Dungeons, Dumbasses, & Dragons

My life hasn't necessarily been the best growing up, my sister and I lost our parents when we were young. That day still haunts me as I am writing this letter. I was walking to the apartment we were renting at the time due to a few financial problems. It was a Thursday afternoon, all the kids were running out after a long day of school. My dad recently got fired from his job and my mom was taking care of me and my younger sister. Although we were suffering from these financial problems, we were still a happy family of four. We didn't have a car, so I would have to walk to and back. My sister was still young, she was around the age to attend elementary school. I managed to make it to our apartment's door and pulled out the spare key I kept on me, but the handle to the door was busted as if someone broke in. Not thinking much about it, I pushed the door towards the room revealing the interior. The room was jet black as if someone blindfolded me, as silent as a cemetery, and a foul odor racing to greet me at the entrance. I blocked my nostrils from the stench and pulled out my phone to reveal my path.

"Mom? Callie? I'm back from school." I waited for a response but the stench was the only reply. "Is anyone here? I became skeptical after everything I'd witnessed so far. "Hey! if someone is out there, show your-'' I hear a splash underneath my foot. Crap, not only are the lights busted, the plumbing is broken. I moved my phone toward the floor and saw the moment that would traumatize me for life. I witnessed the dead body of my mother laying spread out on the floor.

I fell back, despite what was in front of me. What the hell?! "Mom! Are you alright?" I was panicking. No no no! This can't be happening, this is just a bad dream right?! Paralyzed, I hear a scream from the next room. "No! Please don't do this! Please stop it, I'm scared!" Callie! Without hesitation, I got up on my feet and rammed the door. I still have time to save my younger sister!

I saw my younger sister in the corner crying with blood stains all over her, grasping onto a stuffed animal. In front of her was a huge shadow figure, a size of a grown man holding a knife, pointed directly at her. She turned to me with teary eyes and the words "help me" flew out of her mouth. The murderer turned in my direction and rushed with the knife far from his chest. I hopped to my left with my arm in the air, barely dodging his attack. He stopped at the wall and turned again. It was like I was fighting a rhinoceros at this point. Getting ready for another attack, I searched for something I could use to defend myself.

"Just die already, don't make this any harder for me." That voice sounds so familiar. "What did we do to you? You monster! Why the hell did you kill our mother?!" He stayed silent.

"Die" He rushed towards me once again. I dodged and tackled him from behind. We both fell to the ground, exchanging punches for each other to the point where his grip on the knife broke. I gave him one last punch and darted for the knife. I pulled it towards my body, ready to stab the son of a bitch, but was stopped by a kick. He took the knife and pushed it toward my chest. Using the last of my strength, I held the knife before it was plunged into my chest. At this point, the situation depended on who was stronger, 2 outcomes: whether I push him back, or he stabs me in the chest, and me and my sister I both die.

My vision was getting blurry and my arms were starting to tremble. This is it, this is how I die, there were so many things I wanted to do and so many places to visit. I wanted to see my sister grow up, I want to see her smile, I wan- wait, Callie!

"Callie! I'm losing strength, help me so we can both get out of here alive!" She nods her head and grasps a big object. With my attention on her, my grasp was slipping and the knife was getting closer to my chest.

"It's about time you die!" At that moment Callie struck him in the head. He screeched so loud that the apartment could be heard from outside. He dropped the knife and scratched his head, this was my chance to grab the knife. With the knife in hand, I rushed towards him, stabbing him in the stomach.

"Why did it have to come to this? What went wrong?"

I turned to the man, now laying on the ground with blood gushing out of the wound. He switched from a silent raspy voice to a saddened, depressed voice. I crawled towards the corner of the room, reaching for my phone to shine the screen upon the man's face. I got up and walked towards him, in the process, I could see my little sister crying in the corner. I turned my phone to reveal the identity of the man only to find our crying father. Tears were streaming down all of our eyes, and flashbacks of all of our good memories as a family were going through my mind faster than a bullet train.

"Why? Why did you do all of this? Why did you kill Mom? Why did you try to murder your family? Did you have no love for us? Did you not care about the memories we had? The laughs, the smiles, the tears. Anything?!" I screamed towards his face with tears gushing out.

"I'm sorry, I failed you two as a father, I'm sorry that I turned out this way. It would make things worse if I told you my intentions" His words faded as he apologized as he bled out from the wound. He shortly died after that.

"Callie, I promise to protect you no matter what, even if it costs me my life." She nodded while gripping onto her stuffed dragon our mom gave her on her 7th birthday.

"Alright, I need to call the authorities and explain to them, after that, we can go to another place far from here and start all over. Does that sound alright?" Once again she nodded. I grabbed my phone and made the call, about to leave everything behind.