Lyrics by The Cranberries
Rated V for Violence
Robin's hands were shaking when she reached the car ninety seconds later. She closed herself inside and gripped the key with two hands to keep from breaking it in the ignition and turned the engine over. The radio blasted from the speaker and she screamed, vaguely remembering when Patrick had borrowed her car yesterday to get his looked at. What she wouldn't give to have him with her right now, but that was against the rules and she wasn't willing to break them. The cost was too high. Tears slid down her face when she thought about Morgan being all alone with some stranger, a hired gun for all she knew. He must be so scared.
She drove out of the parking lot and snatched up her cell phone the moment she recognized the White Snake's "Here I Go Again" ring tone she had set for numbers she didn't have programmed in. "I'm here." She said. It was impossible to hide the tremble that had been slowing building up in her throat for the past five minutes. She hated how much he must have enjoyed hearing it.
"Took you long enough." Logan scolded though he didn't sound particularly upset. Amused was a better description.
"I'm sorry." There was no point giving excuses. It wouldn't matter to him that even Superman couldn't have gotten to the car faster than she had. If she knew anything about Logan, it was how little he cared for excuses.
"It's alright. I'm sure that kid is slowing you down. It'd be a shame…" He let his voice trail off, but she didn't need for him to continue. She had already considered what could happen.
"I've turned left at the stop sign." Robin informed him through chattering teeth. She set her jaw to try and control the shivering.
"I see. Now, go down this street until it dead ends and I'll tell you where to go." He was silent for a few minutes and then said, "This is kind of fun."
I'm glad you're enjoying yourself you sick bastard,she thought to herself. "You haven't hurt Morgan, have you?"
"Unless you do something I don't like, there's no reason for me to hurt the little brute, now is there?" Logan reasoned. "I'm not a bad guy despite what you may think." Robin scoffed and Logan laughed. "Well I guess I'm not a good guy either. I'm just that poor, misunderstood, unloved guy who just wants a piece of the pie you know? Forgive the rhyming. It wasn't intentional."
"You were given everything." Robin pointed out. "Your mother loved you more than anything in the world and so does Patrick." She hated to admit that her husband still loved his younger brother, but it was the truth. Until now, she hadn't wanted him to hate Logan, foolishly believing that that would hurt Patrick more. And maybe it would, she admitted, but he couldn't possibly justify this away too, could he? If something were to happen to her, to their children, he would have to turn his back on his brother once and for all. It made her sick to think. Logan had no idea how lucky he had been. Why take Morgan? It made so little sense. If anything, he should be trying to make amends with his brother.
"My father butchered my mother on the operating table." Logan spat. "And as far as Patrick goes, I'm a little surprised to hear that he still cares for me after everything he thinks I've done to you."
"You say that like I've been lying to him."
"Haven't you? I thought for sure I was in trouble when I came in through your window, but you didn't even seem to mind that much, so it got me wondering."
"I didn't want to hurt Patrick any more than you already had." Robin explained. "Read no more into it than that. It had nothing to do with you personally."
"Has it been hard for you to sleep since then? I hear you started seeing a shrink." There was laughter in his tone and she could tell he was smiling as well.
"You make me sick." Robin told him.
"Then we're even. Barely with my brother a year and you're already having his child. Talk about solidifying your status in our family."
"I didn't plan for this to happen." Robin argued.
"Then why not get rid of it? Oh let me guess: you love it, right? And you've convinced my brother to love it too."
"Stop it."
"Do you think my nephew will enjoy finding out what a whore his mother is?"
"Why do you hate me so much?" Robin hissed. "What did I do to you that you didn't bring on yourself?"
"You turned my brother against me."
"You did that. You knew he cared about me and you knew coming after me would be a nail in your coffin."
"You were asking for it and don't tell me otherwise." He must have heard the tears in her voice because he stopped talking long enough to laugh again. "I've missed our chats."
"Tell me something Logan." Robin steadied her voice. "Why did you try to take Cameron? I can understand Kristina and Morgan, but why Cameron?"
"Because Lucky turned on me too and I didn't appreciate it." Logan replied. "Anyway, I just ended up stuck with baby sister. I should have killed her. I told them to let me. I would make it quick and clean. Just a deep stab to the heart or a bullet to the head. They wouldn't even have to participate. But they were afraid. You see, they were cowards."
"Who was the fourth person?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Why not? You don't owe them anything."
"And you think I owe you something. Listen, Robin. The fact that I haven't done away with your kid yet is about the only thing I'm willing to do for you and you don't even deserve that."
"I'm at the dead end." Robin told him, blocking out his hateful words.
"Turn right and follow the road around until you reach I-19. There's an exit five miles from there. The sign isn't easily seen from the highway so you're going to have to be sure not to miss it."
"Okay." Robin signaled and pulled her car onto the highway. "After I exit?"
"You aren't there yet. Be patient. Trust me; I want you to make it to the right place. It's been too long since I've seen your face."
"Trust you." Robin parroted emotionlessly.
"I can understand that you're a little wary after all that's happened between us so I'll let that go. Don't cry." He insisted angrily. "I want to talk some more."
"What would you like to talk about?"
"Let's talk about our last night together. I assume you still remember it."
"No, let's talk about something else."
"You smelled absolutely radiant that night. Whether it was perfume or just your own natural scent—"
"Logan, stop this. I'll talk about whatever else you want."
"I can't believe you're blocking it out. That hurts me Robin."
"Well it hurts me to talk about it."
"Sorry." Logan actually sounded somewhat sincere. Robin wanted to gag, but that would require too much effort. It was all she could do to keep her car on the road. "Pay attention. I'd hate for you to end up in a ditch somewhere because you're distracted." Either he had read her mind or he could still see her. She was betting on the latter. "Wouldn't that be tragic? By the time your uncle found your bodies, it would be too late."
"I'm in control." Robin assured him raggedly.
"No, I'm in control." Logan countered. "And you'll do well to remember that."
"I'm exiting. Which way? Logan, which way?" She demanded when he said nothing in response.
"What's that?"
"Logan!"
"Alright, alright. Turn left under the bridge and follow the road all the way down. It's going to change from cement to gravel so be careful."
"At the end of the gravel?"
"There'll be a farmhouse. Park there. Call me once you're here."
"Wait I—" Robin threw the phone down in frustration. She drove the rest of the way in silence because she didn't want anything to distract her from getting to that farmhouse. There, just up ahead, she could already see it. She started to turn in when something caught the end of her tires and the car jerked forward. "Argh!" She screamed, her body thrown into the steering wheel.
When she woke up, her head was pounding and she couldn't sit up completely. Her hair and forehead were glued to the steering wheel with sticky blood. She clamped her lips tightly together and pushed her body backwards, cringing and crying. Awareness came to her in slow degrees. She knew she was in her car and that it was still day outside—the light stung her eyes. The battery went dead and then there was no noise at all. How long had she been passed out? Was Logan angry? Would he take it out on Morgan? Had he already? Was he dead?
"No." Her lips formed the words and she knew it was a mistake to open her mouth because now she could smell the blood. Gagging, she managed to get out of the car and threw up in a tiny patch of grass, her body lurching in resistance. She felt weak and lightheaded. How was she ever going to make it up the driveway? The phone. She had to get the phone. Quivering, she maneuvered herself back to the car and reached across the seat for the phone, but it wasn't there. Hysterically she laughed as her laborious search turned up absolutely nothing. Where was it? Where was her phone? Crying, she bit down on her dry bottom lip and shoved one hand under the passenger seat while she kept the other pressed to the passenger seat. Her fingers closed over the tiny black box and she drew in a sigh of relief, her arm shaking under the pressure.
I can't, she thought to herself. I can't keep doing this. It was too hard. Logan had won. Morgan was probably already dead. No. No, she had to get up. Sweat fell from her face like a soapy sponge; her knees were buckling. She gripped the phone so hard it was a wonder it hadn't snapped into two pieces. "You got the phone," She whispered. "You got the phone, now get up." Get up and call Logan, her mind went on when she became too weak to speak anymore. Her knees scraped against the leather seats, her body giving out even as her mind screamed for it to hold on. Just hold on. Just a while longer.
"You look like hell." Logan remarked. His voice came from the front porch. He hurried down to her and yanked her backwards by the collar of her pink and white polka dotted dress. "I'm so glad you could come. I haven't had friends out here in ages." She tried to focus on his words, but the little white dots appearing in front of her face were too disorienting. "Stay with me now. I'd hate for you to miss this." Logan encouraged, dragging her into the house.
"Where's Morgan?" Robin managed, her eyes fluttering wildly as she tried to push away from him.
"He's here." Logan promised. "You'll see him very soon."
"I want to see him now. Logan, let me see him. Please, I have to see him." Robin wasn't above begging. She would do anything if he would just let her see him.
"Okay my lovely. Come in here. Right this way." He led her down a long hallway that seemed to go on forever and ever. She realized her dilemma before they were even halfway there: she couldn't get them out of here. Please let Morgan be okay. Let him be coherent enough to get out of here. She would do whatever she had to do to get him out of here safely and that included staying behind and fighting off her psychotic ex-husband.
"You're awfully quiet." Logan noticed. His voice had the same effect of a loud speaker pressed against her ear. She could feel the vibrations in his throat when he spoke to her.
"D-Don't have anything to say." Robin told him.
"You really do look bad." Logan said again. "You aren't going to die on me, are you Robin?"
"Please." Robin didn't know what she was asking for. To make it a little longer maybe. To not pass out. For her children to make it out of this alive even if she couldn't. One thing was for sure: she wasn't asking Logan anything. His hands were like iron chains around her wrists. He could, at any time, let go and she would fall. He had all the power just as he had said.
"There we go." Still holding her with one hand, he threw the last door on the left open dramatically. "Hello Morgan."
"M-Morgan?" Robin couldn't see him. She couldn't even keep her eyes open long enough to see if it was really him.
"Say hi to Mommy, Morgan. Go ahead." There was a beat of silence and Robin felt her body fly into the wall. She slid down it almost immediately. "Oh that's right: you can't talk." He pointed to the ropes and gag.
Robin could hear Logan moving around the room, but she couldn't pinpoint his location. Her face was completely hidden behind her hair. She pinched the inside of her left palm to keep from losing consciousness.
"I used to think," Logan was talking again. She could make out every other word. Her main agenda was getting to where she figured Morgan was. He was wiggling in his chair so she could hear the clanking of the chair. Keep doing that, she silently begged him. Help Mommy find you. She crawled for all she was worth, unable to do much else. "Are you paying attention?"
"Morgan." Robin answered instead.
"Yes, yes. Morgan's here. Now listen or I'll have to hurt him." Robin turned toward her attacker when the threat settled in. "I used to think that I was one of those unlucky people. If there was a bad thing within a hundred-mile radius, I was going to find it. I didn't even have to seek it out. You were the light in all of that. You and my brother seemed to understand who I was and, for a little while, that was okay with you." Something tugged her back by her hair and she screamed. "And then it all changed. Why did it change, hmm? Can you tell me what changed?"
"You went crazy." Robin spat, reaching out for Morgan's hand. She almost smiled when she felt his cold hand beneath hers.
"No. That's not it. You both abandoned me." Logan stated matter-of-factly.
"You lost your mind and now you want everyone else to lose theirs. Well too bad." Robin didn't realize she was talking until he released his hold on her head. The relief, though minimal, was enough to keep her from closing her eyes indefinitely.
"There's the firecracker we all know and love. About time you joined us. I was getting kind of bored of the Mother Teresa role myself. It'll keep me entertained on our trip."
"Trip?" Robin echoed, her heart in her throat. Her lips were so dry, she didn't even dare to run her tongue over them. Her eyes were tearing with every second she forced them to stay open. Beyond the pain, there was one feeling that kept her going: Morgan's hand in hers. She squeezed it twice and then turned back to Logan.
"Yes. You see, now that you're here, our family is complete."
"We will never be your family." Robin vowed repulsively.
"You don't have much say in it, now do you?" Logan reminded her. He addressed his next question to Morgan who couldn't have answered anyway. "Morgan, how does the song go again? Love's first right? Well I love your mother. Then marriage. I still have our old rings so that's taken care of. And, thanks to your mother's loose ways, we even have a little baby to raise." He stepped closer until he was crouched in front of his younger cousin. "I'm afraid there just isn't enough room for you. You understand." That said, he pulled out a switchblade and cut the ropes free enough to where he could drag Morgan to his feet.
"No! No! Logan, get away from my son!" Robin demanded, using the chair to pull herself up. "You let him go."
"So he can live a life of always being number two? I don't think so. I've been there and trust me, it's not a fun place to be."
"Get away from him. Morgan, run. Run." She insisted.
"He can't Mommy." Logan assured her. "You might want to close your eyes. I know how queasy you get at the sight of blood."
"No, Logan. Don't. Don't do this. Leave him alone. He didn't do anything." Robin made her way toward them, all the air rushing out of her lungs at the sight of the switchblade pressing against Morgan's throat. "Let him go. I'll stay." Morgan shook his head, tears sliding down his cheeks. "It's okay baby. It's okay." Robin told him. She stared at Logan coldly. "Patrick is going to kill you."
"Usually I'd argue, but you're probably right. It's too bad you'll all be dead by then." His words brought images immediately to her brain. Her hands flew to her stomach out of habit.
The front door flew open, the hinges creaking in protest and the windows shaking. All eyes turned to the door. Logan pushed Morgan onto the floor and traded his knife for a gun. It wasn't that different from the one Lucas was holding. Robin's eyes flew from one person to the next, not sure what she should do. She was so relieved to see Lucas, but it was fleeting thought. Even if he could get off a shot, neither of them would be quick enough to save Morgan.
"Hey there cousin." Logan addressed Lucas, dragging Morgan along with him as Lucas moved deeper into the room.
"What are you doing Logan?" Lucas demanded shaking his head. His eyes were wide and incredulous, but there was fear beneath his words. He knew how bad this could get. His eyes locked with Robin's and she nodded once.
"Taking back what was stolen from me." Logan explained.
"Oh, I didn't realize Morgan was your son." Lucas snarled.
"He should be. And so should that little bastard she's carrying. They should both be mine."
"Too bad." Lucas chuckled, watching Logan's eyes darken. "I forgot what a whiner you were."
"What?"
"Yeah. You were always whining about one thing or the other. Patrick or Lucky had something you wanted so you were always complaining. You never saw what you had. And you're surprised she left you. Typical Logan."
"Shut up." Logan ground through his teeth.
"Don't be an ungracious host." Lucas cautioned him sardonically. "Now I know I wasn't invited to this little shindig, but I thought you always liked surprises."
"I have never liked surprises." Logan argued.
"Oh, that must have been Patrick. Hard to believe I made that mistake. You're nothing like him."
"I know." Logan admitted.
"Do you really think doing this is going to score you points with him?"
"I want him to pay attention." Logan clarified. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Don't be stupid, Logan. You've stolen his entire family."
"He doesn't deserve to have a family!"
"So you're going to punish Morgan? A little boy who has done nothing to you?"
"They haven't had enough time to fill his head with lies about me yet. He doesn't have any reason to hate me yet."
"I think you've given him plenty actually. His memories of you will always come down to this one. Why don't you let him and Robin go."
"No." Logan shook his head furiously. "No, they deserve to pay."
"For your pain? You selfish bastard." Lucas accused crossly. "Pay your own penance, okay? Leave them out of it. Sometimes life isn't fair. Sometimes it downright blows, but you have no one to blame but yourself. You did this. You kidnapped them and now you're going to have to face the consequences. What a concept!"
Logan pulled Morgan to his feet and held the gun in his shaking other hand. "Do you want to see what I can do, Lucas? Don't push me. The way you're pushing me isn't smart! Tell him." He beckoned Morgan, snatching the gag away with a quick jerk of his hand. "Tell him what I'll do."
Robin's eyes widened and she knew there was only one thing left to do. Fisting her hands, she ran for Logan and tackled him to the ground. The gun fired off a round but as far as she could tell it hadn't hit Morgan. She crawled over to him and undid the knot of his gag. Logan rolled over, his eyes dazed, but he was up quicker than a snake in attack position. He and Lucas ran for the gun and Morgan let out a scream, "MOMMY!"
She couldn't figure out why he had screamed, only knew that it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. She was being dragged farther and farther into the thick smog of her brain.
"MOMMY, NO!" Morgan ran for her and then she heard a sound that stopped her heart: a second gunshot.
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over.
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken.