Artemis
-Present-
A young child who never got to experience a family's love. Real family's love. That's me. I never met my parents, I never got to even know their names. I grew up in an orphanage after their passing or I don't know? Maybe, after they abandoned me? I'm not so sure.
My life in the orphanage was fine. It was... amazing, I'd say. I met friends, the sisters, and of course, a man I leaned on during lonely days. But things really won't go perfectly as we wanted. It has to be something... disruptive. Traumatic, to be exact.
I closed my eyes a bit, and flashes of memories rushed through my entire system.
-Flashback-
My eyes widened in fear. Tears streamed down like waterfalls. The loud gunshots echoed the whole place. What was that sudden explosion? How about my friends?
"Let's go!" he shouted and took my shaking hand. Our fingers intertwined. I gripped on it, trying to get some strength from his hand.
We ran as fast as we could, trying to avoid the raining bullets again. I saw how the wall shattered after we passed through it. Everything was a mess outside the room! The hallways were almost unrecognizable.
Bullets were destroying the whole place. I heard groans, cries, and then followed again by extreme gunshots.
What's happening?!
"What's h-happening now?!" I screamed my thoughts. I cried even more when I saw a dead body, covered in blood. "No!" I tried to grab the hand, but he stopped me.
"I don't know... Let's get out of here, we don't have time for that," he said calmly, catching his breathe.
We saw masked men in black. I gasped. We hid behind the wall once more. I looked at him, eyes bloodshot, lips trembling but still, he smiled at me. But I know, behind those smile are fear, uncertainty, and anger.
"It's okay... You're gonna be okay... You're gonna be fine." He wiped the tears that escaped my eyes. He nodded at me. "We might don't know what's happening, but I promise you, you're going to get out of here-"
"What are y-you saying? What do you m-mean? How about you?! Let's get out here!" I stopped him. My tears streamed more. "No, please, don't say that... No..."
His eyes flickered. I saw how innocent they were. I saw how tears fell from his eyes. I saw how true and genuine he was.
"Run... Please, run. Do not ever look back at me. Save yourself," he whispered. His hold on my hands tightened.
Fear crept within me.
"No! Let's go-" I was cut off when he unclasped our hands. He put my palm on my sides.
He smiled weakly. "I know what they're after-"
"Please..." I beg. I might not know what he totally means but one thing's for sure, he's trying to make me leave him in this messy place! In this massacre!
"Run!" he shouted and pushed me hard.
I screamed his name when the men appeared behind the wall and pulled him by the shoulders. Another man pointed his gun at me. He begged them to not hurt me, I saw it, but I couldn't hear anything. All I could hear was a ringing. A loud ringing!
I covered my ears. I screamed so loud and stood up, ran as fast as I can. My ears bleed. My nose bleed but it didn't stop me from running away. My throat felt a scratch as I screamed.
And then I saw light... I fell on my knees.
The ringing continued to hurt my head and ears. My vision darkened, then I saw plenty of blood on my shirt.
I was shot, on the back. It went through my stomach.
How about... him? I should go back and save him with me...
Before I could process it, darkness consumed me.
...
That history, dark past, still haunts me. So, to see a man that looks exactly just like him is hard to manage. My emotions sometimes betray me. I get drowned by those eyes... menacing eyes — opposite from the man I loved years ago who looked soft and innocent. I'm sure, this man in front of me... is definitely not him.
My mission is to get my revenge for those innocent lives this mafia organization took. I promised to myself, to my friends... to him that I will get their justice with my own hands.
It just happened that the mafia boss of the very organization who planned that massacre... looks exactly just like him — the man who saved me! The man I loved dearly!
I hurriedly went to my car that night. I was so bothered at our first fucking encounter! I wanna be brave but...
"Hey? Still there?" Carson, an associate, called me after not speaking on the phone.
"This bastard... looks like..." I trailed off, breathed heavily before continuing. "Never mind-"
"Wanna back off the mission?"
I smirked darkly as I stared at the road. I am on my way home. I wiped the tears that escaped my eyes. "The mission will continue and will never be backed off by me."
Watch me ruin this mafia organization. Watch me kill every people and member of this organization. I will never let any of them live.
I clenched my fists. To see him is like seeing a dark smoke covered the whole room. My vision blurred a bit and I recalled more memories when I was young... before the tragedy happened.