Chapter 1

My brother and I both had high fevers at the same time.

My parents gave me the last three fever reducers, and he turned into a slow, unresponsive kid.

When he was bullied, he retaliated against his classmates.

When he was ignored, he hurt our parents. Reborn, I shoved all the fever reducers into his mouth.

The thick stench of blood clung to my nostrils.

In the dim living room, two cold bodies lay still.

It was my mom and dad! They had been murdered!

They lay on the floor, eyes wide open in death, a sight that sent shivers down my spine.

But I was pinned down on the bed, held tight.

My hands and feet were tied, leaving me completely immobile.

A large, grayish-blue hand gripped my throat, making it hard to breathe.

A sharp dagger dripped with blood, wet and cold against the pulse point in my neck.

“Sis… Sis…”

The person on top of me let out a low, pained sound.

Stuttering, broken.

This person was my younger brother.

Ten years ago, he and I both had persistent high fevers, our temperatures soaring past 104°F.

Medicine was scarce back then, almost impossible to find on the market.

Our family only had three fever reducers left. After much agonizing, my parents decided to give them to me.

My thirteen-year-old brother, after that fever, became what everyone called an “idiot.” He became a target for bullying at school and a transparent, ignored presence at home.

And that led to this grim outcome…

He’d killed Mom and Dad, and now, he was coming for me.

Why was he looking so hurt right now?

The man’s hand tightened, and I slowly lost my breath, unable to respond.

“Sister,” he called me again, slowly.

Perhaps from years of not speaking, he could barely form full words anymore.

His voice sounded like it was squeezed from his throat, tinged with a manic eeriness.

“Everyone who bullied me at school… I killed them all.”

He slowly lowered his head, his warm breath ghosting over my face, raising goosebumps all over my skin.

Meeting his bloodshot eyes, I painfully squeezed mine shut.

“These two people, I killed them too.”

He continued to utter chilling words. I knew he was talking about Mom and Dad.

Suddenly, the large hand on my neck loosened slightly. He pressed the knife deeper into my skin.

A jolt of pain shot through my neck.

With every breath, an icy chill pierced me.

He had slit my throat.