Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Blood…

Blood was all over the place. It's like this room became a massacre area. I took a step back and couldn't breathe appropriately while darting my eyes in each corner until my vision caught something. I gasped, and my lips parted slightly. I shook my head while apprehending what was going on here.

"E-Ethan?"

I almost screamed in terror, and my whole body went numb for a minute when I saw him sitting in the middle of the floor, almost lifeless. He coughed up some blood and then spit it on the floor. He must have heard me since he slowly looked up, and when our eyes locked, my heart pounded quickly. He raised his hand, trying to ask for help and reach me.

"N-Natasha! G-get me out of here…" he whispered. I just stood there, looking pathetic and hopeless.

"W-who are you?" I wanted to slap myself. I must be dreaming. Why there are two Ethan in this house? I quickly stopped myself when I realized something. My pupils dilated when I retrieved the moments I had with him ever since he came back from gathering our groceries.

His tone of voice…his expression….his attitude…his personality…everything feels so peculiar, and something was off about him before. If the honest Ethan is down here, suffering and covered with his own blood, then that means…

"N-Nathan is alive, Natasha. He followed us before the moment you saw him when the last time got out together. He followed us here…" Ethan was out of breath when he dropped to the ground once again. It looks like any minute now, he is going to die.

I quickly run to him to place his head on my lap. I caressed his cheeks, shaking my head while tears were falling off. This can't be, and how that could be possible? He said he killed him! Why did he come back? Oh god, how did it end up like this?

"Hurry! Get me out of this rope. We'll escape this place." Ethan muttered with pressure, pushing me to take off the rope on his hands and feet. My fingers were unsteady, and I didn't know what to do! I was screaming internally, and I was still in a psychological state when Ethan kissed my forehead, trying to calm me down.

"Take it easy, baby. You will get me out of here. I know it is a lot to take now, but please breathe in and out, then continue."

I sobbed painfully, and my vision became blurry. It's him. It's really Ethan. The way his voice caressed and gave comfort to my emotional state was enough for me to believe him. I did what he told me. When I was about to loosen the grip of the last strand, I heard a loud noise that echoed in my ear, and before I knew it, I was covered with my own blood.

"Natasha!" When I fell to the ground, Ethan screamed my name, crying in torment. I glanced at my wounded shoulder only to see I was shot here.

"That's what you get for letting your curiosity take over. I have told you before that this place is bolted. I guess I purposely unlocked it to see where your loyalty is."

I lifted my head only to see Nathan standing before us. His eyes were full of peril, and around his eyes were covered with pitch darkness, making them glow dangerously. I crawled away, looking for something to help me fight him, but it was no use since he held a gun!

"Natasha! Fuck, leave him alone, you bastard! I am the one you wanted to kill! Take my life! Not hers!"

Nathan didn't listen to his words. Instead, he strides on my feet, making me shriek. A tear streamed down my cheeks, and I knew I couldn't run properly after this when I looked down. Nathan stomped on it again, and this time, he broke one of my toes. Ethan creamed at the top of his lungs, begging for him to stop.

"Stop! Please! Enough with this!"

"Shut up!" Nathan glanced back at his twin before kicking him on the jaw. Ethan falls on his face on the floor, grunting. Nathan kneeled on the ground, leveling his face to meet Ethan's injured one.

"You don't know what it feels like to be forgotten! She fucking replaced me with someone with the likes of you! A fucking killer and psycho!" he spits on his face before pushing it to the ground. Ethan muffled a moan of pain, but I knew he was fighting it.

"I repented on my sins! I know a simple sorry wouldn't take back the lost lives, but you also do not know how worst I have been through!" he argued, slapping Nathan's hands away before sitting up.

"You made my life miserable, and only Natasha accepted me and loved me despite what she knew!"

Nathan pulled the trigger and shot at the ceiling, causing me to flinch at the sudden wave of sound. Ethan shut his mouth when his twin stood straight, angling his head to the side.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut, I will kill you all. Starting with your precious dog upstairs. But don't worry, I let him tuck in the bed and locked the door so that he wouldn't interfere with the commotion." Nathan explained before taking a step back, raising his hand's shoulder level while giggling.

"After escaping the house and telling the police a wolf killed my parents, no one believed me. They think I am a lunatic. They thought I was living in a fantasy world where monsters like you don't exist. Of course, I was desperate, and I needed to bring my parent's live to justice."

Nathan roamed around the area, placing his hands behind. He stopped before us, looking at the ceiling as if something was interesting there to look at.

"I treated my wounds and looked for a place to stay. I decided to look for Natasha, but I was already too late. I saw in the news about the werewolf theory, and this werewolf took a girl. I know it was already Natasha they were talking about. I figured Natasha must have mistaken my twin for me. I was worried before, and I told myself I have to do something to save her."

"I did some research. I scrolled through social media. I looked for clues and evidence to search until it led me to this place."

Nathan then slowly glanced down at the ground. He was clenching his hands. They were trembling, and I could tell that Nathan was about to burst out when he controlled himself.

"I was blessed when I saw you, but it was crushed when I saw how blissful you were to see my twin. But I don't want to judge quickly, so I followed you two until it brought me here. I watched from afar to prove what I saw wasn't true. I was in denial, thinking Natasha wouldn't do that. But I was wrong…."

There was a moment of silence. I could only hear my heart throbbing painfully to his words.

"N-Nathan…"

"I know I was wrong before! I know that I cheated, lied, and made a bet on you! But when no one believed me, you were the first person I thought of running too! I was anticipating you, Natasha! But I guess…this was my sweet karma."

Nathan dropped to his knees and started to punch the floor. I glanced at Ethan, watching him, giving him his moment to let out all of his frustrations. I couldn't take him to see him this miserable. I had to do something!

"My mind couldn't take off how you look so happy with my twin! Your eyes were sparkling with bliss with the life you wanted with him! I was jealous! I lost my family from him, then I lose you from him-"

He stopped yelling when I hugged him from behind. I crawled all the way just to get to his place. Nathan's body froze, unable to say a word. I buried my face in his back while tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"You did not lose me, Nathan. I am still here beside you. I still care for you as someone who has a special place here in my heart. Did you think I easily replaced you? Well, you're wrong! I looked all over for you after you went missing, but I thought you were him when Ethan replaced you. Ethan pushed me away, thinking it was you, but I did not stop there! I fought so hard until I learned the truth…."

I caressed his chest, where his heart was beating. A long deafening silence entrails us before I decide to turn him around. I held both of his cheeks.

"You were a victim, but Ethan was also a victim. Your twin was cursed, thinking that there was no cure. He chose to live a life to be a monster because that's what he thought was when deep inside all he wanted was to get treated better."

I pushed myself away, unblocking the view so he could see Ethan. No wonder I have mistaken him as Ethan this time since they really looked identical. They have the same haircut this time, the same way of outfit, and the same posture.

"I am really sorry for what I have caused in our family, brother. Believe me when I say it wasn't my intention to kill you or our parents. I have been suffering since I was a child, and you locked me away. Now that Natasha came into my life, it changed me for who I was before…."

"I am different now, brother."

Nathan was speechless for a moment. He gradually looked at me. His eyes were unsure, but I smiled, nodding and gesturing to come close to his brother since Ethan wouldn't harm him. I know Ethan, and he was sure of his words.

Nathan stood up straight, and I thought he would arrange the misunderstanding he had with his twin when he suddenly pointed his gun at Ethan.

"I am going to kill you and take Natasha away!"

"NO!" I screamed, but it was too late.

He pulled the trigger.