Chapter Text
I put my legs up on the table Terezi grins at me from the other side of the room. The lights flickers in a headache inducing pattern. I groan, running my hands through my hair.
The"You did good Karkat," Terezi cackles.
"I feel like shit, these lights are so stupid. I can't understand why in hell my father would invest in a mansion, but not proper lighting." I complain, tilting my head back and closing my eyes.
Terezi cackles, "Doesn't bother me."
I push away from the study's desk and stand. Stretching, I walk down the the hall, Terezi follows. The mansion feels hollow without my brother and father. But they're dead now. Dead and here I am. God I'm such a fuck face. Terezi leans on her cane as we reach the foyer, she moves closer to me. "You seem tense."
"Noooo Terezi, I'm just peachy. I only just shot someone on my first endevour as a mob boss and stared into the soulles eyes of the kid who killed my father. I'm doing fine and it just makes it better thaat I have a killer headache and haven't slept in who knows how long." I glare at the blind girl, though she can't even tell I'm looking. "I'm doing great."
She smiles to herself and walks past me, "You should sleep, now that you've invited us all into your home everyone will know and think less of you for it."
"No they..." I trail off. She's right, since they died I've invited the remaining members to live with me. We're few in numbers now though, only a staggering twelve. Those trolls though, they're observative. And they'll notive if something's wrong. My father made sure I knew that to lead I couldn't show weakness. I had to be a strong face. The Sufferer was gone now though. And I was being watched every moment. Terezi, even a sightless person, could see I wasn't right. Terezi calls for me to follow and I walk down to my bedroom stifly. The bed is made and clean. I haven't used it recently, I've chosen being tired every moment over night terrors. Terezi stands in the doorway, a grin on her face.
"You can leave." I say weakly.
"If I leave, then you'll never even try," She says, a knowing voice. "Hurry up and at least lay down, I'm tired too."
Terezi's face softens, she might be odd, but she looks out for me. I can tell she's getting impatient though, so I remove my shoes and jacket. At just the thought of sleep my mind runs, but body aches for it. I practically fall onto the bed and before I know it, drift into the calming abyss.
The air is thick and dark, foreboding. Warning us of the dangers ahead, foreshadowing the tragedy. The Sufferer leads us onward, and we follow, swallowing the fears and thoughts of turning back. We reach a wide alley, trapped between buildings forming a small opening. Pale moonlight shines down on to our grey skin. My grip tightens on the gun on my belt. A pit knotting my stomach, this isn't right. This is too easy. The Sufferer senses it too, and he whips around. Out group turns, trying to spot something ominous, some clue about what is to unfold. And then a low laugh rings out, hearty and childish. A flash of a moving figure, then a bullet rings out and a window shatters. Our group raises our weapons, preparing to shoot. Another bullet bounces from the side of a building and hits the ground, indenting the pavement.
"You should've stayed home, Vantas."
And then my father's body jerks forward and he crumples to the ground. Only a small yell escaping his lips. Three more bulletholes appear in his back, blood pooling beneath him. And then another shot fires, and another and another. So many bullets firing, that I can't tell the direction of them all. Dark figures emerge, holding guns and violently rushing towards us. Kankri, my brother, commands us to hold our ground and return fire. I feel weak, unable to pull the trigger. Unable to look away from The Sufferer's fallen corpse. Kankri is cut off mid-yell by a bullet through his throat. That snaps me back. It's so real, I can't move. Everyone, almost everyone is gone. Our unseen attackers, the Alpha-Betas, they just keep firing. A few of their memeber fight fiercly. Our friends, our family is dying. Falling to the ground. Our leaders are dead leaving... me. I scream, whhipping the pistol from it's holster and firing into the dark. A man appears, flashing in front of me. His hair is spiky and he rocks pointed sunglasses, the glasses on the leader. He flashes away before my next bullet can reach him.
I fire again and again, he flashes faster and faster. And then he stops, dropping to the ground. I don't bother looking at him I just stare at the wide, dead eyes of my father. I drop to my knees, landing on concrete of the dirty street. Mutant blood pools from his body, not far away my brother lays. And many more, so many are dead and gone and...
A hand pulls me away, shouting something into my ear. And then we're running. And all I can rememberis emptiness. The emptiness comsumes and twists me. My hands chaining to darkness that surrounds me. Screams and yells ring out. Agonizing, painful schreeches pound my head. Something jerks me forward and searing pain rips through my chest. Iron blood spills from a wound and drips onto the nothingness below. I dangle from my chains, shackles cutting deeper into my skin. An arrow strikes my chest, a bullet my head. The pain is unbearable, but I can't die. I can't die, I beg to die. Hot tears spilling down my cheeks and running with the blood. I scream along with the voice.
Then I jolt awake.