TW: this chapter contains actions of abuse
-Emilia-
"What-what do you want from me?" I asked, my lips starting to quiver once again as he removed the knife from under my chin and placed it back inside of his slacks. My breathing somewhat regulated until he exchanged it for a gun.
"What do I want from you?" He chuckled, his eyes slowly raising up from the gun as he looked back at me. "I just want you to spend time with your brother on our twenty-first birthday." He smiled, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach as I found myself left in confusion.
"I-I don't have-"
"You don't have any siblings? Yeah, I thought the same thing too until several weeks ago. But don't worry, we're only half-siblings. I guess that's what happens when your fathers a fucking whore, am I right?" He grinned, my lip quivering as he pushed the gun into my chest.
"You know, we're practically like twins. Our father got two women knocked up around the same time and we just so happened to be born on the same day." He laughed, my eyes showing every single sign of fear as possible.
"I feel like you would have been an amazing sister to have if papa never kept us a secret from each other. Maybe you could have been there to keep me company when he used to leave me alone in the dark for hours." He sighed, sadness flickering in his eyes before it faded as if it had never happened.
"You know, I'm jealous of you, Emilia. I really am. I've seen the videos that he and your mother used to film when you were little. He looked so much happier when he was with you guys than he did with my mother and I. You got the best version of our papa while I got stuck with an abusive mother and father. It's like a two for one special." He laughed but I could clearly tell that he was hurting.
"I'm sorry-"
"Yeah, I'm sure you are. But the thing is, I don't give a fuck about your apology. It's not like those two meaningless words can undo everything that those assholes put me through." He cut me off, running his hand through his hair.
"You know, papa left you for me, and usually that would be a good thing, but it was fucking not. The piece of shit used to beat the living hell out of me for no reason. Every night, I would get punished and in the mornings, I would get another round from my mother. It's like, why have a kid if the only thing you're going to do is abuse them, you know?" He asked, waving his gun around carelessly, and I nodded my head, watching as he frowned at me.
"Why the fuck are you nodding your head? You don't understand what it's like to be abused by the people who you thought were supposed to love you. You're pure, and I fucking hate that about you. You got to grow up with the life that I wish I had as a child. We both have the same father, yet I was the one who had to take all his shit while you got to grow up with the perfect life!" He yelled, looking at me with disgust on his face. My eyes widened as I immediately disagreed, shaking my head.
"That's n-not true. My life isn't perfect at all. My-my mother was an alcoholic who used to bring different men to the house almost every single day, and while she was sleeping around, I was trying to find a way to prevent us from becoming homeless. My m-mom had a boyfriend named R-Rick who used t-to sexually assault me, sometimes even in front of her and she would still choose him over me. She chose every man that ever came in her life over me." I cried, watching the way his eyebrows pulled together.
"She kicked me out at sixteen and I was forced to live on the streets all by myself. Then I met a guy who swore that he would love and protect me, but he ended up becoming my abuser. For years he told me that he loved me, and for years he ended up hurting me." His eyes flashed with pity as he looked at me.
He looked confused as a deep line formed between his brows while he ran his hand over his jaw, setting the gun down next to his foot.
"It appears that Bruno left out these things about you." He mumbled, talking to himself more than he was to me. He frowned and I gulped, glancing down at the gun next to his foot.
I flinched as my eyes flickered back up to his while he grabbed my chin in his hand. His eyes observed me as he frowned at the bruise on my cheek before touching it. His hands were rough, yet they held a certain gentleness to them.
Before I knew it, he was showing me his torso that was covered with scarred stab wounds and healed burn marks. It was heartbreaking to look at.
"Our father d-did that you? He hurt you like this?" I asked, feeling a deep hatred for Orlando. Mario gave me a single nod as he placed my hand over the rough burn mark on his chest. There was a serpent tattoo on his arm that had caught my eye, and I recognized it as the same one that Vincent's father had.
"My mother loved fire," he said, pulling me out of my thoughts as he showed me the rest of his scars before removing my hand from his chest. "The rest was our fathers doings."
"I'm so sorry." I whispered, his head nodding as he just stared at me.
"We didn't deserve the things that happened to us, Emilia. All we ever wanted to do was love and care for them, but they wanted to damage us and taint us. And the worst part is, they still called it love. But if they really loved us, they wouldn't have done the things that they did, right?" He said, my head nodding as I sniffled. My eyes flickered back down to his gun that was just a few inches away from my reach as I slowly moved my hand closer towards it.
"See, you understand me. You're the only person in my life who has ever understood me, Emilia. I think that we could have really gotten close to each other if you weren't planning on going behind my back." He sighed, his words making my heart stop as I felt his hand wrap around my wrist. His eyes darkened into mine as he slowly looked down at my hand that was just inches away from his gun. My heart rate sped up as I snatched my wrist from his hold, scrambling to pick up the gun.
"God damnit!" He yelled, snatching my wrist in his hand again as he tightened his grip to the point where I felt like it was going to break. A sob left my throat as he clenched his jaw before ripping the gun from my grasp, hitting me hard across the face with the bottom of it as my head snapped to the side.
"Why do you have to ruin everything, Emilia? I was going to spare your life, but now I'm not so sure anymore." He sighed, shaking his head as I held my cheek to comfort the pain as I looked at him in fear.
"N-no! Mario, please! I'm sorry!" I cried, staring at him as he rolled his eyes. "I was just starting to like you too." He frowned, tears streaming down my face.
I hyperventilated as I looked around the closet that I was in. There was no way that I was going to be able to get out of here with him blocking my way. He had started to say something as he got distracted and I raised my foot before kicking him hard in the groin as I pushed him backwards.
He thudded right next to Rafael's dead body with a groan and I grabbed onto the sides of the door frame as I pulled myself up. I stepped over him and rushed for the hallway where I could see the opened front door ahead of me. A loud scream left my throat as he latched onto my ankle, pulling hard as I tripped onto the floor.
My body smacked against the tile of the hallway as my head followed right after. Everything started to ring inside of my ears while pain surged my mind. I felt hazy as my gaze fell upon Antonio's dead body that was inside of the living room. There was no sign of Ryan and judging by the way that the door was wide open, I assumed that he had left me here all alone.
I weakly pushed myself up from the floor before a sob ripped out of my throat as I felt Mario's hand grip on tightly to the roots of my hair. He yanked my head back hard, bringing me closer to him.
"I have to say, I'm quite disappointed to be related to you. We may be siblings, Emilia, but you and I are nothing alike. See, the difference between us is simple really. You're just fucking weak." He spat in my ear as he tightened his hold on my hair.
"Mario please!" I begged, trying to move away from him, but he was much stronger than I was. My legs thrashed against the floor as I tried to release his grip in my hair while he dragged me down the hall like I was his personal rag doll.
"I'm sorry!" I sobbed until my throat burned raw. It hurt to cry. It hurt to even speak. Apart of me didn't even want to beg him to spare me anymore. I just wanted it all to stop.
Pain erupted throughout my body as he threw me against the island counter. I reached my hand back to protect my head from slamming against the wooden surface and my body crashed into the floor. Shakily, I looked up at the wicked look in his eyes with tears in mine, and I knew that I wasn't going to be alive for much longer.
"You know, father used to do terrible things to me, but my mother was worse than he was. She used fire as a form of punishment, but she would never burn me on my face or arms because she didn't want my teachers questioning why her child had fucking burn marks on his body." He laughed maniacally as he snatched me by my ankles, pulling me closer to him.
"One day, I got tired of her actions. So, I killed her and set our old house on fire with her dead body inside. My mother loved fire, and that night, fire loved her back even more." He chuckled, his eyes burning with madness as he pulled out his gun.
I gulped, backing up from him as he towered over me, taking steps closer. I searched for something that I could use as a weapon, but Ryan had put all the knives up in case I tried to stab him again.
"Well, this was fun while it lasted. Don't you agree, Em?" He laughed, messing with the chamber of bullets as he shook his head. I begged, practically pleaded for him not to, but there was no changing his mind.
"Stay still for me, okay? I promise it will be a hell of a lot less painful." He instructed, cocking the gun as he aimed it at me. I broke down into tears as I felt all hope leave my system. The only thing I could do now was wait for my pending death.
"Get the fuck away from her!" A deep voice shouted, my eyes widening as I seen Ryan slam his fist into Mario's face. The gun fell from his hands as he stumbled backwards, barely getting enough time to recollect himself before Ryan smashed his fist into his jaw again.
My breathing had increased erratically as I stared at the two, watching as they took turns in going back and forth with their hits. My eyes fell upon the gun on the floor and I scrambled to grab it before I stood up, shakily aiming it at the two. My eyes followed them as I tried to get a good angle but they were all over the place.
"Ry," I called out, his attention turning towards me as I distracted him. Mario connected his fist hard against Ryan's jaw and I felt my heart drop as I seen his eyes glaze with a murderous look. Mario hitting him only seemed to piss him off even more based off of the way he looked back at him before tightening his jaw harder than it ever has tightened before.
I gasped as he wrapped his hand around Mario's neck before adding his other as he lifted him up and smashed him down into the kitchen table. His chest was heaving hard as Mario choked, punching at Ryan's arms as he tried to break free.
"Emilia," Ryan growled at me, his jaw ticking as he tightened his hold. "Fucking shoot him!" He yelled, snapping me out of my trance as I placed my finger on the trigger, aiming the gun at Mario.
My hands shook at the thought of taking someone else's life. It wasn't something I ever thought I was capable of doing, but when you live in a world where it's either kill or be killed, you don't really have much of a choice.
Taking in a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut as I flinched while pulling the trigger. I waited for the loud noise of a gunshot to go off, but the only sound it made was a clicking noise. My eyes opened as I looked at the gun in confusion.
"What? No, no, no!" I yelled, pulling the trigger over and over again before the sound of metal clattered to the floor. I looked over at the bullets that fell out of Mario's hands as he gave me a bloody smile.
"Oops." He choked out. Everything happened so fast, but it felt like it was in slow motion as I watched the silver blade to his pocket knife appear out of thin air. My eyes widened as I tried to yell out a warning, but it was already too late as I watched him jam it into the crook of Ryan's neck before ripping it out.
Instantly, Ryan let go of Mario as he brought his hand up to his neck, stumbling back away from him. He looked at his bloody handprints in confusion as blood trickled out of his mouth. Ryan grabbed onto the counter for support before he collapsed to the floor, his red handprint smearing across the white countertop.
"Jesus," Mario coughed, rubbing his red neck as the gun slowly fell from my hands before I rushed over towards Ryan. I got down on my knees as I stared at him in horror, my hands shakily hovering over him as I placed them on his neck, trying to stop him from bleeding out.
"No, no. Ry!" I cried, as he coughed up his own blood while staring up at the ceiling. My vision blurred as my tears fell onto him while his eyes opened and closed sporadically.
"Hang on. You're going to be okay. We're-were going to get you some help, but you just need to hang on a little bit longer." I sobbed, my chin quivering, but we both knew that it wasn't a possibility.
"Isn't this the guy that abused you? There is no help for him, Emilia. He's going to die and he deserves it." Mario said irritatedly as he loaded the bullets back into the gun.
"E-Emilia," Ryan choked out, placing his hand on my cheek as I buried my face into his chest. I looked over at him with tears in my eyes as I watched a tear roll down his temple. I nodded my head, already knowing what he wanted to say.
"I know." I whispered, my voice cracking as his jaw ticked while another tear rolled down his eye. My hand shakily rose up as I wiped the tear away. I felt like my heart had slowed down with his movements as he stroked my cheek with his thumb until it just stopped.
I closed my eyes, breaking down into tears as his heart beat grew slower and slower until there was nothing left to be heard. My eyes hesitated to open before I watched the lights flickered out in his eyes. Then, my chest constricted at the realization that I was all alone now.
"You know, I figured you'd be appreciative of me for killing him, but it appears that I may have miscalculated a few things." Mario sighed, running his hand through his hair as he limped closer towards me.
I shakily looked back up at him as he continued to grow closer. He crouched down in front of me as he tucked my hair behind my ears before wiping away my tears.
"I thought that by killing him, it'd end your suffering but I can see that you're still in pain. But don't worry Em, I can still save you. I can save you from this filthy world and this fucked up life you live." He said, standing up as he aimed the gun at me.
There was nothing left that I could do. Even if I did try to make a run for it, I wouldn't get very far. My life was already waiting for him to just take in his hands.
"Happy Birthday, Em." He sighed, placing his finger on the trigger as two gunshots went off. I flinched as warm blood spattered all over my face before a mass amount of pain surged my body.
I slowly opened my eyes as I seen Mario's dead eyes staring into mine with a hole right through the middle of his forehead. He collapsed onto the floor before my eyes fell upon Vincent who had a wicked look in his eyes as he glared down at Mario.
He kept his gun aimed at him as rage burned inside of his eyes. I watched as he fired eight more bullets into Mario's dead body without even batting a single eye.
Then, my vision fell down onto my shaky hands that were covered in blood. A tear fell from my eye as I slowly put my hands over my abdomen that was bleeding uncontrollably. My previously gray hoodie that I wore was now covered in my own blood.
"Vincent," my voice cracked as I looked back up at him hopelessly. His eyes fell upon me before they widened as he tossed his gun to the ground. I fell back into the floor, but he caught me just in time.
"No, No! Fuck, Emilia!" He yelled, ripping off his shirt as he placed the fabric over the bullet wound to stop the bleeding. I stared up at him as I seen the fear that was written all over his face.
"Baby, stay with me! You're going to be okay!" His voice trembled as he took out his phone, placing it in between his ear and shoulder as he yelled into it while holding the fabric against my abdomen.
I watched his mouth move but I couldn't process a word that he was saying as ringing sounded my ears before everything became muffled. I kept blinking to keep my eyes open as I tried to fight it off, but the pain was too unbearable.
The ache in my body was pulling my eyes shut as I grew sleepier. Only this time, I knew that it was a sleep that I was never going to wake up from. The temporary suffering had gone away as I laid there, my body relaxing as I took my final moments in.
"I love you, Vincent." I whispered as a tear rolled down the corner of my eye before they finally shut.
They say that after you die, the brain has seven minutes left of activity. Seven minutes left for you to replay every memory that you've ever had, but yet, my mind only seemed to be focused on the ones of Vincent.
From the moment we had first met, up until now, I could see it all playing out in front of me like it was my own personal movie trailer. Every smile, laugh, cry, kiss. It was a trailer that I only wished were a movie that would never end.
But as Vincent once told me, eventually all good things must come to an end, and I could feel that this was it. I knew that this was it. For me, for Vincent-for us. For everything.
This was the end.
♠
Chapter 36! Done! Wooh!
Thank you for reading chapter 36 of Emilia<3
MERRY CHRISTMAS BUBS!!
I hope you all have an amazing holiday if you celebrate Christmas, and if not, I hope you all have an amazing day!!