When Even stepped on the last stair, his heart almost stopped. He never thought Vasco would come home so soon, even in his worst dreams. He could not believe his eyes, so he turned his head and looked at the front door again.
Yes, he was right. It was Vasco. He had a heavy baseball bat in his hand and a sports cap worn backward. He looked very angry and frustrated. He walked in, whispering through his teeth, "Cursed day! It is all that pig's fault. The match got ruined because of him!"
…
Even didn't know if Vasco saw him, but he tried to disappear into the air. Without making a sound, he hurried up the stairs like a thief toward his 'kingdom'—the small, damp room at the end of the second floor.
This old storage room in this luxury villa was now his home. Where broken furniture and trash used to be kept, he now stayed. He was the living trash of the house. As soon as he entered, a stuffy, heavy smell hit his lungs.
He turned on the light.
The room was like a closed cave where air was not allowed. Chips packets and leftover food were lying on the floor. A dustbin was tipped over, and white tissue balls were everywhere—those tissues where he silently killed his thousand unborn children every day.
In the middle of the room, there was a worn-out mattress and a very dirty pillow. It was full of months of sweat and tears. Next to it was a shaky wooden table with his only window to the world—his laptop. In another corner, an old study table was covered in thick dust. It stayed exactly as it was. Studying was now a thing of the past for him. Dust was its only decoration.
A weak yellow bulb hung from the ceiling. Its dim light made the room look pale like a dead body. The blue light of the laptop screen felt more real and alive to Even. When the cold blue light fell on his face in the dark, he felt like a cursed creature. After spending days in this artificial light, his eyesight had become weak. He was afraid of sunlight now because he saw more clearly in the dark.
…
Did he think too much? Maybe his thoughts flew more than they should. Even forced himself to stop thinking and sat down heavily on his sad bed. When he turned on the laptop, the world went dark for a second, and then a bright blue light hit his eyes.
"Damn! I forgot to turn off the light," he whispered. But thinking about moving his heavy body to the switchboard made him sweat. His body felt heavy like iron today.
He was searching for something to throw at the switch. Suddenly, he saw a book. He looked at the title and smiled with hate. The title was—'1% Improvement Every Day: After 365 Days You Will Be 365% Ahead'.
Even remembered that sometimes he also fell for these strange motivational things. At those times, he felt like a rubber band. He would pull himself forward to change, but then he would snap back to the same old place. Beginning and end—he was just lost in a maze.
He threw the book with all his strength at the switchboard. Luckily, it hit the right spot. With a click sound, the dim yellow light went off.
"I will start again from tomorrow. I won't give up this time,"—he had been telling himself this lie every day for years. It had become a fake habit.
The whole room was now drowning in the magical but poisonous blue light of the laptop. The images on the screen were shaking in his eyes. He could see himself falling deeper into a dark hole. Adult videos were appearing on the screen—the same things he had been watching for fifteen years. He didn't feel any excitement anymore; his feelings had become numb. Still, his hand automatically reached for the tissue box on the table.
…
Suddenly, a loud scream from downstairs broke the silence. It was his aunt's voice. She was screaming in fear, "Vasco! What does this mean? I can't believe it's you!!"
As far as Even remembered, his room was right above the dining room. So, every word of their fight reached his ears like poisonous arrows. He didn't care if they fought. But then, his brain felt a chill. This did matter to him! If Vasco's mood was bad, he would take it out on Even at the end of the day. He would come upstairs soon and turn Even into a punching bag of blood and meat again.
In college, Even called Vasco Senior, but the bitter truth was—he was his younger brother. At least, that's what the relations said.
Who was this aunt?
Who was his dead uncle?
His memories were so dusty that these relations felt blurry. But now Even understood why his aunt was angry when he came home. She was waiting for Vasco, and seeing Even's ugly face made her angry. Vasco must have done something very bad. The smell of crime was in every brick of this house. This wealth, this power—all of this was supposed to be Even's. But this mother and son planned everything to take it all.
He still remembered that cursed day. His parents and uncle were going abroad for a business meeting. But they never came back. Why didn't they? He didn't have the courage to describe that horror today. His uncle didn't want to go on that trip. But Even... his childish demand ended everything. He had forced his uncle to go with his parents.
Maybe that's why his aunt and Vasco thought he was cursed. To Vasco, Even was probably his father's killer, living in their house like a parasite. That's why he hit him and hated him like a demon.
…
Even tried to push these poisonous thoughts away. He looked at the blue laptop screen again. There was a scene of lust between one man and three girls. He was trying to get lost in that addiction. Just then, he heard the sound of the devil's footsteps on the stairs.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Every footstep felt like a hammer hitting Even's chest. He knew who it was. Vasco was coming. A few seconds later, a powerful kick hit his weak door. The hinges screamed, and the door slammed against the wall. Vasco entered the room like he had lost his mind. His eyes were red, there was sweat on his forehead, and his jaw was tight with anger.
He entered and grabbed Even's collar like an animal. With one pull, he threw Even's 100 kg body from the mattress onto the dirty floor. He breathed hot air near Even's ear and roared, "You opened your mouth, didn't you? You told that old woman that I went to the 'Red Light District'?!!"
Even was shocked. Red Light District? He knew nothing about this! He stammered and said, "I... I didn't say anything, Vasco. I don't even know where you go!"
"Don't lie, you son of a dog!" He punched Even hard on the face. Even immediately tasted salty blood. Vasco screamed, "You are the only person who wants me to fail! You also told her I smoke, and you told her about Mary!"
Hearing Mary's name, a thought flashed in Even's brain. Mary was Vasco's girlfriend. But their relationship was about lust, not love. Mary wanted Vasco's power, and Vasco wanted her body.
Vasco stopped for a moment, as if he was gathering his anger. Then he screamed with hate, "You still smell like urine, you pig! Does that mean you came straight home with that dirty body and told lies about me? You don't even have the manners to wash yourself! I feel disgusted to touch you!"
He laughed mockingly and said, "Even to hit a worm like you, my hand shakes with disgust."
Yes, Even had forgotten how cruel Vasco was to him in the bathroom today. He was so numb with shame and fear that he forgot about the urine on his body and the burn of the cigarette on his tongue. Everything had slipped from his mind.
He swore, he had told his aunt nothing. But Vasco had lost his mind. He grabbed Even's collar again and threw him into the corner of the room.
Even's big body hit that old, dusty study table very hard. There was a loud cracking sound—Crack!
Because of the hit, the table moved, and a hidden wooden door in the ceiling suddenly became loose. There was a moment of silence. Then, something unbelievable happened. A heavy iron folding ladder came down from that hidden hole very fast.
Vasco was standing right under that ladder. Before he could understand anything, that giant iron ladder hit him hard on the head.
Thwack!!
For a second, Vasco's eyes rolled back. His forehead split open, and a stream of warm blood ran down his nose. Without a sound, he fell on the floor like a cut tree.
The whole room was now silent. Only the dusty iron ladder hanging from the ceiling was shaking—a little bit. And above it, a dark hole was looking down, which had been hidden in this house for so long. Even gasped and looked at Vasco's still body. His enemy brother was now lying at his feet, covered in blood.