“You’re the beginning,” she tells him, voice steady as steel. “Tonight, you’ll serve your penance, but you won’t be alone. No, this is just the appetizer.”
I can feel the atmosphere crackling with energy, the thrill of anticipation igniting a fire deep within my being. The idea of gathering them all—the family who looked down upon her like she was beneath them—sent chills down my spine. This wouldn’t just be a night of retribution; it would be an awakening.
“Let’s make this memorable,” I whisper excitedly, leaning toward Calista and sharing her fervor. “Let them see you, hear you. And then let’s watch them squirm.”
Calista’s grin widens in agreement, revealing the depths of her exhilaration. She raises the knife yet again, grazing it over Gunnar’s chest, tracing patterns through the bloodied fabric. “Give me your phone,” she demands, her voice sharp as the steel in her hand.
“You think I’m going to help you?” Gunnar rasped, his voice hoarse and strained.
She presses the blade harder into his chest, just enough to make him gasp. “You’re going to help me. I’ll sever your windpipe next if you make this difficult.”
With what little strength he has left, he slumps his shoulders in defeat. “It’s in my back pocket,” he mutters, just loud enough for her to hear.
“Good boy,” Calista coos, withdrawing the knife with a sickening satisfaction.
She retrieves the phone, holding it like a trophy as she navigates through his contacts, each name a ghost of their shared past.
“Who shall we summon first?” I ask, eyes glimmering with excitement.
Calista scrolls, a wicked gleam in her eye. “My parents are the last ones."
I approach Gunnar, squatting beside him to whisper taunts. “Soon, the world will become your stage. You wanted theatrics? Trust me, you’ll fucking get them—unlike anything you could’ve ever imagined.”
He struggles against his bindings, his face a mask of rage and desperation, which only intensifies my amusement. Calista chuckles softly, eyes still glued to the phone, the anticipation thick enough to slice through.
“Gunnar,” she purrs, “have you ever experienced the exhilaration of knowing your fate rests in the hands of someone you considered inferior? That’s what tonight is for you—a fucking awakening. I’ll relish every moment of your fear,” Calista murmurs, her eyes glinting with the promise of sweet vengeance.
And so we begin the evening's hunt, two entwined souls forging a dark path. The laughter of our victims would ring in our ears long after the night came to a close. This was just the beginning, and together, we would unleash a tempest of retribution.
Out of nowhere, Cali turns into the badass that I always knew she was and begins stabbing Gunnar wildly, blood spurting and splattering all over her, me, and the walls of the warehouse. She doesn't stop either. She keeps stabbing him, slicing him, and twisting the knife hard and deep. Gunnar's screams are loudly echoing in the empty warehouse.
As the darkness of the evening thickens, I can't help but wonder: Would the world ever be the same once we were done? Would anyone recognize the girl I once knew, the one who used to hide in the shadows, hoping to go unnoticed? The one whose laughter had been drowned out by ridicule, whose spirit had been broken by their cruelty? Calista was gone—the vengeful phoenix rising from the ashes of torment had taken her place, and in this newfound brutality, I was beginning to see beauty unfold.
Calista's blade was relentless, glistening like a demented star in the dim light, mesmerizing in its erratic dance, while Gunnar’s cries morphed into a grotesque symphony of anguish. The blood painted our canvas, each drop a stroke of release, a catharsis laying bare the boundaries of our pain and rage. It enveloped us, the heady aroma fueling my own sinister hunger for destruction.
“More, Cali, more!” I shouted, my own voice cracking with glee as I wrapped my fingers around the handle of her knife, sharing the sensation of power coursing from its blade.
Together, we transformed this shop of horrors into our inferno, a place where vengeance could reign supreme. Gunnar's face twisted in disbelief as he tried to comprehend the betrayal at our hands.
“You… you’re both fucking monsters!” His voice was barely above a whisper, choked by the reality of our combined wrath.
"Monsters? Oh, you have no idea." Calista snarled, pulling back for one powerful thrust that buried the knife deep into his abdomen, her eyes locking onto his, her expression a mix of feral joy and pure exhilaration. “But tell me, whose monster am I?”
I leaned forward, my breath tickling her ear, whispering dark flourishes of encouragement. “You’re ours now, Cali. The world never deserved you; it only helped shape you into this glorious force. Keep going; let them know who you are.”
With each lunge, Gunnar's body sagged, the chains creaking and groaning under the weight of his defeat. I could see the fight slipping from him as life ebbed away, the light in his eyes flickering like a dying candle. And with every ounce of his energy that faded, I felt Calista breathe deeper, more fervently, as if feeding off his despair.
“Call your parents, Cali,” I urged, hypnotized by the chaotic beauty before me. “Let them hear his last breaths. Let them know what they wrought.”
Grinning maniacally, Calista released the knife, letting it stay embedded as she retrieved the phone, thumb hovering over the screen. “Hold on, let’s get a picture,” she breathed, framing the scene so perfectly—the broken was right beside her, the blood-soaked memories blooming like flowers around us.
“Smile, Gunnar,” I chortled, snapping a quick pic that would send chills down anyone who bore witness to it. “You’re about to be a fucking star.”
The tension thickened, an electric charge in the air as she pressed call, the signal crackling through the warehouse.I can just imagine her parents’ faces when they answer, the abruptness of reality crashing down upon them like a hammer.
As the phone rang, each chime resonated with the finality of fate. "This will be their wake-up call," I warned, the corners of my mouth edging up in excitement.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end was composed, but I could sense the undercurrent of concern. My pulse quickened; I was ready for the reveal.