THE STALE and ripe air filled my nostrils, making me want to throw up the only thing that sat in my stomach and that was my own blood. I gripped onto my dagger and crept down the makeshift corridor of cages and barking dogs. I was about to continue walking until a creak in the floorboards and a cock of a shot gun behind made me freeze my movements.

I slowly turn around to meet Chester face to face once again. He looked like Satan masterpiece, a little fucked up on the outside and probably totally fucked up on the inside.

He smirked at me, "Drop the dagger." I held a tight grasp on it, but then I thought about it, I do not want to die at the hands of this maniac either, so I let my weapon hit the floor, which made him grin, "Good girl, now walk."

He motioned down the rest of the walkway and so I slowly turn on my heels and do as he said until we reached a lit area with a couch and a desk, as if a talk show. I then take notice of unconscious Marcus as I continue to walk in, "Well, would you look at that, your damsel came to save you! I guess you're the damsel in distress now."

I grimaced at his joke and rush over to Marcus, seeing his taped and bounded. I grab his face, and lift his head to see he was knocked out cold, "What did you do?"

"Why?" He retorted back and I kiss my teeth, "Marcus deserved a little knock to the head."

"Marcus," I called lightly as I rubbed his cheeks, "Marcus, I'm here. I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise."

"Alright now, reunion time is over," Chester said as I heard the cages rattle behind me when he cocked his gun again for the second time as if he used it already, "Sit on the couch and don't move an inch as my pet ties you up."

I watch his 'pet' enter our presence, having me recognized him as the guy from Shabnam's party, though he was dressed somewhat professionally in a blazer and tie, excluding pants. I guess after the party, Chester held him hostage and tortured him into submission. He trudged over to me with tape and had me hold out my hands before tightly bounding them.

I hiss as I hit my wound, "Easy, will you?" I wondered, but I was ignored as he then placed tape over my mouth and legs, once again tying me up tightly. I then look over at Chester and notice him slightly professional as well, part of me thinking that this was some sort of short film he was making.

It wasn't long before Chester's 'pet' sat next to me and Marcus as Chester stood behind the camera starting the show, "Live from some fat kid's basement, in the charming Sunset District of San Francisco, Fairy Town, USA, it's 'The Chester Fuckface Variety Talking Hour."

A fake applause erupted in the room, startling me and stirring Marcus awake. Thank god, you're okay. He tried to look around the room, but once his eyes set on me, they went wide before he tried to free himself.

"Our guests tonight, the dude who tried to kill our host and his sidekick," Shandy continued and I turn my head to glare at the title he gave me, "Marcus Lopez Arguello and Brienne."

I let out muffled words toward him in anger, hoping he would understand that I was cursing at him. The man ignored me, however, And now the man with the power to kill us all, Chester Fuckface."

Another fake applause echoed through before Chester moved in front of the camera, "Thank you, thank you welcome to the show." He then walks past Marcus and I to sit behind the desk, "Well, let's hear it for our ginger orangutan, whose scrotum looks like a yam, Dwight Shandy."

This time, it was only Chester and Dwight who clapped, which made this all seem so depressing and insane. Chester then sat down and look at the camera, "Now today we gonna explore what makes a monster. What's at the core of all this ugliness and violence? Why do we feed off it?"

I let a huff past my tape and Dwight shoved me which made me grimace at my tender wound before growling at him. I sat back, weakly tuning Chester out as he rambled on nonstop and Marcus looked at me, but he was mainly staring at my cuts and bruises.

I thought I was going to be able to rest my eyes for a few seconds, but before it could process through my mind, a beer can was chucked from Chester to hit Dwight, having it fly right across my face, "Weren't your speaking turn!" He yelled at Dwight with rage.

Marcus and I then gave a frightened look to one another as he caught us by surprise with his fury. But he doesn't waste another second before taking a deep breath and sitting back down, moving on. I tune out again as my body begins to shit down, but when Dwight reaches over my to take off Marcus' tape. Marcus winced at the pain he felt before staring at Chester, who was making him confess he didn't kill those people in the orphanage.

"Go on," Chester insisted.

"All right, yeah- yeah," Marcus sighed, "Chester killed all those people."

Chester gave a grim smile of satisfaction, "Because?"

Marcus rolled his eyes, "He's desperate for some semblance of significance in the world, to make a mark, even if it is just a smear shit stain. Because he can't make anything, he destroys. Because he's the type of guy who'd screw a goat on national television if it got people to pay attention."

Dwight scoffed, "He does t need a camera to do that."

"Hypocrite!" Angrily, Chester stood with his shot gun to march over and hit Marcus with the barrel of the gun, having him land in my lap before the gun was pointed at my head.

Marcus notices and sits back up, "Chester-"

"When society came to reward you for my good work, what did you do?" Chester asked rhetorically, pushing the gun against my forehead making me whimper. I risked my life today. I knew that there was a chance of me dying, so why am I so afraid now?

"You took that credit, gobbled that fame up!" Chester shouted, "How many views are gonna circulate off this interview when I put a hole in your little girlfriend's head?"

"Okay, Chester, please," Marcus begged keeping his eyes locked on mine, watching tears slide down my cheeks, "You can beat me, torture and force me to confess on camera, but for the love of god, don't hurt her. I will do as you asked, I was just making a point for the viewers. Can I do that?"

He then looked up at Chester, watching him hesitantly nod before removing the gun from my face. Marcus quickly put my head in his hands, wiping away my tears with his thumb and peeled the tape from my mouth. I let out a loud hiss as Chester huffed, "Okay, there's no time for the romance scene."

Marcus rolled his eyes again at Chester's comment as if he wanted to keep me in his grasp forever, especially when he didn't want to let go of my face. But when he did, he glared down Chester, "This whole thing you've done, all these people you hurt, was all for the adulation of strangers?"

"You figure?"

"Maybe you think if enough people love you, it'll fill the void." Marcus claimed.

"That's what you think this is?" Chester asked, "Well, my daddy done me dirty, so I went looking to make my damage public, exploit it for a paycheck and a hug." He then aimed his gun at Marcus' chest, "You liberal types love to tell folks how to think and feel and speak. Oh, you know what's wrong with everybody else. If only we'd follow highfalutin rules, the whole world would a golden globe of sunshine and butterfly kisses!"

He then moved the gun to Marcus' neck, having him raise his hands in defense, "All I'm saying is that sadness is rage turned inwards. And I look at you, all I see is sadness. You don't want fame, you want to be loved. And the solution isn't on the other side of that camera. Fame won't fix what happened to you. You can't fix what's broken."

"Oh, you think I'm broken?"

"We're all broken," I suddenly say, "We're all fucked up in our own way, mentally.." I eye him up and down, "Or physically."

"Yeah and we're spewing our damage, looking for meaning, for justice," Marcus added.

"What the hell do you both know about it?"

"I killed my father for killing my family," I inform him, "He took the only people in my life and I thought it was right to kill him, but now I'm running from the police for being charged for killing them all."

Marcus eyed me and placed his hand on mine, but I could feel him force something in between my bounded hands. I furrowed my brows at him, but he looked at Chester, "And I wanted to kill Ronald Reagan."

"Now why would you want to hurt the best president we ever done made?" Chester asked him as I feel around for the object and find out it was some kind of makeshift shank.

"It doesn't matter. I was wrong, okay?" Marcus assured as began to try and secretly break free from the tape, "Inflicting your pain onto other people doesn't help fix you. When you're feeling weak or sad or angry, friends and family are the only thing that makes you feel strong."

Chester snorts and chucks his spit on the ground, "My family are a bunch of hill people. I was happier before they were around."

"Family isn't defined by blood," Marcus told him.

Chester was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, I slowed movements, "I was happier with you... 'til you blew me up." He took off his glasses and grazed his burns.

"I'm sorry, Chester," Marcus apologized, "We both did shitty things to each other. What if we put it behind us?" Chester nodded a bit and looked away as I finally broke free of the tape, but kept it concealed, "I've found what you're looking for. The school I got to, dude, they would love you. Come with us. You and I will figure this whole thing out together, as friends."

"I would love to go to your fucking school," Chester stated, "I would love to be your friend."

He then looked away and Marcus gave me a look, nodding his head down toward the dark walkway before reaching over and grabbing the brick that sat in between our feet before hitting Chester in the head with it. Marcus instantly grabs my hands and runs down the walkway as Chester lets out a holler of rage, most likely chasing after us.

We couldn't even turn the corner before I shoved against the cages harshly to fall down and Marcus was yoked up by Chester, "Pretty words. You had me going." Without blinking, he then tackled Marcus onto the ground, causing all the dogs to start barking, "Fooling me! Fooling my feelings! You're the kind of garbage that makes folks lose faith in humanity."

I tried to stand as I heard Marcus grunt in pain as Chester punched him endlessly and ruthlessly, but my legs no longer had the strength to do so. I whimper as I stare down at my bullet wound.

It wasn't a graze after all.

"All the pretty words on Earth won't ever stop people from loving seeing a victim getting bloody revenge," He continued to punch Marcus mercilessly and despite my little strength, when I looked around, I saw my dagger and grabbed it up quickly.

I then grabbed the gates of the cage to support me up before I move behind him, "Get off of him, you sick son of a bitch." Without another word, I jam my blade in the right side of his back, having him cry out as he was straddling Marcus' waist.

I keep my dagger in him until I see Marcus weakly reach for a cage above him, opening it for a dog to jump out and attack Chester. Chester wailed and Marcus removed himself from under Chester and scoots back, staring in shock as Chester was getting mauled alive.

I keep my eyes glued to the sight too, until I feel my legs go weak beneath me and I stumble onto the floor, "Brynn!" Marcus yelled and rushed over to me, "Lets get out of here. You're bleeding pretty bad."

"Yeah," Dwight said behind us and we look to see him behind the camera, "He's done hounding you, kid."

Marcus silently looks back at Chester's body getting weaker by the second before nodding and helping me up, "I have to get one thing first."

He let go of me briefly before going toward a grimy old fridge and opening it to see Chico's head resting on one of the racks. I hold my fist over my mouth, trying to suppress the urge to throw up at the sight of a rotting corpse. He stares at it momentarily before grabbing it and coming back to me, having me place my arm over his shoulder.

We don't waste another second leaving the basement, but we looked around at all the damage that was in every room of the house. I was about to continue walking toward the exit, but I noticed he had stopped walking, so I furrowed my brows at him as he stared at the severed head, "Marcus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just," He paused and looked up at me, "It's just that you came back for me. You knew the risk and you came anyways, bullet wound and all."

"I would do that for any of you guys," I claimed and he nodded.

"I know," He assured, "It's just that, I didn't really have anyone, but my parents who cared enough to come back for me."

I give a small smile, "I would do anything for you, Marcus, you know that, right?"

"Of course," He nodded again and gave a small smile back, "And I love you for it." My smile drops at his sudden words and he chuckled a bit, "This may seem like a dream because I'm holding a severed head and you got a bullet wound on your side, but I do... I do love you, Brynn, because no one ever made me feel the way that I do when I'm with you and no one would sacrifice their life for me like you do."

"But Maria," I say and he lowered his head, "You're still with her."

As if she was summoned, she came out of the shadows with Lex, looking worse than I had left her, her eyes locking on the both of us before Chico's head. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it before eyeing me, "Can you give us a minute?"

I was about to say something, but Lex walked up to me, "Let's go find something in the kitchen to stop the bleeding."

He scoops me up from Marcus' grasp and it made me think how I didn't say it back as I was practically getting dragged away. I didn't tell I loved him.

Lex, however, still takes me into the kitchen and forces me into a chair before he searching through every cabinet until discovering the first aid kit. He brings it over to me and opens it, to take out packs of gauzes and alcohol pads.

"I think I should see a doctor," I weakly mumbled.

"Yeah, and then you should tell Marcus how you feel," He included and I gave him a look before hissing as he cleaned my wound with the alcohol pads, "Maria and I heard what he had said to you before she interrupted you both."

"I don't think I could tell him," I sighed as he places the gauzes on.

"You can, you just don't want to," He corrected and eyed me after finishing up, "He told you that he loves you, Brynn. He said the magic words first and it should ease your mind because you feel the same." A sudden slam of the back door startled us, I guess still being on edge. Lex then sighed, "I guess they're done, let's go before the bloody animals chose to attack us now."

He helps me up from the seat and toward the backyard, causing me to smile, "You're really my hero, you know that? You really save me from shitty things."

He smirked and shrugged, "There's not a lot of guys like me around, so don't go and try to kill me." I chuckled at his statement and we walk toward the fence, hearing people talking outside of it, so Lex pushes the gate open and walks out with me, "Come on guys, we've got to get out of here before this goes..." He trails off as he looks ahead and notices the cartel and Chico's father, "...tits up."

It felt like Lex had predicted his morbid future and I was the one watching it first hand as a gun was instantly pointed at him and fired directly at him. I couldn't help but flinch, my nerves jumping when I hear his body hit the floor like dead meat.

Don't look. Don't look.

I shut my eyes tight as the gun is cock. Am I next? Am I going to die next? Is this how I would die? Did all this shit I did just suddenly go to waste today- right now?

Shit, is this my end?

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𝔼ℕ𝔻 𝕆𝔽 ℙ𝔸ℝ𝕋 𝕆ℕ𝔼
•

It took forever, but I finally finished a part of this book. I was going to just end it and finish it off where it is now, but then I was like "why not create parts to the story?"

I think it's best for me to do that, though it means I won't post on this story for a veryyy long time (probably until next season or if I feel like updating some original writing), but we'll see!

If you've read up to this part, thank you so much for the support and I really appreciate even when I went M.I.A on it for a while. Hopefully my updating schedule is way better and my writing has grown tremendously, but for right no I really just want to say that I'm am thankful and grateful to have written this story and had gotten people who love it just as much as I do💛