The Hunted [s.u]

PREFACE

   I can never let myself forget. That day vividly haunts my thoughts, every time I let myself think. I see him in my unforgiving nightmares and unpleasant dreams. I even see him when I'm in the bright daylight, his eyes causing the walls around my heart to crack. He's a constant reminder of my mistakes and he's the only thing that is keeping me alive. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be fighting so hard, nor would I be willing to live. I will never forget the day I became a true coward; the day I let him be dragged away. The day I lost my brother.

     Levi was only ten years old on that night. If I contemplate hard enough, I can still see his young face. His brown tousled hair, his smokey gray eyes and his small figure. The baby fat squishing his cheeks together and the small blush that caressed his nose. He was a ball of energy, and my parents and I were always struggling to keep up. My parents would say Levi and I were joined at the hip. We were inseparable, and the age difference never kept us far apart.

     The day was utterly ordinary. I had gone to school, Levi had gone to school, we had came home and had dinner and went our separate ways. I was in my room, doing something that I can't recall. Whatever it was, it wasn't important. I remember sitting on my bed and Levi running into my room, an unnerved look on his face.

     "What's going on?" I had asked, rushing over to comfort my panic stricken brother. His big gray eyes had stared right into mine as he said something I'd never omit.

     "Someone's trying to get in the house."

     When those words came out of Levi's mouth, my body was taken over with fear. Without saying a word, I grabbed my brother's hand and ran to our parent's room to hide. I knew Dad had a bat downstairs, and I only thought it was harmless teenagers. I was wrong.

     After pulling Levi into my lap as we hid in the closet -- even though he was capable of getting inside himself-- I closed the door, peeking through the crack to see if anyone was coming. I could only hear Levi's sporadic breathing and feel him leaning his head into my shoulder.

     The door slamming against the tile floor and screams coming for our parents caught us both off guard. I had pulled Levi tighter in my grip, and his body shook as silent tears trailed down his swollen cheeks. "Be quiet," I mumbled, as someone dashed up the stairs.

     It was my mother. Her brown hair was ruffled, and a red substance was leaking out of her porcelain skin. Blood. I slowly placed a hand over Levi's mouth, while trying to silence my own irregular breathing. Mom slammed the bedroom door and ran to the window, her eyes never daring to meet my own. I didn't know if she knew we were there, but I could've sworn that I saw her look me straight in the eye and comfort me with her soft gaze.

     Before I could relapse into her ease, the door was pushed open once again and a man with glowing golden eyes stormed in. He had blood trailing from the corners of his mouth, and teeth that extended past his top lip. They were fangs. I remember holding back my own startled cry while Levi gripped my other hand as tight as he could.

     "We have to do something," he murmured under my palm.

     "Levi, be quiet," I scolded in a terrified whisper. He began to squirm in my grip, and managed to weasel himself out of my arm cage. The closet door creaked open and my brother ran to our mom, surprising her and the man in front of her. I was left alone in the darkness.

     "Stay away from my mom!" He shouted, his voice faltering as he looked the man in the eyes. My body was no longer my own to control and I was left still as a statue. I could feel my hands shaking against my legs and tears assaulting my eyelashes.

     "What do we have here?" The man had growled, taking a step closer towards my mom and Levi. She had pushed him behind her back, standing defensively in front of him. Her hand pushed against his lanky chest, wrinkling the shirt that she had worked so hard to iron just the other day.

     The man called a name to the air, and a woman appeared out of thin air. My knuckles were now in my mouth as I held back shaky and dry sobs. I could feel my teeth pulling away layers of skin as I bit harder.

    "Take the boy," The man said with a grin. "I have an idea with what we can do with him." I heard the girl snicker and observed her as she grabbed my mom's hair and sunk her teeth into her neck. Her skin grew sickly pale as my mom gripped the woman's hand, begging for her to stop.

     It didn't take her long to collapse to the ground. Her body ricocheted and her lifeless eyes gazed at me, her vibrant gray irises turning stale. I could see the blood covering one whole side of her neck, and two puncture wounds ruining her perfect skin. If I looked at her from a different angle, I could imagine that she was still alive and just resting. She did not take another breath.

     My eyes flickered from her body and the man harshly grabbed Levi's wrist as another man came into the room and threw my father's immobile body right beside my mother.

     "Arden!" Levi screamed, swallowing the tears that cascaded down his face. "Arden!"

     I did nothing. I sat still as they dragged my brother out of the room, his desperate calls for me growing fainter and his sobs piercing the whole house. His begging, his pleading tearing me apart. I did nothing. Him struggling and screaming in pain, trying to escape the monster that held on to him. I did nothing. They left. His screams disappeared and I was left alone with the corpses of my parents.

     Not even a day later, the police found me concealed in the closet, curled up into a tight ball. They tried to ask me questions, but the voice in my throat could not be tricked to speak. The flash of the camera, the police tape; it was all a reminder of what I had done.

     The police managed to convince me to come to the station, but I did not stay put. I was consumed with guilt, rage and grief and the feelings created a storm that enveloped my heart. Even only being fourteen, I managed to escape their precarious hold.

     I may have been plagued by emotions, but I knew what I had to do. I needed to train. I needed to fight. I needed to build walls so high that nothing would ever break me. I needed to become ruthless and deadly.

     I was going to find Levi. Even if I died trying.  

[unedited// dedicated to @LotteHolder xx

i couldn't have gotten to where I am today without you.  ]

[gif made by voidmoriarty ]