Creaaaaaak!

The metal bars opened, and a tall shadow loomed over me. Although my eyes scanned for something to rest on, I ended up being eaten away by fear, anxiety, and trauma. My whole body trembled as I was dragged towards a room who knows where.

"No—no...where are you taking me? Where are you taking me???" I shouted, and they shut me down by tying a fabric tight to my mouth. Struggling, I tried to scream and squirm to escape the men who dragged me away from my cell.

"Hmmph!!" I was thrown like a sack onto the floor. My pupils dilated as I saw the room where it all started. I screamed, yet my voice was muffled by the tight fabric on my mouth.

Tack-tack! Tack-tack! Tack-tack....

"Hello, Kiefer..."

So hard—so hard to breathe! My chest was tightening, and my whole body shook from fear.

The man went down and removed the fabric that prevented me from screaming. No matter how much I wanted to scream, my mouth wouldn't let me. My voice hid itself in the deepest pits of my soul.

"Kiefer...you know just how much your family loves you, right? You just have to admit..."

Pain—painful! The memories of that day came back as if it was fresh.

It was the commemoration of Independence Day. All the public officials had gathered and appeared for speeches. Senator Michael, one of our business partners and a friend of my father, was one of the delegates on the occasion. I, on the other hand, was the youngest son of the current CEO of Strelitz Publishing Corporation. I wasn't supposed to be among the guests at the event for officials, yet my animation film won international awards, thus, earning me a spot for an invitation to the said event.

"Kiefer, so nice to meet you!" As always, Sen. Michael would greet me as if we had never met at the company during my regular office inspections with Dad.

"Good day, Senator. It was a pleasure to be joining this joyous celebration," I answered and shook his hand with a broad smile on my face.

I can still hear the cheers the public have for me as among the youngest artists in the country to receive a national award. What I cannot accept is the moment that happened afterwards.

It was late at night. Ten forty-five, to be exact. Sen. Michael told me he wanted to show me his private art gallery. I refused his offer, yet he insisted on bringing me along to his office.

"You see, Kiefer, if only there were more youths like you. You can inspire a new generation," his words, like a father who encourages me to pursue my passion for animated films.

I chuckled. "But Sir, you flatter me too much. Even my father told me I should have gone for public administration or even business."

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"True—why didn't you? You have a talent for leading people, Kiefer. Look at how your film impacted a lot of young people!" He said so proudly as he finally opened his secret door to his private gallery.

My jaw dropped. All unknown works created by different classical masters can be found here.

"Don't be fooled. Some of them are duplicates." He said as he drank his glass of beer.

"Impressive, Sir, for a duplicate." I observed and noticed some details that were different from the original masterpieces I have studied from art school.

Sen. Michael's phone suddenly rang. "Hello?"

A muffled voice answered. "Senator, someone wants to see you."

"Okay. Give me time to meet him. Kiefer, you could look around if you want. I'll shut this secret lever. Then, if you want to get out, just click this—right here!" He demonstrated the way to get out of the private gallery, but I wasn't able to remember correctly because I was absorbed by my admiration for the masterpieces.

On the other side, I can hear two voices talking: One is the Senator, the other, a somewhat familiar yet odd voice.

"I told you, Sir. The funds you gave me are for the scholarships of skilled young people...." the senator said.

Slowly, I placed my ear near the wall where I could hear their conversation.

"Traitor."

"UGGGH!!"

My eyes widened. "Senator—Senator!!!" I fumbled on the lever trying to get out of the gallery.

Clack—clack, clack! The secret door opened. I saw Senator wringing in pain on the floor as he was stabbed in the gut.

"Kiefer, run..." He coughed blood.

Two men try to shoot me down, yet I swiftly scooped Sen. Michael and ran towards the desk for cover. At the side of my eye, something was glistening. It was the knife used to stab Sen. Michael.

"GAAAAAAH!" the man shouted. I stabbed one of the men with the knife on his left leg.

As the man turned, my eyes slowly turned grim. Dropping the knife, I sat down in horror and shock. I backed away.

The man laughed maniacally. "Kiefer, Kiefer....how dare a lowly cartoonist kid pick up the blade?"

"U-uncle....."

Bang, bang, bang!

Lying on the floor, I crawled towards Sen. Michael. There were exchanges of bullets between the senator and Uncle Larry. I covered Sen. Michael, so I got shot.

Cough, cough. The senator tried to shake me into consciousness, but Uncle Larry held onto the knife and stabbed Sen. Michael a few more times.

"Senator—Senatooor—gaaah!" I got hit by Uncle's men and shot me twice on my back.

"Kiefer, Kiefer, boy!" My uncle tried to hold onto me as if he was trying to save me. Then, with a red glint in his eye, he told his men to call for security. "Security—security! Someone has breached into the Senator's office!" He looked at me menacingly. "A tall six-foot man...."

Coughing and crying, I glanced at the lifeless body of Sen. Michael who I treated like my second father, and back at Uncle Larry who treated me like a rival. With a handkerchief, he wiped away the blood and anything that would imprint him as the murderer of Sen. Michael. Gently, he placed the knife in my hands and positioned me as if I had stabbed the senator. He hugged me and cried before the senator's guards arrived.

"Kiefer...oh, he's an innocent boy!--help him," Uncle Larry played and cried to the guards.

I gasped back into reality as he repeated the same words to me. He laughed at my misery.

Uncle Larry gripped my hair and pulled my head, which forced me to look him directly in the eye. "You know, you wouldn't be in this situation. If only you weren't given the highest shares by your father...."

I glared back at him. All these four years—the frustration, abuse, and trauma that have built up inside me, like the poison you slowly inject into me to paint the narrative of me being a leader of the youth rebels.

"Oh...ohohoho—what lovely eyes! Yes, perfect. Be the rebel you've always hated to be called out to. What was that—free your world and be reborn?" he smiled like the devil.

"YOU—YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILLED THE SENATOR! YOU KILLED THE SENATOR!!!" I shouted at him and grabbed him by the collar. His henchmen quickly pulled me away from him.

GAAAAAH!

He slammed my head onto the wooden floor. Blood trickled from my forehead and nose.

"You will continue to play your part as a sacrifice for the honor of your family. Play the villain, die like a villain, Kiefer....." he whispered menacingly to my ears, then laughed once more. After that, he stood up and got a syringe with a drug. He injected it into my neck.

Like in a hallucination, the memories of Sen. Michael's death kept replaying in my mind. I went crazy as I tried to battle for the insanity left in my brain. Thrown back into my cell, I rolled around and laughed and cried.