New Age

Chapter 3 ~ Death Wish

Benjamin finally broke free from one of the men holding him and lunged forward, but another attacker slammed him against the wall. The fight was brutal, raw, and desperate. “Mary!” he cried out again, his voice cracking. “Benjamin!” she screamed back, her voice fading as she was forced out the door. Scar hung limp in the attacker’s arms, his head lolling to the side. Mary’s screams echoed through the night as they were dragging her into the darkness.

Omori’s vision blurred with tears. He wanted to run after them, to stop them, but his body refused to move. He felt so small and powerless.

The cupboard door creaked softly as Omori shifted, but the noise was drowned out by the chaos around him. The attackers outside shouted orders to one another. Flames crackled in the distance, and the sound of boots stomping on wooden floors filled the air.

Omori’s breathing grew shallow. He could hear Benjamin’s ragged grunts as he fought, refusing to give up. Then there was another loud crash—a table shattering together with glass—then followed silence. Tears fell silently as he stared at the door, his small body trembling. His mother’s voice echoed in his head, filled with fear and desperation. That scream would haunt him forever.

“Enough,” the leader’s voice growled. “We’ve wasted enough time. Burn the house,” the leader barked. Omori’s heart skipped. He became tensed inside the dark cupboard, hands clutched tightly over his mouth. The air was thick with the smell of smoke already drifting in from outside. His little fingers trembled as he tried to stay silent, his breath ragged.

The men moved quickly. Heavy boots thudded against the wooden floor, shaking the house with every step. Benjamin groaned from where he was tied to the ground near the center of the room, rope biting into his wrists and ankles. He twisted against the restraints, his muscles straining, but the more he fought, the tighter they dug into his skin.

Mary’s sobs echoed near the doorway, muffled by the chaos outside. She was being dragged out by one of the masked attackers, her face streaked with tears.

“Please! Please, don’t do this!” Mary cried, her voice cracking. “Move!” a gruff voice ordered. Another man held Scar’s limp body slung over his shoulder. The boy’s head lolled to one side, his dark hair falling over his closed eyes. The acrid stench of the canister spray still hung in the air, making Omori’s nose sting.

Mary’s feet scrambled against the floor as she tried to resist. “Take me! But let them go! Please!” Her pleas fell on deaf ears. One of the men barked orders, “knock her out, We’re wasting time.”

“No!” Mary screamed as she twisted in their grip, her voice raw and desperate. “Leave my babies!” “Shut up,” the leader growled. There was a sharp thud on Mary's head. she gasped, and her scream was cut short. Omori, flinched inside the cupboard through a c***k in the wood caught a flash of his mother’s body going limp as one of the men carried her away. “The boy's out cold,” one man said, shifting the boy’s weight on his shoulder. “What about the man?”

“Leave him,” the leader replied without hesitation. “We don’t need him.” Benjamin gritted his teeth, his face smeared with dirt and sweat. “Cowards,” he spat. “Come back here and fight me like men!” No one answered. They simply stepped over him, ignoring his curses. The leader’s voice rang out again, calm and cold, “Burn this place to the ground.” immediately they light the place on fire going away with Mary and Scar, leaving Benjamin and Omori unknowingly to burn to shreds.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Moments later, Omori heard the sound of a match striking, then the soft whoosh of flames. He pressed himself further back into the cupboard, his tiny frame curling into a ball as heat spread quickly through the house.

Benjamin coughed as smoke began to fill the house. His eyes darted around, panic in every movement as the orange glow spread across the walls. The ropes cut into his wrists as he twisted violently, pulling and yanking with all his strength. “Omori!” he hissed, his voice hoarse. “Omori, are you here?! Answer me!”

Omori hesitated, his breath catching in his throat. The cupboard felt like it was shrinking, the heat pressing in on him. He finally croaked out in a trembling whisper, “Pa…Papa…” Benjamin froze, relief and fear flooding his face. “Stay there, baby! Don’t move! I’m coming!”

But the fire was spreading fast. Flames climbed up the curtains, the wooden beams above groaning as smoke poured into every corner. Benjamin’s eyes scanned the floor desperately. Amid the wreckage, he spotted a glint—a shard of broken glass near where he had been knocked down earlier in the fight. He rolled his body toward it, grunting with effort. Every second felt like an eternity.

“Hold on, Omori!” he coughed, his voice growing weaker as smoke clawed at his lungs. He reached the shard and clutched it tightly, ignoring how it sliced into his palm. He sawed at the ropes with shaking hands, each movement desperate. The coarse fibers frayed slowly. Heat licked at his back as sweat poured down his face.

“Papa!” Omori’s voice came again, small and terrified from the cupboard. “I’m here!” Benjamin called back, his voice breaking. “I’m coming, I promise!”. The fire roared louder, eating through the wooden beams. A section of the ceiling collapsed in another room, sending sparks and debris scattering across the floor. The smell of burning wood and fabric filled the air.

Benjamin’s wrists finally came free. He wasted no time, cutting through the ropes on his ankles with frantic movements. His hands were bleeding, his breathing ragged, but he pushed through.

“Omori!” he shouted, crawling through the smoke. He stumbled toward the cupboard, coughing hard, his vision blurring from the heat and ash. He yanked the doors open, revealing his wide-eyed son curled up inside. Omori’s face was streaked with tears, his tiny hands gripping his knees tightly.

“Come on, baby,” Benjamin whispered hoarsely, scooping him up. “We’ve gotta go.” The boy clung to his father’s neck as they stumbled toward the front door. Flames were everywhere now, l*****g at the walls and ceiling. The heat was suffocating. “Hold tight,” Benjamin said, his voice shaking. “Don’t let go of me, okay?” Omori buried his face in his father’s shoulder, nodding.

They moved as fast as they could through the thick smoke. The front doorway was already blocked by flames. Benjamin cursed under his breath and turned toward the back of the house.

“Stay calm,” he muttered, more to himself than Omori. “We’ll make it.” A loud c***k echoed overhead. Benjamin barely had time to react before a burning log from the ceiling came crashing down. He shoved Omori forward, shielding him from the debris. The log slammed onto Benjamin’s leg, pinning him to the floor. He cried out in pain, his face contorting as fire seared dangerously close.

“Papa!” Omori screamed, scrambling forward. Benjamin grit his teeth, sweat dripping into his eyes. “Go, Omori! Crawl to the door!”

“No....”

“Now!” Benjamin barked, his voice hoarse but firm. Omori hesitated for a split second before crawling toward the door, his small frame slipping through gaps between the debris. He turned back, tears streaming down his soot-stained face. “Papa, come on!”

Benjamin was struggling, trying to push the burning log off his leg, but his strength was waning. His hands slipped against the charred wood, his skin blistering from the heat. “Omori!” he shouted, coughing violently. “Go! Get out!” The boy shook his head, sobbing. “No! I won’t leave you!”

“Please,” Benjamin rasped, his voice breaking. “Please, baby… just go…” Omori crawled closer instead, his tiny hands grabbing his father’s arm. “I can help!” Benjamin tried again to push the log, his muscles trembling. “Stay back! You’ll get hurt!”

Another beam overhead groaned loudly, fire chewing through it. The ceiling above them was moments from collapsing. “Omori!” Benjamin roared. “Listen to me! Crawl out now!" The boy flinched but obeyed, inching toward the door again, sobbing uncontrollably. His small body slipped through a gap in the wreckage, smoke swirling around him. He was almost out.

Benjamin reached after him with a shaking, burned hand, but the fire roared louder, surrounding him. The flames danced higher, their orange glow reflecting in Omori’s tear-filled eyes as he looked back one last time.

“Papa!.....” Benjamin forced a smile despite the pain. “Keep going!” he rasped. “Don’t look back!” The crackling fire swallowed his voice as Omori crawled further, his hands clawing at the dirt floor near the threshold. The night air was so close he could feel it brushing against his face.

And then—another loud crash. A burning beam fell behind him, separating him from his father. Omori screamed, his heart pounding as he scrambled forward, tears blurring his vision.

Benjamin was still pinned under the burning log, struggling to move, but Omori was already outside. And then Suddenly after Omori gets out, the house blast on fire leaving Benjamin inside. "PAPA!!......" Omori Cries out in agony