Colin's Madness, My Scars

The first meteor struck the platform with a deafening crash, and my world tilted on its axis. I stumbled backward, my hand still gripping Colin's arm as another explosion rocked the observatory.

"Colin?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the screaming crowd. "What's happening?"

But his attention wasn't on me anymore. His eyes were fixed on something—someone—behind me, and his face had transformed into something I didn't recognize. The manic excitement in his expression sent ice through my veins.

"You'll understand in a minute," he said, his voice trembling with anticipation. "This is going to be amazing."

Another meteor crashed into the platform, closer this time, sending shards of metal and concrete flying. A woman nearby screamed as debris cut across her arm, blood blooming on her sleeve.

"Everyone, stay calm!" a security guard shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the chaos.

I turned to find my parents. Mom was clutching Dad's arm, her face pale with shock. "Naomi, what's happening?"

Before I could answer, I spotted Colin moving toward a control panel that had emerged from a hidden compartment in the platform's railing. My heart sank as realization dawned.

"Colin!" I screamed, lunging after him. "Stop this! You're hurting people!"

But he was already at the controls, his fingers flying across the buttons with practiced precision. The meteors weren't random—they were responding to his commands.

"Six hundred and twenty-three pink meteors," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "One for every day I've loved you, Amirah."

Amirah? My mind reeled. This wasn't for me—it was for her. The housekeeper's daughter who'd been skulking around our home for months.

"Colin, please!" I begged, grabbing his shoulder. "This is insane! Stop the attack!"

He shook me off without even looking at me. "Don't you understand? They're trying to keep us apart! They've always been against us!"

The platform lurched beneath us as another meteor struck directly in front of the control panel. Sparks flew, and Colin's face was illuminated by the explosion.

"Where are they?" he snarled, scanning the crowd. "Where are my parents?"

A chill ran down my spine. He wasn't looking for his parents—he was hunting them.

"There!" he shouted, pointing to the far end of the platform where two figures stood frozen in horror. "Target sector seven! Maximum intensity!"

My blood turned to ice. Those weren't his parents—they were mine.

"Dad! Mom!" I screamed, breaking free from Colin's grip and racing across the platform.

But I was too late. The meteors began pounding the area where my parents stood, driving them back toward the edge of the platform. Dad's arm was bleeding, and Mom was crying out in pain.

"Colin, stop!" I begged, my voice breaking. "Those are my parents! Not yours!"

He didn't even look at me. "No," he muttered, his eyes wild. "They're trying to trick me. Amirah said my parents would try to stop us. They're impostors."

The platform began to crack beneath my feet. I could hear the steel supports groaning as the sustained bombardment weakened the structure.

"Everyone, get down!" a security guard shouted, but his warning came too late.

A massive meteor crashed directly into one of the main support beams. The metal twisted with a sickening screech, and a section of the platform floor gave way with a thunderous crash.

I threw myself forward, reaching my parents just as the floor beneath them began to collapse.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed, grabbing their hands and pulling them toward me as debris rained down around us.

We tumbled backward together as the platform continued to disintegrate. Somewhere above us, Colin was still shouting commands, his voice growing more frantic.

"Destroy them all!" he screamed. "They'll never keep us apart!"

A large piece of metal crashed down beside us, narrowly missing Dad's head. Mom cried out, her arm catching on a jagged edge.

"Hold on!" I shouted, trying to shield them with my body as more debris fell around us.

The observatory platform was collapsing, and we were trapped in the middle of it. Through the chaos, I caught a glimpse of Colin at the control panel, his face illuminated by the destruction he'd created.

"Colin!" I screamed, my voice raw. "Stop this madness!"

But he was beyond reason now, lost in his obsessive delusion. And as the platform continued to crumble beneath us, I realized with growing horror that we might not survive his grand gesture.