A Beautiful Reflection From Firework Eyes

I'm The Killer Who Burned Your Home

A bit of backstory for y'all :)

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(One year ago)

They're coming for me, and I know it. I curse myself for being so stupid. How could I? It was just one stupid comment made by one stupid kid, and I lost control. I couldn't stop myself from showing them what a freak I actually was. Well, now I'm paying for it. Cause they're after me and I'm running out of time. I pace across my room, hearing Mama and Papa yelling downstairs.

"They're coming, aren't they?" That's Mama. "What do we do?"

"What is there to do?" Papa asks. "They'll take him."

"How long do we have?" Mike, my little brother, asks.

"Maybe an hour? We might be able to disappear if we leave now." Finally, I can't take it anymore. I reach under my bed, pulling out the backpack. I've been preparing for this day for so long. I knew that they would eventually find out and I would have to run. The cans clink together as I sling my backpack over my shoulder, taking one last look around my room. This might be the last time I ever see it. I take a deep breath, shutting the door behind me. I run to the landing, looking down at them. Mama and Papa look up at me.

"Don't, okay?" I say, my voice shaking. "I'm going to go."

"Don't be crazy, Vic," Papa says. "We're not letting you leave alone."

"You have to," I say. "I'm the one they're after. Not you."

"No," Mama says, but I cut her off.

"What are you going to do?" I ask. "They're almost here." As if summoned, I hear tires crunch on the gravel outside. There's a knock at the front door, the sound making my heart pound.

Everyone freezes as the knock sounds again, louder, more persistent this time.

"Open the door!" A voice shouts. "This is the police!"

"I have to go," I whisper, backing up. "They're gonna catch me if I don't."

Papa looks torn, but he pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Stay strong, okay? We'll hold them off."

Mama hugs me. She smells of lavender like she always does. I breathe in the familiar scent, knowing this might be the last time I ever see them. "Good luck," she whispers. "We love you. We will see you again. This is not goodbye."

Mike follows me to the backdoor as I hastily unlock it, stepping out into the sunlight. "Don't let them catch you, okay?" Mike says. "Just keep going. Stay strong. Promise me. I'll see you again."

I pull him in, hugging my little brother. "I will."

"You have no right to take our son from us!" Papa yells at the officer.

"Sir, we can and we will. He is a danger to everyone." The officer tries to push past but is blocked by Papa.

I take off into the night before they can see me. Tears run down my cheeks, but I brush them away as I slip into the forest, running into the night.

Little did I know that was the last time I ever saw them.

A few weeks later, I head back to the house. I scan my surroundings as I near it, stopping in surprise at the edge of the forest. The house is deserted, the doors boarded up, windows smashed. I twist the knob, surprised to find it unlocked and walk in as if I were in a trance. Everything was just as I had left it. A pot sat on the stove, something half-cooked inside. Books lay open on the tables. "Mama?" I call. "Papa? Mike?"

There's no response, just the eerie whistling of the wind through the drapes. They're gone. There is no trace of a struggle, no sign of blood. It's as if they've just disappeared, almost as if they were never here.

I kneel down in the empty living room, tears rolling down my cheeks as I look around one last time. They are gone. I'm truly all alone now.