Saving Melanie Deen

Chapter 33

Ethan was smarter than he thought.

"He probably has a nice juicy deal for me. Or perhaps, he just misses me. Your case, however, looks pretty tragic. It seems pretty obvious that you don't matter that much to him..." He shrugged, smiling in his famous sickening way."Look at him, already moving along with his business!"

"Maybe he wants to slit your throat open?" I mocked his cheery tone, letting my head drop. My neck was constantly strained. It was getting far too hard to hold my head up, despite the effort.

He laughed, his cackles echoing throughout the warehouse."You're adorable" He smoked, winking at me in the process. Well, he was certainly in a good mood."I see that my men have done wonders for your image. You're almost unrecognizable at this point. From blinding beauty...to the walking dead" He nodded in admiration.

I scoffed, trying my best to hold my head upright."Not as good a job as you did on your men" I smirked, taking in his confusion.

"I, despite my unique ways, never changed who they already were from the beginning. They were pointlessly terrorizing their neighbors and selling bad product for bad people. They were nothing before I took them under my wing. All of them needed guidance and I gave them just that" He explained himself, rather proudly. If I didn't know the truth behind his words, I would think that he saved those poor boys from a bad ending. But no, he gave them an even worse ending.

"You really think you saved those boys?" I laughed.

He nodded, making his way to my chair. "I know I did"

I looked away, remembering George and the sadness in his eyes. The way he compared me to his sister...as if she wasn't with him anymore. There was this overwhelming feeling of pain, radiating off him. That, was not a sign of Mark saving his life. It meant that he no longer had one."What about George, huh? You saved him? Funny. Last time I checked, saving someone didn't involve killing them" I gritted my teeth, my whole body tensing at the thought of George's lifeless body laying on the cement ground. It was the first time I witnessed someone dying. The sight of all signs of life leaving his body will haunt me forever.

"That's life, babydoll! You either win, or you lose. You either lead the pack, or you're in the pack. And if you disrespect the pack, you pay for it" He sighed, setting my arms free.

I slowly brought them to my lap, like I had done when George freed them."Geroge was a good guy" I rubbed my arms, bring life back into them.

Mark watched me, closely."How do you know?" He asked, daring me to answer him. It was as if he knew I would answer incorrectly.

"He gave me something to eat and let me sleep on the couch. He untied my arms, despite the fact that you would punish him for acting so kind towards me. He probably knew he would die. But he did it anyway. Because it was the right thing to do" I bit back the tears threatening to spill from my bloodshot eyes.

"George killed more people than both you and I have fingers and toes" He chuckled, sitting back onto the couch."Never judge a book by its cover, Deen"

"Because he didn't have a choice" I spat. I knew nothing about George's backstory, but I knew he would never willingly do what Mark said he did. Just like all other young boys in gangs, he had no other choice but to obey.

"And how do you know that? You spent a day with the boy. He fed you, let you sleep, made you feel cared for...and? He told you his whole life story? I doubt it" He laughed, lighting a new cigar."He gave you the impression that he was a good person. They love doing that. All of my men go home to their wives or their mothers and they act like they were being superheroes all day. But in reality, they're just prisoners to their own choices"

I shook my head at his words, my gut knowing that he was lying to my face."You're a disgusting man, Mark" I choked out, through tears.

"Show me a man...who isn't" He shrugged, eyeing me through the smoke from his cigar.

"Ethan" I spoke without thinking. Mark's cackles echoed through the warehouse but I glared at him nonetheless.

"Oh, Deen" He shook his head, laughing at me as if I was nothing but a foolish child."You know nothing about him"

This time, I laughed."I know enough" I spat.

He raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips for a second as he thought of something else to say."Really? So you know that him and I...we're not that different" He asked, daringly.

I smirked, enjoying his attempt at disappointing me."Yes, you both have something in common. But there's one thing...One huge difference" I spoke slowly so that every word registered in his messed up mind.

"And what is that?" He asked.

"His soul isn't rotting"