Chapter 3 - Immense Relief

It's been a couple of months since my family's political scandal, and it's been quite the downward spiral for them since then. Before that, in addition to my parents and uncle, there were a number of other relatives who were deeply involved in the politics of this country.

But now, most of them have resigned, while all the rest have been voted out of their political positions by the people. And, well, a lot of them haven't taken it very well. My parents included.

They lost quite a lot of money thanks to the scandal, and unlike my uncle, they'd managed to avoid getting thrown in jail, but it was still quite the dramatic downfall.

My parents had been forced to sell off most of their assets, and had to let go of most of the maids and butlers, which sadly, included my depraved bang maid. There were now less than five members of staff to maintain our mansion.

My parents have still got a fair bit of money saved up, but they have no more income coming in, and they don't have enough to maintain their previous lifestyle for much longer.

At the moment, they're stubbornly refusing to sell the mansion and buy a normal house, but I'm guessing they'll eventually have no choice in the matter, because it'll only be a matter of months before they're bankrupt.

Maintaining a large building like this isn't cheap, and it's nowhere near the same sparkling condition it used to be thanks to most of the help having been fired, the few that remain being severely overworked.

My parents have begun drowning themselves in drugs and alcohol, which has made them several times more unpleasant than they already were, something which I didn't even think was possible.

The other day, my mother stumbled into my room, drunk off her ass, and began berating me out of nowhere, blaming me for what happened.

Apparently, I'd cursed our family when I said I'd rather live a normal life. Superstitious, remember?

Then she hit me with a vodka bottle and left. She tried to hit my head, but fortunately, she missed and hit my shoulder instead. And, like, it really hurt, but it could've been a lot worse, she didn't hold back at all, the spot she hit was badly bruised.

And things have just been getting worse and worse with each passing day, they've desperately being trying to regain their former glory, but to no avail. After all, the people of this nation absolutely despise them.

And I can't fault that in the slightest...the actions they took in support of my uncle led to minority groups being discriminated against, people died as a result of that, plus they helped him rack up significant levels of debt to other countries.

Debt which the government has been left forced to pay off because there isn't any solid proof of my family's involvement. And if all that wasn't enough, they've caused the worst economic crisis to hit this country in decades.

The situation in the country has improved a bit after they were ousted, but the resentment towards my family remains strong. Well, at least now I can say that my life isn't an enviable one, and no one would argue against that.

I was currently in my room, staring out the window as thunder rumbled in the distance, flashes of lightning crackling across the darkening clouds menacingly, illuminating the gloomy sky.

I had my whip in hand, absent-mindedly swinging it around...I've gotten pretty good with this thing, and I'm still not bored of it. Too bad playing with a whip isn't a talent that you can live off of.

Hm? What was that? Just now, as a bolt of lightning erupted across the sky, I thought I caught a glimpse of something by the fence...a couple of shadowy figures.

It's too dark to see clearly, and it's starting to rain too, the glass on my window fogging up as a result...the weather's been pretty gloomy lately, which I actually find kinda pleasant and soothing, I feel so relaxed.

I let out a stifled yawn as I put my whip down and walked over to my computer...guess I might as well play some games or something, I'm bored out of my mind.

I always feel restless and antsy when I'm not doing anything, I'm always looking for something to do. Too bad I don't feel that way about any one specific thing, maybe I'd actually have a good relationship with my family if that was the case.

Well, there's no point in wondering about hypothetical scenarios, it won't change the way I am or how my mind works.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed out, startling me, before the sound of wood breaking rang out...that sounded like it came from the front door. Is someone breaking in?

"You maids better get the hell out of here if you don't wanna die! As for the three of you...don't move a fucking muscle, or we'll shoot you dead!" Came a muffled, aggressive voice.

Oh, no...those shadowy figures I thought I spotted...I didn't imagine them.

Oh, crap...this could be really bad.

I've seen a lot of death threats and stuff online directed at my family from angry citizens who were victimized as a result of their actions, but I didn't think anyone would go so far as to break into the mansion.

Before I could think, I found myself pulling the plug on my computer and then heading for my walk-in closet, silently slipping in and shutting it quietly, as I slunk over to the back, hunching down in the corner.

"Who the hell are you people!? Get off my property!" Came my father's voice, sounding enraged and scared at the same time.

There's a vent in here, and sound carries through it pretty audibly...I can often hear stuff that's said in the living room, and I've heard a lot of negative comments directed at me as a result.

"Shut up, you goddamn bastard! This property is built on the blood of the people who suffered because of how your rotten family fucked up our country!" Snapped one of the intruders.

"Get out, or else-...arghhhhh!" Began my father, before screaming out in pain as the sound of a gunshot rang out, "M-my knee, you shot me!"

"Oh, there's going to be a whole lot more where that came from, asshole!"

"Y-you can't do this to us, you rabble, we're elites of this-...!" My brother started to exclaim, before another gunshot echoed out.

"N-no, you killed him!" Screamed my mother in despair.

"Shut it, bitch! For the sake of your stupid election, you provoked the prejudice of your racist followers against our minority groups, do you have any idea how many of us suffered!? I...I came home to see my home burnt to the ground, my family dead!" Yelled out one of the intruders furiously.

"And I had to watch as my mother and sister were raped and murdered right in front of me, while your supporters beat the shit out of me! I'll make you suffer, just as your actions caused the suffering of my family!" Added the other one, sounding enraged.

I was frozen in fear as I slumped down in my closet, trembling...several more gunshots rang out, the screams of my parents seemingly nonstop, and before long, I stopped hearing my father's voice.

But my mother's voice continued to echo through the vents for a while...they shot her limbs several times, before raping her as she bled out, her cries of despair growing weaker and weaker, before fading out entirely.

And then, for what felt like an eternity, there was nothing but silence. Deadly, terrifying silence, the pounding in my chest seeming to be deafening as beads of sweat ran down the sides of my face.

"We should get going. Before the cops show up or something," Remarked one of the intruders.

Good idea, please leave...

"Yeah, we should-...wait, aren't there supposed to be twins? We killed one, but where's the other?" Inquired the other one.

Oh, shit.

"Forget it. We're out of time. And besides, that one was never involved in politics, he never even accompanied them during political events except when he was a child. Who knows, maybe he actually had a heart, unlike these monsters," He laughed in response.

"Yeah, right, someone like that in a family like this one?" Scoffed the other one.

"Heh, yeah, there's no way, just riffing. Still, I bet their maids or someone have already called the cops once they heard the gunshots. We should split."

"Fine, let's go."

I held my breath as the echo of their footsteps receded bit by bit, before letting out a quiet sigh of relief as I buried my head in my hands.

I...I can't stand. My knees feel weak, my body is trembling, and my chest is still pounding like crazy. I'm...I'm still alive.

I can hardly believe it, but I'm still alive...that was terrifying, my body's broken out in a cold sweat. I thought for sure they'd come looking, find me and then kill me, just like they killed my parents and brother.

I'm not sure how long I stayed huddled inside my closet for, but after what felt like both an instant and eternity, I heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

Looks like someone really did call the cops...like those intruders said, one of the few remaining maids or butlers must have called them after they heard the gunshots.

I then realized that I myself hadn't even considered doing that...all I could think about was staying quiet and staying hidden. All I could think about was self-preservation. I never even once thought about saving my family.

I slowly stood up and shakily walked out, my knees buckling as I headed for the door, opening it and glancing out.

I headed for the railing and peered over down at the ground floor, to see blood splattered all over the place, and the corpses of my parents and brothers laying there in pools of their own blood.

I spotted a couple of the maids, staring in horror at the bodies, as the echo of the sirens grew louder and closer bit by bit.

As I stared down at their corpses, a realization hit me...I wasn't feeling a thing. At least, nothing that you're supposed to feel when you see your family dead right before your eyes.

There was no sorrow, no anguish, no despair. No...all I felt in this moment, was immense relief. Relief at the fact that I was still alive. And also, relief at the fact that they were finally...

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