Devil May Cry Chronicles
*Trigger warning:Mild Rape and abuse Scene*
Five Years Earlier
The night her life split in two was not loud,it was like any other night.
Melanie cleared plates from the small dinning table while the kettle hummed on the stove. Her mother folded laundry on the couch in slow, careful motions, pausing now and then to rub the base of her neck.
The clock ticked,the wind moved through the old windows. When the front door finally opened, her father stepped in with rain on his shoulders and a look that did not belong to the house.
He tried to smile when he saw her but it did not reach his eyes.
"You ate?" he asked.
"We saved you soup." Melanie said. "Sit papa, I'll warm it for you."
But her father did not sit. He checked each window latch with a quiet impatience that made her throat tighten. When he finished,he took the soup from her hands and set it back on the counter and lowered his voice.
"I took care of a delivery tonight," he said. "They changed the route at the last minute. They sent the sons."
Her mother's hands stilled on the towel. "Which sons?"
"The second to last," he said. "Two of them."
Their names were not necessary in that room. Everyone in their world knew the shape of the Falcon family even if they had never seen them up close. Five brothers and one sister, a dynasty that smiled in photographs and signed contract by day,then moved product,flesh and favours by night. Melanie had seen their hotel ads on the billboards and their charitable posts in social media. She had also seen men go to.work for them and disappear from the families altogether.
Her father rubbed a hand over his jaw. "We are not going to take any more late calls. Do you hear me?"
"We?" her mother asked. "Or you?"
"Both." He looked at Melanie. "Especially you."
"I do not work for them," she said.
"I do not care," he answered. "I do not want you near any of their clubs,I do not want you at their hotels. If a car with their plate number slows on your street,go inside a store and call me. If anyone with grey-blue eyes speaks to you or says your name,do not speak back."
Her mother flinched. "Enough," she whispered,as if the walls could hear them.
He lowered his voice further. "They are moving things again. There will be heat in them soon.. they are looking for soft places to hide. Do not be a soft place."
He kissed his wife's forehead,then put both hands on Melanie's shoulders and held her gaze until she nodded. It felt like a warning and a goodbye at the same time. She did not understand it that night but she would understand it soon enough.
"Name,please?" Melanie asked,keeping her eyes on the guest list.
"You already know it," River said, his voice smooth and mocking.
Her head jerked up and two men stood at the table. Both tall,tailored suits,eyes the same pale grey-blue that made her stomach sink.
"I…I don't," she said quickly. "If you're not on the list,I can direct you to the host desk."
Ezra leaned his elbows on the table,close enough that she smelled his cologne. "Pretty thing like you…don't pretend you don't notice who walks in."
"I'm just volunteering," she whispered, clutching her pen.
River grinned. "Volunteering for us,then."
She pushed back her chair, mumbling an "Excuse me."
"Not so fast." Ezra caught her wrist lightly, but his grip tightened when she tried to pull away.
"Please," she hissed, panic rising in her chest. "Let me go."
"Relax," River said, eyes dragging down her blouse. "We're not asking for much. Just a little conversation."
"I don't want to," Melanie said, her voice breaking.
"That's the thing," Ezra murmured, pulling her from behind the table. "We didn't ask if you wanted to."
She stumbled,her pen clattering to the floor. "Stop..please..people will see.."
River's smile widened. "Not in here."
The loading bay was silent when the door slammed shut behind them
"Why are you doing this?" She begged, pressing herself to the rail. "I swear,I don't know anything…"
"Your name," River ordered.
Her chest heaved with unease. "M-Melanie..Melanie Primrose."
Ezra's brow lifted and he looked at his brother. "Primrose."
River's smile sharpened. "That explains it."
"What?" She demanded,tears brimming her eyes. "What does that mean?"
"It means your father owes us more than he can pay," Ezra said flatly. "And maybe you're the interest."
She shook her head violently. "No! Please! I'll tell him…whatever it is,I'll tell him.."
River croweded closer, forcing her back into the cold rail. "Tell him what? That you met us? That we wanted a taste first?"
"Don't," she sobbed,shoving weakly at his chest. "Please don't do this to me…"
Ezra caught both her wrists, pinning them above her head. She cried out, struggling,but he was too strong.
"Listen to her," River mocked, brushing a tear off her cheek. "She actually thought begging would work.
"Please!" she cried louder this time, her voice cracking. "I'm begging you,I'll do anything,just don't…"
River leaned in until his lips brushed her ear. "This is anything."
Her sob broke into gasps,her pleas echoing off the empty concrete walls.
"It hurts please,please let me go."
His satisfied groans hurt more than his cock forcefully tearing her open.
"Nobody will believe you," Ezra whispered against her hair. "Even if they did,nobody would help you."
River fastened his cufflink,his laughter low and cruel. "Wipe your face,sweetheart. You look pathetic."
Ezra smirked, straightening his tie. "Don't bother running your mouth love. Nobody cares what you say."
Melanie curled on the concrete, her arms wrapped around herself. Her voice cracked. "Why…why did you do this to me?"
River crouched longer enough to tilt her chin with two fingers. "Because we could." He let go with a shove that knocked her head against the rail. "Remember that the next time you think you're untouchable."
Ezra's laugh followed him to the door. "Don't be late walking home, little Primrose. Darkness has a taste for girls like you."
The metal door slammed hard after them,their footsteps fading down the hall.
For a long moment, all Melanie heard was her own ragged breathing. She tried to push up from the floor but her legs buckled and dropped her back against the rail and pain tore through her ribs.
"Get up," she whispered to herself,her voice trembling. "Get up,Melanie."
She pressed a hand to the wall, dragging herself upright inch by inch. Tears blurred the path, dripping off her chin. Her knees felt weak and shook,her blouse was torn and her throat raw from crying.
"Home," she whispered again, forcing one foot forward. "Just…get home."
She stumbled to the door,her fingers fumbling over the handle. The loud music from the fundraiser drifted faintly through the crack when the door opened,too far away,too clean and lively to belong to the same building. She kept her head down, clutching her coat around her and slipped into the night like a shadow no one wanted to see.