Episode 2 - The Nun, the Brother, and the Cult Survivor

'DALIA'

I've never liked Valak, yep, that white-washed demon rocking the nun outfit? There's just something about it that makes my skin crawl, especially when you find yourself staring at its picture in the dead of night for a solid 10 minutes. Don't even bother asking why I did that; trust me, it's a long story involving almost joining a cult that worshipped that freaky monster. Needless to say, it didn't end well, and I think that must be the reason why I feel utterly horrified right now.

There's a very masculine, six-pack-abs-owning, Mr. nun right in front of me, failing horribly at imitating some laugh, and let me tell you, he's not looking any less creepy than Valak's pictures. But what horrified me was the gun in his hands and the fury in his ocean-blue eyes with which he's almost trying to burn me. OOOkaayy, did I do something to Mr. nun?

Just when I was busy questioning myself, a man who looked like an overworked secretary rushed out from somewhere in this goddamn big house. With a glance, anyone can tell this guy is pretty looking, you know, that clean-shaven Disney prince kinda pretty looking. Though his black hair is disheveled, the dark circles underneath his pretty green eyes screamed exhaustion and sleeplessness. His two-piece suit is crinkled. Man, this nun is making the poor guy work to his bones.

"It's not my fault that your fancy sister has the weirdest electricity system known to mankind in her house, Boss. It took me some minutes to even find that switchboard. What's the even effing need to hide it?" the man, who I think is Jojo, complained to the angry nun.

"Whatever, Jojo. We'll talk about it later. Right now, I have some answers to get from this sorry excuse of a brother-in-law of mine," Mr. Nun announced after giving me a solid 10-minute stare-down; now, his gaze has shifted to the shaking idiot right beside me.

"A... Altair? What are you doing here?" Julia's husband, now visibly shaking like a leaf, stuttered.

So, Mr. Nun is actually 'Altair,' Julia's brother? The same client who's got a plan to bury her husband 'David' in the backyard? Geez, this family needs more than just a few therapy sessions.

"I was curious which gold digger you'll lure with that peanut-sized brain of yours, and my innocent sister's money. How could you even cheat on the woman you treat as your personal ATM, David," Altair gritted the words in anger, now pointing his gun towards his brother-in-law.

"Cheating? Me? How could you even blame me for that? Julia is the sunshine of my life. This woman… she's the one who seduced me," that shameless bastard pointed his finger at me, leaving me momentarily speechless. Does he even hear his words? Altair must be thinking the same thing by the way he's looking at this mutt's stupid face.

"Okay, Mr. genius, I guess she did seduce you, but why would you go out there and get seduced in the first place? How hard is it to keep your teeny-tiny dick in your pants?"Altair fired back, not missing a beat. "Why are we even having this conversation in the first place? Now shoo, shut up, hold your tongue, idiot, your verdict is already here. For cheating on my stupidly naive sister, you deserve to die." Altair's hand is now on the trigger, and even though I shouldn't, I've started feeling a tiny bit sorry for this bastard beside me… wait, did this man just hide behind me? Is he really using an innocent lady as a shield? Good grief! Scratch that sympathy; this rat deserves whatever's coming.

"Look, Mr. whoever you are, I've got nothing to do with this whole family drama. So may I leave you and this vermin-in-law of yours to yourselves and just..." The words barely made it out of my throat, now that I'm trapped between a gun and a motherfucker. David is holding me with both his hands, making my skin crawl in disgust, and in this moment, I want nothing more than to escape from here.

"What? What did you call me? Mr. whoever? Ha! Don't pretend you don't know me," Altair snaped like a queen bee in a teen flick.

"Okay, dramatic enough, but seriously, Mr. Nun, I'm not pretending to not know you. I really don't know you. I did almost join your cult once, but that doesn't exactly make us buddies, right?" While my hands were preoccupied trying to pry David's fingers from their death grip, my gaze remained glued to his face.

His eyes held me captive, as if I was caught in a spell. Despite the anger etched on his face—those furrowed brows, the downturn of his lips—there was a flicker of something else, something that almost resembles... happiness? Maybe tonight's chaos had scrambled my thoughts, but the way he gazed at me with hope made me wonder: Do I really not know him?

"Boss, your makeup. Leave the poor girl alone. Honestly, I'm starting to find you pretty creepy. Just wash it off," Jojo interjected, interrupting my absurd thoughts.

"Fine, hold my gun for me," Altair grunted, shooting me one last look before handing his firearm to Jojo and vanishing into the labyrinthine halls. And when he returned, I couldn't believe my eyes.

If the Greek gods ever decided to grace us with their presence in the modern era, they'd probably resemble the man standing before me. Now that the facade of makeup and the nun outfit has been stripped away, I can't help but marvel at the sheer beauty of those ocean-blue eyes. His face seems chiseled by the gods themselves, devoid of any imperfection. Despite the tousled mess of his brown locks, they maintain a perfectly effortless style. Even the stubble on his face adds a rugged charm rather than detracting from his overall appeal. With a physique exuding masculinity and a face that could launch a thousand ships, he's the epitome of male beauty. But as much as I can appreciate his aesthetics, there's one thing I despise above all else in this world: men, and on top of that, handsome man. They're like a walking, talking disaster waiting to happen. And this guy? Well, he looks like the headline of tomorrow's apocalypse forecast.

"So the light bulb finally flickers on, huh? Recognize me now, do you? Ready to swoon? Beg for my autograph? Just try not to faint from the sheer excitement of being in my presence. I'm not a fan of playing paramedic to damsels in distress," Altair questioned me with a confidence I've never seen in a regular human before. I squinted my eyes, trying to remember his face, tilted my head to look closer, and nudged my not-so-genius brain to remember, but nope, there's no way I've even seen him before.

"Uh-huh, Mr. Big Shot, sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't recall us ever crossing paths. Have we met?" I asked, watching as a flicker of annoyance crossed his features. He let out a dramatic sigh, rubbing his temples before snatching the gun back from Jojo.

"Let's kill this girl first, she doesn't even freaking know me. Me… Superstar Altair. Why is she even alive? What will she do with her good-for-nothing life?" Altair screamed like a drama queen before pointing his gun at me.

"Okay, Juliet, take your drama notch down. Just because I don't know a delulu like you doesn't make my life not worth living. In fact, why do I have to know you? Are you oxygen? My blood group? My heart condition? Nope… you're just a blip in my radar," I said with confidence. But it all crashed down the moment that crazy guy put his finger on the trigger.

"What I'm saying, buddy, is if we're total strangers, why not change that? Let's set the gun aside and have a nice chat over tea," I tried to reason, but it seemed like my words were hitting a brick wall, 'cause neither his eyes nor that gun budged an inch. Fortunately, I soon noticed that David's grip on me had loosened, and when I glanced back, I saw him scrambling on the floor, desperate to escape.

"You've gotta be kidding me! I'm knee-deep in this mess because of you, and you're trying to make a run for it?" I yelled, stomping angrily on the crawling man's foot, eliciting a yelp of pain.

"Ha! This guy... I never understood what Julia saw in you, and I guess I'll never know," Altair, not exactly thrilled, once again aimed the gun at his brother-in-law. The darkness in his blue eyes and the stern frown on his face made it clear that he meant business now. Our buddy David was about to face the music, and I knew I should intervene, do something, anything to stop the madness. I'd just gotten out of the prison after a seven-year stint, and the last place I wanted to return to was behind bars. But try as I might, I was frozen, unable to budge an inch, no matter how badly I wanted to.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Stop please, Give me another chance, let me make my last wish or something. I'm your sis's other half, for crying out loud..." David's words turned into panicked screams as Altair pulled the trigger. Jojo and I could only watch in terror as the once quiet house was filled with a deafening bang, followed by an eerie silence. 

If only I had a crystal ball to foresee the chaos that loud bang would unleash in my once-peaceful life. The superstar I'd never even laid eyes on would soon become my destiny, my downfall, and the reason my life would never be the same again. And, my biggest regret is, not realizing I was about to sign up for the most ludicrous deal in the annals of human history with the dazzling man standing before me, unwittingly sealing my fate as his eternal SLAVE.