A Promise

Blood splattered on her face when Caden pulled out the knife from the man's neck. And when his grip loosened, she fell on the floor. She couldn't take her eyes off the two people in front of her.

The man struggled, trying to reach Caden who was clinging to his back. The boy's small arm was around the man's neck while his free hand was holding the knife.

"You shouldn't have let your guard down." Caden grinned.

"Y—You d—d—damn b—brat! I—I'll—"

"Kill me? Then try if you can."

Caden chuckled before swinging his hand and stabbing the man again. This time, on the chest. The man growled from pain and gasped for air. He was spinning around to shake off Caden, but the young boy didn't let go of him.

As the man tried to reach Caden again, he swung the knife again and cut the man's hand. Blood flowed on the floor as the big guy's hand fell.

"Aaahhhhhhh... Stop! You evil brat!" The man shouted.

"Evil? You're calling me evil? You don't know what I am capable of. How dare you touch Alira?" Caden shouted back.

Before the man could talk again, Caden stabbed him in his left cheek. When he pulled the knife, he jumped. And as he land on his two feet, Caden kneeled and quickly swung the knife, cutting the man's ankle.

Caden walked in front of the man who was already on his knees.

"Y—You! W—Who are you?" The man asked in a hoarse voice.

Caden laughed. "It's funny. You said you were going to kill me and yet you don't know me."

The man's eyes widened. In his eyes, the boy was like a devil's child. Smirking, grinning, and laughing as he bled in front of him. The boy knew exactly where to pierce the knife—a slow but sure kill.

"You're wondering huh?" The boy asked.

The man didn't answer. He couldn't talk anymore because of the stab wound on his neck, it damaged his larynx, and talking would just make it worse.

"I'm the grandson of Matthew Forelli. My grandfather taught me where to strike someone. I want you to remember me, but you can't because you'll die today."

His voice sounded so cold. He couldn't see any remorse, fear, or even guilt in the boy's eyes. He's indeed a Forelli. The man thought inwardly.

He's going to die at the hands of this boy. It's embarrassing, but he underestimated the kid. He moved his eyes to look for his companion.

"Oh, you're looking for the other guy. Is that him?" The boy asked while pointing at someone behind him.

He tried to turn his head even though it was painful and to his shock, the other guy was already dead. Blood was coming out from his temple.

"I only stab him once. I want to play with him some more, but you found Alira so I had to finish him off."

"Y—You! H—He's j—just fifteen."

Caden slightly smiled. "So what? Is that an excuse not to get punished? Age is just a number. It's not my fault he's dead. I killed him because he tried to kill me. And I will kill you because you tried to kill Alira."

The man was about to say something, but Caden didn't just stab his stomach. As he pierced the knife, he was forcefully turning it around while he stared blankly into the man's eyes.

"Ahhhhhh..." The man screamed.

With all those stabbings, Alira was just watching. She couldn't move an inch. She had no strength. Caden looked so scary, but she knew it was because of her.

He never looked at her as he continued to attack the man. She didn't know how many times he stabbed him. She was terrified of witnessing her beloved hurting someone. He didn't kill the man instantly, he was killing him slowly.

"Do you want to die now?" Caden asked.

The man slowly fell on the floor—bleeding. She looked at Caden and saw his eyes staring at the man bathing with his own blood.

She saw Caden pull the man's hair, lifting his head. Then he raise his hand with the knife and she knew it was the final strike. She reached out her hand and mustered her strength to stand up. She had to stop him or she might regret not doing anything.

She ran toward Caden, but before she could reach him, she saw him slit the man's throat. Blood spilled on her body and on the floor. Her knees trembled as she stared into the man's eyes. Her reflection slowly faded, and his ragged breathing stopped.

She couldn't take another step so she let herself fall on the floor. She tilted her head to see Caden's reaction. Her fear grew seeing him with a smirk on his face.

Then he finally turned to her. She wanted to run away from him, but then his gaze suddenly came back. She saw her reflection through his eyes.

"A-Alira, I—I killed them. They want us dead. He was trying to kill you. I—I was scared. I—I thought I would lose you." He stuttered.

Her fear vanished when she saw Caden's hand shaking as he dropped the knife. She crawled toward him and held his shaking hands.

"I—It's not your fault. Y—You did it to save us. To save me." She said to comfort him.

He kneeled and stared at his shaking hands full of blood. Her stomach growled because of the stench of its rusty scent that started to linger on her nose. She wanted to puke, but she couldn't. She didn't want to add another burden on Caden.

"W—What if they found out? W—What if they take you away because of what I did? A—Alira, I c—can't—"

"Caden! Stop! No one would find out! No one will know. I promise! I won't tell anyone. This is our secret." She said, showing him her pinky finger.

Caden looked at her hand and then stared into her eyes. She knew he was hesitating and doubting her.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

Caden nodded.

"I promise I won't tell anyone, even to Lucas." She said.

Then he raised his hand, grabbing her pinky finger with his.