Tell Me A Story.

17

"I can hear the leaves and branches break as I run. It sounded almost deafening. My lungs feel like they're on fire. I can't stop. He already took them, and now he's coming after me. The doctors said he was just not mentally capable of making big decisions. But he's able to I'm sure of it! " I then collapsed from exhaustion. I could hear him getting closer. I pushed myself up, becoming dizzy immediately. I continued to run but I wasn't very fast anymore. Everything was spinning. I then hear him. He's behind me. I hear him chuckle. "Nighty night Maxie ~" I hear him say with a sinister tone in his voice. "It hurts... There's a sharp pain in my head. " I feel my body fall. I felt like I was watching everything happen. My vision started to get blurry.

When I finally saw some semblance of light my first thought was.
"Was I seriously crying...? "

When my eyes finally adjusted to the light. I realized I was still alive. The room I was in looked like a makeshift theater with toys in the seats. Barbie's, stuffed animals, action figures, and drawings. I got up, confused. The more I panicked, the more my head hurt.

It was awfully quiet. Just the sound of my breathing and the slight pull of a rope. The rope connected me to the wall on the stage.

Suddenly the sound of silence was broken.

"Maxie! You're awake! "

I quickly turned around. "My sweet baby brother, Luke... What happened to you...? " is all I could say through my fear.

"Mom and Dad, and big sister sent me away... And we couldn't play anymore... " he said with a pout. Despite him being 12 he acted 6.

"Do... Do you understand what you're doing Luke...? " I did my best to keep my composer together.

"Of course I do! " he giggled. "I put Mom, Dad, and big sis to sleep! Now they won't stop us from playing! " he seemed happy.

"When people notice I'm gone they'll come looking... " I whisper

His look of happiness quickly faded. "Then I'll put them to sleep, too. "

"Luke... They sent you away so you could get better... Then we could have played all day! "

"LIAR" He shouted. He rushed over to me and put a knife to my throat. "The doctors said I wouldn't be able to go home so I left on my own. Just so I could play with you! " he said gritting his teeth.

I had fallen to the floor at this point. I was utterly terrified. "W-we can play..." I said I was hoping to resolve the situation.

He smiled with an odd look in his eyes "I'll get the rest of the family then! " he said as he skipped away and out of the room.

I panicked and started to tug at the rope. Then Luke comes back. "What are you doing Maxie? " he said with a mix of anger and annoyance.

I turned quickly "N-nothing! It's just a bit tight... " I then noticed a cart with a body on it, it was mom. Her body was dismantled and then put back together with thread. She had a frozen look of horror on her face.

Luke brings her up to the stage and lays her down on the ground. "It's supposed to be tight. I don't want you trying to run away like sis did." He then quickly left.

I was left with my mother's slightly rotted corpse. Luke comes back with 2 more bodies. He was struggling to bring the cart in due to its weight.

I steeled myself for what I assumed to be my father and older sister. Luke soon set them down. My sister and multiple stab wounds along her stomach. She had a bruise on her ankle the same one that I had the rope on.

My father was the least terrifying. He had no wounds, so it had to be something that wouldn't leave a mark. Poison, suffocation, starvation maybe?  

Luke then went behind the stage and pulled out a table, then pulled out 5 chairs. He set everything up and put the family in their seats. I got up and sat with the family. The rope pulled on my ankle but I ignored it. I complied with what Luke wanted, I didn't want to die.

After a pretend tea party with the family, Luke put everything away. He left the others on the stage.

"I'll be right back for bedtime! Tell Mom and Dad goodnight too! " he ran out for a bit.

I was despite. I started to pull frantically at the rope. I then stopped and started to untie the rope. Once I got it off my ankle, I saw how badly it had been bruised.

I quickly got up and started to run again. When I left the room I was face to face with my brother. No. Not anymore. This isn't my brother. This is some crazy kid. I kicked him and started to run. I ran as fast as I could.

I could hear Luke get up "So you're trying to leave me too...? " he sighed. "And to think we could have lived happily without anyone disturbing us! " I could hear him starting to run after me. I hear the sound of something In the air. I then was hit in the shoulder with a knife. I fell in shock and pain. It, took too long to regain my composure. I felt the knife get pulled out of my back. Then back in. Then out. Then in. Out. In. Out. In. Over and over. I could tell I was begging him to stop. But I couldn't hear myself. I could feel my body stop moving. I cried as I saw my brother lay down next to me. His hands were bloody. "Now we can play together forever! "