《Inferno's Embrace》 PROLOGUE PROLOGUE: ¡°What''s wrong with me? N-nothing, nothing is wrong with me. I know that if I can catch myself thinking these thoughts and have the clarity to think through it and say how absurd they are then I know for a fact that I¡¯m sane!¡± How wrong I was. Flashes of red and blue lights could be seen on the distant horizon and a lone figure walks alone on the side of the road. Dead trees as far as the eye could see and the starry night disturbed and intruded by the emergency lighting along with the quiet night raked by the whispers of police sirens. The figure continues, direction opposite from the disturbances of the night and as time passes the more distance is made. Finally the commotion is too far gone to be perceived in only a matter of minutes of walking. The figure is in casual attire for the cold nights, wearing a cyan colored hoodie splattered with blood and cargo pants stained with mud and blood but more mud than blood. As the figure keeps walking he starts to mutter to himself as if he was conversing with himself, which in this case he actually was. ¡°I can''t believe we did that¡­ It¡¯ll only take a matter of time before were caught and we¡¯re fucked¡± he speaks to himself. ¡°Well they swung first if that makes you feel any better.¡± he replied to himself back. ¡°But¡­ It just feels wrong to do all that- those things to them¡± ¡°They swung first. And all you did was simply defend yourself. Nothing wrong with what I see¡± ¡°Yeah sure and we ran away from the scene did we? Was that a part of the self defense we tried to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, you were the one who went overboard and decided to torture them for your own little pent up revenge story¡± ¡°Well¡­ they deserved it after how much shit they put us through¡± ¡°They definitely did for sure but next time when you kill people in that fashion please do it in a fixed manner instead of going haywire with anger and killing one at a time allowing for the next victim to call 911¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time¡± ¡°Right¡­ we''re gonna get caught¡± ¡°No, not the point¡± ¡°Hm? What do you mean ¡®not the point¡¯?¡± ¡°There won''t be a next time as in we won''t be doing that shit again¡± ¡°Yeah cuz we¡¯ll be in jail¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he finally trails off his own self-talk and stops walking. ¡°What have I done?¡± He continues once more. ¡°They definitely know that I did it. They know that I killed them when I just tried to defend myself from them but¡­¡± He bites his lip in frustration then begins to walk again but faster. There was no use in thinking what could have been nor any use in reasoning with people who truly believed he was the murderer for what happened back there. ¡°I need to keep going forward now, I¡¯m a murderer and I¡¯ve got to live with it now¡± He reassures himself then pulls out his wallet. ¡°Goodbye¡­ Me¡± He grabs each form of identity on him each feeling like pieces of his soul, the cold feeling of the cards and how smooth they were and the occasional textures that could be felt like they were telling him to feel them once more as if they were begging to be held onto since their meaning was about to be thrown away and forever forgotten. With all possible ways to identify him legally in hand he looked at them all at once; too dark to truly read them under the night sky with the dim new moon and the stars providing enough light to admire them but not the world below he finally threw them to the side to be consumed by the darkness and for a split second the shiny wording of the cards shined once more as if it acted as a gravestone marking the death of the lonely figure in the night before disappearing into the darkness to be never found and only to be classified as a faint memory long forgotten by its original owner. The cards shone the name ¡®Zare - - - ¡® The last part of the name being scratched out and destroyed for all the cards shone through under the new moon¡¯s weak glow and its distant assistant stars. In that moment Zare felt¡­ light as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and for once he felt as if he had nothing to worry about. He could fall over right now and go to sleep and waking up the next morning would be something he would definitely look forward to; Nothing at all to bind him and bother him or so he thought, people in the law was now a new problem he had to deal with and the evidence he left behind was a dead giveaway that he did all those things; The blood on him, injuries, mud, stress, and aura he gave off screamed murderer in every way at that moment. ¡°What the fuck do we do now?¡± He began talking to himself again. ¡°Well first we gotta clean ourselves up then most likely get the hell out of here and make new identities if we wanna get jobs and provide for ourselves¡± He replies back as if he actually was giving advice to another person. ¡°Great, from one shitshow to another then¡± ¡°Seems so, but hey it''s better than being caught back there¡± ¡°Better now but much much worse later¡± ¡°Dumbass, we would be dead later if you were to get caught back there, think they''re gonna give you life sentences? With the shit you pulled off its straight to deathrow¡± ¡°Tsk¡± Clicking his tongue signaling the end of a delusional self-talk. He needs to find somewhere, anywhere to hide and recuperate if he wants to survive in this new life he shoved himself into and to survive he needs a new identity and walking down the road at night is just the first step. Everything seemed rather hopeless when it came to his long walk until he spotted something rather eye-catching in the far distance. It was faint but it was there, it looked like a faint glimmering dot in the distance but the way it wobbled and the way it danced made it all too clear as to whatever it was: Fire, a campfire for what it was. There was a campsite ahead. ¡°Think they¡¯ll be helpful for us and our current situation?¡± Speaking to himself again. ¡°Better than nothing plus I doubt they know anything about what the hell just happened regarding our little incident so receiving help from them is likely¡± He replies hopefully. ¡°OK¡­ It won''t hurt to try then, let''s go¡± Walking towards the faint light Zare trudges forward and the closer he gets the faster his heart beats. What will they think of him? Will they attack him thinking he was a crackhead? What if whoever this person was they were keeping up with the news and they recently received one about what just happened? In a quick manner, he took off his blood spattered hoodie and wipes off the blood from his hands and some off his face then tosses it aside to avoid any unneeded suspicion, the pants he can get away with since it looks to be muddy and dark enough to hide any blood unless thoroughly looked at. Zare was close by to the campsite. He had a better view at the camp site and noticed that it seemed to be inhabited by 2 people and by the looks of it they seemed to be a couple too. In a loud whisper Zare called out for anyone and lo and behold nobody replied back so Zare did the most logical thing anyone would do which was to check on the tent and surprisingly nobody was home. At this point his mind was racing, where are they? What if something happened to those two and it somehow ropes him in? What if they plan to come back and they catch him snooping around? Will he get shot? What can he say to them? In the middle of his mental whirlwind something shiny on the ground catches his eye, something glinting in the dark and what appears to have a bluish hue like a tiny sized tortoise but with a shiny symbol in the center. Walking closer his eyes widen at the unexpected item on the ground which leaves him in shock. ¡°A keychain with a car key attached to it¡­!¡± he speaks to himself in disbelief. What would an entire keychain with the car keys attached be doing down here in the dark? Does this mean something happened to the two campers? Should he take it and find the car to make even more distance? Where¡¯s the car? ¡°No use fucking dabbling and worrying right now Zare¡± this time the voice in his head initiates the conversation but still speaking aloud. ¡°But¡­ this is really fucking weird, those two can¡¯t just have-¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t fucking matter what happened to those two at this point, just take the keys and look for the car and get outta here. We can start over, this is our key to freedom so don¡¯t fuck it up for the both of us¡± Getting cut off by his own voice in his head using his own mouth was an embarrassing moment for Zare but he understood that this was the best course of action for his case if he wants to claim his freedom. Quickly and efficiently he traced his footsteps and grabbed his bloodstained hoodie and threw it into the crackling waning flame to burn off any last evidence he may have had and rummaged through the tent to find anything that could be of use to him. Minutes pass and Zare now has a new set of outerwear to keep him warmer during the night and most of the things have been thrown into the flame which now grew into a bigger healthier fire. Zare begins clicking the call button on the car key trying to hear if the car does go off in order to find his ticket out of this general area¡­ Nothing. No noise and with that Zare was tempted to drop the thing into the fire until he thought of something- ¡°If they were here to camp out then that must mean that they brought a map with them right? Then that also means that I can find out where they originally departed and their car should be there too!¡± Quickly, he went back into the tent and searched around the little camp area he was in and luckily enough he did find a map which pointed to exactly where he needed to go to finally find his ticket to freedom. Setting off, Zare began talking to himself once more. ¡°What do you think we should do when we finally get the hell out of here?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe live some self-sufficient life deep in the forest?¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna need a lot of survival skills then! Plus won¡¯t we get lonely?¡± ¡°...¡± Silence falls on himself. Zare was always truly alone, no matter how many friends he had back home and the friends he made online it still wasn¡¯t enough to appease his desolate loneliness. Once more he was just a lone figure walking alone in the night. An hour passes and finally he sees light in the distance which looks to be a store with a rather spacious parking lot with a few cars here and there. The car for Zare was definitely here. It took only a few seconds of clicking to discern exactly where his car was and to his surprise it was a van and a fancy looking one at that, this van had a shiny coating all around and was tan in color with brown stripes and a brand name for itself which read out ¡°Vam¡±. The Inside of the van however did not look to be as clean as there was trash and other junk inside but it''s better than finding a clean van since he can actually at least find some stuff of use instead of finding nothing, so as the new owner of the van he might as well clean the interior up for his own comfort. It took about 30 minutes of rummaging and throwing trash out to completely make the van in Zare¡¯s image on the inside, that being the interior was clean as if someone speed cleaned it and during that time Zare unfortunately built up an appetite. Luckily though the rummaging session in the tent and van gave him a total of $400 of cash, ¡°lucky¡± he thought but now the hard part which was to stroll into the store and buy snacks and such without getting recognized as a wanted man; walking into the store carelessly was a risky move since news definitely has spread about him being involved in a crime especially around this area where he shouldn¡¯t be too far from his house. Zare thought about what he should do if he didn''t didn''t want to starve to death and a ¡°genius¡± idea came to mind. Opening the glove box he took 2 things that pertained to his master plan: a common face mask and a pair of sunglasses. He made his way to the store to go buy his snacks for the night. ¡°Easy in, easy out don''t you think?¡± another self conversation was brewing. ¡°Yep, except for the part that I look suspicious as fuck¡± ¡°Relax, get what you need and get out. I don''t think we''re gonna run into any trouble¡± He was now in front of the store doors and from the looks of it everything was in stock. A good push on the doors and a step inside then the shopping spree begins. $200 spent and numerous snacks and different items were acquired. The walk to the van felt victorious for Zare and it felt even better cracking open the energy drink for the night while sitting down in the van looking into the night sky. He thought about what he should do now for his life since a new fresh start dawns on him. Then a self conversation springs in again. ¡°Where do you think I should go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe a state far from here? Pick a state not that populated though¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t a more populated state the better choice though?¡± ¡°No, the cops are more attentive and the more people the higher chances of us being found by the public eye so going for less populated areas would do us better plus we aren¡¯t that fond of people aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°No¡­ no were not¡± ¡°Then there we are. I was thinking maybe our next stop should be-¡± Suddenly something catches Zare¡¯s eye which freezes him mid conversation and wash over with fear. His eyes widen, cold sweat forms and almost drops the energy drink he cowers down below the window and tries hiding himself from the view outside. A state trooper SUV parked next to him. Zare hears the car door swing open then quickly slam shut followed by the sound of footsteps which can be heard fading off into the distance towards the store. He wasted no time and instantly started the van and using the built up knowledge he had on driving turned the van in reverse and steadily backed off into the main road and turned towards the freeway, he was close to genuine freedom then switching the van to drive he drove off into the distance into the world of uncertainty. Zare¡¯s driving skills for a beginner wasn¡¯t too bad, he was veering a little bit too much to the right but other than that he kept a steady speed and followed road rules. Looking into the clock at the dashboard the time was at ¡°3:46AM¡±. ¡°That was too close back there¡± Yet again another self-talk was happening. ¡°We should be fine for now, your driving skills don¡¯t look that bad so we should be able to get away with mistakes in areas like this¡± ¡°Hey now, I think I drive pretty well for a beginner¡± ¡°You drive well for someone at 3 in the morning after a brutal double kill¡± ¡°Oh be quiet we''re fine as we are¡± Stepping on the gas a little more they gained speed and drove aimlessly with the goal of ending up anywhere at this time in the morning. ¡°Hey your ramping up in speed again¡± ¡°Oh shit, my bad¡± ¡°Jeez you people can¡¯t drive for shit sometimes¡± ¡°Oh shut the fu-¡± Out of nowhere a flash of red and blue could be seen from the rear of the van. It was a different state trooper and from the looks of it Zare might be in trouble for speeding. ¡°Shit¡± he mumbled. ¡°Fuck! Why the fuck now? It¡¯s almost 4 in the morning and this motherfucker just has to catch me going a little bit above the speed limit?¡± ¡°Your fault! You should¡¯ve kept a closer eye on your speed!¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Zare lets go of the gas and begins to slowly apply pressure on the brakes to slow the van down then in a few seconds he stops onto the side of the road waiting in anticipation to whether or not he¡¯s going to receive a ticket but more importantly if he gets recognized for who he is and is taken in for what he¡¯s done. Anxiety. Fear. Stress. Anger. Rage. Regret. Those were the emotions swirling within Zare. Mostly angry at himself and angry at whoever pulled him over. The car seemed to be from a state trooper but not from the same one since this one isn¡¯t the SUV from before. Both vehicles came to a complete stop. The state trooper walks out of his vehicle and walks towards Zare¡¯s van. Zare reaches into the plastic bag with the things he bought from the store earlier and pulls out a Swiss knife in case things get messy between them and as a fall back option he opens the glove box which hid a pepper spray. The state trooper was at the window and Zare, being ready, slowly spun the window down. Finally the trooper spoke. ¡°Hey uhm.. Sorry for bothering you but uh did you know how fast you were going back there?¡± Asked the trooper. ¡°S-sorry sir I was in a rush¡­¡± Zare replied sheepishly. ¡°In a rush at this time? You''re not sporting anything illegal are you?¡± ¡°N-no sir!¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯ll take your word for it. Can I see some ID?¡± ¡°Ah.. uh..¡± Fuck. Zare thought. He threw all his ID out earlier in his little stroll after the fresh crime scene. ¡°I think¡­ Oh shit, I left it at the store down the road that way¡­ Sorry¡± Zare knew this wasn¡¯t going to get him off the situation but it helps with his image to keep the suspicions off him since this van wasn¡¯t actually his and it buys him time to think. ¡°Oh¡­ then please step out of the vehicle sir.¡± The trooper spoke as if he was asking but was actually giving a command to him instead. ¡°I¡¯m just going to conduct a simple search on your vehicle then I¡¯ll escort you to where you lost your ID so we can go look for it then I¡¯ll let you off with a fine¡± The trooper continued. This was not good, the last thing Zare needed was anymore contact with them. He needed to find a way to alleviate the escalating situation fast. Stress. Anxiety. Fear. All 3 emotions were in his head and right now all Zare could think about is how he can even explain himself when he gets found out for the things he¡¯s done. His mind was clouded, swirling, and drowning in these thoughts almost as if a storm was in his head. Then out of nowhere a voice from within spoke out. ¡°Spray him first then go for the kill.¡± Zare froze in place and began to think of ways to kill the person before him. His mind was suddenly quiet and everything seemed to slow down. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes into hours and his focus was unmatched like a predator stalking his prey. ¡°Spray him. Mess his senses up. Go for the kill. Zare. Go.¡± The door opens fast slamming the officer and as he is being pushed back Zare uses the pepper spray onto the officer¡¯s face. As the officer takes a few steps back, Zare launches towards his throat with the swiss knife in hand and drives the knife through his throat then immediately begins twisting and turning the knife. Zare then pulls the knife out then immediately using the pepper spray he sprays the throat of his victim. The officer is on the ground¡­ gurgling, crying, and best of all trying to cling onto life. ¡°You useless sack of shit. If you stayed lazy like the insolent fucks you are then you would¡¯ve lived to see another day.¡± Zare spoke. ¡°Argh¡­. Guughh¡­¡± Still struggling the victim tries to reach for his radio on his chest which Zare quickly rips off him all the while spraying pepper spray on his eyes and through his nose and mouth. ¡°Useless like the effects you have on the community around you¡± Zare rambles on. He feels shame coursing through him, like shocks of faint electricity running through his fingertips but at the same time he feels a sense of liberating anger like a raging tide within his body crashing with his mind. Zare could only form a face of disgust followed by a contorted smile of relief knowing that he needn¡¯t worry about getting caught for now. The officer is close to death now but Zare has one last parting gift for him. Opening the pepper spray bottle apart he pours the remaining contents on him towards his open wound on his throat drowning him in burning liquid and his own blood. The victim gurgles in pain and anguish and the last thing he felt was a sense of drowning and burning. ¡°How thematic, this death of yours¡± Zare whispered, then sitting down next to him he watched as the officer died from drowning in his own blood. The state trooper was dead. That makes it his 3rd victim. Zare stood up and thought about the whole incident and looked towards the car the officer drove. ¡°They got that on camera, most likely through the dashcam. But¡­¡± Zare walked towards the car and to his surprise it was an old school car so luckily no dash cam was installed. ¡°I think I pushed my luck for today¡± He thought. Visually inspecting the vehicle, it seemed as if the model was much older than the van by about 10 years and there wasn¡¯t anything too fancy on the car except for the radio built in and the advanced control panel on the dashboard; Nobody was on the back and he was careful to not touch anything in case he left fingerprints on the car. Zare knew that he needs to hide the body of the trooper if he wants to buy time and distance for himself since whatever he did now narrowed the possible direction as to where he could¡¯ve went and backtracking now would be a horrible idea since another state trooper was already on the store from where he came from. Stealing from the car, Zare took what he could as he was careful not to touch the car anywhere and after a few minutes of nitpicking he could only take the bolt cutters and a pair of handcuffs. Finally he was done with looting whatever he could find and get his hands on. Now for the tiring part which was to move the body. The idea that someone is missing rather than being outright dead is better for Zare since it buys him the time he needs to make the distance in order to deem himself ¡°safe¡± from whatever was going to hunt him down. Looking at the body it was lifeless as usual; The throat was stabbed and twisted open with blood leaking out in all directions, eyes open with dried tears, mouth open flooded with blood, and the nose leaking from the pepper spray earlier. Zare simply stares at the body, his eyes lifeless and his hands having small splatters of blood. He stared for hours. He stared at the body until the sun began to rise and finally he spoke for his 3rd kill. ¡°I¡¯m sane¡­ I know what I¡¯m doing and I acknowledge this fact. I¡¯m still in control and for as long as I¡¯m aware of the things I¡¯ve been doing then I know¡­ I know for a fact that I¡¯m not crazy¡­¡± Going back into the van he grabs clothes and rags from the back that he had no use for, this was going to be used to stop the bleeding when he drags him in the van. ¡°You''re gonna be heavy.¡± Zare mutters under his breath. Using the clothes and rags he ties the rags around the neck forming a seal to stop any more leftover bleeding that could happen and since he was dead there was no longer a pulse to keep the bleeding going. Zare wasn¡¯t the strongest person out there so moving a body was a struggle for him but if he wanted to buy himself time he needed to move this body and fast since daybreak was here and during the day people were more active on these ¡®middle of nowhere¡¯ roads. Picking up the body, he moved towards the back of the van and as he was about to drop the body he glanced back into the sky for what he was going to do was going to drag him deeper into this situation he¡¯s in now. ¡°Here''s to my inferno.¡± Thud. END OF PROLOGUE. Cling to Life Thud. The body drops onto the trunk, luckily the knot tied onto the officer¡¯s neck was tight and secure enough to keep any excess bleeding onto the van¡¯s flooring. Zare wasted no time stuffing the body in and driving off, the calmness of his actions was akin to someone who had been doing this for years even though his official murder record started less than 24 hours ago but at this point Zare was exhausted, the hours he stayed awake, stressing about the authorities, killing someone from the authorities, and now a cover up to his most recent murder. Clutching the handwheel harder and letting out one long sigh, a conversation within himself sprouts. ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. Ha! how wrong¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up¡± ¡°Oh how can I? I mean it''s not like your third victim was a whole ass FED!¡± ¡°I said be quiet. I¡¯m tired¡± ¡°Are you now? You had plenty of energy earlier when it came to driving that knife in his throat and insulting the shit out of him¡± ¡°Stop borrowing my damn mouth¡± At this point Zare was overcome with stress and anxiety, the murder of an officer was the worst thing Zare could be dealing with right now and adding this to everything that''s happened only put more of a mental burden on him. Zare¡¯s mind was racing. If he killed that officer in such cold blood then why the hell is he so worried right now? His lack of sleep is going to affect his thinking and it might sabotage him for anything that needs meticulous thinking that he might run into. What if he overspeeds and gets caught into another pullover? What if this was all a very bad dream he can¡¯t get out of? That voice in his head won''t shut up. Crashing and dying wouldn¡¯t seem so bad right now. All the built up stress and the lack of rest was piling up on Zare; eventually it finally reached its limit on him and amidst the mental chaos he lost sight of the oncoming road fault and just like that his story was taking a turn for the worse. At full speed he hits the fault. It felt too slow as the van struck the fault. Everything seemed to freeze in place, every single item that wasn¡¯t attached to anything just gave the perfect example of inertia as they stayed in place temporarily while everything around them moved. The van dipped low as it hit the fault, striking its bumper on the raised part of the road at full speed. Then, just like that, it spun forward as if being thrown by a child playing with a toy car. Despite the stress piling up on Zare, he at least had the presence of mind to buckle up beforehand. Even with the seatbelts on, he still suffered numerous injuries as he was violently rocked in the van while it spun out of control onto the side of the road. The van, still in forward momentum, continued tumbling, veering off to the side of the road and into the forest then going downhill taking them deeper into the heart of the forest. It felt as if a whole city experienced an earthquake and all the magnitude of force was focused onto one point. The van eventually stopped slamming onto a tree and giving one strong wave of shock knocking Zare out. To him the whole experience felt like minutes but in reality it only took seconds. The van was upside down. Zare was badly injured. Either death or the authorities find him first and either way he was too mentally bogged out to care. Deep in mental darkness he slips further and further into the realm of unconsciousness embracing the peace and whatever awaited him at the end. There were no thoughts¡­ It was complete darkness and bliss as if he was floating in space. A cold embrace could be felt all over and any attempt to wake his mind was met with a numb feeling all over. Was this death? Was this the peace he asked for? Was this just him sleeping and he was about to wake up and everything he experienced up to this point was a lie or a very bad dream? Maybe this was what you experience after death, the feeling of darkness and the void for all eternity? No, this wasn¡¯t it. Zare could barely feel it, he could barely feel the strings of life tugging on him. Slowly but surely he was beginning to feel his whole body. It was numb, he was certain he could feel most of it, just very foggy. Like a blind person walking the same route everyday, not being able to see but being able to feel that it just felt right. ¡°Up¡± The words echoed in his head like someone was calling him to rise. ¡°Up. Up. Up¡± Those words were overlapping each other¡­ Zare could feel his eyelids straining and struggling to open. He could feel it, he was alive but barely and if he wants to survive he needs to open his eyes and jumpstart himself. ¡°Up¡± He wiggled his fingers a little. ¡°Up¡± He strains his entire arm. ¡°Up¡± He breathes semi deeply, taking more in and feeling the inside of his lungs expand, it hurts but¡­ ¡°Up¡± He mentally feels his insides. His chest, intestines, and beating heart. ¡°Up¡± He strains his legs. ¡°Up¡± He strains and curls his toes. ¡°Up¡± His whole body was intact but he was still too numb. Zare knew that if he needed to wake up he needed to push through whatever dream or nightmare he was trapped in; So by mustering up all his strength he did what anyone would do if they were trapped no matter who they are or what status they held: scream. All humans share one thought at being trapped and the most universal response being to scream and struggle, be it for help or out of fear it was to scream and struggle free. His life flashed before his eyes and every fragment of his life¡¯s memory flashed before his closed eyes, from his very first memory of him handling an old detached faucet to his darkest memory of now drowning and diving in darkness. The feeling of life was a grasp away from Zare. He could almost feel it, then- ¡°Get Up.¡± Zare¡¯s eyes shot open and the very first thing he did was scream. The scream was full of life and fear followed by relief, a scream that signaled that Zare did still have humanity in him to struggle even if it was slowly dissipating away from the atrocities he committed. He was alive. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Suddenly a huge wave of pain engulfed him running through different parts of his body but he didn¡¯t care too much as he was alive and that he gets to live another day be it very painful. The van was still upside down and smoke was emitting from the hood of the van, a big concern and not a good sign. Zare begins to slowly unbuckle his seat belt and open both doors and to his disappointment both were jammed shut. He checked for the other doors after, also jammed shut. ¡°Just my luck¡± He thought. Leaning his back onto the side he begins kicking the other door hoping that it would open but the door didn¡¯t budge at all so Zare thought of a new plan: Shooting the window open and crawling out. Looting the officer earlier was a smart move because now that he¡¯s got a gun he could not only defend himself but also do things like shooting the window of a van to escape its jammed doors, something that doesn¡¯t happen everyday. He took aim and after a few seconds he pulled the trigger. Nothing. Zare was confused, why didn''t it shoot? Was the gun empty? No, the clip is clearly there. Does he not know how to use a gun and operate it? Nope, Zare does not know how to use a gun. He didn¡¯t notice the safety was on nor did he know what it did so out of panic and confusion he did the next best thing he could do at that moment which was to throw the gun. To his utter disappointment the gun just bounced off the window onto the space next to him. ¡°Well that¡¯s just unfortunate¡­ All that struggle for nothing¡± Zare speaks to himself once more as he genuinely believes this might be where he dies, a flipped over van in the middle of the woods, cooked alive. He sits in silence for a few seconds in panicked thoughts and thinking of ways to ration snacks as he thinks of a way out then suddenly he hears the voice of a woman right outside. ¡°No no, that struggle was not for naught dear, in fact that screaming was top tier performance if I do say so myself¡± The woman replied in a heavy english accent then continued her dialogue. ¡°Say¡­ If I were to let you out of this predicament then would you kindly explain why you have a dead officer in the van with you?¡± She asks like it was some casual ordeal that happens to her a lot. Zare at this point was too exhausted from the crash and only wanted where fresh air was. So without hesitation he replied back with a weak ¡°Yes¡±. The lady now walks over to the side of the van directly in front of the door where Zare¡¯s head is at. Zare looks out the window finally seeing who would be offering him help. The lady had an odd attire, especially since it was fall, she wore sandals with gray baggy sweatpants for her lower half and for her upper half she wore a white camisole with a burgundy colored thin robe. ¡°How¡­-¡± Zare tried to speak about her fashion choice in the middle of fall season until he saw her face which upon seeing it cut him off. She was beautiful in the sense that it was intimidating being in her presence. Her eyes were a deep violet with a dark splotch in the center of each eye like a beautiful rose that even if it was known to have no scent the beauty of its form was enough to attract anyone. Then there was her hair. It was a silver gray color that looked like an angel¡¯s wings hovering over humanity with their presence. Her hair looked like it was treated with the utmost care as if she spent hours and hours tending to it. Then finally her expression which was a smile but oddly enough however this smile felt forced as if she was putting it on just for show. ¡°Are you done reveling in my presence?¡± She asks Zare as if she had somewhere else to be at that very moment. ¡°Well if you wish to keep your life in a better condition than it is now then I would advise you to steer clear of¡­ this¡± Suddenly Zare notices something with her that she¡¯s been handling, a cane. This cane was thicker than most canes and had a floral indented pattern running through its entire form and the cane was made out of steel? Silver? It wasn¡¯t made out of wood like the traditional cane, that''s for sure. Zare was confused and asked. ¡°Steer¡­ clear?¡± He tilts his head in confusion which was met with an immediate reply from the woman. ¡°This¡­¡± A clicking noise was heard from the cane. ¡°Is a¡­¡± She raises the end of it pointing it towards the window. ¡°Gun.¡± Her eyes looked as if they were glowing a purplish hue and this time she had a genuine smile. Genuine but creepy. In a split second moment Zare ignored all the pain he was currently in and immediately pushed out of the way, the woman let out a chuckle as she continued her uncanny smile, one that looked to be of twisted joy and pleasure. Then pulling the trigger of her makeshift weapon it shot glass of the van shattering it. Silence befell the two for a moment. Zare¡¯s eyes were shut from the tension thinking that if he did open them he would see a gunshot wound anywhere or at least anything pertaining to injury from the thought that maybe he got shot instead, he laid there for a few seconds which was interrupted by none other than the mysterious woman with the cane gun. ¡°It¡¯s okay dearie, I¡¯m not here to hurt you nor am I here to question you about why you are where you are now¡± Her tone was soothing and the structure she talks in makes it feel as if she carried a professional aura but still having a very casual aura too. Like a talking paradox of a person. ¡°Here, take my hand and let me assist you out of this predicament. We don¡¯t have a lot of time before the van explodes of course! I¡¯m estimating about¡­¡± She trails off mid conversation. Zare finally opens his eyes to inspect the situation. He could barely see the eyes of the woman glowing a creepy purple, it was barely there but he swore her eyes glowed a little bit from the pause she took from what she said. ¡°5 minutes, that is just about how much time we have before this whole vicinity goes¡­ boomy! Is that how you kids say it these days?¡± She asks jokingly like she didn¡¯t just talk about a possible explosion in 5 minutes that could kill them both. ¡°Well what are you waiting for?¡± She reaches her hand out offering help to Zare and weakly too Zare reaches his hand out and takes her hand. It felt eerily cold. She begins to pull him out of the van and offer herself as support for him to lean on. The two quickly shuffled away making distance and after what seemed to be enough of it they viewed the van and its eventual demise. She lets Zare down to take a seat and witness the explosion that was happening sometime soon if her predictions are correct. ¡°So¡­ you murdered that officer, correct?¡± She asks abruptly and straight to the point. Zare froze in shock remembering then fear overtook his mind. Was he going to the authorities for this? Can he run? Will he get shot down if he tries to make a break for it? Should he go for another kill? His thoughts swirl his head like a wild storm thrashing up and about. ¡°Do not fret, I have no intention of reporting you and your actions nor delivering justice on my own towards you. I am just merely curious as to what led to this is all¡­¡± She reassures him in which Zare lets out a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh my I¡¯m sorry for being rude, my name! You may call me Vathemelia, Vathy is the name my colleagues bestow me with since apparently they claim my name is too confusing in stressful situations¡± She finally introduced herself, a little late but it¡¯s done and to Zare this eases him up knowing she wasn¡¯t going to report him to the authorities. ¡°My name is Zare¡± He replies back thinking of a way to talk better to match her accent in order to make a better first impression. ¡°I killed him¡­ because he was onto me and I didn¡¯t want to be caught and put in jail so I went for it¡± He explains revealing the truth as he was too mentally tired to try and lie and for whatever reason he had a sinking feeling the dapper speaking woman could cut through his lies. ¡°Tell me then¡­ Did you enjoy it?¡± She asks, looking at Zare suddenly being serious, dropping her expression and giving him a dead serious look. ¡°When his life was being snuffed out, did you enjoy the kill? The face he made, the effort he put to cling onto his life, did you enjoy it at all?¡± She continues even further. ¡°Zare. The next words that come out of your mouth, the reply you''ll be giving me, I will believe you wholeheartedly and take your word for it. I promise, but beware. Your answer will decide whether or not I¡¯ll let you live or kill you. Pick your words wisely but truthfully. If not then-¡± Raising her cane gun suddenly she points it towards Zare¡¯s chest ready to shoot. ¡°Life or death, decided by an answer from your heart. I want to know your ideology, your essence, your killing intent.¡± Vathemelia finishes her questioning as the judge, jury, and now the executioner. Zare was on trial for his life and the wrong answer could very much mean death. Monster. Through and Through These are Zare¡¯s memories, a recollection of what happened that night. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just be like the other kids? At least they listen and do what they''re told!¡± A woman screamed at a younger Zare. Why was he always being compared to other people? Was his best not enough?. Sadness was not the emotion that met the little boy. Zare couldn''t remember it clearly. All he could remember was his screams of anger mixed with her screams of pain. The memory shifts Inside an office, three people were looming over him, one in a suit, one in casual attire, and the last one wearing some sort of uniform. ¡°Did you do this?¡± The principal asks him in the office. ¡°Did you hurt her? My wife? You fucking monster!¡± A man raises hand in a fist preparing to hit a younger Zare. The memory shifts once more ¡°Stop! Please¡­ I don¡¯t wanna play anymore¡­¡± A little boy on the ground cries, his nose bleeding severely. Zare stares emotionless. The memory shifts ¡°We¡¯re sorry kid but you''re being moved again¡± A man kneels and puts his hand on the little boy¡¯s shoulder. The memory shifts ¡°It¡¯s good that you''re being moved, we never have to see you ever again¡± A group of kids point at Zare angrily. The memory shifts ¡°Don¡¯t worry Zare, your new home will be a fresh start for you. Your new family will treat you with all the love in the world. We promise!¡± A nurse joyfully explains to him. The memory shifts ¡°Lies.¡± He whispers to himself. ¡°All lies just to make me feel better¡± He continues. ¡°Why do they lie to me like this?¡± He asks himself as if expecting an answer from someone. Suddenly a voice answers back within him, the years of loneliness has created a twisted coping mechanism for Zare. ¡°At least they''re trying, but it isn¡¯t enough is it?¡± The replying voice is still within his mind, not talking through his mouth. Not yet. Deep within Zare¡¯s mind the fragments of memories swirl and contort leading to an amalgamation of thoughts. Hours of memories that one may consider to be the worst kind was something Zare had too much of. Mocking him, insulting him, haunting his mind nonstop. ¡°Will it ever end? This hell that God gave to me? Why?¡± The little boy asked into the darkness, he was met with silence. He closed his eyes to sleep. The memory shifts one last time Zare now stood over the corpse of a dog, a bloody stick in his right hand. A little girl on the ground sits behind him, bruises on her legs and a notable injury on her left arm. Her arm was bitten, blood poured out with each second and her flesh was mangled, what made things seem worse was whatever dog Zare killed had its mouth frothing black bubbles, not normal. It was snowing that time, it lightly fell and the temperature was only beginning to drop. They were in the middle of the woods surrounded by trees looming far above them. The dog¡¯s corpse lays lifeless with an open hole on its chest, bleeding still. Zare holds the bloody stick dripping with blood, his face having bloodstains disturbed by his sweat. He killed the dog or whatever this thing was, but it seemed as if he was late to whatever happened earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t get here sooner¡± Zare answers as he struggles to breathe in the environment around them that was getting colder and colder. ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ See? It¡¯s just a bite, I¡¯ll be fine in a few days¡± The little girl weakly answers back not knowing the level of risk she¡¯s in however Zare knew better. ¡°In a few days? We don¡¯t even know what exactly got you. For all we know that thing could have rabies. Come on, let¡¯s control the bleeding and get you help¡± Zare begins to take off his jacket to offer as a bandage for her wounds but the little girl did not agree to his action. ¡°No Don¡¯t! You''ll get colder, it¡¯s snowing already so don¡¯t risk yourself getting colder for me. You know how winter works around these parts. You¡¯ll lose your arm¡± She exclaims. ¡°I don¡¯t care, we need to stop that bleeding and get you help immediately and besides I know this place better than you, you were gone for hours and I found you in minutes¡± Zare snaps back, taking his jacket off and wrapping it around her injured arm to try and stop the bleeding. ¡°You''re wasting your time on me¡­ Even if we get back I doubt they¡¯ll care about this¡± She sniffles, tears welling up on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry if they won¡¯t do anything about it then I¡¯ll make sure they do¡± He replies back confidently, then continues. ¡°I¡¯ll even call for the hospital to make sure¡± He finishes. ¡°O-ok¡­ I hope mom and dad listens to us though¡­¡± She whispers. ¡°They¡­ will¡± Zare lifts the little girl onto his arms. The idea that their ¡®parents¡¯ would even listen to them is a joke of an idea for him. For Zare this is the 3rd time he¡¯s had to move families and each one was worse than the other. The families he was in were only taking him for either drug money or an extra pair of hands inside the house without ever caring for him. This time it was both. Carrying the little girl in his arms he began walking home as the falling snow slowly began to pile up, the day was coming to a slow close, and the world around them started to get even colder. The little girl shivered from the cold and once in a while winced and groaned from the pain of the bite, in order to comfort her Zare held her tighter and tried his best to warm her up while walking faster to make it back home. After a few minutes of walking through a dimmed snowing forest they made it back home. Zare did know the place better than she did. ¡°We¡¯re here¡­¡± Zare says with a warm smile on his face. ¡°Yay¡­¡± The little girl replies weakly, shivering from the cold. Zare sets her down and helps her up the stairs onto the porch in front of the door. The porch was in poor condition, the wood used was beginning to rot and the door looked as if it was broken into too many times with scratches and numerous marks, to think this was the front door to their home made Zare question whether or not wherever adopted them passed the background check or whoever conducted it didn¡¯t care at all. This was it, the hardest part was upon him, so taking a deep breath he knocks 3 times. At that moment he began formulating a plan in his head. Knock. Explain everything that happened and beg them to call for help for her. If they won¡¯t do it then I can call for her instead, I just need to steal the phone. Knock. Clean her wound and disinfect it so the damage isn¡¯t as bad as it is. If they try anything I¡¯ll steal stuff for her. Knock. If they won¡¯t do anything that needs to be done for her then I swear I¡¯ll- The door swings open. A scraggly old woman looks at them both angrily, behind her was an equally scraggly old man sleeping on the couch as the TV plays a bidding show. The woman eyes both of them down, Zare returns the silent exchange with a glare while the little girl maintains a sad expression constantly breaking eye contact against her. The old woman wore a worn out shirt with barely readable words on the center and jeans that had fluids spilled onto it, her pants were discolored because of it. The old man on the other hand wore a white button that was yellowish in color and had shorts on, it was black in color but had white streaks here and there. Zare could note the unpleasant smell they gave off. ¡°She needs help, she got bit by a dog¡­ or a coyote¡± Zare explains ¡°You''re both late¡± The woman says while ignoring what Zare had to say. ¡°Because she got attacked by a rabid dog or coyote- that doesn¡¯t matter. She needs help. Please¡± Zare explains a little further while pushing the matter at hand. ¡°Huh¡­ show me¡± She demanded as if she didn''t believe what he had to say. ¡°What-¡± Zare¡¯s left eye twitched. ¡°What do you mean ¡®Show me¡¯? Is this bitch being for real? What the fuck is wrong with her? This bitch-¡± ¡°Here¡­¡± The little girl takes the wound up jacket off her arm as she winces in pain doing so to show her the wound. It was bad. The wound was showing signs of infection in only a few minutes, the bite was swollen and black liquid began oozing out with her hand slightly shaking from the coursing pain. The woman gave it a disgusted look and gave a long sigh. ¡°Fine, get in¡± She finally gives in to them both moving to the side. Finally, both Zare and the little girl walked in the house. It was desolate and dark for something that is called a ¡®house¡¯. The inside was a mess with trash and junk scattered everywhere, a pileup of takeout food could be seen on the kitchen counter with what seems to be rotten food from last week. The old man on the couch was asleep and the TV was now playing static. Next to the man was a table with needles and a tray with what seemed to be a green substance with cigarette butts. It smelled horrible on the inside for the most part, Zare would rather have been outside in the cold, at least he could actually tolerate the freezing air when it came to breathing. Finally after a few seconds spent silently judging the inside, Zare speaks out regarding the little girl¡¯s condition and to get her the help she needs. ¡°We should call an ambulance for her, I think the bite is infected and has rabies on it¡± He says in concern. ¡°You ¡®think¡¯? It¡¯s fine, she¡¯ll live. Just wash it up¡± The woman dismisses him as she couldn¡¯t care less for the little girl¡¯s health let alone being hassled to call for an ambulance or drive her to the hospital. ¡°No she won''t. It¡¯s bleeding bad and it has-¡± Suddenly Zare was struck on the face by the man who was sleeping earlier on the couch. ¡°That¡¯s no way to talk to your mother boy¡± He grumbles. ¡°Zare-!¡± The little girl calls out in fear for him. Suddenly the old man grabs the little girl¡¯s arm and roughly inspects the injury. She yelps in pain from his doing. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Nothin a little hot water n alcohol can fix¡± He chuckles, agreeing with what the old woman said earlier. ¡°N-no¡­ That won¡¯t be enough¡­ She¡¯s infected with rabies for sure. Can we please just call an ambulance for her?¡± Zare holds his nose closed as it bleeds. The little girl begins to cry as the pain from her hand and seeing her step brother getting hurt is all too much for her to bear at the moment. ¡°Hmmm, you gonna pay for it then boy? Keep in mind the only reason why we keep you shits is for the money. We don¡¯t wanna waste another dime on you ungrateful runts¡± The old man laughs to himself. The old lady chuckles as well. Zare glared at them both. The little girl closes her eyes. The old man lets go of the little girl and walks closer to Zare¡¯s face giving him a malicious grin. ¡°Whatcha gonna do about it boy?¡± He asks mockingly. This was always how it was. It was always this way. It was always torment after torment when it came to him. Zare would pray and pray and ask and ask but God never replied. Just like back then and now? It wasn¡¯t any different. To him, it meant justice was fake. People could be evil and get away with it. It meant that no matter how much he tried to stick to something, it just didn¡¯t matter. Snap. Suddenly in rage, Zare swung his arm striking the old man on his face, knocking him back a few feet onto the ground. Amidst the commotion the old woman backed away to the kitchen but Zare lunged at her, pinned her down and began beating her relentlessly. At that moment in his anger and own violent thoughts he began to cry. His mind went silent and everything lost noise for him. Tears streamed down Zare¡¯s face then he began to question himself at the moment of his violence ¡°Why am I crying, am I not doing the right thing?¡± The little girl stayed silent. Crying to herself as she was powerless that couldn¡¯t do anything but watch. The old woman in desperation started hitting and scratching Zare fighting back as much as she could. Zare pushed on however, not letting up from his assault. Tears still streaming down his face. In the background the old man slowly rose from the ground, then walking slowly and quietly he snuck behind Zare as he raised his hand holding his fist preparing to strike him down. The little girl stayed quiet still. Tears began to go down her face. Shutting her eyes closed out of fear. In the end she couldn¡¯t scream out for him. The old man swung. Her mouth opened but it was too late. Thwack! Thud. Zare was down. In his mind he drifted off into the abyss. The last thing he could see was his step sister screaming for him before being hit by the old man. His eyes went shut, he was in darkness once more. A dark room. Everything was so dark that looking down at himself he couldn¡¯t even see his own hands but could feel them, he couldn¡¯t scream either. ¡°Am I dead?¡± Zare thought. It felt as though he was floating in space. He looked behind him in this abyss and saw a little girl crying. He couldn''t recognize who it was. It looked as though they were crying. ¡°Wake up¡± A familiar voice was heard then Zare could feel his eyes ache. Waking up, it was cold, moist, and dark, the setting felt too familiar for someone like him. The atmosphere felt familiar with its musty air and dark lighting, he soon realized that he was in the basement of the house. He began to question things. How long was he out for? How did he get here? What exactly happened? Zare suddenly held his head in pain, he couldn¡¯t remember what happened before. He faintly remembers someone¡¯s arm having blood with a vicious tear on it¡­Then it clicked. Zumi, she was in danger. Zumi was the name of the little girl that was with him, she was in need of immediate medical attention and if he can¡¯t get that for her in time then she¡¯s¡­ Zare would rather not think about it. For once he was in genuine panic. Rushing out of the basement he searched the house for the little girl, his step sister. Suddenly a voice stops him. ¡°Where the fuck do you think your going?¡± A familiar voice shakes his soul, like a dark hand reaching over and gripping his heart and causing his head to ache a bit from the strike earlier. It was the old man. ¡°Where¡¯s Zumi?¡± Zare asks in a panicked and dismissive tone, being more concerned with his step sister¡¯s well-being rather than the situation at hand where another fight between the two could happen at any given moment. The old man notices Zare¡¯s unwillingness to fight and angered by this, he wants to see him angry like he was last time, he wants to start something once again for what he¡¯s done earlier. He wants to provoke him to get a good reason to do anything to him. ¡°She¡¯s gone, we sent her off outside to quiet down¡± Said the old man mockingly hoping to get something out of him. ¡°What?¡± Zare¡¯s left eye twitches again. Confusion and anger races within him. It worked, he¡¯s got something out. ¡°She kept complaining about her fucking arm so we sent her ass out to shut her up¡± The old man clarifies further. ¡°Like time out¡± ¡°...What¡­How long?¡± Zare clutches his fist and grits his teeth. ¡°She¡¯s been out for¡­ I don¡¯t know, we were gonna send you out to get her¡± The old man tries shifting the blame to Zare, to which he responds in silence. Zare deep in thought began hearing the voices one more. ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead¡­ We were too weak¡± ¡°Why would he do this?¡± ¡°Because we couldn¡¯t do anything¡± ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s my fault¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, we couldn¡¯t do anything against them¡­ against him¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡­ no¡­¡± ¡°You must¡± ¡°I hate you¡± Both Zare and his inner voice said in unison. In that moment Zare loses it. Humanity to him was defined as a catalyst to insult him at this moment. Lunging low, Zare tripped the old man causing him to fall on his back onto the back of his head. The old man screamed in pain and was unable to move as he called out for help. Zare stuffed the old man¡¯s mouth closed and dragged him to the basement, next was the woman. She was asleep in her room and didn¡¯t notice the looming figure over her. At first he put his hands on her nose and mouth forcibly closing them and watching as she struggled to breathe, it took almost a minute for her to jolt awake and panic. Using both hands he laid his weight on her neck, she already missed out on a lot of air so it didn''t take too much for her to go unconscious. Both the man and woman woke up in the basement tied to chairs and in front of them Zare stood in front of them visibly tired with mud and dirt on his hands and feet, finally Zare spoke. ¡°Where¡­ Do you think she went? I searched the house and she isn¡¯t in here¡± He asks calmly. ¡°Let me go you fucking ungrateful shit¡± The old man replies. ¡°I will if you tell me¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°You will¡± Zare kneels and grabs a pipe, he taps the pipe on the old man¡¯s legs then repeats once more. ¡°You will¡± The old man widens his eyes in fear and the woman beside him begins to beg for forgiveness at the same time. Zare didn¡¯t care for what they had to do, he only cared about what they could answer regarding Zumi, he asked one more time this time angrily. ¡°WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you we don¡¯t fucking know! We sent her off to a group of people!¡± The old man replies hurriedly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°There was a group of people wearing these robes and they went on about our sins and shit and they said that they won¡¯t purge us if we give them the little girl so we gave her to them¡± The old man answers in fear, closing his eyes and looking away. ¡°That¡¯s all we know we swear!¡± The old woman adds onto his point. ¡°Haha¡­ you gave her off just like that? When she had a fucking¡­¡± Zare stares at the pipe then grits his teeth. Fuck them. He swung the pipe, breaking the old man¡¯s legs. The old man''s scream hurt Zare¡¯s ears but it was something that he needed to hear from someone like him and the angry rambling from the woman sounded muffled to him, he didn¡¯t care as he swung once more this time striking the face of the woman creating large gash on her face causing her to bleed everywhere and panic at the injury. Zare wanted the old man gone first. Ten minutes, it was ten minutes of constant beating with a pipe. The old man¡¯s face was destroyed as his entire lower jaw was on the floor next to his feet, surprisingly he was still breathing. ¡°Had enough?¡± The old man seemed unresponsive. ¡°Hey¡± The old man glanced upwards. Zare struck again and again causing the old man to fall over, a blood puddle began to form as he crushed his head by beating it relentlessly. The old woman cried silently as she witnessed her husband die a horrible death. As Zare slowly calmed down he slowly turned to her. ¡°Next¡± He whispers. Dropping the pipe, he walked over and grabbed her head and pressed his thumbs onto her eyes. She began to scream in pain but Zare kept pushing his thumbs deeper and deeper. ¡°You were worse, you always were after her. I¡¯ll make sure to spare you the trouble and take away your sight so that way you can feel what I¡¯m about to do to you much much more¡± Zare explains to her. ¡°Stop¡­ let me- AAAAAA-¡± Her eyes were crushed and blood poured out. Zare grabbed the pipe once more and began mainly beating her arms and legs, with each strike blood poured out of where used to be her eyes. The screams she gave off were constant from the pain of losing her eyes and receiving the hits from him. After what seemed to be hours she stopped screaming. She bit her own tongue off. Zare stood ¡°victorious¡±. The whole time Zare did not once show emotion. Not once did Zare flinch at the things he did nor witness. He moved like a blur with his methods to the point where his mind perceived it as such. In the end Zare cried and began what was many more to come as the voice in his head speaks to him too. ¡°What have I done?¡± ¡°They hurt her¡­ they hurt us¡± ¡°I¡¯m a monster¡± ¡°A monster through and though¡± ¡°Why did I do this?¡± ¡°We had to do this Zare¡± ¡°I could''ve ran out and looked for her¡± ¡°No, we were too horrible for that, in the end we were a monster. In the end we valued our own rage over her¡± ¡°What am I doing right now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone Zare, let her go¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡± Zare in a desolate state of mind cries into his hands. Zumi was dead. Zare was going insane at the weight of his actions and the death of the person he loved dearly. In his lowest point, his mind buries the thought of her death deep into his subconscious. Staring at the corpse of his actions, his mind begins to race in delusion as his rage slowly turns and contorts into regret. He could not bear it. As a last ditch effort his mind immaturely labels it as ¡°self defense¡±. ¡°Coward¡± The voice of Zumi echoes within his mind. Zare glances at the door forming a broken smile in the hopes that it was her. She was not there. He stares at the door a little longer and looks to the right towards the window. He imagines the police lights flashing through, his life being ruined, his life being destroyed but isn¡¯t it destroyed enough from what he¡¯s been going through? ¡°Coward¡± Her voice rings through with each minute that passes. Zare grabs his wallet and wears his best clothing for the cold outside world. ¡°Coward¡± It was nighttime as he exited the house and the snow had already melted off. This meant one thing for Zare which broke his mind further. Falling to his knees and crying one last time, mourning one last time, and remembering one last time. ¡°It¡¯s true¡± He thought to himself. ¡°She¡¯s dead. Zumi is dead¡± His hopes shatter and his mind is sent to one more feral frenzy of emotions. A torrenting storm, his mind in a pitch black storm with him being thrown around at high speeds. Zare forcefully walks forward and with each step his mind clouds further and further and he begins to mumble different words and noises. Unable to properly cope with the loss he begins talking to himself hoping that it would help him deal with the pain. ¡°I can''t believe we did that¡­ It¡¯ll only take a matter of time before were caught and we¡¯re fucked¡± Zare walks out of the basement and into the kitchen. He uses the telephone to call 911 and states his address only saying the reason being ¡°emergency¡±. He grabs his belongings and walks out the house all operating in a fog. He traces his steps back to the corpse of the dog. Zumi¡¯s corpse lies next to the dog, clothes ripped apart and her body beaten with bruises all over, in fear he blinks and her corpse is nowhere to be found, the dog still lays there however. He looks down and notices many footsteps around him, upon closer inspection it was his own footsteps, he lets out a chuckle. He tried to look for Zumi all this time but failed. The long figure walks forward, red and blue lights behind him. The recollection ends. END OF CHAPTER 2 One After Another Vathemelia smiles, she pushes her cane gun against Zare¡¯s forehead. The tip felt warm, indicating the shot made earlier and Zare showed no resistance nor fear against the thing pointed directly at his forehead. ¡°My patience is paying off, I believe something has clicked within your mind. State it, the reason for what dragged you into this hellish overture!¡± She exclaims in excitement as his answer could very much decide whether or not he lives or dies. While she gave a look of excitement Zare looked emotionless, he opened his mouth preparing to answer. ¡°Wait¡± Suddenly she lifts her cane to the air, pointing it at the sky then suddenly striking the ground with immense force. A loud low pitched thud was heard around them with Vathemelia frozen in place, her eyes closed, remaining in that position for a few more seconds before speaking. ¡°Okay, we are indeed alone. Speak your defense¡± Her eyes were still closed, she aimed the gun at Zare¡¯s chest this time without looking. He sat there in silence, thinking deeply about the things he¡¯s committed and the reasonings for each kill. The small pause in the moment she did revealed that Zare was still in fear underneath all the bravado he put up just before speaking. Speaking with a tone of fear between his words, he rambled in his defense, Vathemelia¡¯s smile waned. ¡°I did those things because I let the anger I had at the moment take over but when I took the step that I could still back out on I let my pride take over and stepped in deeper. From what I can see right now, I won¡¯t die easy nor will I die peacefully. I don¡¯t wanna talk about what happened before and I don¡¯t wanna talk about how messy my past was but right now I wanna live a life of my own where I know that every single thing I¡¯ve done is past me. To answer your question, it was satisfying to kill them but the regret I felt was equal. It felt like operating in a fog after I killed someone, like¡­ Like I did something horribly wrong and I¡¯m expecting judgment at any second but it never came. That¡¯s how it felt whenever I killed someone¡± Zare looked down in shame, unable to look at his judgment and unable to come to terms with whatever drove him to do such things. Vathemelia then smiled at what he had to say, then pulling the cane gun away, she answered back her opinion. ¡°You¡­ Hold onto your sanity so human-like it''s astounding, I can¡¯t wait to see how you sacrifice it off¡± She pauses for a moment, then her eyes shone purple. She inspected Zare then laughed at the sight of him then her eyes shone purple once more before she began talking again. ¡°You don¡¯t really seem like much but from the look on your eyes¡­ Yes¡­ I cannot wait to see how you¡¯ll deal with him¡± She smiles then points the cane gun to Zare again. ¡°Now, the final verdict!¡± This is it. Zare was either going to make do or die from how this final question goes and he needs to give an answer that keeps him alive. ¡°Dearest Zare¡­ Will you-¡± Vathemelia pauses, building suspense between the two. Zare breaks out in cold sweat, all his focus on what she has to say next. This is it. The balance breaker of his life. The gateway and guardian to his inferno was Vathemelia¡¯s judgment. ¡°-Kill again?¡± A sly smile formed once more on her face and Zare was in complete silence. Inside his mind the ground felt soft and he could feel himself sinking, then he fell. It felt as if he was falling into a dark bottomless pit. Zare felt his body go cold and numb at the thought of killing again. The idea of doing those things sparked a hidden sense of guilt within him, he began pondering what answer he needs to say to keep living. ¡°If I say no will she let me go because I¡¯m not a threat?¡± ¡°She¡¯s crazy, I think whatever answer we give her doesn''t matter, we¡¯re dead in the end¡± ¡°So should we try and fight back?¡± Zare looks down at the point where her cane gun struck the ground and notices a deep indentation on the ground, but upon a second glance he notices that whatever she struck wasn¡¯t just dirt but rock, she struck the rock breaking it. ¡°Nope, with her gun and with that show of strength, we can''t hope to fight her let alone get away¡± Zare was once again deep in thought. Everything around him was drowned out and all he could do was close his eyes trying to understand his own mind and how he worked as a person after all he¡¯s done. He began to question himself. ¡°Why did I do those things?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°Why did we keep going?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t we try?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡± ¡°Why am I talking to myself?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Why am I talking to myself?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ know¡­¡± Zare felt everything around him, he finally understood his life. Opening his eyes he questioned himself one more time, Did he kill those people out of pride like any other killer? No, he killed those people because he dove too deep into the fire and his fragile mind deemed it being ¡°too far gone¡± so with a glass of pride he did such atrocities one after another. He felt pathetic and at this moment, exchanges were made between the two that would give his true answer and emotion. Zare¡¯s face shifted into a face of pure hatred and anger but¡­ Vathemelia¡¯s face shifted into a face of pure joy and pleasure. ¡°Earlier¡­ what you said, all of it was a desperate cling to life was it not? You took me for someone who was crazy. Don¡¯t get it wrong, you''re right on that part¡­¡± Vathemelia lowers her cane gun onto the ground. Using it as a normal cane on her right hand she then uses her left hand to snap her fingers then continue talking. ¡°Once more then¡­ When you killed him, did you enjoy it?¡± She looked into his eyes for an answer, her eyes giving off a soft purple glow and creating an uneasy aura around her. While Vathemelia looked as if she was a deity that loomed over a simple human, Zare was unbothered and focused looking back into her eyes with no emotion. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Finally he spoke his true defense. ¡°At the moment of the kill I felt nothing but anger as I snuffed his life out¡­ but immediately I felt a sense of regret¡­ No, it wasn''t regret I felt back then but it was my humanity and the sense of shame I was bound to feel from doing such a thing. I have already gone too far when it comes to losing my humanity-¡± Zare looks down in acceptance of his actions and his current state within the balance of life. He was a killer. He was a monster. ¡°I admit it. I¡¯m a murderer. I killed them and I don¡¯t plan to back out on it.¡± He finishes. ¡°Will you do it again?¡± Vathemelia smiles softly. The world froze for them both. Zare was going down a path that was guided by Vathemelia, suddenly the world around them was in greater detail. The lush green trees, the deep blue seas, the red-orange glow of the sunset, and the warm color of life. People around the world are laughing and living life, the cozy glimmer of the sunset, and finally the beautiful glow of the moon. ¡°Yes or No?¡± Zare looked up. He looked up at the light that embraced him. He raised his head, not to embrace that light, but for something far more sinister. In this moment he was going to purge his humanity for the life he chose for himself. He raised his head for a reason that would send him into a path where redemption is only given through death. He raised his head to stain that light. ¡°Yes.¡± Zare answered. Vathemelia¡¯s eyes glowed purple once more. Offering her left hand to help Zare up, she smiles warmly and replies to his reason. ¡°You passed. Your living life another day to take it¡± Zare reaches his hand out to meet hers and upon both hands touching he now feels the new sensation her hands brought. They were soft, smooth, and warm to the touch as if they belonged to a mother embracing their child, but he knew something was seriously off, she looked gentle and caring at this moment but he knew that deep down she was hiding something far worse than what he could be hiding. Vathemelia deep down could not be truly trusted by Zare. Something is seriously off with her. ¡°I took a good look at you. You don¡¯t look like much, however when I felt your hand just now I could feel it¡­ The feeling of your soul is the same as theirs!¡± Vathemelia exclaims happily then continues further. ¡°They would definitely be happy to see you but¡­ No, we can¡¯t let you. That would be a very big problem if you were to meet them¡± She finishes. ¡°What?¡± Zare was simply confused as to what she had to say. ¡°Sorry dear, If you were talking then I can¡¯t hear you!¡± She states loudly. ¡°Wha-¡± As he replies in confusion Vathemelia suddenly spins around pointing her cane gun at a lone tree. The lone tree looked like any other tree but had a slight discoloration in the center, nothing was inherently wrong with the tree except for that one minor detail which Zare paid no attention to but Vathemelia on the other hand was eyeing it down with all her focus. Suddenly she spoke. ¡°Too impatient, minus 10 points¡± She says to the lone tree as if someone was behind it. The base of the tree now has a more discolored silhouette, like a person was painted onto it. ¡°What are you-¡± Zare asks in confusion which was interrupted by a sudden voice from the tree. ¡°Shit¡­ Well you know I can¡¯t hold a color for too long let alone that awkward position!¡± The voice from the tree suddenly replied back. Zare tensed in fear while Vathemelia gave off a sigh of disappointment, then she spoke back out replying to the mysterious voice. ¡°Oh please, you were just standing there doing nothing but listening in on us¡± Gently, she lowered her cane gun using it as a normal cane once more. She spoke again, commanding the mysterious presence at the lone tree. ¡°Come on out, you''re caught red handed. There¡¯s no use trying to blend in anymore¡± ¡°What are you talking about blending-?¡± Zare tried speaking out until he noticed what Vathemelie was referring to. Suddenly the discolored silhouette began squirming and cycling through different colors like a rainbow. After a few seconds the discolored spot on the tree stopped on a tannish color with their hands being a bright red, it was a person who changed their colors in order to blend in with the tree. Zare was shocked, what the hell is happening? What did he get himself into? Did that person just change their skin color like a chameleon? ¡°I guess so¡­ Hello hello hello new guy!¡± The figure could now be seen clearly as they walked away from the tree and towards them instead. As they came closer, more and more details were made out about them. They were slightly shorter than Zare and looked to be younger than both of them, they wore a black hoodie with a black turtleneck peeking through the neck area and black jeans with black sandals. The figure smiled at them with a bright smile and what Zare found to be the most odd detail about them was their pupils, it was iridescent like the shiny colorful rainbows you would see on bubbles or the color of a bismuth with its shiny metallic colors. Their hair was short, messy, and white, pure white to the point that it looked like it was dyed in instead of being naturally there. Then once more, their skin shifted colors now landing on a golden tan. Suddenly they spoke towards Zare in a cheery tone. ¡°Sorry dude, my hair can¡¯t change colors like my skin can¡­ I¡¯m Kim by the way, very very very nice to meet you!¡± They reach their hand out for a handshake which Zare politely returned. ¡°I¡¯m Zare¡± As he moves his hand in an up and down motion for a handshake, Kim moves their hand sideways which causes a circular motion instead. Kim shows a goofy smile while Zare gives a look of pure confusion. Finally Kim breaks the awkward silence by introducing themselves further. ¡°SoIknowwhatyourthinkingaboutme,amIaboyoragirl?Theanswerisneitherandthat¡¯sforyoutodecide!¡± They poke Zare¡¯s nose then continue once more. ¡°Thismustbesoweirdforyou!Seeingsomeonelikemewhocanchangethecoloroftheirskinakintoachameleonmustbeprettyunnaturalhuh?¡± Using their left hand they poke their cheek while the other hand points to their attire. ¡°ThisismynormalskincolorsomyhairremianswhitebuthemomentIchangeskincolormyhairfollowsmyskinandthecolorblackIwear-¡± They suddenly lay one hand on Zare¡¯s shoulders as if they were suddenly tired and trying to lean on something to level themselves. ¡°Phew¡­ wow talking is hard¡± They take a deep breath and continue. ¡°ThecolorblackIwearallowsittochangecolorswithmewhenIstartchangingcolor¡± Suddenly they began biting their own fingers, seeming to be deep in thought just like that. Zare could not keep up with what they just said. ¡°Did I miss anything?¡± Kim asks both Zare and Vathemelia. ¡°Even if you did, I missed most of it¡± Zare replies back still mostly confused as to what he heard. ¡°Kim-kim, slow down and be gentle with him will you?¡± Vathemelia interrupts, laughing. ¡°R-right, sorry! It¡¯s just nice meeting someone new after a while. It gets boring with Vathy over here¡± Kim nudges Zare¡¯s arm and all he could do was return an embarrassed smile. Vathemelia however, suddenly looks up and frowns. ¡°Hm, I¡¯m being called in. Listen Kim, you''re going to have to finish my mission for me. I want you to show our newest member here the ropes, they have potential¡± Vathemelia gave Kim a serious look which they returned with a smile. ¡°I got it¡± Kim simply said as they smiled widely. ¡°Wait what? What are we doing? Show me the ropes? What¡¯s going on here?¡± Zare asks in confusion. ¡°Sorry dear, I can¡¯t explain to you all the details at the moment but just know that backing out now would mean death¡± Vathemelia hurriedly states as she begins to walk away in a rush. ¡°Once you two are done, head back to the house, understand?¡± Vathemelia shoots a serious glance at Kim which Kim replies with a heavy nod. As Vathemelia disappears behind the trees Kim jumps in excitement and spins to Zare, smiling and giggling. ¡°OKOK! Are you ready, excited, or feeling romantical even?¡± Kim leans close to Zare looking intently at his neck. ¡°Huh? What the hell are we even doing?¡± Zare asks, backing away in the process. ¡°Well¡­ We''re gonna do our job!¡± Kim stretches their hand to the air, smiling still. ¡°Which is¡­?¡± Zare tilts his head in confusion. ¡°Are you playing coy with me?¡± Kim smiles excitedly, a glint of red could be seen on their eyes. ¡°Our job¡­¡± They lean in close to Zare putting one arm over his back. ¡°Our job¡­?¡± He asks back in confusion. ¡°Our job¡­ is to kill people!¡± Kim grins widely. ¡°Kill¡­ People?¡± Zare responds with a look of pure confusion and concern. END OF CHAPTER 3