Page 33 of Psychological War

He made me forget my family.

But I can’t lose that. I lost my family, and I needed to get revenge for them. It was what got me through the days.

Except Zane consumed my every thought.

Pushing him from my brain, I yanked my front door open and slammed it shut. It was dark inside, and I didn’t want to bother with the light. My breathing was so heavy from running miles that I didn’t have a chance to realize someone else was inside.

Someone’s fist connected with my jaw, and blood immediately filled my mouth. I didn’t get a chance to look up or even put my arms up to block. The punches kept coming, and my face ached from the blows. Two different sets of hands grabbed both arms, holding me on my knees. My head hung down; I could barely keep my eyes open.

“I thought you’d have a bigger fight in you.” A deep voice that I wanted to forget reminded me of that night.

They dragged me through the glass. My back screamed in protest. Everything in me screamed in protest. Why were they doing this? What could a nine-year-old do to them? I could cry but my tiny body ached in ways I didn’t think I could. I stared blankly into the midnight skies, where everything looked peaceful. I called for peace.

Mama, Dada, my siblings, they were all gone. They left me. Now I was left here facing the monsters. Here I lay halfway off the steps leading to our house. Glass rammed into my back, my blood draining from my body. I had no fight left in me. I had nothing in me. I wanted to go back and find my family in the stars.

“Is she dead yet?” Orlando asked Remo. Remo was staring at me, while I laid there. I don’t know what he was thinking, or if he even cared what they had done. But he gave nothing away. His face had no emotions.

“Not yet.” His evil smile played on his face. It was a smile I could never forget, something people would have nightmares about. “Everything good to go?” he asked someone I couldn’t see.

“Yeah, Luca found it in the basement.”

Remo nodded.

I could hear the footsteps. I counted one, two, three… seven, and then Luca was eight.

I knew who Luca was. He was best friends with my father. Remo stayed above me. Making it nine. Nine names I would learn, nine faces I would never forget. Luca said something in Remo's ear that I could hear or make out.

But within thirty seconds of Luca walking away from me, walking away from what he had done, Remo grabbed the back of my head before slicing across my throat. I could feel the blood, I could feel my life leaving my body. My body fell down the steps.

Everything was peaceful…

“Do you know who I am?” He asked me to step closer. I could see his shiny black shoes now. I could barely see from the blood in my eyes, and the rage rushing into my veins. I hadn’t planned on seeing Remo yet. I had big plans for him, but now he was here in my own space.

I let my guard down, and now I was paying for it. I wanted to blame Zane, blame my anger getting the best of me. I rushed into killing Orlando. I wanted to blame it on everyone else, but the truth was I was just spiraling out of control, and now this looked like the end.

Slowly, ever so fucking slowly, I looked up, meeting Remo’s gaze. His eyes burned holes into my own.

“Who are you?” he asked. I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to scream so loud, but my brain was hurting from the pain of the punches they gave me. I felt weak, I felt weaker than I should have been.

“Okay, here’s the thing, little girl. I know you killed the others. I watched you kill Orlando. You honestly did me a favor, but from the looks of it I was next.” Remo began pacing back and forth in front of me. “But I won’t be next, because you’re going to tell me a few things. First things first, who are you?” he repeated his question.

I kept my mouth shut. I was good at that.

He nodded then I was hit with something on my back. My body launched forward, but I was quickly pulled back from the two holding onto my arms.

“Who are you?”

Nothing. He nodded again.

Bracing for the hit again, my side quickly burned from the electric stick.

Stay calm. You can do this,I reminded myself. It may have been years since I was tortured but I could. It was a mind game; the body could take a lot of pain. The thing was, though, you could trick your mind into believing you were okay.

I had to trick my mind.

I was okay.

This would not be the end. I just had to wait, and they would all see.

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