The Kill
Part Two
Jared felt himself being tugged awake. His eyes blinked open, squinting against the constant light in the lounge. The visible sky through the glass roof had turned grey. Pitiful daylight, but daylight nonetheless. He had no idea how long he’d been in the room, and he had no recollection of settling down to sleep.
(But that’s been happening a lot recently)
There was a familiar warm sensation on his right hand, dangling over the edge of his seat, a soft, slow dripping accompanying it. Jared didn’t need to look to see that it was blood. His own blood, from the sizeable gash on his forearm he’d woken up with a few days back. Every few hours, no matter how careful he was with bandaging it, it managed to reopen and the warm liquid spilled over his hand, bringing a faint light-headedness with it.
(Nothing too out of the ordinary)
As Jared contemplated getting up to tend to his wound, he noticed his brother leant against the sofa he lay on. From the way Shannon was idly dipping his finger into the ever-growing puddle of blood on the floor and tracing meaningless patterns into it, Jared correctly assumed he was awake.
“You’re bleeding.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because I cut my arm.”
“How?”
(That’s a difficult one)
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“I woke up a few days ago and it was like this.”
“We should get you cleaned up.”
(Easier said than done)
Shannon wiped his finger clean on his jeans before pushing himself up off the floor, and holding out a hand to Jared as he did the same. Jared took his hand without a word, and let his brother lead him out of the lounge and into a corridor. There was a pause as Shannon unlocked the first room they came to and entered hesitantly.
(Room 1329)
Shannon always felt uneasy about entering the suites, like somehow he was never supposed to be anywhere but the endless corridors. Jared’s presence seemed to calm him down after days of being alone, and such a familiar presence as his brother’s was the best thing he could wish for in this hotel. He gently tugged on Jared’s hand to get him into the suite as well.
(Maybe he feels the same)
Shannon carefully pushed on the unlatched bathroom door, checking inside as if there’d be someone already in there. When he was certain it was empty, he stepped in, Jared reluctantly following. He sat his brother down on the counter next to the sink, and pushed up his long sleeve. Jared hissed as the fabric rubbed against the cut, and he felt his brother’s cold fingers on his arm a second later, wiping away fresh blood with his thumb to get a better look at the gash.
(It’s probably as bad as it looks)
Shannon easily found a cloth in the small room and ran it under the hot tap. Jared sat patiently and silently as Shannon washed days of dried blood off his arm, watching it dye the cloth pink and spiral down the plughole. He didn’t flinch as Shannon wound a pale bandage around his arm tight enough to cut off the circulation.
(Just like when you were a kid)
Shannon dropped the cloth in the sink and wiped his hands dry on his jeans. Jared tried for a smile, but it wouldn’t come. There was now no real reason that they should stay together, and Shannon felt the urge returning.
“I need to go.”
“I know.”
“You should stay here.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you getting lost.”
Jared didn’t feel the urge to move like Shannon did. He could easily ignore it, stay in the same place for hours on end. Jared felt a different feeling, an uneasy feeling that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and shivers run down his spine. A feeling that kept him on edge, a horrible feeling of not being alone.
“Don’t leave me.”
(Begging normally works)
Shannon shook his head, glancing at his brother before turning and leaving the bathroom. Jared jumped to his feet and followed him, catching his arm before he could exit the suite entirely.
“I need to go.”
“Please stay with me.”
“I’ll come back soon.”
“What if you get lost?”
“I’ll mark my way.”
Jared sighed, eyes pleading and desperate. Shannon couldn’t meet them, choosing to look at the pale floor instead. There was no fighting the urge. Get out, move, loose yourself.
(You can’t loose yourself with someone to keep you grounded)
“It’s not safe out there.”
“I need to go.”
“What if you get hurt?”
“I’ll come back soon.”
“What if I get hurt?”
Shannon glanced at the bandage on his brother’s arm. Jared claimed no recollection of how he got cut, but in this hotel it’s easy to forget.
“You’ll be safe.”
“You won’t.”
“I’ll lock the door when I leave so nothing can get in.”
“What if I need to get out?”
(But you wouldn’t need to get out)
“You’ve got a key, right?”
Jared let go of his brother’s arm reluctantly, stepping back into the suite. Shannon immediately pulled open the door and left into the hallway. Jared heard the turn of the lock, and Shannon’s voice through the door.
“I’ll come back soon. I promise.”
As his footsteps faded away, Jared’s feeling grew. He looked around the suite uneasily, eyes sticking to shadows and darkness. Keeping his eyes on the room, he reached to his side to flick on the light switch.
(Let’s hope you don’t find anything)
The brightness that instantly filled the room removed a small portion of the feeling. Not enough to calm him down, but enough to encourage him to move further into the room, settling down on the only bed, eyes constantly searching the room. Exhaustion crept up on him, weakening his muscles and pulling down on his eyelids. Before he knew it, he’d drifted asleep.
(He’ll be back soon)
A soft knock on the door shook Jared awake. He sat up instantly, leaning forwards to see the door.
“Jared?”
Jared’s heart jumped at the almost familiar voice.
“Jared? Are you in there?”
Jared stood up off the bed shakily, taking small steps towards the door.
“I lost my key, Jared. Can you let me in?”
It sounded like Shannon. Jared’s brain struggled to see who else it could be. The voice was ever so slightly distorted, but he put that down to the thickness of the door.
“Please, Jared. I want to know you’re alright.”
Jared grabbed his keys off the table by the door. The feeling grew with every step he took towards the door, gaining intensity until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
(He’ll help me)
Jared stuck his key into the door and unlocked it.
(But that’s been happening a lot recently)
There was a familiar warm sensation on his right hand, dangling over the edge of his seat, a soft, slow dripping accompanying it. Jared didn’t need to look to see that it was blood. His own blood, from the sizeable gash on his forearm he’d woken up with a few days back. Every few hours, no matter how careful he was with bandaging it, it managed to reopen and the warm liquid spilled over his hand, bringing a faint light-headedness with it.
(Nothing too out of the ordinary)
As Jared contemplated getting up to tend to his wound, he noticed his brother leant against the sofa he lay on. From the way Shannon was idly dipping his finger into the ever-growing puddle of blood on the floor and tracing meaningless patterns into it, Jared correctly assumed he was awake.
“You’re bleeding.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because I cut my arm.”
“How?”
(That’s a difficult one)
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“I woke up a few days ago and it was like this.”
“We should get you cleaned up.”
(Easier said than done)
Shannon wiped his finger clean on his jeans before pushing himself up off the floor, and holding out a hand to Jared as he did the same. Jared took his hand without a word, and let his brother lead him out of the lounge and into a corridor. There was a pause as Shannon unlocked the first room they came to and entered hesitantly.
(Room 1329)
Shannon always felt uneasy about entering the suites, like somehow he was never supposed to be anywhere but the endless corridors. Jared’s presence seemed to calm him down after days of being alone, and such a familiar presence as his brother’s was the best thing he could wish for in this hotel. He gently tugged on Jared’s hand to get him into the suite as well.
(Maybe he feels the same)
Shannon carefully pushed on the unlatched bathroom door, checking inside as if there’d be someone already in there. When he was certain it was empty, he stepped in, Jared reluctantly following. He sat his brother down on the counter next to the sink, and pushed up his long sleeve. Jared hissed as the fabric rubbed against the cut, and he felt his brother’s cold fingers on his arm a second later, wiping away fresh blood with his thumb to get a better look at the gash.
(It’s probably as bad as it looks)
Shannon easily found a cloth in the small room and ran it under the hot tap. Jared sat patiently and silently as Shannon washed days of dried blood off his arm, watching it dye the cloth pink and spiral down the plughole. He didn’t flinch as Shannon wound a pale bandage around his arm tight enough to cut off the circulation.
(Just like when you were a kid)
Shannon dropped the cloth in the sink and wiped his hands dry on his jeans. Jared tried for a smile, but it wouldn’t come. There was now no real reason that they should stay together, and Shannon felt the urge returning.
“I need to go.”
“I know.”
“You should stay here.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you getting lost.”
Jared didn’t feel the urge to move like Shannon did. He could easily ignore it, stay in the same place for hours on end. Jared felt a different feeling, an uneasy feeling that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and shivers run down his spine. A feeling that kept him on edge, a horrible feeling of not being alone.
“Don’t leave me.”
(Begging normally works)
Shannon shook his head, glancing at his brother before turning and leaving the bathroom. Jared jumped to his feet and followed him, catching his arm before he could exit the suite entirely.
“I need to go.”
“Please stay with me.”
“I’ll come back soon.”
“What if you get lost?”
“I’ll mark my way.”
Jared sighed, eyes pleading and desperate. Shannon couldn’t meet them, choosing to look at the pale floor instead. There was no fighting the urge. Get out, move, loose yourself.
(You can’t loose yourself with someone to keep you grounded)
“It’s not safe out there.”
“I need to go.”
“What if you get hurt?”
“I’ll come back soon.”
“What if I get hurt?”
Shannon glanced at the bandage on his brother’s arm. Jared claimed no recollection of how he got cut, but in this hotel it’s easy to forget.
“You’ll be safe.”
“You won’t.”
“I’ll lock the door when I leave so nothing can get in.”
“What if I need to get out?”
(But you wouldn’t need to get out)
“You’ve got a key, right?”
Jared let go of his brother’s arm reluctantly, stepping back into the suite. Shannon immediately pulled open the door and left into the hallway. Jared heard the turn of the lock, and Shannon’s voice through the door.
“I’ll come back soon. I promise.”
As his footsteps faded away, Jared’s feeling grew. He looked around the suite uneasily, eyes sticking to shadows and darkness. Keeping his eyes on the room, he reached to his side to flick on the light switch.
(Let’s hope you don’t find anything)
The brightness that instantly filled the room removed a small portion of the feeling. Not enough to calm him down, but enough to encourage him to move further into the room, settling down on the only bed, eyes constantly searching the room. Exhaustion crept up on him, weakening his muscles and pulling down on his eyelids. Before he knew it, he’d drifted asleep.
(He’ll be back soon)
A soft knock on the door shook Jared awake. He sat up instantly, leaning forwards to see the door.
“Jared?”
Jared’s heart jumped at the almost familiar voice.
“Jared? Are you in there?”
Jared stood up off the bed shakily, taking small steps towards the door.
“I lost my key, Jared. Can you let me in?”
It sounded like Shannon. Jared’s brain struggled to see who else it could be. The voice was ever so slightly distorted, but he put that down to the thickness of the door.
“Please, Jared. I want to know you’re alright.”
Jared grabbed his keys off the table by the door. The feeling grew with every step he took towards the door, gaining intensity until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
(He’ll help me)
Jared stuck his key into the door and unlocked it.
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm really messed up in my head.Again, point out any mistake for me please ;)
I don't have another part written, so there'll be a wait. Please comment if you read ;)