forum V O T E / Psychological Thriller / Closed

Started June 26, 2018 by @WriteOutofTime

tune

“Why does it matter?!” She asked with wide eyes,” were all going to die!” She yelled back at him then started pacing

Enzo grabbed her arm and yanked her back against the wall, pining her down. His hand clenched tightly around her arm. "I'm going to ask one last f*cking time," he whispered, his voice tight, "Who did you vote for?"

“Let go of me.” She said quietly

"WHO DID YOU VOTE FOR?" His hand tightened around her arm. He knew his grip would probably leave a bruise, but he didn't care, he didn't care, all he cared about was the truth. If she'd killed Lixi…if it was her…

“Ask your friend that question first. My voting wouldn’t have made a difference unless he voted for her too.”

Xander came from the side and shoved Enzo off of River. "Don't f***ing touch her like that! And don't you dare act like you haven't betrayed someone's trust in this game yet so that you could live! You are no better than the rest of us!"

Enzo whipped his head around, slapping Xander's hands away from him. "Someone killed that little girl, esè, and it sure as hell wasn't me," he said, standing to his full height. "Which one of you did it, huh? Or was it both of you?" Were they conspiring against them the entire time? Was it always their intent to kill him and Lixi? Had he been fooled?

Tears streaked Xander's face. "Have you ever been so afraid of dying that you were willing to do literally anything to get out? I was going to let you two vote for me last round… I had truly planned on it, but as the time drew nearer, I became afraid. I… I don't want to die, Enzo. I'm not even an adult yet. I've got a full life ahead of me, and I hate myself for what I've done, but… I just… I saw the opportunity. Lixi was set on voting for herself. I don't know if River voted for her or not, but… Yes, I broke the alliance, and I'm sor- no… Sorry will never be enough."
Xander drew back a bit, prepared for Enzo to possibly hit him.

Enzo's good eye dimmed as he froze, his entire body going rigid. He hadn't really thought Xander would do it. He'd assumed it was River. He shook his head, slowly. "No…no, you wouldn't. She was twelve. You wouldn't kill that little girl, Xander, you're lying." His voice cracked violently. "You're lying."

Xander was shaking. He could barely breathe, much less say another word. He could have saved her, and he knew it, but he was not the hero type. He never would be, not as long as fear ruled his heart.

"She thought you were her friend," Enzo spat, his body starting to move again. He took a few steps towards Xander, his fists clenching and unclenching. "You lied to her, and you lied and lied and then you f*cking killed her!" His voice rose until it was a desperate, agonized shout. "You killed a baby! You…you sick bastard, you sick son of a bitch!" His fist flew before he could even think, aiming straight towards Xander's sniveling, tear streaked face.

Xander stumbled backwards and fell, holding a hand to his face. All of those words hurt. He had not intended to lie, much less kill her- at least not until he was in that voting booth.

His hand had hovered over River's name, but he knew what would happen next. Xander was next on the kill list for sure, and he panicked. His hand went over to Lixi's name before he could think about what he had done, and he tapped it, then stared at the screen in terror. Lixi was going to die because of him, all because he was too weak and scared to hold up his end of an agreement. In that moment, Xander decided he didn't want to be a martyr for Enzo and Lixi, or for anyone. He just wanted to live.

Xander didn't get up. He didn't feel like putting up a fight he knew he would lose.

Enzo crouched over Xander, wrapping his hands around the other mans neck. "You wanna live, Xander? You killed a little girl to save your own ass?" His grip tightened. "Look at my eye. Look at that scar. And look at my face. You think I'm a stranger to death? To killing?"

Xander almost started to struggle and panic, but he then remembered something from the first day. He had broken that vase in the hallway and taken a shard to use as a weapon. It was still in his pocket. He drew it out and dragged it hard across Enzo's upper arm, hoping to at least get him to release.

Enzo yanked his hands away, cursing through his teeth at the sudden pain. He remembered the look in Xander's eyes when they'd first met and realized he'd been an idiot to trust a man like him. He jumped to his feet and backed away, his hand clutching at his wound. "I'll kill you," he threatened, his voice a harsh growl. "I'll do anything to kill you."

River jumped up and tried to drag Xander’s body towards the wall

"How ironic…" Xander muttered to himself, "Like father like son, they say."
He remembered clearly how he had come home from school one day six years ago to find two policemen talking to his mother in the dining room, and how she was in tears. Then, he remembered the other shock that came when he heard the news that his father was dead, and foul play was suspected, but there was never enough evidence to say for sure who did it.
Xander stood his ground, prepared for another possible attack.

(Going to bed, see ya)

Enzo's chest heaved as he regarded the younger man. He didn't want to attack him empty handed. Physically, he overpowered him, but he was unarmed and Xander wasn't. If he rushed in, he'd be stabbed. He took a deep breath, his eye glazing over, and forced his body to relax.