RP: TEARS: THE PURGE [ Horror_Show & randomname98766789]

In the late decade of 2000’s, The New Founding Fathers [NFAA] have been voted into office following economic collapse, and eventually sanction a national civic tradition called "The Purge." The Purge occurs for 12 hours on March 21 to 22, from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next day, during which all crime is legal and all police, fire, and medical emergency services remain unavailable. Restrictions prohibit government officials "ranking 10" from being disturbed, as well as the use of all weapons above Class 4 (explosive devices such as grenades, rocket launchers, and bazookas). The Purge has resulted in unemployment rates plummeting to 1%, low crime, and a strong economy.




MARCH 2OTH 2016 1800 HOURS: 26 HOURS UNTIL ANNUAL PURGE







 
Lana Barnes sat in her room at her desk leaned back in her chair, headphones blasting music out of her headphones. She was in a group chat with a couple of friends and was surfing while playing a video game. Normally she would be studying but it was twenty four hours until the annual purge and secretly the young female was terrified. The young twenty year old had always been safe, always under her father’s high end security, she always had a safe haven. It didn't matter where she was, at any part of her life she was a priority for parents to be safe during the purge night.

Lana’s mother had died two years ago on the night of the purge. After she had remarried, her new husband had tried to get them to go on vacation during the night of the purge out of the country. Everything had been planned out ahead of time and they was given the green light to exit the country. They had a flight at four PM that day and the airport was locked down and suddenly their access was denied and everyone was encouraged to evacuate the airport and get home to safety. 

The newlyweds got stuck in the chaos and by the time they had been able to get out of the airport and home, they were out in the open on purge night.

Lana could remember constantly trying to text her mother but her mother ad purposely not told anyone what had happened at the airport. It wasn't until she saw her father gearing up and instructing her to stay in the house that she was desperately trying to pull out of her father what was going on, why he was leaving home to go out. Before he had even left and Lana was already an emotional wreck not wanting him to leave, his phone had gotten a text message. Lana had snatched his phone while he was doing some last minute security details on his house for Lana. That was when Lana saw the text message from her mother’s number to her father. It was a picture of a gang of masked people around the two bloodies bodies of her mother and her new husband.

Lana had gone mute and had enlarged the media message and was shaking. Her father was demanding an answer on his protocols and saw his daughter with his phone. In two strides he grabbed the phone and saw the picture. He also stood there frozen.  A new text message had come through.
 
8:35 PM: Purge & purify, so sorry for your families loss The newlywed’s time of death was exactly 7:40 PM at the location of Lefferson and Carolina. They will be put in the dumpster at the end of Lefferson in the ally, our deepest condolences. Too bad they couldn’t get home in time.
 
Leo had cursed out and about threw the phone but knew Lana was scrambled for it. He immediately grabbed Lana as she was in shock.
That night still haunted her, it was still fresh. Ever since her mother’s death she had moved in with her father. During the year she went to a local community college and worked part time at a humane society.

Back to the present, Lana was zoning in and out listening to her music oddly looking at the surroundings of her room. She had this deep sinking feeling in her stomach. She knew her father was going to be out late making last minute preparations for the household he was being paid high money to make sure had high end security.  For some reasons the family had excellent wealth and had found out about her father’s expertise in security and his background of being a bodyguard. 

 The contract was for him to make sure the place was bulletproof.  She didn’t know that the family was going to throw even more money on the contract up front tonight, to ask if Leo would be on site and was going to invite him to be with his daughter in their household. 





Leo would think really hard on the decision of taking the offer, he knows he has his own small good financial status but the extra money would let him provide more than enough for Lana. He would want to give her every possibly chance to succeed and give her anything she wanted or needed. He could do that to a good point but this would make it happen without a flaw. The family would give him until the next morning to get back to him as everything else was set in place. 

Lana leaned back in her desk chair further, letting her bare legs rest and teeter totter on the edge of the desk. She looked at the chat and saw her friends were harassing her to actually type but she saw others had already started posting video links and images of news of the upcoming purge. People they were interviewing who were claiming they were purging to benefit their soul and the country.

It was sickening. Lana got mad and clicked off the chat room signing out, she cursed under her breath and pulled out the chord from her headphones letting music blare from her sound system. Tears from Health was playing. Lana pushed up from the desk chair being pissed and distraught. Walking to her bed, she stood there looking lifeless, then suddenly dripped to her knees on the carpet and in one swift motion pulled out a metal briefcase that had a digital pin pad on it. She could use a code or put her finger print. She stabbed her thumb on the reader and it flashed green as she heard it unlock. She stayed on her knees while slowly opening the case.

The case was expensive and had a set of weapons, it had a brand new pistol with a built in silencer. It was meant to seen and not heard and its why her father had purchased it a few years back with enough ammo, a combat survival military knife and a few other odd essentials in case of an emergency. Lana had been trained to properly load and fire a gun, she had been trained to defend herself and had taken a couple fighting classes. The thing was, when pressure came, she had two modes…. flight or fight.

Thankfully she had never had to test out which mode was programmed inside of her for survival. She looked at the case and the gun and fell back on her bum letting her legs stretch out as the music kept playing, drowning out her emotions. She scooted back resting her back against her nightstand slouched back with her hands loosely handing over her propped up knee’s.

Leo Barnes just finished securing the large mansion of a young, famous actor. Leo knew the young man’s parents from high school. They stayed in contact afterwards so they knew about his time as a police officer, his specialty in security, and his time working as a bodyguard. At first glance, Leo did not look like too much of a threat. An aging man in his late forties did not sound threatening. Plus, he was not overtly muscular but he could still kick some ass and throw it down with the best of them. Basically, Leo Barnes was not a man you wanted to fuck with. His skill and level of expertise made him a perfect fit for this job. Not only could he perform these duties but he was smart enough prepare ahead of time as well. Every window, door, and possible opening contained an impenetrable security gate that would roll down at the press of a button. It would withstand all weapons legalized for use during The Purge. Motion sensor detectors and traps were all armed around the house, waiting to be detonated with another button. A newly built in safe room with all of the family’s guns, ammo, and essentials with walls and doors made of the same material as those gates.

In essence, this mansion would be a safe haven for the night of The Purge. A huge sum of money was going to be deposited into Leo Barnes’ bank account after the last part of the contract was signed. The homeowners looked over his protective measures and were blown away. He left a descriptive outline of everything they can use and do. They already felt safe and were so thankful for his services. However, they wanted to sweeten the deal. They offered him the chance to come stay with them in person. One, it would provide them even more protection but two Leo could also keep himself safe as well. Obviously his house was fortified but he did not have that kind of budget when working on his own home so the defenses were not nearly as sophisticated. What really got him to budge was hearing about his daughter. She could stay too and that place would be safe for the both of them. At the time, Leo only though it was going to be the actor, his girlfriend, and his parents. Just four people just like he warned the celebrity. Even people you think you might know and trust can turn on you in an instant. Leo knew that better than anyone but not to the extent what could happen on the Purge.



After being assured only those four people and himself and his daughter would be allowed, Leo decided that was the best option. Plus, they were getting so much more money, Leo loved helping people, and they should theoretically be safe no matter what. He wanted to provide for Lena in the best way possible. After this night, she could go to college wherever she wanted after her time at the local community college was done. She would never have to worry about money and they could finally afford some of those non-necessities that they want. It was a nice thought considering Leo’s life had been particularly rough up to this point. His father left the picture when he was only two and his mother passed away from cancer when he was eight. Growing up in a handful of different foster homes, he never learned true love until he met Lena’s mother. They were young but ended up marrying in their early twenties.

Everything was going well and they had a child together named Lena and she was the bright spot of Leo’s world. He did everything in his power to make her happy and keep her safe. As time went on, his marriage with her mother perished for some unknown reason. When Lena was about eleven, her parents divorced. Leo caught her mother cheating on him in their own house while Lena was asleep but he never told Lena that it happened in their own home. Leo did the right thing to try and forgive her but it happened again. Finally, the divorce happened and it was rather nasty. His ex-wife continued finding different men to sleep with until settling down with some doctor and getting married again. Honestly, Leo did not care for her anymore. She was scum in his eyes but the only reason he tried to keep anything good between them was for Lena. He never, ever talked ill of her mother in front of Lena even though he wanted to. He took the higher road here and it was just so painful. He never really dated again for found someone else, choosing to get lost in his job and taking care of Lena and ignore the pain.

Then on Purge night two years ago, his ex-wife and her new husband were murdered. It did impact him because of how it hurt Lena. Sure, he was sad but seeing how destroyed Lena was really killed him. He knew Lena always hoped they would get back together at some point but it just never happened. Leo even wondered about that, too but he felt powerless. He told his ex-wife to not try and travel in case something like this happened but she just did not listen. Even worse, he still does not have the slightest clue who murdered these two people though he has been trying to find out ever since that fateful night. Tomorrow would be purge night in almost twenty-four hours as Leo finally arrived to their average, two-story home. He thought about the money he was set to make… and how big their house could eventually be. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it, wondering where Lena was, wanting to tell her the news. He started to call out her name but heard loud, blaring music so it was pointless. Sighing, he trudged up the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door. “Lena? I need to talk to you.”

Lana stayed positioned on the floor propped up against her nightstand dresser. She thought she sensed her father was home but couldn’t hear because of the loud music blaring off of her sound system. She turned toward the door and heard him, he was home. She should have already been showered and cooking dinner but just sat there. Normally she would have said something, scrambled up to turn her music down and meet him at the door but not tonight. She could hear his several knocks, louder than ever even though he was probably trying not to break it down. For some reason she didn’t care, she wanted him to come, he couldn’t rescue her from emotional roller coaster of reliving her mother’s death and just the purge in general.




Her thoughts were broken as she saw her father open the door and look in, immediately he saw her location and that she had her weapons box out and open. That alerted him as she left the door open and made haste and walked over quickly assessing the situation, the open briefcase, her daughters state. He saw she had just opened the box and the weapon hadn’t even been touched or tampered with.



Lana simply just looked up at him silently, pitifully, hopeless. She watched him drop to a crouch easily, almost on her level. She watched him carefully shut the briefcase putting the security back on locking it. He left it out and she just stared at him. He moved in two movements and was propped up sitting beside her. Lana leaned against his shoulder, somehow it was hard to fight what was happening. Last year she tried so hard to hide her emotions but it was getting harder.

She clenched her jaw but felt her fathers strong, warm grasp pull her into his lap. Her back was to his front, her head lying midway on his chest and neck. Without being in his direct view, she let her eyes swell with tears. Her body relaxed in his arms instantly. He was her only security blanket now. She felt one hand stayed wrap around her while his face stayed pressed against her head.

Loud music from Lana was not particularly alarming. Starting in the girl’s teenage years, she seemed to enjoy blaring her favorite songs inside the house. Her mother always hated the noise and forced her to shut it off while he actually allowed this to happen. Leo was definitely the more lenient parent of the two but his limits were obvious and if Lana crossed the line, she would definitely know. A strange feeling started burning in the pit of his stomach when his knocking went unanswered and the music did not cease. Usually his daughter would answer his knocking or at least bring her music to a discontinuance. Even stranger, she enjoyed sticking to a routine schedule most of the time but no dinner was waiting on the oven and Lana seemed to be trapped inside of her own little word.

Any logical father that loved his daughter could tell when something bothered his baby girl. Knowing what this time of the year meant to Lana sealed the deal and Leo cracked the door open slightly until she was in view. Her posture was poor and she slumped against the nightstand with a look of hopelessness on her face. She sat with the security box given to her by Leo a few years ago just in case of the worst possible scenario happened on Purge night and he was not around to protect her. Granted, the only way Leo could not protect Lana would mean that he was dead. She was easily the most important thing to him in this world and anyone trying to harm her would absolutely kill him first because there was no possible way around him.



Immediately entering the bedroom, he approached the speakers and muted the volume before crouching beside of his daughter. Closing the box, he sat beside of Lana and wrapped his strong, fatherly arms around the girl and pulled her against his chest. To this day, he still blamed himself for what happened to her mother two years ago. Granted, any reasonable person realized it was obviously not his fault for what happened but the guilt was slowly killing him. Lana loved her mother and seeing her unable to deal with the loss destroyed Leo more than anything else in the entire world. If only he had fought harder to keep their marriage together and keep her love, it would be different. She would not have married that doctor and would not have tried to leave that night. It might not be circumspect but his mind was always clouded.

Leo’s worst emotional affliction and agony stemmed from helplessness. Nothing he did would ever replace the hole left in Lana’s heart. It was impossible to protect her from the Purge or protect her from what happened that fateful night. Leo was rendered powerless and hopeless, unable to fix the problem. Anyone that knew Leo Barnes knew that this was a huge pet peeve of his. Regardless, all he could actually do was protect Lana in the future Purges and hope for the best. His own eyes closed and the grip around the smaller girl tightened. His left hand lifted to her medium-length brunette hair and started to stroke through her locks over and over again. Leo’s right hand placed on the small of Lana’s back while starting to rub circles all along the center of her shirt.



Rough lips pressed a soft kiss to young woman’s forehead in an attempt to comfort her. Leo usually annexed the gift of gab along with retaining a skill of having a way with words but he was rather speechless right now. Still, he refused to sit in simple silence.

“I’m sorry, Lana. I know you miss her. I miss your mother, too. I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. You are the only thing I have left in this world that I care about. I will never let anything happen to you. I promise to not leave your side tomorrow.”



It was a bold promise to ensure her safety but the former bodyguard was a confident man. His heart was currently swelling with fear and uncertainty so this embrace was not only helping Lana, but it was helping Leo as well.

Lana just stayed in Leo’s arms, resting against his broad chest. Only when she was with him did she feel completely safe. She didn’t blame him for anything, she knew it wasn’t his fault they got a divorce, it definitely it wasn’t his fault she remarried and didn’t listen to his advice. There was not one thing she could ever be disappointed with him.



“I’m sorry, Lana. I know you miss her. I miss your mother, too. I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. You are the only thing I have left in this world that I care about. I will never let anything happen to you. I promise to not leave your side tomorrow.”

Lana let out a small breath he would feel through his cotton gray shirt. Normally his attire was simple, comfortable and presentable. Lana only curled her small form into his lap and chest more nuzzling her face against his neck trying not to break. She nodded finally to his words letting him know she understood.

She was unaware that tomorrow they wouldn’t be in the familiar safety of their bunker underneath the house. She would have less time to worry and absorb they were going to be at a famous person’s compound locked in for the twelve hours. Of course she would figure out that he would have done it for the money, the money because of her.

Lana finally moved her head just a little seeming content, like she could oddly stay like this forever, as a young child would be after being lost and finding its parent.

“I guess I need to get up and cook.” She softly muttered. She felt Leo pulled her as he repositioned himself so he was sitting upright more, one one leg cocked up, letting her lay at a more comfortable angle on him. He pulled out his cell phone and held it out using his head to slightly nuzzle her toward seeing the phone. She knew that would be him giving her the option to do carry out of some sort. She slowly grabbed his smart phone and unlocked it knowing the password, oddly he kept nothing from her. She stayed so her side was still curled into his front. She used his phone to get online and check some close by pizza places.

Five minutes later after hanging up she slouched back into Leo after ordering a Large double pepperoni and sausage pizza from Papa Johns with some garlic bread, tossed sider salad and a 2 liter of pop for the both of them. It least tonight even the pizza driver would be safer than he would tomorrow when you would either purging or hiding in hopes of surviving the night.

The breath Lana released caused Leo to shiver from both the feeling of her breath rolling over against his chest combined with knowing that his daughter was surely alive and in his arms. Saying she was the center of his world would be a massive understatement. She was so much more than that and he felt thankful for their relationship. So many fathers and daughters don’t get along but they were ideal even with everything that happened. Leo worried she would blame him for what happened to her mother but thankfully she did not and knew it was nobody’s fault except the people who killed her.

He felt Lana nuzzled her head closer to his and he returned the favor. This closeness was something they both needed to feel obviously and he could feel his worry starting to disappear. When the girl talked about cooking, Leo simply shook his head and grabbed his cell phone. She was clearly in no mood to cook or to even move from this position and he had no problem with that. Thankfully, she understood his orders and got them a pizza. Even though it was so unhealthy and Leo was usually good about watching what he ate, pizza was his weakness especially the kind of pizza she ordered.

After having his phone returned, Leo pocketed the device and looked down towards Lana again. This intimate moment seemed like the perfect spot to break the news to her about the plan for tomorrow night. It would be different but it would overall benefit them more than anything else possibly could.

“Lana… tomorrow night we will not be here.” Leo began to get her attention. “That family and celebrity I told you about that offered me all that money to fix up their house offered me even more to be there in person and they know I have you to look after and you can come too. This is a once in a lifetime chance and we have to take it. Besides, I know the house is safe and I’ll be there beside you the entire time. This money we can get will pay for your college and even give you extra money to spend and use as you want. I’ve never even heard about this kind of money before. They are offering 250 grand for this one night.”

It was truly remarkable to think about having that much money. Lana could easily pay for college and get her life started.

Lana leaned forward sitting upright more, she was still twisted so her side was pressing against his chest, her rear between his legs on the floor. It was possibly a more intimate position than paternal but neither of them thought nothing of it. Lana’s mind was too preoccupied to go there. The news of their new location during tomorrow’s purge was a surprise. She listened to him and frowned, not taking her eyes off of his face, his expression. She wouldn't dare question his authority or knowledge of security. She literally knew nobody better for security purposes other than father. Growing up she was familiar with a few of his military and cop friends and even all of them mentioned he was one of the best. He would still read the disappointment on her face from being somewhere unfamiliar. They were safe here. Most people didn't have a secure bunker to be in under their house in the backyard.

“You didn't have to accept. I’m perfectly fine taking out loans or getting scholarships.” Was the only words she could think of while groaning out in frustration. She knew the deal was done and the contract was already signed.

“I’ll go get us ready to eat.” She said but her actions and voice would let Leo know she was very upset. Before she could get up, he would get one last peck on the head before releasing her. Leo knew it was the best, he wanted the best for her.
Lana went downstairs and set up the table quickly getting out a couple plates, salad bowels and glasses with ice and set up everything neatly. She even put out tubberware to put left over’s in. Her father was walking down the steps when there was the doorbell going off.

Leo nodded letting her know he could get it and pay. Minutes later they were digging into the pizza, bread sticks and salad. They were quiet and Lana was enjoying pigging out on the not so healthy food. Though she wasn't deprived, she could easily get fast food when she wanted she just chose to eat healthy, both she and Leo took turns cooking and it was a hobby they enjoyed together and Lana made some pretty tasty deserts. Lana’s mother always agreed she cooked better than she did and figured she got the skill from her father.

After they were finished it was almost eleven at night. Lana was putting away the left over’s and doing the dishes tidying up the kitchen. She heard Leo say he was going to go for a jog, he offered her to come with him. Sometimes they walked or jogged together, they definitely from time to time would train or work out as her father was even a certified trainer in order to keep his own health and body up to shape. Normally she would enjoy the challenge but she shook her head doing the dishes. She continued cleaning the kitchen and saw him come down in his running attire, a t-shirt, sweat pants and tennis shoes, he had his headphones wrapped around his shoulders. He winked before heading out the back door. Lana watched him start his pace through the back yard, out the gate, down the drive way into the night city. He would be safe tonight.

Lana went upstairs to her room and decided to take a quick shower. She changed into some causal lounge clothes. A graphic knot tank layered over another with boy shorts. he was towel drying her hair and brushing her teethe when she heard noise and knew it was her father. She walked out with the toothbrush still in her mouth and saw her father walking up the stairs, sweating and wiping a towel around his face. She knew he would hit the shower as well. He gave another wink before heading to his bedroom. She stood there brushing her teeth, teeter tottering on one foot in her own way secretly lost in her own thoughts about Leo without realizing it. She went back to spit out and rinse with mouthwash when she caught on how she had actually possibly been checking out her father. It was something she noted now and then and shrugged it off almost smirking.




It was logical to know Leo was an attractive, in-shape older male. She had seen many women check him out, whistle or all of the above, they had even gone out a lot and random women would buy him drinks or pay for their food. Each time he would be polite, pay them back and decline any contact. Lana was had promised herself as time went on and she got older she would encourage him to date, to move on but inside she just hadn't gotten to that point yet.

Indeed, most people might find this position to be very intimate and not something a daughter should do with her father but Leo thought nothing of it. This seemed to be where Lana felt comfortable and safe so he was not going to dare and ask her to move from this position. Besides, they were alone and nobody could see them anyways, not that he even cared what they would think if anyone could watch. All that mattered to him was his daughter’s opinion and feelings of course. Everyone that knew Leo, knew this. No father around could love their daughter so deeply like this. It was truly an incredible relationship they shared. Though she did not voice it at all, Leo could tell she was disappointed. Nobody knew Lana quite like he did so that tone of her voice and that look on her face and just her general body language showed him her displeasure and disappointment. It was difficult for Lana to understand now and Leo understood that. He just hoped later she would realize that this was the best for her and her father would not accept the offer if he did not think it was so.

Sure, she could get loans or scholarships but it was not going to be an easy life paying off student loans for probably decades of her life. Leo wanted the best life possible for Lana and it included finding her a way to chase her dream in college without being in debt for her entire life. Deciding to not speak any further about the topic, he simply kissed her on the forehead and watched her leave before sighing to himself. It was rare that she ever got upset over something he did but now it was happening. Thankfully, she never really showed her aggression or got verbally upset with him and it made things so much easier to talk out. For a few moments, Leo just sat there and stared around his daughter’s room with a sad smile. He could only hope this payday would be worth it. Besides, just five people including himself and Lana, what could go wrong? It was still going to be safe and that was assured. He just needed Lana’s trust on this one and hoped that wasn’t asking too much of her right now. It was a rough time for them both for sure.



Upon descending the stairs, the doorbell sounded and Leo went right towards the door and opened it to accept the food and pay the money. The pizza delivery guy even reminded him to “stay safe” tomorrow. It was a common gesture before the day of the Purge. Instead of just saying hello to strangers, you might say something about being safe or having a good Purge or whatever. Leo just nodded meekly and closed the door before bringing the food into the kitchen and putting away his change. From there, he helped set out the food and started to eat, enjoying this meal as well and finding the silence to be rather comfortable despite their last interaction. It was eleven o’clock and Leo was tired but ready for his jog. After offering Lana the chance to accompany him, he bolted out the back door and stared blaring his running music playlist. Jogging like this kept him in shape but also cleared his mind. It was nice to just reset sometimes and when he was jogging on his trail, all he did was think about the rough things in life that he needed to get squared away.

However, he was rather distracted tonight. Jogging by a house down the street, he saw a few teenage boys through the windows, painting what would likely be their masks for the Purge tomorrow. He shuddered and looked away but found himself quickly winded and unable to enjoy himself, especially without Lana’s presence. He finished up about half an hour later, just a little earlier than most of the time and jogged back inside the house, locking the doors tight. Returning to the bedroom, he stripped down and showered not even noticing how his daughter checked him out. Clad in only some boxers and pajama pants, he found Lana wherever she was and gave her a kiss and a hug good night before retiring to his room. It was now just about midnight and tomorrow he intended to get plenty of sleep to prepare for the night ahead. He curled up underneath his covers and tried to go to sleep but constantly tossed and turned to no avail.

Lana stayed in her room after her father said good night. She closed her door but not before noticing he always left his open. She went to her bed and flopped down closing her eyes. After tomorrow night some of fear and paranoia would subside, it least for days or months until it got closer and closer to next year’s march. Lana fell back staring at the ceiling. Lana knew she wasn’t going to be able to sleep and rolled off her bed and went to her bathroom and bent down digging through her medicine cabinet. She rummaged through bottles until she found her anxiety medicine. For a while she saw a therapist for the first year after her mother passed, her therapist encouraged her to see a shrink and she was prescribed anti-depressants and anxiety medicine. She took it for a little while but didn't continue it. Though she hadn't taken it in ages and she knew it would knock her out so she could get some sleep.

Opening the pill bottle while still crouched on the floor on her knees she popped two pills and screwed the cap back on while filling a glass with water gulping it down. After using the bathroom she crawled into bed and turned off her lights. Her room still stayed illuminated through lights hanging in various places. She distracted herself playing mindlessly on her smart phone before falling into a sedated sleep.



A couple of hours Lana jolted awake letting out a soft gasp. Her eyes darted around, she assessed it was some sort of bad dream but she couldn't remember what it was. Maybe she had fallen backwards or had some sort of adrenaline rush in her sleep. Sitting up she rubbed her groggy eyes. She climbed out of bed and quietly left her room and walked standing in her father’s doorway. He was on his side, she knew he was asleep but she made her way to the other side of his queen bed and climbed in under the covers. His back was to her front and that was fine, he was close. So damn close and it was the only way her mind was at rest. It was a psychological mindset. She fluffed up her pillow but curled onto her side like him, her head lightly pressed against his upper back.

Making his peace during the day, Leo always slept easily throughout the night even during rough events. Sometimes he tossed and turned but he would generally rest for the night. It was pitch black in his room, just like he wanted. The only light stemmed from leaving his door open. It allowed cooler air to flow in and allowed Lana to have easy access if she needed him. As a younger girl, she often curled herself into the bed after a nightmare. It was some habit he could not break, not accepting his baby girl was growing up.

Too often, Leo felt some not so fatherly thoughts about his daughter slip through his mind though he tried to avoid it. Usually, Leo was a rational fellow so feeling attraction to his own flesh and blood irked him even though something about the possibility of having a different kind of relationship with Lana could also warm his heart. It was tough but he figured it must be from the traumatic events dealing with her mother from the divorce to her death. For Leo, he always held some sliver of hope they might make amends and he would find it to forgive her but she never wanted to take him back. Maybe Lana just reminded him of her mother and the attraction was inevitable.



At some point in the early morning hours, Leo felt the bed dip down slightly behind of him. Without even looking, he recognized the feeling of his daughter’s body. Not even uttering a word, Leo simply reached one hand backwards to grab her wrist gently, placing it against his side so the physical touch would be exemplified. Furthermore, he rolled onto his back and lay supine, allowing an arm to reach underneath her head. She must have had a nightmare and needed his comfort.

“I love you, everything’s going to be alright.” He simply whispered before closing his eyes again.

Strangely enough, even Leo felt comforted and relaxed by her presence. In seemingly no time at all, the male was asleep again, sleeping much better than before. Early the next morning, he quietly and silently slipped out from his daughter before showering and changing into his clothes for the day before deciding to throw together a quick breakfast in bed to share with Lana. They did not leave until around noon, so Leo felt like spending quality time with Lana was obviously the best way to go.

Lana finally fell asleep against the warmth of Leo. They both felt the safest around the other, in reality they was all the other hand in an emotional sense. Leo had gotten up early to treat Lana to breakfast in bed. She stirred slightly with groggy eyes shielding her eyes from the light of the sun shining through the curtains. Her father set a tray of delicious food in front of her with a selection of her favorite breakfast foods. She pushed herself up to sit against the headboard. She adjusted her eyes and saw Leo was already dressed and ready for today in just a jeans, t-shirt. He would throw a nice open black blazer in his pack to put on before arriving at the house. Her eyes lingered a little tiredly at him as he sat on the edge of the bed watching her as she struggled to grab a fork and start on her cheesy scrambled eggs. He informed her of when they had to head out and she frowned but nodded while quietly eating. She noticed had gone out of his way to make everything and she must have overslept. She also figured he knew she had probably taken one of her anxiety’s medicine to help her sleep. After eating, she said she would get ready and pack a few minor things and be ready soon.

After getting dressed in a fitted undergarments. A dark grey tank pulled over a thinner white tank, with patched blue jeans and white converse. She packed a small amount of things in a back pack, Leo locked down the house for security reasons and they got inside his black dodge charger. Lana had her own car which was a turquoise chevorlate volt locked in the secured garage. Lana looked at their cute little house and felt a little sick at the fact they were leaving. She distracted her stomach and watched her father manually shift gears in reverse as he had one hand on the wheel and backed out of the driveway. Somehow she could watch her father do the simplest things and he made it look so damn easy, so flawless, it was a silent turn on. You could mentally be attracted without showing any physical signs of it.

As they slowly left the neighborhood, Lana watched as families were already outside making last minute touches on fortifying their own properties. She saw a little girl sitting out blue flowers, which showed the family supported the purge but chose not to participate. Which was a crock of shit, it was a way to pretend to were supportive of the bureaucratic bullshit of the NFAA, but not get disowned for not willingly wanting to openly support it. Leo had secretly hooked up his own iPod touch, it had a gray cover, he had a playlist of some of Lana’s favorite songs he had himself gotten into.

She has a wide variety in her taste of music from both her parents, but he liked her more modern melodic and tranquil tracks he knew she relaxed too. He turned on the sound system to the right settings for the loud bass.



Lana looked over and saw him hit play on a Bassnectar song, Empathy. Instantly loud trance like bass music filled the small car. The leather seats were in vibrating. Lana gave a small smirk looking at her Dad as he winked and kept driving. She leaned back as they were on a main road heading toward the highway. Lana tried to close her eyes, or look at the ceiling of the car as she had the drive to relax and distress before getting to the celebrity’s manor. Secretly she would peek her eyes open and slightly turn to look at Leo, watching him drive as the wind from outside blew his hair back.

While Lana ate breakfast, Leo spent his time packing all necessities for tonight. Not much was needed but Leo over-packed weapons and ammo just to be sure. Briefly exiting his home, Leo loaded his car before returning into the bedroom while waiting for Lana to finish. After she did finish eating breakfast, he took her plates and washed the dishes while his daughter packed and prepared for the day ahead. The look on her face told the story but he hoped once the night was over, she would see how this was indeed a good idea. Leo trusted his own judgment here.

When his daughter was dressed, Leo could not help but stealing a few glances in a less than fatherly manner. Again, it was all in his mind so he was not exactly hurting anyone. Sometimes he would allow himself that guilty pleasure. After locking up the house, the older male did double check and ensured all security protocols were working. The house was well defended even without Leo’s presence. Driving through the neighborhood, Leo preferred to keep his brown eyes trained on the road ahead. Glancing towards the nearby houses and families preparing for the Purge irked him. Everything about the Purge irked him and even those that pretended to support the Purge did, too. Shaking his head, he realized that not only did Lana need a distraction from this, but so did he.



The playlist on his phone was all because of Lana. Whenever he learned about a song she enjoyed, he would download it immediately whether he liked it or not for this reason, wanting to give her a fun, interesting playlist in the car. He loved nothing more to see her face light up when her favorite song was playing. Now, he knew her song preferences had much variety and varied with mood but he did have a general idea of what she wanted, especially now that she was twenty and had plenty practice with learning what music she wants with a certain mood. It seemed that he was correct again as she looked somewhat happy with the music playing.

Parking outside of some metal gate, Leo pulled his iPhone from the aux cord and made a quick phone call. “Hello. We’re here…. Alright, entering now.” Just after a few words, he cut off the phone line and entered inside of the gate. As requested, he stopped after entering and told Lana to wait another second while he got out of the dodge charger and kept it running, plugging in her music again while she waited. He took some large chains and wrapped them all around the entrance before securing it with a few padlocks. Once it was secure and Leo was happy, he climbed back into the car and slowly drove through the long, twisting driveway. He was driving slow and obviously looking closely, just wanting to make sure everything was in place. Of course, they were but it never hurt to make final checks before the Purge started. An older woman stood outside the door of the mansion and waved, motioning him to park his car in one of the many garages.



Leo found the garage that was open and once entering, his eyes went wide. The sheer amount and types of cars owned by this family was ridiculous. All your stereotypical cars were here: Lamborghini, Ferrari… Everything. He could not believe his eyes, finally cutting off the ignition and undoing the cord. Turning to Lana, he reached over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “It’s going to be alright, Lana. Just trust me. Let’s go meet the family, okay?” He murmured quietly and showed her a small little smile hoping to reassure her before slipping out and stretching from the small car. After locking the door, he grabbed all of their bags in preparation to enter the house.

Lana sat up in the leathers seats of the car as they exited off the highway to a more high class neighborhood. They had already driven an hour or so away. Driving through the neighborhood Lana glanced at the luxury houses and mansions. They climbed up a hill and Leo pulled into a property and disconnected the music in order to make a quick call. He drove into the property and got out of his car securing the gates. Lana was leaning forward and watching her surroundings. Leo got back into the car and drove down the winding brick pathed path past the huge mansion. It looked like something out of an action movie, like the place where the hero would go to some fancy party, the party where he is chasing the girl. They pulled into a garage where various expensive cars greeted them. She saw her Dad eyeing some of them as they got out of the car. With one foot still in the dodge charger she smiled just a little.

“Maybe with some of the huge amount of money…..WE could get a new car.” She said under her breath and caught Leo eyeing her, she winked back this time. She knew her father probably wouldn’t want to waste such money on a vehicle when days like today made such valued items at risk, but she could tease and encourage. Why wouldn’t she want her Dad in some bad ass car? He knew how to drive like he was in the Fast & Furious. As Leo was grabbing belongings from the trunk, she grabbed her bag from the backseat. She noticed Leo left some duffle bags in the backseat and he gave her a serious look and she nodded. If anything was to happen, if she could get to the car, there would weapons.

Before they could enter the huge house from the garage the celebrity was already at the door with open arms. She got to watch her father deal with the openness and snickered to herself as they were welcomed into the mansion. They were all greeted with such warmth and politeness. They were shown to the kitchen where so much food was made for the day and night. Lana’s stomach churned and Leo nodded for her to go ahead and get some food, but the celebrity’s current girlfriend was already getting close to Lana and showing her what all the foods and snacks were made. They were early, so it was it least six to seven hours before the purge would actually start. Lana was munching on food while she followed her father and the family to one of the many great rooms.

“Leo, Lana is beautiful….I’m surprised you haven’t gotten her into acting or modeling herself. She is gorgeous.” The older girlfriend said smiling. Lana flushed a little with a mouth full of food. She stayed near Leo and felt his arm protectively wrap around her shoulder. She swallowed some food before speaking. She coughed.

“I don’t really like the spotlight, totally cool with being where I am.”



“Yeah but of course she is, look who is her father…..the badass Mr. Barnes. He should be on the cover of sports illustrated.” The celebrity joked opening a beer. Lana had to take another bite of fruit in order not to let her grin show.

With the extra money, Leo might very well purchase a car. It wouldn’t be for him, though. Every last penny earned from this job would go towards Lana in some way. Right now, he wouldn’t say anything because he knew Lana would try and convince him otherwise so he simply returned the wink but could not help but think how cool it would be to have a fancy car like this. If there was enough money left after Lana got all her biggest wants and college taken care of, then he might think about buying a nice car. That was in the future though, they had a job to do right now.

Leo definitely made sure himself and his daughter were prepared in case anything went wrong. If he did have something go wrong, his daughter was his first priority, not the celebrity of the family of course. When the celebrity greeted him, Leo put on a fake smile and returned the hug since he was not the kind of touchy, feely person at all but he was just trying to be kind and go with the flow, basically. He introduced his daughter since it had been so long before being led through the massive house from the garage.



Regarding the comment about Lana being a model, Leo just chuckled to himself. Thinking about the concept, he felt some sort of disgust. Obviously, most fathers would not want their daughter to be flaunting around her body for strangers to see so that was understandable to extent but Leo felt deeply about this point of view, more so than he should. It felt like a tingling of jealously when he thought about Lana showing off her body as a model or even kissing someone or anything. Again, those were emotions he tried so hard to keep quiet in his mind but he could not help it. Leo worried about himself sometimes, just accounting these emotions and thoughts to stress and hoping he was still just a normal man. It was easier said than done though, especially when he had such intimate encounters with his daughter.

Leo was also offered some food but he just settled on a simple apple. From that point forward, he intended to check out the house one final time. There were over six hours remaining before the Purge officially began so Leo intended to use nearly every remaining second on checking the logistics and making sure everything was ready for tonight. The mansion was massive and he remembered quite a few things about the house like an indoor pool and basketball court. This was absurd to think about, how someone could just act and get paid so much money. Leo must have been in the wrong profession, he thought and chuckled. The money they were offering to him was probably more than he would ever make in his life but to this family, it was hardly a dent in their total cash.

Nearing the pool, something sounded off. Muffled noises that sounded like music and shouting. Eyes wide, he tenderly approached the door and slid it open. His jaw dropped when he saw what was waiting inside. Probably at least two or three dozens of young people partying and jumping around in the pool with blasting music all around. This was fucking Purge night! That’s now what they agreed to! When everyone saw him, he could not help but just stand there and stare in awe and confusion. He thought it was just the celebrity, his girlfriend, and his parents. There were too many people here. What in the fuck was going on? Leo was too shocked to even move or speak.

Lana was given a small tour of the house and shown to one of the many guest rooms they had prepared for her. Upon opening the door, she was surprised to see gifts in bags on the bed. The women said they were gifts of their appreciation of everything her father was doing to secure their safety for the night. Lana tried to politely reject the gifts, they were everything from fancy perfumes and make up kits and other odds and ends. Things she would never be able to afford herself.

It wasn’t long before she had heard screaming, it was more than screaming, she knew that tone and it wasn’t one you wanted to hear. Both the females excited the room and walked down a huge marble corridor to see Leo yelling and demanding to know what the fuck was going on, that they had a contact with an agreement. She listened to her father explain how he couldn’t keep them safe, that everything had been breeched.

Lana walked to a window and peaked out a sheer curtain to see the party her father was furious about. Her own stomach kind of sunk with fear. They had time to leave, to drive back home. She stood there as the argument got heated but the celebrity did his best to try to down play everything. Leo was in the process of leaving the premises until the guy once again offered even more money, to make things worse he offered to have the whole amount transferred today. That got everyone quiet, including Leo.

He said Leo could use the remaining hours to do whatever he needed to ensure the safety of everyone, which included kicking a good half of the people out, doing interviews and not letting anyone else enter.

Storming off from the scene, Leo was seething with anger. Finding the celebrity male sitting there and chatting it up with his girlfriend, Leo just let him have it. It was stupid and it was dangerous. How in the hell was he supposed to watch three dozen people? How in the hell did he trust these people enough to let them here on Purge night? If somebody wanted him dead, they could do it easily tonight without repercussion. It was idiotic, it was deranged and Leo was so god damn mad. He was yelling at him and threatening to leave because fuck the money, his own safety and his daughter’s safety was more important.

However, the celebrity swallowed his pride and along with his girlfriend and parents, they all but begged and pleaded with Leo to stay. They agreed to make a compromise where he could kick out some but not everyone would have to leave and the money would be transferred immediately and they nearly doubled the amount. Leo thought it was still wrong and unsafe but all of that money… He trusted he could keep Lana safe and he trusted his instinct about knowing who might be a bad guy and who was not. Leo thought he could do this.



Taking a deep breath, he finally agreed to these terms and gathered up all his friends. If they were likeable and seemed reasonable, he allowed them to stay but if they were acting like a complete dick he made them leave and the celebrity and his parents back his choices. There, he wasted an entire hour doing some meaningless shit that he did not have to do originally. He finally left the scene while still fuming and just finished checking the house like normal. It was not uncommon for a celebrity or famous person to piss someone off even close friends and family. Hell, anyone here could be jealous of the young man and wanted him dead. Leo could not control that like he could control if he only was there with his parents and even his girlfriend. He was blindsided by this and felt betrayed but money was always the best form of persuasion throughout time and it kept true here.

The bodyguard and police officer would spend the rest of the hours making double checks and locking up the house. He finished everything within an hour remaining until it was seven at night. He found Lana back in the lounge area and just decided to plop down on a chair near where she sat. He was still upset and worried but being around her always calmed her down. “I guess you heard all of that earlier… I’m sorry. I had no idea it would be like this. They said it was just us and four others and… God, I’m stupid. We’re here now. I’m doing everything I can for you Lana. I will protect you tonight, I promise.”

Lana was sitting in the lounge playing on her phone. She was messaging a few friends telling them to be safe with their families when she looked up and saw Leo plop down beside her. She sat down her phone in her lap. She was still comfortably sporting her patched blue jeans and a Ivory Ella gray tank pulled over her black sports bra. Her hair was loosely falling down as she had pinned it back an hour or so back as she did her own checking of the perimeters. Lana grabbed his hand and squeezed it giving him direct eye contact.

“If anyone could protect this many people it would be you. You have exerted yourself doing as much as you can. I trust you. Just don’t leave me side once those sirens go off.” She breathed and felt him squeeze just as hard back.

“Were also taking a vacation after this,” she said eying him, “someplace exotic and awesome.” She said grinning as he ruffled her hair.

Lana let her father leave to do one last check and talk to a few people. She stayed in the lounge area and looked at the clock, it was one hour until the commencement of the purge. There was a few huge large flat screen televisions on throughout the manner and you could see news channels talking about it. You could also hear loud party music from outback.

The minutes counted down as Lana was starting to get more anxious until a small crowed was gathering in a day room to listen to the commencement. The celebrity was with his girlfriend outside in front of the small crowd giving a toast and giving applause to her father.




Suddenly the alarms sounded all over the televisions all over America and the radio. The female voice started announcing this was not a test, that it was the emergency broadcast system announcing the purge. Lana felt her chest tightening and had to leave to get out of site and hid in the hall as the rest of the broadcast played out. Just as the sirens started she felt Leo hug her from behind. She breathed out leaning back into him. It had started. She looked up at him. They only had to make it till seven in the morning and they was safe.

Being so close to Lana allowed Leo to relax despite their situation. Closing his eyes, the older male dreamed of their vacation to some exotic island once the Purge ended. Hawaii? Somewhere else? The pure amount of money transferred after the day finished would be insurmountable. Not only would it be enough to put Lana through college anywhere in the world, but they would both have plenty spending money left over.

Clearly, Leo was never a materialistic kind of man, but he certainly enjoyed receiving any of life’s luxuries. All his life, he did his absolute best to be a good man and make people happy and show love to everyone. Could this be how he was repaid in full by life? Every horrible thing burdened would not be healed with any amount of money, but it would surely make his life easier without having to worry about making money.

Time passed too quickly and it was almost time for the Purge to begin. When the announcements were made, Leo held Lana tightly against his chest. The announcement always gave Leo chills, and not the good kind. It was painful to stay in the same room as the noise but he chose to just block it all out and focus on Lana. One of his large hands rested easily in the small of her back, massaging and rubbing out any knots and stress from today.



After the announcement ended, Leo watched as the family returned to business as usual. The music began blaring loudly again, people were splashing in the pool, and the sound of bouncing basketballs filled the hallway down. The elder man led Leo to the little security room where he could keep an eye out from all security cameras around the house and just monitor any activity.

Leo was not taking chances tonight. As they walked down the dark, narrow corridor, his hand was tightly laced with Lana’s. Every creaking of the floor almost made Leo flinch, looking for a threat to put himself between to protect Lana. She was the most prized possession in his life. No amount of money could ever be worth the sorrow of losing her. For this reason, he felt more inclined to protect Lana than ever before and was on high alert with all six senses but could not help gaping in awe at how massive the security room looked and how many humongous screens lined the walls.

Leo had led Lana to the huge security room that was set up. One person was inside of it keeping watch but Leo dismissed him for a few leaving him and Lana alone in the room. Computer monitors and other devices had been set up all over the place. She watched her father so naturally checking all the cameras and angles, she heard him mumble a few curse words as you could see the party going on outside. She sat down in an office chair looking at all the several cameras. She wondered if they would be safe, if this was normal for celebrities. Only eleven hours’ n a half to go before this purge was over with.

She would be quiet just listening to the faint sound of the partying in the distance and the hums of all the computer machines. She pulled out her phone to check some messages, but as a rule of thumb she only checked, she never talked to anyone as a security measure from her father.

Everything started going well for the first hour or two. Leo spent time closely watching the events and even talking to Lana to get their minds elsewhere. However, he noticed something was going wrong. Looking at the camera, one of them went black. This did not mean anything, it could be a malfunction but then the second, third, and fourth blacked out until they all went dark and even the power went dark.

He could not see anything and this worried him. His heart started beating faster and he looked at Lana with wide eyes, reaching out for her arm. Feeling his way for the door, he tried to tug it open but it would not open. That’s when he knew they were really fucked.

“Lana, stay close to me, okay? Don’t get too far from me.” He whispered into her ear, giving her a quick hug as he tried to think about what to do though he could not help from panicking. He was trying his best to keep Lana calm too but this was becoming quite terrifying.

Lana reached and desparatey they clutched to each other as he whispered into her ear. She knew something was wrong. She kept quiet as he instructed her to not to get to far but she wasn't leaving his side. They were not married but until death do us part was still a pretty good phrase for the moment. You could still faintly hear the music echoing in the distance. She felt her father draw a weapon, he could use one even in the dark.

She had left the one bag of weapons in the car but felt him place a hand gun into her hands and felt lips pressed against her forehead. She silently held it at a readied position near her father. She knew he was attempting to get the door open. The room was fairly small so in the dark she was trying to keep an eye out.

Leo realized the door was sealed shut and there was no escape. However, he studied the layout of this house tremendously and knew what to do. Approaching the monitors, he hopped onto the table and removed the air vent. Looking to Lana, he motioned with his eyes and whispered very quietly to her. “You go up first so I can give you a boost. That’s our only way out.” Plus, if something went wrong at least she would be having a chance to get out safe if she was first in the vent. Leo wanted the best for her and this was the best way he could think of to protect her right now so that’s exactly what he was going to do. He grabbed her hands and hoisted her up so she could crawl into the tight space though it was still big enough for even him to fit with all his muscles bulging from his body.

Lana used her father's body and lift to climb into the small crawl space. She grabbed a flashlight from him and turned it on. It was a small one and she could hold it in her mouth while scooting forward on her stomach while Leo climbed in. It was a little tight squeeze for him. Lana used her knees and elbows to push forward and crawl through the vent. Luckily the vents were pretty spotless. The vents kicked on scaring her but Leo calmed her letting her know it was just the air conditioning and she felt the cool air blowing past them. The crawled and she started to see open vents and peeked through the vents. The house looked completely empty. You could still hear the outside music playing.

They made it to the kitchen and Lana knocked the vent out and was scared to do make the drop so she let Leo climb out first. She crawled forward so he could get out. Leo didn't waste time and silently encouraged her to drop and he would catch her. She didn't like heights but pushed out and tried to hold her scream but felt him catch her. She breathed out into his chest.

They heard gunshots and laughter and Lana breathed out as they both dropped to a crouch beside the kitchen counters. She fumbled for her handgun out of her jean holister. She looked at her father with concerned eyes.

Leo looked around the kitchen with wide eyes. The gunshots were many rooms away because the house was so large, the sounds traveled. Leo pressed an index finger to his daughter’s lips to tell her to keep quiet. Unsure of what exactly was happening, Leo cursed himself for staying at this dame place when he knew better. Having so many people in this house on Purge night was a fucking disaster. Shaking his head, Leo tried to think about what to do next. He did hear that people burst in the door of the security room where he and Lana were before. He heard shouts, saying that he and Lana needed to be found.

Well, they did good to get out of that room. Now they just had to escape or help these people. That was the next dilemma. Sure, they might escape here but then go where? It was Purge night. IF they stay, they were guaranteed to be with some killers and that was not good. Suddenly, he heard walking down the hallway. He pulled Lana down into a corner in the room and approached the man. He carried a high powered assault rifle but thankfully Leo struck first.

He pulled him down from behind, his arms wrapping over his neck and choking the life out of him, silently killing the man. Leo hated killing. He never wanted to again but it was not like he had a choice. “Lana… come here, stay close.” He whispered lowly, motioning her over.

Lana stayed in a crouched position, her brown eyes filled anxiety as her father silenced her with a finger. They both heard someone enter the large kitchen from the other side. Lana did as she was instructed and stayed in the corner behind a tabletop counter out of sight. Her father left her for a moment and took out the guy from behind with a chokehold. Lana peeked her head over the counter and saw the man on the ground dead. It had begun, she quickly rose and followed his instructions. They both quietly made their way through the kitchen into a longer corridor. Lana stayed behind Leo. Lana didn’t know what to expect, her adrenaline was already rising. Luckily she could keep calm enough to just obey her fathers every order without question. He did this for a living, if anyone could get them through this night it was him.



Right now, Leo’s prime objective would be to protect Lana at all cost. Right now, the best bet was to get out of the mansion, to get to the garage and escape. That was if his vehicle was still untouched and in good condition. There was to many people here to scope through, to trust, to kill. He would never do this kind of assignment again, he just had to make sure his little girl survived, unharmed. If she got so much as a broken bone he would hate himself. If they could get to the garage and get their vehicle or another and possible, get home or to another undisclosed location until the morning. He feared of all the horrible things that could happen.



They both pressed against the wall hearing more noises, but it was crying from a couple of women inside of a bedroom. Lana eyed her father and he shook his head, he couldn’t play hero. They kept moving down the hallway and Leo locked and loaded his handgun, which already had a silencer. The door opened as they turned the corner and Leo slammed Lana against the wall eyeing her. They were both deadly still, quiet. Leo was in front of her, looking in every direction as they were out in the open. You could hear the muffle screams of women in the bedroom as the door closed and men came out, still on the other side of the corner. Lana was wide eyed, locking eyes with her father, he was looking elsewhere, waiting. They were closer to the entrance to the garage but still had to go through a couple more hallways.