Greeting

A woman was secluded in a room upstairs, holding so gently onto her hand—the hand of a friend. She rested on her knees, tilting her head down, and letting her eyes be covered by her hair…just to not see what was in front of her.

Anna…

She placed her hand down, also gently, and brushed her hair to the sides of her face.

“I won’t take that name from you.”

Having risen, she left the room.

***

“Nate, I’m not gonna say it again!” said Johnny, a rather tall man who towered over every person in the house, “I don’t care if you scared!” He was unaware of his own frightfulness and as a result, most hated him.

“Dad we can’t! There’s no way in hell we could do it dammit!”

“Sit down! I’m gonna tell you what we gonna to do!”

Johnny slammed his large hand onto the table and began speaking. He pointed at Nate and himself and tapped the table several times during his explanation to Nate.

“Alright? We not livin’ like this no more.”

“So I’ll do it…” Nate said.

“Yeah, imma hand you my gun, and you shoot her right in the head.”

“She’ll kill me—”

“NO! When she comes down those stairs you’ll kill her! Okay?!”

Soon after he said that—footsteps were heard. Slowly, she came.

Nate was scared and hurried to retrieve the weapon from Johnny, then moved to another end of the “family” room while concealing it.

After some time, she had finally reached the bottom of the staircase. She turned to her head to the left side of the room, eyeing Nate who was trembling profusely.

I-I can’t do it! She’ll know!

Then she directed her gaze toward Johnny, who didn’t seem to be afraid from appearances alone. He looked back at her with the most contemptuous of looks.

Step

Nevertheless, she walked forward. Each step she took rang louder for both father and son; each step was a sign of a forthcoming event that was to be unfavorable to any of the three.

“Anna” stopped at his feet and looked up at him.

“Good morning, you two,” said Anna.

“Anna…”

“That is not my name—”

“ANNA! Let me speak!”

She was someone he hated dearly, yet he never took matters into his own hands for the longest time to get rid of her.

“Listen, I’m movin’.”

“Moving?” she asked, “Where?”

“Me and Nate are goin’ back in town.”

Reverting her gaze back to Nate, a pause filled the room for a brief moment until Anna spoke up, “And what about this house?”

“It ain’t mine. You can do whatever I don’t care.”

Dad, if she knows you lied this won’t work! She’s too smart for that!

“Hmm,” Anna wondered, “when should I expect you two to leave?”

“I don’t know, but we leavin’ in a couple hours…”

“Are your belongings already packed?”

“It ain’t but—”

“This is very sudden news to me, Johnny.”

“What?”

His eyes twitched, not particularly from resentment, but in fact, from nervousness. Anna noticed Nate fixing onto his father with a bit of a frown covering his face.

“You, what’s the matter?” she asked Nate, her whole body shifted to face him now.

“What, what you want?”

“No, it just so seems that you might not be happy with this move.”

“W-Why…?”

“Perhaps your father would not survive a day back there.”

“I wouldn’t?” Johnny questioned her.

“Your father would be frowned upon, after returning for so long, it would cause much—”

“SHUT UP!” Johnny yelled, flailing his arms everywhere, “I’ll do whatever the HELL want! I don’t gotta listen to a damn word you gotta say!”

“I see.”

The harsh yelling from Johnny caused Nate’s body to jump, making him almost reveal the gun he did his best to hide. He glanced over to Johnny angrily for startling him so much.

“Just…” Nate said, beginning to speak up, “we just want you to help us pack. That’s why we’re up so early.”

“Packing your belongings?”

“YES! Could you do that, or not?!”

“Of course. I would like to.”

Anna volunteered to do all the sorting for them by herself while they stayed downstairs. When she turned around Nate took the pistol from out of his torn pocket and pointed it at her head.

You a smart boy Nate! Do it!

Having found success in convincing her, and lowering her guard, Nate however fell to his fears. He couldn’t even grip the pistol properly from all the sweat covering his hand. His sights on Anna’s head wavered to possibly shoot a nearby wall if he did decide to shoot at that particular moment.

SHOOT BOY!!!

I-I can’t, I’m sorry!

He hurriedly put the pistol back in his pocket. Taking deep breaths, he sat down holding his head with both of his hands out of pure disappointment.

Dammit boy…

Johnny then took a seat next to him, he waited for Anna to fully be gone before he spoke.

“Nate, is there something bothering you?” she asked, surprising the two of them.

“JUST LEA—”

Knock, Knock

Hmm…?

Anna narrowed her eyes, fixated at the door. Johnny was confused and Nate was scared, asking himself who on earth would stumble upon the home.

Then the door pushed open.

“What the hell did you knock for?”

It was another woman, a lady who lived with them. She was silent in speech and quiet in the movements. She passed by the table where the father and son were sitting and moved closer to Anna. The lady wore a long black dress down to her ankles, it contrasted well with her nearly whitish hair.

“You did not close the door completely,” Anna said, she spoke more coldly to her than she did to Nate and even Johnny.

When the lady approached her, she placed her hand on her shoulder, then slowly slid it to the back of her neck, then upwards. That was her way to say “Hello”.

Then the lady moved away from her to take a seat, very close to Nate.

There’s no way I can do it, no way!

“Dad…I’m gonna go outside…”

“Do what you want,” he told him.

Upon getting up he quickly turned his back to Anna firmly keeping his hand in his ripped pocket while approaching the door. It wasn’t entirely shut but he could take only slightly peak through from where he was.

He took one step outside.

Huh?

“Hello, sorry to bother you.”

“Who are…”

He encountered a young man like himself, wearing a coat and a hat that concealed much of his face. Stunned, he couldn’t speak properly.

The man told him, “Um, I don’t mean to bother you guys but I wanted to know if you guys ha—”

“…no, just leave.”

“Huh? I’m sorry?”

“It’s not safe. Just get out of here!” Nate shouted.

“Okay…I don’t want any trouble, but you could please just listen to what I have to—”

“I SAID LEAVE!!!”

He was scared and frustrated, so he didn’t hesitate in drawing his pistol to aim at the man. He placed it against his chest prompting him to get away from the house.

“What the hell…”

“You hear me?!” I don’t know where you came from, I’ve never even seen your face before but I DON’T CARE! Do not come around here!!”

“Alright…goddamn just relax…!” the man said.

“Then…then—”

“Nate!”

“Huh…”

She ain’t heard me, no way she did!

Nate turned to respond to the call, he found it more difficult to conceal the pistol in that position.

“Y-You called, Anna?”

“Let him in.”

The hell’s up with this place?

The man entered home, greeted by much to him—Johnny’s disgusted and shocked look, Nate’s hurried movement to sit back down, Anna’s neutral expression, and whose eyes showed a bit more life to them when she laid them upon the man, and the lady’s gaze at him, forming a subtle, but soft smile.

“I understand what this is now.”

“What does that mean?” the man asked her very confusedly.

“My name is—call me ‘Anna’.”

“You boy,” Johnny spoke up, he almost startled the man when he spoke to him, “what you want?”

“Yeah…I was just looking to get some help from that guy, but he kept telling me to leave.”

“Really? What is it?”

Anna intervened, concerned with what he wanted, happy to lend her aid to a stranger.

“I’m just really hungry…if any of you guys have food or just water that’d be great, and I could go,” said the man.

“Tsk, too bad boy. We about busy right now.”

“Wait, I’m still talking to her, she’s listening.”

“I said we BUSY!! GET THE HELL OUT!” said Johnny.

“Look man, that’s my dad. Don’t piss him off and you’ll be good. I already told you to leave! Didn’t the grass hurt you on the way here? Didn’t you see the color?”

“Nate..”

“I-I mean…!”

Because of Nate saying more than he should, Johnny stood up immediately out of seat and slammed his fist onto Nate’s chest. He, along with the seat, slid back against the wall nearest to him, banging his head against it as well.

“BOY YOU DUMBASS! Who told you to say that?!”

He grabbed him, his grip on his shoulder was so tightened that Nate would begin to lose focus, and even faint, from the fear of his father.

Then the man intervened.

"Hey…calm down, I don’t even know what he meant by that so stop." He brought out a pistol of his own and aimed it directly at Johnny.

“You took out a gun just cause of this? And what you gonna do with it?”

"I hope nothing. So about you get me some water, leave your son alone, and I go my own way?" he said in a more threatening tone. His shift from his kindness to aggression made Johnny perplexed, but not scared. Anna is who he was truly afraid of.

He released Nate from his grasps and thought to focus his anger on the man.

“You probably wasn’t suspectin’ much, but I won’t take no chances.”

“I don’t what you’re on about, I don’t care what you’re hiding I just need—!”

Dammit, how did I get into another mess so soon?!

“Young man.”

“What…? Oh yeah, Anna?”

“Some things are going to happen very quickly and very suddenly.

“Why? What do you mean?” he asked.

“Hold onto your weapon.”

“Anna?! So you workin’ with him!” Johnny said.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, Anna what are you telling this guy?!” said Nate.

“I promise you will understand one day, but just do as I say.”

“Anna?!”

Nate called out to her hoping his words reached her. Johnny did the same but with immense shouting, proving to be useless however. They had a suspicion she knew what they were planning, from the way she was speaking to the man.

“You can stay by me, and I will take care of everything for you, I just need you to do something for me.”

“Okay! Hurry up, these guys are about to do something!”

“It’s no worry, I suspected these two were planning a—”

BANG

Anna lost her balance. She fell sideways colliding with the wall to her right, which held her almost upright.

“D-Dad! I think she knew!!”

“Nate you damn near shook me when you shot that gun! We gotta go!”

He just shot her.

This Anna person, who was trying to help me, just died.

“You are INSANE!” the man said to Nate, he forgot about Johnny and immediately began making his way to him.

The quiet lady who was sitting remained in her spot, bearing witness to everything. She was anticipating Johnny to make his next move, and paid attention to Anna’s body.

“You get the hell out boy!” He swung his arm and sent the man back to the entrance on his back. “I’m gonna give you one more chance to leave this place you dumbass boy! We got places to be!”

The man found trouble talking when coughing and clearing his throat and recovering from the pain from Johnny’s hit.

“Nah…you’re gonna kill more people.”

I’m really gonna shoot again.

“Freeze,” he told both of them.

“You ain't even up yet. I could kick the hell outta you right now.”

“Just…just stop man!”

“Young man, just hold your pistol,” Anna said. She rose from the floor and touched the side of her head then looked at her fingers, just to see nothing on them, no drop of blood, or any type of stain.

“That ain't possible…Nate!”

“She gonna kill us dad!”

While the lady looked at Anna, Anna stared intently at the man.

“Pay very close attention to Johnny, he is not normal.”

Johnny ignored everything, every single worry, every problem he used to have, everything just to confront Anna one last time.

“He’s…”

His body deformed, it grew a bit bigger. Moreover, his arm; the whole of his left arm blackened, twitching and growing as hairs sprung out. It was like the color of grass during the night that surrounded a remote house.

“Anna? How did you—”

“The blame is to me. Nevertheless…”

Johnny had every single intent to do what he wished to at that moment. His anger was beyond boiled, and wished to pour it on Anna.

“These two wanted to kill me,” Anna said.

“So you…”

CRASH

“Kill them,” she said to the man.

Johnny struck her, and succeeded.

She’s about to die again.

Crack…

“You gotta die! You gotta die! You ruined our lives Anna!”

This time, instead of falling back, or sustaining any injury, her right side broke off from her.

Like pieces of a shell, her skin fell off, revealing nothing underneath but an empty and hollow body.

“Johnny, it is enough. I’m glad I lent you that strength, but I’m sad I saw you for who you truly were. Because now I know that you didn't deserve it. You we’re given so many chances and—”

“Anna please!” Nate shouted with tears rolling down his face, “You’re crazy! You’re just crazy!” He considered shooting her a second time; nothing would be able to stop his overwhelming fear of everyone living in that house.

Standing straight, Anna said one final thing to the man with the pistol.

“I’m sorry that I’ve startled you, but you will go through a lot of things from now on. I want to see the type of person you are.”

“Hey, hang on! Don’t just let him kill you!” the man said, desperately wanting for her to not go anywhere.

“Boy, I don’t even know if she dead for good this time. But I can’t take my chances, I gotta get the hell outta here!” said Johnny.

He pushed her down, allowing for more cracks to form upon impact. Her eyes didn’t show any emotion worth telling, she simply stared up at the ceiling, and said nothing more.

The man looked over to her body, then looked to Nate who was frightened, as well as the lady who never spoke a word and did not a thing other than observe.

Is that girl okay? Is she with these guys or what?

Lastly he looked at Johnny, his back was facing him. Johnny was deeply fixated on Anna’s body, simply waiting for her to move.

He spoke out to the man, “I’m gonna give you one chance. Get out. And I won’t do nothing.”

“Huh…!?”

The man sprung up, adjusted his grip on his pistol, and jumped to Nate before Johnny could react in time.

“What are you doing?!”

“You guys killed her, I don’t wanna hear it from you.”

“You don’t get it! Dad! Come on!”

Johnny saw the man holding Nate with his gun on his head. It proved to be easy to keep him still, as the man was much more courageous, and Nate was not.

Seeing this, Johnny’s arm twitched more, and it grew even bigger.

“I’M GONNA KILL YOUR ASS!”

The man had no intention of releasing Nate. It sacrificed much of his movement, so Johnny was steadfast in attacking what was in front of him.

“HEY WAI—”

Nate took the brunt of his hit.

“I said…wait…”

He fainted, sustaining a large bruise and broken jawbone. The man fell back extremely violently, surprised by what lengths Johnny would go.

“Oh my god…”

Even Johnny was shocked by his own doing.

“Oh my god Nate, wake the hell up boy…!”

The man was seeing him call out to his son yelling, and he gradually became louder, so much that it was even powerful enough to hurt his ears.

“Why the hell did you hit him?! You weren’t supposed to move!”

“WHAT?!” Johnny shouted, “YOU COME TO MY HOUSE, THREATEN MY KID, AND SAY THIS IS MY FAULT?!”

Johnny’s anger made him forget everyone in the room except the man. He grabbed the edge of the table and threw it aside, he kicked all the chairs that weren’t occupied, he made sure to clear everything that was between the both of them.

If I do nothing he’s gonna kill me.

“You a dead man.”

But I can’t run, he’s gotta stop.

Man, I’m sorry…

The man took aim and began thinking of numerous ways to handle him, he considered shooting his arm—then he thought he may not be effective and waste his bullets. He also thought to confront him and take him down without the need of a pistol—but he realized that he was too weak because he was too hungry to try. He then had the idea to aim for his face and end it once and for all, but he wouldn’t know how to face Nate afterwards.

Yet, he still kept the third option in mind

This kid don’t know a damn thing about this house! He don’t know about me, about Nate, about Anna, about NOTHING!! He ain’t gonna come in here and start shooting around…I’m gonna beat that boy ass then get the hell outta here!

Stomp

Interrupting them, she reminded Johnny of her existence. The lady stood up from her seat, turned her head to take a look at Johnny then to someone else—Nate.

She moved in his direction and knelt down for a better look at him.

I forgot that girl, what’s she doing?

“Hey, leave that boy alone. Don’t do nothing!”

And what’s he so worried about?

The lady placed her hand on his body. She lightly grabbed his shoulder, noticing the large amount of bruises, and rubbed his back in an upwards motion. Her actions stunned the man, and startled Johnny. Only Anna, or those closest to her, could understand what she was thinking.

“Are you alright? Are you scared, miss?” the man asked her. She didn’t say a word to him, which left him confused, but nevertheless concerned.

“Don’t do a damn thing to him!”

When she lifted her hand off Nate’s body, she took a hold of his pistol.

What…. She's gonna try and help me out??

She stood back up, holding firmly onto it, and pointed it at Nate.

No, no…that Johnny guy is gonna kill her!

The lady stared coldly at him, at his lying, motionless body. Her arm did not waver, it remained still, not shifting to any other direction. If nobody, neither Johnny nor the Man did anything, she would have carried what she intended.

“HEY DROP IT! IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!!”

Yet again his calling to her did not change anything. All the Lady did was stretch her arm even further than she already had.

However, she did not fire the pistol right away, in fact, she waited. She wanted to wait to see what would happen next.

When the Man saw Johnny’s face, he became scared for her own life.

“John—!”

He said nothing, not a single word. He just swung his large, darkened, misshapen hand at her. Johnny made contact with her right shoulder, and pushed her away. Evidently, it caused her to fall, but she wasn’t pushed back as far as he thought he did.

“Nate, I’m sorry.”

BANG

The Man got his head, a perfect shot made possible by a perfect opportunity. Johnny leaned back crashing down onto the floor. Falling on his left arm, he made a hole big enough for a person’s head to go through and see underneath the house.

He was conscious for a brief moment after the man shot him, before he died.

I didn’t want to, I swear I didn’t want to do this…!

He scanned the entirety of the house. He took note of Nate who was still unconscious, and he wondered if he might have also been dead. Then he looked in the lady’s direction, who he could see was surely alive, she was moving very little.

The man almost wanted to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to not want to help the two. And also notably, he saw that the pistol was still in the lady’s hand, and wanted to make sure she wouldn’t do anything with it.

How’s she still holding onto it?