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Rupert
All around me, blood seeped out of the walls, coating them crimson, wet, metallic.
The floor oozed, the ceiling dripped.
It was my blood, bursting through the vessels at the backs of my eyes. Now I truly understood what it meant to see red.
The outrage running through my veins burned from the inside out and my hands zinged with the need to squeeze the life out of the scrawny figure I’d just thrown across the room.
I looked down at him, at his lazy nonchalance and crooked sneer. His eyes danced with hate and triumph. Ossian knew my soul had found its other half, and he did what any jealous sibling below the age of six would do. He broke it.
My chest heaved and my rage soared. Vivian’s trembling sobs were the only thing anchoring me to the floor.
“You want to kill me, don’t you Rupert?” Ossian smiled.
My teeth ground together like two rocks. I’d never wanted to do anything more in my life.
Blood pumped loudly through cords in my neck as he pushed his back up the wall and lolled his head to one side.
“All that pomp and pageantry out there, it’s a load of shit, isn’t it? Despite everything you’ve said, and everything you’ve done, what you really want is standing right over there.”
He nodded past me towards Vivian and my knuckles cracked in unison.
“But you can’t kill me for that Rupert, can you?” His face screwed up into a vicious little ball. “Because you’ve come this far. You even got married, for fuck’s sake.” His voice danced with a patronising lilt. “You can’t throw it all away now.”
My nostrils flared. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?” I didn’t recognise my own voice. It was deep, aphotic, a shadow lurking in the base of my throat.
He licked his lips, goading me. “She tastes fucking amazing, brother.”
Contempt sliced down my spine like a dagger.
“She was so damned delicious. I sucked her dry.”
My eyes burned as I tried to think straight.
“I know you went back for more Rupert, even though you denied it over and over. I know you’d put that CCTV tape on a loop. You thought I wasn’t clever enough to do what you’d done, isn’t that was you said? Little did you know, I had my own feed set up in the kitchen. Not only was I just as clever as you brother, but I also beat you at your own fucking game.”
He chuckled and tucked a lip between his teeth. “You’re pretty handy with a pair of scissors, aren’t you?”
Behind me, Vivian expelled the contents of her stomach onto the floor of the crypt. The sound of her retching tore out my spleen.
Light flashed in the corner of my eyes, blinding me from the force of anger that shot me forward. My body had been consumed by something otherworldly. I was vaguely aware of my knuckles ripping across Ossian’s face with nothing but the thought of ending this vermin. His laughter spat through each slam of my fist, like he was revelling in my rage. Like he’d won. I hated myself for giving in to the urge to kill my own brother after keeping up all the pretence for so long, but I couldn’t not.
Vivian.
“Rupert, stop!” A hand wrapped around my wrist and held it fast behind me. I didn’t know who it was; I didn’t care who it was. I could see nothing but the object of my hatred and I kicked out, slamming the sole of a pleasantly polished shoe onto the crest of Ossian’s cheek. Hatred was too weak of a word. Hatred was a word used to describe homework, stomachache, a school bully. Not Ossian Thorn. He deserved a whole new word.
“Vivian, get up honey.” Minty’s panicked voice cut through the still air of the crypt. The only other sound was that of my vengeful grunts as I continued to lash out at the repulsive creature on the floor.
“Rupert! Fuck, man, stop. You’re going to kill him.”
Hector tried to step in front of me but he was no match for my height, strength and determination.
The sound of running feet reverberated somewhere in the back of my consciousness. I broke free from Hector’s grasp and lunged at Ossian’s lecherous form. Then an arm wrapped around my middle and dragged me back towards the door.
“Jesus Christ,” Dax heaved as he looped my arms behind me.
“What the hell?” Hector stared at me with wide eyes.
