Keanu woke up sweating. Same nightmare again. He laid in his bed a bit, breathing heavily, before calming himself down. (Count to 4,inhale, count to 4,exhale) He told himself. When he calmed down a bit he got up and went to the kitchen to make himself a drink. He stood there for a bit, still sweating. Again? He thought he was finally rid of the insomnia but looks like it was back in full swing. He couldn't think about anything else, as much as he tried. So many years later, yet it still hurt like it just happened.
It was 6 years ago. Keanu was riding in the backseat of his parent's car. They were going on vacation to Split, a city in seaside Croatia. The weather was beautiful, sunny,music was playing on the radio. Everything was perfect. Keanu's dad was driving the car, and his mom was in the passenger seat, daydreaming.
-"So how come we're going on vacation?" Keanu asked his dad.
-"Well son...we had to get out of the city for some time,further the better." His dad replied. "Don't worry though, it'll be fun!" He reassured Keanu.
They arrived in the city at 2 p.m. They rented an apartment and left all their things there, before going out for the day to see some sights, go to the beach and eat some ice cream. They got back that night, exhausted. When they returned, they ate dinner together. They ordered takeout from a restaurant. The food was delicious.
-"You enjoy your food sweetie?" Keanu's mom asked him.
-"Yeah, it's really good!" Keanu replied, his mouth full of food.
-"Easy, you might choke." His dad reprimanded.
-"Baby you don't think anyone's gonna...know...we're here?" Keanu's mom asked his dad, nervously.
-"No, no way. I didn't tell anyone and didn't leave anything to point at us going here." He reassured her. Keanu didn't listen to them, he kept eating his food.
-"You know I'm nervous about stuff like that. I almost felt like someone was following us all the way here..." Keanu's mom told her husband.
-"Relax, we'll be okay." He replied, holding her hand.
After dinner, they all watched TV for a bit. After some time Keanu could feel himself falling asleep. His mom carried him to bed and tucked him in.
-"Mom, why were you so worried during dinner?" Keanu asked sleepily.
-"Oh it's nothing honey, don't worry about it." She reassured him.
-"Is it dad again?" He asked.
-"He...might not be at the best odds with some bad people, that's why we needed to leave for a bit..." She reluctantly told him. "But we are safe, don't you worry even for a moment."
She kissed Keanu's forehead and left the room. Keanu fell asleep a short while later.
That night, Keanu was awoken by the sound of objects breaking, and yelling. The sounds went on for some time, Keanu laid in bed, shaking as he was too afraid to get up and investigate. He then heard three loud bangs. BANG BANG. He froze. Was...was that a gunshot? The whole apartment went silent. There was no noise for some time. He then heard his dad.
-"Baby? No...oh god please no...not you..." He heard him say. Was he crying? Keanu finally mustered up the courage and got up from bed, he opened his bedroom door slowly...
The scene in the hallway petrified him. He saw a man laying on the floor, covered in blood. It was a bobcat, he was wearing a suit. He wasn't moving. Keanu stepped around him, shaking. When he entered his parent's bedroom he saw 2 more bobcats lying on the floor, which was covered in blood. He saw his dad kneeling on the side of the bed, crying.
-"Come on, come on stay with me. Don't go, please." He pleaded. Keanu approached him. He gasped when he saw what he was holding. It was his mother, and she was bleeding from her chest. She was shot. He knelled next to his dad, crying with him. She was still alive, barely.
-"Keanu? God...when did you get so tall..." She spoke softly, her breath trembling.
-"Mom, please don't go." Keanu cried out. His mom looked over in his father's eyes.
-"Take care of him..." She spoke. Her eyes turned glassy, and she went limp. She was dead.
Keanu's dad closed her eyes, and put her on the ground softly. Keanu was a sobbing mess. His dad took him in his arms.
-"Keanu, listen to me. We'll have time to grieve later but now we've gotta go. We need to move fast." He told him. He picked him up and started carrying him outside of the apartment. He ran down the stairs still holding Keanu. They got out to the street and his dad put him down.
-"We're gonna be okay, don't you worry son." He comforted him. "I didn't want any of this to happen, but you're a man now. You're gonna have to start acting like one. I know it hurts, and nothing will ever bring her back, but you must keep running, you hear me? We're gonna run, run and not look back. There is nothing for us here." He told him, holding him close.
Suddenly, Keanu heard a loud bang. He felt something warm dripping down his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw his dad. He had a hole in his throat. He fell down onto the pavement. Keanu desperately tried holding where his dad was bleeding.
-"No, no stay with me dad!" He cried out. His dad was losing blood fast, and Keanu holding his wound wasn't helping much. Keanu's ears were still ringing from the gunshot. Through the ringing though, he heard a soft laugh.