Chapter 1

Ruby's POV

I heard the gunshot before I saw them fall. My feet wouldn’t move. My heart thundered as my mouth went dry with horror. When I finally looked up, I saw the lifeless bodies of my parents lying on the ground of our living room. Blood pooled around them, and their eyes stared blankly ahead.

“NO!" I screamed. "Mom! Dad!"

I tried to run toward them, but rough hands grabbed me.

“Let me go!” I screeched, struggling against the grip that held me back. The man’s fingers dug into my arms as he yanked me away. I twisted and kicked but it was useless.

“Mom! Dad!” I screamed again, but they didn’t move. They couldn’t move.

And then I saw him. Jason. My Jason.

He stood there, next to his father with the cruelest smile I’d ever seen on his face. It was a twisted and malicious thing. Jason, the boy I trusted. The boy I thought loved me.

“What is this?” I asked. "Jason, answer me!"

Jason didn’t answer. He just looked at me, his lips curving upward as if this was some kind of sick game to him. His father laughed beside him, patting his son's back.

“Why are you doing this?” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “Why?”

Jason finally stepped forward, his boots thudding against the floor. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of me.

“You’re so naive, Ruby,” he murmured. Raising a hand, he caressed my cheek. "Stupid girl."

I flinched at his touch. “Jason... we were....”

“We were nothing,” he interrupted.

I shook my head, trying to understand. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. Just hours ago, I’d been excited about my sixteenth birthday. I thought it would be the best day of my life. Jason had promised me a surprise, something special.

I had no idea the surprise would be finding my parents dead.

I choked back a sob as I remembered. I’d met Jason two years ago at a café near my school. He was older by five years, but he was charming. He made me feel seen, made me feel special.

And now he was standing in front of me, laughing at my pain.

“Boss, we found it!” Someone called out behind me.

I turned my head and saw one of Jason’s men holding a file. He handed it over to Jason’s father, who flipped through the pages with a satisfied nod.

“Good work,” his father said, patting the man on the shoulder. Then he turned to Jason and said, “It’s time to go.”

Jason nodded and began to walk away with his father.

“No!” I shouted. “You can’t just leave me here! Jason, please!”

They didn’t even look back.

It suddenly dawned on me as they were walking away that Jason and his father had been rivals of my father all along. Jason never loved me; he only used me to get what he truly wanted.

One of the men spoke up. “What do we do with her?”

Jason stopped in his tracks and turned around. His eyes scanned me slowly, from head to toe, like I was nothing more than a piece of trash.

“Finish her off.”

His words made me gasp. My knees buckled and I struggled to breathe.

“No... no, Jason, please,” I begged.

He didn’t answer. He just turned and walked away.

The men around me didn’t hesitate. One of them grabbed me and threw me to the ground. His hands tore at my clothes, ripping the fabric as I screamed and fought.

“Stop! Please, stop!” I cried out, clawing at his hands but it was no use. No one listened.

The hands gripping my arms were rough. I kicked and screamed, trying to free myself from their hold. Two of them held me down as I thrashed, and the third tore at what was left of my clothes. I felt the fabric rip, down to my underwear.

“Let me go!” I shouted desperately. “Please!”

They didn’t listen. One of them grabbed my face and sneered. His breath was so putrid that I groaned. His grip was so strong that it felt like my jaw would snap. I spat at his face.

“Feisty one!” He muttered, laughing as if my pain amused him.

I twisted my body, trying to get away from him. Then I heard a voice. “Ruby!”

I turned my head and saw my older brother running toward me. My heart leapt with hope. "Gabriel! Gabriel, help me!” I screamed.

He didn’t hesitate. He tackled the man pinning my arms, knocking him to the ground. Gabriel straddled the man and began to punch him.

The other two turned their attention to my brother. One pulled out a gun, and before I could even process what was happening, a shot rang out.

“Gabriel!” I screamed.

He stumbled backwards with his hands clutching his chest. Blood spilled between his fingers, staining his shirt. Then my brother fell to the ground, right beside my parents.

“GABRIEL, NO!” 

He tried to speak but no words came out. His lips trembled and his eyes stared into mine. Then he stopped moving forever.

“Gabriel!” I screamed his name again, but he didn’t move.

The men grabbed me again. I fought harder, biting and kicking. My strength was fading but I couldn’t give up.

They didn’t stop. They pushed me to the ground. I tried to crawl away, but they were stronger. They tore away what was left of my clothes, and one by one, they violated me.

I screamed until my throat felt raw, but no one came. No one stopped them.

When they finished, I lay there, broken and bleeding. My body ached and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt a sharp pain in my side, and then a gunshot rang out again.

The pain in my abdomen burned. I gasped and clutched at the wound, blood seeping between my fingers. They'd raped me and shot me for good measure. As if the pain wasn't enough.

The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was a scorpion tattoo on their wrists.

I thought I was going to die. I wanted to. But I didn’t.

I don’t know how long I lay there before I opened my eyes. My body felt heavy and every breath I took hurt. But I managed to roll onto my side, biting on my lips to hold back another cry.

I crawled toward my parents. My hands trembled as I reached out to them.

“Mom,” I whispered, shaking her arm. “Please, wake up.”

She didn’t move.

“Dad, Please, please wake up.”

There was no response.

Tears poured down my face as I turned to Gabriel. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at the ceiling of our living room.

“Gabriel,” I whispered. My fingers brushed against his cheek. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

But he was gone. They were all gone.

I sat there, surrounded by their lifeless bodies. My family was dead and I had nothing left.

I wiped my face with shaky hands and tried to stand. My legs wobbled and I almost collapsed, but I forced myself to keep going. I stumbled out of the house, blood dripping from my wounds.

The night was cold, and there were no cars on the road in front of of me. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t care.

I continued to walk, picking myself up everytime I fell to the ground. My body was begging me to stop, but I couldn’t. I knew that the moment I stopped, I would die.

Their faces flashed in my mind, the faces of the men who did this. Jason. His father. The others. The scorpion tattoos on their wrists. 

If I survived this, I would make them pay.

The sound of an engine pulled me from my thoughts. Headlights appeared in the distance, growing brighter as they approached.

I stood in the middle of the road and watched the headlights come closer. The car didn't slow down. I closed my eyes, hoping it would hit me and end this misery once and for all.

But the car screeched to a stop inches away from me.

I opened my eyes and saw a man step out. His voice was deep and cold. "Miss, are you okay? You're covered in blood.”

I opened my mouth, but the only word I could manage was, "Help.”