CONTENT WARNING: This story contains depictions of graphic violence.

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Charles stood in the doorway, his fingers tapping the revolver on his hip. The smell of blood lingered in the air, mixed with the stench of urine. The light of the setting sun shone through the filthy windows, washing the already red scene before him in an eerie, crimson light. He counted three bodies strewn about the room, all with an unholy amount of stab wounds in each – one woman, and two young boys. A weak, pitiful groan sounded from beside him, and when he looked down, he saw a fourth body, but this one was moving. 

Nelson. Blood and piss pooled beneath him, his clothes barely clinging to his body in tatters. He lifted a hand, pulling on Charles’ pant leg as his head hung. 

“I left him for you,” a sinister voice spoke from further into the room. Charles looked up, and Nelson’s friend, Reece, stepped out from the shadows in the back of the room, a large, dripping knife in his hand. He looked back down at Nelson, and pulled his revolver from its holster, aiming at his head and pulling the trigger without ceremony. 

The bang echoed through the house, and Nelson slumped, his hand letting go of Charles’ pants. Gritting his teeth, he looked up to address Reece. “Why?” 

“Why?” Reece let out a hearty laugh, wiping the blade on his filthy sleeve, which didn’t seem to do much at all. “I thought you’d be thanking me.” 

“You killed his family.” 

“What do you care? You wanted him dead, he’s dead!” He turned to spit on Nelson’s wife’s corpse. “Who gives a shit about his whore wife and bastard sons?” 

Charles thumbed the mechanism of his revolver, never taking his eyes off of Reece. “Don’t make me ask again.” 

Reece rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? I’ve done what I came to do, you’ve done what you came to do. Let’s both leave and be happy this mess is behind us, aye?” 

He took a step forward towards Charles, but Charles raised his gun, pointing it at Reece’s head and cocking the mechanism. “Nay.” 

Reece threw his bloodied hands in the air, laughing heartily. “Remind me never to take your side again.” 

“Why did you kill them?” Charles shouted, readjusting his grip on the revolver as it became slick with sweat. 

“Alright, alright, sheesh. You know, you’re gonna think I’m so petty for this,” he chuckled, lowering his hands. “Nelson just had this perfect life, you know? Always flaunting it in my face, telling me how lucky he was to have such an amazing wife and a budding family, I was just so… So fucking pissed every single time. I mean, imagine being reminded day after day after day that someone has a far better life than you? It’s enough to drive anyone mad, I tell you.” 

“You killed them out of jealousy?” 

“See, told you that you’d think I’m—” 

Another gunshot rang through the house, and Reece gasped, dropping like a sack of meat and slamming into the ground as blood flowed from the bullet wound in his gut. Charles holstered the smoking revolver, slowly walking past Reece as he gasped for air, desperately clawing at his chest, his blood mixing with the blood of the family he murdered. He kneeled beside the corpse of Nelson’s wife, gently lifting her hand and grasping it with both of his, hanging his head. 

“Lorelei,” he whispered, a tear running down his cheek. “I should’ve been there for you.” 

He remained there for some time, blocking out the sounds of gasping and struggling behind him, just holding Lorelei’s cold, limp hand in his own, gazing down at her peaceful face. Finally, he stood, turning and staring at Reece’s flailing body. 

“You know, Reece,” he drawled, crouching down by Reece and pulling his knife out of the scabbard once more, “if you hadn’t used that fucking mouth of yours to defile my sister’s corpse, maybe I would’ve shot you in the head.” He brought the knife down, spearing it through Reece’s shoulder, and he let out a soundless scream, writhing in pain. “I’m going to cut your teeth out of your disgusting mouth. All thirty-two of them. Let’s see how much spitting and insulting you can do without them, hm?”