[Short Story] Truth in Shadows

The sun smiled brightly that morning. I took my stuff and prepared myself to depart to the city, like usual. Swords, twin guns, ammunitions, all inside my backpack. Yes, I was one of the government finest intelligence squad members.

”Brother! Where are you going?" My little brother asked. He's just around the age of early teen, approached me. "Asher, your big brother is going to work like usual, your father and mother are old, and it's my duty to help them in funding the family. I am returning their favor" 

"But big bro-" 

"don't worry, I will be back early today." I replied to him. I entered Asher's parents room, and kissed their hands before I left to work at the intel.

I came to the intel base, 2 hours later than usual, and my commanding officer scolded me and punished me with a hundred of sit ups and push ups. Then, I was fired, as this was the third time I was late, and ordered to return home. However, on the road, a man halted my path and invited me for a talk. He ordered me to follow him to an alley. I rejected at first, but he forced me. Suddenly he injected me with something. I didn’t really know what it is, but it made me dizzy.

That man carried me to the alley. I barely see a thing, the darkness was shrouding the places. Bats flew and screamed through the horizons of the alley. I could hear conversations between people, but vaguely due to the tense and my consciousness being poisoned by the mysterious drug he injected. He released his grasp of my body in the alley, and I lost my consciousness.

After a hour or so, I regained consciousness. The man, along with his friends, surrounded me. “We want to talk about a favor,” he said. I replied, “After you drugged me, you expect me to aid your requests?”

They didn’t reply. I was very confused and one of them suddenly pointed his sword toward my face. “You have no permission to reject. If you do, all your friends, family and loved ones are going to die, as well as you,” the man said.

I knew I had no choice. I decided to agree with their request, unwillingly. The man gave me a sword and a cellphone. “Kill all the villagers in your village, and burn it down to ashes. Report to me when you have your job done.” He said.

I departed to my village, with a disguise to cover myself. On the road, I thought about all the good people I was about to murder. The feeling of remorse lingered in my heart. I knew I couldn’t do this, but I had to, or everyone, including my adoptive parents and brother, Asher, would perish. I would not let that happen.

I finally arrived near the village. While waiting until the sky became dark, I hid myself near the village, at a bar 300 meters away from the entrance. Before anyone at the bar could discover my identity, I had them all dead. I had remorse doing such, but I knew it’s for the better.

As soon as the village became quiet, I murdered every single person in the village, both ones I knew and I didn’t knew at the time. Until I entered the house where I was raised.

I thought to myself that I need to spare someone. I wondered, “Who should I spare?” I said quietly. I knew time’s about to up and had to make my decision. With mixed emotion, I approached Asher’s parents at their room, sleeping. Slowly I sharpened my blade, and suddenly…

Asher entered the scene, surprised with my presence, but he seemed to think I was a burglar of some sort. Before he reacted, I grabbed him, cornered himself and told him to stay still and watch. I locked his mouth with bandage and bind his hands with small chains, hidden behind my jacket.

Before he could react, I slashed both of his parents, killing them on the spot. I dropped a shed of tear as I did so, but I pretended not to cry, while my heart was broken. I approached Asher as he fell into a shock. Then, I grabbed his neck and whispered to him. A whisper that would turn his life upside down.