Hurtful words

Violet and Dash sat restrained in their respective chairs, their bodies bound, and their heads locked into place by metal clamps. Above each of them, a mechanical drill loomed, poised over their already-damaged eyes.

The scientist's voice echoed in the room, detached and clinical. "You each have a choice. Press the button, and the device will pierce the other's blind or damaged eye. A useless organ, is it not? If both or one of you press the button you both will be spared. If neither presses, you both would face the consequences. Simple and efficient."

Violet's heart raced, her chest tightening as she stared at the button in front of her. The idea of hurting Dash was unbearable. But the alternative was terrifying. She had seen their punishments; she had felt their punishments. She can't let Dash suffer like that.

She glanced at Dash. His body trembled slightly, his gaze darted from the button in front of him to the drill hovering above Violet's face. His breath came in shallow, quick gasps, and his good eye filled with panic. "Vi…" he whispered, his voice trembling. "What do we do?" His hesitation was so clear it was painful to watch.

Violet swallowed hard, she clenched her jaw, then forced her expression to harden. She hated herself for what was about to do. But she has to make him press that button, she can't let these monsters punish him.

"Why are you asking me that?," she said sharply.

Dash flinched at her tone, his good eye snapping to hers. "What?"

"What?...Do I have to make all the decisions for you? Oh… That's right you're a dumb little kid that can't make decisions without her big sister telling him what to do." She forced a smirk, though her heart clenched painfully in her chest.

Violet's throat burned, and she felt tears threatening to spill, but she pushed them back. I have to do this. I have to make him hate me, just for a moment.

Dash's brow furrowed in confusion. "Vi, what are you—"

"Go ahead, just do it, press that damn button" she snapped, her tone dripping with disdain. "Or are you too much of a coward?" Violet bit her lip, her stomach churning with guilt, but she didn't stop. She couldn't.

Dash's hands curled into fists against the restraints. "What the hell are you talking about? Why are you saying this?"

"Because it's true," The words tasted like poison on her tongue. "Typical. Always so sure of yourself until it actually matters. You can't even press a button to save us. Because you're not strong enough for this, Dash," she spat, her voice cracking. "You're weak. You always need me to protect you because you can't handle anything on your own"

"Vi, stop it" She could hear the lump in his throat.

"If you want me to stop, then prove me wrong and press the damn button."

Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall. She hated herself for every word, hated the way Dash's face crumpled with hurt and confusion. But if this would make him press the button, if it would save him from punishment, then it was worth it.

Her words hurt, cut deep. Dash's chest heaved as he stared at her, his mind racing. The way her voice wavered, the way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears—he realized what she was doing.

"Nice try Vi," he said softly, his voice steady despite the tears gathering in his good eye.

Violet froze, her breath catching in her throat. "What are you talking—?

"You're trying to make me angry so I'll press it," Dash continued, his tone growing firmer. "You think I don't see that? Why do you want me to hurt you?"

Her smile faltered, her façade crumbling, her chest heaving as guilt flooded her. "Because I don't want them to hurt you!," she said, her tone shifting to something desperate, pleading. "Please. Just press it. I can handle it. You don't know how cruel their punishments are. A drill in my eye is nothing compared to what they'll do to us."

Dash's jaw clenched, his expression resolute. "If you want us to skip punishment so bad, then you press it, Vi. I'm not going to hurt you."

Violet's breath hitched as her gaze dropped to the button in front of her. Her hand trembled as it hovered over the button, her heart racing.

It's just his bad eye, she told herself, her fingers shaking as they moved closer. It's… it's better than him suffering through whatever they'll do to us.

But as her fingers inched closer, she looked at Dash—his face pale but determined, his good eye filled with an unshakable trust in her—and she froze.

She couldn't do it.

Tears welled in her eyes as she pulled her hand back. "I can't," she whispered.

Dash gave her a small, sad smile. "Me neither."

The scientist sighed, his voice tinged with disappointment. "So predictable." With a flick of his wrist, he activated the devices.

Violet and Dash screamed in unison as the drills drove into their damaged eyes, a searing, unbearable pain radiating through their skulls. Their cries echoed in the cold, clinical room as the scientist watched, unbothered.

When the devices retracted, leaving their faces streaked with blood and their vision forever altered, the scientist smirked. "Congratulations. You've both lost your bad eye. And…since you failed to follow instructions, you'll face punishment on top of that."

The siblings were unstrapped and dragged from the room, their bodies limp and broken.

Dash groaned weakly, his head hanging low, but Violet's heart plummeted. Her dread was a suffocating weight as the guards unstrapped them from the devices and began dragging them toward the punishment room.

She didn't fight. She couldn't. Her body was too weak, her spirit too broken. All she could think about was how she had failed—again. Failed to protect him, failed to save them both. And now, as she glanced at Dash's pale, trembling form, she realized the nightmare wasn't over. It was only just beginning.