Asylum

On Nico's past

"See, Nico, it's not so bad here." A girl's voice teased. I turned to see a very young Nico and an older girl that was clearly his older sister standing next to him.

They were in a brightly lit casino, filled with video games and food stands.

"It looks... Wonderful." Nico breathed, awed.

Nico was much shorter, and he wasn't wearing black at all. He had an olive green shirt and blue jeans on.

He looked like a regular kid.

"Let's go get some tokens and play for a while, okay?" His older sister smiled at him, and Nico practically lit up.

He loved his older sister with all his heart.

"Yeah!" Nico shouted, pumping his little fist in the air. His sister smiled and handed him some money, and Nico ran off to one of the machines.

He was immediately hooked on a motorcycling game, zooming left and right on the real life vehicle. His sister smiled as she watched him play, and she eventually went to one of the food stands and bought a drink.

The memory sped up, and I watched Nico play around the casino for hours as his sister walked and talked, smiling and greeting but still keeping an eye on Nico.

Eventually the scene slowed down, and Nico's sister walked outside momentarily to call someone.

That's where everything went terribly wrong.

Nico reached out to search for a token to use on the next game and suddenly realized he didn't have any left.

"Bianca!" He called, turning around to find her. Upon scanning the room and not finding her in the thinning crowd, he began to walk about.

The casino quieted when shouts were heard outside. People screamed when gunshots were heard. The front door slammed open and mass panic broke out when five men with ski masks and guns came through the doors.

"Everybody get down! No one moves!" The lead burglar shouted. People dropped down.

Nico's eyes were wide and full of panic as he dropped to the ground.

The scene sped up.

I watched as the gunmen shot anybody who went against them, brutally murdering person after person. Nico's eyes watered as he watched people lose their lives right in front of his eyes.

He was so young.

Through the fast forward I saw the gunmen get their money and leave, and shocked silence fall as people crowded around the wounded.

Nico pushed through the crowds and made it outside, his eyes full of unshed tears as he searched for his sister-

And froze.

His sister lay bleeding on the pavement outside, her phone halfway through dialing 911. Her hair was splayed around her like a dark halo, and her eyes were fluttering.

She was still alive.

"BIANCA!!" Nico shouted, beside her in a flash. She weakly brushed his cheek with a shaking hand as his tears fell on her face.

"I love you Nico." Bianca whispered. Nico wailed, burying his face in her chest.

"COME ON BIANCA! STAY WITH ME! PLEASE!" He shouted, wracked with sobs.

Everything faded away.

The flashback left me.

I found myself spread-eagled on the floor, looking up at Nico’s bare ceiling.