998… 999… 1000.
As sweat dripped from every part of my body, I finally finished my daily routine.
I pushed myself up from the floor of my house and grabbed a towel, wiping the excess sweat from my face.
Once I was done, I walked over to one of the mirrors to check myself out.
The sweat made my muscles glisten and shine, making them look even more defined in my eyes. After striking a few poses, I made my way toward the kitchen.
I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water along with some salt to replenish the electrolytes I'd lost during my workout.
I placed the salt in my mouth and began drinking the refreshing beverage. When I finished, I cleaned the bottle, refilled it with water, and placed it back inside the fridge.
Heading to my bedroom, I grabbed a fresh set of clothes since I desperately needed a bath.
Thanks to all the sweat I'd accumulated while working out, I needed to freshen up—badly.
With the clothes in hand, I grabbed a large bath towel and made my way to the bathroom.
Once inside, I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower.
Turning on the hot water, I carefully adjusted the dial until the warmth was just… perfect.
Satisfied with the temperature, I began washing up, making sure to get every part of my body wet to make it easier for the soap to stick.
Once I finished lathering up, I started rinsing off with warm water—but before I could enjoy my time alone in the shower, the lights suddenly went out, and the hot water was replaced by a cold, uncaring torrent of pain.
I shut off the freezing water, grabbed my towel, and dried myself off before wrapping it around my waist.
I couldn't really see, so putting on clothes was out of the question.
Leaving the bathroom, I checked the situation and quickly realized I had completely lost all power in my home.
Moving through the darkness, I walked over to one of the windows to see if anyone else had lost power. Surprisingly, I was the only one without electricity that evening.
Did I forget to pay the power bill this month?
I shook the thought away and slowly made my way to my room, where I kept a bunch of glow sticks—just in case a situation like this ever occurred.
Stumbling through the darkness and smashing my toes into random objects, I finally made it to my bedroom.
I opened the door and felt around until I reached the drawer where the glow sticks were stored.
Opening it, I grabbed a handful and snapped several of them, flooding the room with dim light.
Once I could finally see, I grabbed one of the glowing sticks and headed back to the bathroom to retrieve my clothes and finally get dressed.
But as I walked toward the bathroom, glow stick still in hand, I heard footsteps coming from the garage.
They were trying to break in.
A great sense of fear washed over me as I sprinted back to my room to grab the handgun my dad had left me before he…
Once inside, I rushed to my closet and rummaged through it, searching desperately.
Feeling around beneath some old underwear, my fingers finally closed around the grip. I slowly pulled the gun out.
Looking down, I stared at the old revolver in my hand. I'd never been interested in guns—or weapons in general.
The thought of hurting or killing someone made my stomach churn.
But that didn't matter now. My life could be in danger, and this might be the only thing that could save me.
I'm not planning to shoot them… just scare them away.
I opened the cylinder. Six bullets.
I prayed I wouldn't have to use them.
As I closed it, the garage door suddenly burst open. They were inside the house.
Listening closely, I heard two voices.
"Hurry up! We need to get everything we can before the lights come back and the police get here," a rough, gruff voice said.
"Yeah, yeah. You take the living room. I'll check the bedroom. This rich fuck should have something good stashed away," a female voice replied.
I backed away and hid behind the bed, raising the gun toward the door. My hands shook violently, my heart pounding like it would burst out of my chest.
The footsteps grew louder.
Then the door slowly began to open.
"Alright, let's see what he—"
She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the glow sticks scattered across the room—and me, pointing a gun directly at her.
She slowly raised her hands.
"Hey now… why don't you put the gun down? You wouldn't want to hurt a pretty little thing like me," she said, her voice trembling.
"I don't want any trouble," I said. "Just tell your friend you didn't find anything, and leave."
"Sorry, big boy… but unfortunately—"
She grabbed a vase and hurled it at my face.
Caught off guard, I raised my arms and blocked it just in time. The distraction was enough.
She rushed me, pulling a small knife from her waist and aiming straight for my side.
"Stop!" I shouted.
Too late.
She stabbed me between the ribs, a wave of unbearable pain exploding through my body.
Adrenaline surged through my veins. My grip tightened involuntarily—
Bang.
The gun went off.
The bullet struck her head, killing her instantly.
Her body dropped to the floor, the knife slipping from her hand.
An overwhelming sense of guilt crushed me.
I had just killed someone.
She didn't deserve death. She deserved justice—prison, a chance to change. And I took that from her.
I placed the gun on the bed and looked down at the knife still lodged in my side.
Grabbing it, I tried to pull it out, but the pain was too much. With a shaky breath, I staggered toward my phone to call for help.
Then it hit me.
Bang!
I'd forgotten there was another person in the house.
A fist smashed into my face, sending me crashing to the floor.
"You bastard!" the burglar screamed as he pinned me down, his hands closing around my throat.
"This was supposed to be easy! Now you're gonna die for ruining everything!"
I tried to push him off, but every attempt was met with another brutal punch.
My vision blurred.
Darkness crept in.
…
But I wasn't giving up that easily.
Using the last of my strength, I grabbed the knife from my side, yanked it free, and drove it into his head with everything I had.
He dropped instantly.
Dead.
Pushing his body off me took everything I had left. I began crawling toward my phone, desperate to call for help.
But as I moved, that familiar darkness returned.
And before I knew it…
I was dead.
----
Hey guys, I was watching MHA and jjk again and felt like writing as story about the two.
Knight of hell will still be updated, though maybe not as frequently.