Monsters-Menendez

•4•

The Plan
The moon shone high in the sky, casting a pale glow through the windows of the Menendez home.
The soft light reflected on the walls of the attic, creating a suspended, almost unreal atmosphere.
Lyle and Erik had taken refuge there, away from prying eyes, immersed in their thoughts, while the silence weighed like a boulder.
The low ceiling, covered in dust, gave the room a stale smell, of old memories.
Every corner seemed like a refuge of unspeakable secrets, and their heartbeats echoed in the room, amplifying the tension that had been enveloping them for days. "We need to act more strategically," Lyle said, breaking the silence.
His voice, usually confident, betrayed a slight crack.
He stared at the map of the house hanging on the wall with an intense, almost obsessive gaze.
Vanishing points and safe locations were highlighted with precision, as if every detail were a matter of life and death.

"Here, this is where we can trap them," he continued, his finger drawing a sharp line on the paper.
But as he spoke, part of him wondered if he was doing the right thing.
What if it was all a mistake? This thought crossed him like a flash, immediately chased away by the determination he forced himself to maintain.
Erik leaned toward the map, his face rigid, but the trembling of his hands betrayed his anxiety.
The lamp cast an eerie shadow on his cheeks, accentuating his fear-drawn features.
"If we can get them here, we might have an advantage. We have to find the right moment," he said, in a tone that tried to be sure, but which betrayed a growing uneasiness.
Lyle thought for a moment, his gaze blank. "What do you think about our birthday party?" he proposed then, a flash of clarity in his eyes.
"It will be an event that will attract attention. They can easily get distracted, thinking we're celebrating."
Erik pursed his lips, the thought of using a party as cover making him uncomfortable. "But we can't trust them," he murmured, his gaze serious.
His hands trembled slightly, the weight of their decision starting to become unbearable.
"What if they decide to do something unexpected?" Lyle stared at him intently. "They won't. Not if we prepare. We can make them drink, distract them with our friends, and then... then we can strike," he said firmly, but inside his heart was pounding.
Every word he spoke seemed loaded with an unbearable weight.

Silence fell between the brothers again, heavier than before, as they considered what they were about to do.
In Lyle's mind, fragments of memories intertwined with present anxiety: his mother's muffled cries, his father's cold stares.
Was this really the freedom they wanted?

Erik, with an expression of anguish, asked, "What if we fail? What will happen if it doesn't go as planned?" His voice finally broke, revealing all the terror he tried to hide.
Lyle turned to him, his gaze filled with desperate determination.
"We have no other choice, Erik. We cannot continue to live under this roof. We have to do it. We must fight for our freedom."
Erik nodded slowly, trying to stifle the terror that gripped him.
"Okay, let's do it. But we have to be ready for anything.
We need to prepare ourselves mentally," he replied in a low, uncertain voice.

In the living room, meanwhile, Kitty and José were immersed in a silence full of tension.
Kitty tried to keep up appearances, her forced smile masking her contempt, while José slowly sipped a glass of red wine, his gaze fixed on nothing, indifferent.
Their lives were steeped in secrets that no one could have ever imagined.
"We need to talk to the guys at this party," Kitty said, trying to keep her tone light, but every word was laced with poisonous overtones. "I hope they don't do something stupid."

José raised an eyebrow, with an air of superiority.
"Don't worry, Kitty. Lyle and Erik know how to behave. But if there ever is a problem..." He left the sentence hanging, knowing that what was left unsaid spoke for itself.
In the attic, Lyle and Erik continued to argue, working out the details of the plan, unaware that their parents were already planning something.
The cold metal of the guns in their hands brought them abruptly back to reality. Adrenaline coursed through their veins, mixed with fear and determination.

The moment was approaching.
"Let's go get the guns," Lyle said, with a coolness that masked the emotional turmoil inside him.
When they went down the stairs, the world seemed to slow down.
Every step they took was heavy, and the sound of their breathing seemed to amplify.
Their hands trembled as they grabbed their weapons, but there was no room for doubt anymore.
In the living room, Kitty and José turned, surprised by their presence.
Kitty's eyes widened for a moment.
"Guys, what...?"

There was no time for more words. Lyle and Erik pulled the trigger almost in unison.
The sound of the shots pierced the silence, and everything happened in an instant that seemed to last an eternity.
Kitty and José fell, their world collapsing in a flash of violence.
The blood, the acrid smell of gunpowder, the silence that followed the screams... everything merged into one oppressive chaos.
The brothers' faces were a mask of terror and resolution.
They had done what was necessary, but the consequences of that action were already starting to weigh on them.
Were they really free now? Lyle looked at Erik, still breathing heavily.
"We can't go back," he muttered, as if to convince himself more than his brother.
The fate of the Menendezes was now sealed.