Seven long years crawled by, each one laden with the weight of his silent suffering. As he grew older, so did Brian's son, Jerry, but instead of finding camaraderie in their shared age, he endured a relentless barrage of cruelty and humiliation at the hands of his adoptive sibling. Mocked, insulted, and bullied without mercy, he bore the brunt of the other boy's scorn, a constant reminder of his perceived inferiority.
The wife of Brian, Jenny, added her own brand of disdain to his daily existence. Her airs of superiority and condescending treatment only served to deepen his resentment, fueling the simmering anger that smouldered beneath his outward facade of compliance.
Though fury burned within him like a dormant volcano, he swallowed his pride and endured in silence, convinced that he owed a debt of gratitude to Brian's family for taking him in. (I was really so f*cking stupid back then!!!)
But with each passing day, the burden of his silent suffering grew heavier, weighing upon his shoulders like a chain that bound him to his tormentors. The resentment festered within him, poisoning his spirit and darkening his outlook on life, until he could scarcely recognize the boy he once was beneath the layers of bitterness and resentment.
Yet, despite the ceaseless cruelty and the constant reminders of his outsider status, a flicker of defiance smouldered within him, a stubborn refusal to be broken by the cruelty of others. And though he may have appeared meek and submissive on the surface, deep down, he harboured a quiet determination to one day break free from the chains that bound him and forge my own path, unburdened by the weight of gratitude and obligation. Until one night he heard something that shocked him to the core.
~~~~~~~~
[Present time]
It turned out it was Brian, the very man who had extended a hand of supposed kindness, who had orchestrated the tragedy that had robbed him of everything he held dear.
The revelation hit him like a sledgehammer, shattering the fragile illusion of trust he had clung to for so long. The betrayal cut deep, slicing through the layers of deception to reveal the true extent of Brian's malice and manipulation.
The realisation of his own unwitting complicity in Brian's schemes added another layer of torment in his already burdened conscience. He had been nothing more than a pawn in Brian's sinister game, manipulated and exploited for his own selfish ends.
But why had Brian spared his life, allowing him to survive the inferno that consumed his home and family? The answer lay in the cold calculation of greed and cunning. By keeping him alive, Brian had ensured his continued control over the inheritance left behind by his father, using him as a means to an end, a puppet to be manipulated at his whim.
In the desolation of the night, as the world slept and the stars shrouded themselves in an eerie silence, he found myself engulfed in a suffocating darkness that mirrored the emptiness of his soul. The cruel reality of his existence pressed down upon him like a leaden weight, each breath a struggle against the frigid tendrils of despair that threatened to ensnare him.
Alone in the cold expanse of the world, the chill seeped into his bones, stealing away the warmth of his being until it left him numb and hollow. With every word that cut through the silence like a knife, he recoiled, each syllable a reminder of the callousness and indifference that pervaded his surroundings.
Unable to withstand the onslaught of emotion any longer, he crumbled beneath the weight of my despair, his legs giving way beneath him as he sank to the unforgiving floor. Tears flowed unchecked from his eyes, mingling with the bitter taste of betrayal that lingered on his tongue.
The coldness enveloped him like a shroud, its icy tendrils wrapping around him with a merciless grip, squeezing the life from his very soul. In the suffocating silence, he found himself rendered mute, his voice stolen by the void that threatened to swallow him whole.
In the depths of his despair, hatred took root, festering like a malignant tumour within his heart. It pulsed with a monstrous intensity, fueled by the injustices he had suffered and the lives torn asunder by the hands of those he once called family.
With every beat of his heart, the flames of his hatred grew brighter, casting a malevolent glow upon the darkness that surrounded him. In that moment, he knew that he stood upon the precipice of a reckoning, a tempest of vengeance poised to unleash its fury upon those who had wronged him. His fists were clenched so tight that his nails were digging into the palm of his hand. There was only one thought in his mind at that moment and that was to kill them.
With a sense of grim determination, he scanned the hallway, searching for any means to arm himself. And there, in the dim light, he spotted a knife holder hanging on the wall in the kitchen, its contents gleaming dully in the muted glow.
With silent steps, he approached the holder, his heart pounding in his chest as he reached out to claim the weapons within. Three knives lay nestled within their sheaths, their edges honed to a deadly sharpness, promising a swift and merciless end to those who dared to cross his path.
With steady hands, he retrieved one of the knives and tucked it securely into the waistband of his pants, feeling the weight of its presence pressing against his spine like a silent guardian. Gripping the remaining two knives tightly in his fists, he felt a surge of empowerment course through his veins, a primal instinct urging him to fight back against the darkness that threatened to consume him.
His resolve hardened with each passing moment, fueled by the memory of the injustices he had endured and the burning desire for retribution that smoldered within his soul. No longer would he cower in the shadows, a victim of fate's cruel whims. He would become the master of his own destiny, wielding the knives of vengeance with a steely determination that brooked no mercy.
And as he stepped forward into the unknown, the glint of steel in his hands reflected the fire of his resolve, casting a defiant light into the depths of the darkness that surrounded him. With every step, he moved closer to his destiny, ready to confront his demons and unleash the full fury of his wrath upon those who had wronged him.