The Runaway

Chapter 23

Violet didn't remember when or where she fell asleep. All she knew was that she was watching their pillow fight and then after that...nothing. It felt quite peaceful at first but then she was suddenly sucked into a dream. Shockingly, this one was completely new.

"Welcome home Aiden." A beautiful woman smiled brightly from the kitchen.

A tall handsome man popped out from the hallway. "Oh hey kiddo, you're back. How was that barbecue with your classmates last night?"

There was no response. Suddenly, their faces grew dark. "Are you okay?" the woman asked strangely.

Violet wanted to turn her head to see what they were staring at, but something was restraining her. She could only focus on their reactions.

"Oh my god," was all the man could say before everything went black.

The scene had changed. Immediately, Violet sensed something was wrong. She could feel terror and distress. There was shouting and things being thrown. The woman and man were injured on the kitchen ground holding each other.

"Aiden," the woman whispered in between her sobs.

To her right, Violet was startled to see a slightly younger version of Aiden. His eyes brushed over the couple as if nothing was wrong. Emotionless, he walked towards them with an odd look on his face.

"We're your parents. Don't you recognize us?" the man shouted, leaping up to protect his wife.

Aiden stared at them blankly but stopped dead in his tracks. That got his attention.

The man stepped forward bravely. "I don't know what's happened to you or why you're acting this way, but I know you're still my son."

Tears began to roll down Aiden's face. "I-I'm sorry." The desire was overwhelming. He couldn't hold it in much longer.

"Aiden? What happened? What's going on? You can tell us anything," Aiden's mother insisted.

He wanted to stop but it was impossible. Soon, his mind would block out all humane feelings and thoughts. "It hurts, it hurts."

"What hurts?" his mother asked.

His breathing increased rapidly. "You guys should get up and leave."

They didn't move an inch.

He glared at them. "Now!" That was all he managed to shout before he snapped. His mind shut down and he could no longer hear their voices. All he could feel was the strong need for blood to fulfill the hunger devouring him. It was like a fire blazing throughout his body, waiting for something to put it out. He needed something and he could smell it inside the two people in front of him.

And that's when he lunged for it. He jumped and messily drew his mother's blood as she cried for help. His father tried to pull them apart, but Aiden was too strong. Annoyed by the disruption, he spun and snapped his father's neck on the spot. The woman screamed at the sight of her husband and then closed her eyes to whisper prayers. After a while, her lips stopped moving and she fell to the floor. Aiden wiped his mouth clean and stared at the dead bodies before him. It didn't register into his brain until a minute later. That was when he began shouting.

"No, no. This isn't real. Mom!" His eyes began to water. "Wake up!"

The shouting shifted to bawling uncontrollably once he realized there was no use calling for them. They were dead. He had just killed his own parents. He felt angry, no, angry didn't describe it. He wanted to punish himself. Why did he do that? What had he become? The rage circled his thoughts until suddenly, he felt hunger again. It was returning as if reacting to his emotions.