Chapter 34: No Justification

***~STAGE~***

***My voice was a calm and measured tone, a thin veil for the seething fury that simmered just below the surface. "And Chris?" I asked, the words dripping with a quiet, calculated menace. "Was he, too, simply a hapless bystander, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?" The phrase hung in the air, as the anger I felt vibrated through every syllable, a low, ominous hum that seemed to grow louder, more menacing, with each passing moment.***

***Raymond's gaze locked onto mine, his eyes blazing with a mixture of contempt and sorrow. "To be honest, I'm not surprised you're capable of killing the one person you professed love to," he spat, his voice venomous.***

***"You're a monster, Stage, a creature driven by a hunger for power and control, with no regard for the lives you destroy. And the worst part is, you act like you are a good person. You're so good at acting, you have successfully convinced not just everyone around you but also yourself that you are." Raymond's words hung in the air, a scathing indictment that seemed to shake the very foundations of my being, without answering, my question.***

***My voice was a low, menacing growl, each word dripping with indignation and outrage. "So, you're saying that I'm the monster, the one who seeks to harm the innocent? That I'm the one who kidnapped a girl who trusted me, who looked up to me, and brutally murdered her? That I'm the one who destroyed an innocent man's life, condemning him to an eternal existence of darkness and bloodlust?" The words tumbled out of my mouth like a torrent of rage, each one a dagger thrust into the heart of the accusation.***

***My anger was a palpable thing, a living, breathing entity that seemed to pulse with a life of its own, as if it might burst free from my body at any moment and unleash its full fury upon the world.***

***A low, mirthless chuckle escaped Raymond's lips, a sound that was both haunting and annoying. "No, Stage, that wasn't you," he whispered, his voice a barely audible rasp. "That was me, my wife, and my daughter. We were the ones who walked the fine line between good and evil, who danced with the darkness in order to keep the light alive."***

***"You see, Stage, everything we've done, every sacrifice we've made, every terrible choice we've been forced to confront... it's all been for one reason: to protect this town, to keep its people safe."***

***My voice exploded in a furious outburst, the words tearing from my throat like a savage cry. "FROM WHAT?!" I thundered, the echoes of my rage reverberating through the air like a physical blow.***

***Raymond's voice, though weak, cut through the air like a rusty blade, its tone laced with a venomous accusation. "From you!" he shouted, the words barely above a whisper, yet dripping with a quiet intensity.***

***"We've been trying to protect ourselves, this town, from the destruction that follows in your wake. You're not the hero everyone thinks you are, the knight in shining armor you've so carefully crafted. You're a facade, a mask hiding the true horror beneath." Raymond's eyes blazed with a fierce conviction, his gaze piercing as he spat out the final words: "Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. We both know the truth."***

***My voice erupted in a frenzy of rage, the words spilling out in a venomous torrent. "You're a goddamn liar, a sick, twisted abomination!" I snarled, my anger boiling over like a storm of molten fury.***

***"You didn't have a shred of justification for slaughtering Jean or condemning Chris to an eternal hell of vampirism. No, you did it because you and your family are deranged, soulless monsters, driven by a hunger for power and a lust for destruction. You're a cancer, a plague on this town, and you'll stop at nothing to satisfy your twisted desires.".***

***Raymond's eyes flashed with a fierce defensiveness as he shot back, his voice low and even, yet laced with a subtle venom. "My family is not insane, Stage. We're simply pragmatists, willing to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves from a threat like you."***

***"You're a ticking time bomb, a menace waiting to unleash its full fury upon us. We had to eliminate Jean, she had stumbled upon secrets that made her a liability. And as for Chris... well, let's just say he's been upgraded. We've granted him abilities that would make most humans green with envy. He should be grateful, not resentful. We've made him stronger, more resilient... more like you, Stage." The last words hung in the air, a subtle jab that seemed to strike at the very heart of my being.***

***A cold, calculated smile spread across my face as I delivered the verdict. "That was the most egregious mistake you've ever made, Raymond, and now you'll have to face the consequences. Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on you... at least, not physically. But I'll make sure your punishment is a living hell, a never-ending torment that will consume your every waking moment." I stepped aside, my eyes never leaving Raymond's face, as I made way for Paris to take over.***

***"For now, I'll leave you to Paris's... tender mercies." The words dripped with malice, and I could see the fear flickering to life in Raymond's eyes as Paris moved into position, her presence seeming to draw the very air out of the room.***

***Raymond's gaze narrowed, his eyes glinting with a mixture of curiosity and calculation as he turned to Paris. "And you, I presume, are another acquaintance of June's, driven by a thirst for vengeance?" His voice was laced with a detached indifference, as if he were merely inquiring about the weather, rather than acknowledging the trail of destruction and death that he and his family had left in their wake. The lack of remorse, the absence of even a flicker of guilt, was a chilling testament to the depths of Raymond's depravity.***

***Paris's eyes flashed with a fierce intensity, her voice dripping with a venomous sweetness as she corrected Raymond. "I'm not June's friend, I'm her older sister. And if you're quite done indulging in your own self-importance, perhaps we can proceed?" The words were laced with a subtle menace, a hint of the fury that simmered just beneath Paris's polished surface. Her annoyance at Raymond's arrogance was palpable, a living, breathing thing that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.***

***Raymond's voice shattered into a thousand shards of agony as Paris's hands made contact with his chest, her fingers sinking into his flesh like hot coals. The air around him seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, as if the very fabric of reality was being warped and distorted by Paris's touch.***

***And then, the blood within Raymond's veins began to churn and boil, a cauldron of liquid fire that threatened to consume him from the inside out. His screams were a symphony of suffering, a cacophony of pain that echoed through the darkness, as Paris's grip tightened, her eyes blazing with an unholy fury.***

***With an unyielding ferocity, Paris continued to unleash a torrent of mental anguish upon Raymond, forcing him to relive the unspeakable horrors she had inflicted upon Lisa.***

***The visions were a relentless onslaught, a merciless barrage of suffering that threatened to shatter Raymond's very sanity. Time itself seemed to lose all meaning as Paris's psychological assault dragged on, the only sound was the anguished screams that echoed through Raymond's mind.***

***And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the torment ceased. The candle on the table, a poignant symbol of Sam's fragile existence, flickered back to life, its flame casting eerie shadows on the walls as Paris's gaze snapped towards it, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity.***

***Paris's face froze in a mask of stunned disbelief, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and alarm as she gazed at the candle's resurrected flame. The words "Something is wrong" tumbled from her lips in a barely audible whisper, her voice laced with a growing sense of unease.***

***As she turned to face me, her eyes locked onto mine with an unnerving intensity, her hands slipping away from Raymond's chest as if releasing a toxic burden. The air seemed to vibrate with tension as Paris's gaze bored into mine, her expression a warning that something was terribly, horribly wrong.***

***A creeping sense of dread seeped into my bones, as if icy fingers were wrapping around my heart, squeezing tight. I was caught in a vortex of confusion and alarm, my mind racing with the unsettling certainty that Paris was right – something was wrong.***