ROYAL WOODS MIDDLE SCHOOL

The bell rang, dismissing the first set of kids from their third-period class to go to lunch. Clyde, Stella, Rusty, Liam, and Zach were making their way down to the cafeteria, navigating their way against the swarm of kids either trying to get to lunch or get to class.

"Man, I'm so glad everyone did the review. I can't believe we all passed Mrs. Salters's test, man does her class rock"! Zach said with excitement.

"Honestly, my GPA has never been so high, I'm well above a 4.0", Stella exclaimed.

"It's too bad Lincoln couldn't be in her class, I hope he's able to overcome Mr. Bolhofners cruelty", Liam said.

"You kidding? If any of us can do it, It's Lincoln", Clyde responded with enthusiasm. All of them nodded their heads in agreement, knowing that Lincoln was able to overcome any obstacle. They had absolute confidence in their friend.

Girl Jordan slowly walked up to the group, and a look of concern was painted on her face. "Hey, guys...have y'all seen Lincoln? I haven't seen him all morning since he got off the bus", she said worryingly. Jordan was thinking about her white-haired friend all night as a result of what had happened between him and Chandler and the test. She wanted to make sure that he was okay, and she had decided that she would help him pick his grade up. She was actually going to tell him this morning in private that she wanted to tutor him, but she couldn't find the boy anywhere. The group just looked at each other a bit confused.

"I'm sure he's just in class or something", Rusty tried to reason. Just then, Lynn Jr was racing past the group, performing her duties as a hall monitor.

"HEY LYNN, HAVE YOU SEEN LINC AROUND"? Jordan shouted, stopping the Loud sister in her tracks.

"Have I seen Stinklon around? Nah, but that dork is probably in class or something, I wouldn't worry about it", she responded.

"Ya think Lincoln ditched school"? Liam asked. Everyone just stared at each other, before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, that's a good one dude", Zach said, trying to catch his breath.

"Yea, Lincoln? ditching school? That would never happen, he's too sweet of a guy", Jordan added.

"Hah, there's no way that nerd would ever ditch school. He gets scared if he doesn't turn his homework in on time. No, Lincoln would never do something bad like that, he just doesn't have it in him", Lynn responded, trying to hold back her laughter. Is her brother ditching school? Yeah right, like that could happen. Her brother was capable of a lot of things, but nothing bad like that.

SOMEWHERE ON THE HIGHWAY HEADED TOWARDS ROYAL WOODS

"HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT"! Lincoln was screaming. He jerked the steering wheel left and right like a madman, avoiding traffic as best as he could.

"GOD DAMNIT LOUD, KEEP THE FUCKING CAR STEADY SO I CAN GET THESE ASSES OFF OF OUR ASSESS", Taylor shouted, reloading the tec with a fresh new clip. For the past four minutes, they've been speeding down the freeway, barely avoiding crashing into other cars. Meanwhile, the black van with the two gunmen was still hot on them, firing like crazy at them. Despite almost getting them killed, Lincoln's crazy driving made it harder for the men to hit them, granted at the cost of Taylor's aim. Taylor had been spraying bullets nonstop at the van, missing a majority of her shots. She wasn't surprised though, since, before today, she's never even held a gun, let alone trying to kill someone. She already went through three clips, and there were only two left, so she had to end this now. Police sirens could be heard from the distance, which surprised her. She had wondered why they didn't respond sooner, since for the past four minutes it had just been a warzone between the two vehicles on the highway. Along the way, civilian cars were crashing, desperately trying to avoid the conflict that sped down the road.

"EAT FUCKING SHIT ASSHOLES", Taylor yelled, unloading a storm of bullets into the van.

"WE'RE GONNA STRING YA FUCKIN' INTESTINES' ALL OVER THE MOTHERFUCKIN' ROAD YOU GOD DAMN SONS OF BITCHES", the man on the side shouted back, firing the AK 47 back at her. Bullets whipped past the two, nearly missing them. Lincoln, who was still holding the steering wheel, freaked out as bullets hit the dashboard and seats, missing him by just a hair. After a few exchanges of bullets, Taylor managed to hit the driver right in the face. Blood and brain matter splattered all over the dashboard and window, and a red mist hovered around the seat. The lifeless body then fell onto the steering wheel, leaving the van now with no driver.

"Aw fuck", the passenger gunner muttered, looking over to the now faceless dead driver. Then the van began to swerve, still at top speeds. It hit the side of an oncoming car, causing the van to flip over and tumble down the road repeatedly. The passenger driver, who was still sticking out, had his entire torso ripped clean off as the van went spiraling. leaving just a bloody pair of legs with a little spine wiggling out like a worm out of the dirt. The severed torso flew in the air and landed on a patch of grass just off the highway. The side gunner was crushed completely by the weight of the van, leaving nothing more than a flattened pile of bloody organs on the side of the van and the road. Multiple cars began to crash into one another, avoiding the tumbling van as best as they could. The van also crashed into multiple other vehicles, escalating into a pile-up of crashed vehicles and semi-trucks. The police, who were right behind them, stopped their cars as they were now blocked by a wall of crashed vehicles. Civilians were desperately trying to escape their cars, which were now on fire. Some innocent people were now scorched in flames, flopping out of their cars like fishes out of water. A couple of the people were completely missing heads, or their entire faces and chests were caved in. The highway was littered with blood and corpses from people who were flung out of their vehicles. Semi-trucks were flipped over and on top of multiple cars, now full of the blood and guts of smashed-up humans. It was a bloodbath.

Lincoln and Taylor, now driving down the road away from the sight, looked behind them, horrified at the carnage they caused.

"We just killed all those people...". Lincoln whispered in complete shock. Taylor turned back around, exiting off the highway before cops could figure out what was going on.

"Don't look Lincoln, let's just get the fuck out of here", She said. She too was extremely disturbed, however. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, as the adrenaline was starting to fade away. She was starting to process the fact that she directly killed two people, and caused the deaths of many more. Lincoln just tucked his knees into his chest, staring at the shot-up dashboard in front of him. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and he started to panic. Although he didn't directly kill anybody, he was still primarily responsible for the deaths of all those innocent people. Taylor looked over to him and gritted her teeth. "Hey, there's no time for that. We did what we had to do. Whether we like it or not, we're criminals and murderers now. Let's just get back to Royal Woods and deliver this piece of shit...then we'll go from there I guess", Taylor said, her voice croaking a bit as she was trying to hold back tears. Lincoln just stared out the window at the world passing by him. He knew that his innocents just died on that highway. Both of theirs did. There wasn't any turning back now, and it was something he just had to accept.

"Yeah...okay", he responded, holding back his tears. The ride back was silent, the two not wanting to say anything until they got back home. It wouldn't be long until the police figured out what had happened, and pretty soon there would be cops everywhere around Sterling Heights.

ROYAL WOODS

It wasn't long until they got back to Royal Woods, somehow avoiding detection in the bullet-covered car they were in. They were lucky people were still at work and school. They arrived back at the mall at 2:25 pm, finally making it to the second-floor garage. Waiting there for them was Ronney, Mickey two black Sudan's, and five men in suits. They turned their attention to the destroyed car, wondering how it was able to keep running. In one of the Sudan's were two kids. A 15-year-old boy sat in the passenger seat. He was tall and handsome, his hair was slicked back and he was wearing a fitted suit. His skin was so clean and smooth that he almost looked like a model. Seating behind him was a 12-year-old girl. She had curly light brown hair and wore a pink furry jacket and a school uniform underneath. The Uniform was simple, a white button-up shirt, a red tie, a blue skirt, knee-high black socks, and brown shoes. She had a flower in her hair, and much like her brother, she too had clear and smooth skin, looking almost like a model. They took their attention off their phones and looked at the bullet-ridden car that was parked next to them.

"Looks like papa found two more low lives to work for him", the boy said dismissively, staring at the car as if it were a pile of trash. The girl took off her earbuds and looked out the window as well. Rolling her eyes at the sight.

"I wish he would've dropped us off at home, I hate witnessing his business", she responded. Taylor and Lincoln both took off their ski masks, taking a deep sigh of relief before hopping out of the car.

"Well fuck me, it seems you two actually did it, didn't they Ronney", Mickey said with a smile. It was the same man that Lincoln and Taylor had met at the cabin.

"Yea I guess if you call a fucked car getting the job done", Ronney retorted, analyzing the car in amazement at how shot up it was. He sighed knowing that Taylor and Lincoln were going to be met with some hostility. He was honestly more impressed that they were able to get back with it. The girl and the Boy who were in the Sudan looked at Taylor and Lincoln in amazement. They expected two grown men to exit the car, not two kids their age. The teenage boy stared at Taylor, struck in awe at the sight of her.

"How could someone that beautiful be involved in this"? He thought to himself. He stared at Taylor, who was covered in blood, bruises, and cuts. She was staring at the floor, clearly too ashamed to even raise her head. The black hoodie she had on was ripped and dirtied, and her hair was a mess. Her mascara ran down her face. But despite the state she was in, the boy couldn't help but find her attractive.

"That boy doesn't look any older than me...he looks so sad, the girl behind him thought to herself. She stared at Lincoln curiously. The sight of him shattered her heart. He looked just as beaten up as Taylor, and he was shaking as if he were freezing, he was hugging himself, and also staring at the floor with a dead look. His eyes were red due to the crying, and he was standing close beside Taylor, like a little puppy hiding behind the safety of its owner. Taylor looked up and noticed the kids staring at them from the car. Mickey noticed this and smiled

"Ah, those are my two kids, Ana and Milo, I just picked them up from their private school, so I kinda had to bring them here. I don't suppose a pair of poor scum like you two would like to meet some kids beyond your level"? Mickey sarcastically asked, smiling down at the two kids. Taylor just looked back down to the floor, not giving a response. "I take it from your looks that a few people died at y'alls hands huh"? Mickey added, still smiling down at them. Ronney and the other men just stared at the kids in silence, almost feeling a little bad for involving two children in this. Almost. Both Taylor and Lincoln just stared at the ground, not saying or acknowledging anything. Ana and Milo just looked at the two kids, speechless at the fact that their father would be so cruel to make two children do his work. They knew their father wasn't a good man and was involved in many illegal things...but this? It was something different.

After a moment of no response, Mickey frowned and sighed. "All right, all right. y'all just want to go home, okay". He raised his hand out to Ronney, who pulled out two stacks of hundred dollar bills, equaling a little over $2,000 each. Mickey took the stacks and proceeded to remove about $700 from each stack, pocketing it in his shirt pocket before handing the cash to Lincoln and Taylor, leaving about $1,350 each. The two kids just looked at the cash, then back at Mickey in shock.

"What"? began Mickey. "You two have a debt to pay yes, and I will be taking a cut of your earnings until that debt is paid. But that doesn't mean you two won't get money in return. I may be cruel, but I am fair. These jobs are dangerous, and I understand the phycological effects it has on people, so here. As long as you can complete these jobs, I see no reason not to reward you in other ways than simply not hurting your loved ones", he explained. Both Milo and his little sister Ana looked at each other with concern, finally understanding why the two kids were working for their father.

"I guess they're the ones who torched the drug lab on accident", Ana commented. Taylor and Lincoln looked at the cash, then at each other, before taking a stack each. In a sick way...it almost made everything they just did seem worth it. It was more money than either had saved up from just doing chores. And apparently...this was one of the smaller jobs. They could only imagine how much the bigger jobs were paying. Even with the tax, Mickey was taking, it was still a lot of money. The cash felt nice in their hands. It was blood money, but it almost made their sins go away for them. Still...innocent people were dead.

With that, Mickey went back inside the back seat of the Sudan, sitting next to his daughter. The other men in suits went inside the other Sudan with one going inside the driver's side that had Mickey and his kids. Taylor and Lincoln stared at Milo and Ana, who was staring back. Their gaze was broken when their windows rolled up, and they drove out of the garage, shortly followed by Ronney who took the Impala. But before he drove out, Ronney stopped the car in front of the kids, rolling his window down.

"Just keep the hoodies and ski masks, ya gonna need them again. Also here, keep these". Ronney reached to the floor of the passenger side, before throwing out the snub nose .38 and the tech 9. Along with some boxes of bullets and the two remaining clips for the submachine gun. The two kids just stared at the guns at their feet, before looking back up to Ronney. "Look...I know this wasn't an easy day for y'all...and as fucked up as it may sound, it does get easier. Morally speaking. Just keep up the good work, repay your debt and enjoy the money y'all will be earnin'. Save it up. Trust me, if y'all manage to get outta this shit, y'all are gonna have more money than y'alls entire family. Anyways thanks for the help. Mickey's punk ass will contact y'all another day. He gave me y'alls numbuahs, so if y'all ever wanna help me out and make some money, just hit me up. Take it easy guys", Ronney finished before rolling up his window and speeding off. Taylor stared at the guns and sighed, picking up the sub nose and the three boxes of bullets. She put the boxes in Lincoln's hoodie pockets and tucked the gun behind his pants after making sure it was empty.

"Look Lincoln, I want you to keep this. You're going to need it. Later this weekend you and I can go to the woods and practice. I know it blows ass, but it's just something we're going to have to get used to. Okay"? She explained. Lincoln didn't fight her on it. He knew she was right. He just quietly nodded, still looking at the ground in sadness. Taylor picked up the tech 9, tucked it inside her hoodie, and put both clips into her hoodie pockets. The two then just stood there, staring out at the now-empty parking lot. That's when Taylor broke, grabbing Lincoln and engaging him in a hug.

"I'm…so sorry I got us into this dude", she said, finally letting out her tears. Lincoln hugged her back, breaking out into tears as well.

"It's okay...at least we're in this together", he responded, crying into Taylor's arms. After a few minutes of crying, Taylor wiped her tears and kneeled at Lincoln's eye level.

"Listen Lincoln, we're going to get out of this, and I promise no matter what happens, we'll face this nightmare together. I have your back, and I'll protect you with my life", she said, sniffing her nose. Lincoln wiped his tears and smiled at her, nodding his head in agreement.

"Yea...okay...I'll protect you too Taylor. We're in this together", he responded, hugging his former bully tightly. After a few more seconds, they broke the hug, and Taylor got up from her knees, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Come on Loud, let's get something to eat... it's been a long fucking day", she said, wrapping her arm around Lincoln. Lincoln smiled, leaning next to her.

"Yea…I'm starving".