After...
Darkness. Cold. An absolute void. Oh, great. Either I’m dead… or I got kidnapped again. Come on, brain, work!
Where... the hell am I?
???: [A whistle echoes... the kind that makes you think something bad is about to happen.] Hello, little brother…
Little brother? Wait, this is getting weird. Too weird.
???: With effort, I open my eyes. My head is pounding like I drank too much last night (which I didn’t… I think).
What...?! Who are you?! Where am I?! And why does this feel like the start of a bad horror movie?!
???: [Laughs mockingly.] Oh, come on, calm down. One question at a time, anxious protagonist.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Protagonist? Wait… does this guy know I’m in a story? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?
Calm down?! WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY ARE YOU TALKING LIKE THIS IS SOME KIND OF COMIC?!
???: Aaah… [Sighs in boredom.] The usual, the classic: lost brother, family trauma, revenge, blah, blah, blah…
Oh no… Don’t tell me this is one of those “cursed family members return from hell to make your life miserable” stories. Because if it is, I DEMAND a better plot.
Wait… You called me brother… That means… w-wait… No way! You were dead! You were killed by…!
???: Shh. Don’t spoil the surprise. Don’t mention big brother yet… The audience likes mystery.
Esp… what? The audience? Is this guy talking to the readers? HEY! THAT’S MY THING.
What are you talking about…? Did you lose your mind...? Or am I the one dreaming?
???: The audience… they are the ones reading our story. But that doesn’t matter now.
???: What really matters is… [Pauses dramatically.]
???: I brought you here to tear you… into little… pieces.
Wait a sec… Excuse me? "Pieces"? What are we, fried chicken? Why do villains always have to talk in dramatic mode? Just say "I’m gonna kill you" and let’s get this over with!
???: You really don’t remember? What they did to me… to our family…
Flashbacks start appearing in my mind, but honestly, I’d rather not see them. What happened to a nice coffee and a civilized conversation?
???: But before all that… let’s have the narrator tell the story from the beginning.
Wait a minute… narrator? OH NO, HE STOLE MY MOVE! THAT WAS MY JOB!
???: So… Narrator, it’s your turn.
The camera slowly zooms out… if there even is a camera. I don’t know, but j
ust imagine it with epic music in the background.
