The Brothers

Avelina

"Dad! What's happening?" My body froze in place as the chilling scene unfolded before me, blood painting the floor.

The intruders showed no regard for their victims, callously shooting anyone in their path. By their actions, it seemed as if they were on a hunt, treating these human beings as nothing more than prey. Everyone around us was falling lifeless, to the ground, every second, a body was dropping on the floor— shot dead.

Those who had tried to shift mid-air were shot dead too— With a barrage of bullets ripping through their bodies, tearing flesh and shattering bones.

Oh no....

"I...I don't know," Dad's voice trembled as he fumbled for his concealed weapon, his hands shaking, "I need to find a safe place for you."

"Ezekiel, what the fuck is happening? Didn't you comply with their demands?" Luca, a close friend of my father, rushed towards us. He maneuvered through the hail of bullets.

"I did, the deal was sealed. I have no idea who these individuals are," Dad exclaimed frantically, "We are not even prepared. Where are the others? Did they manage to escape?"

"Escape?" Luca's bitter laughter mingled with the chaos. "They're all damn dead. Look around you, they were gunned down like defenseless prey by these vipers. Tell me, Ezekiel, did you back out of the deal?"

"No, God, no! I accepted it without a word! Why else would she be here?" Worry etched deep lines on my dad's forehead, his voice trembling. "Something's amiss. These people, they're not sent by him. They're someone else's pawns."

"What deal, Dad? What are you two talking about?" I asked, my wariness mounting. "Are you involved in something dangerous?"

"Avelina, this is not the time for that discussion. We'll address it later," Dad interjected curtly.

"We need to get out of here, quickly. Otherwise—" Luca began to speak, however, his words were abruptly halted by a deafening gunshot that pierced through the furor of screams and shouts.

Blood splattered across the side of my face, freezing me in terror. My gaze fixated on Luca's lifeless body, his form crumpling to the floor. A bullet had mercilessly been shot to pierce the back of his skull, exiting through the center of his forehead.

My trembling hand rose, drawn to the warmth and stickiness on my cheek. As I touched the blood, the vivid hue stained my fingertips, tracing a path of red that slowly cascaded down.

He was dead...

He. Was. Dead.

"Hello, Alpha Ezekiel," one of the intruders, appearing to be in charge of the rest of these monsters, seemingly aware of my father's true identity, taunted with a chilling tone. "Happy Forty-Seventh birthday! How did you enjoy the surprise gift?"

The man's face appeared ordinary, resembling any other passerby on the street. Yet, a twisted amusement danced in his eyes as he observed my father's bewildered expression. Something was unsettling about him.

I could see, he wielded authority over the armed men standing behind him like emotionless automatons, clutching heavy machine guns. However, it became clear to me that he was not the one truly in control. I didn't know how I knew it, but I just knew it—he too was someone else's puppet. Someone much more powerful and dangerous.

"Who are you?" Dad asked, dropping his gun as he took a cautious step back. I noticed his claws slowly pushing their way through his skin, emerging from the crevices of his gums. He was on the verge of shifting.

"Don't even think about shifting, buddy. These bullets," he sneered, a smile spreading across his face, "Are crafted from pure silver. And my aim never falters, especially when I'm targeting the heart."

Dad stood there, his senses heightened.

"I see you are wise enough to choose carefully. So, this must be... your daughter," his gaze shifted towards me, his eyes filled with an unsettling familiarity. "The artist right? Miss Avelina. Delighted to make your acquaintance."

His knowledge of details about both my father and me sent shivers down my spine. This was far from good.

"Anyways, would you two mind coming here? We have got no time to waste."

"Who are you? What the hell do you want?" Despite the fear crawling up my insides, I demanded. My voice cut through the tense air.

If I was gonna die, I wasn't gonna do it like a coward.

It didn't seem like he was going to let any of me and my father get out of here alive. His ruthless massacre of innocent lives, without a shred of remorse, had already proved what kind of being he was.

"I'm afraid I may not be authorized to disclose our true intentions because that might ruin the fun. However, it appears that you both possess quite the audacity so let me summon those responsible for both of your fates," he chuckled, diverting his attention to one of his guards and whispering instructions. The guard swiftly departed, leaving us once again under his watchful gaze.

"Boys, bring them here," he commanded.

Following his order, two armed men approached us, forcefully dragging us to the center of the room. I watched in disbelief as one of them carelessly kicked aside the lifeless bodies, making room for us. The cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of our necks, a chilling reminder that any sudden movement could prove fatal.

There was no escape left for us.

"Well, I guess I can at least introduce myself to you. I am Jaskier," He said, "I am in charge of this assignment as you two must have figured out till now. I mostly do the heavy work for Alpha Dante and Matteo. It's nice to get to know you."

"Dante and Matteo?" Those names fell off my dad's lips in surprise, it was lower than a whisper.

"You know them, Dad?" I asked.

Before any of us could speak another word, I heard footsteps. Heavy footsteps approached us, unfamiliar, and as the individuals got closer and closer, an ashy smell spread throughout the house. It was weird, how familiar their blood smelt and the aura was. Strangely fascinating.

The closed door swung open, revealing two men who walked in. Tall and strangely calm, however, the sound of each of their steps made my heart beat ten times faster. Their presence instilled fear within me. It was really strange.

My gaze was fixated on the man on the right. He wore a plaid white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, paired with black jeans. His skin bore a perfect balance between tanned and pale, and his jet-black hair cascaded in loose curls. A sadistic smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his eyes locked onto my father, radiating a distinct amusement. Then, his gaze shifted towards me, and I caught his lips part, perhaps in a fleeting moment of recognition.

As my gaze shifted, I took in the man standing next to him. The first thing that caught my attention was his piercing grey eyes, identical to the other man's. My eyes then fell upon the gold chain adorning his neck, complementing his cool-toned complexion. He wore a sleek black shirt and well-fitted slacks. His hair, unlike the other man's, had a wavy texture, chestnut brown in colour, harmonising seamlessly with his skin tone.

Both men possessed sharp, distinctive features, and it was evident that they shared a resemblance, hinting that they were somewhat related.

"Long time no see, brother," the man on the right spoke.

My breath caught in my throat, struggling to stifle the gasp that threatened to escape.

Brother?

These two were my father's brothers?!

What the fuck?! They bore no resemblance to my father, neither in their features nor in their apparent age.

"Dante," The name fell off of my dad's lips, his wide eyes betraying a deep recognition that spanned years.

"Ah, so you do recognize us," Matteo, the man on the left, chimed in, a note of amusement lacing his words. "Impressive."

Dante's attention shifted to me. "So, this must be Avelina," he remarked, his tone filled with a chilling familiarity. "Your daughter, the product of your union with Jennifer, before you decided to—"

"What do you both want?" my father interjected urgently as if he couldn't bear to hear another word but the fact that these people knew about my mother was chilling.

"Nothing more than your life, brother," Matteo replied, his voice eerily calm. He inspected the lifeless bodies strewn around, as though searching for any lingering signs of life. "Is that okay?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit too lively? Should I shoot it once more just to be certain it's dead?" Dante kicked one of the bodies, a man whose face I recognized—Vicky, one of my father's closest friends and longtime business partner.

"Must we waste another bullet? Bullets are quite costly these days," Matteo replied, clicking his tongue disapprovingly as he glanced back at his brother.

Their insensitive conversation left a bitter taste in my mouth, a growing disgust for their lack of regard for human life. They spoke of these people as if they were mere objects.

"I have other ways," Dante smirked, his lips curling into a malicious grin. At that moment, I glimpsed the depths of his depravity— Evil and venomous darkness, sown deep. My earlier assumption, that he might exhibit even the slightest hint of consideration, shattered as I realized he had no qualms about inflicting further pain on a man who had already endured the agony of three bullets tearing through his body, trapped in a state of suffering without the solace of death's release.

In Dante's hand, there was a sharp dagger in his hand that he pulled out from his pocket.

"I haven't had the chance to use it in a while," he mused, his finger lightly grazing the sharp edge of the blade. "Perhaps it's time to put it to good use."

I heard Vicky muster the tiniest, 'please', silently begging him to spare him but it only seemed to increase the amusement in Dante's eyes and the very next moment, he took that dagger and stabbed him, directly into his chest, over and over plunging it into his chest, punctuating the air with sickening thuds as he mercilessly stabbed him to death.

Blood splattered across his face, however, he seemed like the one to prefer it that way.

Matteo's sinister enjoyment mirrored that of his brother, his eyes alight with a sick satisfaction.

When Dante finally finished his brutal assault, he stood up, casually wiping the blood from the dagger on his pants before nonchalantly returning it to his pocket.

"Woah, It was nice imagining you there instead of your dear friend, brother," Dante taunted, his gaze turning to my father. The calmness that had once resided in his eyes had now been replaced by a seething fury, "Only if I could kill you that way!"

"You pieces of shit!" I shouted, I couldn't hold it all in anymore, "Who do you think you are? You invade a gathering, mercilessly taking innocent lives, and act as if you have some twisted right over us? If you truly had the courage, you would have confronted us alone instead of hiding behind your motherfucking guards who apparently do all the heavy work for you I can see. The truth is, both of you are nothing more than fucking cowards!"

"Avelina, stop this. Do not do this," My dad attempted to silence me, however, the man holding him at gunpoint forced him to remain still, effectively stifling any further interference.

Matteo, unaffected by my defiance, chuckled at my outburst. "Oh, a fiery spirit, just like your father."

I glared back at him— I wanted to kill him. Tear him into pieces and scatter this body of his in the form of just flesh and bones, "Fuck off, you pieces of shit. I don't give a damn if you kill me, I am not afraid," I spat, "But trust me, these innocent lives you have just taken. You will pay for it. You will fucking pay for it!"

"Seriously, what world are you even living in? Innocent people?" Dante looked at me in disbelief and amusement, before he shifted his attention to his brother, "Handle her, Matteo. I have no patience for delusional fools like her."

Matteo's expression twisted into a mock display of pity as he regarded me, "I'm afraid I have no interest in enlightening her either."

"You bastards....you fucking sons of a—" Before I could finish my sentence, the sound of a bullet being fired cut through the air, followed by a pained loud groan tearing from my dad's throat.

My gaze shot in my father's direction, eyes wide in horror and a gasp escaping my lips as I saw the blood spilling from the now-fresh wound beneath his chest. I spotted the gun in Matteo's hand, who had just shot my dad without a second thought.