Brenton paced the dirty wooden floors of his new living room, his fingers twitching as his hands shook. He could see the dust swirling under every step, circling endlessly as the the husks of dead bugs stretched their lifeless limbs toward him. The air whistled through their empty throats as the hollow sockets of their eyes stared into his own, begging him to end their eternal suffering. Obliging, Brenton crushed every dry body his feet could find, those final crunches seeming so much louder then the muffled screams from the other room.
He had no clear memory of how he had gotten then into the van, only that a nicely sized dent had been made to the side of the vehicle, blue paint embedded into the scratches. He had brought them here before the had woke, and he had been waiting, pacing the floors while he tried to shake the uncertainty from himself. Something about them wasn't right, their faces didn't make sense.
"Someone help us." The woman's sobbing voice drifted through the house, her son's hushed voice speaking too low for Brenton to hear.
With heavy steps Brenton went toward the room furthest back, his eyes following the remnants of flame shaped footprints from earlier. The door screeched on its rusted hinges as he pushed it open, his eyes falling and the mother and son he'd chained to the radiator in the corner.
The boys hazel eyes lit up as he glared at Brenton, the blood trailing down his face making them brighter. "What do you want from us?" He asked sharply, putting himself in front of his mother.
"Where's Meghan?" Brenton asked, looking around the room. He swore that he'd seen her when he had brought them in.
"We don't know a Meghan." The woman said as she wrapped her arms around her son, trying to force him to hide behind her.
"Don't lie to me!" Brenton yelled, making them jump. "You couldn't have forgotten your own daughter."
The woman shook her head. "I have two sons, there were never any daugh-" Her head snapped back as Brenton hit her.
"Keep your hands of of her!" The boy yelled as he moved forward to attack Brenton, the chain around his wrist holding him just out of reach.
Brenton stepped toward the boarded up window, ripping one of the looser planks away with his bare hands. He didn't feel the splinters at they cut into his hands, drawing thin lines of blood from the calloused flesh. He smacked the board against his palm, snagging the bent nail across his outstretched finger. He couldn't feel the tearing of flesh, just the heat of his blood.
"Where is Meghan?" He asked again, his voice cold.
The boy stood his ground in front of his mother, their former argument lost to him as he watched Brenton step closer. "I don't have a sister! Why are we here?" He demanded, his voice shaking with fear and anger.
"I need to kill the demon, I need to save everyone." Brenton muttered, his annoyance growing. The boy was right in front of him, but he couldn't see the demon anymore. It must be hiding somewhere, somewhere inside of him. "Stop hiding demon!" Brenton screamed as he swung the plank, hitting the boy across the chest.
The mother screamed as the boy cried out, falling to his knees as he held his stomach where the nail had torn through his shirt. As soon as she saw Brenton move to swing again she threw herself over her son, spots exploding across her vision as the plank hit her back.
"Why are you doing this?" She choked between sobs. He had smashed into their car and brought them here, not saying a word.
Brenton dropped to his knees, cupping his hands over her shaking face. He looked into her blue eyes, confused at the color. Audrey's eyes were brown. "Whats wrong with your eyes?" He demanded, squeezing her face. He stared into them, seeing in flashes Audrey's face, then her own. Who was this woman? He began to shake her violently, desperate for those glimpses of the face he had sought for so long. "Audrey, Audrey I'm sorry I hit you." He stuttered as he watched the eyes change color again.
The woman brought her hands up, grabbing his arms to try and stop the shaking that was leaving her dizzy. "I'm not Audrey, my name is Carol. Please, let me take my son home, please." She begged, the tears falling from her constantly changing eyes.
Brenton watched the flickering color and pushed himself to his feet. This sobbing woman couldn't be Audrey, she was too weak. His fingers wrapped around the board in his hands, his grip tightening until his blood ran down its length. He kept his eyes focused on hers, watching every tear that fell as he pulled his hand back, ready to swing. He had seen the demon in their car, he knew he had. It had been leading him away, distracting him!
He let the anger take control as he swung the plank, smashing the crooked nail into the woman's head as the splinters continued to break off in his hand. He kept eye contact with her, watching the browns turn to blue as her eyes rolled back and she slipped into unconsciousness. He watched as she fell onto her son who could only glare at Brenton as the shock started to course through him.
The boy moved our from under his mother, holding holding her barely breathing body in his arms as tears filled his eyes. "Mom?" He shook her lightly, seeing the blood from her head slowly covering his hands. "Mom!" The boy turned toward Brenton, his trembling lips twisting into the silent scream building within himself. "Bastard."
Brenton felt the grin growing over his own face as he started to see the demons flames seeping from the boys shaking fingers, liquid fire snaking over the body of his mother and crawling inside. So, the demon needed to be provoked. How many people had the creature inhabited? Brenton didn't want to know, he just knew that they were all the minions of the one he had to kill, all set to keep him away from Drake.
"Where's your master, demon?" Brenton asked.
The boy shook his head. "You're crazy! They're going to lock you up and throw away the key!" The more he tried to stop himself from shaking, the worse the tremors became.
"They already did." Brenton swung the plank, hitting the boys arm. He heard the bone snap as the fires around the boy grew, almost consuming him. "Where's Drake?"
"Fuck you..." The boy muttered, holding his arm as he tried to fight off tears. He had to stay in control of himself, to find a way to get his mom out.
"Drake Parker, where is he?" Brenton demanded again, hitting the boy's bent knee. He could see the evil bursting out with every hit, evaporating in the musty air.
The boys face dropped to the floor, his eyes on his mother's pained face. They were both going to die here, and accepting that terrified him. "I go to school with a Drake Parker, if you let us go, I'll tell you where he lives." The boy begged, knowing nothing else he could do.
Brenton smiled, kneeling down at looking into the boys red eyes. "Where is he?"
"He lives on east mulberry street." The boy said, his voice shaking. "Can we go now?" So full of pain and anger, it was hard for him to keep calm, but if he upset the man who had brought them here, then there was no hope of getting away.
Brenton stood back up, the board still in his hands. "The evil is in you both." he stated simply as he hit the boy over the head. Over and over he smashed the aged plank against their bodies, watching the dying fires rise and wither into streams of tainted shadow. With no other bodies around the shadows grew faint, dying in the small beams of late day sunlight creeping in through the window.
Brenton hit them until their faces were smashed and unrecognizable, and their blood covered the floor and wall. Without a word he dropped the plank and unlocked the chains around their wrists, dragging each body toward the basement door. Without hesitance he threw each body down into the uncaring darkness, listening to every thud as they hit the stairs. He didn't look back at them as he shut the door and washed the blood off of his hands, didn't think about them at all. The demon had been in the boy, had gone to his mother, it was expected that they be killed. Less minions would bring less distraction, and he would save his own family before the creatures could take over the rest of them.
He waited until the warm air within the house had dried his hands to go back outside. East Mulberry street, he was sure that he could find it by dark. It was on a nicer side of town, one that would make bringing them back much harder. Digging his hands into his pockets for the keys to the van, Brenton found the bottles of medications he was supposed to be taking. He stared at them for drawn out moments, reading the names and dosages before letting them fall into the dirt of the driveway. He didn't need those anymore, they would only stop him from seeing the truth.
~.~
Audrey pushed the empty coffee mug away from herself, silently debating whether she needed another cup. She'd been feeling better since she had woken up, not quite herself, but better. It always started to get easier after the day of the anniversary, being able to let go for another year. Maybe one day, it wouldn't be so hard on her to remember what had happened.
She looked up as Meghan entered the kitchen, her dark hair hanging over her shoulders. She smiled at her mom, seeing the slight change in demeanor. "Good morning." She greeted cheerfully as she grabed a yogurt from the fridge.
Pushing the coffee mug away, Audrey stood up and walked toward her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." Meghan replied, confused. "Is everything okay?"
Audrey pulled back, offering a warm smile as she turned toward the window above the sink. "Everything's fine." She started as her eyes fell upon the distant clouds, seeing the approaching storm. Picnics cut early as he would laugh, naming the clouds and estimating when the first drops would fall. In the plethora of bad memories, she always forgot the moments that had kept her by his side. The way he would hold her under those cold raindrops, kissing her as the thunder roared around them.
"Mom?" Meghan asked, though she knew her mom was somewhere else, lost in a world she couldn't see.
Audrey blinked her eyes, chasing away the memories of his smile, his warm touch. "Its going to rain tonight." She said quietly, turning away from the window.
Meghan nodded, seeing the distance growing in her mothers eyes again. Seeing her mom's mood switch like this was driving her crazy. "Mom, whats going on?" She asked bluntly.
"Nothing." Audrey lied too quickly. It was evident that Meghan knew something was wrong. Please, She silently begged, Just let it go another year... Talking to Drake had been hard enough, and he still remembered.
"It has something to do with the fire, doesn't it?" Meghan's voice dropped, her eyes staring into Audrey's.
Audrey felt her shoulders fall as the heavy sigh escaped her throat. She nodded, wanting that to be enough.
"What happened? I, I remember a fire, and then dad was gone..." She knew that she could probably find it on the internet, but something inside of her had always been afraid of looking.
Audrey grabbed the empty mug and took it over to the coffee maker, avoiding Meghan's gaze as she scooped out the beans. "Your dad did something really bad, and people got hurt." She shook her head, feeling the tears in her eyes. "People died."
Meghan stepped closer to her mom, trying to sort out her own memories. There had been a fire, and she had been sent to her grandmothers while Drake was in the hospital... She'd forgotten that week without her brother, how afraid she had been. "Why did he do it?" Meghan asked, following her mother's gaze out the window.
"He lost something, something in his mind broke and it couldn't be fixed." Audrey whispered loudly. "no more talk of it tonight, okay?" She asked, forcing the tears back.
Without another word Meghan nodded, seeing that Audrey needed to be alone. She felt the same way, and she knew the only way to get the full truth would be to find it herself, whether she really wanted to know or not. Meghan grabbed a spoon from the drawer near the sink and headed toward the stairs, watching a Josh stumbled down while trying to slip into his work vest.
"boob." She said softly out of habit as she moved past him.
Josh turned watching her downcast face as she said nothing else to him. She was never so quiet... Seeing Meghan acting so strangely made him think of Drake and Audrey, and he could only wonder if she knew more then Drake thought she did. Of course she does... Josh thought to himself as he slipped into his shoes. She always knows.
Stepping outside, Josh could feel the first drops of rain as they hit him, cold and merciless. Cursing the storm he ran to the car and hurried inside, rubbing the chill from his arms as he started the car. In his hurry he barely noticed the beat up utility van parked just a few houses down, nor the man sitting inside, watching him.
~.~
Drake sat on his bed, watching the rain assault his window as the lightning flashed across the sky. Since he had talked to Josh last night he'd barely left his room. He'd ignored the texts from the girls who wanted to see him, his mothers attempts at getting him to relax. Knowing so much about what had happened, he just wanted to stay hidden away from the world. The more he tried to understand why his father had snapped, the more his head hurt.
Cursing the scar hidden under his hair, Drake let his face fall into his hands. Like private raindrops, the tears ran down his arms, leaving a salted trail for the ones that would follow. It made him feel so weak to do nothing but cry, but in these moments when that liquid pain was his only company, what else could he do?
Drake listened to the rain drops hit the window, their light pattering turning into a heavy drumming. As the storm grew worse his thoughts turned deeper into himself, running over every memory he had as a child. So many of those days had been full of warm smiles, love and happiness that had seemed never ending. Nowhere in his mind could he find whatever had changed, what he had done to make his father see such evil in him. He'd only been ten, what could he have done?
You didn't do anything... A voice in the back of his mind whispered. Drake wanted to believe that voice, but its presence scared him. What if he was crazy too? Like father like son... The voice snickered.
"I'm not like him." Drake whispered, catching his reflection in the window. It was like looking at a ghost, seeing his transparent reflection as the rain poured though him. He looked so much like the man from his memories, almost an exact copy. "I'll never be like you." Drake said, raising his voice so that the reflection could hear him.
The thunder roared its reply, its booming voice laughing at him. Drake knotted his fingers in his blankets, his hands shaking with quiet rage. The brilliant flash of the lightning as it stretched across the sky reflected in his eyes, like white fire. In that singular instant he swore he saw it, a mass of writhing fire in the shape of an unknown beast. The scream bought in his throat as his body froze, prisoner to the beasts rage.
"You aren't real." Drake told the beast, finding his voice. The next flash brought the beast closer, its eyes reflected in his own as its jaws twisted into a taunting smile. "Go away!" Drake yelled, squeezing his eyes closed.
The sudden knocking at the door startled him, nearly bringing forth the trapped scream from his throat. He opened his eyes, looking briefly to the door before checking the window for the beast. It was gone.
"Drake," Audrey pushed open the door, checking the room before setting her eyes on her shaken son. "Are you okay?"
Drake nodded, releasing his grip on the blanket. "I'm fine." He lied on heavy breathes.
Audrey closed the door before walking across the room, taking Drake's hand in her own. "I know its hard right now, but it'll get better." She said, offering him a tired smile.
Drake slipped his hand away from hers, wrapping his arms across his knees. "Do you think that I'm like him?" He asked quietly.
"Not at all." Audrey assured him.
"Do you think I'll go crazy?" His voice was barely a whisper as he turned his eyes back to the window. The wind was whistling through the trees as the branches danced violently, their leaves being ripped away.
Audrey shook her head, her eyes following the leaves as they were carried away from the safely of their branches. "You will never be the man your father is. The evil that torments him is his alone."
Drake tore his eyes away from the world outside, looking deep into his mother's eyes for an answer to everything he was feeling. She was so sure of her words, so certain that the wrong traits hadn't been gifted at birth. Her eyes were sincere, but he couldn't share that belief, not now.
"Its going to be okay." Audrey said strongly, seeing Drake's unease.
Drake simply nodded, knowing that nothing he could say would make him believe like she did. "I'm tired." He said, just wanting to be alone again.
Audrey nodded, taking the hint and walking back toward the door. "I love you." She said softly, watching his silhouette against the lightning.
"Love you too." Drake replied numbly as he pushed himself under the blankets.
Audrey turned off the lights and stepped out of the room. For long moments she stood there, her back pressed against the door as the tears burnt in her brown eyes. How long would Brenton's madness haunt them? Seeing Drake suffer so, her own turmoil these last seven years seemed so insignificant. It was easy for her to let the pain run its course without fear that the madness would overtake her, but for Drake... That same blood ran through his veins, that face echoed his own.
"Rain, rain, go away..." Drake mumbled the childhood melody as the rain continued to beat against his window. "Come again, a better day." He begged as the silent tears fell over his cheeks. He pulled the blanket up over his head, hiding from the monsters looming in the darkness. "I just want to be okay, so please, go away..." He whispered as he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A/N: Okay, so updates may be slower for two reasons: I got a puppy, and training her takes up most of my free time. And I seem to have possibly sprained my shoulder, which is incredibly painful and makes typing really hard. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.