Your eyes were shut tight the moment you hooked your finger around the trigger and pressed it, fully aware that this was it. Just like that, it was all over. There was no turning back now. Leslie gasped aloud when you pulled the trigger, her eyes wide with horror.

Though, you didn't hear that familiar boom you expected to. It was more of a simple clicking noise. When your eyes snapped back open, your heart caught in your throat. How...

A short red flag emitted from the gun, the bold word 'bang!' printed on it. Realization was quick to hit you, and it felt like a rock sinking into the pit of your stomach. This was all a sick joke, just a game, set up for his twisted sense of amusement. Jerome roared with laughter, the shrill sound piercing your ears. You staggered backwards and dropped the gun, hand clamped over your mouth as your whole body trembled.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Jerome cracked up. "Oh, you should have seen the look on your face, doll! It was a sight to see."

"What the hell is wrong with you? You sick bastard," Jim huffed out.

"Jim! Oh god, Jim," Leslie wept, a smile crossing her face before it faltered. Jim met her gaze, eyes filled with dread. He knew this wasn't over.

You couldn't speak. You were still in shock, and you swallowed hard against the lump in your throat, cheeks stained with tears. You stared wide-eyed at the gun before you, and you only felt a sense of relief for a few moments before it all came crashing down on you what you could have done. Then you remembered the bomb and panicked about how much time you had left.

"What – what about the bomb?" you asked, your voice wavering.

"Oh that? Don't you worry, there's no time limit. No, I prefer ones that instantly go off with the click of a button!" he exclaimed, whipping out a remote with his finger upon the button.

"No!" you and your parents shrieked out almost in unison once he brought out the controller. Jerome merely shook his head with a laugh.

"Fun's not over yet, the night is still young," he said, waving his hand towards their direction with a playful roll of his eyes.

"Let us go, please!" Leslie cried, begging Jerome to have mercy on you all.

"And I was going to give you a real gun dollface, but you know I always get a kick outta messing with you," Jerome jeered, the room filled with his laughter, making you nearly jump at the sound. "But now for the real action!" he exclaimed. "I always wondered who a father cared about more, his daughter or his wife, who would he choose if he could only save one? I guess we'll find out today, huh?" he gasped to act as if he was surprised about the turn of events.

Jerome skipped over to Jim's side and untied one of his wrists hastily before he pulled out a gun from his sheath. "Now, this is a real gun, so don't second-guess that, wanna see?" he questioned, and before anyone could answer he shot the table lamp across the room, the shattered pieces flying abruptly. "This one ain't a ruse, folks."

"No, please not this again," Leslie wailed, writhing in her chair.

"Jerome, no, don't, haven't you done enough?" you shouted, a heavy sob tearing from your throat.

Jerome mused for a second before he shook his head in response to that. He dropped the gun in Jim's free hand, a vile grin stretched across his face. "Who'll it be, Jimbo? The woman you're sleeping with, or the little girl who just can't stay out of trouble?" Jerome asked, there was nothing remotely human about his eyes. "Choice is yours, but just a reminder, don't take too much time or else you'll bore me. And I've got this for when I do get bored," he hummed as he shook the controller to the bombs fastened underneath their chairs.

"Jerome, why are you doing this? Please, please, no more," you cried, breaths coming in quick pants.

"There's no way in hell I'm choosing between them, you're out of your goddamn mind!" Jim yelled in protest. "Stop this sick game of yours, Jerome, now. Do what you want with me, but let them go."

"How righteous of you, Jimbo, really. I'm afraid that's not one of the choices though, but nice attempt, I almost feel bad," he said in a faux mockery of concern. "That's why we need to get this show on the road or else I'm going to have second thoughts," he shook his head and sighed heavily, "this is a real tearjerker."

You knew Jim wasn't going to pull the trigger on you or your mother, because he couldn't live with himself if he made a decision like that nor could he accept defeat that easily. Jim held onto the gun, and with everything he had he was fighting not to shoot Jerome because he knew if he let his emotions get the best of him that he would lose both of you in an instant, so that was out of the question. There wasn't a chance of him choosing you or Leslie, so Jerome wouldn't get that sick satisfaction, but then you thought of how you made that choice, you were going to kill your father, and if the gun hadn't been a fake then he wouldn't be alive.

"There has to be something we can do, there has to be. I would do anything, just please, let them go, let my baby go, let Jim go," Leslie continued to plead, even though she knew it was futile, she still tried. Your mother never gave up, no matter how difficult things got, and this horrific situation was no different.

"Would you all just stop with the 'kill me, not them!' it was cute at first, but now it's just getting old," Jerome retorted in a vexed tone, rolling his eyes. "Get on with it, Jimbo," he rasped, his husky voice sending a chill down your spine.

"No, I couldn't possibly choose, I couldn't do that to them," Jim snapped, taking a deep breath as beads of sweat rolled down his face. He looked back at Leslie, then at you, his eyes filled with dread. His face read that he didn't know what was going to happen, but he was silently telling you both that he loved you. That was something you had to hold onto.

"Hm, maybe you need some help coming to a verdict, no biggie," Jerome chuckled as he made his way over to Leslie's side, kneeling next to her and pulling out a scalpel from his back pocket. Leslie instantly flinched, attempting to back away as much as she could.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Jim yelled out.

"Killing time of course," Jerome remarked. Leslie sobbed harder when Jerome leaned close and grabbed her jaw firmly with a hand, making her face him. His fingernails dug into her skin, leaving pale red marks. "Having fun?"

"You son of a bitch, you'll pay for this," she hissed.

Jerome merely hummed and twirled the scalpel in his other hand before he pressed the cool steel against Leslie's cheek. "Hey Jimbo, can I ask your advice on something? Don't you think she'd be prettier if I skinned her alive?" Jerome mocked, the sounds of their cries only egging him on.

"Jerome, don't you dare hurt her!" you begged, voice hoarse from screaming.

When you made a move to run over to Jerome to stop him, Leslie screamed, "No, don't!" she croaked. "Don't come over here."

"Enough!" Jim shouted louder.

"Made up your mind, yet?" Jerome asked, sounding sickly amused. "Tick tock, tick tock Jimbo!"

Jerome didn't wait for Jim to answer, instead he slid the blade down Leslie's cheek in one abrupt, quick movement. Leslie groaned in agony from the sharp sting, wincing profusely, and the next thing she knew he was slicing her other cheek. Her screeches pierced your ears, while you and Jim both screamed out in horror, demanding him to stop. The tears she cried only stung her face more, making the pain unbearable, but they were falling freely despite herself.

"Now it looks like you're crying blood!" Jerome laughed, turning her head so Jim could look at his handiwork. "Almost like a sad clown! What do you think Jimbo?"

"You motherfucker!" Jim bellowed, his face marred with an intense mixture of fear and hate, it was something you couldn't bear to see. It all felt like a nightmare, but you knew you weren't going to wake up, that was the worst part. Leslie's face was covered in blood, knot, and tears as she kept her head down. She never looked so sad, so pained, so hurt. You knew the looks on their face would be forever burned into your mind, it was unshakable, unforgettable.

You had to do something.

"Jerome, stop, stop, I'll do anything you say, anything at all, just no more! Don't hurt them anymore!" you quavered, sobbing the words out.

Jerome slowly turned his head at that, a wicked smirk crossing his face while your parents begged you not to get involved but unfortunately for them their pleas fell on deaf ears.

"No! No!" Leslie sniveled as Jerome rubbed his chin in thought, the smile on his face stretching wider.

Jim's hand was shaking so much that he nearly dropped the gun and Jerome stood up, walking over to snatch it from him, burying it back in his sheath. "I'll be taking that. I've got a better idea."

Jerome stepped in front of you and examined you for a fleeting moment, your body tensed up as you stared back at room was dark, but there was still enough moonlight entering through the windows that you two could still see each other. You didn't know what was on his mind, and you didn't think you wanted to know. He was almost impossible to read.

"You can do whatever you want with me, I don't care. Just please don't hurt them anymore," you told him, a softer look on your face.

"Cute. But it doesn't make up for the bad attitude earlier, doll. Nope, sorry," Jerome snickered, shaking his finger in disapproval. "I oughta teach you some manners, you know, just so you know your place from now on."

"Don't you touch her, don't you go anywhere near her!" Leslie shouted. "You-"

Before Leslie could finish her sentence Jerome stood behind her and poked a syringe into her neck. She thrashed and moaned in agony before her head drooped down in defeat, the drug successfully leaving her unconscious.

"What did you do to her?" Jim roared as he twisted in his binds. "You bastard! What did you do to her?" he repeated in a louder scream while you echoed them as well.

"That bitch was really starting to get on my nerves," Jerome answered in a vexed tone. "Another word from her and I was gonna go mental," he punctuated his point by wiggling his finger towards his head.

"She'll be okay right? Please tell me she's okay, that it wasn't fatal," you pleaded, trying to convince yourself that she would be alright.

"Oh, and we'll just have to see when she wakes up. If she wakes up," he said with a cackle. "I just gave her a little dosage of shut-the-fuck-up. She really put a damper on the mood," he added as he walked behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders before caressing them. His touch immediately made you shiver. "Don't you worry, it won't kill you just to relax a little."

"I just need to know she's okay. That's all," you repeated in a soft voice.

Jerome didn't give you an answer, simply hummed in response.

Jim looked back at Leslie with a frown as he writhed in the chair, still attempting to break free from the binds even though it was futile. Jim knew that, but he wasn't one to give up.

"Eyes over here, Jimbo, yoo-hoo!" Jerome called for Jim, and Jim immediately snapped his head back to you. "You're not gonna wanna miss this."

Jim's eyes widened in horror as he watched the way Jerome stroked your shoulders and arms while he stood behind you.

"You get your hands off her now!" Jim yelled, his chair rocking back and forth as he twisted about in it. "I'll kill you for this, I swear to God."

"Don't test me, Jimbo!" Jerome countered, pulling his gun out and pointing it at the side of your head. "This is my game, so I make the rules, and you two have to play along."

"Dad, it's okay, just don't," you warned, and the muzzle against your head sent a series of chills down your spine, your throat closing up.

"We can't let him win," Jim told you, his words laced with worry.

"Hm, or maybe you'd prefer if I blew your brains out and killed the girl with your dead body," he rasped out the threat. "I don't think that would be fun for either of you," Jerome taunted, his laugh resounding in the room. You stood frozen, eyes widening in terror when those words came out of his mouth. A cold sweat forming at the back of your neck.

"No, no, no!" Jim cried out, his eyes hard and cold.

"I'm joking! Can't anyone in this family take a joke? Geeze, you guys are in serious need of some family therapy," he teased, shaking his head as if he seriously couldn't understand Jim's rage in this situation.

You suddenly felt Jerome's hand on your back and he pushed you forward to one of the floor-length windows in the corner. You stumbled and nearly fell to the ground but you managed to balance your body to stand back up. Jerome started humming away and handed you another remote that you didn't even bother to see where it came from. This one had several different buttons and the very sight of it was enough to make your heart boom rapidly with an overwhelming sense of dread. You faintly heard Jim screaming at Jerome as you felt yourself becoming light-headed with anxiety. It took you a moment to regain control and you bit your lower lip to the point where you could taste blood.

"See that police precinct near that elderly couple's house?" he leaned close to your ear as he explained. "I'm gonna need you to make it go ka-boom!"

"What?" you asked almost breathlessly, you felt like you had been running a marathon all day, and your legs were about to give out.

"You're gonna have to kill some po-po, so there's less cops in the area, you know? There's a few bombs I planted in there that only go off with the press of that button, and then it's bye bye!" he exclaimed next to your ear with a sick amount of joy to his tone. "It's as easy as 1-2-3. By the way, it's this shiny red button right here," he informed, grabbing your quivering index finger and setting it dangerously close to the big red button.

You clenched your sweaty hand into a fist, and your body ached from trying so hard to remain still. Your chest and back hurt from all the tension you were enduring, and you felt like every minute that passed brought you closer to a panic attack. Your anxiety was almost fully replaced by pure anger. You were angry that this was happening, angry that there was nothing you could do. You tried to blink away the tears but they kept pouring down your face.

"I-I can't do that. Please don't make me do that," your voice faltered, barely able to get the words out. "There has to be another way, please."

"Don't do anything he says!" Jim cried out, and with all the rocking he was doing in his chair it was a surprise he didn't fall to the ground.

"Am I gonna have to time you again, doll? We've been through this already. It's literally just a click of the button, but it looks like you're going to make this harder than it is," he sighed in disappointment, as if you were disobeying a simple everyday order.

You choked on the lump in your throat before you were able to respond, "I-I... Why are you doing this? Please just-"

"I'll make you a deal, dollface, and you know my word is good," he chuckled before continuing, "Get rid of those cops for me and this will all be over. I'll put an end to all the fun games we played tonight. It'll be game over, just like that!" he explained with a snap of his fingers. "I'd give you a pinky promise if your hands weren't shaking so much," he joked as he whispered it hoarsely in your ear. "And if you don't," his voice dropped to a much darker tone, "I can just as easily get rid of Mommy and Daddy, and make you do the dirty work. You know so it looks like you did it, that Crazy Orphan Girl killed her loving adoptive parents. I can see the headlines now."

"Let her go now!" Jim bellowed in the distance.

Boom!

You were done begging. You were done playing any more games. It was over. You pressed the button with one hard push and then in a second, the explosion had rocked through the building. The glow of flames flashed before your eyes and all you could do was watch as it engulfed in heavy smoke in the dark sky. You could hear the echos of the thunder as it crashed and burned. You vaguely heard your name being called by Jim mixed with Jerome's laughter but it all seemed so far away. You couldn't move. You were frozen as your eyes filled with hot tears that burned your skin. Everything seemed to fall on deaf ears as your gaze remained focused on the disaster in front of you. You knew a part of you died with them.

It was all over. Without even turning to look at Jim, you could picture the heartbreak on his face. It wasn't a look of disappointment when you failed to listen to his instructions, or the disheartened look he would give you when you two got into a heated argument about his overprotective behavior. No, he was crushed.

There was no coming back from this.

The room was dead silent from Jim's side, there was no rocking on his chair or any more yelling.

"You have to let her go, now," Jim demanded after a beat, his voice low yet firm.

The look on Jerome's face said that he was going to make a smart remark but before he could you spoke up. "Please-" you managed.

"Please, what?" Jerome questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Please let them go," you pleaded and a sob broke your lips. Your heart ached and pounded so heavily you were certain you were about to pass out had this ordeal lasted a second longer.

"Well, I am a man of my word, and lil detective here already took care of my work for today!" Jerome piped. "This get-together was so much fun, we should do it again sometime!" Jerome cheered with a cackle. "Your daughter is so cooperative, you've raised a good one, Jimbo," he mocked, just to add more salt to the wound. He strolled over to Jim and smiled menacingly at him before he rid of his binds. When Jim was finally free, he wasted no time rushing towards you and embracing you. He was just thankful to have you in his arms and he held you as close as he could.

"Such a beautiful family reunion," Jerome commented, but you were vaguely aware of it. You felt numb even in your father's secure embrace, and you buried your face in his shoulder as your tears soaked up the material.

"We're going to be okay, Dad," you promised in a breathy whisper. His arms wrapped around you tighter and your body rapidly shook as you continued to sob brokenly. "I-"

You were unable to get the words out before the ear shattering blast of a gun exploded into the air. You heard it before you felt it. Trembling violently, you looked behind your right shoulder, eyes widening in alarm as scarlet bloomed on your shirt. You fell to the ground seconds later, shock numbing you to the core, so much so that you felt no pain. You gasped quietly, your breathing labored and shallow. You tried to speak but coughs rattled deep in your chest and your eyelids grew increasingly heavier and harder to keep open, your vision tunneling. You faintly heard the sound of your father screaming until everything went to black.