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"Liu."
I felt a cold hand touch mine. I slowly stir awake and pause the music playing in my earbuds.
"Hmm...?" I mumbled in reply, still half asleep.
"Liu.. You know that I love you, right?"
The room was dark, as I had left it earlier, but I knew that it was Jeff. I just didn't know what he was talking about, and why so suddenly.
"..Mmnn.. I love you too.. But why now?"
"..You know that I'll always love you, right? No matter what."
"..."
What was he even on about?
I sit up, to try and get a better look at him, but my eyes still haven't adjusted to the darkness. I just knew something wasn't right.
Jeff giggled, the sound awfully close to where I was. I was fully awake now, and slightly panicked.
"Jeff..?" My voice was slightly trembling. God, I was such a coward. He was probably getting a laugh out of how afraid I was. Jeff's always loved to scare people.
But I couldn't shake that awful feeling. I couldn't help but think it wasn't Jeff anymore. He's been acting.. Different. Ever since we moved here, and now especially after the accident. I did my best to hide it, but he felt like a stranger. It wasn't the Jeff I knew. Ontop of that, the house was so eerily silent.
"..Jeff, you can stop now, it's not funny–"
Jeff started laughing, then he tackled me to the bed. Already on edge, I screamed, and started thrashing myself around, trying to get out from under him.
But my older brother's always been stronger. By a lot.
He covered my mouth with his hand, muffling my screams. "Shhh.."
I could see him better now. There was a wide smile carved from the corners of his mouth all across his cheeks, dripping with fresh blood. His eyes were unnaturally wide, and there was blood all over his white hoodie. Tears started streaming down my face. I didn't even recognize him anymore.
I wanted to ask why he did that to himself, but it came out muffled. I start trying to get his hand off my mouth.
"Don't worry.. Just go to sleep."
Jeffrey pulled a knife that I didn't even notice he'd been holding and cut into my arm. I screamed and quickly let go, but he grabbed hold of that arm and started cutting all over it while giggling.
It wasn't shallow cuts. It was slow and deliberate, digging deep into my skin. I started struggling, trying to push him off of me, punching him, kicking him, scratching him, doing anything, but he wouldn't budge. Instead, he grabbed my other arm aswell and I screamed in pain as he decorated every inch of it with cuts.
When he was done, I was a wreck, I could barely breathe from how much I was crying. He didn't seem to be trying to stop me from making noise either anymore.
He looked me in the face, then leaned on over, and brought the knife close. I tried pulling away, but he held my head in place, as he started carefully carving a smile, across my cheeks.
I sobbed loudly, and kept on struggling.
"Shhhhh.. You'll be pretty.. Don't you want to be pretty?"
When he was done, he cut horizontally across my nose, and left some cuts on my neck aswell. Everything stung and I could barely breathe. As if it wasn't enough, he rolled up my shirt and started cutting across my chest, then stomach, making me scream and helplessly squirm yet again.
I didn't understand. I could barely even form a coherent thought, but one question was clear. Why?
The betrayal stung more than anything. I loved him so much. Maybe I'd even forgive him if he stopped right now. It just hurt so bad.
I gasped for air when he took the knife off.
"STOP–! PLEASE– P-PLEASE STOP–"
Jeff giggled. "..Sorry~"
He stabbed me in the stomach, twisting the knife, opening the wound even further. I screamed until my throat hurt, while he seemed like he was enjoying himself. It made me feel sick. Disgusted. He even started pulling at my insides. The pain was so excruciating my vision was starting to go black, yet he was laughing. Not a single ounce of regret on his face, just satisfaction.
It was like something in me snapped.
He pulled the knife out, and I took another breath, gasp for air. He put the knife close to my chest. With a newfound surge of energy, I quickly glanced around the room. I noticed that necklace my dad gave me on my bedside table. I've worn it every day since then, because it was rare for anyone to get me gifts, I wanted to show I was appreciative. But it was long enough, and conveniently placed, just close enough for me to reach. I was just about to reach over, when I felt the knife go deep into my chest. And then my mind went completely blank again. All I could think about was the pain.
Was this it? Was I going to die here? At the hands of my own brother? My own brother who I loved so dearly. Ouch.
"...I.. I HATE Y-YOU–!"
I coughed up blood, struggling to even get those words out.
"I H-HATE YOU.. I-I HATE YOU."
The last time I said it I made sure my words were clear.
Jeff's permanent smile somewhat faltered, but he just dug the knife deeper. I coughed up more blood.
He wanted me to be quiet.
"Y-You... Y-You're a m-monster.. Just like they said.."
Jeff stopped.
I reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the necklace, then threw it around his neck, strangling him. We thrashed around on the bed for a bit longer, a desperate struggle, as he tried to finish me off.
If there was one thing about Jeff, it was that he was persistent. He hated admitting defeat.
I watched his face slowly go purple, but I didn't feel bad. I felt rage. He finally let go, gasping for air himself and stepping away from me. He glanced at me, then around the room, and left.
Left me there to bleed, in my bed, stained with my own blood.
So I cried. I cried until all the adrenaline wore off, until it hurt so bad. I cried, I screamed, I called out to mom and dad, begged them to help me, but nobody showed. And honestly, I'd rather believe that they were just ignoring me. But I had a feeling.
I cried, until everything faded to black.
Because even if I did survive, I was all alone.