Page 74 of Psychological War

Salem

Two months later

Theirscreamsechoedaroundthe house until it went silent. Lee stopped screaming first, then it was Emmy. Mama and Dada screamed some, but Dada mostly just cursed and yelled at the bad men. My lungs burned, and my throat was on fire from screaming so much. I had no more tears in me. Everything hurt.

Mama stopped screaming.

Dada began sobbing.

I couldn’t see what they were doing. They had me tied in the front room while they went into the kitchen.

Dada went silent.

I tried to calm my breathing. I knew what they were about to do. They were dead. Mama, Dada, Lee, my sister Emmy. They were all gone. Toby was gone.

My heart ached, and everything inside me was shutting down. Shutting off. I no longer wanted to feel anything.

Footsteps appeared behind me, but I had no energy to fight the rope that held me to the chair. I could only wish they would end me quickly.

I was tired of fighting.

I was so tired.

“Get rid of her.” That was Luca’s voice, I could tell.

“Leonzo, came and cut this bitch from the chair,” Remo ordered.

I tried lifting my head, but everything felt weak. My leg was cut badly. I don’t know how I survived that. I couldn’t survive much more; I wouldn’t make it.

I felt Leonzo cutting the rope around my untouched leg first before reaching around to my useless arms. The moment the rope let go my body fell to the ground. I wanted to yell in pain, but I barely felt it.

“Take the bitch outside,” Remo ordered someone near me. I didn’t have time to protest, to beg them to stop their attacks. Not before a hand grabbed the back of my hair flipping me onto my back.

Remo was staring at me. Finn and Donato were nowhere to be seen. Giulio and Orlando stood above my sister's dead body. Leonzo stood above my brother's body. I didn’t see Luca or Dante either.

Leonzo smirked before grabbing hold of my ankle and began dragging me.

Dragging me through glass. Glass that was now embedded into my back. I couldn’t scream or feel or do anything. I just wanted to finally be back with my family.

“SALEM!” a girl screamed. Jolting awake, my heart beat against my ribcage. My skin felt clammy, and the pounding in my head pressed against my eye socket, ready to burst at any moment.

“Salem,” someone said next to me. Not wanting to look over, I shook my head instead, climbing to my feet. I rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

I didn’t want to deal with Aziza. Ever since the accident she had become overbearing. Hanging around every minute, always checking on me. Even to the point she had begun to sleep over, stopped her dancing, and tried to take care of me.

I didn’t want it.

I didn’t want any of this.

It had been two months since he left.

Left me in the hospital, telling me I was nothing but a fuck to him. A lousy one at that. It shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. Still did.

Everything about us suddenly made sense, on why he “cared” so fast. I was truly just a warm body to him. I was nothing. It hurt almost as much as losing my entire family. It was why I never told them what happened. They would have used it against me, against Aziza. I couldn’t let that happen.

Closing my eyes I pushed everything aside and climbed into the shower. Not bothering to fix the temp, it climbed and climbed until I knew my skin was burning. But the heat was much better to deal with than any feelings I didn’t want.

Stepping from the shower, I brushed my hair and teeth before returning to my room. Aziza was no longer in sight. Going straight to my closet I pulled on a pair of leggings, a large sweatshirt, and my flat combat boots. Grabbing my keys I headed downstairs.