[Other Original] Grim

[Monophobia]

⚠ Content Warning ⚠
This story contains descriptive amounts of gore and violence along with little moderate language.
By continuing to read, you recognize that you have been warned.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡
A delightful little slice of horror inspired by various horror-themed anime that I've been watching lately. Expected length is about ten chapters. A few are already done. The introduction is meant to be fast-paced, yet informative. Enjoy.
⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

Introduction

⟡

The pain of the hedge clippers cutting my index finger in half was unbearable. Nothing in my short life of sixteen years could have prepared me for something so excruciating. My eyes tightened shut as I tried to scream in agony, but my voice was already gone, and nothing came out but high-pitched gasps. I had already used up my voice when the masked figure before me shoved a chainsaw through my little brother's chest, ending his life right then and there. It only made matters worse when he added insult to injury by continuing to wiggle the weapon around, spraying my ten-year-old brother's blood onto my face that displayed nothing but a horrified expression.
​

Even as I glanced at his mutilated and lifeless body, I couldn't believe it. Only hours ago had we been having a blast at the park together. Then he showed up. Posing as an ice-cream salesman, he sat behind the small counter of the van's window and handed me the two cones of what I know now was drugged vanilla ice-cream with sprinkles. How could I have known? There was nothing shady about it at all, it was just like the others in the city – painted a generic insulation yellow with pictures of ice cream near the order window. It even played the tune that you hear all ice-cream trucks blaring. For all I know, he was a legitimate employee gone crazy. It didn't matter now, though. Nothing did. I made the mistake that got my little brother killed by some psychopath, and I was next on his to-do list.
​

The lack of laughter from my torturer told me that he was getting bored with me now that I could no longer give any sign of pain except for the sweat on my brow and the look on my face. He tilted his head to the side, and placed a gloved finger on the black stud I wore in my lip piercing. I could tell he was grinning behind the mask, despite that the Thalia mask he was wearing always boasted an entertained look. I realized instantly what he was going to do as he began touching each of them, from the two mirroring each other on the bottom of my lip to the one on my eyebrow. Before I knew it, he had a pair of pliers in his grip, and he latched them onto my left lip stud. I knew struggling would only make the situation worse, so I sat there, defeated. No amount of screaming, crying, or even twisting and turning was going to help me. I was dead any way it went. That was my fate; my end result. Done for without any glimmer of hope. The pliers drew back extremely slowly, my lip following along. It didn't hurt yet, and I took a look at my surroundings, feeling sad. This dark, smelly, cockroach-filled basement was not where I wanted me or my brother to die. Or anyone, for that matter. It just wasn't fair.
​

Suddenly, my bottom lip went back to its natural position, making a quiet plop. I looked back to my assailant, giving a raspy gasp that echoed around the basement. Two shiny silver pistols with black grips were placed on either side the criminal's head, their owner unknown to me due to the fact that the mask-wearer was large enough to block anyone standing behind him. His chest puffed up a bit, as if he was going to speak, but the sound of two unified gunshots interrupted him. His head utterly exploded, crimson and pieces of flesh flying in all directions. The mask fell to the floor, still in-tact. However, I couldn't tell what sound it had made – the noise of bullets being fired still rang aloud in my ears. No longer bearing a head, the leftovers of whoever had brought me here fell to the side, the rubber mechanic's apron flapping on the way down in a breeze that assumedly came from the tiny window in the room. It managed to hit the small light bulb that dangled from a chain, causing it to swing wildly back and forth.
​

My mind cleared a bit, realizing that I had either been saved or passed along to some other killer. I tried escaping the ropes that bound my ankles and wrists to the wooden chair, but I had been trussed up exceptionally well, and my attempt did nothing. I heard the mystery person crouch down rather close to me and felt them undoing the bindings on my feet. Whoever it was finished quickly, moving instantly to my hands to work on those. I was grateful to stand again, and if I could have spoken, I would have thanked them. Movement froze me in place once again, but the sound moved around me and footsteps creaking on the stairs leading to the chamber let me know that they had fled. It took a while, but the light steadied, revealing an envelope directly underneath it. I ignored whatever it was for the time being, trudging my way tiredly up the steps. I wandered throughout the house, finding a mildly clean sheet. I used it to cover up my brother's remains, tears beginning to run down my face.
​

Bending down in the spotlight of the dim, yellow light bulb, I picked up the envelope and examined it in my hands. There was nothing unusual about it, it was a plain white with nothing on it whatsoever. Not an address or a name anywhere to be found. I grasped the paper in my right hand, dashing my way up the steps and out the entrance to the building. Letting the screen door slam itself back into place, I continued to run until I hit the dirt road in front of the place, looking left and right. I was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods. It was in the middle of the night, the last of the day's fireflies still flashing yellow-green lights as the floated through the air. I took a deep breath, allowing my ears to be filled with the sound of chirping crickets and rustling leaves. The envelope I obtained from the basement was still in my hand.

​

Being lost out in the wilderness, after barely escaping a murderer who killed my little brother with the help of an unidentified hero, I fell to my knees from the lack of energy that had just hit me. Everything had happened so fast. I was crying once again, the hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I tried wiping them away, but they continued coming…so I let them.
​

⟡
​