Chapter 73: A Minor Massacre
[Scene: The Midori kitchen. Five young Blackmoon males are staring in shock at the blood spatter on the wall behind where Justice Blackmoon had been standing just a few seconds before.]
[Zoi is just standing there with the gun in his hand, smiling a sick smile.]
[Rubeus Blackmoon is the first to recover and charges at Zoi with his machete.]
Rubeus: DIE!
[Zoi spins and stops his charge with two bullets to the abdomen. Rubeus crumples and falls to the floor.]
Chief Midori: Zoisite!
[Chief Midori is suddenly freed of all Blackmoon influence. The expression on his son's face is terrifying. He actually seems to be enjoying himself. Three of the remaining Blackmoons are cowering in terror, but one is generating arcs of energy between his hands.]
[Chief Midori rises from his chair and swings it at him, interrupting the current. Zoi turn the gun on the Blackmoon and fires before shooting another Blackmoon who is screaming and raising his hands in front of his face in an expression of surrender.]
[Now all that are left are the twins Chiral and Achiral. Zoisite tries his best to shoot them, but he has run out of bullets. Fortunately for the Midori's, they are too frightened to notice and go running out of the house.]
Zoi: [takes off after them] Oh, no you don't.
Chief Midori: Zoisite!
[Zoi ignores his father and goes running after the twins, making a brief detour to the coat closet to get his father's shotgun. He kicks open the front door wide open and runs outside.]
[He sees them running across the lawn. He takes aim and fells one, then the other.]
[Once it is clear they are not getting up again, Zoi drops the shotgun and falls to his knees in the grass, laughing hysterically. Before long the laughter turns to retching, then vomiting.]
[Chief Midori comes out. Zoi turns and when he sees it's his father, he stands and raises his hands above his head. He's shaking like a leaf.]
Zoi: I surrender.
Chief Midori: [shakes his head and gives his son a quick hug] Zoisite, get back in the house,
Zoi: You have to arrest me.
Chief Midori: [guiding Zoi into the house] I'm not arresting you. Go up to your room and don't come out for any reason while I clean up down here.
Zoi: Dad. This isn't right! You have to arrest me! There needs to be an investigation. I just killed six people!
Chief Midori: No! You didn't! [in the privacy of the living room he grabs Zoi by the shoulders and snarls through gritted teeth] You were in your room! Asleep! You woke because you heard sounds of a violent struggle! You were frightened, so you locked yourself in the bathroom and hid! You heard gunshots! You were afraid to come out so you stayed there until morning!
Zoi: [crying and shaking his head] No, that's not what happened! We need to tell the truth! If we can prove this was a home invasion I should get off lightly!
Chief Midori: I've spent the past twenty years lying to cover up for the Blackmoons. I'm certainly not going to do any less for you.
Zoi: Dad! No! You're going to make things worse! This was a clearcut case of selfdefense! I'm just going to go to juvie for a few days until this mess gets sorted out!
Chief Midori: You look too much like a pretty girl for me to send you to Hen Tie Juvenile Detention! I'm not locking you up in there to be molested by some lowlife perverts!
Zoi: [calming down a bit] Aren't violent murder suspects like mekept in isolation?
Chief Midori: I'm not talking about the other boys! I'm talking about the guards!
[Ziosite looks like he's going to be sick again.]
Chief Midori: [pushes Zoi toward the stairs] Go upstairs and take a long hot bath and watch some TV. I'm going to get everything cleaned up down here.
Zoi: What are you going to do?
Chief Midori: You don't need to worry about that.
[Zoi finally relents and shuffled off toward the stairs. Chief Midori goes into the kitchen and surveys the carnage.]
[All of the Blackmoons are dead, except for Rubeus, who is lying in a pool of his own blood, not long for this world.]
[In spite of this, he is chuckling a ragged gasping laugh.]
Chief Midori: What's so funny?
Rubeus: You think you can hide what happened here from the Black Moon Clan?
[Rubeus drags a blood arm across the floor and points to Justice Blackmoon's crystal topped walking stick]
Rubeus: You see that scepter? You know what it does? It taps itself into the hive-mind of Nemesis whenever the reigning monarch is in deadly peril. All of the Blackmoons just watched your son assassinate our king. And there are nearly 350 of us. Those 350 Blackmoons are coming for him, right now. They will be here any minute. They're coming for your little boy, and when they catch him, they're going to tear him into so many pieces you're going to need to bury him in a Hefty bag.
[Rubeus continues laughing. Chief Midori stares at the orb, hoping to see some proof this is a lie.]
[As he looks into the orb he sees hundreds of tiny eyes staring back at him. Chief Midori grabs his car keys.]
Chief Midori: ZOISITE!
[Zoi comes rushing into the kitchen]
Zoi: What's wrong, dad?
Chief Midori grabs his son by the arm.]
Chief Midori: We need to leave here! Now!
Zoi: [as they run to the squad car] Dad, where are we going?
[Chief Miori doesn't say anything. He watches Zoi get into the passenger seat and then surveys the horizon.]
[Human shaped shadows are materializing in the pale glow of night. First a few, then they start appearing more quickly. He hopes his imagination is getting the better of him, but he can't afford to assume anything. He starts the engine and peels out before Zoi has his seat belt fastened.]