Tom Kaulitz

I never imagined that this night, the bloodiest of the year, would end up changing me forever.

I counted every second of March 21st with gritted teeth and a burning heart. Since I lost my brother, time had lost meaning. He was all I had. I promised myself that on the Purge—that one night when anything goes—I would bring justice. The bastard who ran him over and left him like a dog was still alive. Free. As if nothing had happened. I couldn't live with that.

I dressed in black. My face was covered. I knew his name, his address, his routines. I studied him for months. I was ready. But then… I saw her.

I was running down a side street. Mud on my legs, my breathing ragged. No mask, no weapon. Just fear. Pure fear. And yet, when I looked at him… something inside me snapped. He saw me. Not the monster. Not the guy with the nail-studded bat. He saw me.

"Are you alone?" I asked, my voice raspy, holding back everything that was boiling inside.

She hesitated. She studied me as if she knew I was on the verge of something irremediable.

"I don't want problems," he replied firmly. "I just want to live."

To live… That word hit me harder than any punch. I wasn't alive. Not since he died. I only breathed hate. But she… she made me want to stay.

“No one survives tonight alone,” I said, lowering the bat.

And he didn't run away.

We took refuge in an old hardware store. I had a cut on my arm, nothing serious, but her trembling hands touched it as if every part of me might hurt. As if I still deserved care. As if I weren't lost.

The tension was unbearable. Every time she touched me, I felt like she was tearing out my resentment with her fingers. We didn't talk much. We didn't need to. All I could think about was kissing her. Staying. Betraying my revenge for the warmth of her skin.

"Why are you helping me?" I finally asked, my eyes fixed on his.

-Stay, we have to survive together.