zed always kept as safety after the first attack on me made by the Kelly's.
I placed the gun into my coat pocket; if I needed to I would use it if I meant I could save my children. I left the draw open not wanting to risk making a noise when closing it and waking Zed.
I silently opened the door just enough for me the step outside ways. I cautiously walked across the landing and down the stairs; thankfully everyone was asleep at this time. I stepped into the kitchen and grab my car keys from the hook on the wall.
I unlocked the back door with my spare key and walked out into the cold night. My car was parked closest to the house, luckily, and I got inside and turned on the ignition and drove off towards the woods.
I remembered the direction towards to woods, despite only having been there once. It felt as though my body was on auto-pilot, just going through the motions not fully aware of the actions themselves.
I parked by the outside of the woods and vigilantly walked into the area. I didn't have to walk far until I saw Daniel Kelly stood alone the middle of a circle of trees, as though protected by them.
His face looked exactly the same as I remembered, not aged over the five years. He seemed calm and in control, like he always meet up with people in dark forests at the stroke of midnight. Maybe he did?
"Sky, I'm glad you came."
"Where are the children?" I scan the area, but could not see any sign of them.
"I warned you about trusting me, it is a risk."
"Are they here or not?" I was shaking now, any calm or power I earlier felt had washed away like a tidal wave and I was left with the bear feeling of fear.
"The children aren't here, but they are." Before I could even question his statement, he spread his arms is a wide gesture and from his either side stepped two men cloaked in black both carrying guns pointed in my direction. One man looked not much older than me, he had short brown hair and reached just over 6ft, he had a crescent scar running down his left cheek that looked still slightly fresh. I presumed he got his scar no more than a month before. The other man was older, mid-thirties, he was taller 6ft 4 to 5 and had longer blonde hair, he had no distinctive scars however even in the darkness of night I noticed his eyes were different colours; one brown one blue.
Both men approached closer to me as Daniel Kelly just stood and watched. I reached into my coat pocket trying to quickly grab the revolver however I was no match for them.
I heard a loud bang that was accompanied by a searing pain in my gut. I instinctively held my stomach, where to source of the pain came, as I fell to the ground. My eyes blinked in and out of focus as I saw Daniel Kelly's face move in closer to where I lay on the ground, then everything went blank.
