Short Stories

It Was Us

CATEGORY: HORROR
(FYI: Ezio is pronounced et-si-oh)

"Why can't you understand that nobody loves you?"

"Why don't you realize you're not wanted?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Why don't you find someone else to pester?"

"What don't you understand about go away?"

"Leave me alone."

"Go kill yourself."

"I'm going to murder you."

"You're a nobody."

Nobody. Nobody.

The day's words circulated around Naomi's mind. Every day, the same words. Every day, more hate. Every day since she was little, people have expressed their hate towards her. It's like she's everyone's punching bag. She's always met with the bombs and blows of everyone else's life. Nobody wondered how she was. Nobody cared.
Not one person.
Nobody.

She arrived home and sighed, flopping onto her bed. 
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked her dog, Ezio.  He whined and ran to her, licking her shoes. She laughed and picked him up, snuggling him to her chest. 
"You're the only person that cares about me," she laughed and sighed sadly, "Oh well."
Ezio jumped from her arms and ran down the hallway. He descended the stairs into the basement while Naomi followed. 
"Ezio?" she called, "What are you doing?"
He was sitting in the middle of the cold concrete floor, staring happily up at her. 
"Ezio, you know dad will get mad if he finds out we were down here." Ezio barked. "You're right. If he finds out. But," she sat on the leather sofa and switched the TV on, "dad's never home. He'll never know."
Ezio barked and jumped onto the couch with Naomi and fixed his eyes on the TV. Some random show was on about occults and satanic worshiping. 
"This is a little strange," Naomi cringed at all the blood on the screen, "what if we found-"

"Now, they'll never mess with me again. They'll see. They'll all see."

Naomi froze and stared intently at the show, fixated on every word said.

"You're insane."
"Why's that?"
"You literally sold your soul to keep people from messing with you. Why didn't you just consult a counselor or something?"
"Because counselors hate me too."
"Nobody hates you."
"Everybody hates me."
"I don't hate you," her sister stepped closer to her.
"That's a lie and you know it," the main character hissed, stepping towards her sibling.
"No, that's a lie," her sister laughed in disbelief, "I love you. You're the closest thing I have to family."
"Weare family."
"W-we are, yes."
"So why didn't you just call me your family?"
"I-"
"I knew it. You do hate me."
"No, I don't. Listen to me, I don't-" she was cut off by a knife tearing the flesh over her gut.
"Pathetic." Tear. "Useless." Slash. "Fraud." Stab. Stab. Stab. Sta-

"Okay," Naomi chuckled awkwardly, turning the TV off, "Sorry you had to see that, Ezio. Let's go get dinner."
She ran up the stairs, escaping the darkness withheld in the basement. She shut the door tight and made her way to the kitchen, humming a cheery tune to herself. 
"You want microwave pizza, Ezio?" she asked. Ezio jumped into a chair and barked happily. 
"Me too," she smiled to herself. She knew her dad was away. She hadn't had a mom since she was 5. She was used to being by herself. 

After microwave pizza and happy movies upstairs, Naomi and Ezio tucked into bed. He fell asleep within minutes. He always did. Naomi patted his head, turned on her side, and fell into a deep sleep.