Prometheus jolted awake to a clomping noise. He squinted, eyes fixing on the other clone's small figure.
"What's that?" Dami slurred groggily.
The rhythmic sound echoed louder, closer. A whiney. And… The larger ghost tensed, jolting up. "Horses." He hissed.
His brother sat up too, suddenly awake.
"Woah!" An unfamiliar man's voice yelled. The clomp of hooves slowly quieted.
"Do ya really think someone's staying at the old Neel cabin?" A different, younger male voice.
"That smoke was comin' from somewhere. 'Nd it's too close to be from Grady's place. Come on." There was a soft thump, as if the man slid off the horse. "Let's take a looksy."
Inside the cabin, Prometheus' core pounded. He rapidly collected their belongings, stuffing the food into their two bags. Dami folded up the bedding.
The larger clone swung the knapsack on his back. The burlap sack in one hand, he grabbed his brother's arm with the other. Invisibility washed over both of them. He lifted off the floor and darted forward. They… they'd hide in the woods while the two men looked around. They'd find nothing and leave and… and everything would be okay.
Dami's panicked hissed beside him. "The fire pit!"
If Prometheus had blood, it would have run cold. The fire pit. The man had said something about seeing smoke from a fire. If… if they saw…
Just then, the door to the cabin swung open. A blonde man with a scraggly beard, maybe in his mid twenties, stepped through, riffle lifted. An older teen, also blonde with patchy facial hair, followed holding an axe.
Pro shook, fear coursing through him. Dami insistently poked at his arm before intangibly pulling him through the wall. The little ghost darted to the fire pit, luckily hidden from the road by the cabin. The larger stared down at the circle of stones, the ash in the middle. How… how could they hide this? The… the men were going to see and-
His brother's hand on his shoulder gently shook him. Prometheus looked down meeting his sibling's determined eyes. The smaller clone mouthed something pointing down at the stones.
The taller's brow furrowed. He didn't… he didn't understand. Dami let go, still invisible. No. No. What was he-
A rock at the other side of the circle wavered, surface flickering like light on water before vanishing. The effect spread.
Falling to his knees, Pro understood. He gripped the stones on his side, pushing his own invisibility into them. The transparency leached into the circle and the larger clone felt it, the cold flicker of his power spreading into the stones. It swirled, meeting another's, Dami's, power. His brother's familiar aura blanketed him, entwining with his own invisibility and strengthening it. He could see Dami now, kneeling form completely visible through the non-existent stones. The bare earth stretched between them and… the ashes! They had to hide those!
The door to the cabin closed behind them. "No sign a the monster."
The teen scoffed. "Do ya really think that ugly thing could've been makin' a fire?"
The words stabbed at Pro's core but.. .the ashes. The men could not see them! And so they didn't. Brows furrowing with effort, both clones stretched the invisibility to the ashes, leaving only the unburnt, rusty green dirt below.
"It could talk." The man shrugged, walking into Pro's peripheral vision. "Maybe it could build a fire."
The two townspeople's heads turned, eyes searching. Pro held his breath, hoping, praying.
"That's strange." The younger man pointed.
Footsteps approached. The taller clone stiffened, eyes fixed on his brother. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The.. the men couldn't see, could not find out about them. They… they couldn't.
"It's just… dirt." The older squatted, examining.
The other stepped forward, boot just missing Dami's back. The little ghost tensed, eyes widened.
"Maybe there was a fire?" The teen squatted as well, reaching forward.
Intangibility! The rush of power surged forward so quickly, Pro fought not to gasp from the backlash as his brother's energy slammed into his. But both of them were intangible. Everything was intangible. The two men wouldn't see or feel anything. They…. They couldn't.
The man, rifle dropped at his side, touched the ground, fingers rubbing over the dirt. "There's no ash. No soot. Nothing."
The other's brow furrowed. His own hand searched. "You're right. Nothing."
Yes. Nothing. Pro begged in his head. Nothing to see here. Just… just an empty field.
Slowly, both stood. "There's nothing here." The bearded man picked up his gun.
The teen furrowed. "I don't know. This looks pretty 'spicious, Joe."
Pro's core twisted. No. No. Please.
The man, apparently named Joe, sighed. "Well, there won't a fire here, Bobby. They'd be soot at least. There weren't nothing in the cabin neither."
Yes. Yes. Nothing here. Pro shook his head, almost willing the men to leave. Just turn around and leave. Walk away.
The older man shrugged, turning back towards the road. "Let's keep looking. See if Grady's heard anythin'."
"Alright." The younger said, slightly disappointed.
The two walked back to their horses. But Pro couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He couldn't even be relieved. His core pounded, aching like a trapped bird beating itself against the bars of its cage. He clung to his invisibility, pushing it to spread as… as Dami's threatened to flicker. Across from him, ectoplasm started bubbling on his brother's hairline.
Pro mentally begged the men to leave faster.
The two climbed onto their horses. "Ya!" The animals started trotting away.
A minute of tense quiet. The brothers' eyes bored into each other. The ectoplasm dripped down Dami's forehead, his cheek. A drop pooled at his chin….
The spot reappeared and fell. Acid green splattered the bare earth.
The smaller ghost gasped quietly, invisibility flickering out. But Pro's energy surged forward, swirling to envelope his sibling. Grateful relief flashed over Dami's face.
For a minute, two, three, the sound of hooves moved farther away. The clomping disappeared. Another five minutes of silence and…
With a sigh, Pro let go of his invisibility. The fire pit reappeared, Dami across from him. Exhausted, the larger clone collapsed onto his back, panting from the effort.
Seconds later, Dami, about twice the size of his hand, knelt at his side. The little ghost furiously dug into the pack, offering the water flask and handful of peanuts. Prometheus took the water and food, gratefully, before wordlessly shoving the sustenance back on his still-too-green brother.
Damian accepted, still tense and on alert. A few minutes later…
Pro pushed himself up. "We should hide. That cave Lucy showed us?"
Dami nodded vigorously. Gathering all their belongings, the two ran off into the woods.
Really, the 'cave' was more a cleft in some rocks than the opening to an underground cavern, but it did well enough for a quick hiding place. The brothers hid for hours, venturing out once the sun began to descend in the sky.
They hurried to the blueberry bushes, hoping to see Lucy and ask about the two men. Prometheus bit his lip, eyes searching the trees for a flash of her dress. The pair of townspeople had ridden off in the direction of her family's farm. And Grady… he'd never asked (and how horrible of a friend was he that he never even wondered) but he had to assume that that was her family name. They were going to ask if the family had heard anything and…. his core twisted. Lucy wouldn't tell on them. But her parents…. Did they have suspicions? Had they seen the smoke from their fire too?
Hours passed and the girl never showed. Pro tried not to worry. She was busy and probably couldn't get away to check on them.
Darkness fell and the brothers returned to their cabin under the cover of night. There was no fire that night, no freshly cooked food, no laughter and banter. They talked and ate quietly.
"They didn't see us." Dami tried to reassure.
"They saw the fire pit." Pro wrung his hand.
"They saw a bare patch of dirt and didn't figure out it was a fire pit." The smaller ghost emphasized. "No one, other than Lucy, knows we're here."
Fear still lashed out. Just last night… he'd acknowledged the dangers. What Lucy had said… she'd been right, completely right. This was… wasn't sustainable. They couldn't keep this up. There were too many things that could go wrong.
And… and… Pro shivered, suddenly too cold. They'd… they'd gotten too comfortable, too relaxed here. They weren't safe and they'd… they'd almost forgotten.
"It's okay." The smaller ghost put an arm around him. "We'll talk to Lucy tomorrow and see what she says. It's gonna be okay."
Pro took a breath, fighting to believe. They'd… they'd be okay.
While Prometheus's mind might have believed his brother's words, his anxious core….
Lightning forked across the sky. The boom of thunder. Blinding rain.
Running through the woods. His fearful core pounded in his chest.
Dreamed images flashed behind his eyes.
"Lucy?!" Echoing voices, a man and a woman's. "Lucy! Where are you?"
Slippery leaves. The sensation of falling. Lucy, splattered with mud.
"Get away from my daughter." Her father's angry face rang out, the man pointing a rifle.
Lucy's mother, knife clutched in hand. "Get your hands off her!"
The girl scrambled up, standing between them and her parents. "Mama! Daddy! Stop! These-"
"Get away from those… those monsters." The woman roughly grabbed the child, shoving herself between the girl and the ghosts.
The man raising the gun, narrowing his hard eyes. "I don't care what kind of creatures ya are. Demons, Fae, Ghouls, or Spirits. Touch my girl again and I'll kill you."
The dream shifted.
The villagers surrounding them with torches and improvised weapons. Pitchforks, axes, wooden clubs. The same old man, with his pistol.
Lucy. "You have to get out of here!"
"Step away from her, ugly beast!" The same teen, blonde with scrappy facial hair, ran at him, axe swinging.
Dami spread his arms."No!" A ring of green fire ignited around the trio.
His brother, green and dripping.
The pop of a gun. Lucy crumbled on the ground.
"Pro… Pro." Dami's bleary voice. "We need to go."
Laying on the ground, Pro's face scrunched up.
Go. They needed to go. Needed to find Bones, Danielle, and Daniel.
There they were! Three familiar figures floated on an unfamiliar island, under bare trees.
Prometheus ran forward. "You're ok-"
The three whipped around, facing him. Faces screwed up in anger and then pain. The skeleton collapsed, bones clattering into a pile. The boy, almost identical to Dami, stared at dripping hands with horror before falling to his knees. And… a scream. Something long and scaly leapt at the girl.
"No!" He shot a blast at the creature but-
Another step. The three were gone, the bare island empty. Reality twisted.
Metal and glass. Cold and green. So much green. His stomach revolted, sickened. The smell of citrus and copper. He was back there, back in the lab.
A weeping form on the table, in a pool of his own ectoplasm. "Hurts. Hurts. Make stop. Make stop. Make stop."
Pro stepped forward, numb.
Eyes jerked up to him, pleading. "Please. Please. Make stop. Hurts. Hurts. Please. Make stop."
Shaking. "I… I can't-"
A wail of agony. "Stop. Stop! Stop! Hurts! Please make stop!"
Something in him crumbled.
The bottle pulled from the fridge, the flash of a needle. Pro drew up the liquid. Gleaming metal, jabbed into the soggy arm. He pressed down the plunger and… the screaming stopped.
Prometheus awoke gasping, with a sob in his throat.
His brother rolled over with a groan. The little ghost blinked at him sleepily.
Dami scooted closer, grabbing his hand, and squeezed. "'S okay. You're safe. I won't let," A yawn. "Anythin' happen ta ya."
The larger clone's breath quickened, starting to cry in earnest. His mind raced. Guilt and grief and fear. He shook, nightmare still playing behind his eyes. Lucy's parents, the town attacking them. Dami destabilizing. His siblings, disappearing before his eyes. And… and back at Vlad's…. what he'd done.
His brother sat up, suddenly awake. "Hey. Hey. It's okay." The smaller ghost knelt, a hand stroking his back. "You're okay. I'm right here."
Prometheus just wept harder, even as Dami whispered comforting words to him. Before he even realized he was talking, the words poured out. "I killed them. I killed them. I… I killed our brothers."
The boy didn't recoil, didn't flinch. He just continued rubbing gentle circles. "Pro, it wasn't your fault. Vlad's the one who did that. And you… you did what you could. You helped so much. You protected me and Bones. And the others… you were there for them when they needed you."
Pro shook his head vigorously. "No. I…I didn't… I couldn't…" His chest heaved, words cutting off.
The taller clone cried, curled in on himself. His brother muttered kind, loving words. The kindness, the affection… it was… it was too much. Too good for him. Pro felt like his core would shatter.
"I… I killed two of our… our brothers." The larger clone hardly thought about the words, about what he was saying before the story poured out.
"Vlad made me, the first time. He said he'd… he'd vivisect him if I didn't. And… he'd done it before. I…I hadn't obeyed and… and he made me watch as… as he cut him apart. And… and he screamed and melted on the table. So… so I did what Vlad said. M- Vlad gave me this… this clear liquid to inject in. And I… I did. He… he fell asleep and… he stopped breathing. His… his heart stopped. And Vlad said he was… he was dead but.. But he still cut him up…."
Pro paused, taking a moment to catch his breath. Tears slowed, he glanced at Dami. His brother's hand had paused, his head fixing down.
What he had just said, just admitted to, hit him. He'd… he'd said that. He'd just said that, just blurted it out. And… and Dami was just… sitting there, silent.
The taller clone pushed himself up to sit, shoulders curling in on himself. He'd… he'd already come this far.
"The… the second time…" The story unfolded, images replaying in his mind. The crying, the screams, the gore. "Vlad had… had electrocuted him. Over and over again." He shook. "Until… until he started to melt. He finished and… and Vlad just left him there to die." His eyes misted but he continued. "But… but he wouldn't. He kept screaming and crying and… and it had been hours, the whole… the whole night. And our… our brother wouldn't die. He-" A sob rose up, cutting off the word but Pro forced the next out. "He kept… kept begging for it to end. To… to stop hurting. He begged me to make it… make it stop. And… and…" A trembling hand, over his mouth. The word so quiet, Prometheus himself could barely hear it. "I did."
It was over. Prometheus crumbled, back pressed to the wall and arms wrapped tightly around himself. He sobbed again, core shattered. He'd said it and… and this was it. Dami hadn't said anything. He must be… be so angry. That Pro did that, that he hadn't said anything. Dami must hate- No. His brother would never… would never hate him, right? Right? Dami… Dami loved him. But… they trusted each other, told each other everything. There was… was no one Pro trusted more. And… and he'd kept this a secret…
A gentle hand appeared on his knee. Pro's breath hitched. What was-
A moment later…. A small body filled his lap, head tucked under his chin.
"It's not your fault." Damian's voice, grieved but… "It's not your fault." So, so gentle. So kind. So…
Prometheus choked on his cries, the arms around his chest falling limp. Shakingly, tentatively, one arm wrapped around his brother. The little ghost leaned into the touch.
"It wasn't your fault." Dami's voice shook; he was crying too but….
Those words…. Dami… Dami believed them. Pro hugged the other clone, no longer tentative. Dami wasn't… wasn't mad. He didn't hate him. He….
"I'm sorry." The taller ghost whined out.
"No." The smaller shook his head. "Vlad did… did this. You didn't do anything wrong."
Dami was reassuring him. Comforting him. This was… this was all upside down. Insane. But… his core buzzed with a new relief. His guilt, his grief poured out in the tears.
"Thank you." Prometheus finally whispered. Even quieter. "I thought… I thought you'd hate me."
Dami shook his head vigorously. "No. No. Never. I'd never hate you." He looked up, eyes big and full of emotion. "I love you so much. I'd never… I'd never hate you."
Pro's core twisted, the words sending an achingly warm feeling through him. Still, his voice shook. "I knew… I knew that. I know you. You've… you've always been there for me and it was… it was stupid but… but I got so scared." He looked away, stomach churning at the confession. "That… that you'd hate me like… like everyone in town does. Like… like Vlad did." His voice quieted, pained. "He always made me… made me feel like I was some disgusting monster. Like… like the only thing I was good for was being hurt. That… that no one could… could love something like me."
In his lap, Dami stiffened. Worry and anger flickered over his face in quick succession. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to speak, but swallowed the words back. The little ghost just hugged him tighter.
"Everyone in town acted like that too. They attacked me, ran me off, treated me like… like a monster. And I know they're all… they're all wrong. I know… I know I didn't deserve to get treated like that. I'm not… I'm not a monster. But… I feel so… so guilty." It came out as almost a whine. "I saw so many… so many of our siblings die and… and I didn't do anything. I just… just watched. I couldn't… couldn't save them. And… and I know what you said before. That that was… that was Vlad's fault. And me being there helped… helped them. But…."
His watery voice cracked. "I… I killed two of our brothers. And yes, Vlad made me the first time. And… and there wasn't really anything else I could do the second. I couldn't… I couldn't have saved him but…" He sniffled. "It's not… it's not fair that I'm still here when… when all of them are gone." His shoulders shook. "Danielle and Daniel might be gone too. And it's not fair! Why… why do I get a second chance when… when the rest of them didn't? I don't… I don't deserve this. I don't deserve to be here. Not when… when they're not. Not when I couldn't save them. I don't… don't deserve Lucy's friendship. Or your forgiveness. Or….or how much you love me."
The damn tears were back. Prometheus furiously rubbed his face, purposely avoiding his brother's eyes. His mind swam, pulled in two directions. What was… what was he even saying? That was all… all ridiculous. But… his neck ached, the bolts digging into his skin. Every… everything hurt and it wasn't fair. He didn't…. He didn't deserve-
"Prometheus." Dami's voice cut through. "Please. Please listen to me." The small ghost shifted from his sitting position, floating to be eye to eye with his taller brother. "I love you. Nothing that you could tell me, nothing we've been through, nothing that'll happen next could change that. I care about you, no matter how much you think you don't deserve it. But…" A hand gently squeezed the taller clone's arm. "Listen to me. You do deserve it. Okay? You deserve to be loved."
Prometheus' core churned. An uneasy warmth. "I… I want… Sometimes I think… I think I can believe that. But… but…" Tears dripped from his eyes. "Why do I feel so bad? I feel so guilty. I… I failed them. And It's not… It's not fair. Our siblings shouldn't have… have died. They're supposed to be here. How… how am I supposed to… to keep going when they're not here?"
"You just do." Pro flinched, the words at first feeling harsh but… "You just… keep going because the other option is to stop and…" Dami sighed, his voice sombering. "Pro. I get it. I… I feel the same way… all the time."
The taller clone blinked, surprised by the confession. "You… you do?"
A nod. "I do. I feel so guilty too. And you're right. It's not fair that….that we're here and they're not. I don't… I don't know why we made it and they didn't. I don't have an answer and… and maybe there isn't one."
Prometheus looked down, shaking. "So… so that's it. It… it isn't fair and… and we can't do anything about it." His eyes watered. He felt hopeless. Helpless. This… all these horrible things happened and he couldn't-
"We can do something." Dami's voice cut in. "We can keep going. I think…" A heavy sigh. "I know it sounds ridiculous but… I think the best thing we can do is remember them and… and live the best we can."
"Live?" Prometheus was almost skeptical. "We're full ghosts."
"But we're still here. We can… we can make the most of our second chance and live."
There was a pause, the word marinating in the air. The other ghost shook his head. "No. It's not… it's not that simple. That's not…" He blew out a breath, inexplicably frustrated. "Our siblings were… were tortured and murdered. They're gone and… and we're supposed to just act like… like it didn't happen?"
"That's not… that's not what I'm saying." Dami countered, surprisingly gently. "It wouldn't be right to just forget but…." He looked down. "Our siblings wouldn't want us to be like this. So sad and guilty and afraid all the time."
"But…" Prometheus opened and closed his mouth, feeling like he should argue. But…. His core clinched. What if… if that was true?
"Beating yourself up over this isn't helping anyone one." The smaller ghost again met his eyes, wide and pleading. "It wouldn't bring them back, get justice for them, or help you heal. Pro…" He squared his shoulders slightly, looking more determined. "If I hadn't made it, I know I wouldn't want you to punish yourself like this. I won't have blamed you. I never have. I would have wanted you to be happy and safe. To find the rest of our family, to… to find a new home, and just… live the afterlife you want. I know… I know our brothers would feel the same."
For a long moment, Prometheus looked away, avoiding the earnest gaze. His insides ached, that guilt and self doubt still screaming at him but Dami's words…
"You really think all that?"
The smaller ghost nodded vigorously. "Yes. You can… both of us can stop beating ourselves up."
Pro surveyed his little brother, frowning. A part of him resisted, not wanting to listen, to take those words to heart. But… hadn't Dami said much the same thing to him before? Hadn't he listened then? And.. didn't it help?
He finally sighed, something in his loosening. "That's easier said than done."
"You're right." Dami agreed sobberly. "It's hard. Really hard. I guess… it's the kinda thing you do one day at a time and…" His checks darkened, a shameful blush passing over him. "I think we both know what we need to do first."
Pro frowned. What was his brother getting at? Then…
"We really… we really do need to leave then." Pro's core twisted, the revelation washing over him. "We can't keep… keep living like this, in all this pain and guilt and fear. We're not safe happened yesterday.. my nightmare. I've been so scared of the town finding us. Or… Lucy's parents. She was right. We can't keep this up."
"Yeah." The smaller ghost nodded, his frown deepening. "I thought… for a while we were happy. But I'm realizing… we've spent so long just surviving. I barely remember what it feels like to be safe."
Pro's stomach churned. Safe…. Maybe… maybe he'd never known what safety felt like. Not really…. "But… I'm scared of leaving." He looked down. "Yeah, it's dangerous here but I know what's out there. I thought… I thought I was ready for it. But… anything could be out there, once we leave. And… where are the others? Are they even… even here, in the Realms?"
"We'll never know if we stay here." Dami countered softly. "And I think… I think facing the unknown and finding out is better than staying where it's more familiar but never knowing."
The taller clone didn't respond, his mind running through all of the excuses to stay and reasons to go. This was… this was so much. He was so tired of this, of being hurt and scared. He wanted to be safe, with the rest of their family. But getting there, achieving that? No matter… no matter what they did next, he was afraid.
"Pro." His brother continued. "I know you're scared. I am too. But… this is what we need to do. We need to move on, to… to stop stagnating. I know it'll be hard but…. we have each other. We'll be together, side by side, the whole time."
The larger ghost bit his lip, certainty and doubt warring but… the one fact he'd clung to, from their first day here. He wasn't alone. He had never been.
Prometheus looked back at his brother. "Okay. We'll… we'll tell Lucy tomorrow and… leave to find our siblings. Or… or Danny. He can help us. And we'll find someone to heal your core."
Dami's eyes lit up slightly, all the more visible in the graying light. "So we're doing it. We're leaving?"
A nod. "We're doing it."
The pair fell into silence, watching soft light bleeding through the window as the sun rose. Prometheus' core relaxed, a soft peace twinging through the pain. It still hurt and maybe it always would but….
So much had been said this night, so many fears soothed. Dami had been right, as wise as ever. The guilt still pulled at him but… he'd stop clinging to it. Stop using it as a weapon to punish himself. He'd… he'd let it go. Like his lost siblings would want him too. He'd remember all of them. He'd honor them. And…
It unfolded behind his eyes. Like in his dream, Danielle, Daniel, and Bones floating, their backs facing him. That familiar fear curled but…. No. They'd turn around, surprise bleeding into elation. They'd hug. They'd cry. They'd laugh. They'd ramble about everything that happened since parting. And they'd be together, a family again.
Together, they'd make the most of their second chance. They would live.
"Thank you." The taller clone repeated to Dami's sleepily nod.
As morning came, both brothers laid down for a short sleep. This time, for Pro, it wasn't uneasy, his core pulled in two directions. He drifted off to happy imaginings of finding with their siblings, the hugs and laughter of a long awaited reunion. He didn't even notice the bolts embedded in his neck loosen, fall away, and disappear.