Chapter 11
The Darkest of Crimson
"Live and Let Die."
*Brrrrrring*
'An accident-'
No…
'I'm sorry.'
It can't be…
'Nothing we could do-'
Please…
'Four…dead.'
Why…
'The boy-'
Thomas…
'Hospital-'
I can't… I can't let it happen…
'Critical injury…'
God, no…!
'May not make it-'
THOMAS!
"Grandpa?"
Oliver jerk back to reality.
He stared at the creamy white building looming before him as if mocking him. Just looking…it caused his heart to race. Memories of old flashed at him, playing over and over like a record player. This place help so much torment and saw such sorrow. And more was added on a daily basis.
It was like his own personal hell on Earth.
Not that he'd tell Thomas that.
And…hopefully he wouldn't remember that…
Remember this was the very place he nearly died.
And the place his family had been declared gone.
Again, reality hit.
He shook his head.
The male took four deep breaths in hope to calm his heart.
He stared at the hospital again.
From it's pristine, clear windows down to it's well cared gardens it looked bared more resemblance to a museum then a building of healing.
Or death, for that matter.
There was a small rattle behind him.
He turned and looked worriedly at the red head. "Edward?"
"Nrrr?" The said red head glanced up shakily.
"Why…" The elder paused. "You're taking more of those meds? You took some right as we left."
The boy seemed to freeze up, his hand clamped tightly around the orange bottle. He seemed to shrink back.
"I need them."
Oliver stepped forward as if to take the bottle. "Certainly not so many. That's six I've seen you take today."
"W-what?"
"Perhaps I could just hold o-"
"No!" The crimson haired boy bayed. "They make it stop! Make it go away! I need them!"
Pulling back, Oliver placed his hands up in an innocent gesture in an effort to calm the pale boy. "It's ok, it's ok. I'm not going to do anything."
This seemed to be enough for him, as Edward relaxed and pocketed his pills. He gave the senior a flick of a smile.
"A-are we… going in? Thomas and Sal are in there?"
Right.
He turned back to the establishment.
"I suppose we should…"
Thomas…
He clenched his fists.
"Come on…"
He started at the tiled ceiling.
…
"I'm so bored."
…
1,2238.
1,2238 tiles on the ceiling.
…
"So very bored."
Thomas drooped his arm over his face to block the florescent light and sighed. He laid like that for only a few minutes before peeking over at the bed next to his.
Sal…
The younger male slept epically away, his shoulder now sown up and wrapped lavishly in bandages with only small spots of blood sinking through.
The brunette made a thoughtful noise.
A frown creased his face.
Why…
'All it does is cause you pain when you're trust is betrayed.'
'I won't betray you.'
Really…
…
'It matters to me.'
It… does…?
Maybe…
He roughly shook his head.
No.
He would let such falsities get to him.
Not now.
Not ever.
…
A twinge, delicate and miniscule.
A small flash of *something* goes through his mind, though to fast to catch.
Only… one word… number?
…
'9?'
*CRASH!*
"AYEEEEE!!!" Thomas screeches and flails, tumbling straight off his bed in alarm.
"Thomas?!"
"YOU'RE ALIVE!"
The half blind man clasps his hands to his head. "Not anymore!" He gripes loudly.
Edward leaps onto the bed, blinking at Thomas. "You fell!"
'-'
"No, REALLY~?" He growls.
"Thomas…"
The male flinches back from the voice, slowly looking up.
"Thomas… I…"
"Gramps…"
Oliver hastily crossed around the bed and yanked Thomas into a tight hug.
"I was worried… You and Sal… You were gone so long." He said with a shaky voice.
Abashed, Thomas gradually hugged him back. "I'm sorry…"
Edward crawled back from the bed, a humble smile crossing his face. A shaky hand gripped his rusted key while he caressed it with his thumb, feeling it's comforting metal. He looked away as the grandparent and child spoke soft words, his eyes landing on the sleeping male. A flawed frown oust his smile. With a glance back at the other two, he advanced to Sal.
'9...'
Meekly, he rested a hand over the other males heart.
*Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump*
His weary brown eyes misted over.
9...
'Not alone, no more. Friends.'
Not… alone…
*Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump*
'Edward safe now.'
Safe…?
'9, Salvatore. He'll protect Edward. I know.'
The bashful smile returns.
Yes.
"Barrow, what are you doing? Careful!"
Edward jumped back, ripping his hand from Sal's chest as if burnt.
Thomas stood with a strong glare at him. "Sal's shoulder was nearly ripped off, you need to be careful! You were close to his stitches!"
"I wasn't g-going to hurt him." The red haired boy shrank back.
Oliver placed a calming hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Now, calm down, Thomas. He wasn't all that close to his stitches. He was quite all right." The senior male smiled. "Right, child?"
Nodding his head nervously, he peaks at Sal from the corner of his eye. "W-when will he wake up?"
"I don't know." The brunette replied with a shrug. "The doctor's just said he'd be fine and wake up 'soon'. I don't know when soon i-"
"U-uhg…"
"I guess soon is now."
Sal scrunched his face, before cracking an eye. "Th-Thomas?"
"Don't wear it out."
"What-" His eyes adjusting to the lights, he looked at the group standing around him. His eye's examine the room swiftly. "Where are we?"
"Hospital. You passed out in the ambulance."
Blank stare.
"After screaming for help for over two hours in the sewer?"
"Oh, right!"
Oliver blanched as Edward twitched. "Sewer?!"
Thomas looked away.
Sal sighed.
Edward gripped his key tightly. His wispy voice wafted through the air.
"It's time."
Alex tapped lightly on the door.
"Delilah? Are you up?"
There was a soft shuffling inside the room before a delicate voice called back.
"Oui, oui. Come in, Alexandra."
She gently pushed the door open and smiled at the mother. "I found the two rascals. They were hiding in the sunflower bed."
"I see." Delilah nodded daintily. "Thank you."
Feeling the woman's despair, Alex walked forward and placed a kind hand on her shoulder.
"Things have to get worse, before they can get better." She said gently. "I'm sure we can all pull through."
The elder woman looked up sadly. "I wish I could believe that."
"You can."
"It's not that easy, my dear."
"I never said it was easy."
The woman look up in confusion.
Alex brush her long hair out of her face with a sigh. "Life is never easy and it never will be. But that shouldn't stop us from trying. It's the only way to survive." She paused. "Things can get really hard, Delilah. But that's when you really find out what matters in life. Like your two wonderful children."
Delilah bowed her head quietly.
"Where… are they now?"
"Nathan and Natalie? Down stairs getting cleaned up."
"Okay…"
"I'm just about to start lunch. Would you like join us?"
The woman shook her head silently.
Alex hesitated for a moment, then gently patted her back. "Ok. I'll make extra, just in case though."
"…"
With a concerned sigh, she left the room, shutting the door softly.
For a moment she stood there, lost in thought.
She could hear the clutter of the twins, as they obviously dug through the pantries curiously in search of food. There was more soft shuffling inside their mothers room. She sighed heavily.
*CRSH*
Alex jumped, gasping out then rolled her eyes. She called down aggravatingly.
"If I come down and find a SPECK of glass of food on the ground, I know two kids who aren't getting a dessert!"
There was quick, more panicked shuffling from the two children as Alex laughed. She started off to the two, sure to find them before their dirty deed was gone, when another noise stopped her on the stairs.
A more horrific noise.
*BANG*
Oliver stared at the two boys in horror.
"You could have been killed…"
Thomas could seem to keep to look up, huffing towards a random corner. Sal sat up against a stack of pillows and exhaled tiredly.
"We know."
The elder man rubbed his face in weary shock, trying to grasp all that had just been told. "Good lord…"
"It was terrifying…" Sal murmured sluggishly. He rubbed his arm and winced.
The brunette male continued looking into the corner absently.
His grandfather looked at him dolefully.
"Thomas…"
"…"
Oliver reached over, gripping Thomas' arm tenderly.
He didn't look.
"You have to be careful…"
Thomas shook his head. "It was a fluke. It won't happen again."
"Will it?"
The two Cromwell's looked over at the bandaged boy.
Sal's face shown with worry.
"Edward is right. Something is going down and whatever it is, we're a part of it. And that means this could happen again. But what exactly will we do if, when, it does?"
Neither replied.
Edward twitched.
His eyes misted.
He dug his nails in.
Sal continued.
"There are more of us."
"Us?"
"Thomas, we're different… We're not like other people. Can't you feel it?"
"I can't say I do."
Hand drug on the wall, trails following.
Designs.
His mouth gape, moving in nonresistant words.
"We are though… And there are more who are too. We have to find them."
"How exactly are we supposed to do that? There are over a billion people on Earth, Sally. Way over."
"….We have to try…"
"Don't we always."
Shudders went though his body.
Drips hit the floor.
Movements became erratic.
"Sal, my boy, Thomas has a point. How are we suppose to find others?"
"I-I don't know."
"Well that gets us no-where."
A sigh.
"Edward. He can lead us to them."
"You really think he can? He's not quite in his right mind, if you'd noticed."
He froze.
His pupil dilated.
His whole body seemed to shake and quiver.
"But… He knows."
"Knows?"
"He see's things. And it scares him."
A shriek.
"DIE!!!"
His voice was warped and crazed, as he struck and slashed at the wall.
Sal pushed up in horror, shouting while Thomas and Oliver shot up, pulling him away from the wall.
"DIE!"
Tear streaked the boys face.
Thomas stared at the wall in revulsion.
"My god…"
A skeleton of blood streaked the wall. Symbols of all kind lingered around it.
Behind it…
A orb of the darkest crimson.
TBC
:3
I don't have much to say actually. Other then this chapter was HARD AS HELL TO WRITE. DX
Still excepting OC's. Please PM the details. ^^
Reviews/critiques are MUCH appreciated.