Chapter 21

>>" Stop it, Elliot! Stop it! Leave him alone; he's not to blame for anything!"

Collete Gun's piercing screams shattered Oliver's ears as he was severely beaten.

"I should have done this from the damn day I found out! I'm sick of keeping this thing! Sick of your indifference! I told you I wanted all your love!"

Each scream was followed by a blow harder than the last.

"Stop it, please! Elliot, I beg you, stop!" Heavy tears came out of Collette's emerald eyes; she never imagined that person would punish her beloved son.

As if it were a spell, the black-haired man stopped for a few seconds, turning his eyes away from the child, directing them towards his beloved wife. It was the darkest and most twisted look Collette had ever seen.

"I killed that bastard because he stole all your love and attention from me; I gave you everything Collette, I allowed this scum to stay alive knowing he was that bastard's son... I did everything for you so that you would love me. Years ago, I told you that you would be only mine, mine and no one else's; I can't share you with anyone, least of all that bastard's son."

A kick to the chestnut's face knocked out two of his teeth. The woman looked dismayed at the man she had once loved as a brother.

"You caused this; if you had agreed to marry for good and have your wonderful fairy tale by my side, you wouldn't have to witness the death of rats like them."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, unable to process what was happening.

"Of course you'll be sorry, my love, you'll regret every day of your life for taking me as an idiot."

Oliver tried not to lose consciousness; he had to be strong until the very end; he told himself that if Mr. Craig took it out on him, it wouldn't hurt his mother. His body ached like never before, he couldn't feel his legs, and every breath of air was minor, painful cramps in his ribs and chest. He had to hold on; he vowed to be brave for his mother, Jack, Annette, Bibi, and every girl living underground. They had to escape; she trusted his mom had a plan for everything.

But Oliver was wrong; Collette never thought about the possibility of not escaping. She was in shock as she watched her son struggle between life and death, just as she had witnessed with Donnel years before.

To Oliver's mind, everything was confusing, a kick to his head kept him dizzy, the mournful conversation of the adults could be heard far away, his world was spinning, and he was short of breath, the pain in his body was disappearing, and he had no strength left to fight. Just as he was about to give in to unconsciousness, the loud sound of a gunshot was enough to bring him back to the world of the living; a body fell on him, making him moan in pain.

When the little boy managed to climb out of the body that had fallen on him, the world stopped as he saw his mother with blood dripping from her mouth and tears running down her cheeks as a pool of blood surrounded her.

"Collette!"

Elliot Craig throws the brown-haired boy across the room as he desperately yells for a doctor to be brought in. Oliver's body trembles as he holds that terrifying image of his mother; what was going on? Why had his mother fallen on him if she wasn't around?

Crawling back to where his mother was, he was stopped by the intimidating presence of the black-haired man who was shedding tears while holding the lifeless woman's body. Oliver caught a glimpse of her colorless and dull eyes, her gaze was lost, and he understood that his mother was no longer in this world.

Tears welled up in his little eyes, feeling his heart breaking second by second; his mother was dead, she died on him, and Oliver just took her off him. He couldn't even say goodbye.

-This is all your fault!

Elliot Craig became aware of the living portrait of the person who chased his Collette away from his side, who now also took her away from him. Filled with hatred, he leaves the body of his deceased and knocks out the little boy who should be dead instead of Collette<<

I would die that night, and my mother would spend the rest of her days as a living dead. Maybe she didn't want to see me die; she didn't want to continue living with that man and decided to save my life in exchange for hers. From that day on, Mr. Craig punished me without fail for taking away what he loved the most; he told me that it was my fault she wasn't here anymore. I didn't believe it; I wasn't the one who shot, but I had always been a risk for her life, I always got her into trouble, and I kept thinking that since the day I came into the world, I had caused problems for my mother. If I had only repressed that sneeze, the story would be different if I hadn't sneezed.

I could never apologize to her; I tried to make her happy and be strong and brave... I... I just wanted to see her smile for real one more time. Going to The Gold Star was her greatest wish, and I wanted to make it happen, but when she left, all I wanted was her forgiveness. I accepted every one of Mr. Craig's punishments because I had no choice, and in a certain way, I knew I deserved it; I wanted my mother to be happy in another life. Sometimes, when I was about to faint, I would imagine my mother running freely on a lighted path next to my father; it cheered me up to think that now she could be with the person she loved and have her desired fairy tale ending. Sometimes I dreamed about the life my mother always wished for: a beautiful house surrounded by flowers, with a partner who loved and respected her, and a son fruit of their eternal love.

"No one knows the real story, I never told them the details, I didn't dare confess to them that I had killed her, although they all knew it, I could never talk about it... until now. "

"I think she has finally forgiven me; I never tried or supported another escape plan. I tried to talk Annette's mother out of it, but she never listened; she was upset about the death of her best friend, she hated me too. They all died trying to regain their freedom, my mother gave them enough courage to rebel, but it was all in vain. Jack, Annette, and I were the only ones who didn't try to participate; they were the only ones who listened to me... when Jack proposed this new plan to escape, I refused, but later Jack told me that freedom was what my mother always wanted for me and everyone. Emer's plan would work the first time it failed, but I had nothing left to lose anyway."

"I didn't think my mother would still be by my side, not after causing her so much pain, but... I think she's still here, and if I made it to this point, it was because of her. She's a star now, shining as bright as ever. Thank you, I didn't... I didn't know it was special."

As he finished, Oliver smiles up at the sky, looking again at those good people that graced the landscape. It felt like a huge rock was lifted off his shoulders, he had carried that for six years, and it felt good to talk about it. It hurt, it hurt quite a bit to remember, but at least he was calm and sure that he could fulfill Collette's wish and live for both of them.

On the other hand, Chrystal could not process all the information, Oliver's life had been much worse than she imagined, and she didn't know what to say; Chrystal wasn't prepared for something like that. She had questions she didn't want to ask because Chrystal didn't think she could handle the answers, plus she didn't want to stun the young man. Witnessing your mother's death in such a cruel way should break you completely; she didn't understand how Oliver never tried to end his life or why he failed.

It was horrible; Oliver's life was awful, and now she understood the reason for his state and behavior; the boy was treated like garbage by a demented man obsessed with his mother.

Collette... was a nice name for Oliver's mother.

The boy had no one; both parents had been killed by that Mr. Craig who was probably looking for him now. This was more dangerous than she imagined; that monster destroyed Oliver's body and mind, he made him believe that Collette's death was his fault when it was the opposite. Oliver was a victim, his mother, the women he mentioned, his two friends who managed to escape... they were all victims, and no matter how much fear that man provoked, she would never leave Oliver alone again.