CHAPTER 7 — I VOW TO KILL.

🦪 DORA 🦪

All of a sudden, when I look up, someone is looking down at me, and the first place my eyes caught is his fist, which is covered in blood, like he got into an argument with someone or something, and dramatically punched into something unbreakable.

“Are you okay?” his voice rings out.

“Okay?” I ask coldly. “You didn't return any of my calls or texts.”

Dale Lazarus smirks, “I wasn't able to… I didn't think…”

“You didn’t think it mattered? Or you didn’t think I’d be worried?... I thought you were dead!” I interrupt, falling to my knees.

The tears I’d held for long begin to fall, not silent tears. I was basically screaming, broken to the call, the tears I would rather not cry during my father’s burial, just so everything won’t end up real, it all crashes on me, I was wailing.

“I don't want you dead,” I whisper truthfully through my tears, “If life takes you from me, I honestly don't know what I would do. I most definitely would choose to be buried alive… with you, in the same coffin.”

Dale Lazarus stands there numb, until I'm done weep-squeezing my heart out, we are both drenched in the rain, both dripping from head to toe, but we remain still.

“Any news of my father's killer, the reaper?” I blurt out, sniffing, and he shakes his head without giving an additional speech.

“I'll kill that bastard,” I say with a determined expression on my face. “Even if it's the last thing I do. I really will, I won't stop until he's dead, I swear on my father's grave. I'll hold his head up to my father's grave and say, ‘Father, I found your killer and made him pay for his sin.’ That I vow to do.”

After a minute of silence, Dale Lazarus steps closer, “I went to see your father, Dora,” he announces.

I froze, slowly looking up at him.

“Don't give me that face,” I mutter, knowing very well what is coming next. “You are choosing him… again! Aren't you? After all these years, I thought you finally saw me.”

“You are his daughter, Dora,” he murmurs. “You're like my daughter, too. This is wrong.”

A disappointed chuckle burst out of my lips, “I just knew it, everything was happening so fast, I knew it wasn't going to end well.”

“What are we?” I grumble, scuffing sadly, “Foolish me thinking something has finally changed between us. You'll always choose your best friend, wouldn't you? It's always him. I definitely hate you for the right reason… Dad.”

Dale stood there staring at me silently, with zero emotions displaying on his face for me to read or predict what he was thinking.

I pick myself up from the ground. Shivering, but I fall back to the ground from my legs cold and sore.

Dale rushes towards me, but I push him away, forbidding his help, “Don’t touch me!” I scream.

Getting up, I proceed to walk away before I pause and turn around.

“What about me, though?” I ask. “What about what I want? How I feel? Can't you see me?”

“I am struggling…”

“How invincible am I to you exactly? Why do you keep choosing him over me? Again… again… and again? Am I not worth a try or taking a risk over? Am I not worth breaking your bloody promise to a dead person?” I whisper, barely hearing my own broken voice.

“All I've ever wanted and still want is for you to finally see me. Not as your best friend's daughter, but a lady it's okay to love. But even in death… You choose your best friend. You love him so much that your love life doesn't matter, I don't matter to you like he does.”

I turn back around, walking towards the door with water dripping behind me.

“I will never forget this… You want to be my father? Fine! Be it… Forever.”

“Just don't get in my way, I vow to kill The Reaper. That is currently all I live for.”