TW: MURDER
~Scarlett's POV~
December 31st. I never had good memories of New Years. I remember "celebrating" when I was 11. I was with my father on his deathbed the day before. I held his hand tight, pleading for his life. It meant nothing though. My begs did nothing. I watch the clock, 11:58 P.M. 2 minutes until the next year. As the clock ticks and another minute passes, as I take my eyes off of him, I lose him. The last second he had on Earth, I looked away. The flatline's beeps ring through my ears as I lose my father.
Boom.
The first firework bursts.
———
When I turned 13, my mother had remarried to a total douche. He was abusive to the both of us. Even through the death of my father and the torture my stepdad had put my mother and I through, we still had each other. It was painful seeing her suffering so much.
On my 16th birthday, my stepfather died of overdose. It was freeing but torturous. My sweet 16 turned to a day of crying.
Every since then, I've been trying my best to pick myself up. I've gotten a boyfriend, I've gotten a part time job, a car, and straight A's at school. I've never been happier since I've met George. He's helped me through everything. Suppling my family with bare necessities we find ourself unable to equip, George was the kindest soul I've met. I loved him and looked forward to our future with him.
But today, I let myself mope around. New Years and my birthday were days of taking time for myself. As I stayed in bed until 3 P.M, I hear my phone going off. Reluctantly, I force myself out of bed to check my phone. Notifications left from George.
Bae ^^
Bae ^^
Since it's New Years I was wondering if you and I can maybe stay up together and watch it turn 12
Bae ^^
You can come over if it's ok with you
Bae ^^
btw I also invited Clay if that's ok with you
I smile at the offer but I know I should take the day for rest.
Then again, I loved George and spending time with him would help me go back to seeing New Years as a day of celebration. Without a second thought, I write a response I knew I would regret.
You
haha sure!
———
A few hours pass, the time read 10 P.M. I sat, brushing my hair until it was straight again. After, I pull out clothes from my dresser. I take out a nice outfit to impress George. I grab my car keys from a coat rack near the exit of my house and leave the door, saying my goodbyes to my mother.
As I drive, something in my gut tells me to turn around and go back home. I brush it off. It's some sort of dumb superstition.
I park into George's driveway. George must've heard my car because he opens the door for me. "Scar! You're here!" He pulls me into a hug. I accept it gladly.
Together we enter the mansion to reveal to boys sitting on George's couch, both wearing dark clothes, sloppily eating chips. One is Clay, who was fixated on the TV. The other boy is a boy I've met before but I've only had one interaction with him. It was when he had called me a dumbass, his name was Zak. Zak seemed to be focused on his phone.
"I thought it was only going to be Clay?"
George sighs. The two boys finally acknowledge my existence. "Am I not allowed to be here," I hear Zak scoff under his breath. I don't know why, but Zak didn't seem to like me. Clay let's out a lighthearted chuckle at Zak's rudeness.
"Sorry about that. Zak gets a bit cranky when Darryl isn't around," George explains, earning a glare from Zak. Zak rolls his eyes, continuing to study his phone.
"Darryl would've been here if it weren't for Mr. Colorblind here,"
George and I sit together on a separate couch. He seems to be rubbing his forehead with his thumb and index finger. "It's a New Years party. If the workers knew that Darryl snuck out past curfew, that would set me a bad reputation to them. Remember, I'm his soon to be brother," I had no idea what they were talking about so I kept my mouth shut.
"I miss him though," I hear Zak mumble.
I notice two backpacks that looked to belong to Clay and Zak. I started to worry that I was expected to bring something. "Was I supposed to bring something?" I ask my lover, getting a no back.
"Clay and Zak just brought bags for things they refuse to show me. I have plenty on food here, so don't worry about that. I can ask my cook to cook something up for us. They're sleeping, but if you want something I'll wake them up for you,"
"I'm not that hungry," I respond.
Zak's phone seems to vibrate, he reads words from his phone and jolts up from the couch to answer it. He rushes behind the couch where he and Clay relaxed on and starts to talk.
"Hello?" He says, loudly, his voice a lot more enlightened than when I had came. I hear another voice come from the opposite line of his phone, but I can't make out whose it is. "Are you able to come over?" A silence comes from Zak. "Aww. When is the next time I'll be able to see you?"
I started to realize that Zak was probably talking to his boyfriend, Darryl. "That's in a while though. Do you have to sleep now?" A pause. "Ok then. Night, I love you," he giggles before the call ends. Zak makes his way back to the couch a plops down next Clay again.
"Was that him?" George asks.
Zak nods. A click from Clay's tongue was heard. "You should've let us say hi,"
"He had to sleep,"
A silence rang through the room. I study Zak and Clay's movements. They exchange glances which for some reason makes me start to feel queasy. "Hey George, can you come upstairs with me?" Clay asks.
"Sure," Clay and Zak share a smile. Before Clay gets up from the couch, he takes some gadget from his backpack and places it in his ear. He holds down a button on it until it flashes colorful lights. After, he hides the gadget with his hair. Clay signals to George that they're ready to go.
Once Zak and I were left alone, I felt heavy stares come from Zak. There was a tension in the room that made me uncomfortable. Something was telling me to run. I excuse myself out of the house and exit out through the back door, leading me to the pool. I hear a zip, a clank, and another zip from inside. They were quiet noises but I always known for my really good hearing. I pretend to go on my phone. I notice the time. 15 minutes before 11:45.
I hear footsteps from behind me. Swiftly, I turn my head to face the doorway. I saw Zak. Voices in my head were screaming at me, telling me to run, but I had nowhere to run. As Zak approached me beads of sweat formed, causing me to start instinctively tapping on my phone as a method of calming me down.
"What are you doing out here? It's warmer inside," Zak coos, his soothing voice confusing me.
I shrug, not wanting to waste my voice. I hear Zak walk up closer to me. Suddenly, I feel a warm hand cover my mouth. My throat is met with a blade against it, not yet slicing through. "Keep quiet unless you want me to slit your throat open," Zak hisses. I knew this was a bad idea from the start.
In fear, I do nothing. Zak throws duct tape around my mouth and wraps a bandanna around my eyes. I let out a whimper that was silenced by the duct tape. I felt scratches form on my wrist, a sandy feeling tying them together. Rope. The only senses I had left were touch and hearing.
Zak blindly led me somewhere. I hear the sound of a creaking. Probably the gate leading us out of the pool area. I shuffled with my hands, trying to free them but I only found myself unsuccessful. I hear car keys jangle, then a car's beep. A trunk opens, I only fear what happens next. Something earns a sigh from Zak as I feel myself get picked up. I'm only getting carried with one arm so I could tell Zak was doing something else too. I started to feel like I was being put in something- some sort of bag.
"No screaming and I'll let you out in peace," I hear Zak whisper.
A sharp pain chimes through my body. Pain, lots and lots of pain. My clothes started to soak in a liquid. It was too thick to be water. Blood. The bag ties, trapping me in this space where I started to lose air. The trunk closes, leaving me trapped. I started to suffocate, I started to cry. The pain was unbearable, I had to let out a scream, but I couldn't. My face being drenched with tears only made the discomfort worse. All I could do as I bled out was stay silent. If I didn't, I would only be left, screaming, knowing my cries will never be heard. A silent death. The knife in my chest stings. I couldn't do anything about as my hands were tied behind my back. Black. Everything was black. I knew I had no chance of surviving, but I tried to keep calm. The only thing I could think of was my mom. She lost everything and it hurt so badly that part of it was my fault. I knew I should've listened to my gut. New Years would never be the fun celebration it was for everyone else. Just as celebration, today was the end of something. My life. My ears ring, it felt as if I was made of static. My eyes start to droop, my brain tires out, my hands feel numb. Even through the ringing, even through the the bag, through the car, I hear one last thing.
The burst of a firework.
A boom.
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Thank you for reading part 39 :)
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