𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞// 𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐊𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐙

Blood stains

🎧please use the music provided above for a better experience🎧

November 15, 2010

I followed Tom and Bill inside after the medics, keeping my head down and replaying the day's events in my head over and over. The lifeless bodies of those men stained my memory, and I couldn't shake the images from my mind. I looked down at my hands, attempting to wipe the blood off my fingertips, shivering at the thought of Gustav's pale face.

Tom and Bill led me into a dining room where medics were attending to Gustav, who lay unconscious on the dining table, his body covered in blood.

"He's losing too much blood," one of the nurses said, turning to us, taking off her gloves, and retrieving a clipboard from a bag on the floor.

"Do any of you know your blood types?" she asked, looking at her papers and then back at us.

"Tom and I are both Type A negative," Bill answered, crossing his arms.

Then, they all looked at me.

"Umm, I think I'm B positive."

"You're a match," the nurse said, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward one of the dining room chairs.

"Hold your fist in a ball," she instructed, wrapping a tourniquet around my upper arm and tapping my veins.

I hated getting my blood drawn, but I couldn't refuse; I couldn't let a person die when I could potentially save them.

The nurse slowly pushed the needle into my arm, holding up a bag that gradually filled with my blood. She removed the tourniquet and the needle, then rushed over to the other side of the table, handing off my blood to the doctors. I sat there for a while, taking in the scene in front of me.

Gustav's unconscious body lay inches away from my face, connected to machines keeping him alive. Tubes and wires snaked around him, and the whole situation felt surreal, like I was living in a nightmare.

Suddenly, I felt a heavy hand fall on my shoulder. I looked back to see Tom, who had a somewhat softer expression.

"Come with me." he said, turning and walking further into the house.

I followed him hesitantly, feeling a sense of unease. He took me to a lounge area across the house.

"We're going to have to stay here for a while." Tom explained, plopping himself down on a leather couch.

"What?! Why?!" I asked, my heart rate increasing. The thought of being alone with these people made my stomach churn.

"Because those men who attacked us are still out there, and they're probably still looking for us." Tom said, pouring himself a shot of something.

"Sit." he commanded, gesturing toward an empty seat next to him.

"I'd rather stand." I replied with an obviously fake smile.

"I said sit..." Tom's tone grew colder.

I held my ground, tired of letting him push me around after nearly getting me killed. I didn't feel comfortable being alone with him.

"I said no." I declared, crossing my arms and looking him in the eye. His gaze was intense, but I refused to back down.

He got up slowly and walked toward me. "Drink." he said, shoving a shot glass toward my face. I swatted it out of his hand, causing it to shatter on the floor.

"You ungrateful bitch! I'm trying to be nice." he snapped, shoving me to the floor.

"What the hell is your problem?! NICE?! I didn't ask for any of this! You dragged me into this and nearly got me killed!" I shouted, charging toward him.

"YOU KILLED ALL THOSE PEOPLE!" I pushed him, but my words caught in my throat.

"Y-YOU'RE MAKING ME BETRAY MY FATHER!" I burst out, tears streaming down my face.

Suddenly, he embraced me in a warm hug, and I was taken aback.

"I'm sorry." he said softly, his face buried in my hair. I didn't move or hug him back; I just cried silently into his chest. Eventually, I pulled away and slowly looked up at him, meeting his eyes. This time, he looked like a different person, his face softer, and sympathy was evident.

I couldn't understand what was wrong with him. I didn't want to be near him anymore, so I gave him a disgusted look, turned on my heels, and walked out of the room, heading to the large living room.

---

                         **Tom's POV**

I watched Natalia walk out of the room, wiping her tears. I couldn't comprehend my own actions. Seeing her cry and in pain didn't bring me the satisfaction it usually would with other women. Natalia had always affected me differently, ever since we were kids. Witnessing her lash out and express her pain made me remember who I was treating this way.

I was surprised she didn't recognize Bill and I.

---

                        **Natalia's POV**

I walked out of the lounge and into the living room, where I saw Bill. He was making me laugh, and for a brief moment, I felt some relief from the chaos.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Bill, but can I shower?" I asked, getting up from my seat.

"Yeah, of course, follow me," he said, leading me to the bathroom.

He showed me where everything was, and I thanked him with a warm smile.

"Of course, darling." he replied before walking away.

I grabbed a towel and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the physical remnants of the day's events. However, I couldn't wash away the memories that haunted me. The images of those lifeless bodies continued to flash in my mind every time I closed my eyes.

---

I emerged from the shower, my body clean but my mind still plagued by the events. I dried off and realized that I didn't know which room I was supposed to use, and I had no clothes to wear.

I retraced my steps to the living room, where I saw Tom standing near the entrance.

"Umm, I need clothes." I said, pulling my wet hair to the side, trying to prevent water from dripping on the floor.

"Yeah, I'll get that for you. Follow me." Tom said, leading me upstairs.

He took me to a dark, gothic-style room with black vintage furniture and shades of red accents. It resembled something out of a Dracula movie.

He picked out, boxers, and a massive T-shirt for me.

"Here. You can sleep in here too," he said, and I ignored him, taking the clothes from him.

He stood there for a moment, as if expecting me to say something, but I didn't. He turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

I changed into the provided clothes and turned to the large canopy bed, where exhaustion finally took over, and I drifted off to sleep.