"Anthony." Isabella whispered, her voice shaky and her heart thundering against her chest. Isabella's hands were shaking and she didn't know what to do.

What could she do?

What could I do? Please. Please, don't take him away from me. Not today. Not now.

"Anthony?" Isabella whispered, more broken than before.

She moved forward. One foot after the other. She felt as though she was drowning. She couldn't hear herself, she couldn't hear everything around her. The only thing she could hear were the ringing in her ears and the faint beat of her heart.

Tears blurred her vision as she moved forward again. "Anthony?" She asked hesitantly as she gently kneeled down to look at him.

She couldn't find it in her to feel brave. When had she? All she did was hide away in her own little room, away from the world when she could be doing something.

She should have done something.

Something that could have prevented Anthony from bleeding out to death like this.

He was bleeding so badly. His clothes were soaking in his own pool of blood. His eyes were slowly drooping and she could see that he was struggling to stay awake. He was trying to stay awake, to find some strength in him to get away from death.

But, Isabella could see that death is already welcoming Anthony into its home, letting him settle and say goodbye to his physical body. Death was providing him some time to say what he wants to say and do what he has to do before he goes forever.

Isabella could see death like a welcoming old friend and it's welcoming Anthony slowly.

"Mi cielo. My Bella." Anthony smiled tiredly and she took a shuddering breath before looking at him desperately.

"W-What-" She wiped her eyes aggressively before starting to stand up, "I'll call someone. J-Just put some pressure on your-"

She couldn't accept Anthony standing on death's door. She can't. She'll go crazy if Anthony leaves. He's everyone's anchor, everyone's conscience. He's the light in everyone's life, the level-headed brother and the best out of the siblings. Anthony was so young. He had so much to live for. He didn't deserve this.

Isabella realized that she should have been the one in her brother's shoes. Not him. He was far more important than her. He was far more needed than her. He didn't deserve death. He didn't deserve dying so young. Isabella should have been the one dead. She should have just died the moment she entered this family.

She should have been the one who got shot. She should have been the one knocking on death's door. Not her brother. Not Anthony. Anyone but her family.

Anthony grabbed her wrist weakly, causing her to look at him in panic. "What are you doing?" She asked helplessly before turning to look at Nicolai who stood there, watching her in desperation.

Nicolai, who was once her friend, her best friend. Her only friend. Isabella couldn't even look at his eyes without another fresh tears rushing towards her eyes and falling down her cheeks.

"Don't..." Anthony rasped out before looking at Nicolai. He was trying to breathe. He was trying. So desperately.

In and out, he tried but she saw how tired it was making him. How breathing was suddenly becoming a chore for him.

He shouldn't die. He can't. "Shh, Anthony. Sh, sh, sh. I'm here. I'm right here. Don't... Don't speak. Just save your strength. Save your strength, please." Isabella sobbed, broken and horrified, trying to put pressure on his wound-there was so much blood oozing out of him- before turning back to Nicolai.

"N-Nico, please." She begged, hoping for some mercy. "H-He's bleeding-He won't... He won't make it, Nicolai, please. Please?" She begged but Nicolai looked at her blankly and she felt the stinging hurt in her heart.

She realized that Nicolai won't help.

He won't.

"Nicolai, PLEASE!" She begged before looking back at Anthony who was wheezing, trying to breathe. "Anthony. Anthony? Don't... Don't sleep, please? Just stay awake. Try to stay awake. Tony, please."

Anthony looked at Isabella, he was in a daze and his eyes were filled with tears. He looked scared. He looked so vulnerable. Isabella knew he was scared of death. She knew. He knew that she knew.

"Don't sleep." She begged him.

He reached for her with his bloodied hand and placed it on her cheek. A single tear fell down followed by another and then another.

"Isabel, I-I'm..." Anthony heaved out desperately.

Isabella gripped his bloodied hand with such an overwhelming fear and grief. "Don't leave." Isabella whispered. "Not again."

Not when you'll leave and go to a place I could never reach.

Anthony narrowed his eyes slightly, as though he was desperately ordering his body to move but now it won't listen. "I-I'm..."

Suddenly, she was hauled away from him aggressively by Nicolai, causing her to thrash in his arms.

"Let go!" She exclaimed, trying to reach out to Anthony who was looking at her with the same bloodied hand reaching out.

"I'm sorry." Nicolai whispered in her ear, grunting as she tried to fight him back. "I'm sorry, Izzy."

Soon, Anthony's hand slowly lowered until it reached the cold bloodied floor, and his eyes, the same eyes that held that soft and gentle gaze that he once used whenever he looked at her, drooped a little, losing his focus on them- on her. But his mouth moved.

With all his might, he poured all his strength on what he wanted to say with his last final breath.

"I'm sor..."

He couldn't finish it because he now lied lifeless on the floor. Death finally took mercy on him and took him away from the living. From them.

From her.

Isabella suddenly felt numb. It was as though the icy floor that she had been skating for so long finally cracked under the pressure, causing her to fall and be embraced in the cold and numbness.

Anthony.

His warmth that melts winter and brings spring into her life, making hope and love bloom like the beautiful flowers of spring, the man who holds her anchor down whenever she drifts into her own ocean of despair, her brother who never would have died if not for her.

"The gunshot's loud and soon everything would be according to her plan." Nicolai whispered, hauling her to her feet and grabbing her arm to pull her out of the room.

"Come now, Izzy. There's no use crying over a dead man."

That snapped her out of her stupor. She punched him the moment he lowered his guard. "You fucking son of a bitch!" She exclaimed in anger before trying to push him away from her. Her lips wobbled and she couldn't help but cry again from the overwhelming anger that she felt. "You expect me not to mourn for my brother?" She asked in disbelief.

Nicolai growled and grabbed her more harshly than before, trying to pull her away from Anthony- sweet brother of hers.

"Were you the one who moved the guards away from this house?" She demanded. "So that you could do this?"

"I only want what's best for you." Nicolai said desperately.

"What's best for me?" Her voice were shaky and held so much pain and suffering that she couldn't believe it was her own voice.

"What's best for you." He repeated before pulling her down the stairs in her bloodied dress and her bloodied hands.

She was shaking from fear, from anger from... Absolutely everything. Why was she pushed around like this? Why end it like this?

Damn.

She could hear people running back to the house and she knew she lost.

She lost this game.

_______

Byeeee Anthony (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Soooooo, how was it?

Look, before all of you get mad or sad or both, hear me out •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀

It was needed. Anthony had to go. Now, I shall give everyone some tissue boxes FOR FREE as consolation. How's that? (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

Sorry for the mistakes here but I hope you enjoyed it (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)