Destroying

Life seemed to be going well, as usual, without any particular problems. By spending more time with Brunei, Timor was protecting himself from violence, but something was wrong. Passing by places where there could be danger, his imagination began to play with him. He imagined moments of violence where someone was in pain or dying. This scared Timor to the point of trembling, but he was afraid of being seen as a crazy in the eyes of Brunei and Indonesia. Timor was definitely going crazy, and his silence was making him go much faster. But this was not even the main reason for the slow madness, but the fact that words about age began to be heard more often. Malaysia, in particular, joked about this, and Indonesia once again pointed out that Timor was still too young for some things. The Philippines remained on Timor's side and continued to ask for an end to these jokes and suggestions. But it was already too late… One day, Timor was in his room in a Brunei apartment. He was lying on his bed and thinking about the worst. «I'm not little! I'm not little, I'm mature. I'm not a monster, I'm a human. I'm not defenseless!» Timor closed his eyes. «Did they all conspire? Why me?» Timor sat down and lowered his head with sadness and resentment, realizing that he wouldn't be able to sort out anything. However, the image of that abandoned house suddenly appeared in his head, and then the memories of the bad imagination inside it. «Was that a hint…? What if I punish them? I have to prove that I'm mature and serious, that I can even fight!» Timor got out of bed. He clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger. «Who should I start with? And where should I start? Maybe… Indo? Mm, it will hurt him…» Timor began to worry. He didn't like it when people were hurt, and hurting Indonesia felt wrong. Timor shook his head, casting aside his kindness. «No... it's time for him and Mal to learn a lesson! I'm. Not. Little!» Timor walked over to the table and sat down, then took a small piece of paper out of the table drawer and took a pencil from the pencil cup. He started thinking about what kind of punishment to come up with for Indonesia and Malaysia. Keeping that old and small abandoned house in mind, Timor came up with the idea of making that house his headquarters. From his excellent memory, he drew the house on the left side of the paper, and then the objects he saw there: chairs, torn rope, nails and so on, and then he made a note for himself of how he could use all of this. He took out another sheet of paper and began to come up with a plan on how to lure both of them into that house and punish them. An image of a knife from the kitchen of Indonesia's apartment appeared in his mind, followed by horrific scenes of murder. Timor clutched his head, dropping his pencil. Scenes of the murder continued to fly through his mind, and eventually everything stopped at the scene where Timor simply inflicted severe wounds on Indonesia, then Malaysia. Timor opened his eyes and lowered his hands. «No... there's no need to be afraid of imagination. If I see it, then I need to do it» A completely different personality awoke in Timor. He was no longer in control of himself. «I won't kill them...» he thought one last time, finishing drawing the jar of sleeping pills.

***

Timor entered the abandoned house. He walked up to the table and placed the sheets of paper on it. Then he walked over to one of the chairs, picked it up, placed it in the center of the room, and walked toward the door. His gaze was stern, confident and frightening. He looked at the two sheets of paper he'd brought. A jar of sleeping pills, with an arrow pointing from it to a bottle of water, and from that to Indonesia. After this, two possible scenarios were outlined: either Timor himself'd bring Malaysia to this house under some pretext, or he'd also give him a sleeping pill. Timor was a pretty good drawer, it turned out. Timor chuckled with a nervous tic and smiled. He placed one drawing on top of the other, then took a piece of textile from his windbreaker pocket and covered them. Timor left the abandoned house, closing the door. He ran towards the 'exit' from the forest. He was completely alone in this forest and ran alone, fearing nothing. The grass crumpled and rustled under his feet. Timor walked between the bushes and came to a path, an ordinary path. But Timor walked alongside it, so as not to leave tracks in the damp ground. After an unknown amount of time, he emerged from the forest. He was now in the park. There were no people in this part of the park either – everyone was far away. Timor grinned and ran on. His plans were far more unpredictable... He reached the building where Indonesia lived, entered the building, climbed the stairs, and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by Indonesia's hands and he himself appeared on the threshold. "Tim!" Indonesia hugged his brother, not noticing the 'spark of anger' in his eyes. "I'm so glad to see you." "I'm glad to see you too, Indo," Timor smiled innocently. Indonesia let Timor pass, and he entered the apartment and saw a wallet on the nightstand. The same wallet he'd taken to the store and which had accidentally brought him and Brunei together. This time the wallet wasn't needed for good intentions and there could be no chance meetings. Indonesia took his red windbreaker from the hanger and put it on. Timor noticed and guessed Indonesia was about to go outside. «If he ends up near the forest… I won’t even have to try!» "I'll be back soon, Tim." Indonesia put on his shoes and ran out of the apartment with a joyful cry. Timor reached for the wallet and then took it. He left the apartment. After waiting for the footsteps in the entrance to die down, he went downstairs and went outside. He went to the nearest pharmacy. One of them was near building where Indonesia lived. It might've aroused suspicion, but Timor didn't care. He crossed the street and went into the pharmacy. There weren't as many people there as there might've been, which amused Timor even more. He found the medicine he needed: it was in a white box with a blue line and a bright red inscription with the name of the medicine. Timor went to the checkout and then paid with money from Indonesia's wallet. Such was the complete loss of shame, conscience, and respect for personal boundaries. Timor left the pharmacy, completely satisfied and calm, closing his eyes for about two seconds. Suddenly, opening his eyes, he saw Indonesia heading toward his building. Timor quickly ran across the street and grabbed Indonesia's hand. "Ah!" Indonesia waved off, turning around. "Huh? Tim, you scared me!" "Sorry," Timor smiled sweetly. "I just wanted to show you one place," he continued. "What place?" Indonesia smiled with interest. "It's a secret. Come with me." Indonesia followed Timor. Indonesia was genuinely curious about the place he'd found. Timor led him to the park, silently, barely restraining the urge to start teasing him right there. Indonesia was nerved by Timor's silence, even though it could've been dismissed in a banal way. "Tim, are you up to somethin'?" Indonesia asked, already starting to sense something was wrong. «Figured it out, bastard…» Timor frowned slightly. "Tim, you're scaring me a bit. ' Somethin' happen?" Indonesia stopped, putting his hands out to the sides.. "It's nothing, Indo." Timor turned around. "I just wanna surprise you." Indonesia blinked in confusion, but then smiled, thinking that it couldn't be anything serious. He and Timor reached the park. They approached the fountain. Timor looked at his reflection again, but this time deliberately. His face and his Yin and Yang-like eyes were clearly reflected in the water. He swept his left palm across the water to the right and then abruptly swept it back to the left. He looked at Indonesia, who looked a little puzzled. Timor didn't bother hiding his serious expression, trying to make Indonesia nervous. "So-o-o... what're we going to do?" Indonesia asked, smiling uncertainly. "Heh..." Timor smiled slyly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Catch me." Timor took off and ran straight ahead as fast as he could. Indonesia was even more confused and perplexed. "Hey! Where you goin'?!" Indonesia ran after Timor. He still didn't understand what was happening to his younger brother, but he didn't want to lose sight of him. Finally Timor stopped and then Indonesia grabbed his arm, pulling him towards himself. "So, did you like it?" Timor asked with the same sly smile. "Never do that again, Tim!" Indonesia scolded. Timor adjusted the hood of his black windbreaker with two red stripes at the bottom, then said confidently: "I'm old enough for this." These words were a bit unexpected for Indonesia. He looked away, tried to swallow, and felt his mouth go dry. "Mh... my throat is dry," he said. "Okay, I took water with me." after these words, Indonesia opened his bag and took out a bottle of water. Timor looked at the bottle of water, and his imagination began to play again. One scenario, one outcome: Timor adds a sleeping pill, and Indonesia falls asleep. "Do you need it?" Indonesia asked. "Yes," Timor answered. Indonesia, with an uncertain expression, handed Timor a bottle of water and looked around. Timor stood sideways to Indonesia. He opened the bottle cap and took a sip of water so as not to arouse Indonesia's suspicions, then took out the sleeping pill and, making sure Indonesia wasn't looking at him yet, added it to the water. The medicine quickly dissolved in water. "Indo," Timor said in a friendly tone, handing over a bottle to Indonesia. He turned around and took it from Timor's hand with a smile on his face. He rubbed the top of the bottle with his fingers and then drank some water. He closed the bottle, and Timor then stood with his back to him and smiled 'villainously,' almost madly. "So... you wanted to show me some place, right?" asked Indonesia. "Right." Timor answered calmly. "Then let's go there." Timor walked toward the forest. He reached it in a few minutes, without saying anything to Indonesia. «Come on, start worrying, start getting nervous, play on your nerves,» Timor thought to himself, still smiling slyly. He entered the forest and then Indonesia began to get really nervous. "Tim, aren't you a bit young for places like this?" he asked. Timor became angry. He clenched his palms. He didn't turn around. "I'm not a little kid, Indo. Besides, we've been here before." "Yes, but you don’t mean to say that you went somewhere far away without me?" "Indo, I don't need you to look after me," Timor turned around. "Since when do you think I can't cope without you?" "I'm just nervous. You were walking alone. Who knows, somethin' might've happened." Indonesia looked extremely agitated. His excitement was obvious, and that was exactly what Timor needed. "Are you worried?" Timor raised one eyebrow, then looked away resentfully and continued, "What a shame. As if you're more responsible than me and never get into trouble." "Tim... you're scaring me." "Oh, right!" Timor suddenly smiled, as if nothing had happened. "I wanted to show you the place, not argue. Let's go." "Tim, what if it's dangerous there?" Indonesia looked at Timor with a serious face. "No." Timor also looked at Indonesia with a serious face. "It's an ordinary place. You'll see for yourself." Indonesia took a step back. Timor didn't want him to leave and the plan to fail. He gave a pitiful look and said in a sweet tone: "Please, Indo." Indonesia shuddered. Timor looked so innocent, but the combination of the pretty view with the forest was suspicious, and the sudden change in mood was frightening. But Indonesia refused to believe that his younger brother was capable of anything terrible, so he quietly said: "S-Sure." Timor was delighted. He turned and walked on, and Indonesia followed him. With each step, the atmosphere slowly changed and became tense. Silence, no one's there, there's grass underfoot, and not a path as there could be. Timor was acutely aware of Indonesia's tension and its desire to leave. However, both had gone too far, and if Indonesia had tried to find a way out of the woods, it wouldn't have made it in time due to the sleeping pills. Suddenly, a pack of sleeping pills fell out of Timor's pocket. Indonesia noticed it and ran over to examine it. He picked it up. Timor stopped, realizing this. Indonesia read the name of the medicine and looked at his brother in shock. "Tim... what's your plan?" Indonesia's voice was already filled with intense fear. Timor clenched his fists tighter, showing his anger. He didn't turn around to look at Indonesia, which only made him even more afraid. Not seeing Timor's face at that moment was an indescribable horror. "Sweet dreams, Indonesia…" Timor grinned, turned around with a frighteningly cunning look and a smirk. Indonesia began to shake, and then his eyes began to close. He placed his hand on his head, feeling drowsy, and a few seconds later he fell onto the grass. He was shocked and terrified, realizing he'd been caught. He was alone with Timor in the forest, with no witnesses. His eyes closed and his body instantly relaxed. Timor approached his sleeping brother and dragged him by the legs deeper into the forest. It wasn't easy, but Timor didn't care about the pain in his arms. He dragged Indonesia to that abandoned house and then dropped him. He opened the door to the house and turned around to look at Indonesia again, then walked up to him and dragged him inside the house, where he was able to sit him down on the chair he'd left in the center of the room and tie his hands and legs. Timor locked the door and began to wait for Indonesia to wake up.

***

Indonesia opened his eyes. He saw that he was literally tied to a chair, and he twitched with fear in his eyes. And then he felt that his mouth was covered with a textile. He closed his eyes and tried to break free, moving his arms and legs, but the rope was strong and the knots were secure. Tears began to flow from his eyes, and muffled sobs and incoherent sounds came from his closed lips. He became even more scared when he heard Timor’s joyful voice: "Oh, you're awake!" Indonesia opened his eyes and looked around. He saw Timor approach the door opposite him, with sly smile and a wild look in his eyes. "M! M-m!" Indonesia tried to break free again, trembling with fear. Timor walked up to him and removed the cloth from his face, then took out a knife and sharply struck Indonesia across the bridge of his nose. Indonesia screamed, squeezing his eyes shut and raising his head. He hissed in pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks again. Timor 'caringly' placed his hand under his head. He opened his eyes and looked at him fearfully. "How sweet, our grown-up Indonesia is crying like a little child." "T-Tim, what're you doin'? Where are w-we?!" "I'm just seeking revenge. And where we are... don't worry, this is the very place I wanted to show you." Timor saw how terrified Indonesia was. If this'd been Timor from the past, he'd have felt sorry for his older brother, but this time he became even more angry. "You shouldn't call me little! I'm not little, I'm not helpless, I'm not afraid of anythin', understand?!" Timor swung the knife and stabbed Indonesia in the right shoulder. Indonesia held back a cry of pain, but began to moan and cry. "Now I'll show ya how grown-up I am!" "Tim… T-Tim, I beg you, calm down!" "Does it hurt?! When I was in pain, I didn't cry, I didn't ask to stop." "Tim, I'm sorry! I just value you so much. I'm afraid I'll lose you again, like I did when we were kids. I know it's too much of a guardian, but I wanted to do what was best for you!" Timor was surprised. He learned the truth and thought about it. «He wanted to shield me from problems? But why…» "didn't ya talk to me 'bout it?!" from thoughts everything suddenly turned into words, which made Timor himself shudder. "Tim, I thought you understood why I was doin' this. We'd been apart for so long that I-It even was hard agreeing to you living with Brunei." "I was glad I distanced myself from you and Malaysia. Bruno is better. He didn't say I was little or anythin', he treated me normally!" Timor stabbed Indonesia in the right cheek. The red-and-white one gasped and looked down in animalistic terror, afraid to make eye contact with Timor. "Please, Tim, no. Forgive me. Forgive me, please! Let me out!" "No-o, I have to get enough," Timor said, barely containing his anger. "It's my revenge! I don't care what you say, I need to learn how to hurt by now!" "This is wrong, Tim! No matter how hurt and upset you are, it's better to talk 'bout it than to kill." "I'm not goin' to kill ya." "You... what? So, you just want to drive me HALF-dead and let me go?" "I doubt I'll let ya go. It's better If you'll be found" "Tim, what happened to you? You've been pretending to be kind all this time? You've been wanting... violence all this time?" Timor stepped back. He'd never intended violence, but now it was as if something was controlling him. He frowned and swung the knife again, staring into Indonesia's eyes. A hit. The knife blade entered Indonesia's leg, and blood immediately spurted from the wound. Indonesia screamed in even more intense pain and squeezed his eyes shut, tears welling in them. He screamed for several seconds, almost breaking into loud cries. "How disgusting..." Timor said, as if to himself, not accepting the picture before him. "How disgusting to look at ya. Have you never been in such situations?" Indonesia opened his eyes. He began to breathe nervously as tears streamed uncontrollably down his already wet cheeks. The salty tears hit his cut cheek, creating a burning pain. "Why you cryin'? I'm not killin' ya." Timor smiled. "Tim, please... please... what ' I need to do to make you stop?" Indonesia said quietly, lowering his head. "Nothing," Timor said in a cold tone. Indonesia became even more frightened. Timor took a tactile and covered Indonesia's mouth, preventing him from speaking. The blood dripping from Indonesia's nose and cheek began to soak into the material. Indonesia groaned. He tried to break free again, thrashing his arms and legs. Timor slapped him. Indonesia closed his eyes. His breathing slowed. "M... m-m?" Indonesia was trying to ask something. "Oh, don't worry, Indo. Ya're not the only one I'm goin' to make fun of." Indonesia looked up at Timor in shock. Clearly, he hadn't expected to hear that. "M-m-m! M!" "I certainly dare, Indo." Indonesia began to twitch his legs and arms again. He shook his head, moaning loudly, but after another slap, he froze and stopped moving. Timor looked at Indonesia with a very frightening look: he was both cute and crazy at the same time, and his smile only made him more frightened. "Stay here 'til I bring Malaysia. If ya try to escape, I'll kill ya!" Timor walked over to the two remaining chairs and picked one up. He pushed it next to the first chair. He walked to the door, opened it, and walked out of the abandoned house, slamming the door behind him as he ran out of the forest.

***

Timor walked back to Indonesia's home. He thought about Malaysia. «Does it matter where I'm walkin'? Does it matter that I'm younger that you? Does it matter that I'm different?" Timor only angered himself with his thoughts. He walked silently, growing increasingly resentful of Malaysia. And looking up, he saw him. Malaysia was walking away from the entrance, humming something. Timor smiled slyly, his eyes relaxing. He followed the moonlight one, who headed toward the park. «It's in vain that you go there...» Timor walked quickly to the park and approached Malaysia. Malaysia looked at him and smiled. "Oh, hi, Tim." "Hi." "Listen, have you seen Indo? I can't find him, and he's not answerin' my calls or messages." Malaysia took out his phone at the end of his sentence. "Of course I did! Follow me." Timor headed toward the forest, making sure Malaysia was following him. Malaysia didn't suspect a thing and followed Timor. Timor remained silent, and Malaysia said something about Indonesia. Timor stopped as soon as he entered the forest, then looked at Malaysia with that sly look that couldn’t help but puzzle the elder. "You sure he's here?" Malaysia asked. "Of course. I showed him one place, now I wanna show you." Timor looked straight ahead. "He's waiting for ya there, by the way." "Tim... I think you're too little for the forests." Timor frowned. "I'm not little, Mal! You'd think you're the head." "What? No, I'm not about that! You understand that there could be some dangerous people here?! "There's no one here. And there won't be anyone here for a long time." Timor smiled ominously, still looking at the trees and small bushes in front of him. "Tim, you're makin' me nervous. You're actin' really weird!" Timor chuckled. He looked at Malaysia with an innocent look and a sweet smile on his face, then said: "This place's just an ordinary abandoned house. We'll be there in five minutes, I promise." "An abandoned house? In the woods? Sounds interesting." Malaysia smiled. "But promise there won't be any problems." "Of course, Malaysia." Timor spread his arms out to the sides. Afterwards, Timor noticed that Malaysia was surprised by something. Timor immediately guessed what it was – the full name. Timor's smile was now sly, not sweet, with a sly, fox-like look. He beckoned to Malaysia and headed toward the abandoned house. Malaysia followed him, still unaware of the horror that was about to happen. Timor led him to the door of the house, clearly remembering it was open. He turned around. "Open up," he said, moving away from the door. Malaysia looked at Timor in confusion, then walked up to the door and pulled the handle. It opened with a bit of effort – he had to pull. The door opened, and Malaysia gasped loudly. He saw Indonesia tied to a chair with wounds on his face and a wound on his leg. The wound on his shoulder was not visible from a distance because of his red windbreaker. Indonesia sat with his eyes closed, as if dead. Timor followed Malaysia in and slammed the door, causing the moonlight one to turn around. Malaysia stepped back in shock. "Tim, what's with him?! Did you do this?!" "Well, how to say... he seems alive." Timor smiled. "Although I might've miscalculated." Timor looked to the left, lost in thought. "What? So, you did this?! Why did you kill him?!" Timor didn't answer. He grabbed a knife from the table and walked up to Malaysia. He struck Malaysia on the left cheek and pushed him with all his might. Malaysia fell on his back and had no time to react as Timor loomed over him, brandishing a knife. "S-s... what the hell are you doin'?!" Malaysia looked into Timor's eyes angrily. "I'm just punishin' you for what you did," Timor smiled. "We? Me and Indo?!" "Yes!" Timor frowned. "Why did age become a matter, huh?" "What you talkin' 'bout?!" "Who said I was little? Who was making fun of me?!" Malaysia was shocked again. He couldn't even imagine that ordinary teasing could drive Timor to sadism. However, he realized that these teasings couldn't break his psyche. "Tim, are you sick?" he asked, but as it turned out, he asked in vain. Timor slapped Malaysia and grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards himself. "Sick? I'm not sick! I'm just furious with ya!" Malaysia pushed Timor, who fell backwards. Malaysia stood up and ran to the chair where Indonesia was tied up. This only infuriated Timor even more. He stood up, picking the knife. "Come on, come on!" the moonlight one said, trying to untie the rope. Timor stabbed him in the right shoulder and threw him aside. Malaysia fell on his tailbone, groaning in pain. He opened one eye and looked at Timor. "Ya're older than me, but ya can't even untie a rope. Ya're older than me, but ya can't even resist." Malaysia stood up, looking at Timor with shock and anger at the same time. - Don't you think it's wrong? You're tryin' to kill me right now! And you also killed Indo... psycho! Timor took off running toward Malaysia. He kicked him in the stomach and then stabbed him in the arm. Malaysia screamed and tried to push Timor, but he swung the knife, freezing him. "Ya better shut up…" Timor said, smiling broadly. "Tim, it's not you. You're not the real Timor!" "The real one. It's me – Timor, whom ya corrupted." Timor frowned again, clutching the knife in his hand. Another hit landed on the shoulder. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was enough to cause pain. Malaysia closed his eyes and then Timor sharply drew the blade across the area under his right eye. Malaysia hissed in pain and pushed Timor with all his might, causing him to fall backwards, hitting the wooden floor. He stood up, but Malaysia pushed him again and pinned him against the wall, snatching the knife and throwing it as far as possible. "That's it?! You're left without a weapon, right?" Malaysia shouted. "I’m smarter than ya," Timor said quietly, lowering his head. He punched Malaysia in the chest, and he stumbled back, choking. Timor punched him in the face, then pushed him. Malaysia barely managed to stay on his feet. Timor laughed. "Tim, you're insane! You decided to kill Indo just 'cause you felt insulted!" Timor took the second piece of rope. Malaysia held his hands out in front of him, as if asking Timor to stay put. Timor approached him and happened to glance at Indonesia. He saw that he was still breathing, but very heavily. Then he smiled and said: "And Indo is still alive." Malaysia turned his head toward Indonesia in shock. Timor grinned and abruptly sat Malaysia down on a chair and tied him up. Malaysia began kicking his legs, since he could still move them. "No! You're a bastard!" Malaysia shouted. "Yeah, I am," Timor chuckled. Malaysia tried to break the rope, but it didn't work. Timor stepped back and picked up the rusty nails from the table. "If ya resist, I'll stick them in ya, and then it's not far to tetanus," Timor said, his gaze already too wild. "Tim... you sure you're not sick?" asked Malaysia. Timor chuckled, feeling strange. He really was sick, but he didn't realize it at the time. "I don't think so. Why did you ask?" "Tim, forgive me for my jokes. I didn't think it would hurt you so much. Forgive me and stop. Let us out." Timor lowered his head thoughtfully. He narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a quiet gasp of horror reached his ears, forcing him to slowly look up. He saw Indonesia looking at Malaysia with a look of shock on his face. "Oh, you're awake!" Timor chuckled. "M-m! M! M-m-m!" "Indo, quiet down, don't panic," burst from Malaysia's lips. “Ya really believe that a miracle'll happen?” Timor asked. "Tim, please stop. Let us out." "No. My fun will never end." "Tim, it's not right!" "Everythin' in this world's not right! Not society, not you and Indo, no one!" Timor shouted, raising his voice. Tears appeared in his eyes. "Tim, you have no idea what you're doin' right now! You kidnapped Indo..." Malaysia looked at Indonesia. "lured me here and now you want to kill us both." "Malaysia... you should've kept your mouth shut." Timor ran his finger past his mouth. "Tim, I was just joking. If it really offended you that much, I won't joke anymore! I promise." "Hmm... not thinkin' I'm little anymore? Now ya understand how grown-up I am?" Timor smiled, still caught in his own frenzy. "Tim, please..." Tears welled up in Malaysia's eyes. Timor threw the rusty nails back onto the table. They rolled across it, and one of them nearly fell to the floor. "I see you're much more talkative than Indo." Timor looked at Indonesia with a serious expression. "Hm?" Indonesia began to tremble. Malaysia turned his head toward him, then back to Timor. He said nothing, which made Timor feel dominant. He smiled and walked toward Malaysia. "Ya given up already? Ya should've done it right away." Timor closed his eyes, putting his hands behind his back. Malaysia lowered his head. Timor looked at Indonesia and then approached him to remove the cloth from his mouth. He did so, and then Indonesia began to breathe loudly, trembling even more violently. Timor hit him on the back of the head. Malaysia pulled his knees up to the chair legs and hunched his shoulders. The next second, Timor covered his mouth. "No!" Indonesia shouted. "Tim, brother, please calm down! You're kind and sweet. Where's Timor – the brother I know?!" Timor shuddered. His head spun. He hissed softly in pain and clutched his head with his left hand. «No…» Mgh! «kind and sweet?» Timor opened his eyes. He looked at the door. Something got into his head. He felt terrible, he felt bad about what he'd done. There was misunderstanding, shame, and guilt. Timor shook his head, feeling himself getting even worse. His heart began to beat faster, and terrifying thoughts began to race through his head, like one of his victims could die in a moment. He stepped back in fear. "Hm? M-m!" Malaysia wanted to look at Timor. "Tim?" Indonesia said feverishly. Timor grabbed his head with his right hand. He walked to the door and threw it open. "Timor, no! Wait!" Indonesia shouted. Timor slammed the door, leaving Malaysia and Indonesia inside the house. From inside, Indonesia's invited shouts and Malaysia's grunts could be heard. Timor felt fear. He grew angry, gave in to his rage, and began to mock those he could simply talk to. He began to breathe nervously and ran away. He was already afraid of both himself and justice.

***

The next morning arrived. Timor woke up in his new room. He sat up and looked around. He felt weak and somewhat emotionally drained. He rose from his bed, barely able to stand, and was immediately startled by the ringing of his phone. Timor picked up his phone with a trembling hand and saw that it was the Philippines calling. Timor felt truly scared: he felt cold, his body began to tremble, and he felt sick inside. He picked up the phone. "H-Hello?" "Tim, have you seen Indo and Malay? They didn't come back yesterday!" Timor began to think of an excuse to avoid drawing suspicion. He was afraid to simply say, "No, I didn't see him," as that would only make Philippines even more nervous. Timor had to say: "Yes. They stayed the night at Bruno's." "Ah? But Brunei didn't mention that." the Philippines immediately found a discrepancy. "His phone was dead when they arrived." "I see. And before that, they were walkin', as I understand it." "Yeah." "Tim... ' you okay? You seem tired." "I just woke up, heh." "At one pm? And when you fell asleep?" "Nevermind. Is that a problem?" Timor started to get angry again, but realized it in time. "No, I'm just worried about you. You've never spoken like that... depressed, maybe? Anyway, thanks for explaining everything. I was about to panic." "You're welcome." Timor hung up and put the phone under his pillow. He started shaking. «What should I do?! What should I do?! If they find out what I did, I'm screwed! I'll be in jail!» There was a sudden knock on Timor's door. Timor flinched and looked toward the door. "Tim, are you awake yet?" Brunei asked. "Yes," Timor answered, trying to hide his fatigue. "Great! I'm waiting in the kitchen." "Fine." Timor sat down on the bed. Fear continued to torment him. All possible consequences flashed through his mind. He began to cry quietly, covering his face with his hands. «I'm a killer!» Timor sighed loudly and then buried his face in the pillow. His shoulders began to shake. «What should I do now? If I say I'm just offended, they'll think I'm crazy! I'm not insane... I never was!» Timor wiped away his tears and rose from his bed again. He left the room, closing the door. «Maybe make it look like an accident? Maybe I can come to agreement with Indo and Mal? They want me to let them out, but…» Mrkh! «They'll tell the others. I don't wanna... I don't wanna be a monster!» Timor went into the bathroom where he washed his fase and brushed his teeth. After turning off the water, he looked at himself in the mirror. And this ordinary boy had committed a crime. He ran out of the bathroom, not wanting to look at himself, and went into the kitchen. Brunei stood in front of the window, looking out onto the street. Timor sat down at the table, lost in thought. «What if they're found? No! No one must find 'em! It'll be worse for me!» Brunei turned around and saw Timor. He also noticed that he was nervous. "Tim, are you okay?" "Mm!" Timor accidentally slammed his hand on the table, looking up at Brunei. "Yes, everything is fine, Bruno," he said afterward, smiling nervously. "Uh... okay?" Brunei looked down, confused. "How about some tea?" "I won’t refuse," Timor smiled. Brunei nodded. He walked to the kitchen table and turned on the kettle. Timor looked at Brunei and imagined him finding Indonesia and Malaysia, and then starting a row. Timor cringed. He was so afraid of being abandoned, and for what he had done, he really could end up that way. "Tim, is everything okay?" Brunei's worried voice brought Timor out of his imagination. "I just... h-had a nightmare," Timor justified himself. "If you have nightmares, then... it's definitely not a good sign," Brunei said, sounding a bit tense. Timor's hands began to shake. He'd only made things worse by trying to justify his condition. Brunei knew something had happened. Timor decided to remain silent, lest, God forbid, the truth be revealed. "I suppose somethin'll happen," Brunei said. "But don't worry, I'll support you if anythin' happens." Brunei smiled tenderly. Timor nodded silently and looked down. He felt nothing but fear. "Oh, by the way, Tim..." Three words were enough to make Timor very afraid. He looked up at the elder. "I didn't see Indo and Mal yesterday. Not outside, not in their apartment, nowhere. Maybe you know where they are?" "No," Timor said instantly and a little sharply. "I hope they're okay." Timor looked away guiltily towards the window to Brunei's left. "I'll ask Phili again. Maybe he knows." "No!" Timor jumped up from his chair, startling Brunei. "He doesn't know where they're either..." "I see." Timor looked down in confusion. "Then I'll try calling Indo and Mal." "Uh-huh..." Timor looked down nervously. "Okay. Tea first. We still need to calm down." Brunei looked towards the teapot. "Yes." Brunei took a tea bag from a package he pulled out of the kitchen drawer. One tea bag was enough to brew tea for two. "Tim, can you tell what happened in your nightmare?" Brunei asked. "No," the younger one answered quietly. Brunei placed a mug of tea in front of Timor. He looked at his barely visible reflection. The blackness of the tea obscured him, hiding his true nature. Timor began to sip the tea, trying not to fidget.

***

Timor stopped in front of the door to Indonesia's apartment. He knocked twice, briefly between knocks. Philippines opened the door. He was very worried. This made Timor feel even more guilty. He knew without words what the sunny one was worried about. He asked: "Tim... where's Indo and Malay?" "I... I don't know, Phil." Timor lowered his head. He became afraid. "They're still not here!" Philippines grabbed his head. "They're not answering the calls... they haven't even read the messages." he lowered his hands, looking at them. "I... I... t-thought they're back." Timor began to tremble again. He was tormented by conscience on one hand, and fear on the other. "Tim, what happened?" Philippines asked, even more worried. Timor looked at him. He was afraid to say anything. Any wrong word could give him away. He closed his eyes and turned away. "Tim? Little one, ' you okay? What happened? Timor!" "It doesn't matter!" Timor waved it off. "I'm not a little kid for ya to worry about me! Let me think 'bout it properly." The Philippines winced, shock in its eyes. Timor clenched his hands, frowning. "C-Calm down, Tim." Philippines raised his hands to his chest. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I'm just worried about you." "No need, Phil." Timor took off his shoes and walked past Philippines. Philippines looked at him. Timor felt tense and slightly distrustful. He washed his hands in the bathroom and went to the kitchen. There was Singapore. He was sitting at the table with a phone in his hand. He was also nervous. Timor had never seen this before. Singapore was always calm and quiet, no matter the situation, but here it was as if it had been changed. He put the phone on the table, sighing loudly with his head raised. "Doesn't answer…" "Singa?" "Mal doesn't answer." Singapore looked at Timor. "Somethin' really happen to them?" "Most likely. If they don't return by evening, I'll call the police." Timor felt fear again. If the police found that abandoned house, karma would be inevitable. All the evidence would prove Timor guilty. "I hope this gets resolved quickly." Singapore stood up. "I don't want to lose them." «I need to come up with somethin' now!» Timor started to think, but completely wrongly: «How to hide the evidence, how to avert suspicion? How to make sure no one finds out about that house?! What should I do?! Oh... wait. What am I even thinking?» Timor looked at Singapore fearfully. Singapore looked at him, narrowing his eyes, as if sensing something was wrong. "Maybe we should look for them somewhere?" Timor suggested, even though he knew it wasn't worth it. But in order to avert suspicion, he had to. "Phil and I were thinking about it. Asean said he'd try to look with us." "I'll have to check a few places," Philippines said, walking into the kitchen and standing next to Timor. "I'd like to comb the woods near the park." "Hmm... that might be a good option." Singapore said. Timor couldn't believe the Philippines had mentioned that forest. For some reason, he became angry, clenching his right palm. "Malay still not answering?" Philippines asked. "No," Singapore replied. "And Indo... too?" "Yes." The Philippines lowered his head, growing increasingly nervous. Singapore left the kitchen. Timor and the Philippines were now left alone. The Philippines looked at Timor. "Tim, just be careful. Something bad might happen to you too." Timor lowered his head. The Philippines placed a hand on his right shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll try to find them. Maybe they're okay. Don't worry." "Phil... I don't need your support. I don't need you to worry about me." Philippines looked with worry and confusion. He sighed, then smiled faintly and said: "Anyway, I'm glad that at least you're okay." Timor said nothing in response. He just walked past the Philippines. He turned and looked at Timor, beginning to sense something was wrong. He was worried about him, but at the same time, he didn't like this strange behavior. Leaving the kitchen, he took a couple of long steps and peered around the corner. Timor walked to the front door and put his shoes back on. He opened the door, ran out of the apartment, and ran down the stairs. Having come down, he opened the entrance door with loud sighs and rushed towards the park. He ran there quickly and caught his breath. Thoughts of the forest haunted him, and thoughts of punishment even more so. But suddenly his thoughts were filled with other thoughts when he felt someone behind him. Other people passed by, not paying any attention to Timor, but someone definitely stopped behind him. He turned his head and then spun around. He saw a guy in a blue windbreaker with a yellow sun on the back. The hood of his windbreaker covered the gay's face, but Timor recognized who it was. Only the sun revealed. «If he starts following me, he'll find that house... although... what's stopping me from getting rid of him?» Timor walked toward the forest. He heard Philippines following him. Timor calmly reached the forest and then began to walk into the very wilderness, where there was no one. He walked quickly through the grass, hearing the grass rustling and small stones crunching behind him. Already approaching the abandoned house, he began to walk faster, and then ran straight and turned sharply to the side, hiding behind trees and bushes. He saw Philippines run out to where he had turned and began to look around in confusion, and then, adjusting his hood, he walked straight ahead. Timor walked past the trees behind him and finally saw how the Philippines reached that old abandoned house. Philippines was puzzled by the sight of this house. He looked into one of the windows, which was to his left and was slightly broken, and was immediately horrified. He thought he saw Malaysia and Indonesia tied to chairs. He could hardly see them through the crack, but he recognized both of them by minor details. He walked up to the door and tried to open it. He opened it. He's thoughts weren't wrong... right in front of him, a few meters away, were two chairs, with Indonesia and Malaysia sitting on them, both tied up and wounded. Indonesia looks to the Philippines. A tired and frightened look, filled with pain. Malaysia then shuddered and looked at the Philippines in shock. "Phil! Phil, get out of here. He'll kill you!" Indonesia shouted. Philippines couldn't move due to shock. But he quickly took control of his body and was about to take a step back, but he felt a hand touch his left shoulder, and then he saw a second hand cover his right eye. "You shouldn’t have seen this…" Timor said quietly, but frighteningly coldly. Before the Philippines could even flinch, Timor pushed him inside the house. Filipina hit the floor face-first. He propped himself up on his hands and then quickly rose to his feet. He turned around in shock and genuine confusion. Timor closed the door at that moment with his gaze stern. He had once again lost control, determined to get rid of both the witness and his victims. "Why did ya start watchin'?" Timor asked, his pupils growing smaller and his eyes widening. "Y-You did this?" "What a stupid question…" Timor placed his right palm on the table, lowering his head. "If I’m here, if I’ve trapped ya, then what other answer could there be?" The Philippines retreated with great fear. "No... that's not true..." The sunny one couldn't take his eyes off Timor. He squeezed his eyes shut with difficulty, then opened them again and turned around. "He's lying, right?! He wasn't the one who did this to you!" "M-m!" Malaysia kicked the chair leg. "It was him, Phil!" Indonesia shouted. "H-He was mad at us. W-We thought he was little and... and... he got mad about it.". Timor was angry at Indonesia for handing him over immediately. If Indonesia had been in the police, the outcome would've been the same… "You bastard! I knew ya couldn't be freed. I knew ya had to be frickin' killed!" Timor yelled in anger. The Philippines looked at him with even greater fear, then looked around. "Why? Why exactly like this? What will it give you? You could have talked, Tim!" tears appeared in Philippine's eyes and began to flow down. "Everyone has their secrets, Philippines." Timor smiled. He completely turned Indonesia's words upside down... Indonesia began to tremble, almost crying. This wasn't what he wanted. He burst into tears, unable to contain himself. Malaysia looked at him with sympathy, and Philippines was afraid to even move. "Indo, you're crying so sweetly. It's such a shame that all three of you only have a few minutes left to live." with each word, the sweet smile faded from Timor's face, and his eyebrows lowered. Philippines shook his head, then clasped his hands. He unzipped his windbreaker and began to take it off. "You have no idea how terrible you acted." "I can imagine it, Philippines. I see it, I see it and feel it perfectly." "What's wrong with you?! Why you've become such a monster?!" Timor, to put it mildly, didn't like this insult, and to put it bluntly, it infuriated him. All the memories of bullying burned into his head. Those three bullies, those conversations behind his back, those moments when they called him a monster. Timor ran toward the Philippines, swinging his left arm. The Philippines tried to punch Timor in the stomach to weaken him, but Timor dodged the blow and punched the Philippines in the face, specifically in the eye. The Philippines fell to the floor, then began to quietly moan in pain. Timor grabbed his legs and dragged him across the floor. The Philippines tried to break free, kicking his legs and trying to grab onto something with his hands. Timor kicked Philippines to the ground and picked up the knife Malaysia had thrown. He grinned, twirling the knife in his hand. Philippines stood up, despite the pain. Timor wiped the blood from the knife on the black part of his windbreaker, then walked up and inflicted a paresis on Philippines' forehead, who in turn grabbed Timor, spun him around and threw him aside. The knife fell out of the younger one's hands, and he himself fell, hitting his elbow on the leg of Indonesia's bound chair, and the rest of his body on the floor. He stood up, clutching his head with one hand. "You shouldn't have done that," the Philippines said. Timor wiped away the tears of pain that welled up and became even more angry. He began to fight with the Philippines. The Philippines dodged Timor's punches, simultaneously pushing and throwing him aside. Timor suddenly realized that the Philippines was simply draining his energy and decided to take even more radical measures. He picked up the knife and started stabbing the Philippines with it. One blow hit the left arm, the second left a slight paresis below the neck, the third again hit the arm, but this time the right one, and the fourth hit the leg. The Philippines fell backwards, and Timor pinned him to the floor and swung the knife at him. He held it under the Philippines's throat. "If ya touch me again, I'll stab ya to death!" Timor shouted at the top of his voice. "Tim, leave him alone! Please, at least don't touch him, Ti-i-im!" Indonesia said loudly and tearfully. Timor rose from the Philippines and approached Indonesia. He stabbed him on the right cheek, then again, but lower, then even lower, almost to the chin. The Philippines stood up. His nose was bleeding, but he began wiping it with his hand. He caught his breath. "You think this'll solve your problems? You're crazy, Timor!" Timor turned to look at the Philippines. He ran up to him and grabbed him, then pushed him to the left. The Philippines fell, and Timor pressed him to the floor again, this time grabbing him by the throat. " ' Think that 'cause ya're older than me, ya have the right to speak?!" "What?! No, anyone would tell you that, even someone your age!" Hit. Philippine's right cheek was left with a paresis that silenced him. "Ya're a nobody to say such things!" Timor said. The Philippines nudged him and stood up. Timor stood up too. The Philippines wiped the blood from his nose again, then from his cheek. "Ya know what... ya know what?" Timor turned his gaze to the last chair of the three. "It was ya who should've been caught first, not these two!" Timor pointed his left finger at Indonesia and Malaysia. "I thought ya'd understand... I mean... heh, scold 'em for making fun of me." "Tim, I told you I was just afraid of losing you," Indonesia said. "Tim, the only thing I understand is NOTHING! You got offended, didn't talk to anyone, and decided to commit an assassination attempt instead!" Timor grabbed Philippine and slapped him, then was about to stab him in the chest with a knife, but he realized this and took away the knife. He threw it as far as he could, then pushed Timor towards the table. Timor hit his back, letting out a loud cry. He slightly damaged the wooden surface of the table. Timor picked up some rusty nails and threw them at the Philippines. The Philippines bent down, gasping loudly. All the nails missed. Timor then took some small crumbs and threw them in as well. The Philippines rolled across the floor and stood up, but a hit to the stomach stopped him. He sat down on the floor and tried not to scream. Timor ran to the last chair and grabbed it, then pulled it over to Malaysia's. Malaysia began to grunt, anger in his eyes, and Indonesia began to beg Timor to stop. The Philippines struggled to his feet. "Is this really the Timor I know?" the Philippines asked, looking at his scratched hands. Timor removed the textile from Malaysia's mouth and approached Philippines. A fight broke out again, but Timor quickly ended it by blindfolding Philippines. "The witnesses are blind, Philippines," Timor said, grabbing the Philippines. While the Philippines panicked and tried to untie his eyes, resisting at the same time, Timor managed to drag him to a chair and sit him down. He tied his hands behind the back of a chair and then put a couple of bruises on his legs to make it painful to move. "How's it?" Timor asked with a sadistic smile. "T-Tim..." the Philippines winced. "I-I understand that you're in pain. I understand that you are angry, but talking was the most-…" he coughed loudly, closing his eyes. "b-best option. They would talk, a-apologize, and e-everything would be fin-ne... why? S-Somethin' happen...mh! ...-ed? Did... someone force you to do this? Timor paid attention to the last two questions. "Something happened?" "Did someone force you do it?" They all had the same answer. It was all the bulling that Timor experienced that developed hatred. Timor couldn't feel it for a long time, and when he did, he lost control. Looking at what he'd done, he realized... he was now like a bully, even worse. He began to mock, even though he himself was a victim. He took pleasure in it, even though he knew what pain was. And most importantly... he began to blame himself for sadism, was afraid of his poor self-control, and here again he succumbed to aggression. He made another attempt on the life. With a piercing scream, he walked up to the door and opened it. With tears in his eyes, he ran away, leaving the door open.