I felt my father's body fall to the floor as I tried to hold him up, his weight causing me to fall to my knees beside him. He raised his hand to my cheek, caressing it one last time before closing his eyes. A warm liquid ran down my cheek, and I wiped away my tears, seeing how they were stained red, just like my clothes and the floor where my father had fallen.
A heart-wrenching scream filled the room as I clung to my father's body, breaking down in tears, feeling my heart pierced with great pain that traveled to my head and fell onto my father's chest.
Hours later, I opened my eyes and noticed that it was already nighttime. My eyes burned and my body felt heavy.
"Dad... Dad?" I whispered when I saw a shadow at the edge of my bed. The shadow quickly approached me and hugged me.
"M... my father?" Sam lowered his gaze and hugged me tighter. I simply returned his embrace, feeling my heart being squeezed again.
I was lying on my bed... My eyes lost in the ceiling as the burning sensation in them and the pressure in my head and chest brought me back to reality... Once again, I remembered my father's words... I felt my vision clouding over again, that feeling returning.
My body was so weak that I ended up falling asleep again with my cheeks drenched in tears. I woke up hours later to Sam's screams. My vision was blurry, my mind was cloudy... I don't remember what happened or how I got here... I just... want Dad...
I opened my eyes and realized I was sitting on my bed. What happened?... Another nightmare.
It's been almost eight years since my father was murdered, since my father's "allies" took his cruel death as the perfect opportunity to claim the power they so desired; those disgusting apes couldn't tolerate a girl obtaining that power and tried to get rid of me; Sam brought me back to the real world. "It's time for your training..." he said, leaving breakfast on the nightstand. He had changed so much, Sam's delicate appearance had hardened, as had his way of speaking, which was normal since that night I wasn't the only one who had suffered a loss. He must have grown up very quickly to take care of me while silently suffering the loss of his own mother, yet he was still polite and sweet, at least with me. "I'll be down in a moment," I said as I got up and took some food, noticing my reflection in the mirror in front of my bed. I had changed too.
I got dressed and covered my hands and torso with bandages for training. I walked down the long, gloomy corridor to a room that had been set up for my training sessions. I still remember that day after my father's death; my eyes were burning, my body ached, I felt alone, my whole life had been turned upside down, I had taken a path from which there was no turning back; far from taking pity on me, he subjected me to rigorous mental and physical training.
"Ready, Amy?" whispered Carlos, who had once been my father's loyal protector and who had helped me escape. Over the years, I had improved my physical and mental state through meditation and martial arts. "Amy, concentrate!" he said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Yes, I'm sorry," I whispered, getting up from the floor and wiping the blood from my lip.
"Lately, you've been spacing out more than usual. Even my blows don't bring you back," he said, pointing to my swollen abdomen and arms, which were bruised in every area.
"I just don't feel them the same way anymore," I said, which was met with a sigh of frustration.
"Well, that's all for today, then," he said, extending his hand and handing me a towel to dry my sweat.
I approached the window and exhaled, looking up at the dark sunset: "Do you think it will rain?" I said, noticing that Carlos had already gone ahead. I walked to my room to take a shower, smelling the delicious aroma of the dish Sam was preparing.
When I finished, I went to the dining room and saw that the food was already served: "It looks delicious, Sam," she replied with a friendly smile as she ate. "I need you to find this guy and bring him to me... I'll need his services." Carlos took the folder, smiling when he saw who it was.
"It won't be a problem to find him, don't worry, I'll take care of it." I looked at my plate, playing with its contents a little, when images of my father's murder invaded my thoughts again... I grabbed my spoon tightly, bending it as my jaw tensed...
"Amy, are you okay?" Sam said, touching my shoulder and pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Sam, the first thing we'll do is get the Black house back... then I'll personally take care of avenging my parents and the life they took from us..." I said, walking to the window and watching the rain begin to fall.
"Father, I still don't know how or when, but I swear I will avenge you and make all those who betrayed your name pay...
My revenge begins today."
I whispered, letting out a nostalgic sigh; this is the last place where I could control my memories.
"They're here." After a week, my patience was pleasantly rewarded when I heard Sam's soft voice; my body tensed, and I couldn't help but let out a subtle nervous laugh, as one of the world's most dangerous criminals was walking through the halls of my home toward me.
"Let him in," I said firmly, letting the air out of my lungs and calming my mind; it was no longer time to hesitate; Sam nodded, opening the door wide and giving me a clear view of Carlos and that guy; Erick, a tall, tanned young man with very distinctive dark green hair; quite ugly for my taste. He wore glasses that covered the freckles on his cheeks and looked like someone who could easily kill you with one hand. He had a terrifying aura. I thought he was someone who was too focused and devoted to his work, although that thought lasted only a few seconds. As soon as he saw me, he made a mocking face.
"A teenager, really?" he said, annoying me a little... It was quite obvious that this guy wasn't taking me seriously. I snapped my fingers, causing him to kneel immediately in front of me due to the great pressure Carlos exerted on him.
I calmly approached him, grabbed his hair, and pulled it down hard, causing him to lift his chin in my direction. Our eyes finally met; I could feel his unbreakable will to fight against me, against my purpose. I let go of his hair as I moved away slightly. "Whatever," he snorted, apparently quite annoyed. Did he feel threatened? What a curious result.
"What do you want from me?" he said in a serious tone, regaining his composure and fixing his hair.
"I'm sure Carlos already told you," I replied, putting my hands behind my back.
"As long as you have the money you promised me, I'll do it," I said, approaching him and gently tapping his cheek, which only made him even more upset.
"Good boy," I said, subtly moving my hand and turning toward the window to watch Erick get knocked out.
"What an idiot," I huffed, annoyed, as I watched Carlos' reflection disappear through the door.
I entered the operating room and saw Erick sitting unconscious, his head lying ready for surgery and the instruments ready for use. "First cut," I slid the blade of the scalpel over his skin; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ..., 20. "What the hell?!" No matter how many times I tried, his skin was impenetrable. There was simply no blood, no cut, nothing. "Agh, shit!" I buried the scalpel in the table, took off my mask, and threw it on the floor in anger as I walked outside.
"What the hell is this guy?" I let myself fall into the armchair, letting out a frustrated cry and allowing sleep to finally consume me completely.
Hours later, Carlos woke me up with a smile on his face. The operation had been successful and the device had been implanted. I let out a sigh of relief and walked outside the house. I didn't know how Carlos had done it, but that didn't matter right now. The cold air filled my lungs, causing a slight shiver. The sound of the wind and the birds nearby doing their best to protect their chicks from the cruel winter calmed my soul.
"I'm scared..." I whispered as my mind began to sink into multiple memories, tears began to fall from my eyes, mixing with the rain from the clouds, my heart began to race and my breathing became irregular. I clutched my chest, once again anguish took control of my being.
Due to the stress I had experienced over the years, I had developed a strange "disease" called "reptile skin." As the name suggests, my skin would crack in random areas, revealing a strange pattern that worsened if my nervous system was disturbed, so I had to take relaxants to slow down the condition.
"Amy?" Sam said, pulling me out of my thoughts as he offered me a painkiller and water. I nodded, drying my face, taking the pill, and drinking the water. I let out a sigh and took his hands.
"You've always been by my side... you're like a mother to me..." He brought his hand close to my face, gently caressing it.
An hour later, I saw Erick come out of the cabin looking a little confused, but as soon as our eyes met, he quickly approached me and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt with the intention of lifting me up... He was clearly very upset. "What the hell did you do to me?!"
I smiled mischievously. "Sitting." I was about to laugh when I saw Erick let go of me and sit on the floor like a cute, obedient little dog.
"Good boy," I said as I patted him on the head and reached out my hand to him.
-pata- Erick looked at me angrily as his trembling hand reached for mine. "What a good dog you are. Now go to your room." Everything was ready... I was finally going home...
The moment arrived. The tension was palpable, a lump in my throat preventing me from breathing. Carlos and Erick, stealthy shadows, approached the house, sliding through the ventilation ducts toward my father's room, the site of my worst nightmare. Despite the desecration of my home, the house remained the same, a mausoleum of memories. Each thug neutralized, each step in the darkness, was another drop in the torrent of my revenge. An unsettling feeling haunted me: on several occasions, I thought I saw a third figure beside them, a fleeting shadow that disappeared instantly.
The front door creaked open, echoing like a gunshot in the silence. I entered the main hall, an icy chill running down my spine. The images, the pain, the memories... an avalanche that paralyzed me, crushed me. A sharp pain, a lash on my arm, snapped me out of my trance. Sam, kneeling, was fighting the bleeding, while the echo of the gunshots and the metallic clinking of the shell casings resonated like a macabre requiem.
"I'm fine, let's go," I whispered, pushing her toward safety.
Sudden and absolute silence replaced the din of battle. A deathly silence that echoed with death.
"They took too long," said Sam, his voice filled with contained rage. His gaze confirmed that Carlos and Erick had neutralized the threats.
Erick, arms crossed, muttered, "Your mistake gave us away... we had to eliminate everyone."
"Did they catch them?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Carlos nodded, a brief, concise, definitive signal. "Perfect."