Blood On The Bat.

CONTENT WARNING: GORE.

Paeris FinNadiel had always been the runt of the litter. He was always small and weak, as he was sick for all of his life that far, seeming to drag the rest of his family down. They had tried to kill him by locking him inside a closet and trying to burn him alive. He had barely escaped with his life.

And finally, after all these years, he had found his family. He had been searching for thirteen years now and he had at last found them. All of his siblings and his parents. They all thought him dead. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when the boy they thought they killed was alive. And Paeris was going to make them all pay for it.

Seren Arian had been living with Paeris FinNadiel for a little less than thirteen years now. He found Paeris bleeding and scorched in a dirty gutter and ran to find his mom. Seren’s mom took in the homeless boy, fed him and cared for him like her own. But as much as Paeris was grateful, he was scared of having a family. He left not long after his fourteenth birthday. Seren called Paeris his brother, and no matter what, Seren was going to help him.

“Oh my gods…” whispered Paeris FinNadiel, eyes widening. “Holy shit, holy shit,” He ran a hand through his unruly white hair. He stood and paced his room, hope and excitement building with every step. “I did it, I fucking did it… I found them…” He laughed briefly. Paeris had been searching for such a long long time that he never believed this day would come. He had started looking when he was twelve, now he was twenty-five.

Paeris looked out his windows and praised the gods. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating his library/study with golden evening light. The warmth of the rays felt good on his skin, it reminded him that he hadn’t been outside in a few weeks. He hadn’t even gone to the market in the nearby city. Paeris wondered if Seren had gone at all. He walked over to his crystal cabinet and pulled down a skull decanter filled with his favourite whiskey and poured himself a glass. The crystal cup felt cold in his hand and it soothed him.

Paeris disliked anything hot, unless it was food. When Seren would cook their meals, Paeris had to be as far away from the kitchen as he could, for fear of burning to death. He knew that it was highly unlikely to catch fire from their stove, or for the oven to burst into flames, but he couldn’t help the intrusive morbid thoughts of him and Seren burning alive.

Paeris reclined in his chair, turning around to stare out his floor-to-ceiling windows. He took a sip of his whiskey and hummed. Paeris watched the sunset turn to twilight and smiled when the sun dipped below the horizon and left the sky dark. He finished his glass and poured himself another, swirling it in his glass before taking a sip. The gardens of The Silvered Estate spiraled out before him and he had the sudden urge to take a walk through the hedges, getting lost in the greenery that was built to be a labyrinth. Paeris stood and exited his study/library and walked down the hall and then a flight of steps, landing in the main entrance. He went to the door, not bothering to put on shoes, and walked out into the autumn air.

Paeris casually walked around the grounds of The Silvered Estate, touching the hedges with his fingertips, surprised that he could actually feel the leaves and the branches despite the burn scars on his hands. He plucked a flower off a nearby bush and sniffed it. It smelled sweet and lovely, reminding him of the perfume his mother always wore. He had a sudden memory of his mom placing him in a dark closet and yelling at him, her body near enough to smell her sickly sweet perfume but not near enough to hold onto. Paeris shuddered and dropped the flower.

Something up ahead moved, shifting the gravel under its steps. It turned the corner and said

“Oh, hey Paeris. I see you’re out of your study.” It was Seren. In his arms he held a bunch of brown paper bags.

“What is that?” Paeris asked, shoving his shaking hands in his trouser pockets. Seren shifted the bags and handed one to Paeris.

“Food, brother. I noticed that you never went to market in these past few weeks and I found that we were running low. I went instead of making you go, I knew you were busy.” Paeris made a humming sound and followed Seren back into the house. Seren nudged the door open with his hip and walked into their large kitchen, setting the paper bags on the island countertop. Paeris sat his bag next to Seren’s. “Speaking of busy, how’s your search going?” Paeris smiled, hazel eyes lighting up golden.

“I found my family.” Seren hesitated for a minute before nodding. “After thirteen years, I’ve finally found them. I cannot wait to get my hands on them and see their faces…” A glassy, distant look felt over Paeris’s face. Seren blinked and started to put away the groceries.

“What do you mean by that, brother?”

Paeris shrugged and helped Seren put away the food. “I think you know what I mean, Sere,” He said, putting a small sack of oats in the cabinet. “I’ve told you before that when I find my family, I am going to kill them. Every. Single. Fucking. One.” He enunciated the words as he put away a jar of red sauce.

“Paeris, is that a good idea?” Seren stood on his tippy toes and stored the dried pasta on the top shelf. Paeris scoffed and put the vegetables in the fridge.

“Why wouldn’t it be? They tried to kill me, obviously they didn’t succeed.” He looked at his scarred hands, arms and feet. He absentmindedly touched the scars that graced his cheeks and collar. “I’m going to kill them so they can’t try again. I know where they are too. They live at Mount. Glase-Ren.” Seren eyed his brother with concern. He was behind him on a lot of things, but murder, he didn’t think was one of them. “I could find them easily now that I know where they live.” Paeris said, leaning on the counter.

“I don’t know, Paeris, I don’t think murdering them will help anything.” His brother shrugged.

“What would you know, Seren? You weren’t almost killed by your family, were you? They tried to kill me, they need to die before they find out I’m not dead and try to kill me again.”

“Who says they’ll try again, brother?” Seren turned around to look at Paeris. He looked angry and upset at Seren. “I don’t think they will-”

“Seren.” Paris’s voice was dark and serious. He ran a hand through his curly white hair. “You don’t know what that feels like,” He sounded so miserable. Paeris knew that Seren had never felt like he had before, there was no way that he’d understand. “They locked me in a fucking closet and lit fire to our hut.” He could still recall the heat, the darkness, the smell of smoke and the feeling of the fire on his skin. Paeris shuddered. “You don’t know what that can do to someone,”

Paeris pushed off the counter and walked over to Seren. He looked at his scarred hands and then into his brother’s eyes. “These scars serve as a reminder every godsdamned day. I can hardly feel things, I can’t be near flames, I can’t be in confined spaces.”

“I can’t say I know how that feels, I can’t even begin to try. I am really sorry about what happened to you, brother, truly. But we can find ways to-”

“My way is to rid myself of the monsters who tried to kill me. They don’t deserve to live, Seren, they don’t deserve to go on. There is only one way my mind will be put at ease and that is by killing them. I want to be happy, but I can’t if they still breathe.” Seren lowered his head and sighed. “Don’t you want me to be happy?” His brother nodded. “Then let me find them and put an end to their lives.”

Seren knew that he couldn’t talk Paeris out of this. As much as it made him uncomfortable, he was always going to be there to help his brother, no matter what.

Seren pulled chicken breasts out of their freezer, sticking them on the island in the middle of the kitchen and turning on the stove. When Paeris saw the whoosh of the flame, he lept back and stumbled out into the hallway and took the stairs two at a time. The thought of fire made Paeris flash back to that closet, with the heat and the dark and the roar of the flames. He shuddered and poured himself another glass of whiskey.

Tonight was the night he had been waiting for for thirteen years.

He couldn’t wait.

Seren Arian followed his brother. He knew Paeris FinNadiel could handle himself, but he wanted to be there for him in case he couldn’t face his old family. As far as he knew, Paeris didn’t know Seren was following him, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Paeris took a wagon ride to the base of Mount. Glaze-Ren, and then circled around. He knew he was going to find them sooner or later, he just hoped it would be sooner.

Within twenty minutes, Paeris had found a small hut that could easily fit five people with a little bit of room. Of course, so far as Paeris knew there were only four left, if you didn’t include him. Paeris hefted his bat in his hand, set down his bag, and crept silently towards the door. He peeked his head in the window, watching.

His father sat at a table surrounded by his wife and two kids. One was around eighteen and the other, who was hanging up a muddied cloak, seemed to be around twenty three at most. He knew that those were his siblings. Paeris’s heart made a funny feeling in his chest and he realized that he never got to see his sister become a woman, judging by the golden band on her slim ring finger. He never got to see his brother grow into a young adult. He would’ve just had his eighteenth birthday this past August. Paeris looked at his parents: His dad was skinnier and was less muscley since the last time he saw him and his mother had more wrinkles in her face. He watched as she placed her wrinkly hand on his shoulder, leaning down to kiss him, his dad placing his hand on her hip. His brother made a face and his sister laughed, pinching his ear.

This. This is what Paeris was missing. And by all of the gods it hurt like hell.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt too much longer.

Paeris stepped away from the window and went back to his bag. He took out the lighter fluid and the matches, but as he turned around he dropped his bat. It made a loud clatter against the rocks. The hut door opened and out stepped his dad, holding a lantern. He looked around.

“Hello? Is someone there?” His father was still as tall as Paeris remembered. He peered into the shadows. The old man scoffed and said, “I can see you. Who are you? Step closer.” Paeris didn’t want to move but he did anyway. His father still had a pretty authoritative voice. Paeris stalked closer, carefully hiding his weapons behind his back. When he got within view, the old man gasped. “Dear gods, is that you Paeris?” Paeris smiled. “Oh, Gaelga, it’s our son,” Gaelga ran out of the house, followed by her children.

“Oh my gods, Paeris! How are you still alive?” The look on Gaelga’s face was not what he had expected. His mother looked… relieved and happy and sad all at once, not upset. “My son…” She came towards him but he backed away.

“Don’t come near me, woman,” Paeris shouted.

“But Paeris, how are you still alive?” His father asked. “We thought the sickness took you,” Paeris scoffed, fiddling with the opening of the lighter fluid. “The townspeoples told us to burn the hut to try and get rid of the sickness that had infected you,”

Paeris laughed bitterly and shook his head. “You tried to fucking kill me and then left me to burn alive. I wasn’t fucking dead!”

“You were gone, I swore it.” His younger brother chimed in. Paeris shot him a nasty look.

“And you were how old, Brook? You were five, so shut your mouth!” Brook shrank back. His sister started to speak but he pointed his finger at her. “And Austra, don’t you say anything.” She shook her head, long brown hair falling in her eyes. His hair used to be that same shade of chestnut that hers was before it greyed out.

“We’re sorry, Paeris, I swear we thought you were dead,” Gaelga said, tears shining in the lantern light.

“Yea? Maybe you should check before you fucking burn your child alive!” Paeris hissed. His hands had opened the lighter fluid behind his back and he was now adjusting to strike the match. A single thought stopped for a brief second. Could his family have really only been trying to get rid of his sickness? Did they not mean to burn him alive?

The thought of fire and flames scared Paeris as his shaking hands struggled to grip the match properly.

“You will all regret that…”

“My son, what do you have behind your back?” His father stepped closer to him, but Paeris backed away that many spaces. “What are you doing?”

“You will regret that you tried to burn me alive…I swear it…” Paeris’s shaking hands dropped the lighter fluid, spilling it at his feet. Shit. If he lit a match, he would go up in flames with them. Panicking, he hurriedly backed away and tore his shoes off, trying to rub and mop up any lighter fluid that could still be on him. He picked up the can and threw it at his family. The four backed up. As much as Paeris couldn’t stand fire, he lit the match. Fear flickered in his chest as the match roared to life. But before he could throw it at them, a single breath blew it out. Seren stood to the side of Paeris, a look of fear on his face.

“What are you doing?”

“Paeris, son, come back to us, we’re so sorry,” Gaelga was crying, big fat tears running down her face. “Please, it was a misunderstanding, I swear, we just thought you were dead, I’m sorry, We’re happy you’re back.” She cried. Paeris scoffed.

“You tried to fucking kill me, I will not forgive you.” Seren took the matches out of Paeris’s hands.

“Not like this, brother,” Paeris lowered his head, reaching for the bat on the muddy ground. He picked it up and said

“This is what I need to do in order to be happy, step aside Seren. If you want to help me, move.” That’s all Seren wanted, was to help his brother. Seren moved to the side and turned to leave.

“I’ll be home.”

Paeris smiled and advanced towards his “family”, bat raised. “You should’ve made sure I was dead otherwise this wouldn’t have happened. You’ll meet the gods today,” he swung the bat down on his brother’s head and then his sister’s. Their heads caved in easily, blood and skull flying. He saved his parents for last, as they were the ones who started the fire. He swung the bat at his father’s face, his nose crunching loudly. He jabbed the bat into his mother’s gut, then brought it down on her head. She fell limply, his father groaned. Alive still? I’ll fix that. Paeris brought the bat down multiple times onto his head and then onto his mother. Then his siblings. Again and again and again and again.

Paersi FinNadiel was covered in blood when he came home. He found Seren Arian right away and told him his past was behind him, he was happy.