CHAPTER 16
THE HELL MADE AND THE FIANL SHOT
The Dark creeps inside my mind again, and so does this town. I hope this will end soon. I open my eyes slowly, and this time, the sight is different; there is no more dark orange on the lamb inside the cabin. We are outside in the true darkness, together in the mature nature. I still see my surroundings because of the moonlight shining brightly in the center of my head. My head hurts for the second time, but this time, I can feel the sticky wet on the back of my head. My vision is more hazy than ever, but the only one that is clear to me is the man who is captured, kneeling on his knees with blood covering the entire half of his face.
Zygmunt?
I blink my eyes harshly enough to focus on the image before me. It's him.
Thud.
Welton hits him in the face, and I see Zygmunt's face clearly when Welton pulls his hair up. Then, I see Zygmunt smile, the devil's smile that irritates the two men.
Zygmunt, look at me. Don't you dare give up
I stare at him and try to free myself from the tied rope on my wrist behind my back. Again.
"You hit like a baby who was just born," Zygmunt says, splitting the blood out.
"At least I know after this—you won't be born again," Welton says, "You know I've been waiting for this—for two years of my life, wasting my time trying to pray for god that you would live—so I could be the one who makes you go back to hell and never crawling back here again, and I don't even believe in god—but now perhaps, god brings you to me to face the real death—" Thud. And Welton hits him again, "You don't deserve to die in the war by some stranger enemies—No, no. You deserve to die terribly by my own hand, Batant. After you killed my brother!" Welton pulls the trigger and pushes it against his right temple.
"You're wrong," I say,
And then, the three of them turn their face to me.
"Zia," Zygmunt calls my name.
"I–"
"No, Zia," Zygmunt's eyes are begging for me.
"What?" Welton pushes his gun again to Zygmunt's head. The Killer walks to me, stroking my head, and pulls my head up to Welton. "Speak,"
"I was the one who—killed your little brother," I say,
"Ha—don't be ridiculous. Don't waste my time, buying my special time."
"I crushed his face," I say again. Welton halts the trigger; I look at Zygmunt, who is shaking his head lightly to tell me to stop. "I crushed your little brother with his own helmet," I say,
"No," Zygmunt says, "I was the one—"
"Shut the fuck up!" Welton shouts, breathes in, and exhales, "Do you know who you are playing with?" he asks, "bring her here," he orders the Killer, but he is hesitant, "Now!" Welton shouts again. The Killer grabs my hands from behind to pull me up and, pushes me to him and pushes me down on my knees in front of Zygmunt. His face is directly at me.
"Ha, Zygmunt," I say lightly as I want him to feel my arms hugging him. Zygmunt squirms himself to be closer; his face touches my shoulder, and suddenly Welton pulls him back.
"How about we play the game? You tell me the truth, and I will tell you the truth." He pauses, takes the bullet out from his pants, and puts them on the bullet holes. "Who lies, pow!" he says, making the sound at the end.
"Everything will be alright," Zygmunt whispers as I look at him, and my tears are running up. I hope I won't cry so I can see him, his beautiful, handsome face until that time comes.
"I think I'll go first—Genevieve Serafinne, your beautiful mother was very famous in beauty and drew every man in her life even though she already had a lover named Keeth, who was always there for her but couldn't count on him when it was the time of death. The first candidate, Jake Oskar—was falling for her beauty and her idea of seeing life. The second candidate, Emily Oskar—the wife of the first candidate, found out the true emotion of her husband and herself, that they both were falling deeply and madly in the emotion for the same person."
"Ha," I bite my lower lip, and I can feel that Tytas must feel uneasy, the same way I do if I knew where he is now.
"The third candidate, Paul Vanderbilt—the best partner in crime for the Oskar family and creates the real meaning of frenemies. Her beauty also attracted hi, but that wasn't the real reason since the beauty had known the top secret of Vanderbilt, which I wish I knew but I don't," he sighs, "So all of them ordered someone to do something awful—and who might that be—" He smiles, "me!" he screams, "Sound familiar?" he laughs, "if that Vik boy is here must be the full cycle of tragedy, hahahaha," he looks at me and grabs my face away from Zygmunt.
"Don't touch her!"
And then Welton turns his face to the man, whom he has ignored for the past half hour. "I almost forgot that you here, Tytas boy," Welton says, looking at the man who is tied up to the tree not too far from where we stand.
"Now you—tell me some facts—then I'll keep going."
I shift my eyes to Zygmunt, "I saw—some bikers more than ten—cornered one person. What some dog behavior I had ever seen,"
"Hmpt," Welton makes the sound,
"One of them stabbed the victim and was about to stab him again. The urge to help the victim was rising in my body. I got in between and grabbed a weapon nearest to my hand. I took it and hit that person in the head. He fell, and I hit him again and again and again—and again." I shift my eyes to Welton, "I crashed that person's head." I see his white eyes are about to explode. "And in the morning, the news came—he died. The victim I helped he lived—" and my gaze turns back to the man before me, "And then he was gone—left me to face the karma I had created. Half a year later, as I always do, I was with my mother in her room so she could comb my hair and braid me the beautiful one." Then, I turn my eyes to the Killer beside me, "How about you play with us—Valcom Mitcher, "I call him, making Welton and the person who owns the name stunned. "She kept me in the closet as if she knew what would happen next. I saw a man in black, climbing into her room, fighting, grabbing, pulling, and then—the sound screamed out—not her sound, not his sound. It was the gun sound—I smelt the gunpowder all over the room. And I was wondering—it was because I took a person's life who was important to someone, and god did the same to me. And it was you, Valcom Mitcher; there was no god." I say slowly, persistently like a fucking melody along with the wind.
They're present in their silence.
"Wow—Valcom, you left the witness—" Welton finally says something.
The Killer stays silent, losing his grip on my head,
"I would not regret—going back and doing the same." I look straight into Zygmunt's eyes,
"Ha," Welton's about to get crazy,
"To save someone I love—I only regret that we hadn't spent our lives together during two years apart," I say as the confession to the man before me.
"Zia—" Zygmunt says lightly, and then Welton moves his gun from Zygmunt to my forehead instead, "No, It was me," he says,
"That's enough!" Welton shouts,
"You crashed him, but I killed him," Zygmunt pauses as he softens his eyes, "After you got back home, I went after him—and finished it."
"What…" I say lightly,
"I couldn't stand the idea that they would come back for you—he saw your face. So I did what I did. I'm sorry, Zia," Zygmunt says, "I was wrong—I thought it would end, then I left. Oh, baby, I wouldn't ever leave you in that position, and I would be holding you along the way."
Then my tears run down,
"Hmpt—hmpt, so your karma was right, pretty. You did what you did, and you got what you did. Your mother's death—but not by my hand—but I don't care since you deserve what you have done. Thinking of it, you're pretty little evil, aren't you?" Welton pulls Zygmunt away from me again, "You guys are hell made for each other, very well," Then his eyes change, "Since you lovers can't be apart, why don't you just be in the grave together, consider the gift from me." he says then sends the sign to Valcom.
Valcom grabs my arms and drags me away from Zygmunt, "You shithead, don't fucking touch her!" Zygmunt growls and Welton kicks him, and his face hits the dirt, "Ha—I kill you! I fucking Kill you!" Zygmunt shouts from the ground, "Ah—" Then Welton presses his right foot on Zygmunt's back, grounding him not to move and aiming the gun over his head.
"NO!" I cry after seeing the gun at him again. Valcom drags me and throws me aggressively and pulls out his knife; he grabs me up to sit and face the horror scene, "—NO," I say. Valcom points the sharpest point to my neck as I witness—Zygmunt is going to be killed. "Ha—No—"
"Don't! HA—Fuck DON'T!" Zygmunt looks at me without any blinks. Even the dirt is covering his eyes, "Please—Don't kill her," he begs,
"Hah, what d'you say? Did I hear correctly?"
"Please—I beg you, kill me is enough, spare her," Zygmunt begs,
"No," I say lightly and try to go for him, ignoring the knife that slightly pushes right inside my skin. Valcom pulls me back instantly,
"Zygmunt Batant begs—I can't believe what I have heard," Welton says, then he puts the gun against his head; his face is almost dug inside the dirt. "Beg beautifully, and I consider."
You disgusting shithead!
"Zygmunt, no," I say to him, "You can't die," I say it again. "I can't bear to lose you again—please," I beg,
"I can't bear seeing you die with me." Zygmunt says softly and slightly smiles, "I deserve it but not you…my baby Zia." he says,
"How lovely," Welton says, "To be honest, it depends on him—" he looks at the man beside me, "You left the witness, bro—it's her—you can slash her throat if you want."
"Kill me if you want," I say, "finish what you started," I say carelessly,
"This girl, hahaha, I love her," Welton laughs. Then you should know before you leave the earth. The one who was behind your mother's death—It's Emily Oskar," he says with a smile.
"Ha—" Then I slightly shift my eyes to Tytas as he looks right through me and avoids my eyes. However, I notice the strange shadow behind the tree, behind Tytas, and then I see the blonde exposed in the dark.
"How funny, right?" Welton says, ready to pull the trigger, "It's time—" he says as he looks at Zygmunt.
"Zygmunt!" I scream, then I breathe in the long, deep way, "kill me," I say to Valcom.
"Fucking kill me…Please," I say lightly, and I feel his breath sighs away through my ear. He moves the knife closer to the front neck as the blood has already run before.
I look at Zygmunt deeply.
"No, please—I beg you—I beg you, let her go!!" Zygmunt says,
"Hmpt, let her go," Then Welton says lightly.
"No," I say,
"Keep your eyes on me, eyes on me, Zia, Zia, my love, eyes on me," I look at him even deeper, but how can I? That fucker can pull any trigger on his head. "Keep looking at me…yes, on me—you're with me." He says with his smile, his smile is ready to face the end. He keeps locking eyes on me into my eyes even though I'm a mess. My eyes are full of anger and madness but not his; his silver strikes with calm, and the thunder in his eyes soothes me more than the steady lake. His smile is ready. My tears are running down like a river, but not as calm as his. "I'm with you, my Zia, I'm with you,"
"Please,"
"It's okay," He says, "let her go," he says to Welton, but his eyes are still on me, "let her go," he repeats; then, Valcom slowly cuts the rope on her wrist behind her back. Valcom's close to my back; cutting the rope must be easy for him, but he takes his time. For the fucking first time, I would like to be tied and sit here with him. I couldn't be free if I knew what would happen to him. I would rather die with him right here, right now. "Go…" Zygmunt says as if he knows what I'm thinking. "I love you, Letizia, and always will be, in hell or heaven or even if there's nothing there beyond this—I will and always love you and be with you, in any shape or form," he says with a smile.
"Ha, hic—hic. I love you, Zygmunt," I say, and I forget that there is a shadow behind my body who frees me as I feel something in my hand. His breath and lips move quietly behind my ear.
"Run," Valcom says,
But I don't want to; I slowly walk out with a fogging mind and try to look back at Zygmunt, "Don't!" Zygmunt stops me, "Don't look back, just go, my baby,"