The feeling of immense pleasure and satisfaction tore through him like a raging torrent. He’d done it.

For twenty-seven long, tortuous years they’d made his life hell. They’d made him feel worthless; insignificant. They had made him feel small, they had belittled him with their lack of compassion and support. Everything he’d ever done was pointless; every ambition he’d ever had was pathetic. After all, children should be seen and not heard.

The passing time was immeasurable. He stood stooped over their limp, lifeless bodies. The wry smile which broke out on his face signified an unforeseen feeling of smugness – one which superceded that of any expected relief a man might feel at the end of his greatest ordeal.

The irony was not lost on Daniel. In life, they had never offered him a single word of encouragement or support. The act of ending their lives, however, had uncovered his true purpose in life. He was hungry for more.