Chapter 7 – Dead
Damien never really understood why they weren't allowed across the river, just knew that Pip refused to go further than the bank on the opposite side. Oddly, Damien always awoke on the 'wrong side' and always found Pip on the shore line of the same side, but the blonde never traveled into the tree line there or seemed even remotely curious about where Damien awoke. Their home in the trees was on the other side of the river where they often explored freely.
Curiosity seeped into his mind again as he stood with Pip on the bank, skipping rocks. "Why can't we go over there?" He asked again, pointing to the opposite side of the body of water.
Pip shrugged, "I don't want to." He bent down and grabbed another thin rock.
The answer was so strange for someone who wanted to explore everything. It nagged at Damien to keep prying. "What if I want to?"
"Well, we shouldn't." Pip stood, flinging his rock with practiced ease. It skipped eight times before falling into the water.
"Why not?" It was Damien's turn to squat and find a suitable rock.
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Because I said so."
Damien stood, tossing a rock in his palm, "Well, maybe I'll just go over by myself then and then you don't have to. I always wake up over there anyway. Maybe tomorrow I won't come this way, I'll go the other way." He flicked the rock with force, skipping it sixteen times.
Pip glared, "Don't."
The act startled Damien some. He hadn't seen Pip get angry or mean. The blonde was usually smiling and pleased with whatever they did. "Why not?" He persisted anyway, "What's over there that you're so afraid of?"
The blonde gave him a worried but slightly guilty look. He glanced at the opposite side, then looked back at Damien, then to the ground. "I don't know." He admitted softly.
"You don't know? Why not find out?"
A shrug, "Dunno. I just get this feeling that I really shouldn't go over there, so I don't."
Damien cast him a perplexed look. It seemed strange that such a curious boy would just totally write-off something so strange. Then again, he'd obviously been mostly ignoring The Noise too, and that was an incredibly strange phenomena. "Well, why can't I? I don't get a weird feeling."
"I don't want you to!" Pip grabbed his hand, looking at him in concern, "What if something bad happens to you? I don't want you to go!"
"Okay, okay." He quickly wrapped the boy in a tight hug, "I won't go. Calm down."
"Promise?" Pip's voice was muffled by Damien's chest, where his face was buried and his arms were wrapped tightly around.
"Promise."
He'd never been good at keeping promises, but already he was beginning to think maybe he should have kept this one. Not that he was frightened or anything as he carefully worked his way through the trees in the opposite direction as he usually went after waking, it was just that he knew if he did get himself killed or hurt or whatever Pip would be upset. He didn't like hurting the boy. It rarely happened, but sometimes he'd say something shitty and he could see the pain in those pretty blue eyes, though the blonde never seemed to be able to vocalize his displeasure. He hated seeing it though and he knew he was going to hate himself if Pip found out about this.
He was just starting to get fed-up with walking when finally the trees broke and he was left standing in front of a white picket fence. Beyond it was a small cottage with smoke coming out of a tall chimney. There was a chair swing on its roofed-over porch and a stack of wood along one side of wall.
Well. That was fucking weird.
He looked around and saw no one and a gate just a few feet away. It was unlocked and he was quick to head into the fence, despite a strange sense of impending doom. There was an oddly loud silence here and it took him a moment to realize he could not hear The Noise here. He was certain it had been there earlier, but had ceased upon entering the fence.
God, what was he walking into?
He crossed the small yard to the house, senses on high alert the whole time. No one seemed to be around, but it didn't make him feel much better.
He should have kept his promise.
The three steps creaked when he walked up them to the porch. The warped wood seemed to be pretty old and also voiced its displeasure as he walked across it to the door, which wasn't in much better condition.
He knocked twice, hesitantly, then stood completely still, listening, breaths ceasing.
Silence.
The sound of his pounding heart drowned out any small noises that may have come from inside, but he was fairly certain it was empty. Swallowing roughly, he reached down and gripped the door handle, turning it with mild difficulty due to sweaty palms. There was a pause before he pushed it open, not even bothering to call out a greeting, fearing just the sound of his voice might start a chain reaction of some sort.
The smell hit him first. Wet, metallic, heavy, rotten. The door continued open even after he let go. He wished it hadn't.
One body, a woman's, middle of the floor, leg propped up on a ragged-looking couch, blood all over the floor, gaping holes in her chest, face contorted in horror. Straight across the room from the door was an archway were a bloody trail led. A pair of legs was visible beyond, belonging to a man if the boots were any indication, and more blood coated the floor and cabinets there.
Damien didn't even bother to shut the door. He was off the porch and hauling ass across the yard in a matter of seconds. Jumping the fence was like suddenly lifting his head out of water; everything seemed lighter and The Noise was suddenly all around him again. He didn't slow as he barreled through the woods at top speed, barely avoiding colliding with large trees. Even when he hit the clearing he kept going, refuse to stop until he was in the river. It felt like Hell was nipping at his back.
He tripped and stumbled through the water, finally, coming to a halt as cold water caressed his knees. He panted heavily, trembling, and bent over to catch the breath he never truly lost.
Just a dream.
"Damien?" Pip's voice helped soothe his frayed nerves, "What happened?" The Brit waded out to stand with him.
Damien took a deep breath and straightened, "Nothing." He quickly pulled the shorter male into a tight embrace, "I love you."
"I love you too." The blonde replied, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his neck, "You broke your promise, didn't you?"
"N-no." Damien lied despite knowing it was futile.
Pip looked up at him, pain in his eyes, "Why would you do that?"
"I'm sorry!" Damien pleaded.
The blonde was quick to step back, crossing his arms and looking away, hurt evident in his beautiful features.
"Pip, please, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"Then why would you do that?"
"I was just curious!"
"I told you not to go over there! I told you I was afraid of what would happen!"
"Well, nothing bad happened, so-"
"Then why were you running like that?"
"Well-"
"No, I don't wanna hear it!" Pip yelled, fists clenched at his sides, "You could have died!"
Damien cringed as he was berated. He deserved it though, he knew. He shouldn't have broken his promise. "I'm sorry. I truly am. If I could take it back, I would. I didn't need to see what was over there, I know that now, but mostly I just shouldn't have broken my promise and hurt you like that. Can you ever forgive me?"
The blonde refused to look at him, but his posture relaxed some. There was a pause before he spoke slowly, "What was over there anyway?"
"Um. A cabin or cottage or whatever."
"A cottage?" The blonde looked at him skeptically, "Just a cottage?"
"Well… I mean…. There were people inside." Why did he get the feeling he shouldn't be telling him this?
"People?" Pip seemed to brightened, "Were they nice?"
"Well… Maybe?"
"Maybe?"
"They were probably nice people, but mostly they were… dead."
"…Dead…?" The blonde practically whispered, eyes filling with pain and dread. His hands lifted and tangled in his hair as tears filled his eyes. He let out a horror-filled moan just before the world flickered twice, making Damien gasp and cringe.
Oh, shit.
"H-hey, it's okay." He tried, reaching out for his lover, though he wasn't sure what he could say to comfort him.
Pip blinked and looked up at him as though just realizing he was there. "I- my parents."
"What?"
"My parents… I think my parents are dead." Pip turned, looking at the direction Damien had just run from, and pointed, "I live over there…"
Damien stared in shock for a moment. He'd asked Pip about his life, but the blonde could never remember. Now he recalled this vital information?
This just wasn't right.
"Pip?" He got the blonde's attention again. He gave him a worried look, "Babe, have you ever considered that maybe… Maybe you're dead too?"
"…What?" His eyes were wide with disbelief, "N-no, I don't think I am. I mean, I'm here with you and-"
"Pip." Damien spoke again, trying to sound more convincing, "None of this is normal. You shouldn't be able to just do things the way you can and you shouldn't have this much trouble with recall. Besides…" He hesitated, "Cartman killed you. He admitted to it."
Pip stared at him with wide eyes and slowly shook his head, "No, I-I don't know who that is, I-"
"Eric Cartman!" Damien persisted, "Your name is Phillip Pirrup and you went to South Park high school with Cartman and Kenny and Stan and Kyle and Butters and Craig and shit-tons of other assholes and last year Cartman bashed you over the head with a block of ice!"
Tears were running now, but Pip still didn't seem to believe him. "No, no I'm not dead!" He shook his head, "I can't be! I-I-!" The world flickered repeatedly as Pip sucked in small breaths of air, panicking.
Damien quickly realized he'd gone too far and reached out for his lover, but he caught only darkness.
His eyes snapped open. Sunlight streamed in through cracks in his curtains and birds outside welcomed him to a shitty morning. He rolled over to check the clock. 10:17am, Sunday morning.
He groaned and clenched his eyes shut, curling tighter into the sheets. An hour ticked by. Two. His mind was too active to go back to sleep and correct his error.
Why had he done that? There was no need. Let Pip think he was alive. It was better that way anyway. What if he moved on and left Damien all alone?
Without a soul mate…
Did that mean he was going to spend the rest of his life alone? All because someone had murdered the one he was supposed to end up with? Or was he just going to be stuck with someone he loved but not quite as much as he loved Phillip; someone who didn't quite complete him?
His bright future as a tattoo artist suddenly didn't seem appealing in the least.
