The Black Rose

ELLIE

My father had always emphasized how fleeting life is and how we have to seize and enjoy every moment life throws at us.

"Live everyday like it's your last," he'd say.

And now?

A shaky sigh leaves me as my eyes take in the sight of the mortuary, a cold room made up of metal, freezers, and lost dreams.

The attendant is quiet, standing by me without saying a word, but I can feel his eyes on me, impatient, pushing me to do what I am here for.

This isn't his first time; no doubt he has many more people he's supposed to meet.

"He's right this way, ma'am." I watch the attendant hold out his arm and gesture at a drawer not too far from where we both stand. His hollow eyes are urgent as they give me a silent push to move forward, to move faster.

I am too afraid.

But, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's ripping the band-aid off faster than I can blink.

So, I suck it up and walk up to the freezer, my feet light on the floor yet my footsteps echo heavily, bouncing off the walls of the not-so-empty room.

Before the attendant reaches for the handle of the drawer, I see the name that is temporarily plastered onto the front.

Elijah Knight; Male.

Then it's pulled open, and I hold my breath, my fingers trembling beside me, eyes desperate to look away as his familiar face comes into view.

I gasp in shock and horror, my legs almost giving out as I see my brother's pale face.

Eyes closed shut and lips slack, his skin is the shade of paper, almost blue... bruises of all kinds mar every inch of skin on his upper body, but what breaks my heart even more is his face.

And the hole between his eyes.

My world shatters in that moment, like a rug being pulled from under my feet. I can't understand why this is happening... why my brother...

"E...li..." I mutter brokenly, feeling my heart constrict painfully in my chest as it struggles to catch up with all my mind is processing in this moment.

"Are you certain this is your brother, Miss Knight?"

I've almost forgotten I was brought here by a detective, the man who called me in the early hours of the morning, letting me know they found a body in a sewage system and I was registered as his next of kin.

I nod, tears streaming down my face. My acceptance weighs heavily on me, so heavy I can't breathe.

I haven't seen my brother for close to ten years, ever since he ran away from the foster home we were put in.

We were just too different, and I thought I was better off without him.

We only spoke a few times after that, but now... seeing that blonde hair, I realize my father was right.

I should have loved my brother when I could, I should have been there for him.

"Your brother seems to have been involved with dangerous people, he must have offended the wrong person, such a shame."

The detective's tone is strange; he still stands by the entrance, a somewhat satisfied glint in his eyes.

Or maybe it's just me; I'm overwhelmed by grief and imagining things.

"Do you..." My voice trembles; I struggle to breathe, to speak, to look away from Elijah's corpse. "Do you have who did it?"

The detective cocks up a thick brow. "This isn't some mystery game or novel, Miss Knight. Whoever did this to your brother is clearly a powerful person that he shouldn't have messed with!" The detective replies in a knowing—almost mocking—tone.

"Are you saying it's his fault he's dead?" My brows pull together in confusion, unsure as to why the detective is sounding so nonchalant.

"You have to find who did this to him, you have to make them pay!"

The detective scoffs and looks away like the sight of me irritates him.

"I will do what I can do, Miss Knight." Then he reaches for the door handle of the exit, making moves to leave. "And... if we need your help in the investigation, we'll be sure to let you know."

The sound of the mortuary door closing behind the rude detective is the last straw for me.

I break down, my legs finally losing their strength as I fall to the floor, a sobbing mess.

The attendant stands at the side, clearly uncomfortable as sobs rack my figure again and again, but I can't bring myself to care about his discomfort or anything else; my brother is dead.

The only family I have left.

How can I continue living?

After what seems like an eternity, I finally stand up and give my brother's body one last look, making a mental note to bury him in less than a week, here in his favorite city.

Then I leave the mortuary, getting his death certificate, his belongings that the police consider irrelevant to their investigation, and making the necessary payments to the hospital.

Things in Milan are far different than they are in the states, less expensive but... uncomfortable.

I never imagined I would come to Milan for the first time just to see my brother's corpse.

I am already in the country.

I intended to surprise him today, tell him I was in the city, see him for the first time in years.

God.

I drag my heavy body out of the hospital, barely functioning as I pull out my phone from my pocket. The sky is already dark, the moon nowhere in sight, and the streets practically empty.

I need to find a hotel, sleep, and then tomorrow start making arrangements for the burial.

We don't have family, but I'm sure his friends he always spoke about would want to see him off.

I have no means of contacting them.

His phone was confiscated.

All I have is his watch and the clothes he'd been wearing when they found him.

I am alone in a foreign country, even more alone now that I have no one left.

Just walk. Just move your feet until you reach somewhere, anywhere—

"Are you the sister of Elijah Knight?"

The unfamiliar accented voice makes me stiffen up, stopping me in my tracks and halting my spiraling thoughts.

I turn around and find there are five men behind me.

Each one looking worse than the last. Bald-headed, with similar tattoos on the sides of their heads.

They wear suits that look more expensive than my apartment back home, and their eyes... are empty, devoid of any human emotion that would cause me to feel comfortable around them.

They look more like gang members than they do normal citizens, and with everything that has happened today, I know I need to be careful.

My brother was involved with bad people... are they the ones who took his life?

The thought of it sends my heart pounding with a rage that catches in my throat, ready to burst.

"Yes?" I reply, my voice hoarse from hours of crying. "Who are you?"

The man reaches for the lapel of his jacket once he gets my confirmation. He opens it up and shows what lies inside.

A gun!

My anger turns to fear as my trembling feet take a few panicked steps back, only to bump into a hard body.

A sixth man, behind me, eyes gleaming with sick intentions.

"We're going to need you to come with us."

I shake my head. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" I try to maneuver through the gap between the men and get caught. The bald man behind me digs his fingers into my skin as he holds me in place.

"We're not asking, Knight," he leans down and whispers, his putrid breath making my stomach churn. I try to turn away, but his fingers reach up and grip my chin, holding my face in place.

"You are the key to finally ending those fucking dogs!" he spits, spittle spraying on my face. "We are never letting you go.”