Tell Tales While Envy.

"what the hell?"
"what's wrong?"
"something's coming out of her mouth!"
"hey! that's good news."
elliot is gripping a white towel in his right hand and a bottle of water in the other. for the past hour, we've gotten her to come around. her eyes fluttered open a few times before she went back into her "coma". that's what we're calling it... she's not completely dead.
"i think she saw the light, bro."
"elliot, move out of the way. you're being an idiot," i shove him out of my general direction and snatch the towel. "give me that. you're being productive."
i start to wipe the foam coming from her lips, but every time i do, she coughs up again. it's like watching a big baby. a very sick, and scared baby. the one time her eyes opened, the only thing i saw in them was fear. she knew we did something wrong, and she knew she agreed to it. she accepted her fate, and as her eyes closed back up, i felt like accepting it as well.

i leave elliot upstairs to keep an eye on her, probably not a good idea, but i had to check on things down stairs.
the early sun is peaking through the window this time, and bodies are no longer on my stairs. actually, the house seems pretty vacant. relief flows through my veins like a cool shower. but i stop short when i see charlie in the doorway.
charlie's my neighbor. he's about 6'1", ginger hair, wearing clothes his older brother outgrew. a cell phone is open nice and wide on his palm.
"uh, what's up?"
he's doesn't look like he's ready for a nice conversation. that grimy smirk is permanent on the burnt, freckled face.
he holds up the phone. "got a text from elliot. it was... interesting."
"jesus christ."
"oh, don't worry." he whips around a backpack i didn't notice on him before and unzips it with his free hand. "i have reinforcements."
now i'm just itching to run upstairs and land a good one on my best bud. where the hell does he get off texting my annoying neighbor? who has no part in this shit whatsoever?
"what kind of reinforcements?" i stand in front of charlie, my shoulders back, deciding whether to let him in or not.
"don't look so confused, matt. i'm gonna hook you up."
"bro, i don't need any drugs. i don't know what the fuck elliot told you--"
"no. i'm not here to deal."
charlie sighs and hangs his head. he pulls out a square package from the pack. small, white, with some red trim. it takes me a second to read the neat, black words on the front.
"drug detoxing kit? they sell those things?"
he shoves it in my direction, but i back off.
"take it, matt," he snaps. his tone is heavy; he's not joking around with me anymore. "you guys need to save cecilia. this isn't a game. this is someone's life you're playing with."