Shattered (Book One of The Progressive Trilogy)

Chapter 22: Not Your Fault

*UNEDITED* 

My mind was numb. My brother and now my mother was dead. Gone. And it was all my fault. I killed my brother, with my own hands. I caused my mother's death by failing to kill Jax. I was to blame, for all of it, and now, now I was going to have to watch the last of my family die.

Jax dragged my limp body effortlessly through the mud and into my house. The screams, from who I'm assuming to be my younger sister, Erica, echoed through the house. Her voice was rough and filled with agony. It made my heart melt and darken even more.

Erica was innocent and pure, she out of any of us didn't deserve this. The thought of what they were doing to her brought tears to my eyes as Jax began humming merrily while walking through the gym doors. He plopped my body on the blue mats in front of the ring before he turned to look down at me, that sick, sadistic smile still gracing his face.

"So Emmy, If my calculations are correct, your little sister should be finished in about, oh I don't know, thirty seconds. You ready to watch your family become part of my beautiful art collection?" Jax asked with a bright smile.

I kept silent, still trying to come to terms with my mother's death when I noticed how quiet it had gotten. I listened closely and realized that my sister's screams no longer resounded through the house.

I hope the silence means that she's no longer suffering, I thought devastated that she had to suffer at all.

Loud stomping and a gag-inducing squelching noise ripped me from my thoughts. I looked towards the gym since the noise seemed to be getting closer and closer when the gym doors finally bursted open. A tall, amazonian like woman with natural beauty that was marred by the disgusted snarl on her face was dragging the limp, bloody form of my father across the slick floors as if he weighed nothing. The woman stopped abruptly as she reached the mats and turned to Jax as if asking , 'what next?'

"Throw him in the ring." Jax said with a dismissive wave before going back to humming the same song as always. The woman gave a curt nod before dragging my father and throwing him effortlessly over the ropes and into the ring. I caught site of my brother's dried blood that still pooled in the opposite corner, but I couldn't think of that right now.

"What are you going to do to him? Please don't! I-"

I was interrupted by Jax's insane laughter, "Oh, silly Emmy, I'm not going to do a thing to him. As a matter of fact, I won't hurt him or your little sister. You have my word." Jax said with a gleeful smile and a giggle. I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that at least they would be spared.

Before I could think too much about what they were going to do with my father, the gym doors opened again and in walked a man escorting my younger sister. Erica's head was bowed and she was covered in blood; her arms had deep cuts lining them. The man slowly escorted her to the ring and helped her up, and that's when I finally found my voice.

"Erica! Are you okay? What happened? Jax, you said you wouldn't hurt her! What the fuck is this?" I asked frantically. Erica stayed silent and Jax began to giggle and snort softly. "Erica, please, answer me! Erica. Erica!" I yelled. "Please don't hurt her, I'll do anything! Whatever you want! I promise, I won't complain, I'll do anything! Please!" I begged.

All of the sudden Erica began laughing. At first it was so quiet and I wrote the sound off as quiet sobs until she wrapped her hands around her stomach, fell to her knees and ,threw her head back to let out a roar of laughter. I was shocked into silence. Then horror filled me when she finally replied.

"Erica! Erica! No, not Erica! Oh boo-hoo!" Erica mocked before switching back to laughter. "Is that all you can come up with E? Really, I'm actually a little disappointed."