325: DARK CONFRONTATIONS ANDRE’S POV It had gotten dark, and everyone had left the company, going to their various homes. Ariel was the last one to leave, and before she did that, we had a little conversation- just a normal conversation, actually. I was exhausted from work, and my thoughts added to my stress. I had no idea how this all started, but my head couldn’t shake the thoughts away. Walking to my car, I spotted a light of another car coming in my direction. The light was pointed at me, giving me the feeling that whoever was in that vehicle came to see me. So I stood, waiting for the car to stop and for the driver to leave. When the car finally stopped, I didn’t take my eyes off it. The lights were turned off, and I stood still, letting the scene unfold. To my surprise, a familiar face stepped out. And this was not just any familiar face. It was my brother Mason. He was the one who burst out of the car. He wore a leather jacket and grey jeans. His face had several scars, and he was definitely not as handsome as he used to be. “Mason? Is that you?” I asked cautiously. It could be that my thinking had brought me to this imaginary world. “What are you seeing, brother?” He replied, opening his arms wide. He took some steps forward, but it was like he had been injured in the leg. Of course he was. His encounter with Luke was definitely the cause of it. I was quite sure about that. “Where have you been all these days?” I quizzed him. His steps were getting closer each second. Just trying to build myself.” He shrugged, making that not–caring face. “You know, after what your friend’s lover did to me. But you deserved it, don’t you?” 325 DARK CONFRONTATIONS “Ha!” He snapped his fingers. “You know about everything now. I noticed that.” “Do you have to be so cruel?” “Cruel? Is that what you call me now?” “Yes. Mason! You murdered a five–year–old kid who literally had no idea about anything.” “He was the son of Luke.” “The boy was innocent!” I bawled right away. “He had nothing to do with any of your… problems with Luke. If you wanted revenge, you shouldn’t have touched any of the little kids.” Mason chuckled, moving his fingers together. “Then it wouldn’t be a cool one.” “A cool one? That’s it, Mason? Seriously? That’s what you’re going to say?” “What do you want me to say?!” He shrieked at me that very moment. The glare had now overshadowed his visage. “Do you have any idea what Luke did to me, do you? Do you know the pain that he caused me, the pain that I had to go through for years?” “Still, you didn’t have to go ahead and kill his son. In case you don’t know, Luke was like a son to me. He was family.” “And Sofia was family too,” Mason spat, and in a whisper, he said, “I loved her so much. I loved her with the whole of my heart. But Luke had to take her from me. So I followed the law: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Karma came knocking right on his door. I brought that to him.” I gazed at him in silence, scanning him pretty well. I looked around, and different. people were walking by. I turned back to Mason. “Let’s find somewhere more safe to talk about this.” I entered my car, and Mason followed promptly. We didn’t say anything to each other while I drove. We traversed the desolate stretch of road; an eerie silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the occasional whisper of the wind. Weathered and cracked asphalt stretched out like a yawning chasm, disappearing into the horizon. The darkness 325 DARK CONFRONTATIONS seemed to swallow everything whole, and It could leave someone with a sense of unease as you pressed forward. “Where are we heading to?” Mason asked, looking around. “Why are you asking? Are you afraid?” “No, I’m not. I’m just curious.” “Don’t be curious then. You know how the saying goes: curiosity kills the cat.” Mason chuckled, still looking through the window. “That’s an old season.” He looked at me with his sardonic smile. “Those are for babies, not for me.” I chuckled, not saying anything further. I only carried on with my driving. To either side, gnarled trees stood sentinel, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers grasping at the void. Their twisted forms cast elongated shadows that danced across the road, adding to the sense of foreboding. The sparse foliage that clung to their branches rustled softly as if murmuring secrets to the night. Ahead, a solitary hill rose ominously against the backdrop of the starless sky. Its silhouette loomed like a specter, beckoning you forth with an unsettling allure. I approached in that detection, and the incline became steeper, the road winding its way upwards like a serpent’s coil. Driving further, the darkness seemed to deepen, pressing in on all sides. If you were here with me right now, you would feel like you were suffocating under its weight, with the air growing colder. It would look like it was chilling you to the bone as you climbed ever higher toward the summit. Finally, we reached the crest of the hill, and for a moment, all was still. The road stretched before us, disappearing into the darkness below. From this vantage point, I could see nothing but emptiness, a vast expanse of nothingness that stretched out into infinity. “You can get out now,” I told Mason, not glimpsing at him. “Seriously, brother? What are we doing here?” he asked me. His tone indicated that he was frightened, but he didn’t want to admit it. My eyes were tardily fixed on him, unwavering. 325 DARK CONFRONTATIONS “Don’t give me that face,” he spat. “What the hell are we doing here? Why have your brought us to this place?” I hoisted my brows at him. “Are you scared?” “Don’t ask me that!” He snarled promptly. “Enough with that ‘why are you scared shit,‘ ‘alright? I’m sick of it!” “Why? I only asked you twice,” I told him calmly. “Bullshit, Andre! Bullshit!” “Keep your voice down and leave the car. We are here to talk, nothing else.” “Of all the places in this city. You had to bring us here.” “Do you have a problem with it?” “You’re asking me if I have a problem with it? If I don’t, do you think I’ll be saying all this right now?” “Mason, I came here to talk, to clarify things, and to see how we can end all this madness. Don’t you trust me?” He sighed, and after a moment, he left the car. I got out as well. We were both. standing right at the hill, silence within the darkness. “So, we’re here. Say what you have to say. Mason asked me, and I turned to him. “Come with me,” I answered and walked closer to the edge of the cliff. Mason moved behind me and stood close to the edge as well. “Tell me, Mason, about this lover of yours. The one you said was killed by Luke.” Mason let out a deep sigh. “Well, I don’t have much to say. But she was pretty, nice, amazing, and all the great things you could ever think of. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.” “Because Luke killed her.” “Yes.” I turned to him. “You want to know something, Mason?” 9925 DARK CONTRONTATIONS “What’s that?” “Lukel was also nice. He was a sweet kid, funny, playful, lively, and all the great things you could think of as well. But you went ahead to kill him. You kidnapped his sister, tried to kill his mother, and also tried to kill his father.” “They all deserved it. And I’m not done yet.” “I know. That’s why I’m about to put an end to all of this.” “What do you mean by that?” He raised his brow in confusion. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mason.” “Sorry for what? What are you talking about..” I pushed him off the cliff before he could finish his sentence. And glancing down, I could hear his screams.
