"Vivian, I need you to calm down, okay?" Brian said, his body leaning slightly forward, right hand reaching out toward her as he slowly descended the stairs. Vivian was stepping back, eyes wide with fear, feeling betrayed.
"Ho-how could you?!" Vivian stammered, both frightened and angry, slowly retreating.
"Look! I've never wanted this to happen that way, but it did, and I'll explain everything to you," Brian said. He had finished descending the stairs, yet his posture remained the same, advancing toward Vivian slowly, careful not to scare her. He wouldn't harm her; he couldn't. Until the danger had passed and he convinced her, he couldn't let her leave. That's what was running through Brian's mind.
"Please, look, just listen to me. You have nothing to be afraid of. You know I would never hurt you. You know how much I love you, how I see you as my mother," he continued.
"Huh, really?" Vivian's voice wavered, fear overtaking the last threads of anger. "Y-you're a killer, Brian. I trusted you, but you—you are everything they said. You're a serial killer," she finished, pressing her back against the wall, cornered.
"I'm not a serial killer," Brian started. "I'm not a killer. I had to do it—it was either him or me. And I chose me, I chose you, I chose us." He kept his distance, speaking calmly so as not to frighten her.
"Stay back!" Vivian suddenly shouted, pressing herself further against the wall, tears streaming, her brown hair disheveled, lips trembling.
"Okay, okay, look, I'm staying back, see?" Brian said. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I would never hurt you, Vivian. Please, let's just sit and talk. You'll see I'm innocent."
"Innocent my ass!" Vivian yelled, sobbing. "You ain't innocent. You've never been fucking innocent. You're a fucking serial killer. Just admit it, now!"
Brian stood there, watching her, trying to calm her. He himself was trembling, terrified. He didn't want to harm the woman he considered a mother. He needed to convince her, to restore some sense of normalcy.
"I'll be back," Brian said, taking slow steps toward Vivian. "I'm not gonna kill you. I would never kill you." Vivian pressed herself further against the wall.
"Brian, stay back!" she shouted again. Brian didn't stop. There was only one thing left for Vivian to do.
She screamed. The sound shook the basement like an earthquake, like a Travis Scott concert. Brian reacted instantly, lunging forward, his right hand clamping the back of her head, left hand covering her mouth, pressing her against the wall.
"Sshhhh, there's nothing to be scared of, nothing to scream about, okay?" Brian whispered, slowly letting go of her mouth. Vivian stopped screaming but continued crying, tears soaking Brian's hand. "What I'm about to do is for both our good," he continued. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He wrapped his hands around her throat, pressing the carotid artery. Vivian struggled. "Everything's gonna be okay."
Her thrashing subsided within seconds, her eyes closing. Brian gently lowered her to the floor. "Don't worry, I'll make everything right," he said, standing up. "I'll fix everything, everything, everything!"