Writetober Prompts

Nightmare: Day 6

CONTENT WARNING: involuntary bodily harm, suggestion of torture.

We were spread out on the couch, my body in between her legs as I rested against her, watching a scary movie together. I didn't care for scary movies so much, but I knew Jade loved them and so I indulged. As long as I got to spend time with her, that's all I ever cared about. She was my world and I was overwhelmed that we had found each other and she was mine. I hadn't known any better peace.

It was late into the evening, the sky darkening fast as fall weather made the days shorter. Grabbing one of Jade's hands from around my waist, I pulled it up to my face and gave it a kiss. I rested my back against her chest and let out a happy sigh. This was it, she was the light in the darkness that had surrounded my life. But everything was okay now, we had been left alone for a year. My family no longer reaches out to me to come back to the family business. I'd wanted nothing to do with it once I'd met Jade. The day I had met her, changed literally everything for me. I'd defend her with my life before I'd let any harm come to her.

We always say things like that about our loved ones, but even if you had all the power you could get in the world, what if it still wasn't enough? I meant it with every part of my being, I was the top of my class and the number one assassin in the world. I know, I am a badass, you don't have to tell me. Enter a self-satisfied smirk here. But just like the day I met Jade changed everything for me, my world was changed in a night.

***

Like I said, it'd been a year. I had slowed my daily practices and everything. Weapons were less hidden around the house, etc. I shouldn't have done that. I'd known better. Once an assassin, always an assassin; you can't just stop being something that is wholly a part of you. You don't stop, you don't hesitate, you don't relax. Never let your guard down. I knew better, I knew better and yet I did these things. So when they came that night, with my body lain against Jade's, I wasn't ready. We were getting towards the end of the movie, the climax just about to happen, when they striked. Our backs were to the kitchen, I'd had no mirrors of picture frames to see a reflection off of. If they'd been approaching from behind the couch, that would have given me time to react. If I hadn't been in Jade's arms, I would have had more time to react.

I didn't see shit and I for damn sure didn't hear shit. Jade's body had tensed as she'd reached for her neck, someone dragging her backwards, away from me and the couch. I hadn't registered what was going on because it had been a goddamn year. I thought they were leaving us alone, my family. I called out for her as I quickly got up from the couch and headed towards her, her assailant dragging her towards the kitchen. Someone kicked my legs out from under me and as I fell to the floor, my muscles strained as I did a kick up to push myself up from the floor. Whoever it was, I didn't recognize their face. A mercenary? Or a rival assassin organization?

Dodging a punch to the face, I grabbed their wrist and twisted, hearing their scream of pain renewed a fire in me that had just been idling for the last year. Satisfied, I pulled them towards me and kicked their legs out from under them, putting them at my mercy as I put their arm in a hold behind them and pulled. Once I heard a pop, they screamed out again and that's when Jade's scream cut across the room. "Jade!" Her name flew from my mouth without thinking. Applying pressure to the base of my own assailant's neck, they fell to the ground unconscious.

Rushing to the kitchen, I found Jade under a man's body, someone else I didn't recognize. They were currently carving at her stomach, her screams making a cold settle into my own. Releasing a yell from my throat, I charged the fucker, knocking him back and grabbing his jacket, pulling him to me as my hands grasped his shoulders and I drove my knee into his solar plexus. He bent over slightly and I took that opportunity to drive my knee into his face, hearing the bone crack. I was about to land another hit on him when he grabbed my hands and pulled me to him.
Working to get out of his grasp, he quickly pinned me, holding me in a vice grip. His hot breath hit my ear as he whispered to me, "I'm going to carve her up, I understand this might be terrible for you, but I want you to watch anyway." I could tell his threat excited him, his voice pitched in an eerie tone.

Jade tried to get up, grabbing a knife in her hands and holding it before her.

"You don't want to do that sweet bird." He smiled at her right before he applied pressure to the back of my knees, causing me to stumble and he broke one of my arms. It hurt like hell but, it was nothing compared to what he was threatening to do. I was out of practice, I'd grown too comfortable, I was about to pay the price for it.
He charged Jade, and with no formal training on her end, he quickly disarmed her and brought the knife to her throat. "So, I'll take it that we are going to do this my way." He looked at me for confirmation, I gave him nothing. I wanted to set my arm but I couldn't do it myself. I needed to do something.

"Let's begin." His smile held all the joy a child has on their face when receiving a present. I had to do something. He had the knife to her throat but I had to believe he wasn't here to kill her, at least not yet. He wanted me to watch her getting carved up after all. I had to take this chance.
"Jade!" I rushed them as I yelled her name. Right as I was about to reach them, I woke up.

My body was covered in sweat as I breathed heavy, my heart pounding as I relived our last moments together. Anger came in hot, quickly behind the terror I'd felt trying to reach Jade. Hoping I could get to her in time. As the last of the nightmare faded away, I slowly got up from my bed. I was going to make them pay, every last one of them, every last one in my family. Starting from whoever had hired those merc's to whichever members knew about it and had let it happen, not trying to stop it. It was my fault for getting complacent. My fault, for all of this. But I'd make them pay. For my own revenge but also for Jade. It shouldn't have happened. Grabbing a couple of my weapons from my bedroom closet, I headed to the shower so I could dress in my old assassin attire.

"I'm coming for all of you." For shaking up my world, for harming her, for putting her in the position she is in now. They'd nearly destroyed my world and I was going to make them suffer for it.