Childhood

8 years ago

The room was quiet, walls full of portraits in which soldiers were slaughtered during the war accompanied my misery. Their faces held no sign of hope as their bodies fell lifelessly into the floor, at least they were fighting for their freedom, I thought.

"Mom?" I asked, turning my face to my mother, who stood behind the counter of the kitchen, which my dad, oddly enough, had built in the basement.

"Hm?" She responded, still focused on her deeds.

"Why do you do this? We used to be a happy family.. What happened??"

She didn't respond, instead she laughed, and walked slowly to me. Admiring my face, her fingers brushed against my hair while she took a look at my tied hands. This time I was sitting on a chair, tied to my feet, though not against my will.

I watched my mother's eyes as she leaned closer to my ear, the serenity of her aura colder than a snow storm in which even polar bears wouldn't tolerate.

"You need to suffer for all your whims, darling." She kissed my cheek and grabbed something from her pocket. On her hand rested a long and disgusting brown insect; it's exceptionally multiple large and active legs moved to the tips of her fingers.

"H-Hey wait what is that?! Mom what are you doing?!" My legs started to shake trying to escape, my hands cold and sweaty rejected my intentions, while I screamed for help.

Hysterically, my mother laughed and held my head still so I wouldn't move.

"We didn't agree to this, mom! You said.. You said you'll keep me tied here for a week. But not this, okay, tell me to never talk to Eli but I love her and there's no way you can stop me. Please, let me be happy, what's so wrong about it? Even Kenia is suffering, why do you keep torturing us?! Why don't you just kill me?!"

"You think you can do whatever you want and then walk away from me? No, son, you belong to me! You have no right to love, eat, sleep, or work without my say. You understand? You're a Forbes, and you will be trained to kill," she exploded with an angry look, while she held my head so tight I could feel my bones shattering.

The centipede on her other hand climbed to my ear and continued his path inside my head. My eyes rolled back as I tried to contain the panic and the pain that was causing the disgusting insect; the nerves of my head tense as I tried to grasp a second of breath to curse my mother for causing me so much pain.

Though, my weeps seemed a mere condolence to my mother for she ignored them all and almost enjoyed them like a song. Her silky-looking skin, pale as the snow, seemed almost scaly in the dark, so much I hoped to touch it to reassure myself that my mother wasn't a reptile.

The room fell silent as soon as I closed my mouth, unable to continue crying, my eyes already probably red and swollen. I wondered if my father would come and convince my mom of her bad deeds. I hoped for my sister to come save me and stop my pain, but no one came. I was alone, I thought to myself.

Closing my eyes I tried to assimilate my situation, the venom already had travelled through my blood, and hopefully I'd die soon, and although no one had come to save me, perhaps my own dignity could keep me from living in a nightmare. Of course this wasn't in my mother's plans and before I opened my eyes again she had ready an injection that my dad had prepared days ago for us to tolerate any kind of venom. My father is a great doctor, internationally he could win a lot of money if he wasn't for his perverse love for my mom; he'd even find a cure to the world's most dangerous cancer if he really put in an effort. Instead, he makes medicine for his children so her wife can torture them without killing them.

I tried to talk once again but I no longer had any breath left, instead only the sound of an abstruse sound, almost like a whispery intense buzz, it climbed down from my skull to my throat like a horde of insects living inside my body. Unsurprised, I felt a mild, heavy sensation on my neck; perhaps a normal kid would cry at the sight of a needle, but I enjoyed the electric sensation of its content quickly travelling from my skin into my bloodstream. My mother seemed uncomfortable with my enjoyment, taking the needle out just in time for the pain to continue, she walked away and left me alone in the dark room with a terrible ache that punctured my lungs and left my spine immobile.

-

Present Day

A couple minutes later, we arrived home with our new guest. The old house seemed older though it's structure remained just how I last remembered, weak, and abandoned. The walls were more teared down and their paint had worn off exposing a darker colour of wood, as I opened the door I let out a sigh of discomfort at the humid air that surrounded me.

"Hey you mind just sitting there while we gather some things? Do you want anything to drink?" I offered the lady we had found on our way here, while my brothers went to grab some food in the kitchen.

"Yeah I can wait here. Water is ok, thanks."

I nodded and strode my way to the kitchen. The stove was on and the cabinets were empty and torn as if there had been multiple fights. There was no luminosity, entirely in the dark my brothers were already on the hunt to make their meal; they didn't bother to turn on the light, though as I tried to myself the light didn't seem to work.

"C'mon Matt, the light doesn't work," Col giggled while stuffing a sandwich into his mouth.

"Light a fire or something." Dante commented unbothered.

"Yeah, I'll pass. Remember we aren't going to stay here long," I tried to lower my voice so the lady in the living room wouldn't hear us. "We need to get rid of her too, she's a burden," though I didn't seem to believe so.

"But I like her," Dante pouted.

"What do you suggest?"

"We could stay here the night with her, drug her, have some fun and then get rid of her." These weren't exactly the words I had expected my 12 year old brother to say, but considering how evil Dante turned out to be, there's no need to be surprised.

"And wait for the police to come and arrest us? Think again brother." Collem teased Dante shuffling his hair like a dog.

"Enough of killing, and having fun. Do you really want to be just like your mother?"

Dante suddenly laughed hysterically, so loud his voice echoed through the entire room. "You've changed, Matt. Don't you remember what mom said? To be strong, you need to kill before you're killed."

"Yes, but aren't you tired of who you've become. I, myself am. I'm tired of having to live in the extreme, I want a calm life, I want the life that I used to have. Before you guys were born, your mother was good, in fact she was the best. She was charming, sweet, caring, and selfless. I don't know if she hit her head or she left a screw, but she went crazy on all of us, that's why I killed her, so we could be free, but all we're doing is exactly what she wanted. It's like a damn fucking tumor inside our heads. I don't feel bad for all the shit we've done, in fact I'm fucking proud of it, I'm proud of the monster I am and it scares me." They quietly listened and seemed to understand what I was saying. As I took a glance to Collem's shoulder, I saw a shadow leaning on the frame of the door. It was the lady, who had been listening to everything we were saying.

"What are you doing, I told you to wait seated. Are you deaf?" My brothers turned their faces confused.

"I can help you." Her determined face glowed in the dark, and although her hands were shaking, her body remained firm and composed.

"Pardon?"

"I can help you achieve your deepest desire, to destroy your worst nightmare. Let me kill the evil inside of you Mathias."