Chapter 7 Shadows of the Past

Liam stepped out into the sprawling beauty of his garden, the moon casting a silvery glow over the meticulously trimmed hedges and vibrant flowers. Each breath filled his lungs with the fresh night air, but even the fragrant blossoms couldn't mask the bitterness gnawing at his heart. Clutching a glass of wine, he wandered along the cobblestone path, seeking solace in the coolness of the evening. But every step pulled him deeper into the abyss of painful memories.

As he walked, the tranquility of the garden stood in stark contrast to the chaos that reverberated in his mind. He was transported back to that fateful day-the day that had forever changed the lives of the ones he loved.

*Flashback*

The car had raced down the road, his mother gripping the wheel with white-knuckled intensity. There was an urgency in the air, a palpable tension that made Liam squirm in his seat. They had barely escaped the house where his father had been brutally taken from them, and yet danger still hunted them. He could still hear the low growl of engines behind them.

"They won't stop until we're dead," Claire had said, her voice trembling with fear. At that moment, terror gripped Liam's heart. He couldn't find the words; the weight of despair had rendered him mute. All he could do was cry silently, his body shaking with the enormity of their situation.

They sped through the darkened roads, and the shadowy figures of two cars followed close behind, relentless in their pursuit. Just when it felt like they had lost them, Claire whispered, "They've lost us," visibly calming for a moment as she eased off the accelerator. Relief washed over both of them like a mild tide, but it quickly faded.

"Are you alright, son?" she asked, turning her head slightly to assess him. Liam nodded, even as sweat dripped down his forehead, heart racing in sync with the echo of terror that lingered within him.

"We'll be alright, son." Her attempted smile brought a flicker of comfort. He believed her-if only for a moment.

But the fragile calm shattered when a faint beep broke through the silence, a sound emerging from beneath his seat.

His mother's eyes widened, and before he could comprehend the reality of the situation, she had shifted her foot, revealing a small device-a bomb. The warmth of her reassurance evaporated, replaced by the icy grip of horror.

"We are going to die," she wept silently, her heart fracturing under the weight of despair.

Time became elastic, stretching painfully thin as she glanced at the countdown timer blinking ominously. **Fifteen seconds.**

"Liam," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, each drop a testament to the love she bore him. "I love you so much, son. Always remember."

With every syllable, a sense of finality settled upon them, sorrow suffocating the air. "You must survive. Life may be hell from now on, but you must survive, son. Make them pay!" Her voice was a broken melody, filled with love and desperation.

Before he could process her words, Claire had opened the door of the moving vehicle, thrusting him out with a force that sent him tumbling into the night.

His body hit the road, rolling painfully across the rough asphalt, skin peeling against the relentless friction. Each jolt sent shockwaves of hurt through him, but instinct drove him to keep moving, to find safety in the darkness. A tangle of thorns met him as he blindly wedged himself into the underbrush, the sharp barbs digging into his wounds.

And then he hit something solid-a tree. The impact knocked the breath out of him, pain coursing through his body as he struggled to regain his sense of reality. The car skidded away, and within moments, that reality was replaced by a deafening explosion-the sound of fire and destruction so monstrous that it reverberated through his very bones.

Liam was left breathless and alone, the world collapsing into silence around him. The realization settled heavily in his chest: he was all alone.

His consciousness began to ebb, darkness encroaching at the periphery of his vision. In those final moments before everything went blank, his mind echoed with his mother's words-"Make them pay."

End Flashback

Liam stumbled to a stop in the middle of the garden, his wine glass nearly slipping from his fingers as he was jolted from the memory. The beautiful surroundings seemed to mock him-so serene, so calm-while his heart still bore the scars of that horrifying day.

His breath quickened, tears pooling in his eyes as he struggled to grapple with the weight of his grief. As he forged ahead down the stone path, he fought against the wave of sorrow threatening to topple him. The garden's beauty was punctuated by the sharp pang of loss, but among the sprawling flowers, he felt a flicker of something else-a resolve awakening within him.

The past had left him with haunting memories, but they also ignited within him a fierce determination. His mother's dying wish echoed in his mind-*Make them pay.*

He could no longer be a prisoner of his heartache; he would take that pain and sculpt it into a weapon of resolve. With the shadows of his past propelling him forward, Liam steeled himself for the path ahead.