Her 8 Older Brothers

Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEENNNNN! Prepare for a dramatic chapter! Very very dramatic, also, surprise! DOUBLE UPDATEEEE! COMMENT ANYTHING YOU WANNA. ENJOY.

The room was eerily silent except for the sound of Ariana's shaky breaths. Esme's gun was raised, her eyes wild with fear and desperation. Her hands trembled, the muzzle aimed directly at Ariana. The little girl's wide eyes reflected confusion, fear, and a flicker of defiance.

"Ariana, I'm sorry..." Esme whispered, voice cracking. Her finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger, tension hanging heavy in the air. "But I can't let them win... not now."

Ariana's lip quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. Her brothers had taught her to be brave, but this wasn't something she could have ever prepared for. Her eyes darted to the door, silently begging for someone—anyone—to come save her. Where were Metias and the others?

Esme's resolve hardened. "Angela needs me," she muttered, almost like she was trying to convince herself more than Ariana. "She's all I have."

Just as Esme's finger tightened on the trigger, the door burst open. Metias and Jack charged into the room, eyes blazing with fury. Jack immediately took in the sight—Esme pointing the gun at Ariana—and without a second of hesitation, he aimed his gun squarely at Esme's head.

"Esme, drop the gun!" Jack's voice was a thunderous roar.

Esme's eyes widened in horror as she realized she was cornered. For a fleeting moment, it seemed like she might surrender. But then, something flickered in her eyes—an acceptance of what was about to happen, a decision made in a split second. She looked back at Ariana, her expression resigned.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered one last time.

Before anyone could react, Esme began to squeeze the trigger.

The gunshot was deafening in the small room, reverberating like a thunderclap. But it wasn't Esme's shot that rang out—it was Jack's. His bullet hit its mark with brutal precision, slamming into Esme's temple. Her eyes widened in shock as the gun slipped from her fingers, her body crumpling to the floor. Blood pooled beneath her head, the metallic scent permeating the air.

Time seemed to slow as Esme's lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. The room felt suffocatingly silent, the only sound the shallow, panicked breaths escaping from Ariana.

It was over.

Metias was the first to move, rushing forward and scooping Ariana into his arms. She was trembling uncontrollably, her small hands gripping the front of his shirt as if letting go would mean losing everything.

"Shh, I've got you," Metias murmured into her hair, holding her tightly. He wanted to say so much more, to promise her that nothing like this would ever happen again, but the words stuck in his throat.

Nick and Adam stormed into the room moments later, taking in the scene—the blood, Esme's body, and Ariana in Metias's arms. Jack's gun was still raised, his eyes locked on Esme's body as if expecting her to move, to rise, to keep threatening the little girl they had all sworn to protect.

Metias felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he fumbled to pull it out, dialing Mathew's number with trembling fingers. The phone rang once, twice, and then Mathew's voice came through, sounding breathless and tense.

"Metias? What's going on?" Mathew demanded.

"Mathew," Metias began, his voice hoarse. He took a deep breath to steady himself, but the image of Esme collapsing to the ground was seared into his mind. "Esme's dead... she—she tried to—" He couldn't even finish the sentence. He didn't want to say it out loud, didn't want to give it more reality than it already had.