CHASE
18

'Daddy says you're a bad person but I don't believe it.' Her soft features made my hands shake with the urge to hug her and tell her that Dad is a compulsive liar. But she didn't need the extra conflicting thoughts in her head. I didn't want to make her have to pick between me and him. She didn't deserve to be put in a situation like that. At the end of the day, it was all going to end anyways, she didn't need to pick anymore.

'Why do they cut your back?' She looked at me with teary eyes, I knew that she was afraid every time she took a look at my scarred up back. I hid it from her for the most part, I didn't want her to see it.

'They're just playing with me Sofia. I pretend to be a book and they write on me.' I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't want her to feel bad or to corrupt her innocent mind with showing how cruel they actually were. I knew she didn't buy it, even as a young child, she was smart enough to know the difference between torture and games.

'But they make you bleed, Ive seen it' she stood up and walked behind me, her fingers lingering on my shirt. I quickly tried to pull away but she held my shirt still in her little hands. 'Let me see.' Setting her teddy bear on the floor she pulled up my shirt, my heart was pounding against my chest. I didn't want her to grow up with such images in her head. 'Sofia it's just a game I play with mum and dad.' I swallowed down the pain in my bones as her delicate fingers traced over a new scar they'd drew on me.

'It's red.' She whispered, her voice cracking as she analysed my sore back. I couldn't take it anymore so I pulled away and turned to face her, holding her hands in mine. 'It's nothing.' A small smile slipped past my lips and I forced myself not to groan in pain. This time they'd gone too far, by the time they were done scarring my skin I had went numb. The pain had subsided and all I felt was hate and rage. That's when I knew that it had to end, it all had to end. It was me during the days and Sofia during the nights. I know she was too young to understand what was happening to her but soon enough she'd want them gone just like I do.

The clock ticked away as the night grew deeper and quieter. I searched for the knife they always used against me, they had dedicated that one knife to me. And now I was going to dedicate it to them. They even called it 'Chase.' My mind was a contaminated mess by the time I found the knife in the pocket of dads pants. Every second in their room felt like a nightmare, I was afraid they'd wake up and beat me out of my misery but I had to keep going, I had to put an end to it once and for all.

Holding the blade tight in my hand, I stepped closer to their bed. They looked different when they were sleeping, looking at them now, I'd never for a second think that they are capable of doing the things they do. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they look like completely normal parents but I know better, I know the things they've done and still do. My mind went back to Sofia. She didn't deserve this, I could handle it but I know she couldn't.

I looked at the blade in my hand, I was really going to do it. I was going to kill them. My heart was hammering and I was afraid they'd wake up to the sound of my beating soul. I was afraid I'd mess up and end up ruining it all. I had no time to process this, if I wanted an end I had to get it now. For Sofia, I would do this.

Stepping closer to dads side of the bed, I lifted the sharp knife and closed my eyes, aiming straight for his heart, I stabbed the knife into his skin, his eyes fluttered open and shock was evident in his face, already blood had clogged up his mouth, I watched him choke on his own blood before I turned and stabbed mum straight in the heart too. I wasn't going to close my eyes this time, I wanted to see them fade away, I wanted to watch them die as I repeatedly jabbed the knife into their hearts, Dad, Mum, Dad, Mum... until they weren't breathing anymore, until I knew it was over.

I stood back, momentarily lost in the moment. I had killed them. I felt sick for a second and even considered throwing up on their lifeless bodies but I knew they didn't even deserve having me vomit on them. I thought that my hate would end once I knew they were gone but it didn't, I felt even more angry as I stared at the bloody mess.

The sound of little footsteps turned my attention to the hallway, before I could stop her from coming in, she headed straight to me. Her eyes wide open, the teddy bear in her hand dropped and become one with the ground. She looked from the bloody knife in my hand to the no longer breathing form of mum and dad. I could see her fear rising as she took a step back from me, her small frame involuntarily shaking.

'I'm scared Chase.' She whispered, her skin had paled and I could see that she no longer wanted to run to me for comfort, she wanted to run away.

'It's ok I'm here, it's over now. It's over.' I repeated, dropping the knife on the floor and taking a step towards her. Why was she moving away from me? I did it for her, I ended it for her.

'What did you do to mummy and daddy?' A tear slipped down her cheek and she took another step back, her eyes scanning my bloody appearance and then looking back over to the bed where they lay drowning in their own blood.

'I put them to sleep.' I whispered, I didn't want her to see this, I didn't want her to see me like this.

'Why.. no. There's blood. You killed them. You, you're going to kill me!' Panic was evident in her face as she took another step back towards the door, her eyes told me that she wasn't going to thank me for this, that she was going to blame me instead.

'I would never hurt you..' I went to go closer to her but she ran, she bolted down the stairs.

'Wait come back' I ran my bloody hand across my face, I was frozen for a moment. She'd ran from me.. all I ever did was try to protect her, try to keep her away from harm and the crazy that went on in this house and now.. now she was running from me! Why me?

Rushing down the stairs, I spotted her by the sofa, phone in her trembling hands and a face that said 'I betrayed you'. She was calling the cops.

'What are you doing? Put down the phone.' My entire body was tense, I was shaking with rage, with hurt. How could she do this to me? I just ended two lives to better hers and she's turning me in? I strode over to her, my mind blank. All I knew was that I had to get to her, to stop her. With every step, my heart jumped. I couldn't breathe.

'Please help, I'm scared my brother is going to kill m..'

'Sofia don't!' I smacked her head into the wall. The phone dropped out of her hand and fell to the floor, the loud thud her head made as it contacted with the wall echoed in my ears. I covered my ears trying to hide away from the repeating sound. I could still hear it even though she was limp against the floor.

'5:40am.' The clock ticked away, holding her bloody head in my lap I sat clutching onto her for dear life. I didn't know if I'd killed her, searching for a pulse, I found a faint one on her neck. I brushed aside her hair from her pale face and looked at her for a long moment.

'Why Sofia? Why did you try to leave me?' It hurt, it hurt to see her running away from me when all I wanted was to save her. I never wanted this. I didn't ask for this. It hurt, it hurt to know the one person I cared for turned their back on me. So I sat with her lifeless body in my arms, I didn't know how much time had went by, I had no hope to get out, I had to motivation to move. For a second I considered stabbing her and running away but I couldn't go through with it, I couldn't replace it in me to watch her die.

When the sound of the sirens surrounded the house, I knew it was the end. She'd done this, she'd betrayed me.