AXEL

Destruction

Kit wished for the freedom of feathery wings, her gaze followed the blackbirds flee from the path of destruction. Their cries of fear seeping into her bones, her fingernails digging into the palm of her hands like the talons that once perched on the branches.

She scoffed at the thought pushing the thorny branches out of her face, the limbs of the tree springing back to snag the yarn of her jumper. She could taste grit in her mouth, the swirl of blood coating her teeth and staining her lips. The world seemed to swallow her whole and spit her out.

The sunlight blinked through the thick canopy of leaves, the harsh glare reminding her of a helicopter's searchlight trying to catch her. The bitter wind tore through the woods, the debris dancing around her feet and her red hair stuck to the sweat on her forehead, curling along her hairline like flames as they fluttered in the breeze.

She skidded to a halt, resting her bound wrists against her thighs and she took in the air greedily like it was her last. Her bottom lip quivered, her whole body ached with every breath she took. She didn't have the luxury of resting for long before Axel hunted her down.

Her mother always said 'pain is power', Kit used that to push herself up and carry on. Kit could still feel her mother's nails digging into her arm, the nails scratching away at the surface to peel back all the memories she desperately sought to forget.

The mud coating her shins reminded her of the blood adorning the walls like a masterpiece of destruction. The ringing in her ears pierced through her like the bullet leaving the barrel of the gun.

"It's not blood, I'm not eight..." she mumbled over and over again as she stumbled through the woods.

Go to sleep little bird, the silky voice of her mother lulling her to sleep. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand to banish the memory. The clinking of the chain hitting the metal cuff sounded like the gun crashing into her teeth. She bit down on the chain to muffle her cries, tears mixing with the droplets of rain to trickle down her cheeks.

"No, no. She's already dead. It's just a fucked up hallucination," she groaned. Her fingers twisted in her jumper, her grip tightening to try and numb the pain.

Kit succumbed to the memories plaguing her. Darkness descended upon her, wrapping around to suffocate her with the days of her past.

Her bottom lip trembled as her small hands loaded the bullets into the gun, her mother shaking her to hurry up before they arrive. Red chipped nails sinking into her flesh as her mother said the same thing over and over again.

"You ruin him like he ruined me."

Kit pulled the safety off, the click echoing through the empty room. Her mother resembled the loaded gun, full of ammo to kill someone.

"You ruin him like he ruined me." It was the same tired line her mother scorched into her brain. Her family valued revenge more than blood, more than loyalty.

Her family had a knack, for ruining her.

Kit stared up at her mother, crimson lipstick smudged around her mouth and mascara running down her cheeks. A beautiful tragedy, smirking in the face of death.

She counted to two and shut her eyes, the sound of metal clinking against her mother's teeth. The nails sunk deeper into her skin, her eyes opening on the number three for her to see her mother pull the trigger.

Her mother a piece of work, a masterpiece of destruction. A bloody prize for love, Kit had seen how that desire could turn even the purest of people into a monster...her mother included.