Affliction

t h r e e

{Liza}

I sat on the edge of my bed, screaming coming from the front of the apartment. My brother and his ex were arguing, as they did every week or so. I couldn't bare to listen, but I don't dare block it out. For some reason, my name was mentioned.
"That damn sister of yours is nothing but a troublemaker!"
She obviously didn't understand the power be hide our last name. I sat slumped with my head down, everything reminding me of my parents' fights. Ethan knew it killed me inside. But no matter what he did, she would always come back.
At this point I was ready to take matters into my own hands.
"She needs to just kill herself!"

I stood and forced the drawer open beside my white clothed bed. My fingers grazed over the black .50 caliber pistol that my dad had given me.

"Now, use this wisely Elizabeth. Whatever you do, do not be ashamed of who you are."

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I picked up the gun. I took slow strides towards my bedroom door, placing my hand on the knob. I gasped for air, and a reason not to do what I wanted to, but I couldn't find one.
I opened the door, a clear view of my brother and his red headed ex.
"Oh look, the fuck up is here."
I concealed the black magnum on the inside of my jacket.
"Keyla, leave her be."
Ethan put his hand out, as if he was protecting me from her. Or her from me.
"Get the fuck out of my house," my words were quick and sharp. She shot a glance at me, some what affected by the sternness of my voice.
"What? Are you shocked the 'fuck up' spoke up?"
"You try to intimidate me, and scare me. But it doesn't work. You only use your words against me."
I rolled my eyes. "You're right," I said pulling out my gun and aiming towards her, "..actions speak louder than words."
A quick shot rang out as the redhead collapsed on the ground.
"Liza... what did you do..."
"She had it coming."
I sat the gun on the coffee table and walked out of the door, leaving my brother to finish the rest.
I was taught not to show emotion after things such as death, especially if I was the cause.

I walked away from the complex I had spent three years in, going down the street. Everything had a gray tint to it, including the concrete. The clouds were a silver color, showing it was going to rain soon.
I hummed quietly to myself, something my dad would sing as I fell asleep when I was younger.

Don't worry about a thing.

It was something that kept my mind off of the bad things in life. My dad was shot a year before I turned twenty, two days after my birthday.

"Dad!"
It felt like I had raced time, falling to my knees beside him.
"Liza. Go. I-It's dangerous."
"Daddy, no I'm not leaving you."
My hands cupped his tightly.
"Take care of our family Elizabeth." His eyes began to fade out.
"No. No no no. Dad please!"
My brother ran over and looked down at me.
I softly began to sing with tears streaming down my face.
"Don't worry about a thing, c-cause every little thing, is gonna be alright...."

I felt my face become wet, not because I was crying, but because it was staring to rain. The light gray concrete turned dark within seconds.
I yanked my hood over my head and turned back towards the way I came. My strides got quicker, soon I was running.
The bottom had fell out and I was soaked. I didn't realize it was so late, as I looked down at my phone.

1:25 am.

No taxis were out at this time, so walking was my last choice. I walked everywhere most of the time, unless I had a trade deal. So at this point I was used to it.

A pair of head lights hit my back and slowly faded beside me.
"Hey! You need a ride?"
I turned my head towards the voice to find a young man, about my age, in a black mustang.

"Oh.. yeah, do you mind?"

"No! Of course not! Get in."

I ran over to the other side of the car and got in. I was no longer afraid of strangers, strangers were afraid of me.

"Here," he said, handing me a leather jacket. "You look a little cold."
I nodded and took it, putting it over the front of my shoulders like a blanket.

"Thank you," I said quietly.
"No problem love."
He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Its the apartments about a mile up."
He gave a slight nod and continued to drive.

The radio was soft and quiet. It was calming.

His eyes were a soft brown and his hair was slicked back. He wore a sliver chain around his neck, with some symbol on it. Tattoos ran up and down his arms like wall art.

"Alright," he said sliding the car in park.
"Thank you again."

I got out of the car and shut the door as he rolled the window down.
"I never got your name."

I looked down and smiled. "Liza."

"Dallas."

Cause every little thing, is gonna be alright.