Endless Darkness

Chapter 11

5 days

"Bambi," fathers stern tone startles me. I drop my cookie on the ground. Shamefully I turn to face my father, "I said no cookies, Bambi."

"I'm sorry, Papi," tears well up in my eyes.

"Alright, you learned your lesson. You can grab a new one to have," Papi's stern tone is gone, replaced by his regular sweet voice.

"Thank you, Papi!" I wipe my tears and run over to hug him.

"Oh, you're welcome, Bambi. Promise you won't steal any more cookies," Papi gives me a pointed look.

"I promise. Pinky promise," I stick out my pinky. Papi sticks his pinky out and locks it with my own. We shake our pinky's twice and then let go.

***

"No!" I scream as Josh fires the bullet. The one person who has been in my life and taught me everything is gone. The one person I look up to. The person I love with my whole heart. He's the only person who could tell me about my mom. The only person to help me through everything. He's supposed to teach me how to be a mafia boss. He's supposed to walk me down the aisle when I get married. He's supposed to watch me graduate and celebrate my sixteenth birthday with me and teach me how to drive. He's supposed to take my first shot with me on my twenty-first birthday. He won't be able to do any of those things because of me. I got him killed. I basically pulled the trigger.

I hear Josh laughing. A cruel awful sound that echoes through the room. I fall to my knees. Too stunned to feel the impact. I look at my dead father lying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes staring blankly into mine. A sob tears through my body. I choke on my own tears. I scream and shout and hold my father in my arms. I close his eyes and whisper how sorry I am. I tell him how much I love him. I tell him it's all my fault and I will make up for everything.

My father's always cheerful face is blank. Emotionless. Kinda like how I feel. Emotionless. Empty. The only person I have left is Brandon. I have to protect him. I can't let anything happen to him.

***

I hear Asuras laugh. Over. And over. And over. I see Brandon's motionless body. I see all the blood spilling from his body.

***

I watch from somebody's eyes as they walk over to my brother. My brother smiles so brightly. So innocently. I realize as I lift my hand in the air that I am in my own body. The scars covering my arms are proof of that. Brandon doesn't look scared when I bring down the knife into his chest. He look confused.

"Why did you do this, Nickel?" he says through tears. "What did I do to deserve this?"

(489 words)