WEDNESDAY

After Lois drove you home, he remained in the car, with you already in the apartment. Today is a Wednesday, which means that it is the day Lois goes and visits his father and little sister. He began to value his family when his mother died due to...having non-consensual intercourse and being murdered by the person who violated her rights.

You could tell Lois was a caring man. The way how you both met was somewhat similar to those in movies. Both you and Lois had a history of having dead family members. You had no one, and Lois only has his father and little sister. Lois was once a junkie before he changed when he heard about the loss of the life of his mother. You were a hardworking student who works at different jobs and does not hesitate to exert yourself. 

You made sure to kiss Lois on the cheek before he goes. You wave and he does the same. Bringing out your phone, you saw that the painter you recently messaged still left you on seen, which is unusual since that man was punctual.

You kicked off your shoes before entering your apartment. You held your boots in one hand and placed them along with the other stack of shoes on the shoe rack. You walked up to the bedroom and opened the door to the bathroom connected to it. You turned on the faucet, letting the water fill the empty bathtub.

You rid off your clothes and stepped in once the water level was enough and relish in the satisfying sensation of the water around your body. You slouched deeper, the water reaching up to your chin. 

You played with your hair that has bubbles in it. You blew against the water, making ripples surround your body. Laying your head back, you pondered.

_

"Dad?" Lois creaks open the main door to his old house. The sound of a bell attached to the door rings as he steps inside and analyzes the interior.

Cobwebs, dust, and empty spaces.

That is what he could describe in the present interior which is very much different from before where it is clean, organized, and full of things and two members of the household.

Though, those that he mentioned were missing, especially the absence of his two last close family members.

He coughed, sitting down on the couch. It's quite odd how the house turned out to be like this. Last Wednesday, everything was good, everything was neat, and everything was present, which is different from the way he sees the house today.

He glances outside the window as he patiently waits for someone to go down the stairs and greet him as the family usually does.

The place his family lived in was quite secluded. There may be houses here and there but no occupants are in them. The neighborhood was always lacking another's presence.

He and his family do not mind though, they actually find it peaceful and calming to have no annoying neighbors.

Lois whistled, bringing his hands together and rubbing them against each other. After minutes of waiting, he founds the environment suspicious.

The black-haired man stood up and walks up the stairs to check the bedrooms and other rooms since no one was present on the first floor.

Step,

Step,

Step.

He steps closer to the master's bedroom. The sound of his footsteps was all that was heard. Opening it, he saw nothing but an empty bed and dresser. The presence of one is absent.

Lois scratched his hair, locks falling over to frame his tanned skin-colored face. He exhaled tremendously and checked the other room.

"Lain?" He called out the name of his little sister. Opening the door to the said girl's room, and again, finding none.

"Where could you all be?" The man murmured and ran downstairs in a frantic.

The basement. He forgot the basement.

Walking down hastily, he grabbed the railings beside him to support him. "Eugh..." He felt his hand touch something wet as he grabbed the railings. Sadly, he couldn't see the liquid on his hand due to not having any source of light in the basement.

He touched around, trying to feel the rectangular shape of the switch used to light up the room.

The metallic smell gets stronger each time he takes a step further into the basement.

"Ah!" He finally felt the switch. Turning it on, he first noticed the red liquid on his hands.

He stared at it. Has he injured himself? Where and when did he get blood on his hands?

He glanced up at the railings, but the sight of two corpses distracted him.

Bringing his hands to his face, he screamed in horror.

"

"H-how..." He noticed the rope tied around their necks accompanied by stabbed wounds on their bodies that continues to flow with crimson red blood.

"Ma..." He hastily wiped the tears off his face, ignoring how his features are being tainted with the blood on his hands. "Ma...Are you watching us right now?"

"Ma, Dada, Sis..." He crouched down, taking a good look at their lifeless faces that were already being swarmed with mosquitos, helping to decompose their bodies.

"I have no one now!" He exclaimed at nothing but himself, letting his tears flow freely.

"I can't live without my family." His snot falls down from his nostrils.

He finds it hard to breathe at this point. Lois, the man who was once a junkie, then a photographer, one without a mother, and a son without a family.

He stares at the lifeless corpses of his remaining family members. He constantly inhales sharply, letting his snot go back to place and letting him breathe properly.

He tried. He tried to breathe.

But the sight of their corpses hindered him from doing so. His heart palpitates. His breathing ragged. Eyes glancing between the corpses and the metallic object laid on the table near him.

His hands now fiddled with the revolver.

The man without a family is a man who is nothing.