Monster (1)

CIELA

2 years ago

"You..." My voice comes out as nothing more than a shaky whisper.

My hand curls into a fist against the dirt, my nails digging so deeply into the ground that bits of soil wedge themselves beneath them. I barely feel the sting. All I can feel is the rage burning inside my chest.

"You shouldn't have ignored me," he says, his tone surprisingly calm. "I really liked you, Ciela." He lets out a slow sigh before continuing. "I liked you the very first time I saw you. But you rejected me." His smile fades into something colder. "You looked down on me. You acted like I didn't even exist. You never cared. You never even spared me a glance." He leans a little closer. "But now..." he murmurs. "Now you're finally looking at me." His lips curl into another smile. "It's just not the look I wanted."

I don't answer him. I simply glare back with every ounce of hatred I have left. Every word that comes out of his mouth makes my stomach twist. He's sick. Completely insane.

"So I started thinking..." he says casually, as though he's discussing the weather. "If I can't have you..." His eyes slowly drift toward the phone in his hand. "...maybe your sister is meant for me instead."

My heart stops.

"No..."

Before I can move, his thumb presses the call button. My eyes widen in horror as the screen lights up. The ringtone echoes through the empty surroundings, each ring pounding against my chest harder than the last.

Please don't answer. Please...

On the third ring, the call connects.

"Hey," my sister says cheerfully from the other end. "I'm already at your place. Where are you? School ended over an hour ago."

I frantically shake my head at Luan, silently begging him not to say a single word.

Please. Please don't.

"Hello?" my sister asks again after a few seconds of silence. "Ciela? Are you there?"

Luan simply smiles then, without saying anything, he ends the call. The moment the line disconnects, a breath escapes my lungs. Relief washes over me so suddenly that my shoulders almost collapse. But it disappears just as quickly. Luan rises to his feet and slips my phone into his pocket as if nothing happened.

He glances at the man standing beside him. "You know where she lives, right, Mearl?"

Mearl nods without hesitation. "Yeah," he answers. "Should we head there and meet the sister?"

Every ounce of color drains from my face.

"N-No..." The word barely escapes my lips.

Ignoring the pain screaming through my body, I crawl forward and wrap my trembling hands around Luan's shoe.

"Please..." My voice cracks. "Please don't."

He looks down at my hand with visible disgust. Without a word, he jerks his foot away, nearly making me lose my balance. He takes several steps backward, putting more distance between us.

"Don't start clinging to me now after rejecting me," he says with a mocking laugh. "And don't get jealous when your sister and I end up together."

He gestures toward Mearl. "Let's go."

They turn their backs on me.

Tears spill uncontrollably down my cheeks, blurring my vision. My fingers curl tighter until my nails bite painfully into my palms. The anger, the fear, the helplessness—they all crash together inside me until I can barely breathe.

"No!" My scream tears through the air. "Stop!"

Neither of them even slows down. It's as if my voice means nothing.

No. I can't let them leave.

I force my shaking arms beneath me and push against the ground. Every muscle in my body screams in protest. My legs tremble violently as I struggle to stand, and for a moment I nearly collapse again. But I stay on my feet. Barely.

I stare at their backs, my vision swimming through tears.

"I said stop!" My voice echoes louder this time, raw enough to make my throat burn. They still don't turn around. My chest rises and falls with ragged breaths. "Stop right there or I'll kill you!"

They all glance over their shoulders when they hear my voice. Smirks spread across their faces as if I'm nothing more than a joke, but none of them stop walking. One of the boys still has a video camera pressed against his face, the lens pointed directly at me as he walks backward for a few steps before turning around again. The tiny red recording light blinks steadily. He's still filming.

A bitter knot twists in my stomach. Is this really entertainment for them? Is humiliating me really that entertaining? Are they planning to replay this later and laugh about it whenever they get bored? Are they collecting moments like this so they can relive them over and over again?

A strange calm washes over me, pushing aside the fear that has been swallowing me all day. If they want a recording… If they're so desperate to keep a memory of today… Then I'll make sure it's something they'll never be able to forget. Forever.

"Stop!" My voice echoes across the empty street, louder than I expect. They ignore me.

My eyes land on a broken brick lying among the weeds and scattered debris. Before I can think twice, I snatch it off the ground and sprint toward them. My legs move on their own, fueled by a rush of adrenaline that drowns out everything else. My heartbeat pounds in my ears with every step until it's the only sound I can hear.

The distance disappears in seconds. Before anyone notices I've caught up, I reach out and tap Luan on the shoulder. He turns with an annoyed expression, more irritated than surprised.

I tighten my grip around the brick. "Didn't you hear me?" I ask quietly. "I told you to stop."

The laughter dies. All of them freeze. Confusion spreads across their faces as their eyes fall to the brick clutched tightly in my hand. Dirt crumbles from its cracked edges while silence settles over the empty lot.

Luan lets out a nervous chuckle. "You scared me," he says, raising a hand as if to calm me down. "Just put that down and—"

I don't let him finish. Instead, I look directly at the boy holding the camera. "Make sure you get a good shot," I say.

The camera remains pointed at us as everyone stands rooted to the ground. Before anyone has time to react, I swing the brick. The impact sends Luan stumbling backward with a cry of pain. His hands fly to his head as he loses his balance and collapses onto the pavement.

The girls scream. The others instinctively jump back several steps, their confident smiles disappearing in an instant.

"What the hell?!" Mearl shouts, his voice cracking with panic. "What did you just do?!"

I don't answer.

My eyes stay fixed on Luan as he curls against the ground, clutching himself. His breathing becomes uneven, and the panic on his face grows as he realizes the situation has spiraled completely out of control.

"It... it hurts..." he mutters, staring at his trembling hands with blood on it, before looking back at me with wide, frightened eyes.

For the first time… He's scared.

He opens his mouth, probably to beg or curse at me, but I don't give him the chance. I swing the brick down onto his leg.

A sickening thud echoes through the empty lot, followed by a chorus of horrified screams. Luan's cry rises above all of them, raw with pain and panic.

"Fuck! H-Help me!" His voice cracks as panic takes over. Tears well in his eyes. "Please... help me!"

He reaches toward his friends with trembling hands, desperation filling his voice. His eyes dart from one face to another, begging someone—anyone—to come to his rescue.

No one moves.

They all stand several feet away, frozen in place. The confidence they had only moments ago is gone, replaced by fear. Some of them take another cautious step back, unwilling to come any closer.

I tighten my grip around the brick and look down at him without a trace of sympathy.

"You don't have friends anymore," I say quietly. "You should've stopped when I told you to."

His eyes widen, and before he can react, I raise the brick once more. Another scream tears through the vacant lot. The sound rings in my ears long after the impact. Eventually, his cries grow weaker until his body goes limp, and he loses consciousness.

Silence settles over the lot.

I slowly lift my head and turn toward the rest of the group. The boy holding the camera lowers it just enough for me to see the fear written all over his face. One of the girls takes a shaky step backward. Another looks ready to run.

My gaze moves from one face to another. Every pair of eyes is locked on me. Every face is pale. Every one of them looks terrified.

A slow smile tugs at the corner of my lips.

Now… who should I punish next?