"I'm sorry," Mina said as she knelt down beside her and held her hand gently. "But you have to be strong."
The girl looked at her blankly for several seconds before she finally spoke up. She was young—maybe ten years old or so. Her eyes were red from crying but they had lost their sparkle of hope. They stared into space instead, looking like two black holes that sucked all light away. It made Mina sad just watching them both; She couldn't imagine what it would feel like if someone killed her mother right in front of her.
She tried to think about something else. The room around her was filled with blood splatters and the stench of death hung heavy in the air. There wasn't much furniture left either except for one chair and a small table where a few books lay scattered across its surface. A couple of candles sat burning nearby too. One candle burned bright while another flickered weakly.
There was no sign of any adults. Just this little girl who seemed scared out of her mind and a woman lying on the floor near the door. Her mother.
A thin trail of blood trickled through the dust and dirt on the floor. She is covered in deep gashes, some of which still bled. Her chest is ripped open and dried blood everywhere. Her rib cage revealing beneath the torn skin.
Blood dripped from her neck onto the floor. It pooled there until it formed an almost perfect circle. Her head remained facing upwards, staring at nothing.
A soft moan escaped Mina's throat as she stared at the body. She felt sick and angry. What kind of monster could do such things?
It took her a moment to realize that the girl was sobbing quietly. Mina moved closer and placed her hands on the girl's shoulder. "Shhh...it'll be okay," she whispered softly.
The child didn't respond though. Instead, she continued to cry silently.
Mina sighed and squeezed the girl's hand tightly. She knew how hard it must've been for the poor girl after seeing her own mother get murdered right in front of her. But there was nothing she could really say to comfort her. Nothing anyone could say to make things better anyway.
"My name's Mina," she told the girl. "What's yours?"
"Sophie," the girl replied shakily.
"Sophie?" Mina confirmed.
Sophie nodded shyly. "Yes ma'am..."
"It suits you," Mina smiled warmly.
Sophie blushed nervously. "Thank you."
"Do you know how we can get out of here?" Mina asked.
"No…" Sophie sniffed and wiped tears from her cheeks. "We're trapped..."
Mina nodded sadly. "Yeah, I guess so."
She felt bad for the poor kid. But there was nothing she could do now. Not without help anyway. Until then, she needed to keep Sophie and herself safe. Safe from the murderer who is locked there with them. If only she knew how to escape…
A sudden noise snapped her attention towards the doorway. Someone was coming.
She turned back to look at Sophie and saw her trembling slightly. "Are you scared?"
Sophie shook her head slowly. "Yes…"
"Me too," Mina admitted. "But don't worry, he's not going to hurt us." She reassured.
The footsteps grew louder and came closer. Soon enough, she heard a man's voice. He sounded angry and frustrated.
"Where are you hiding?!" the man shouted.
His tone of voice made Mina tense up. This guy definitely sounds dangerous.
Then suddenly, a figure appeared in the doorway. His eyes widened when he spotted Mina standing there.
He stepped forward slowly and pointed his gun straight at her. "You! Don't move!"
Mina gulped and froze. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Her breath became shallow and quick.
The man's face has a mask of rage and frustration, his lips pulled into a snarl. Beneath the long dark coat he wore, his arms bulged with muscles and veins stretched taut across his biceps. His eyes were cold and focused on the target ahead of him.
"Don't shoot," Mina pleaded desperately.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Mina swallowed and forced herself to speak. "I'm Mina..."
The man frowned and gestured to the girl behind her. "And who's the girl?"
Mina glanced over her shoulder and found Sophie standing there, wide eyed and terrified.
She gave a slight nod. "This is Sophie."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Why are you two here?"
Mina bit her lip. "I don't know... we got locked in here."
The man scowled. "Locked in?"
"Y-yes..." Mina answered quickly.
The man raised an eyebrow. "How did you two get locked in here?"
"Um... I dunno," Mina admitted. "I woke up and found her. We're both stuck inside this place."
"Stuck?" the man repeated.
Mina shrugged helplessly. "Well... yeah... I mean... we can't leave."
"So you're telling me both of you were kidnapped by the murderer and now you're trapped in here with him?" the man asked incredulously.
Mina nodded. "That's exactly what happened."
The man pursed his lips together angrily. He turned to look at Sophie. Her eyes were huge, round pools of terror.
Her eyes widened in shock and surprise as she looked up into his face, her mouth opening slightly. She swallowed nervously, looking down at the ground again.
The man stared at her intently. "You!"
Sophie nodded timidly. "Yes sir..."
Mina intervened. "Please calm down. She didn't do anything wrong."
The man glared at Mina, raising his gun menacingly. "Shut your trap, bitch!"
"Calm down," She repeated. "We need to find a way out of here first."
The man raised his eyebrows. "Find a way out of here?"
"Yeah..." Mina replied.
"You have a plan then? You're not just going to stand there and wait for this girl to kill you?" He claimed.
"Wait...what?" Mina asked.
"This girl is obviously the murderer," the man said.
Mina shaked her head. "No... she isn't!"
The man took a step closer towards Sophie. She trembled next to Mina, her eyes wide and fearful. She reached out for Mina's hand and clutched it tight.
The man sneered at them both. "Look at her. She's clearly guilty. Why else would she lock you in here with her?"
"Are you fucking crazy?! She's just a little girl!" Mina screamed at him. "You can't possibly think that she'd do something like this..."
"Oh yes I can," the man snapped. "She's probably a psychopathic serial killer who likes playing games and torturing people."
Mina felt her stomach turn. She gripped Sophie's hand tighter. "Stop saying those things! She wouldn't hurt anyone ever!"
"He killed her!" Sophie screamed in horror and fear. "He killed my mother!"
"Quiet!" the man roared.
Sophie's eyes widen and her grip on Mina's hand tightened. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Please... stop hurting me..." Sophie begged.
Mina glared at the man. "You killed her mother?!"
The man looked at her defiantly and scoffed. "She's lying."
"I am not!" Sophie cried. "I swear it! Please believe me!"
Mina shook her head. "You killed her mother. And now you want to kill us too?"
"I'm telling the truth. I saw her with that woman. They were both alive." The man said. "They were together and talked for a while, then I heard a scream so loud that it made my ears ring."
Mina stared at the man in disbelief. "And why didn't you help them?"
The man laughed cruelly; his laugh echoing through the room, bouncing off the walls, making the windows rattle and the pictures shake.
He shook his head at her. "Because I knew they were already dead. It was too late to save either of them. And I wasn't about to die either."
Mina gasped in shock. How could he be so cold?
"If you're trying to tell me that you're innocent too," Mina accused. "Then prove it."
The man smirked. "Prove what?"
"That you're not the killer." Mina demanded. "Show us where this other person is."
The man snorted. "There's no one else here besides you two. Everyone else is dead."
"Bullshit!" Mina yelled. "There has to be someone else!"
The man chuckled. "Like I said before, there's no one else here. Now shut up and let me do what I have to do."
Mina growled but kept silent. She wanted to argue more, to fight back against the man who killed Sophie's mother. But she knew arguing won't change anything.
So instead, she gripped Sophie's hand even harder. She needed to protect the girl from the killer. No matter what happens, she had to survive.
Sophie whimpered and clutched Mina's hand tightly. She stared at the man and trembled in fright.
The man walked forward, aiming his gun directly at Mina's forehead. "Give me the girl or I'll blow your brains out right now."
Mina clenched her jaw and stared at the gun. Then she slowly lifted her chin up and met his gaze. "Go ahead."
The man laughed mockingly. "You think you can talk to me like that? Like I'm the murderer?"
Mina gritted her teeth and stared at the barrel of the gun. "Yes... I can."
The man cocked the hammer on the gun. "Alright then... if that's how you feel..."
With a click of his finger, he pulled the trigger. A shot rang out and Mina flinched. The bullet hit her in the left shoulder, causing pain and burning heat throughout her body. She felt blood gushing through her clothes and dripping onto her skin.
"Ow..." Mina groaned painfully.
The man approached Sophie with a slow, steady pace, his feet moving with the measured steps of a hunter stalking prey. His movements were smooth and fluid, graceful yet deadly.
As he drew closer to Sophie, she began to tremble violently. Her eyes were wide, staring at him in fear, unable to blink, afraid that he might shoot her next.
She doesn't seem aware of her surroundings anymore. All she knows is that she needs to get away from this monster.
But she can't move.
She can't even blink.
She can't breathe.
All she does is stare at the man, her eyes fixed on his face.
"Sophie..." Mina whispered weakly.
The man stopped in front of Sophie and lowered himself down so their faces were inches apart. He stared into her eyes, his face expressionless and cold.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered softly. "I'm going to kill you now."
Mina's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
Sophie shivered in fear and cried out quietly. "N-no please don't!"
The man smiled coldly. "Too late."
Before Mina could react, the man grabbed Sophie's arm and yanked her towards him. He dragged her closer until her face was pressed against his leg. He held her there, squeezing her hard enough to make her gasp in pain.
"P-please..." Sophie begged desperately. "Let go of me!"
"Not a chance," he replied. "Now shut up."
"B-but..." Sophie stuttered. "Please don't hurt me!"
The man grinned evilly and shook his head. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to kill you."
Sophie trembled and tears streamed down her cheeks. "N-no... please..."
"It's okay," the man assured her. "Just relax."
"Don't worry," the man continued. "I'll take care of everything."
Sophie closed her eyes tight, trembling uncontrollably. Her whole body shook with terror. She couldn't control herself any longer.
Then suddenly, she heard a gunshot.
She opened her eyes and saw the man fall backwards onto the floor, clutching at his chest. Blood spurted from the hole in his torso and he coughed loudly as he struggled to breathe.
Sophie gasped in shock and terror as she watched the man convulse and choke on his own blood.
The man's lifeless body fell limp onto the floor and lay still.
Sophie stared at him in horror, unable to process what just happened. She glanced up at Mina, who stood there in shock with a gun, staring at the man's corpse.
Mina lowered the gun slowly and looked at Sophie. She exhaled deeply and dropped the gun beside the man.
She ran towards Sophie, her heart racing. She stopped and knelt in front of Sophie, taking her hand. Sophie's face was pale and sweaty, her lips quivered slightly. She clutched Mina's hands tightly.
"Are you alright?" Mina asked anxiously.
Sophie nodded weakly. "Y-yeah... I think so..."
"I'm sorry," Mina apologized. "I didn't want to kill him."
"I know..." Sophie murmured sadly.
Mina gently stroked Sophie's hair. "You're safe now... I promise."
"Thank you..." Sophie whispered. She buried her face into Mina's chest and sobbed. She clung to Mina's warm arms, clinging to her like a child would cling to its mother.
"Shh... it's okay," Mina cooed soothingly. She held Sophie close and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Everything will be fine."
"My mom..." Sophie sniffled. "He killed my mother..."
"I'm so sorry..." Mina whispered.
Sophie hugged Mina tight and cried into her shirt. "Why did he do this?"
Mina sighed and rubbed Sophie's back. "I don't really know..."
"I wish we could've been together... I miss her..." Sophie wailed.
"I'm sure she misses you too," Mina reassured her.
Mina hugged Sophie tightly, stroking her back and whispered reassuring words in her ear. Sophie buried her face against Mina's chest and cried silently, shaking with grief and sadness.
Her mother was murdered by this man. How could he do something so horrible?
She can't wrap her mind around the idea that someone could do such terrible things to another human being. It's inconceivable to her that someone could commit murder. That they could harm others without hesitation. Without remorse.
The thought made her sick to her stomach.
Mina wrapped herself around Sophie, hugging her close. "It'll be okay."
Mina stroked Sophie's hair and kissed the top of her head. She murmured comforting words to her as she rocked her back and forth. Sophie nodded and continued to cry.
But before she can wipe Sophie's tears away, a small knife flashed through the air and stabbed straight into Mina's throat, piercing her jugular vein.
Mina gasped and choked on her own blood. She staggered backwards and dropped to her knees.
Blood gushed out of her neck and splattered all over the ground beneath her. A pool of crimson spread across the floor, soaking her dress and spreading in rivulets through the dust.
Her breathing grew rapid and labored, and her skin turned clammy and cold.
Her lungs burned and ached, struggling to draw in oxygen.
Her limbs began to lose strength and feel heavy.
Her thoughts became hazy and unfocused.
Her vision began to fade and darken.
"No..." she croaked in agony. "Please no..."
The last thing Mina saw was Sophie's bloody smile as she plunged the knife deeper into her neck.