Maddie reached where the remaining crew were and Officer Jones had already lifted the door.
Maya saw Maddie coming toward them and ran toward her.
“ Maddie, are you okay? Where's Owen? ”Maya asked, but Maddie couldn't reply; she was almost out of breath and about to lose consciousness.
“ Maddie? ” Maya called again, Maddie nodded and pointed toward the path she was coming from as she fell to the ground.
“ Maddie! ” Maya called again. That's when
Kayla, Dante and Seon Hye rushed to Maddie's side. “ where's her inhaler?” Seon Hye asked as he was about to help her up but she pushed his hand aside.
Kayla and Dante helped her up and were about to walk away with Seon Hye behind them. A dark familiar silhouette appeared it was walking from the path Maddie followed, Maya gazed at it and called, “ Owen! is that you?”, the silhouette came closer and to Maddie's surprise it was Annie and she wasn't with Owen either.
“ Annie, where's Owen,” Maya asked, Annie looked at her and replied, “ he's probably dead”, Maya's eyes widened, and Kayla, Dante and Seon Hye paused and glanced at Annie with surprised looks on their faces. Annie smiled and preceded to walk passed them but Dante let go of Maddie, grabbed Annie's arm and pulled her back.
“ Did you just fucking smile?! ” Dante asked with an angry expression on his face but Annie didn't seem fazed. The rest of the crew heard Dante's voice and walked toward where he was.
“ Uh! What's going on here? ” Elvis asked Josh and Josh shrugged.
“ what are they doing? Officer Jones already opened the door let's go in, ” Chester said to Josh, Elvis and Emily.
“ no … Owen isn't here, we can't leave him ” Emily replied.
“ he's your brother, how could you have left him there? ” Maya asked. Annie rolled her eyes and removed her hand from Dante's grip.
“ it was too late, I couldn't save him, the Draugrs already took him ” Annie replied, Maddie tapped Kayla and said, “ I'm *breathes* alright, let go ”, Kayla nodded and let Maddie stand on her own.
***
Owen tried running but everywhere he turned he kept seeing more of them.
“ *sigh*” Owen sighed ' Annie hated me this much. I guess it's my fault, I thought doing everything she wanted me to do would change our relationship but no she only grew to hate me the more ' Owen thought.
“ I remember life before Maddie came ” Owen mumbled as he crouched on the ground, he knew there was now no way for him to escape this. The Draugrs were getting closer and were about to grab him, Owen smiled as he began to recall the moments he and Annie had when they were kids and the reason why she hated him and Maddie.
***Flashback***
In a brightly coloured bedroom with Twin beds, Maddy multicoloured sequin lamp in between the beds and an Ananya wall art. Sitting on the soft grey carpet was a little girl with short dirty-blonde hair and dark brown orbs. She was busy playing with her dolls when she heard a car horn.
“ Dad and Owen are home! ” She screamed with excitement as she ran out of her room and sprinted down the stairs almost bumping into her mom, luckily her mom gave way for her to pass, shook her head and yelled, “ be careful Annie! ” as she watched Annie open the front door. A man with dirty blonde hair and light brown orbs came out of the car,
“ Daddy! ” Annie called, her dad looked up and smiled brightly at her. Then a little boy with a glass on, short blonde hair and dark brown orbs came out of the car, Annie smiled and rushed to hug him.
“ Annie I told you not to run like that ” Her mom yelled.
“ How did it go, Owen? Did you win the maths competition? ” Annie chimed. Owen's face gloomed, and so did Annie's.
“ Ah! Don't worry, you're still the most intelligent person I have ever met, maths competitions are stupid ” Annie said trying to cheer him up. Owen smiled and began to laugh
“ huh! What's so funny? ” Annie asked. Owen went into the car and brought out a gold medal. Annie's mouth widened. She squealed with excitement and jumped up and down screaming, “ my brother did it! He won first place, Mom, Owen is the most intelligent!”
Both parents began to laugh as they watched their daughter jump around.
Months passed …
On a hospital bed, laid an unconscious, pale-looking Annie.
“ your daughter Annie isn't getting any better, even after the bone marrow transplant, she isn't recovering, she might die any time soon, I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do,” the doctor said to her parents, her mother cried as her father tried to console her. Owen lay on the bed with Annie and held her tiny hands. One tear fell from his eyes as he said with a quavering voice, “ please don't leave me, Annie ”
***
Days later…
Owen was the only one in the house since Annie was fighting for her life in the hospital. His parents walked in, Owen smiled and rushed toward them, “ is Annie with you? ” he asked, and then a little girl with long black hair and brown orbs walked in. Owen's smile disappeared as he gazed at the girl.
“ Owen this is your new sister, Maddie,” His parents said with a creepy smile on their faces.
“ But mom, Annie isn't dead, she's … ” Owen yelled but was interrupted when his dad grabbed his shoulder and said, “ Listen, A-Annie is going … to die soon and we can't live without her, so we got another girl just her age and also kinda looks like her, so she can take Annie's place when she's… ”
“ Dad Annie isn't going to die, there's no need to replace her!!! Let go of me” Owen yelled as he struggled out of his dad's grip but it was too strong.
“ Now listen to me you little brat, this is your new sister and you will get along with her just fine, okay? Do I make myself clear? ” His Dad yelled, Owen's eyes were filled with tears as he nodded slowly.
“ Now take her to your room ” His Dad ordered, Owen glanced at his mom hoping she would say something but she wasn't paying any attention to them it was like she wasn't in her right senses. Owen looked at his father and nodded, “ yes Dad ” he walked toward Maddie grabbed her hand and took her to his and Annie's room.
At first, he and Maddie didn't get along but after three months they got along just fine, Until the day Annie recovered and came back home.
When Annie and her parents got home, she rushed to hers and Owen's room and saw Owen playing a board game with Maddie and they seemed to be having fun, Annie's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the two. Owen looked up and saw Annie, he smiled and ran to hug her, “ Annie you're back, I missed you so much,” he said. Annie pulled away and glared at Maddie, “ who is she and why is she in my side of the room ” Annie asked angrily.
“ she's our new sister Maddie ” Owen beamed.
“ new sister? ” Annie asked ' mom and dad wanted to replace me? ' she thought as she ran to her parents.
“ what was that thing I saw in my room?! ” she asked as Owen and Maddie ran into the living room.
“ oh, Maddie? She's just some girl we brought to help with the house chores and other things ” Her mom lied,
“ then why did Owen say she's my new sister, you guys wanted to replace me! ” Annie yelled.
“ Annie it's not like that ” Owen said, Annie glared daggers at him and said, “ shut up ! I hate you, I hate all of you! ” as she ran back to her room.
“ I told you to hide, you ugly bitch, now my daughter hates me,” Annie's mom said as she grabbed Maddie by her hair.
“ mom stop ” Owen yelled but his father pulled him back.
“ How should I punish her sweetheart,” Annie's mom asked her husband as Owen struggled to free himself from his father's tight grip.
“ do whatever you want honey” He replied.
“ no Owen, she isn't your sister, Annie is your sister, go comfort Annie and I must not see you with Maddie again do you understand ”His father said, Owen tried to fight back his tears as he watched his mom beat the hell out of Maddie but he couldn't, “ go now” his father ordered, Owen nodded and walked back upstairs.
Since then Annie has hated Maddie and Owen, bullied him on countless occasions and never got reprimanded for her actions, the only person who would save him from Annie's bullying was Maddie.
***Flashback ends***
“ yeah I should die now at least she would be happy,” Owen said to himself, suddenly he felt a grip on his arm, e looked at his arm and then at the person, to his surprise it was Charlie.
“ Charlie? ” he mumbled.
“ boy are you crazy or something, you can't just sit down here and say stuff like that, ” Charlie said to him.