Misguided

Tsuyu

Adrenalin fueled my body and my heart roared in my ears.

Someone else came and set off the alarm. They charged at me with such velocity I was sure that they would kill me if given the chance. So I took the gun from the downed mans hand, aimed and pulled the trigger.

The recoil made me fall backwards as the guard fell down.

I had shot someone.

I'd killed two people.

I didn't stop.

They kept coming.

They kept dying.

All because of me.

By the time I had made it to my destination I was covered in blood, from head to toe.

None of it was mine.

I opened the cell door with a key I had swipped form one of the dead guards.

The door opened slowly with a small creak. Light poured into the room and I saw them. Tears made their way to my eyes but refused to fall.

They were all huddling in the corner. My parents hid the kids behind them  but didn't move when they saw me. Instead they tightened their grip.

"Mother? Father?" My voice was quiet. I saw their eyes widen slightly.

"Tsu?" My mother asked. Finally the tears that had been building up spilled down my cheeks and I smiled.

"Mother" I said. And my father spoke next.

"Tsu... how'd you?" He was at a loss for words

"I got past the guards father. They can't hurt us anymore!" I exclaimed. The reaction I got was not what I expected.

I expected them to run to me, to hug me, to comfort me, say how much they missed me, say how much they are happy im alive.

Instead they looked sceptical.

"How?" He asked again. I paused for a second to think of an answer to give.

"I... the guards.. are... sleeping?"

I was looking down so I didn't see the moment their faces turned from sceptical and hopeful to mortified.

"But it's fine, because we're safe! We can go home now!" I declared.

"You.. You killed them!" My father shouted. It made me recoil slightly and look up. It was them that I saw the way they looked at me. My siblings were scared... of me and my parents looked disgusted.

"I- I had to. They were going to kill me. You have to understand. We're free" I emphasised as I stepped forward only to jump back as my mother hissed out

"Stay back! You- you monster"

I remember a piece of me dying. That word. Monster. It shattered what was left of me, what was left of my sanity.

A shadow had covered my eyes and I giggled. The giggles turned into full blown laughter. I laughed so hard I doubled over and fell onto my knees, hands gripping my mangled hair.

The laughing turned to sobbing. I looked up.

"Me? I'm the monster?" I screamed. "After everything that they have done to me, to us. I'm the monster?" Something happened. Something changed and broke. Something broke and can never be fixed again.

I had snapped.

The children in the room, my siblings, clung to their parents as they cried loudly. I slowly reached for the gun, that I had dropped, and stood up.

Everything is blurry, but I still know what happened.

I pointed the gun at my mother and..

Bang

The womans lifeless body fell to the ground. A silent scream rang from her mouth never to be heard. I aimed again.

Bang

And my father fell. The screaming and crying of children couldn't be heard over my own sobs and thundering heart.

I walked towards the children, captured them in a hug and whispered

"Don't worry. Big sis will protect you forever." And I squeezed. The children squished together.

I didn't let go. Even when I heard their bones cracking, not when they fell limp and stopped making noise.

Time stopped working as I sat there. My family littered around me, killed by my own hands.

Eventually the realisation if what I did caught up to me and I screamed and screamed and screamed, until my throat was ripped raw.

I collapsed as I tried to run out of the room. Bile rose up to my mouth and splattered against the floor as I threw up.

As I lay there, my vision became more blurry.

Before I gave in to the sweet clutches of unconsciousness I saw something. A blur of green getting closer to me.

"H-help" I managed to whisper. The last thing I remember is a soothing voice.

"You're safe now"

Darkness shrouded me again.