After laying her husband to rest, Anya made up her mind to tackle the clutter in the shed—a place her husband always kept off-limits. She let out a SHRIEK when she laid eyes on IT

I had no desire to meet my relatives and even less with my brother. A month after my return, my grandfather found me. We drank tea with him for a long time in a small room in the dormitory.

And then he unexpectedly offered me a job at the combine as an auxiliary worker in the machine shop. What did you think? A director. I needed the money.

The work schedule was flexible enough, so I accepted. I worked that way for almost five years. I met a pretty girl named Betty at a party, and after six months of courting, I got married.

I didn’t plan a big wedding on her, but on the day of the wedding my parents came to our banquet with a table. Betty was shocked. She stared at my brother and me for a long time, marveling at our resemblance.

My father gave us an apartment and a car for the wedding. My young wife was over the moon. She did a slow dance with my father and brother.

And at the end of the evening, I happened to catch a lustful glimpse of my wife alone. A year later we had a son out of happiness. I was as if in space.

We lived with our relatives. Stephen stopped by to visit us a couple of times, but no creeping towards Betty on his part. I did not notice.

Six months ago, I successfully graduated from the institute, and my father appointed me deputy head of the marketing department. In my firm, I was directly subordinate to my brother. I started traveling, auditors, signing contracts.

Everywhere Stephen put me. My wife was initially dissatisfied with my frequent absence, but then she got used to it. That’s how we lived all this time.

The car brought the hell back. I think I dozed off, took to the curb, and pulled over. Turned on the emergency lights, got out of the car, and did a few push-ups.

Patted myself on the cheeks. It was early. I began to fall asleep still only the first hour smoothly moved from the place.

The road like a gray snake wriggled under the wheels behind the next corner of the headlights illuminated a large black car pressed against the curve. I could clearly see a thin female silhouette desperately struggling between the two large black figures. Her chances of success were practically non-existent.

The highway was empty at this time, and there would be no one to help her. I looked up at the sky. The torn disc of the moon was serenely casting a bright light on a road Buttman was not visible, and they are not found in our area.

Not many people scream in the night, caught in the clutches of a merciless predator. Alas, such is the prose of life. Tomorrow they’ll find the corpse of a young girl in the roadside bushes.

And I haven’t slept. I haven’t sobered up yet. After last night’s drunkenness, the operative will swear to himself.

But look, the scene will start a criminal case which will never solve another grouse. After a while, the girl’s body will get to the cemetery. And the file with the case will eventually settle in the archives.

I got out of the car. Two big young men. Dragging desperate highway patrolmen.

A girl in a black SUV. She tried to scratch and bite. But a slap on the back of the SUV’s right rear window was missing, and a light cigarette smoke was wafting from it.

Finally, the guys rolled the woman up and carried her to the car. It was clear how this was all going to end. The thugs paid no attention to the blue Suzuki.

Too small a bite could drive such a Kolemamaga. I headed leisurely toward the black car. Hiding my baseball bat behind my back for the time being.

And I was told it wouldn’t come in handy. Oh yes, it is. The girl realized the situation had changed and started lashing out again.

I got close to the participants in the crime drama. Apparently, in some subconscious way the dashing fighters realized that the one who approached was not just a sucker. A beastly sense of danger had penetrated their uncluttered brains.

Let the girl go. I said firmly. As soon as the nearest thug tried to say something, I hit him in the face with a bat.

Without swinging. As instructor Petrenko taught, there was a characteristic crunch and the opponent fell on his side. The second one let the girl out of his hands and rushed at me.

He tilted his head like a bull. I took a step to the side and with the knuckles of my fist, hit him in the temple. He collapsed on top of his co-worker without a hitch.

A car door slammed. A third character appeared. A pistol gleaming in the moonlight.

I moved out of his line of sight. And in one leap I was next to him. Tail on top of his barret.

And pressed the magazine eject button. It was heard as it fell to the asphalt. At the same time I turned on the safety flag.

The subject who had not raised anything pressed the trigger time after time. But no shot was fired. I pulled the gun out of the poor guy’s hands and with a palm strike on the codex.

Knocked him out. I bent over and lifted the magazine. There was silence.

The girl had disappeared. A red shoe and purse lay on the pavement. I pulled out my knife and carefully slashed all four tires.

Sharp home tans easily opened the rubber. Once again inspected the battlefield and headed to my car. Shoved the trophy pistol under the seat.

Just a moment. And I was already driving on the highway again. After 500 meters I saw a girl with a limp.

Walking briskly in my direction. She didn’t even know to hide in the roadside bushes. I pulled up beside her.

Get in. I opened the right front door. She looked at me stunned.

Get in. Don’t be afraid. They drove off.

She stood silently for a while. Then hesitantly climbed into the front seat. Here.

I handed her a bag and a shoe like yours. She silently took her things and clutched them to her chest. She didn’t look in my direction.

Where are you going? I asked the right question. To my amazement. She named my city.

I smiled and increased my speed. As we pulled in I knew her story. The girl’s name was Kathy.

20 years old. Father gone. Mother alcoholic.

Last year Kathy finished school and came to the capital. She didn’t get into university. Tried to find a job.

But couldn’t. A friend offered to earn money with her body. A pimp showed up.

They took her passport and let her get away with it. She’s been at it for over a year. So far.

The young one’s a success. Then they’ll put her on drugs and sell her to an underground brothel. In three years she’ll die of an overdose.

It’s a short story. But it’s so real. Knifely was taken with a friend to a client tonight.

He likes them young. The friend stayed. And she went home to the city I live in.

Cab driver started harassing her. Got his. And threw her out of the car.

Then these three guys showed up in a black Lexus. I don’t know how it would have ended if it wasn’t for me. We got into town early in the morning.

I dropped off my passenger at the address. A crumbling one-story cinder block barracks. I drove home.

On the way I stopped by a convenience store and bought a bouquet of flowers, candy, and a bottle of champagne. There was an unfamiliar car in my parking space. Strange.

I went up to my floor and opened the door to my apartment. I walked into the kitchen, put the bottle on the table, and headed for the bedroom. Trying not to make any noise, I opened the door.

They lay cuddled together like newlyweds. Betty laid her head on his hairy chest and sang sweetly. Ideal.

Sleeping next to her was me. Or rather, my other self. My twin brother.

He hadn’t even covered himself with a blanket. Exposing his jock. I went back to the kitchen and opened the champagne.

Then went back into the bedroom and started pouring the sweetness of the privates. Betty woke up, and when she saw me she rolled off the bed, scooting into the corner. Christopher.

Don’t. I’m begging you. She didn’t scream.

She squealed. I’m breaking into a falsetto. Stephen, seeing me, smirked and without covering himself.

Got up and stretched. You’re early. I grabbed his throat with one hand.

I just had to squeeze his fingers. And that was it. You gonna kill me.

My brother had a cocky smile on his face. She’s been my woman for a long time. I’m just taking what’s mine.

I shifted my gaze to Betty. My wife grabbed her knees and went into a sobbing fit. I’m sorry.

I’m sorry. Like an incantation, she repeated. I only love you.

I wish I knew what such love was called. Then it hit me. You’ve been together a long time.

I looked at Betty enough to give birth to a son for her, Stephen answered. I felt like I’d been hit over the head with a sledgehammer by a son. Dyma.

Isn’t that my son? I suddenly began to choke. Everyone knows that but you. Stephen laughed.

Let me go. He threw my arm away. My punch to the jaw lifted his body off the floor.

Stephen flew across the wide bed and collapsed, hitting his head on the wall. Only his bare feet were sticking out of the bed. Betty was already calling someone on his cell phone from his corner.

Get over here as soon as you can. Christopher’s here. My first instinct was to get out of here as fast as I could.

I couldn’t be in the same room with these assholes. With a wife who’d been having an affair behind my back for nearly five years, and Stephen the bastard. I couldn’t call him a brother.

I didn’t want to get into the philosophy of family relationships. I just had itchy fists. I even became afraid that I would just kill her first, and then this thing that had taken over the body of my favorite woman.

I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of vodka, which was in the refrigerator. I was going to drink it, but stopped and put the glass on the table. One should drink with joy, not with grief.

Something told me I needed to stay sober, and this wouldn’t be the last time. On this day, I was right. The front door slammed, and my parents came panting into the apartment.

I sat in the kitchen and looked out the window, gathering what little strength I had left to calm myself down. My father came into the kitchen. Where’s Stephen? What did you do to him? I expected all sorts of things, but not this kind of concern.

Sebastian? Stephen is here. Mother’s voice came from the bedroom. My father rushed into the bedroom, and there was a commotion.

Apparently, they were bringing my wife’s lover to his senses. I shook myself out of everything. I didn’t care what happened next.

I saw no sympathy for my father. Only concern for the fate of his favorite son. He and my mother knew everything.

Knowing full well about the bastards’ connection to my wife. They knew about my son. Knew and kept quiet.

Or worse, knew and supported him. I felt so disgusted I wanted to vomit. I machine began to calculate my next steps.

The fact that my marriage was over was clear. The job was over too. I couldn’t see that thing that used to be my brother every day.

I had to move out of my apartment. It’s a mess. Aside from my car, Betty quietly slipped into the kitchen.

Christopher, it’s your brother. I couldn’t resist. You two look exactly alike.

Dimka, you’re not a stranger’s nephew either. You won’t leave us. Christopher, don’t be silent.

Betty grabbed my legs. Do you want to beat me? Not at my place. I was so squeamish I got up and went to the window.

The sun had already risen, and its rays were bouncing off my wind-up car parked right under the window. I was finally able to pull myself together. The true reasons for my long business trips became clear…