I never wanted to kill anyone..In fact I've never even had that thought cross my mind..But for Meaghan I'd burn the whole city down if I had too...Thoughts start pulsing through my head as I look at the clock again 6:27 PM. Just a little over an hour until the sirens starts...Just a little over an hour until the annual Purge starts and tranforms my neighborhood into a slaughter house...This year is different...They've added a prize...$200 million to the last person standing...Corrupt blood money wrapped in a bow of selfish desperation...My hands slowly shake as I finish loading the last box into my panic room I'd installed in my basement about seven months ago. Canned food, water, some medical supplies, and ammunition...Everything a father need to protect his daughter during the twelve hours of the governments mayhem...Everything except guaranteed custody...The custody hearing this morning still plays over and over in my memory...Molly being perfect as always in her tailored blazer...Tears flowing in her eyes as she described my "unstable behavior" to the judge...The way she twisted every late pickup from ballet practice into neglect...Every missed parent teacher conference into abandonment...I wanted to scream to everyone in that courtroom I was working hard to pay for Meaghan's college fund...yet I sat there my words jumbling in my throat...My phone buzzes and I reach for it...A text from Meaghan..."Dad Mom won't let me come over. She's says it's not safe"...As I sat my phone down I could slowly feel the rage building up inside me...Like a teapot that's been on the stove for too long...Not safe she says...She's only saying that because her new boyfriend lives in the wealthy part of town...Where private security patrols during the Purge...It's a place where the rich can watch the poor rip each other apart from behind their fortified glass...Where my daughter will see humanity at its worse through a shitty filtered len of privilege...I was about to grab my keys but what's the use? The traffic will be horrible and that restraining order Molly got on me is still in effect for another two weeks...One wrong move and I'll lose my daughter...The announcement they made earlier is still running through my head..."This year's Purge comes with never before seen stakes...Last survivor claims $200 million. No exceptions and no appeals...That was enough to give Meaghan the life she truly deserves...Enough to fight Molly's army of lawyers...Enough to ensure my daughter never longs for anything again...The lights flicker in the basement as I check my supplies one last time...The old shotgun from Dad...The body armer I spent time crafting over the last year...The night vision that costed me four months of rent...I was prepared for everything except the thought of thinking about what I might have to do...My phone buzzes again...An unknown number...I was about to ignore it until I saw the message..."Hey Sean it's Micheal...Got room in that bunker of yours for one more? I've got something about Molly you're going to want to hear"...Micheal... The same Michael who testified on Molly's behalf at all of our court hearings. The same Michael who suddenly "forgot" all those times I covered his shift so we could watch his kids play soccer... My fingers slowly crept to the block button but another message pinged through..."She's planning something big for the Purge. Something about making sure you'll never see Megan again"...It felt like time had stopped for a second...Everything feels so small and closed in...The lights hum like an angry bee swarm...This could be a trap... I know Michael can't be trusted. But if there's a chance that Molly is using the Purge to take my daughter away from me for good...I can't let that happen...I won't let it happen... The first siren screams in the distance signaling one hour until the Purge starts... 1 hour until all crimes including murder becomes legal...One hour until I have to make a decision...Stay hidden and safe...Or step into the chaos and fight for my daughter...My phone lights up with the purchase countdown and below it another message from Michael. "Meet me at the old factory...Come alone...Remember Sean time's running out...I looked at the clock one more time...7:05 PM... The streets empty as people hurried to find shelter. I grabbed my backpack and headed for the stairs...Each step I took felt like I had a ton on my back...My body was screaming to me this was wrong but I already made my mind up...I never wanted to kill anyone...But for Meaghan I'd do anything... And as the countdown slowly went down...I'd prove it
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