Five Nights | A Novella

Family Affairs

   Twyla stood frozen for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't bear the thought of her brother dying and the weight of the decision she had to make weighed heavily on her. As she glanced around the dimly lit basement, filled with fragments of her father's experiments and animatronic designs, her mind raced with conflicting emotions.

   Torn between loyalty to her father and the love she felt for her brother, Twyla's anger ignited like a spark in the darkness. Without thinking, she dashed towards the shelves, her hands trembling as she grabbed the vials labeled "Remnant."

   With regret building inside her, she smashed the vials onto the cold, concrete floor. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the basement, a painful symphony of defiance and desperation. The sound of shattering glass reverberating through the basement. As the purple liquid seeped into the floor, a tear ran down her cheek, a silent testament to the pain of her prior decisions.

   Upstairs, William's ears perked up at the sound of the commotion, his heart filled with dread. He hurried down the stairs, disbelief and rage etched on his face. The scene before him was a nightmare come to life.

   "No, no, no, no!" he exclaimed, his voice a mix of disbelief and anger. Approaching Twyla with a torrent of emotions, his eyes burned with a fury she had never witnessed before.

   Twyla met his gaze, her own eyes filled with defiance. "I should have never created that shit," she muttered, her voice trembling with regret. "Look at what it's done to you, to us." More tears streamed down her face as she looked down, her heart heavy with the realization that her father's obsession for eternal life had taken priority over her.

   As William's anger subsided, a mixture of sadness and understanding washed over him. He reached out to place his hand on Twyla's shoulder, but she quickly removed it, shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice choked with emotion, as she ran to another set of shelves and grabbed a different set of vials, this time labeled "Agony."

   "No! Twyla, no!" William screamed in desperation as Twyla smashed the vials of Agony onto the ground. It was the last straw for him. In a moment of rage, he grabbed his daughter by the throat, pinning her against the wall.

   "Now you listen to me, sweetheart," he began, his voice filled with a dangerous edge. "You ever break anything in my house again, I will..." His words trailed off as he began to loosen his grip, the realization of what he had almost done sinking in.

   Twyla struggled, her hand instinctively reaching for her sore neck. "What, Dad?" she choked out, her voice a mix of pain and defiance. "Are you going to kill me?"

   A wave of shock washed over William's face as he gazed down at his daughter, her vulnerability seeping into every fiber of his being. No words escaped his lips, but his actions spoke volumes as he turned away, leaving Twyla behind in the basement, abandoned and trembling with fear. Twyla's tear-filled eyes followed her father's retreating figure.

   Alone in the dimly lit room, Twyla curled into a tight ball, her body wracked with sobs that echoed throughout the space. Her heartache seemed to permeate every corner, saturating the air with a palpable sense of sorrow. The weight of her sadness hung heavy, casting a veil of desolation over the basement, as if the very walls mourned alongside her.

   After a moment of contemplation, Twyla rose from the cold, hard floor. Determination etched across her face, she had made her choice. With careful steps, she tiptoed through the house, ensuring her father remained oblivious to her departure. The engine of her car hummed softly as she drove towards Carissa's home, her heart beating, her anxiety began to build up.

   Arriving at the front door, Twyla hesitated, her hand suspended mid-air before finally summoning the courage to knock three times. The door swung open, revealing Carissa, her eyes widening in surprise as she took a step back.