The Monster Still Breathing
Some people didn't deserve redemption.
They deserved to be remembered.
As monsters.
The drive was silent.
Too silent.
Elara sat in the passenger seat, her hands resting tightly in her lap.
Her mind replaying everything Damian told her the night before.
Leo.
The betrayal.
His parents.
And then…
Alex.
The name alone felt heavy.
Dark.
Wrong.
"…Why is he still alive?" she finally asked.
Lucas didn't look at her.
His eyes fixed on the road.
"Because Damian didn't kill him."
That answer only made things worse.
Elara frowned slightly.
"Why?"
This time, Lucas glanced at it briefly.
"…You'll understand when you see him."
The car stopped.
A building stood in front of them.
Isolated.
Heavily guarded.
Not a prison.
Something worse.
A place built for someone who couldn't be allowed to exist freely.
Inside, the air felt cold.
Not physically—
But emotionally.
Elara followed Lucas down a long hallway.
Her heartbeat steady…
But heavy.
They stopped in front of a reinforced door.
Lucas turned to her.
"Don't let him get into your head."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"What do you mean—"
The door opened.
And everything stopped.
A man sat in the middle of the room.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Like he wasn't locked away.
Like he belonged there.
His presence filled the room instantly.
Dark.
Unsettling.
His eyes lifted slowly.
And landed on her.
A smile followed.
Not warm.
Wrong.
"Well…"
He leaned back slightly.
"You must be the new one."
Elara felt a chill crawl down her spine.
This was him.
Alex.
The man who killed Damian's father.
The man who kidnapped his mother.
The man who left her…
With a corpse.
"You're quieter than I expected," Alex continued, studying her.
His voice smooth.
Too smooth.
"Damian always had… interesting taste."
Elara didn't respond.
But her body tensed slightly.
Lucas stepped forward.
"Watch your mouth."
Alex chuckled.
"Oh relax," he said lazily.
"I'm just observing."
His eyes returned to Elara.
Sharp.
Piercing.
"Do you know what he's capable of?"
Silence.
"Do you know what he's become?"
Elara's jaw tightened slightly.
"I do."
That answer surprised him.
Just a little.
But then—
He smiled again.
"That's what they all say."
A pause.
"Before they realize… he's just like me."
The words hit.
Hard.
Elara's eyes darkened slightly.
"No."
Simple.
Firm.
"You don't get to compare yourself to him."
That made Alex laugh.
A real laugh this time.
"Oh, I like you," he said.
"But you're wrong."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I didn't create a monster…"
A pause.
His smile deepening.
"I revealed one."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Toxic.
Elara didn't move.
Didn't look away.
Even though every instinct told her to.
Because now she understood—
This man wasn't just dangerous.
He was twisted.
And worst of all—
He knew exactly where to aim his words.
Later that evening…
Elara returned.
Her steps slower this time.
Heavier.
Damian was already waiting.
Standing.
Still.
Like he had been there the whole time.
"You saw him."
Not a question.
A fact.
Elara nodded slowly.
Silence stretched between them.
"…Why is he alive?" she asked softly.
That question again.
But this time—
He answered.
"Because death is easy."
A pause.
"And he doesn't deserve easy."
Cold.
Final.
Elara studied him for a moment.
Then stepped closer.
"He wants to get into your head," she said quietly.
Damian didn't react.
"He's already in it," he replied.
That answer…
It stayed.
Because it was true.
And maybe—
That was the real reason Alex was still alive.
Not punishment.
Not revenge.
But something deeper.
Something Damian hadn't escaped yet.
And until he did—
That monster…
Would always be waiting.