Seduced by the Mafia

Birthdays usually comes with gift, mine came with tragedy. The background noise of our neighbors echoed through our tiny, makeshift house. Our home was constructed from light materials and various scrap items, pieced together to form a fragile shelter. It was so small that the kitchen, eating table, and bedroom were all in one place, with barely enough room to move around. The walls were patched with old tarpaulins and corrugated metal sheets, and the roof leaked whenever it rained. The stinky smell from the sewer stuck in my nose, but it's normal in our squatter area. Our house was dimly lit by an old oil lamp, flickering shadows everywhere. It was the only light we had in the evening. But even with all that, Grandma's rice cakes smelled so good. She cooked them for hours, and the sweet smell made our small home feel cozy, even with all the bad smells around. I looked over at my little brother. He's only three, and I'm seven, so there's a big gap between us. He was playing with the Hot Wheels cars that Dad left behind before he... before he went away. Yes, we've already lost both of our parents, something I don't really understand. I still remember how things used to be. We had a comfy bed, air conditioning to keep us cool, and Mom and Dad always made sure we had a good breakfast on the table every morning. They were busy with their jobs, and we had nannies to take care of us. Life was easy and fun, until one day, Mom and Dad came home in a panic. Everything changed after that. Their usual calm was gone, replaced by fear and worry. They hurried to pack some of our clothes. I was only 5 back then, and my brother had just turned 1, still learning to walk. I thought we were going on a trip together, but Mom was crying so much that day. I can still remember the smell of that thing they put over my mouth; it made me feel all dizzy and sleepy. But even then, I held onto my Hot Wheels car tightly. It's been 2 years since I woke up in this place, in Grandma's house. That was the first time I met her. I always wanted to ask her what happened to Mom and Dad, but she never wanted to talk about it. She just said they died during their work. I wanted to know more, but I learned not to push her for answers. I wasn't surprised to hear about it. I'm just a kid, but I always woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of my parents arguing, their voices filled with tension. I had seen them having tense conversations during the day too. I had just accepted it all, but one day, when I'm older, I promised myself I would find out everything. I'm going to know every single thing about them. "Wawa, I want to help you." I told her as she started to scoop out her rice cakes from the steaming pot. Selling rice cakes is what Granny does for a living. She's been feeding us by selling them throughout the day in front of the church, which is a 30-minute walk from our home. "You don't have to, it's your birthday today! You should enjoy the day resting." She patted the top of my head warmly as I gave her a small smile. My eyes studied her face, marked with deep wrinkles and sagging skin around her eyes. Her expression was gentle, but the years of hard life she went through were evident. How much longer can this grandma hold on? I hope she makes it until I become an adult so I can buy her good food. I'm not sure if she's family by blood, but I've always considered her as one. I want her to be there when I finally find out everything. "Wawa, it's fine. Besides, it's already getting late. It's 10 PM now. If I don't help you, you'll end up sleeping around 1 AM after wrapping everything, and you have to wake up by 5 AM to go to the church." I explained my concern as she laughed heartily. I blinked my eyes, totally confused about what she was laughing about, and ended up smiling at her. "You're only seven and you're already looking after an old woman!" She said, still laughing as she pulled me into her warm hug and gave me a gentle, loving kiss on the cheek. I felt like my heart was being gently caressed every time I was in her embrace. I felt safe, like no one could ever hurt me, and I felt warm, like I was wrapped in a cozy blanket. "Do you want some ice cream?" she asked as we pulled away from each other. She laid the rice cakes on the table and prepared the packaging bags as I positioned myself at the table to start wrapping. I usually help her with this, so I already know exactly what to do. "No, we don't have enough money. Let's use that to buy rice for tomorrow instead, Wawa." I said to her and started wrapping one of the rice cakes. She walked over to my younger brother, who was still silently playing on our bamboo bed that was only a few feet away from the table. She gently pinched his cheeks and pulled her old, worn wallet from under her pillow. "This kid! It's your birthday, at least let this grandma treat you to an ice cream. I'll go out for a while, look after your brother. I'll be back shortly, okay?" I sighed, feeling like she was being too insistent, but I nodded my head in surrender. I continued packing the rice cakes when, about 5 minutes after she left, thunder roared loudly. My brother looked at me, about to cry. He must have been startled, so I ran towards him to comfort him when the rain started pouring heavily. Granny brought her umbrella with her, so she must be back fine, right? I hugged my brother tightly and covered his ears to shield him from the loud rain. It took a few more minutes before Granny hurriedly came into our home. She was dripping wet from the rain, and her face looked extremely anxious. I immediately ran to get her a towel, but I felt nauseous seeing her panic and start packing some of our things into one of the sacks. The situation felt nostalgic, and my heart started pounding heavily as I stumbled back. "W-wawa, what's g-going on?" My voice trembled in nervousness as I asked her, when we suddenly heard the neighbors' dogs barking in chorus. Her face grew even more anxious as she pulled my brother and immediately put him inside the big sack. "Oh God, please save these children." She begged, her voice almost crying, as she pulled me as well to put us both in the same sack with my brother. "Don't make any noise, make sure to silence your brother no matter what happens. You need to live, Sebby. Do you understand!?" Granny's voice was urgent, filled with fear. My eyes started to water, and I couldn't bring myself to speak as she put clothes over our heads. I suddenly heard multiple footsteps. There was a small hole on the sack, and I saw at least three hands with guns. I covered my mouth to contain my sobs as I heard them talking. "You know you should've never gotten involved with this when you're already retired, old woman," one of the men said to Granny. I felt like my heart was getting tighter as I heard her sob. I wanted to save her, but I was scared. My knees felt wobbly, and my hands were shaking uncomfortably. "Wawa, please, please," I whispered silently, praying for her safety. "You should've killed her in that alleyway. This is a squatter area; it'll be hard to clean up the mess," the bald man growled to the other, while another man with a lot of tattoos lit his cigarette. I covered my brother's mouth tightly when I heard Granny scream in pain. My heart raced with fear and desperation, but I knew I had to stay silent to protect us both. My lips trembled as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I gulped down my saliva as I hugged my younger brother tightly, flinching with every beating sound I heard. "Rico, stop playing around. Make it quick before the neighborhood notices," another man urged the one wearing a cap. My eyes shifted to the metal tube where I could see blood running. I felt a wave of fear wash over me as I stared at it, imagining the worst. My heart pounded in my chest as I held onto my brother even tighter. "W-wawa~" My tears won't stop from falling from my eyes when I finally heard a gunshot. My eyes widen in horror when grandma's bloody hand came into my view through the hole. I shook my head in disbelief as I tried so hard to contain my sobs. "You clean this up, I'll wait outside," the man ordered, his voice cold and callous. I felt a surge of anger and helplessness, but I knew I had to stay quiet for my brother's sake. With trembling hands, I held onto him tightly, praying silently for Granny and for us to somehow survive this nightmare. The other men followed the guy outside, leaving only one man behind. My breath hitched, and my body ran cold when he leaned down and peeked through the hole I was using to watch. My figure shook uncontrollably as he hauled me out of the sack. Fear gripped me like never before as he lifted me out, his rough hands sending shivers down my spine. "Noooo!! Wawa!" I finally had a clear view of Grandma lying there, her body covered in blood. She looked so hurt and broken. There was blood everywhere, and her face... it didn't look like Grandma anymore. It was all swollen and had cuts all over. I felt really scared and sad seeing her like that. It was like everything had changed all of a sudden, and I didn't understand why. It felt like all the good things in the world were gone, and now there was only scary stuff left. "Your grandma is good for nothing now, kid," the man murmured from behind my back. His deep voice rang in my head like a scary monster growling. I felt a chill run down my spine as his words sank in. Grandma, who used to be so strong and loving, now lay there, helpless and hurt. It made me feel really sad and confused. Why would someone say that about her? She was the best grandma in the world to me. "Waaahhhhh~" My brother's cry pierced through the air, freezing me in place. I looked back at him and saw the man grabbing him by the neck of his clothes, choking him. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to help my brother. I ran towards the man and bit his arm as hard as I could. It made him let go of my brother, but then he pushed me angrily. I stumbled backward and crashed onto one of our old rusty chairs. It hurt so much. "Vinny, play tag with me, you're it!" I called out to him. Vin immediately grinned and crawled out from the hole in our house's wall, right under the creaky bed. It was our secret spot that only the two of us knew about. He loved using it to escape when we played tag. I hope someone from the neighborhood would pick him up and keep him safe. I winced in pain when the man with the tattoos came back. My stomach hurt so much "Are you done yet!? What makes you— that's the kid!?" He exclaimed as the man with the cigarette pulled me up using my hair, my scalp screaming in pain. I scrunched my face as they pulled me outside, my eyes never leaving Grandma. "Wawaaa—mmmhh!" I tried to scream, but the man clamped his hand over my mouth, muffling my cries. My heart pounded with fear as the other man took the oil lamp from our kitchen and scattered it around Grandma. No. No! I wanted to scream and run to her, but I was frozen in terror, unable to move. All I could do was watch in horror. "Let's take this little shithole, we can make use of him," one of the men said, his words scaring me. My tears immediately stopped as I watched in horror, feeling numb and scared, as the lit-up lighter fell onto Grandma in slow motion. Our house, made of light materials, caught fire quickly, and the flames ate everything up. I didn't understand. When did the heavy rain stop? Why did it pour so hard when Grandma was screaming for help, but now that our house was burning, the rain had disappeared? It didn't make sense to me. Grandma.. you made me hate ice cream.. I couldn't find my voice. My throat felt dry, and my chest felt heavy. One of the men carried me away from our burning home. I knew I didn't just lose a home and a grandma. It wasn't just my family that I lost this time. I also felt like something big was taken from me. I couldn't quite grasp what it was, but my entire body felt strangely light, almost empty. Little did I know, in that moment of chaos and despair, I had unwittingly made a deal with darkness, exchanging a piece of my innocence for survival.