Chapter 2: Unconscious

Tamari Issoria's Point of View

A few days ago… 

The wrath and cruelty my aunt will give me are the sole reason and obstacle to my coming home. I couldn't even rest after school, but instead I massaged my aunt and did what her spoiled daughter had to say.

I was just walking down the streets whilst looking down, waiting for the bus to arrive, when I bumped into a person who had a huge bump in his tummy. Seeing who it was made me step backwards. I urged myself to run away, but I couldn't, as a total of six men had cornered me.

"You're Cassandra's nephew, right?" the man viciously said while puffing his cigarette.

Unfortunately, I was in the part of the street where no one was passing by, and there was zero visibility of people across the street aside from us. I attempted to run away, but his men got me and gripped my elbows tight.

"P-Please… don't h-hurt me…" I pleaded as tears trickled down my face.

Their boss smirked arrogantly. "Don't hurt you," he repeated.

I was caught off guard and astounded when his large, fat hands landed on my cheeks, which caused my lips to explode as I squirmed and endured his slap with a silent sniff.

"Do you know how much your aunt borrowed from us? It was a hundred thousand bucks, woman! And now, she was refusing our calls and planning to run away from us!" 

My aunt Cassandra was addicted to gambling. I told her a million times to avoid wasting her money on it, yet she doesn't want to listen to me. Instead, she kept on going until she borrowed a huge sum of money from countless different people, which became a threat to our safety.

One example is what is happening to me right now. Aunt Cassandra's debtor was part of the mafia, and if we couldn't bring their money back, there was a possibility that the three of us would be killed.

Their boss ordered his men to take their filthy hands off me. It was when he lifted his finger and pointed it directly at my forehead, treating me immorally wrong.

"Tell your aunt to answer my calls. I gave her enough days to bring back the money, and if she failed to bring it back until midnight, then expect that all of you will be killed," he muttered in wrath. Their leader was about to veer around when he stopped, looking back at me. "By the way, our head boss doesn't like to wait. He's one of the most ill-tempered people I know, and your aunt may experience different kinds of torture if she won't pay."

I hurried back to our house after the encounter I had with the mafia group. It was when I saw my aunt gambling again inside with her friends. She was puffing a cigarette while the whole house was filled with trash, used plates on the sink, and untold numbers of clothes in each corner of the house.

"Aunt, please listen to me." I said it while trembling. "The men you were indebted to showed up. T-They said you should pay them back, and you only have until m-midnight later. They will k-kill us if not!"

All I thought was that my aunt would care, yet the opposite happened. She continued her good times with her friends while gambling.

"Aunt—"

"Goddmanit, Issoria! Can't you see I'm playing? If you are scared of those goons, then you better hide under your blanket tonight!" She remarked that it made her friends chuckle.

My aunt Cassandra looks annoyed due to what I said. Yet I was telling her the truth, but she refused to listen like she often does.

"Aunt, they hurt me! Can't you see this bruise on my lips?"

One of her playmates spoke. "Don't lie, Issoria. We all knew you just kissed and made out with your boyfriend. You kissed too much, and he wounded your lips!"

The three of them laughed like crazy. My aunt was busy enough and focused on what she was doing, causing me to veer off and then walk straight to my room upstairs. On my way to the second floor, I heard her conversing with her playmates, and the topic was her loan.

"Tss. I don't believe those goons will kill me. Besides, I have a client who's good at martial arts and combat. I can call him if they try to attack us tonight." 

My fear was bugging me the whole night. I couldn't sleep, and the only thing that comforted me was when my aunt said they wouldn't kill us. Thinking that those men who were part of the mafia are talented enough to use a gun is enough reason to tremble in fear.

Whilst the moon was in its high peak, I'm ready getting my sleep when I heard some bugs downstairs. I thought that it was Hannah, the spoiled daughter of my aunt, so I decided to come down. She was just here earlier and doing her homework, but the lights were off whilst the door was opened, which caused me to scream when multiple shadows of armed men showed up.

I had the time to shout, so I did. I called for help, and my mom immediately went down, along with her daughter, who was also astonished when they saw a couple of men barging into our property.

"I told you, Aunt! They will kill us!" I said whilst two men were gripping my hand.

Aunt Cassandra began to panic. All of them had their guns in their hands until the leader, with whom I had close contact, showed up.

"Didn't your nephew tell you we'd kill you if you didn't pay?" he viciously exclaimed.

My aunt spoke whilst her voice was trembling. "S-Spare us, p-please... Spare u-us! I will p-pay double tomorrow."

"No!" Their leader trailed her aunt off. "Our boss gave you enough time, yet you wasted it, Cassandra. Now, you have to pay for it using your lives along with your daughter and nephew."

The man took out his gun and pointed it first at my aunt. It is when I felt the unfamiliar anger submerging my body, which had let me take my hands off the two goons even though their grasp was tight as fuck.

I grew up having no parents as they died early. Nevertheless, my grandmother was there, who raised me up along with my aunt and cousin. She often told me to protect my aunt and her daughter, even though they were cruel to me, until my grandmother died. She died of sickness, and I was left alone.

I couldn't understand why Grandma wanted me to protect them at all costs. She only told me that I had the power to do so, but she's wrong. I'm not a superhero.

However, I grew up implanting what she often reminds me of until now. Things became fast as their leader pulled the trigger directly on my aunt, but instead of her, I covered her body with mine, bearing countless bullets in my body.

People may think I was stupid and silly enough to save the life of the person who made my life feel like a living hell. However, the care and love I had deep inside me suppressed the guilt, hatred, and anger toward them, so I couldn't see Aunt Cassandra dying.  

Things became vague afterwards. A few more shots came until my eyes slowly closed their senses whilst I was praying to God to forgive my evil cousin and aunt so they could go to heaven instead of hell. I was just laying on the ground, feeling numb while looking around me, on the floor that was filled with blood, until a group of men came. 

I thought that they were going to double-dead us, but I was wrong. I just felt a sharp fang penetrating my skin, resulting in a loss of consciousness.